The Dauntless Youths Episode 16 Recap
> The Dauntless Youths Recap
Jiang Wenhuan keenly noticed Kunwu, disguised as E Shun, acting suspiciously and quietly followed him to the palace, where Kunwu managed to get the Saint Girl's attention. Meanwhile, the Saint Girl was being pressured by a maid to drink medicine prepared by the State Preceptor. She initially refused, stating, "I'm dying, yet you bother to have the State Preceptor watch me day and night."
When the maid threatened to punish the other servants, the Saint Girl reluctantly agreed, saying, "I'll drink it." After consuming the medicine, she pretended to feel worse and dramatically declared it was poisoned, accusing a maid and demanding to confront the State Preceptor. She then changed her mind, claiming, "I don't feel that much pain," but added, "I'm tired. I want to go back and rest. You can guard outside."
A senior maid objected, but the Saint Girl used the upcoming sacred wedding to assert her authority, warning, "The wedding ceremony is three days away. If something happens to me, can you bear the responsibility?" The maids then agreed to guard outside. Once the Saint Girl, whose real name is Qingqing, confirmed no one was around, she called out, "Come out!" Kunwu emerged, and the siblings reunited with emotional cries of "Brother!"
Qingqing rushed to him, and Kunwu apologized for the years of hardship she had endured. Qingqing noted how much he had changed over seven years, yet affirmed, "But last time in the palace, I recognized you at a glance." She then handed him the Kun family copper plate, explaining, "this is the only thing my father left. Keep it well."
Kunwu asked about the medicine she had consumed, and Qingqing explained it was "just to suppress my illusion," assuring him, "I'm not the helpless Qingqing from my childhood." She recounted how she believed he was dead until a man from the South Capital told her to wait for him. Kunwu promised, "I know everything about the royal wedding. No matter what, I won't let you die."
However, Qingqing urged him to leave alone, reasoning, "it's already hard for you to go in and out alone. If you take me with you, I'm afraid neither of us can get out. Our family can't be wiped out." Their reunion was cut short when the State Preceptor, Xian Xuanji, arrived. Qingqing feigned surprise, asking, "What brings you here at this hour?" Xian Xuanji, pretending concern, inquired about her sudden discomfort.
She replied it was "just a minor issue," then subtly jabbed at him, remarking, "You have people watching over me day and night. I'll be fine." Xian Xuanji, still suspicious, asked if she had "any guests." Qingqing denied it, insisting, "It's just me here." Not convinced, Xian Xuanji ordered his guards to search the room. Kunwu swiftly escaped through a window, pursued by guards. Jiang Wenhuan arrived in time to help Kunwu evade capture.
During the escape, Kunwu's unique copper plate fell, reminding Jiang Wenhuan of the small slave he had once rescued who bore an identical plate. This sparked deep suspicion in Jiang Wenhuan. After they successfully escaped, Kunwu knew he could no longer conceal his identity. He initiated the confession by asking Jiang Wenhuan if he had questions, then revealed, "I'm not the Prince of South Boh, E Shun. I'm the slave you saved in the street of East Lu."
He explained he was taken by South Boh's people and forced to impersonate E Shun, a role that led him back to Jiang Wenhuan at the East Lu Colosseum. Kunwu admitted he had wanted to confess countless times but couldn't because he "had to fulfill my mission," which was to return to his homeland and find his only family, the Saint Girl of Zhongli, Su Qingqing. He apologized to Jiang Wenhuan for lying. Jiang Wenhuan was furious.
He sarcastically asked Kunwu why he confessed now, after maintaining his deception for so long. Kunwu explained that Jiang Wenhuan had always regarded him as a confidant and treated him like a brother, and he no longer wanted to lie. Jiang Wenhuan bitterly retorted, "You don't deserve it. How dare you call me brother?" He reminded Kunwu, "you're no longer the heir of the Southern Bohou Mansion. You're just a lowly slave I picked up from the streets.
You're not worthy of being my brother." Kunwu, acknowledging his debt, knelt and offered his life, stating, "If I can save Qingqing and return safely, I will do as you please with me." Jiang Wenhuan, however, remained enraged, accusing Kunwu of implicating them all. Kunwu tried to reassure him that he wouldn't expose their involvement, but Jiang Wenhuan retorted, "how can I trust you?" Kunwu then offered his life again, saying, "If you don't believe me, just kill me.
After all, you saved my life." Jiang Wenhuan then acknowledged Kunwu's true name. He expressed his disappointment, saying he had always treated Kunwu with sincerity, hoping for honesty in return, and lamented, "I regard you as a friend I trust with my life. But I don't even know your real name. How ridiculous!" Kunwu explained he kept the truth hidden because their worlds were too different and he was a man living for revenge.
He felt he should face the "fire and water" alone, not involve "the promising heir of the East Lu State." Jiang Wenhuan, in a powerful outburst, declared, "I don't care about your revenge. Stop living in a lie. I'll decide who you live and die for. Slave, I bought your life. I'll decide how you live and for whom." Then, with a shift in tone, he commanded, "Now, I want you to live for yourself."
At that moment, Chong Yibiao burst in, having overheard their conversation. He was surprised to learn of Kunwu's other identity. Xin Jia followed, asking what happened. Jiang Wenhuan downplayed the situation, but Chong Yibiao, demanding answers, threatened to prevent Kunwu from leaving until he explained himself, stating Kunwu's solo actions would only endanger them all. When Kunwu tried to leave, Chong Yibiao drew his sword.
Xin Jia intervened, convincing Kunwu to speak, emphasizing that they were "in the same boat" and secrecy would only leave them vulnerable. Kunwu then took a deep breath and began to recount his past. He revealed his true name, Kunwu, and his origins in Zhongli State. He was the only son of General Kunze, a loyal military leader of the Kun Army, whose insignia was the copper plate Kunwu carried.
His mother, Su Ying, was the revered Divine Maiden of the Sus. He was destined to inherit his father's command, while his sister, Su Qingqing, was to become the new Imperial Virgin. Seven years prior, the Zhongli King visited Shangshan and returned months later, escorted by the Shangshan Iron Cavalry—a sign of trouble. On New Year's Eve, Kunwu’s father was ordered to welcome the monarch but was met instead by Xian Xuanji, the envoy from Mt. Shang.
Xian Xuanji announced a decree from the Shang King: the Zhongli King had been executed for treason during his visit, and Zhongli would now become a vassal state. Xian Xuanji was appointed State Preceptor, assisting the young king Zhongli Yuan, and General Kunze was ordered to surrender his military power and pledge eternal loyalty to Shangshan. Before leaving to find her husband, Kunwu’s mother sent a message via carrier pigeon to her family.
She instructed Kunwu to care for Qingqing and reminded Qingqing of her sacred duty as a Divine Maiden: to protect Zhongli with her illusory powers, and if she failed, to be "burned alive and sacrifice my body to heaven and earth." Kunwu objected to such an ominous oath, but his mother insisted it was their family's destiny. Tragedy struck when Kunwu’s mother was ambushed and captured on her way to the palace.
His father went to rescue her, but soldiers who later escaped the palace reported a horrifying sight: his mother’s body, with her head severed, lying in his father's arms. Kunwu believed his deeply loving parents could not have committed such an act, sensing something profoundly wrong. He recalled his father in distress, lamenting, "It was me who sent your mother away," and then, "I'm sorry. I can't do it," implying he was either forced or framed for the horrific act.
Soon after, their own Kun Army soldiers seemingly went mad, attacking everyone in the family mansion. In his last moments of clarity, his father managed to hide Kunwu and Qingqing in an iron box, instructing Kunwu to "stay inside" and remember that "the Kun family army never surrenders." His final words to Kunwu were to "survive" and "protect Qingqing."
Xian Xuanji then arrived at the Kun mansion, declaring that the Kun family had rebelled, assassinated the Divine Maiden, and committed treachery, ordering their complete annihilation. Kunwu's father was cruelly killed shortly after, amidst the massacre of their family. The next day, as Xian Xuanji's men searched the ravaged mansion, Kunwu, remembering his father's dying wish, decided to draw the pursuers away to protect Qingqing. He ran toward the forest, eventually finding himself at a river, and with no other option, he jumped in to escape.
