Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 5 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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Following her confrontation with Noble Consort Gao's attendant, Wei Yingluo was brought before the consort and feigned idiocy to save herself. She pretended to be a glutton, eagerly consuming large amounts of food. While this act convinced some, Noble Consort Gao remained suspicious. At Concubine Jia's shrewd suggestion, the consort had Wei Yingluo monitored. Aware of the surveillance, Wei Yingluo deliberately sat outside the palace gates and continued to eat until the observers, satisfied she was a simpleton, finally departed.
Only then did she succumb to nausea from the excessive consumption and vomit. Concubine Jia, however, saw through the entire performance, recognizing Wei Yingluo's cunning and marking her as someone to be wary of. Back at the embroiderers' dormitory, Ji Xiang worried about Wei Yingluo's prolonged absence. Jin Xiu, however, maliciously spread a rumor that Yingluo was secretly meeting a lover, listing various male staff within the Forbidden City as potential candidates.
A furious Ji Xiang confronted her, and their argument was only stopped by Wei Yingluo's return. Later, Wei Yingluo cornered Ling Long, revealing she knew Ling Long had betrayed her to Noble Consort Gao. Though Ling Long tearfully begged for forgiveness, Wei Yingluo was unyielding. She forced Ling Long to eat the leftover lotus-root powder balls she had brought back, making her endure the same discomfort she had suffered. The humiliation only deepened Ling Long's resentment.
Seeking clues about her sister, Wei Yingluo visited Madam Fang under the pretense of checking on her health. She deliberately spilled a drink on Madam Fang and then, while pretending to search for dry clothes, rummaged through her belongings before being discovered and feigning innocence. Meanwhile, Jin Xiu continued to spread rumors about Wei Yingluo's supposed affair with an Imperial Guard. The kindly Madam Zhang warned Yingluo about the power of such gossip.
During an errand, Yingluo noted materials being sent to the pottery workshop, which sparked an idea. Spurred by her own grudge, Ling Long manipulated Jin Xiu into following Yingluo at night. Jin Xiu discovered Yingluo was out past curfew and immediately reported it to Madam Fang, falling perfectly into Ling Long's trap. Under pressure from Madam Fang, Ling Long pretended to reluctantly identify an Imperial Guard named Qingxi as Wei Yingluo's supposed lover.
However, Wei Yingluo had already secretly given Qingxi a stone, a traditional symbol of rejection. The exchange was witnessed by the passing Fu Heng, who, upholding palace rules, confiscated the stone. Recognizing its meaning, he chastised Qingxi for the inappropriate interaction and ordered him to recite the Imperial Guard regulations as punishment. With the "love token" revealed to be a rejection, the plot to frame Yingluo was foiled, leaving Madam Fang frustrated.
Over the next few months, Wei Yingluo began to exhibit symptoms of pregnancy, including nausea and a visibly expanding waistline. Ling Long and Jin Xiu watched with delight, believing Yingluo was finally caught. After observing Yingluo's protruding belly during a change of clothes, Jin Xiu reported it to Madam Fang. Seizing the opportunity for revenge, Madam Fang publicly accused Wei Yingluo of illicit pregnancy before Chief Wu.
While Chief Wu held a favorable impression of Yingluo, he promised to handle the matter fairly. Wei Yingluo calmly asked what punishment a false accuser would face. Learning it was to be caned and expelled from the palace, she confidently agreed to an immediate physical inspection. A respected senior maid, Madam Yan, conducted the examination and confirmed that Wei Yingluo was still a virgin. Jin Xiu became hysterical, insisting she had seen the swollen belly herself.
Angered by the malicious and baseless accusations, Chief Wu prepared to punish the accusers. Panicked, Madam Fang and Jin Xiu began to physically fight, blaming each other to escape punishment. Chief Wu stopped them and gave Wei Yingluo, the victim, the right to decide their fate. Despite their desperate pleas for mercy, Wei Yingluo remained unmoved and asked that they be dealt with according to the rules.
Consequently, Chief Wu ordered Jin Xiu to receive twenty strokes of the cane and be demoted to the Laundry Service, while Madam Fang received forty strokes and was expelled from the Forbidden City. As Madam Fang prepared for her expulsion, Wei Yingluo revealed her elaborate scheme.
She had orchestrated the rumors of her own rendezvous and secretly consumed small amounts of kaolin clay from the pottery workshop to bloat her stomach and feign pregnancy, all to make the scandal so public that its eventual debunking would silence the gossip for good. Enraged at being outwitted, Madam Fang cursed Yingluo, calling her a "bitch" just like her sister, Wei Yingning. At the mention of her sister's name, Yingluo's demeanor hardened.
She threatened to expose Madam Fang's history of abusing palace maids unless she revealed what she knew about Yingning's death. Terrified, Madam Fang confessed to stealing her sister's money and a distinctive knotted accessory but claimed ignorance about the circumstances of her death. In Fang's room, Yingluo found her sister's belongings. As a final, desperate act, Madam Fang warned Yingluo to abandon her investigation, claiming Yingning's death was tied to a terrible scandal that no one dared to mention. Wei Yingluo scoffed at the warning, vowing to uncover the truth and clear her sister's name.
