The Rise of Phoenixes Episode 17 Recap, Plot

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Ning Yi looked at Feng Zhiwei's departing figure, unable to turn away for a long time. The Crown Prince was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace and could not leave until the Blood Slaughter case was thoroughly investigated. Feng Zhiwei delivered dishes to Ning Yi on the Tiansheng Emperor's orders. Ning Cheng wanted to try the dishes first, but Ning Yi joked that he might be poisoned.

Subsequently, Ning Yi awarded the dishes bestowed by the Tiansheng Emperor to Ning Cheng and insisted on playing chess with Feng Zhiwei. Ning Yi secretly told Feng Zhiwei on the chessboard that he was helpless, but she only said "understood" before excusing herself. Ning Yi wanted to sow suspicion in the Tiansheng Emperor's mind to facilitate his subsequent plans, which was why he played this game of chess with Feng Zhiwei.

The next day, Feng Zhiwei showed Ning Yi's chess moves to the Tiansheng Emperor, who then ordered Zhao Yuan to withdraw the Golden Feather Guards from the Chu Prince's Estate and replace them with covert protection. It turned out that the Tiansheng Emperor deliberately lowered his guard to let those who harmed the Chu Prince reveal themselves. The Crown Prince was drunk all day.

When Shaoning came to the Eastern Palace and saw this scene, she was heartbroken and immediately scolded the servants to remove the alcohol. Then, the Crown Prince kicked Chen Ming, the eunuch bestowed by the Tiansheng Emperor. Shaoning quickly stopped him and also mentioned that the Tiansheng Emperor had withdrawn the Golden Feather Guards from the Chu Prince's Estate. The Crown Prince cried out, "It's over!" saying he had truly become a sinner now.

He cried loudly in Shaoning's arms and cursed Ning Yi vehemently. Shaoning blamed herself, as her brother had always protected her since they lost their mother, but now she could not protect him. The Crown Prince was flustered, and they wiped each other's tears like children. At this moment, Chang Hai appeared, claiming he had a plan to help the Crown Prince. Meanwhile, Chen Ming hesitated outside the palace gate.

Wu Ying saw his indecision and urged him to report quickly, so the eunuch had no choice but to relay the Crown Prince's disrespectful words to Wu Ying. Feng Zhiwei led Gu Nanyi, preparing to have a big meal to repay a favor. Suddenly, a young lad was beaten on the street, and Feng Zhiwei immediately intervened.

It turned out that the lad had blocked Chang Hai's path, leading to a verbal confrontation between Feng Zhiwei and Chang Hai on the street. Finally, Feng Zhiwei recognized the young lad, Changji, as her attendant, simply because she felt regret about the little stable boy. However, Feng Zhiwei did not know that Changji was arranged by Chang Hai.

Feng Zhiwei once again came to the Chu Prince's Estate on imperial command to deliver food, only to find Ning Yi fiddling with some Shu brocade. After Ning Cheng complained for a bit, Ning Yi finally agreed to eat, and he also shared some of the wine and dishes with Huo Laosan. Feng Zhiwei jokingly said that she would definitely make a luxurious dress for her mother (A-niang) once she received her salary.

Ning Yi, gossiping, inquired if Qiu Mingying really liked such things. As they were joking, Huo Laosan suddenly collapsed on the ground, holding the unfinished wine in his hand. It turned out that when Feng Zhiwei delivered the wine, Changji accidentally knocked over the wine pot, and this pot of wine was the one he had just replaced. After the doctor gave Huo Laosan acupuncture, he could only report to Ning Yi that there was no hope for him.

In a fit of rage, Ning Yi picked up a silver needle, intending to stab Feng Zhiwei, but ultimately restrained himself. He then immediately prepared to enter the palace. Feng Zhiwei quickly stopped Ning Yi, stating that he was still under house arrest and could not leave the estate, and requested to investigate herself. Ning Yi knew that someone was trying to eliminate him using Feng Zhiwei.

At this moment, Ning Cheng reported that Changji, Feng Zhiwei's attendant, was very suspicious and seemed to have been seen with Shaoning. Ning Yi was furious and ordered Feng Zhiwei to uncover the truth within a day. Before leaving, Ning Yi gritted his teeth and reiterated their agreement from that day — to eliminate all evil. Gu Yan and Chancellor Yao found out that the Crown Prince had ordered the Blood Slaughter to assassinate First Secretary Hua Wenlian.

Subsequently, Ning Qiao was ordered to investigate the matter. Fearing exposure, the Crown Prince fabricated a witchcraft case, framing Ning Qiao for treason. Upon hearing this, the Tiansheng Emperor was deeply pained, regretting that he should not have been so credulous and should not have forgotten Ning Qiao's character. Ning Qiao, who treated Ning Yi, a powerless prince, with brotherly affection, how could he harbor rebellious intentions?

Subsequently, the Tiansheng Emperor secretly ordered Gu Yan and Chancellor Yao to conduct a thorough investigation, so that the Crown Prince and Chang Hai would have nothing to say. Feng Zhiwei invited Shaoning, who, upon seeing her, scolded her for tying up Ning Yi and framing the Crown Prince, and even physically attacked her. Finally, Shaoning calmed down, and Feng Zhiwei ordered Yan Huaishi to serve wine.

Yan Huaishi then hid behind a screen, holding Changji, and watched Shaoning drink the pot of wine. Feng Zhiwei probed Shaoning, asking if she recognized the wine pot. Shaoning showed no particular expression. Then Feng Zhiwei asked about Changji, and Shaoning replied that Chang Hai had borrowed him. Zhao Yuan arrived at the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince greeted him very warmly.

Zhao Yuan claimed that Chen Ming, the eunuch bestowed upon the Crown Prince by the Tiansheng Emperor, was his fellow townsman. Due to a family emergency, he requested the Crown Prince to allow Chen Ming to accompany him for a while. The Crown Prince realized, "So there was an emergency, no wonder he left without saying goodbye." However, after Zhao Yuan left, the Crown Prince ordered people to dispose of the body thoroughly.

After Feng Zhiwei investigated thoroughly, she reported the poisoning incident to the Tiansheng Emperor, who became furious upon hearing it. The Crown Prince's guards were carrying Chen Ming's body at midnight, intending to take it to the mass grave. A Golden Feather Guard saw them, knocked the two unconscious, and ordered people to remove the body.

Gu Yan informed the Tiansheng Emperor of Chen Ming's cause of death, stating that there was poison in Chen Ming's palms and between his fingers, and this poison was consistent with the poison in the wine and the poison that the Tiansheng Emperor himself had ingested. Inside the Eastern Palace, Chang Hai revealed the exposure of the poisoning to the Crown Prince.

When the two guards who transported the body returned to report, the Crown Prince, in a fit of rage, hacked them to death. Chang Hai, leaving a word of caution, wanted to depart, but the Crown Prince thought he was returning to Minhai. In fact, Chang Hai intended to enter the palace to surrender and take all the blame.

For many years, he had regarded the Crown Prince as his own son, and how could he bear to see him fail? The Crown Prince finally believed Chang Hai. At this moment, Gu Yan arrived with the Golden Feather Guards to search the palace.

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