Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 62 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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After Concubine Shun departed, the Emperor gazed intently at an embroidered item she had left behind. Meanwhile, Wei Yingluo examined Ming Yu's possessions. A palace maid recounted to Wei Yingluo that Concubine Shun's senior maid had delivered an embroidery pattern and a carved box to Ming Yu the day before her passing. This revelation immediately raised Wei Yingluo's suspicions about Concubine Shun. Urgently needing to speak with the Emperor, Wei Yingluo ventured out into a heavy rainstorm.
Supervisor Li, aware of the Emperor's reluctance to see anyone, initially hesitated to announce her. However, swayed by Wei Yingluo's persistent pleas and promise to remember his kindness, Supervisor Li reluctantly agreed to try. His efforts proved futile, as the Emperor refused to grant an audience, leaving Wei Yingluo to return in disappointment. Wei Yingluo directly confronted Concubine Shun, who acknowledged her visit.
Concubine Shun admitted she bore some responsibility for Ming Yu's death, explaining that Ming Yu had confided in her about her terminal illness and begged her to keep it secret. Concubine Shun had complied, hoping to spare Wei Yingluo grief, never imagining Ming Yu would take her own life. Wei Yingluo then produced a pair of golden scissors. Concubine Shun recognized them as a gift she had given Ming Yu, regretting that they became the instrument of her death.
Wei Yingluo accused Concubine Shun of intentionally befriending her and lying about her motives, believing Concubine Shun had driven Ming Yu to suicide. Concubine Shun vehemently denied forcing Ming Yu, stating it was Ming Yu's personal choice, and her only regret was not being able to prevent it.
She asserted that Ming Yu had been living in immense pain, and death was an act of mercy, sparing her further suffering, especially if she had been forced to marry into the Dolar clan. Concubine Shun insisted she was helping Wei Yingluo in her own way.
When Wei Yingluo remained unforgiving, Concubine Shun openly admitted to concealing the truth and even turning a blind eye to Ming Yu's death, then challenged Wei Yingluo to stab her with the scissors if she truly could not forgive her. A violent struggle ensued over the weapon. During the struggle, Concubine Shun was accidentally stabbed by the scissors.
At that precise moment, the Empress Dowager arrived and witnessed the scene, immediately rushing to Concubine Shun's side and demanding an imperial physician be summoned. Wei Yingluo was swiftly restrained. The Empress Dowager, who steadfastly believed Concubine Shun to be the reincarnation of her beloved deceased He An princess, angrily demanded an explanation from the Emperor. Concubine Shun's maid, Zhen Zhu, offered a deceitful account, claiming Wei Yingluo had arrived in a rage, blaming Concubine Shun for Ming Yu's death.
She further alleged that Concubine Shun, out of pity for the incurably ill Ming Yu, had helped conceal her condition, which provoked Wei Yingluo into an accidental stabbing. While the Emperor expressed concern for Concubine Shun's injury, the Empress Dowager confirmed the wound was superficial and not life-threatening. Nevertheless, she sternly demanded severe punishment for Wei Yingluo, insisting that no one was permitted to harm her "He An," regardless of whether the injury was accidental or intentional.
This placed the Emperor in a difficult predicament. The Empress later visited the injured Concubine Shun, subtly revealing her awareness of Concubine Shun's manipulative actions against Wei Yingluo. The Empress remarked on Concubine Shun's impressive feat of gaining the Empress Dowager's full devotion in less than three months, a bond Wei Yingluo couldn't forge in three years despite her dedicated service. The Empress also noted Concubine Shun's cunning, particularly in exploiting Wei Yingluo's emotional vulnerability after Ming Yu's death.
Concubine Shun, undeterred, proposed an alliance with the Empress to eliminate Wei Yingluo, emphasizing their shared common enemy despite their past animosity. Impressed by Concubine Shun's resourcefulness, the Empress readily agreed. Later, when the Emperor visited Concubine Shun to inquire about Wei Yingluo's punishment, the Empress quickly intervened, suggesting that Wei Yingluo was merely distraught and should be grounded for reflection. Concubine Shun echoed this sentiment, adopting a lenient tone.
Consequently, the Emperor ordered Wei Yingluo to be confined to her palace. Following this, the Empress interrogated Wei Yingluo's palace servants, aiming to unearth incriminating evidence. Xiao Quan Zi, prioritizing his own survival, spoke ill of Wei Yingluo, earning the Empress's trust. Confined to her palace and neglected, Wei Yingluo's health deteriorated. Xiao Quan Zi, who had secured a transfer to Qianqing Palace by slandering Wei Yingluo, was deliberately reassigned back to Yanxi Palace by Yuan Chun Wang.
Visiting the ailing Wei Yingluo, Yuan Chun Wang scolded her for being blinded by Ming Yu's death and falling into Concubine Shun's trap. He put Xiao Quan Zi in charge of her care, forbidding anyone else from giving her food. Consequently, Xiao Quan Zi began to abuse his position, cruelly presenting her with a bowl of watery congee that was more like plain water.
He mocked her changed circumstances and her past kindness, telling her to starve if she refused to consume the meager offering. Wei Yingluo's condition worsened, leaving her pale and emaciated from lack of nourishment. Nalan Chun Xue and Noble Lady Qing visited Concubine Shun. Nalan Chun Xue attempted to reconcile and gain favor, but Concubine Shun scornfully rejected her overtures, labeling her a fearful opportunist unworthy of sisterhood, prompting Nalan Chun Xue to leave in anger.
Noble Lady Qing then pleaded with Concubine Shun on Wei Yingluo's behalf, remarking on Wei Yingluo's dire state. Concubine Shun, surprised, questioned why a woman in the Forbidden City would advocate for another instead of engaging in rivalry. Noble Lady Qing explained her desire for genuine friendship in the lonely harem. Concubine Shun dismissed her, stating that Noble Lady Qing "can't afford to lose" in courtly struggles and therefore lacked the standing to plead for Wei Yingluo.
When Noble Lady Qing insisted on mercy, Concubine Shun enigmatically declared, "I'm not the one who wants to get her killed." The Emperor held a meeting with Fu Heng and Hong Zhou to discuss state affairs. They first debated the case of Liu De Zhao, accused of seditious statements. Fu Heng argued that Liu De Zhao was a mentally unstable, illiterate man likely framed by local officials, proposing exile. Hong Zhou, however, asserted his guilt.
The Emperor ruled to execute Liu De Zhao as a public deterrent. The discussion then shifted to Gao Bin, implicated in corruption regarding a breached dike. While his subordinates were condemned to immediate execution, Fu Heng pleaded for Gao Bin. He argued that despite his complicity, Gao Bin was an experienced and vital official for flood control, urging the Emperor to show mercy due to his connection as the father of the late Noble Consort Huixian.
The Emperor, after considering execution, decided to have Gao Bin witness his subordinates' execution as a severe lesson. He then questioned Fu Heng's true motives, suggesting his plea was for Wei Yingluo's sake, which Fu Heng denied. Later, Fu Heng visited Concubine Shun, expressing his confusion as to why, as the Emperor's favored consort, she still targeted Wei Yingluo. Concubine Shun provocatively informed Fu Heng of Wei Yingluo's dire situation—isolated, ill, and starving.
She insinuated that Wei Yingluo's current plight was his fault for abandoning her. Concubine Shun repeatedly attempted to provoke Fu Heng, suggesting he was tormented by regret and urging him to take Wei Yingluo and escape, arguing it was unjust for him to continue serving the Emperor, who took his love and now neglected her. Fu Heng, maintaining his composure, warned Concubine Shun that her treasonous words could have severe consequences.
Concubine Shun defiantly retorted that the Emperor already suspected a lingering affection between them, and any defense from him would only be seen as an excuse. Wei Yingluo lay in bed, weak and struggling, pleading with Xiao Quan Zi for water. Xiao Quan Zi, recalling Wei Yingluo's past kindness towards him, felt a moment of reluctance and attempted to give her water, but he was immediately stopped by Yuan Chun Wang.
Yuan Chun Wang mocked Wei Yingluo, implying a demand for her to beg for mercy, which Wei Yingluo defiantly refused. Enraged by her stubbornness, Yuan Chun Wang ordered Xiao Quan Zi to withhold all nourishment from Wei Yingluo, including the watery congee, intending to starve her to death.
When Xiao Quan Zi expressed concern about the repercussions of her death, Yuan Chun Wang dismissed his fears, assuring him that a disfavored consort's death would go unnoticed and could be attributed to depression and illness, a diagnosis the Imperial Academy of Medicine would undoubtedly support.
