The Heiress Episode 23 Recap
> The Heiress Recap
Jinzi, who has been attending to Han Shiyi, revealed Han Shiyi's true identity as Han Yuanniang, the legitimate daughter of Duke Han. Jinzi explained that Duke Han had sent Han Yuanniang to live with collateral relatives for her safety, but those relatives had tried to harm her after the Han family's downfall. Jinzi recounted how Duke Han and the Han Army were framed and led into a trap.
Lord Han, Han Yuanniang’s brother, managed to break through the siege and seek aid from Jin Shangwu, the Chiliarch of Lintangzhou, but Jin Shangwu refused to open the city gates. By the time Lord Han returned to Yuzhou, the Han family had been annihilated, the general defeated, and Lord Han himself died fighting. Han Yuanniang, who had been suffering from memory loss and identified as Han Shiyi, asked who framed her family.
Jinzi stated it was Tuoba Xun, the commander of the State of Wei, in collusion with corrupt court officials. Jinzi further revealed that she had attempted to bring an appeal to the capital with the surviving soldiers but was intercepted, and the appeal letter was confiscated. The Han Army remained falsely accused of failing to defend the state's territory.
Han Yuanniang then learned that the Crown Prince, Chen Yanyi, was behind the interception, as the Han Army's destruction had cleared the way for him to gain military merit and become Crown Prince by aiding the northern territory. Han Yuanniang insisted on a thorough investigation, refusing to jump to conclusions, and wondered about the cause of her own injuries, suspecting more was being hidden from her. Just then, Zhou Xuezhang stumbled upon them.
He expressed surprise to see "Shiyi" alive and was introduced to Han Yuanniang as "Shiyi's" elder sister. Wang Zhongyu, who was also present, asked Zhou Xuezhang to keep their encounter a secret, which Zhou Xuezhang agreed to, citing his debt to Shiyi. Wang Zhongyu then suggested Han Yuanniang leave the capital with him. Han Yuanniang, observing Jinzi's sincerity but also her cooperation with Wang Zhongyu, concluded that no one in the capital was entirely trustworthy.
She decided that if she truly was Han Yuanniang, she should go to the northern territory to uncover the truth herself. Jinzi agreed, emphasizing that the Crown Prince's people were searching for her and that leaving now would allow them to return and clear the Han family’s name when the time was right.
As they prepared to depart for the northern territory, Imperial officers stormed in, announcing they were there on the Emperor's command to arrest Han Yuanniang for the crime of deceiving the Emperor by impersonating Lord Han. When Wang Zhongyu and Jinzi tried to protest, the officer asserted he was merely following orders and that the Imperial College was surrounded, making escape impossible. To protect Wang Zhongyu and Jinzi, Han Yuanniang surrendered and was taken away.
Jinzi, distraught, blamed Wang Zhongyu, accusing his family of relentless persecution. Wang Zhongyu defended himself, claiming his actions, including concealing Han Yuanniang's identity and rescuing Jinzi, were to ensure Han Yuanniang's safety. He explained that this arrest was an opportunity for Han Yuanniang to restore her true identity, arguing that the reappearance of the supposedly dead Han Shiyi would only complicate matters. Wang Zhongyu assured Jinzi that he would find a way to rescue her.
Meanwhile, at the Prime Minister's residence, Wang Xiyuan questioned her brother, Wang Zhongyu, about why only she and their mother were being sent to Jiangnan. Wang Zhongyu reassured her that such precautions were necessary due to the inevitable rise and fall of aristocratic families, and that he had arranged for their self-sufficiency in Jiangnan. He urged her to discard her mourning clothes for "Lord Han" and find a suitable husband, but she refused, insisting it was her own decision.
Wang Zhongyu then gave her a route map for her journey. Separately, Wang Zhongyu presented his fiancée, Miss Su, with a divorcing letter, suggesting she find true happiness after returning home. Miss Su, however, refused to leave him, declaring her unwavering loyalty as his wife. Wang Zhongyu, stating that "timing doesn't matter in love," insisted she depart with Wang Xiyuan.
Wang Zhongyu later handed Zhou Xuezhang a play he had written, titled "The Heiress," based on his discovery of Han Shiyi's female identity, hoping it would help them understand her emotions and clear her name. Upon learning of Han Yuanniang's arrest, Chen Yanyi, seeing no other option, decided to take a drastic step.
The next day, after bidding a tearful farewell to Wang Xiyuan and instructing her to care for their mother, Wang Zhongyu joined a growing procession of Imperial College students and citizens. Led by Zhou Xuezhang, they marched towards the palace, carrying the ancient "yellow memorial." This sacred document, bestowed by the late emperor, mandated that any petition inscribed upon it must be immediately reviewed by the reigning emperor.
The crowd chanted for the Emperor to respect public opinion and restore the Han family's legitimate daughter's identity. At the palace, news of the unprecedented use of the yellow memorial reached the Emperor. Simultaneously, Chen Yanyi requested an audience. He knelt before his father and earnestly requested to marry Han Yuanniang as his legal wife. Initially, the Emperor disapproved, but Chen Yanyi's unwavering insistence led the Emperor to take him to Empress Yuan's memorial tablet.
There, the Emperor revealed his profound love for Chen Yanyi's mother, Empress Yuan, acknowledging that he had married her, the sole legitimate daughter of the Chu family, to seize the throne. To secure his reign, he then had to elevate the Wang family to counter the Chu family, a political necessity that prevented him from dedicating his heart fully to Empress Yuan.
He confessed that his exclusive favor towards Empress Wang was solely for political balance, and that his heart held no other woman. The Emperor advised Chen Yanyi not to sacrifice his happiness for political expediency, stating the empire he would inherit was far more stable than the one he himself had ascended to. Chen Yanyi, however, maintained that marrying Han Yuanniang was his heartfelt wish, comparing his feelings for her to the Emperor's for his mother.
Recognizing his son's true affection, the Emperor relented, granting permission for Chen Yanyi to marry Han Yuanniang as his legal wife. An Imperial eunuch then publicly read the imperial edict, extolling the Han family's legacy and Han Yuanniang's virtues, officially naming her the Crown Princess and ordering the Imperial Board of Astronomy to select an auspicious wedding date. Jinzi watched heartbroken as Han Yuanniang was escorted away in the Crown Prince's carriage.
Dressed in the attire of the Crown Princess, Han Yuanniang entered the Crown Prince's residence. However, Chen Yanyi's past words now seemed like lies, causing her to doubt everything and question her true identity. Determined to find answers, she secretly changed clothes and escaped. She fortuitously encountered Wang Xiyuan outside the city, who, unknowingly helping the "Crown Princess," facilitated her departure.
As they rode in the carriage, Han Yuanniang, wishing to free Wang Xiyuan from her prolonged grief for "Lord Han," fabricated a dream. She told Wang Xiyuan that "Lord Han" had appeared to her, saying their connection was brief and that Wang Xiyuan should not waste her precious youth mourning him but should instead seek a new love and future. Wang Xiyuan, initially sorrowful, eventually conceded, calling "Lord Han" a truly good person and regretting her past misjudgment of him.
Han Yuanniang encouraged her to live a happy life for his peace of mind. After exchanging farewells, Han Yuanniang mounted a horse and rode towards the northern territory. Chen Yanyi was informed of her departure but chose not to stop her, understanding her need to visit her family's graves.
Back in the capital, Wang Zhongyu received a package from his former fiancée, Miss Su: a torn divorcing letter and a pardon medallion, left as she departed for Jiangnan, a poignant reminder of her unwavering devotion. Meanwhile, in the palace, Empress Wang was furious that Han Yuanniang, a "liar," had been made Crown Princess. Her maid, Chu Xiangyue, fanned the flames of her anger, hinting at Han Yuanniang's growing influence and her journey to the northern territory.
Fearing Han Yuanniang's potential threat, Empress Wang decided that Han Yuanniang should "never return" from the northern territory, and planned to use the Han Army incident to sow discord between Han Yuanniang and Chen Yanyi, hoping both would perish. Chu Xiangyue relished the thought of Han Yuanniang no longer competing with her for her cousin, Wang Zhongyu. On her journey to the northern territory, Han Yuanniang sensed she was being followed and confronted a group of assassins.
They ominously warned her that "the more you know, the more you grieve." During the ensuing struggle, Han Yuanniang experienced vivid flashbacks of fighting alongside soldiers, and in that moment, all her memories returned. Distracted by the overwhelming recollection, she was nearly struck down by an assassin's sword when Wang Zhongyu suddenly appeared and rescued her. He immediately realized she had regained her memories, but Han Yuanniang, now fully aware, pushed him away, suspicious of his convenient appearance.
Despite his pleas that he was there to protect her, she refused to trust him and warned him not to follow her. Chen Yanyi was informed of the assassination attempt and Wang Zhongyu's timely intervention. Continuing their journey, Han Yuanniang and Wang Zhongyu encountered a soldier who informed them that the Han Army no longer existed, having been renamed the Northern Army. He directed them to Northern Mountain, where tens of thousands of Han Army soldiers were buried.
Upon reaching the mountain, Han Yuanniang beheld the countless graves, struggling to suppress her tears as she remembered her father's teaching that a man should not weep easily. She declared that she would forever remain Han Shiyi, the heir of Duke Han. She then spotted Jinzi tending the graves, and the two had an emotional reunion. Han Yuanniang found her father, Duke Han's, tombstone.
Kneeling before it, she swore to find the evidence needed to clear the Han Army's name and restore the honor of all the fallen soldiers. Jinzi then revealed that she had previously visited the family of the deceased Cheng Huaiquan, pretending to seek revenge. Cheng Huaiquan's family, anticipating such a day, had given her a map indicating where letters exchanged between Cheng Huaiquan and a "villain" were buried beneath the northern territory boundary marker.
Following the map, Han Yuanniang dug up the hidden letters. She recognized the handwriting as Chen Yanyi's, concluding that he was the treacherous official who had colluded with Cheng Huaiquan to betray the Han Army's deployment plans to the Wei army. Enraged, she believed this was irrefutable evidence that would clear her family's name. Wang Zhongyu, however, noticed that the seal on the letters was affixed in the exact same manner as Prime Minister Wang's.
As he started to voice his suspicion, they were ambushed by another group of assassins. Han Yuanniang demanded to know who sent them, but Chen Yanyi suddenly appeared and shot the assassins with arrows, killing them before they could reveal their master. Chen Yanyi asked if Han Yuanniang was alright, but she furiously accused him of achieving his ambition of becoming Crown Prince by using the Han family as a stepping stone.
Chen Yanyi claimed to be equally pained by the Han Army's destruction, calling it a fault of the court, and denied ever hurting her. Han Yuanniang retorted that the Han Army was blamed for losing the northern territory, only for him to recover it and gain glory, making people forget the Han Army's unjust fate. Chen Yanyi insisted he had been investigating the defeat but lacked concrete evidence as all witnesses were dead.
Han Yuanniang then confronted him about his people stopping Jinzi from submitting the appeal. Chen Yanyi explained that Jinzi had no evidence, and an appeal would have been futile, only drawing the attention of the Wang family, so he had her sent away. Han Yuanniang then presented the letters, challenging him to clear the Han Army's name now that she had evidence. Chen Yanyi claimed he would.
Han Yuanniang scoffed at his "superb acting," stating that if she hadn't known the truth, she would have been fooled again. She accused him of sending assassins and personally appearing to retrieve the incriminating letters, which proved his collusion with Cheng Huaiquan to betray the Han Army to the Wei army. Wang Zhongyu tried to interject, expressing his trust in Chen Yanyi and suggesting further investigation, but Han Yuanniang dismissed him, pointing to the irrefutable evidence.
She spoke of the tens of thousands of Han Army martyrs who fought and died, only to be branded as failures, their lives becoming stepping stones for his rise to power. Enraged, Han Yuanniang stabbed Chen Yanyi, declaring that he would pay the price. Chen Yanyi did not resist.
