The Rise of Phoenixes Episode 5 Recap
> The Rise of Phoenixes Recap
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The Crown Prince, who takes credit for exterminating the Bloody Buddha Sect. Xin Ziyan is deeply unsettled, confiding in Ning Yi that he was the only one who escaped unscathed, a detail he finds highly suspicious. Ning Yi is then summoned to the palace where the Crown Prince presents thirteen bodies to the Emperor, claiming them to be the sect's remnants. The Emperor, however, questions why the Blood Buddha Sect's lair suddenly shifted from Yanzhou to the capital.
Prince Zhao, eager to claim credit, uncovers the bodies and is startled when he sees a man with a distinct mole, a detail matching a missing farmer, which the Crown Prince quickly covers up. Doubting the Crown Prince's prepared answers, the Emperor assigns Ning Yi to investigate the Great Cheng orphan case and the Bloody Buddha Sect, undermining the Crown Prince.
Later, the Crown Prince and Chang Hai scheme to resolve the Great Cheng orphan case permanently, fearing Ning Yi's investigation could expose them. Gu Yan, recovering from injuries sustained in the ambush, reports his lack of progress in finding the Bloody Buddha Sect to Ning Yi and Prince Zhao. Ning Yi suggests that while the sect's appearance seems sudden, the deceased must have connections. Gu Yan proposes to publicly display the bodies with a reward notice for identification.
Prince Zhao objects, arguing it would be too cruel. Ning Yi cleverly frames this objection as aligning with the Emperor's benevolent rule, which Prince Zhao agrees with to save face. They decide to post a notice for clues without displaying the bodies. In a private meeting, Ning Yi presses Gu Yan about the Great Cheng orphan case, bringing up their shared past.
Ning Yi produces a scented sachet belonging to Gu Yan's long-lost wife, revealing he has been searching for Gu Yan's family for eighteen years. This deeply affects Gu Yan. However, he remains cautious, accusing Ning Yi of being as ruthless as the Crown Prince, citing how Ning Yi, as an eight-year-old, used Gu Yan's wife and child as leverage, leading to his brother's death. Ning Yi admits his youthful naivete, asserting he has grown since.
He then orders Gu Yan to secretly monitor Prince Zhao (Ning Yan). Gu Yan initially refuses, but Ning Yi appeals to his desire for truth and revenge for the Golden Feather Guard soldiers who died in the ambush, convincing him. At Lanxiang Courtyard, Zhu Yin facilitates a discreet meeting between Xin Ziyan and Ning Yi. Zhu Yin reports that she was dismissed from an event at Qiu Shangqi's residence because Chang Hai had summoned Qiu Shangqi to his own mansion.
Xin Ziyan is anxious, revealing the Crown Prince had also summoned Gu Yan, fearing he might expose their plans. Ning Yi remains calm, trusting Gu Yan. Xin Ziyan then explains his theory: the Crown Prince maintains a secret force of real Blood Buddha Sect members, whom he uses for staged ambushes before replacing their bodies with commoners, like the missing farmers, to consolidate power and deceive the Emperor. At the Qiu residence, Fifth Aunt hosts a moon-appreciation banquet.
During a private gathering before the banquet, Chang Hai forces Qiu Shangqi into a duel and blackmails him, revealing he knows Qiu Shangqi is harboring Qiu Mingying and her children. When a shaken Qiu Shangqi later joins the banquet, Fifth Aunt, already suspicious about Feng Zhiwei's origins, probes the family about their deceased father. When Madam Xu suggests matching the handsome siblings with a pair of twins, Fifth Aunt pointedly remarks that Feng Zhiwei and Feng Hao look nothing alike.
Unable to endure the provocations, Feng Zhiwei retorts. Enraged by Fifth Aunt's persistence, Qiu Shangqi humiliates her and has her removed. The woman searching for her husband is arrested on false charges of spousal murder, an act orchestrated by Prince Zhao. In prison, she is seemingly poisoned, but this is a ruse by Gu Yan, who has her smuggled out disguised as a corpse.
She is taken to a mass grave where she finds her husband's body among many others and collapses in grief. She begs Gu Yan for justice, but he gives her money and urges her to flee, explaining that seeking revenge would be a death sentence. Gu Yan, disgusted by the Crown Prince's cruelty, reflects on his own powerlessness. The next morning, Qiu Mingying leaves the mansion, tailed by a suspicious Fifth Aunt, but manages to lose her in the crowd.
She meets with her former teacher, expressing her fear over Fifth Aunt's growing suspicions. Meanwhile, at a teahouse, Fifth Aunt overhears a discussion about the Great Cheng orphan, learning the man holding the child was named Gu Heng and that the orphan would now be eighteen. This solidifies her theory that Feng Zhiwei and Feng Hao are not real siblings.
Later, she tries to get their birth dates from Feng Hao under the guise of making amends, but Feng Zhiwei sees through the act. Qiu Mingying confronts Fifth Aunt, who is startled by her sudden appearance. Soon after, Feng Zhiwei rushes to Fifth Aunt's room and is horrified to find her strangled to death by Qiu Mingying. As the three frantically pack to flee, they discover imperial soldiers have surrounded the mansion. Concurrently, the Crown Prince questions Gu Yan about Qiu Shangqi's sister and her children, asking if he knows their true origins.
