Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 59 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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Fuheng, having returned from his campaign, presented the Emperor with superior Western guns that surpassed the Zunghar muskets in range and accuracy. The Emperor immediately ordered the Imperial Armory and Workshop to begin producing imitations. Fuheng then reported the passing of the elderly minister Zhang Tingyu. Despite acknowledging Zhang's mistakes in his later years, the Emperor, remembering his significant contributions, decreed that he be granted the high honor of a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The Emperor confided in Fuheng that after years of contention, Zhang's sudden death left him feeling strangely lonely and ashamed. When asked about his visit to the Yuanming Garden, Fuheng revealed that while the Empress Dowager was praying, he had encountered Wei Yingluo. He told her that a stunning new beauty had been brought to the palace, which prompted Yingluo to pack her bags and return within three days.
In light of Fuheng's demanding duties, the Emperor granted him a favor, ordering that his son, Fukang'an, enter the palace to study alongside the princes. Later, Supervisor Li reported that Wei Yingluo was suffering from insomnia and a disharmony between her liver and stomach, a result of continuously copying sutras with her own blood, which had depleted her energy and ruined her appetite. Concerned, the Emperor went to Yanxi Palace and found Wei Yingluo still intent on her task.
He ordered her to stop, but she insisted she had to complete the eighty volumes she had promised the Empress Dowager. The Emperor admitted that while he had been tempted to let her suffer the consequences, he felt compelled to intervene out of consideration for her care of his mother. Seizing the opportunity, Yingluo reminded him of his promise to protect her from being bullied.
She argued that if he left Yanxi Palace after everyone had seen him arrive, she would lose face and be unable to maintain her standing. Reluctantly, the Emperor agreed to stay, clarifying it was only to preserve her honor, and instructed Supervisor Li to prepare the side chamber for him. Later that night, Wei Yingluo entered the side chamber where the Emperor was sleeping, claiming she was frightened by a rat in her room.
When he told her to have a servant deal with it, she refused to leave, complaining that she wasn't wearing shoes and her feet were cold. Though still holding a grudge, the Emperor allowed her to stay. She then tearfully confessed the real reason she had taken contraceptive medicine: a deep-seated fear of dying in childbirth, just as her mother had.
Admitting her selfishness and lack of courage, she questioned if it was strange for her to believe a woman's life had meaning beyond bearing children. The Emperor, moved by her vulnerability, assured her he understood and would not force her. However, when she tried to dismiss his lingering anger as a thing of the past, he pressed her, making it clear she was still avoiding the true source of his displeasure.
The next morning, the Emperor left before Wei Yingluo awoke to have breakfast at the Hall of Fairview with the new favorite, Imperial Concubine Shun, Chenbi. While Ming Yu was discouraged, Wei Yingluo remained optimistic about winning him back. Later, at her daily respects to the Empress, Wei Yingluo was taunted by Consort Jia about being replaced by Chenbi.
However, Consort Shu, now one of the four senior consorts, urged them to set aside their past grievances and unite against their common rival. She pointed out that Chenbi's constant singing and dancing were causing the Emperor to neglect his duties, sparking debate in the imperial court. The Empress, while feigning disinterest in such rivalries, agreed that Chenbi's behavior was improper and outlined a plan, asking for the others' cooperation.
Curious, Yingluo later visited Chenbi, who confessed that the palace felt suffocating and she often rode her pony around her residence to imagine she was free again. Wei Yingluo continued her visits, attempting to teach Chenbi palace etiquette, like walking in the traditional high-soled "flower pot" shoes. During one lesson, Chenbi stumbled, dropping a jade pendant.
Her maid, Yizhu, eagerly pointed out that it was a gift personally engraved by the Emperor and named 'Jing Ying Chen Bi', a poetic name praising her flawless beauty. Witnessing this intimate sign of favor, Yingluo's demeanor cooled, and she abruptly ended the lesson. Yizhu later expressed suspicion about Yingluo's intentions, but Chenbi defended her, saying she preferred Yingluo's honest coldness to the sinister smiles of the other women in the harem.
As the death anniversary of Princess He An, the Empress Dowager's beloved daughter, approached, Wei Yingluo was put in charge of the arrangements. She instructed Yuan Chunwang to organize a grand ceremony including prayers by lamas, but he objected, stating such a practice was reserved for Emperors and Empresses. The Empress intervened, sharply rebuking Yuan Chunwang for his past betrayal and reminding him of his place as a servant.
She then proposed a compromise: the lamas would pray at the princess's tomb, while a Grand Shaman would be invited to the palace. The Empress later praised Yingluo's planning and subtly advised her to burn a "little Buddhist flower" to please the Empress Dowager, while also tasking her with personally introducing Chenbi to her on the day of the ceremony.
Wei Yingluo instantly understood the trap being set and confided in Ming Yu that Chenbi was about to face a disaster. Upon the Empress Dowager's return, the Empress, along with Consort Jia and Nalan Chun Xue, immediately slandered Chenbi, describing her constant performances and claiming she performed an erotic dance for the Emperor. Enraged, the Empress Dowager chastised the Empress for failing to manage the harem.
The Empress demurred, citing her "gentle temperament" and fear of being labeled jealous, declaring she would only act with the Empress Dowager's backing. The Empress Dowager retorted that she was not a shield to be used when convenient and that the Empress must take responsibility. Haunted by Chenbi's earlier confession of loneliness, Wei Yingluo intercepted her on her way to meet the Empress Dowager, pulling her away to "save her life."
During the memorial ceremony for Princess He An, a fire suddenly erupted at the altar as Chenbi approached. The Grand Shaman immediately declared Chenbi an "inauspicious person" who had destroyed thirty years of accumulated merit, preventing the princess's soul from reaching paradise. Consort Jia and the others eagerly supported the accusation. The Empress openly accused Wei Yingluo of defending Chenbi when she remained silent. Inflamed, the Empress Dowager ordered Chenbi's arrest.
Chenbi vehemently denied the accusations, crying out that she was framed and that someone had bribed the shaman and rigged the altar. She pleaded with the Empress Dowager to look closely at her, a "living human being." After a careful look, the Empress Dowager surprisingly halted the arrest and privately asked for Chenbi's birth date. Chenbi replied: "The fifteenth of the ninth month, at the hour of Zi." Wei Yingluo later questioned the Empress Dowager's sudden change of heart.
The Empress Dowager revealed that when Princess He An was dying, a monk had advised her to leave two tiny, needle-sized marks below the child's lip so they might reunite in a future life. She had just discovered the identical marks on Chenbi, whose birth date also matched, leading her to believe Chenbi was the princess reincarnated. Wei Yingluo feigned skepticism, advising her not to believe in such an "absurd" theory. Soon after, the Emperor arrived, frantically asking for Chenbi.
He dismissed the shaman's authority, explaining that the position existed to uphold tradition, not to dictate the Empress Dowager's thoughts. He then accused Wei Yingluo of trying to eliminate her competition, but the Empress Dowager defended her. Unconvinced, the Emperor retorted that his mother was too fond of Yingluo. The Empress Dowager then called Chenbi to her side, declared the matter closed, and permitted the Emperor to take his beloved consort and leave.
