Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 44 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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The Emperor arrived at Yanxi Palace, expecting Wei Yingluo, but found himself waiting as she was nowhere to be seen. He spent half the night looking at the calligraphy and paintings in the room while the candles burned low. When he grew anxious, Ming Yu explained that Wei Yingluo was with the Empress Dowager, chatting and showing filial piety, and would not be returning anytime soon.
Feeling Wei Yingluo had deliberately left him waiting, yet unable to argue against Ming Yu’s appeal to filial devotion, the Emperor feigned leaving in a huff. However, he had not truly departed. Wei Yingluo's tactic of playing hard to get only deepened his interest, and so, the Emperor ended up staying the night at Yanxi Palace again.
Concubine Jia, infuriated that the Emperor had been captivated by Wei Yingluo and had neglected her, ordered Wei Yingluo to kneel upon seeing her. As Concubine Jia held a higher rank, Wei Yingluo quietly complied. Ming Yu was indignant, but Wei Yingluo remained unfazed. They knelt outside the palace gates for an entire day until nightfall, when Wei Yingluo finally rose and led Ming Yu away. The Emperor, learning of Concubine Jia’s punishment of Wei Yingluo, inquired about the matter.
Concubine Jia, however, twisted the story, tearfully claiming Wei Yingluo was arrogant and insolent. Remembering Wei Yingluo's past defiance, the Emperor believed Concubine Jia and ordered Wei Yingluo's serving plaque to be withdrawn. Unfazed by this punishment, Wei Yingluo cheerfully ordered a new swing to be set up in her palace and spent her time playing on it with great delight. Unable to bear Wei Yingluo not seeking him out, the Emperor eventually made his way to Yanxi Palace.
Wei Yingluo, however, deliberately pretended not to notice him, continuing to play on the swing until the Emperor, frustrated, stormed off. Vexed by Wei Yingluo, the Emperor felt a tightness in his chest and summoned Physician Ye for a check-up. Physician Ye seized the opportunity to reveal that Wei Yingluo's knees had been severely injured from kneeling and had almost resulted in a permanent ailment.
Realizing he had wronged Wei Yingluo, the Emperor sent her numerous lavish gifts, including the precious "Autumn Colours in the Qiao and Hua Mountains" painting by Zhao Mengfu. Wishing to reconcile with Wei Yingluo but too proud to apologize, the Emperor instructed Supervisor Li Yu to discreetly convey his intentions. Li Yu delivered the message clearly, but Wei Yingluo refused to back down, feigning illness.
This act further angered the Emperor, who declared he would never again select her for bed service. When others in the palace learned that her plaque had been withdrawn, they assumed she had become arrogant and angered the Emperor, believing her chances of regaining favor were over. Little did they know, everything was proceeding just as Wei Yingluo had planned.
Consort Chun, hearing of Wei Yingluo's supposed fall from favor, believed Wei Yingluo had blundered by being too arrogant, not realizing it was all part of a strategy. However, she noted that Wei Yingluo consistently visited the Empress Dowager, making her difficult to target. As part of her plan, Wei Yingluo presented the painting the Emperor had gifted her to the Empress Dowager, who, in turn, regifted it to the Emperor.
Upon seeing the painting, the Emperor's face turned livid, and he furiously rushed to Yanxi Palace to confront Wei Yingluo. Consort Chun, guessing that Wei Yingluo had angered the Emperor by re-gifting an imperial item, happily prepared to watch the unfolding drama. Wei Yingluo's act of regifting the Emperor's painting caused him considerable embarrassment. Upon entering Yanxi Palace, he immediately confronted her. However, Wei Yingluo was prepared, claiming she gifted it because the Empress Dowager admired it.
The Emperor, seeing through her actions, accused her of deliberately provoking him to keep him constantly on her mind. Realizing her intentions were transparent, Wei Yingluo admitted that this was her innate nature and she would never change. The Emperor found himself caught between love and exasperation. Despite having many consorts, none were as captivatingly interesting as she.
Breaking all precedent, he officially bestowed upon Wei Yingluo the title of Concubine Ling, while also ordering Concubine Jia to be grounded for a month and to copy "Virtues of a Woman" one hundred times. Within a mere three months, Wei Yingluo had ascended from a Noble Lady to Concubine Ling, sparking immense jealousy among the other consorts, especially Consort Chun.
Consort Chun now found Wei Yingluo increasingly formidable but decided against acting directly, knowing many in the palace hated Wei Yingluo, with Concubine Jia being an ideal proxy. Meanwhile, Fu Heng, having achieved a great victory in Jinchuan, returned to the capital after years of absence. Upon arriving home, his mother recounted how Er Qing had been locked in her room and nearly died during a difficult labor, then presented Fu Heng's son, Fu Kang'an, to him.
Fu Heng, having long been estranged from Er Qing, nonetheless maintained the secret of Fu Kang'an's true parentage to preserve the Fucha family's honor. Er Qing was overjoyed to see Fu Heng, but his thoughts were solely on Wei Yingluo, prompting him to leave for the palace almost immediately. Er Qing, aware of his intentions, coldly informed him that Wei Yingluo was now Concubine Ling, urging him to accept his fate.
Fu Heng was shattered, unable to believe his ears, and rushed to the Imperial Palace to verify the news. Upon entering, he saw Wei Yingluo seated on a grand palanquin. Wei Yingluo saw him too, but her face remained expressionless. In that moment, Fu Heng's last ray of hope shattered. He had fought countless bloody battles, risking his life for the military achievements that would allow him to ask the Emperor to marry Wei Yingluo.
Now, he had returned victorious, but he had lost her forever. The Emperor summoned Fu Heng, offering him any reward he desired. Seizing the opportunity, Fu Heng simply asked if the Emperor truly meant "anything." The Emperor immediately understood Fu Heng's unspoken wish for Wei Yingluo and, feeling awkward, quickly changed his offer to high official positions and generous emoluments.
Though he knew these were not what Fu Heng truly wanted, he could never cede a consort, especially since Wei Yingluo had firmly captured his heart. Fu Heng accepted his rewards and was ennobled as a Duke of the First Rank, yet he found no joy in it, spending his days brooding in his study. Qing Lian, his maid, seeing his despair, tried to comfort him. But Fu Heng could not be happy.
He recalled the late Empress's words, realizing that from the day he agreed to marry Er Qing, Wei Yingluo had become an unattainable dream. Some things, if not seized at the right moment, are lost forever.
