The Chang'an Youth Episode 23 Recap
> The Chang'an Youth Recap
After Yang Zian sent his father, Lord Yang, to Ba Prefecture, Shen Dieyi comforted him, assuring him it was not his fault. She explained that Lord Yang should have anticipated the consequences of his actions, and Yang Zian could not simply ignore his conscience and let his father continue astray.
Shen Dieyi reminded him that he had saved his father's life, giving him a chance to atone for his mistakes and regain his conscience, and that Lord Yang would undoubtedly be proud of him. Yang Zian noticed Shen Dieyi's injured hands, realizing she hurt herself making winter clothes for him. He asked her why, like him, she had refused imperial rewards and only asked for a promise from the Emperor.
Shen Dieyi confided that her request was a safeguard for Yang Zian's life. She had been worried about the evidence he found and feared he might be punished for implicating his father. Her promise was to ask the Emperor to absolve him, or, if not, to allow her to join him in prison, believing the Emperor would not wish to lose two top students from Shangyi School.
Deeply moved, Yang Zian tried to express his gratitude, but Shen Dieyi sealed his lips with a kiss, playfully warning him that she would do it again every time he uttered words of thanks or propriety. She then proceeded to kiss him again when he tested her by saying "not proper." Meanwhile, Dugu Muxue led Rou to see the worry-free flowers he had planted on the back mountain of Shangyi School, flowers that held their childhood memories.
He apologized for finding her so late and promised to take care of her, confessing she was always in his heart. However, Rou, aware of Dugu Muxue’s deep feelings for her and knowing the danger of Lord Han’s plot, decided not to disclose her knowledge to him, fearing for his safety. She declined to join him and his friends for a gathering, citing business at Ningxiang Pavilion, which made Dugu Muxue suspect she was hiding something.
Rou, to herself, confirmed her decision, unwilling to let Dugu Muxue take risks without fully understanding the conspirators' intentions. Unbeknownst to Dugu, Lord Han Junji was actively inciting the Crown Prince to usurp the throne. He advised the Crown Prince to accuse the Emperor of fratricide and rebellion—the same charges the Emperor allegedly used against his own brother twenty years prior.
Lord Han explained that if the court officials appeared loyal to the Emperor initially and only pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince after his ascension, the public would perceive the Emperor as having lost the Mandate of Heaven.
He detailed their plan: the upcoming Shangyi School graduation ceremony in the palace would gather all the ministers, while General Tuoxi's remaining forces would attack the city that very night to divert General Li's troops, leaving the imperial city’s defenses weak and without outside reinforcements. Lord Han had even drafted a "self-criticism edict" for the Emperor, ensuring the Crown Prince would have a compelling justification for his rebellion. Rou, hiding outside, overheard their entire plot.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Rou immediately went to the Shangyi students and disclosed everything she knew. The students began to formulate a meticulous counter-plan to expose the Crown Prince's conspiracy to the Emperor. Xiao Xinyuan, the Second Prince, expressed concern that the Emperor might be suspicious of his motives if he, as a royal prince, directly accused the Crown Prince without irrefutable evidence.
Rou then stated that the next day would be their opportunity, coinciding with the Crown Prince's plot. Xiao Xinyuan entrusted Yang Zian with the Imperial Seal, instructing him to ride to the palace that very night. The Emperor, who had been uneasy after a comment from Xiao Xinyuan about Tuoxi's forces, had already issued a written instruction for General Li to prepare. Yang Zian, with the Imperial Seal, rode swiftly through the night.
The following morning, Lord Han Junji secretly ordered stringent security measures throughout the palace. As the Shangyi students arrived for the graduation banquet at the Emperor's invitation, the Emperor noted Yang Zian's absence. Tang Jiuhua and Xiao Xinyuan explained that Yang Zian, feeling like the son of a criminal official, deemed himself unworthy to face the Emperor and remained at his mansion for introspection.
The banquet commenced, the palace gates were closed, and dancers and musicians began to play, creating a facade of tranquility inside while outside, rebel guards were rising up. The Crown Prince made a dramatic entrance, presenting a "gift" to Xiao Xinyuan and the Emperor. It was a scroll, and when Xiao Xinyuan hesitated to open it, the Crown Prince seized him, pressing a dagger to his throat, and forced him to read the contents.
Xiao Xinyuan, under duress, read aloud the "self-criticism edict," which listed the Emperor's alleged misdeeds, including slandering his kinsman and usurping the throne. The Crown Prince then brazenly demanded the Emperor's abdication. The Emperor, furious, vehemently denied the accusations, insisting he had redressed his brother’s name and promoted his former subordinates. Noticing that Yang Zian had been gone for four hours, Shen Dieyi, to buy more time, cleverly interjected.
She pointed out to the Crown Prince that even with the damning edict, his rebellion would lack legitimacy and public support without the Imperial Seal. The Crown Prince, taken aback by this oversight, frantically demanded to know the Imperial Seal's location, ordering a palace-wide search and threatening to execute a prince every fifteen minutes until it was found. Shen Dieyi then asserted that she knew where the Imperial Seal was but could not hand it over.
She revealed that they had already informed the Emperor of his plot and that Yang Zian possessed the Imperial Seal, granting him authority over the military, and was leading an army to put down the rebellion. Just as the Crown Prince reeled from this revelation, sounds of fierce fighting erupted outside the palace gates. Yang Zian, leading a contingent of soldiers, burst into the main hall.
In a fit of desperation, the Crown Prince shoved Xiao Xinyuan aside and lunged at the Emperor with his dagger. Imperial Guards, positioned behind him, unleashed a volley of arrows, and the Crown Prince fell dead. Yang Zian immediately apologized for his late arrival, but the Emperor graciously pardoned him.
The Emperor then issued an edict, stripping Crown Prince Xiao Lingjun of his title, demoting him to a commoner, confiscating his property, exiling his household, and denying him burial in the royal tomb. Rebels of the sixth rank and above were condemned to death by dismemberment, while others were exiled. Lord Han Junji, seeing his plan crumble, urged the Emperor to reclaim the Imperial Seal from Yang Zian.
To everyone's astonishment, Yang Zian stated that the Emperor should not take it back. The Emperor then unveiled the true extent of the deception: Yang Zian had never possessed the actual Imperial Seal. It was all a brilliant ruse concocted by Yang Zian and Shen Dieyi. The Emperor had been forewarned of the plot by Xiao Xinyuan.
Yang Zian had taken a written instruction from the Emperor to General Li, directing him to leave behind three thousand elite soldiers, not thirty thousand as Shen Dieyi had bluffed. Shen Dieyi's dramatic claim about the Imperial Seal and the vast army was a crucial tactic to deter and demoralize the rebel forces, thus buying time for the real, albeit smaller, reinforcements to arrive.
The Emperor lauded Yang Zian and Shen Dieyi for their ingenuity and teamwork, crediting their "inside and outside cooperation" for quelling the rebellion. As a reward, he conferred upon them the prestigious titles of Supervising Censors, tasking them with overseeing officials, inspecting prefectures, supervising justice, and purging the court.
Infuriated by being outmaneuvered, Lord Han Junji, in a desperate last attempt, accused Shen Dieyi of being the orphaned child of the former Crown Prince, presenting the Sinan pendant she wore as proof. He recounted how the former Crown Prince and his pregnant wife had escaped, with their bodies never found, implying Yang Wenyuan, who led the chase, might have hidden her.
Lord Han, once a subordinate of the former Crown Prince, demanded that Shen Dieyi be instated as Crown Prince, believing it would rectify the historical injustice against the former heir. Shen Dieyi confirmed the pendant was from her mother but professed ignorance of the other details. Yang Zian swiftly countered, accusing Lord Han of colluding with the now-deceased Crown Prince in rebellion.
He produced the sword used to assassinate Censor Tu, revealing that Lord Han had sent Rou to kill Censor Tu to silence him about bribery, but when Rou hesitated, Lord Han himself committed the murder. Rou, the witness, confirmed this, stating she had hidden Lord Han's sword and retrieved the bribe accounts he tried to conceal.
Yang Zian then presented another damning piece of evidence: detailed records proving Lord Han had collaborated with Yang Zian's own father in establishing a counterfeit money mint. Cornered, Lord Han admitted to his crimes but then defiantly lashed out at the Emperor, accusing him of framing his brother for power and declaring that the betrayal by his own son was divine retribution.
He further lamented his failure to have the Crown Prince kill the Emperor earlier, which cost the Crown Prince his life. He vehemently insisted that Shen Dieyi, as the biological child of the rightful heir, was the true "Son of Heaven" and the legitimate Crown Prince, and that he had waited twenty years to restore her to power.
To prevent further chaos and the baseless claim, Shen Dieyi then knelt before everyone and publicly revealed her true identity: she was a woman. The revelation stunned everyone in the court, leaving Lord Han in shocked disbelief.
