Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 61 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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Concubine Shun observes Wei Yingluo's reluctance to transcribe sutras, chiding her for being disrespectful to Buddha. Later, in a discussion with the Empress Dowager, Shun highlights Wei Yingluo's cunning ability to win affection, citing the late Empress Xiaoxianchun and the Emperor as examples. This successfully creates a rift, and the Empress Dowager, who had been fond of Yingluo, grows distant.
When Yingluo later tries to pay her respects, she is turned away, with an attendant informing her that the Empress Dowager has excused her from her duties and wishes to meditate in peace. While Ming Yu is confused by the sudden change, Yingluo understands Shun is the cause. Meanwhile, Hailancha confronts Ming Yu after she returns all his betrothal gifts. Confused, he reminds her that the Emperor himself approved their marriage.
Ming Yu coldly ends their relationship, claiming she doesn't want to be a soldier's widow and that her previous affection was merely a ruse to help Yingluo gather information. Despite her harsh words, Hailancha sees tears in her eyes and, refusing to believe her, vows to uncover the truth after they are married.
In the Palace of Accumulated Purity, Yuan Chunwang reports to the Empress that hundreds of valuable qins, including one used by Emperor Kangxi, have been neglected in storage. Seeing an opportunity to win back the Emperor's favor, the Empress orders the qins to be brought to her so she can personally tune and re-catalogue them, hoping to impress the Emperor with her diligence, especially with Kangxi's memorial day approaching.
Her work is interrupted when the Twelfth Prince, Yongji, accidentally damages a qin. The Empress sternly reprimands her crying son for his behavior, emphasizing that as the legitimate heir, he is under constant scrutiny and requires strict discipline. Prince He visits the Empress, reassuring her that mischievous children are often the cleverest. Elsewhere, Fu Heng brings his unruly nephew, Fu Kangan, to the palace as a reading partner. After Kangan causes chaos, Fu Heng punishes him.
Concubine Shun intervenes, and during the encounter, Fu Heng notices her handkerchief, which bears a distinctive pattern. He is visibly unsettled but leaves without comment. Later, Fu Heng is seen in the Imperial Garden when Concubine Shun approaches him. She remarks on his rigid self-discipline, suggesting it masks a deep sorrow. She then reveals that he saved her life when she fell from a cliff on her journey to the capital, expressing her eternal gratitude.
Fu Heng then asks about her handkerchief. Shun explains that she copied the "Hyacinth Beans and Dragonflies" design from Wei Yingluo, who refused to give her the original. Fu Heng departs wordlessly, his reaction confirming Shun's suspicions about his feelings for Yingluo. Wei Yingluo presents Ming Yu with a stunning red wedding dress she had specially designed. Ming Yu tearfully expresses her reluctance to leave, but Yingluo urges her to embrace her happiness.
Yingluo explains that she wished to embroider the gown herself but was advised against it, as a fortune teller deemed her own fate inauspicious to bless a bride. She speaks of her own unfulfilled dream of wearing a wedding gown, a promise her late sister could never keep, and hopes Ming Yu's happiness can redeem their shared wishes.
On the wedding day, lavish gifts arrive, including dowry from Concubine Shun and a mansion deed from Fu Heng to Hailancha, a property located conveniently close to the Forbidden City. The joyous preparations are shattered when Ming Yu is found dead in her room, having taken her own life with a pair of scissors. At the same time, a delighted Hailancha is thanking the Emperor for his blessing when he receives the devastating news.
He rushes to the Hall of Yanxi Palace, demanding to see Yingluo, who has locked herself inside, consumed by grief. The Emperor arrives, has the distraught Hailancha restrained, and tells him that nothing can bring Ming Yu back. The Emperor then summons Physician Ye, who reveals the tragic truth: Ming Yu had a silver needle embedded in her lung, an incurable condition. She had made him promise to keep it secret and chose suicide to avoid being a burden.
Overcome with guilt, Hailancha realizes his insistence on marriage pushed her to her death. To protect Yingluo from this devastating truth, the Emperor orders Physician Ye to remain silent. Overwhelmed by grief and self-blame, Yingluo disappears. Concubine Shun informs Fu Heng of her disappearance, subtly suggesting he find her. Following her calculated hint, Fu Heng finds Yingluo cleaning in the long-abandoned Changchun Palace.
He comforts her, revealing that Ming Yu's suicide was due to her terminal illness and not her fault. Yingluo confesses she feels responsible, admitting her eagerness for the wedding was a selfish attempt to live out her own broken dream of being a bride through Ming Yu. As she weeps, the Emperor arrives and observes their intimate conversation from the doorway before departing unnoticed.
When Yingluo asks how Fu Heng found her, he reveals that Concubine Shun told him, leaving Yingluo in silent thought. Soon after, Concubine Shun presents the Emperor with an embroidered screen featuring the same "Hyacinth Beans and Dragonflies" pattern. She innocently claims to have copied it from Yingluo's handkerchief. She then skillfully weaves a story, mentioning how Fu Heng saved her life and how she noticed he possessed a perfume pouch with the exact same design.
By linking this private symbol between Yingluo and Fu Heng, she masterfully ignites the Emperor's jealousy. Agitated, the Emperor curtly dismisses her, leaving Shun to depart, satisfied her scheme has succeeded.
