The Rise of Phoenixes Episode 4 Recap
> The Rise of Phoenixes Recap
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As Ning Yi left the main hall coughing, the Crown Prince approached with feigned concern. Soon after, an imperial decree announced that Prince Chu Ning Yi and Qiu Yuluo had incompatible horoscopes, and their engagement was nullified. This led to widespread rumors that Qiu Yuluo was a jinx, destined to bring ill fortune to her family. A distraught Madam Qiu blamed Feng Zhiwei for her daughter’s ruined reputation.
Meanwhile, Fifth Aunt recalled a conversation she had overheard between Qiu Shangqi and Qiu Mingying. After learning from Madam Qiu that Qiu Mingying’s husband had opposed her father in court during the previous dynasty, Fifth Aunt began to suspect he was a powerful minister connected to the Bloody Buddha Sect and the lost orphan of the Great Cheng.
Frustrated by recent events, the Crown Prince viciously whipped his servants before adopting a pleasant demeanor to greet Prince Yan and Prince Zhao. The two princes, also humiliated by Ning Yi’s theatrics, wanted to strategize against him. However, the Crown Prince refused, citing his fear of forming factions, which the Emperor would detest. As they departed, Prince Yan’s remark, "Even if you weren't the one who shot the orphan of Great Cheng eighteen years ago," enraged the Crown Prince.
He accused them of implying he had falsely taken credit for the deed. After leaving, Prince Yan and Prince Zhao discussed the Crown Prince's strange behavior, noting his forced cordiality towards Ning Yi, and agreed they needed to stick together. Later, the Crown Prince spoke with Chang Hai, whom he called "Uncle." He inquired about the soldiers from the Chang Family Army who had once served him, learning that none had survived various border conflicts.
He also asked about the Golden Feather Guards who had protected Ning Yi, only to be told they too had perished. The Crown Prince then asserted that the baby Gu Heng held eighteen years ago was long dead. He concluded the "Great Cheng orphan" was a ruse by the Bloody Buddha Sect to deceive the public and resolved to eliminate the group entirely.
Elsewhere, Prince Zhao, tasked with overseeing canal repairs, was confronted by a woman whose husband, a man with a large mole on his face, had gone missing while working. Prince Zhao callously dismissed her pleas. Gu Yan, still searching for traces of the Bloody Buddha Sect, had found no leads. Junior Guardian Xin Ziyan then arrived with an order from the Crown Prince, stating that sect members had been discovered outside the city.
The order instructed Gu Yan to lead the Golden Feather Guards to rendezvous with the Crown Prince’s garrison. As they traveled, Xin Ziyan expressed unease, noting the valley ahead was perfectly suited for an ambush. Despite the warning, Gu Yan insisted on following the Crown Prince’s orders without detour. As anticipated, they were ambushed in the forest. The Crown Prince then arrived with his forces, seemingly rescuing them and quelling the attack.
In the aftermath, Gu Yan was injured, but Xin Ziyan was unharmed. That night, a despondent Xin Ziyan visited Ning Yi at the Prince Chu Mansion. He questioned whether the sacrifices made to pave Ning Yi's path to becoming a wise ruler were worth it. Ning Yi countered that his primary goal was to avenge his third brother; the ambition for the throne was Xin Ziyan's alone.
Sensing his friend's deep distress, Ning Yi pressed for an explanation, but Xin Ziyan remained silent. Just then, Ning Cheng rushed in, announcing that the Crown Prince had successfully eliminated the Bloody Buddha Sect and that the Emperor had urgently summoned Ning Yi to the palace. Outside the palace, the bodies of the supposed sect members lay covered by black cloths. Prince Zhao, Prince Yan, and other ministers praised the Crown Prince’s achievement.
Ning Yi, however, was unsettled by Xin Ziyan’s unspoken warning. The Emperor, upon hearing the news, questioned why the Bloody Buddha Sect, last reported in Yan Province, had appeared in the capital. The Crown Prince vaguely claimed Yan Province was a diversion. Eager to share the credit, Prince Zhao pulled the cloth off a body, revealing a man with a prominent mole. He was stunned, instantly recognizing the face from the distraught wife's description earlier that day.
The Crown Prince quickly covered the body, citing the need to not disturb the Emperor. Though he praised the Crown Prince, the Emperor assigned Ning Yi to investigate the matter further, leaving the Crown Prince baffled and dismayed. The Crown Prince remained perplexed by the Emperor’s decision, fearing it was a prelude to his dethronement.
Chang Hai advised that he must definitively resolve the Great Cheng orphan case, as the Emperor was not easily deceived by the Crown Prince’s evasive answers. Ning Yi, meanwhile, declared his intention to uncover the truth. Gu Yan advised him to proceed only with solid evidence. Prince Zhao, terrified of what Ning Yi might uncover, tried to lead him away, but Ning Yi pivoted, ordering Gu Yan to use the bodies to locate the victims' families.
Prince Zhao frantically objected, uncharacteristically stammering that displaying the corpses would be cruel and cause public resentment. To everyone’s surprise, Ning Yi agreed, and at the princes' joint behest, Gu Yan posted a public announcement instead. The confrontation dredged up the past. Years ago, Gu Yan and Ning Yi had pursued the Great Cheng orphan together.
But after Ning Yi was severely injured, he awoke to find Gu Yan had sided with the Crown Prince, and he himself had been abandoned by the Emperor. Gu Yan dismissed Ning Yi’s words as an attempt to make him switch allegiance again. Ning Yi then produced an exquisite pouch, revealing he had been secretly searching for Gu Yan’s lost wife and child. Seeing it, Gu Yan was moved to tears, not of gratitude, but of rage.
He accused Ning Yi of cruelly leveraging his family to force him to kill his own brother, Gu Heng, when Ning Yi was just eight years old, asserting that Ning Yi was no different from the Crown Prince. Ning Yi denied wanting the child dead, explaining the Emperor had promised to spare them if they surrendered. He reflected on his youthful naivety, having grown up in a ruthless court believing he understood everything.
Ning Yi then ordered Gu Yan to discreetly monitor Prince Zhao, but Gu Yan refused, calling it an act of insubordination. Closing his eyes, Ning Yi slammed his hand on the table and fiercely demanded to know if Gu Yan truly felt no desire to avenge their fallen Golden Feather Guard comrades.
