The Double Episode 21 Recap
> The Double Recap
Early in the morning, Jiang Li brought Xue Huaiyuan onto a carriage, intending to take him to the capital to seek justice. However, they soon encountered the carriage of Vice Minister Wei from the Ministry of Justice. Wei disregarded the Jiang family's reputation, angrily accusing them of freeing a death-row prisoner. He declared his purpose was to supervise Xue Huaiyuan's execution and refused to listen to Jiang Li's pleas.
Jiang Li admitted her actions were audacious but chastised Wei for his indifference and unwillingness to investigate. Kneeling, she requested to be arrested and taken to the Court of Judicial Review, hoping that her crime of freeing a prisoner and Xue Huaiyuan's corruption case would be tried together. Wei remained unmoved, scoffing that they could not disregard the law.
Xue Huaiyuan's former subordinates stepped forward, offering to testify to his innocence, but Wei ignored their explanations and ordered the arrest of everyone present, insisting on taking Xue Huaiyuan for execution. Suddenly, Zhang Sheng, a butcher from Huaixiang, appeared with a knife, stating he had been roused by Liu to seek justice for Magistrate Xue, who had done so much good for the villagers. Wei, enraged, ordered his arrest as well.
Soon, Aunt Chunfang and Liu also arrived, expressing their gratitude for Xue Huaiyuan's past kindness and urging Wei to investigate the truth. More villagers then joined them, all clamoring to testify and clear Xue Huaiyuan's name. Faced with such a large crowd, Wei had no choice but to back down and depart, though he sternly warned Jiang Li of the severe consequences if she failed to overturn the case.
Later, Wen Ji reported the situation to Xiao Heng, who anticipated that some individuals would not easily let Jiang Li succeed. He wrote two secret letters to be sent back to the capital. Meanwhile, Jiang Li also wrote a letter to Ye Shijie, detailing the events in Huaixiang and asking him to deliver it to Jiang Yunbai. Upon reading the letter, Jiang Yunbai was furious.
Ji Shuran exacerbated his anger, voicing concerns that Jiang Li's actions could bring disaster upon the Jiang family. Jiang Yunbai even wished that Jiang Li would not successfully return to the capital. At the same time, Ye Shijie was preparing to head to Dingzhou for disaster relief. Jiang Jingrui, longing to see Jiang Li, created a scene and relentlessly pestered Ye Shijie to take him along.
Left with no other option, Ye Shijie reluctantly agreed to let Jiang Jingrui accompany him. In the imperial court, Li Zhongnan reported to His Majesty on the widespread drought and the tens of thousands of affected citizens, assuring him that grain reserves were sufficient and he was arranging manpower for transport. His Majesty expressed his trust in Li Zhongnan. He then turned to Jiang Yunbai, asking if he had anything to say regarding Jiang Li's actions.
Jiang Yunbai, deeply distraught, admitted his daughter's reckless act of freeing a prisoner and humbly sought punishment for his failure in raising her. Despite the many harsh memorials condemning Jiang Yunbai, His Majesty, unwilling to hastily punish a Grand Preceptor entrusted to him by the late Emperor, decided to meet Jiang Li personally before making a decision.
Meanwhile, Li Jin knelt outside Princess Wanning's residence, begging for forgiveness while Li Zhongnan relentlessly beat him, accusing him of failing Her Highness in the Huaixiang matter. Wanning berated Li Zhongnan for his incompetence, particularly concerning the failed gold mine, and deliberately scalded his hand with hot tea, warning him of Lord Cheng's wrath.
Li Zhongnan pleaded for another chance, promising to use Jiang Li's crime of freeing a prisoner as an opportunity to dismantle the Jiang family, and vowed to personally ensure Jiang Li never returned to the capital. Wanning then noted that Shen Yurong had not visited her recently, wondering how long he would maintain his composure. Unbeknownst to her, Shen Yurong was indeed contemplating visiting but ultimately decided against it.
Jiang Li and her group arrived in Dingzhou, only to find severe famine, with local residents unable to sell or buy food. Xue Huaiyuan suffered another bout of disorientation, but Jiang Li soothed him by singing a childhood lullaby. Recognizing the difficulty of supplying a large group in the famine-stricken area, Jiang Li decided to split up with the other Huaixiang villagers, planning to reunite once they passed Dingzhou.
Along the way, Jiang Li unexpectedly met Liu Xu, who was in Dingzhou assisting her father with distributing imperial relief grain. Liu Xu warned her about the dire situation and the potential for unrest among the starving population. That evening, a crowd of disaster victims gathered outside Jiang Li's lodging, demanding food. Ye Mingyu, seeing a pitiful young child, reluctantly gave them some mantou.
Jiang Li, however, chastised him, explaining that giving food would only draw more starving people, making their departure impossible. Fearing that news of their presence would spread, Jiang Li decided to leave Dingzhou immediately under the cover of night. As they departed the city, they were ambushed by another large group of famished villagers, who had seemingly been incited to rob their carriage. Fortunately, Ye Shijie and Jiang Jingrui appeared, diverting the crowd's attention by throwing baozi.
Witnessing the desperate scramble for food, Xue Huaiyuan became agitated once more. Jiang Li, suspecting that someone had intentionally exposed her whereabouts to keep her trapped in Dingzhou, decided not to leave. Instead, she resolved to stay in Dingzhou to help the suffering people and uncover the identity of the hidden manipulator.
Ye Shijie attempted to persuade her to reconsider, offering to seek assistance from the Ye family to alleviate the famine, but Jiang Li insisted on remaining to expose the mastermind behind the chaos. His Majesty soon learned of the increasing number of disaster victims gathering in Dingzhou. Li Zhongnan intentionally protracted the process of revising the disaster relief plan, subtly suggesting to Jiang Yunbai that he should convince Jiang Li not to bring Xue Huaiyuan to the capital.
Li Zhongnan deliberately delayed the distribution of supplies, thereby escalating the crisis and placing Jiang Li in further peril. Concurrently, he employed storytellers to widely publicize Jiang Li's reputation and heroic deeds, aiming to elevate her public profile and force her to reveal her true identity. Princess Wanning, upon hearing of Li Zhongnan's scheme, approved, remarking that to ensure someone's downfall, one must first allow them to revel in arrogance.
