The Double Episode 36 Recap
> The Double Recap
The Eldest Princess Wanning married Li Jin in a simple ceremony, sparking public speculation. People gossiped that the imperial family had rushed the wedding to conceal the truth of Wanning's pregnancy, suspecting the child was illegitimate and that the Li family was merely a cover for the scandal. On her wedding night, Wanning feigned dizziness to avoid consummating the marriage with Li Jin. She playfully tormented him while they drank the wedding wine, leaving Li Jin feeling deeply humiliated.
When he angrily smashed a cup, Wanning slapped him, forcing him to feign composure. Later, Wanning was alone, admiring a hairpin given to her by Shen Yurong when she was suddenly struck by intense abdominal pain. Meanwhile, Shen Yurong seemed visibly relieved that Wanning had been married off to Li Jin, a change his sister, Shen Ruyun, noticed.
When their mother inquired about his chances of still becoming the Prince Consort, Shen Yurong casually dismissed the title, leaving his mother puzzled. Xue Fangfei spent time with her brother, Xue Zhao, whose condition was improving. He mentioned hearing about Wanning's marriage to someone other than Shen Yurong, which Xue Fangfei confirmed was part of her plan to expose the truth.
Xue Zhao then spoke of Qiongzhi, expressing a desire to return to Luyang to see her once their plan succeeded. Xue Fangfei, masking her grief, lied that Qiongzhi had married well and was living happily in a faraway place where she would no longer be mistreated. Although Xue Zhao expressed happiness for Qiongzhi, he seemed to sense his sister’s sorrow, and Xue Fangfei, overwhelmed by the memory of Qiongzhi's sacrifice, rushed out, unable to hold back her tears.
Elsewhere, Xiao Heng accompanied Situ Jiuyue as she caught spiders. She was delighted by his presence, believing he was there for her. However, Xiao Heng soon revealed the Zhao Prince's condition for military aid to Yan: Situ Jiuyue must persuade her brother to reject the proposed marriage alliance between Xiao Heng and herself. Situ Jiuyue, who had been looking forward to the engagement, was distraught.
Xiao Heng, emphasizing the gravity of state affairs, stated that if she didn't help, he would be forced to return to Yan to face certain death. Despite her anger at his manipulation, Situ Jiuyue, not wanting him to die, reluctantly agreed to help. At the Li Residence, Wanning displayed extreme pickiness regarding her meals, claiming the breakfast made her feel sick and punishing the servants.
Li Jin, upon hearing this, rushed to her, explaining that his mother had specially prepared the dishes after consulting a physician. He suspected Wanning was deliberately causing trouble, but she arrogantly dismissed his words and demanded new food. Li Jin, feeling helpless, agreed to order fresh meals prepared for her. Xue Zhao, having heard of Duke Su's return, thoughtfully prepared roast meat to welcome him.
As Xue Fangfei went to greet Xiao Heng, she encountered General Xiao Senior, who arrived carrying jars of wine. Unacquainted with each other, General Xiao Senior jokingly referred to her father as "Tortoise Jiang" for being a coward, but praised her spirit. Xue Fangfei, quick-witted, lauded his impressive contributions to building the late emperor's kingdom. The General was greatly pleased by her flattery and left the wine for them. Xiao Heng, however, showed little regard for his grandfather.
He immediately punished Wen Ji with ten floggings for allowing anyone irrelevant into his residence and ordered General Xiao Senior's wine to be discarded, stating he throws away the wine every year. Xue Fangfei tried to intervene, but Xiao Heng made it clear he didn't wish to discuss old matters upon his return. When Xue Fangfei learned that Zhao was unwilling to lend troops, Xiao Heng informed her of their condition: he must become a matrilocal son-in-law in Zhao.
Feigning nonchalance, Xue Fangfei jokingly encouraged him to accept, even offering to find him a fast horse. Xiao Heng, realizing she was teasing him, then asked if she also knew about Wanning's marriage to Li Jin, implying it was an unexpected turn in her plan. Xue Fangfei admitted it was a change, but also an "unexpected gain," predicting that Li Jin’s arrogance would lead to internal strife within the Li family as he dealt with Wanning daily.
She believed a storm was brewing beneath the surface, and it was only a matter of time before someone would bear the blame when the fake pregnancy medicine wore off. Xiao Heng praised her clever strategy. He then assured her that he had secured Zhao’s military support through other means, eliminating any immediate concerns, and they only needed to wait for the opportune moment for their plans to unfold.
Shen Yurong, determined to ascertain the truth of Wanning's pregnancy, diligently consulted ancient medical texts. He then sought out Physician Wang, renowned for his extensive knowledge in the capital, requesting his help in identifying a specific herb that could induce a false pregnancy. He promised a handsome reward if the physician succeeded. Soon after, Shen Yurong was informed that Wanning had arrived at his residence. Wanning, having defied Li Jin's attempts to accompany her, arrived alone at the Shen Residence.
Shen's mother warmly welcomed her, expressing how honored the family was by her visit. Wanning, however, insisted that her presence be kept secret and that no one disturb her and Shen Yurong. In private, Shen Yurong chastised Wanning for her recklessness, reminding her that her visit could attract unwanted gossip and might upset Li Jin.
Wanning, feeling mistreated at the Li Residence, complained that she couldn't do anything right and was constantly annoyed, recounting how she had broken a few bowls and Li Jin had dared to give her a gloomy look. Shen Yurong expressed his sympathy, but reminded her that no one would treat her as he did. He advised her to control her temper and not be bossy towards Li Jin, given that he was born into privilege and unfamiliar with such grievances.
He emphasized that for the sake of their child, she must maintain composure and prioritize the bigger picture. He promised that their engagement would take place once Lord Cheng's ambitions were realized and affectionately named their unborn child 'Shen Ningxue,' or 'Xue' for short, hoping the child would lead a calm, peaceful, and pure life.
Meanwhile, Xiao Heng’s investigation into the Capital Security Office uncovered a lead: an informant revealed that the armory had received more weapons than officially applied for three months prior, with the excess not being stored through the usual channels. This suggested Lord Cheng was stockpiling weapons. Xiao Heng deduced that the Armour Department, responsible for verifying such requests, must also be involved.
He identified Cao Bin as the official who approved the Capital Security Office's weapon requisitions and immediately ordered his arrest. However, upon arrival at Cao Bin's home, they found him dead by suicide, surrounded by the remnants of burned documents. A forged suicide note claimed he had colluded with the Capital Security Office.
Soon after, Official Huang from the Armour Department arrived, revealing that Cao Bin had taken all documents related to the Imperial Guards' Office and the Capital Security Office, claiming he wanted to verify them one by one. Xiao Heng suspected the Imperial Guards' Office was also involved in the corruption and ordered records to be retrieved from the armory. Lu Ji suggested informing General Xiao Senior, as Commander Zhang Wei of the Imperial Guards' Office was his protégé.
Xiao Heng, however, refused to consult his grandfather, stating he didn't even inform the Emperor when conducting investigations. Xiao Heng proceeded to investigate the Imperial Guards' Office. Commander Zhang Wei insisted that all weapons acquisition followed proper procedures, presenting requisition and receipt documents that perfectly matched the records retrieved from the armory. He introduced Xu Zhi, the administrator of weapons, to assist with the inquiry.
However, Lu Ji pointed out that while the records appeared impeccable, the total number of weapons produced by the Weapons Manufacturing Bureau exceeded the actual distributed quantity. This proved that Cao Bin had indeed colluded with the Imperial Guards' Office to tamper with records and distribute excess weapons. Xiao Heng immediately ordered his men to surround the place and arrest Xu Zhi for interrogation, refusing to wait until morning for his confession.
Commander Zhang Wei promptly reported the situation to General Xiao Senior, requesting his intervention. He expressed his concern over Xiao Heng's brutal interrogation methods and stated that without sufficient evidence, he would not tolerate such unlawful actions against his subordinate. General Xiao Senior assured Zhang Wei that he would not condone any unreasonable behavior from Xiao Heng, giving him some reassurance. Later, Li Jin confronted Wanning upon her late return, accusing her of secretly visiting Shen Yurong.
He pointed out that her actions, despite being his wife in name, would lead to public embarrassment if discovered. Wanning, furious, retorted that her marriage to him was a blessing for the Li family, simply a "collaboration." She warned him against causing trouble, threatening to exact revenge on the entire Li family, and declared that if it weren't for her child, she would have "ripped his mouth open." She could no longer tolerate being oppressed by Li Jin.
Suddenly, Commander Zhang Wei, leading his troops, surrounded Duke Su's Residence, demanding Xu Zhi’s immediate release within half an hour. Xiao Heng defiantly refused. General Xiao Senior then arrived, intervening in the standoff. He chastised Xiao Heng for illegally detaining and torturing a member of the Imperial Guards' Office, reminding him that such cases were to be tried by the Three Offices and that private trials and torture were forbidden.
Xiao Heng, resentful that his grandfather hadn't investigated his father's death eight years prior but now interfered to protect his protégé, defiantly told him he no longer considered General Xiao Senior's house his home and ordered his men to shut the gates, locking his grandfather out. The Emperor, receiving numerous complaints, expressed his anger at Xiao Heng for his lawless actions, especially for arresting and torturing a member of the imperial army without evidence.
He noted that many officials already disliked Xiao Heng's habit of acting first and reporting later, and this incident had fueled existing resentments. He recognized General Xiao Senior's letter as the only one pleading for Xiao Heng.
Unable to protect him from the torrent of accusations, the Emperor ordered Xiao Heng to be confined to his home for two days to reflect on his actions, admonishing him that there was a limit to everything and he needed to "reflect on himself."
