The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 20 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
After successfully escaping Yueli Mansion, Chen Qianqian and Pei Heng found temporary refuge at Butler Lin’s residence. Butler Lin, still grateful to Chen Qianqian for saving Lin Qi's life, housed them. Suddenly, a mysterious brocade box arrived at the mansion. Inside, they found Lin Qi's golden token and a brief handwritten note that read, "This letter represents me. I am doing fine." Butler Lin was overjoyed to learn that his lady was alive. This revelation deeply impacted Chen Qianqian.
She reflected on her decision to drive Han Shuo away, which she had made because she believed she had lost control of the story, fearing Han Shuo would follow the tragic plot she had originally written. However, with her mother's recovery from a stroke, proof that Chen Chuchu was responsible for Lu Peng's death, and now Lin Qi’s survival, Chen Qianqian realized she could indeed alter the characters' destinies. Her prior actions against Han Shuo now seemed unnecessary.
Seeing her lost in thought, Pei Heng asked what was wrong. Chen Qianqian, determined to clarify the misunderstanding, announced her decision to return to Yueli Mansion. Despite Pei Heng's fervent warnings that she was walking into a trap, Chen Qianqian remained resolute. She sought a discreet way to re-enter the mansion from Butler Lin, apologized to Pei Heng, and departed. Meanwhile, at the City Owner's Mansion, Han Shuo demanded the City Owner's Seal.
The City Owner, aware of Han Shuo's affection for Chen Qianqian, refused to yield, subtly reminding him to be wary of Chen Chuchu. Han Shuo, understanding her veiled threat, asserted that as City Owner, the Seal was more important than her life. When Han Shuo threatened to harm her, the City Owner cleverly countered by invoking Chen Qianqian, suggesting that her death would cause Chen Qianqian immense grief and turn her against Han Shuo.
Realizing he was outmaneuvered and could not risk alienating Chen Qianqian, Han Shuo recognized he was compelled not only to spare but also to protect the City Owner. He then instructed his Xuanhu City soldiers to guard the City Owner's bedroom strictly, prohibiting entry or exit. Chen Qianqian, having returned to Yueli Mansion disguised among musicians, was caught off guard by Han Shuo’s unexpected return.
She frantically tried to instruct the musicians to pretend they had forced her to leave, while she had steadfastly refused, professing her loyalty to Han Shuo. But Han Shuo had already seen her in the musician's attire. He confronted her, accusing her of attempting to escape with Pei Heng again, calling it the "same trick." A musician, under duress, confessed that Pei Heng had instructed them. Enraged, Han Shuo ordered Bai Ji to escort the musicians away.
Chen Qianqian tried desperately to explain, but Han Shuo, seething with anger, refused to listen. He accused her of exploiting his unwavering devotion and abandoning their love for political gain. He declared he would no longer show her mercy, threatening to consummate their marriage to ensure she could not escape. Chen Qianqian, in a desperate attempt to prove her sincerity, tore up the divorce letter and lay on the bed, inviting him to proceed.
Han Shuo, however, misinterpreted her actions as a shameless sacrifice to save Pei Heng or her mother. Furious, he denounced her as indecent and declared that if she refused to be his wife, she would become his slave, responsible for all household chores. Soon after, Bai Ji informed Han Shuo that Chen Chuchu had arrived. Han Shuo, seizing the opportunity to provoke Chen Qianqian, ordered her to serve them.
Chen Chuchu, noting that Han Shuo and Chen Qianqian were divorced, suggested sending Chen Qianqian to Risheng Mansion. Han Shuo readily agreed, coldly stating that Chen Qianqian was "just a toy" and her location was irrelevant. He then deliberately acted intimate with Chen Chuchu, asking if she needed further proof of his indifference. When Chen Chuchu pressed him on when he would send Chen Qianqian away, Han Shuo replied that he preferred to keep his "toy" close.
Chen Chuchu then proposed Han Shuo move to Xingzi Mansion for easier discussion of city affairs. Han Shuo countered, accusing her of treating him like a subservient Huayuan man. Chen Chuchu realized Han Shuo's entire performance was an act to upset Chen Qianqian, and, angered, she departed. Chen Qianqian, heartbroken, reflected on how much more pain Han Shuo must have felt when she presented him with the divorce letter.
Zi Rui then informed Chen Qianqian that Han Shuo required her help changing clothes. She reluctantly complied. Han Shuo, feigning nonchalance, then demanded tea. Chen Qianqian brought him a cup, which he dramatically declared too hot. He threatened her, reminding her of his power over Huayuan City, her mother's confinement, and the "little white bottles" of poison, stating her life was entirely in his hands and she would not leave Yueli Mansion.
As a final torment, he ordered her to iron his clothes, warning her of sleepless nights if any wrinkles remained. Chen Qianqian, weary, complained about men imposing housework, and inadvertently burned her hand while ironing. Meanwhile, Chen Chuchu confronted Han Shuo about placing his own guards around her mother’s room, fearing he was growing soft towards Chen Qianqian. Han Shuo maintained it was a precaution against her potential betrayal, implying Chen Qianqian was not a sufficient hostage for her.
Chen Chuchu pressed him about the abdication decree, lamenting that while documents could be forged, the City Owner Seal could not, and without it, she could not truly rule. She then chillingly revealed her plan: to coerce the City Owner into handing over the Seal by progressively cutting off Chen Qianqian's fingers and sending them to her.
She challenged Han Shuo to see if he could bear it, and reminded him of their alliance and his claim to the black water mine. Han Shuo reassured her he would help her obtain the Seal, but Chen Chuchu cautioned him against breaking their agreement, warning that she also commanded the City Guards. Pei Heng, having learned of Chen Qianqian's burned hand from his servant, rushed to Yueli Mansion despite being told nothing could be done.
He confronted Han Shuo, accusing him of mistreating Chen Qianqian, who had never truly been cherished. Han Shuo scoffed at the idea that mere housework constituted torture and feigned ignorance of Chen Qianqian's injury. Pei Heng reiterated that Chen Qianqian had burned her hand and declared his intention to take her away. Han Shuo, mocking Pei Heng's lack of military power, asserted that Pei Heng could not even protect himself, let alone Chen Qianqian.
Han Shuo rushed into Chen Qianqian's room. From under the covers, she tearfully accused him of being a "beast" for trying to force intimacy while she was injured. Han Shuo was more preoccupied with why she hadn't told him about her injury, and why Pei Heng had known first. Chen Qianqian retorted that he didn't care about her anyway, and she hadn't told Pei Heng.
Han Shuo's anger softened as he noted she had applied medicine and asked if it hurt. Chen Qianqian, wanting him to stay, begged him not to leave her alone. He initially offered to send Zi Rui but ultimately stayed, taking the entire bed for himself and leaving Chen Qianqian to sleep on the hard floor. She complained about the discomfort, to which Han Shuo jokingly replied that "hard is good for the waist."
Later that night, Han Shuo gazed at the moon, remembering their first night together. He quietly apologized for the pain he had caused her, wishing her earlier rejection of him had only been an act. The next morning, it seemed they had reconciled. Han Shuo spoke of taking Chen Qianqian back to Xuanhu City as his wife once the City Owner signed the abdication decree.
However, Chen Qianqian refused to abandon her mother and Huayuan City, reminding him of its ancestral significance and her mother's devotion. She challenged his intentions regarding Chen Chuchu, who had "saved" him. Han Shuo dismissed Chen Chuchu's motives as self-serving, stating everyone would be his prisoner once her mother abdicated. He then accused Chen Qianqian of betraying him and having an unchanging, manipulative nature.
Chen Qianqian retorted by reciting his character biography, accusing him of being a petty, ruthless man, and demanding he direct his anger at her, not her elderly, sick mother. Han Shuo, in a fit of jealousy, asked her a "fatal question": if he and her mother fell into the water simultaneously, who would she save first? Chen Qianqian sarcastically questioned why a grown man couldn't swim and accused him of being jealous of her mother.
Han Shuo then threatened to end her mother's life if Chen Qianqian disobeyed him. Declaring her intention to go to the City Owner's Mansion, Chen Qianqian stormed out. Han Shuo immediately ordered Zi Rui to confine her to the room. Zi Rui and Bai Ji then engaged in a comical argument about their masters' quarrel, with Zi Rui lamenting Chen Qianqian's potential loss of inheritance and Bai Ji defending Han Shuo.
Determined to save Chen Qianqian, Pei Heng resolved to seize the flower token and rally the City Guards. He had already learned that Chen Chuchu, despite controlling the City Guards, showed no intention of rescuing the City Owner, and that discontent was brewing within the army against her rule.
He reconnected with an old wet nurse, a former confidante of his mother, the late Minister of Defense, who confirmed Chen Chuchu's true nature and acknowledged that Pei Heng's mother would never have supported Chen Chuchu's betrayal of the City Owner. The wet nurse agreed to assist Pei Heng in snatching the flower token while Chen Chuchu was inspecting it.
Soon after, Chen Chuchu and Han Shuo were discussing the impending abdication decree when a guard reported that a thief had been caught trying to steal the flower token. Han Shuo departed, leaving Chen Chuchu to deal with the "family matter." Pei Heng, having successfully obtained the flower token with the wet nurse’s help, arrived at the City Guards' camp.
Displaying the token, he commanded the City Guards to switch their allegiance to Chen Qianqian, rescue the City Owner, and confront Han Shuo in battle. The guards initially mocked him, refusing to take orders from a man in Huayuan City. Pei Heng asserted his authority, reminding them that the position of Minister of Defense had historically belonged to the Pei family and that he possessed the courage of the City Guards. He then executed the defiant commanding officer.
Faced with a leaderless situation and Pei Heng, a legitimate Pei, holding the revered flower token, the remaining generals rallied behind him, pledging to rescue the City Owner and Chen Qianqian. Meanwhile, Chen Qianqian, still confined, grew increasingly anxious, fearing she would be trapped until the story's end. The thought of her unyielding mother clashing with Han Shuo and Chen Chuchu terrified her. Realizing a violent confrontation was imminent, she resolved that she had to intervene and prevent it.
Just as her resolve solidified, Pei Heng, leading the City Guards, stormed into Yueli Mansion. He found Chen Qianqian, declaring he had come to rescue her. He reminded her of her past words, that he would become the first male Minister of Defense, a feat he had now accomplished. He apologized to her, explaining that while it wasn't her fault, he had to acquire power to truly protect her.
