Heart of Loyalty Episode 4 Recap
> Heart of Loyalty Recap
Ning Jin engaged Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan in a game of Go, subtly employing moves characteristic of both his opponents, a clear tactic to stall for time. Mo Yan, growing impatient, told Ning Jin he wouldn't win and urged him to let them rest, but he insisted the game was far from over. Zhan Zhao, playing along, complimented Ning Jin's "bold offense" and "meticulous" style, humorously comparing him to a "meticulous young woman."
Mo Yan quickly countered, observing Ning Jin's game was full of defensive and deceptive moves, typical of a seasoned "hero who has wandered the martial arts world." Recognizing Ning Jin's strategy, Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan skillfully steered the game to a draw. Mo Yan declared that since Ning Jin had been using their own moves against them, there was "no win or lose," and they had effectively thwarted his "trick."
Ning Jin conceded, admitting their combined effort had "narrowly defeated" him, and handed over the promised account book. As Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan departed, they noticed a fire in the distance, originating from the Bai's residence. Moments later, they heard Ning Jin dispatching Wu Zi Chu to check on "lotus seed soup" for the second time, prompting Mo Yan's suspicion.
Mo Yan instructed Zhan Zhao to rush to the Bai's residence to investigate the fire, while she covertly returned alone to the Cold Hill Temple to eavesdrop on Ning Jin. She hid outside Ning Jin's window and then on the roof, but Wu Zi Chu discovered her. She fell from the roof and was captured and tied up. Mo Yan boldly confronted Ning Jin, accusing him of orchestrating the burning of Bai's residence.
She deduced that Ning Jin already knew the initial account book they had stolen was fake, and his chess game was merely a distraction while Wu Zi Chu burned the Bai's residence to destroy the real one, noting Wu Zi Chu still carried the "smell of smoke." Ning Jin admitted his actions, claiming that with the true account book destroyed, his objective was met, and in the end, he had won.
He then ominously stated, "The only ones that can keep a secret are the dead," chilling Mo Yan. Fearing for her life, she warned him that the "Six Evils of Shuzhong and the Kaifeng City Office" would not let him go unpunished. Ning Jin then changed his tune, teasingly suggesting he make her his "maid to warm his bed," which terrified her. At that moment, Zhan Zhao arrived.
Ning Jin expressed his exasperation with the Kaifeng City Office's "serious and invariable" approach to cases. He then explained that the Emperor himself had ordered him to discreetly handle the Bai Bao Zhen corruption case to prevent a wider scandal that could destabilize the court.
He revealed that he had ordered Li Xu to steal the account book and that when he had Wu Zi Chu burn Bai Bao Zhen's study, he ensured all the servants and Bai Ying Yu were drugged and moved to safety before setting the fire, harming no one. Mo Yan realized Ning Jin was responsible for her "fifth brother" Li Xu's imprisonment.
As Zhan Zhao prepared to leave, Ning Jin issued a final warning that other powerful factions were also pursuing the case, advising Zhan Zhao to be cautious. He also playfully reiterated his threat to Mo Yan. After leaving Ning Jin, Zhan Zhao gently applied medicine to Mo Yan's rope burns. Mo Yan apologized for having previously misunderstood him regarding her brother's arrest.
Zhan Zhao theorized that Ning Jin had burned the Bai's residence because he knew the initial account book was fake and the real one was still there. Unable to find it himself and unwilling for others to, he destroyed the evidence. This led them to conclude that another party, beyond Ning Jin and the green-robed man, was also after the true account book.
Back at the inn, Mo Yan joined Zhan Zhao in his room to discuss the case, noting the sudden rain in Gusu. She speculated that Bai Ying Yu, Bai Bao Zhen's beloved daughter, might possess the real account book. Zhan Zhao agreed, emphasizing the urgency to find Bai Ying Yu before the green-robed man did, especially given the Bai family's decline and the likelihood of Bai Ying Yu being forced into marriage with Mr. Sima by her stepmother.
Bai Ying Yu, refusing the forced marriage to Mr. Sima, fled but was pursued by Sima family servants. She encountered Xiao Chen, a blind yet skilled man who initially hesitated to intervene in what seemed like a family matter. However, when the servants disrespected him, Xiao Chen swiftly used his walking stick to slice off half a lantern, intimidating them.
He offered Bai Ying Yu an ointment for her injuries and then left, inquiring about Mo Yan, whose portrait he carried. Meanwhile, at the Bai's residence, the Second Madam harshly rebuked Bai Ying Yu and forcefully prepared her for the wedding; Bai Ying Yu, though delicate, was firm in her resolve. The Third and Fourth Madams openly squabbled over the Sima family's betrothal gifts.
Mo Yan observed this, remarking on Bai Ying Yu's gentle nature and criticizing Zhan Zhao's frugality compared to the Sima family's lavishness. Zhan Zhao, unfazed, stated he valued inner character over material wealth and only accumulated enough for basic needs, prompting Mo Yan to cheekily suggest he save for a wife. Mo Yan then proposed three plans to retrieve the account book.
Her "ideal plan" was to lure the green-robed man to terrorize Bai Ying Yu, allowing Zhan Zhao to heroically rescue her and gain her trust. Zhan Zhao rejected this, unwilling to risk Bai Ying Yu's safety. Her "moderate plan" involved sneaking into Bai Ying Yu's private room to search for the account book, which Zhan Zhao also refused, deeming it inappropriate and "surreptitious."
Finally, her "less ideal plan" suggested Zhan Zhao disguise himself as an "ill-intentioned man" to "flirt" with Bai Ying Yu, allowing Mo Yan to come to her rescue. Zhan Zhao again refused, citing inappropriate closeness. Mo Yan, determined, ultimately proposed that "she" would disguise herself as a man to "flirt" with Bai Ying Yu, and Zhan Zhao would then perform the "heroic rescue." To convince him, she presented him with thirty copies of the "Officer's Manual" she had painstakingly copied.
Zhan Zhao agreed to her modified plan. Bai Ying Yu and her maid went to buy incense for her deceased father, but the maid forgot it, leaving Bai Ying Yu alone. As Mo Yan, disguised as a man, approached Bai Ying Yu to "flirt" and demand the account book, she suddenly recognized a familiar medicinal scent on Bai Ying Yu—a scent belonging to Xiao Chen, her "Second Brother."
Just as Zhan Zhao appeared to play his part as the rescuer, Mo Yan, realizing Xiao Chen might be nearby, frantically pulled Zhan Zhao away, declaring the "plan is ruined" and they needed to "run." Back at the Bai's residence, the Second Madam continued to pressure Bai Ying Yu into the marriage. Overwhelmed by her father's death, the forced marriage, her family's callousness, and the public humiliation, a desperate Bai Ying Yu attempted to drown herself.
Xiao Chen, who had been tirelessly searching for Mo Yan by showing her portrait to people, heard the splash and rescued Bai Ying Yu. Upon regaining consciousness, Bai Ying Yu recognized Xiao Chen as the man who had given her the ointment earlier. He encouraged her not to abandon hope. As Xiao Chen escorted her back through a bamboo forest, he sensed her fear and offered her one end of his walking stick.
Bai Ying Yu confided in him, sharing her sorrow over her father's unjust reputation and her refusal to marry Mr. Sima. She found solace in the belief that fate had intervened to spare her life so she could honor her father's memory. Later, Mo Yan was visibly distracted, seemingly worried that Xiao Chen might find her. Zhan Zhao noticed her unease, but she evaded his questions.
Convinced their previous plan had failed, Mo Yan proposed a new "great plan": forging a private letter from Bai Bao Zhen to Bai Ying Yu. Zhan Zhao initially hesitated, calling it "twisting the facts." Mo Yan argued it was a "speculation" on their deep father-daughter bond, not a falsehood, and would both gain Bai Ying Yu's trust and comfort her in her grief.
Zhan Zhao was persuaded but found Mo Yan's calligraphy terribly ugly, offering to write the letter himself, much to Mo Yan's admiration for his unexpected talent. Meanwhile, Zhang Yao Zuo, the Commissioner of Fiscal Affairs, learned from his adopted son, Zhang Feng, that the account book they had was fake.
Fearing the repercussions if the truth were exposed, Zhang Yao Zuo urgently dispatched Zhang Feng to Gusu, ordering him to retrieve the "real" account book before Zhan Zhao and to "leave no survivors." Zhang Feng, confident and disdainful of Zhan Zhao, assured his adoptive father that he would comply, taking the Three Spirit Chasers with him.
