The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 21 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
Chen Chuchu presented a drafted abdication decree to the City Owner, demanding the official City Owner Seal be stamped on it to legitimize her claim to the throne. The City Owner, however, mocked her for her attempt to forge the decree and suggested she should have just forged the seal as well.
Chen Chuchu argued that the decree needed the genuine seal to be convincing and brazenly asked her mother to publicly declare her as the successor in the meeting hall and demote Chen Qianqian, reminding the City Owner that she had always been groomed for this role. The City Owner read a passage from the decree that praised Chen Chuchu as large-hearted and caring while denouncing Chen Qianqian as ill-behaved and immoral.
She then reminisced about the late Minister Pei, who sacrificed her life for Huayuan City, and how she had intended to raise Chen Chuchu to be righteous like her. She acknowledged that Chen Chuchu's ambition now seemed to fulfill that aspiration. Chen Chuchu inquired why her mother suddenly brought up Minister Pei. The City Owner expressed her deep disappointment, feeling that years of her efforts had been wasted.
When Chen Chuchu pressed her for time, the City Owner recounted how the City Owner Seal got chipped when Chen Chuchu, as a child, played with it like a toy. She lamented that Chen Chuchu was now using the same seal for such disloyal and unfilial acts, regretting not punishing her more severely back then. Chen Chuchu remained unyielding, declaring it was too late to turn back, and threatened Sang Qi, enraging the City Owner.
At that moment, Su Ziying reported that Han Shuo had betrayed them, confirming that Han Shuo had never intended to truly cooperate. He informed Chen Chuchu that their forces were now surrounded by Xuanhu City Guards. Furious, Chen Chuchu confronted Han Shuo, accusing him of betraying her while she was busy with her mother. Han Shuo retorted that she was too credulous, just as he once was.
Chen Chuchu blamed Chen Qianqian for Han Shuo's actions, to which Han Shuo dismissively commented that all Huayuan women were the same. Chen Chuchu then questioned if Chen Qianqian was the only one in his heart, and they began to fight. Chen Chuchu was outmatched, and Han Shuo's sword was about to strike her when Su Ziying bravely stepped in to block the blow. Suddenly, Chen Qianqian and Pei Heng arrived, leading the Huayuan City Guards.
Han Shuo was visibly disappointed, believing Chen Qianqian had abandoned him. Chen Qianqian explained that her affection for Han Shuo did not conflict with her duty to protect the citizens of Huayuan. Meanwhile, Meng Guo and his bandits helped the City Guards secure the city gate. Chen Chuchu, in a fit of rage, lunged at Chen Qianqian with her sword, but Han Shuo swiftly intercepted the attack, saving Chen Qianqian.
Just as Han Shuo attempted to take Chen Qianqian with him, the City Owner appeared and ordered the arrest of both Han Shuo and Chen Chuchu. She sternly declared to Chen Chuchu that their mother-daughter relationship was severed, stating that while she might have owed Chen Chuchu in the past, they were now even. Bai Ji urged Han Shuo to retreat, but Han Shuo remained fixated on Chen Qianqian.
Later, Pei Heng secretly met with the City Owner, pleading for Chen Chuchu's life. He argued that Han Shuo was the primary instigator and that Chen Chuchu had been coerced. He even claimed that Chen Chuchu's final strike at Chen Qianqian was an attempt to prevent Han Shuo's escape.
Pei Heng further asserted that the City Owner would forgive Chen Chuchu regardless, reminding her that Chen Chuchu was the only daughter of the late Minister Pei and recalling the promise the City Owner had made to his own mother to care for Chen Chuchu. Pei Heng, who had been old enough to remember these events, then proposed that Han Shuo be executed to silence any dissent, and all blame be shifted to him.
This would allow Chen Chuchu to be portrayed as an unwilling accomplice, a hostage, or even a cunning spy who ultimately served Huayuan City. The City Owner accepted Pei Heng's counsel, commending him for living up to his mother's esteemed reputation. Despite having calculated many things, Han Shuo realized he had overlooked Meng Guo’s forces. He lamented not listening to Bai Ji’s advice to enlist Meng Guo earlier. Chen Qianqian visited Han Shuo in prison, determined to save him.
At the execution ground the next day, Chen Qianqian desperately begged her mother to spare Han Shuo's life. She revealed that she and Han Shuo were truly married, showcasing the absence of the cinnabar mark on her arm. She declared her sincere love for him and offered to relinquish her position as Crown Princess to Chen Chuchu, assuring her mother that Chen Chuchu, under her guidance, would become a wise City Owner, bringing peace to the City Owner's later years.
Chen Qianqian pleaded for her mother to consider her dead from the day she married Han Shuo, and to free him, offering to give up everything for him. The City Owner was deeply pained, questioning if Chen Qianqian would abandon her mother for a man. When Chen Qianqian replied that she never truly desired the Crown Princess title, only Han Shuo, the City Owner, heartbroken and enraged, ordered Han Shuo's immediate execution.
Chen Qianqian rushed to the execution block, pushing the executioner aside. She pulled out a retractable dagger and plunged it into her chest, hoping her death would bring an end to the conflict and save Han Shuo. The crowd was stunned. Pei Heng, distraught, rushed to embrace Chen Qianqian, unable to accept her death. The Yueli Mansion was draped in white mourning banners, and the City Owner, overwhelmed with grief, agreed to release Han Shuo.
Pei Heng, remorseful, arrived to offer his condolences, regretting his suggestion to blame Han Shuo. He was surprised by Han Shuo’s seemingly emotionless demeanor and accused him of merely deceiving and manipulating Chen Qianqian. In despair, Pei Heng nearly attempted to join Chen Qianqian in the coffin, but Han Shuo intervened. At that moment, Chen Qianqian's voice emanated from the coffin, revealing her elaborate ruse of faking her death.
She explained it was a "prop" to deceive everyone, save Han Shuo, and finally disarm Chen Chuchu's suspicions. Han Shuo, relieved but annoyed, chided her for almost causing Pei Heng's death. Chen Qianqian apologized to Pei Heng, admitting her desperate measures. She asked Han Shuo to leave so she could speak with Pei Heng alone.
Chen Qianqian acknowledged that she had overheard Pei Heng’s heartfelt words and regretted that things might have been different if she had shown courage earlier, but concluded that perhaps they were never meant to be. She asked him to imagine she had been poisoned on her wedding night, at a time when he still disliked her, suggesting it might make his pain more bearable.
Pei Heng confessed that falling in love with her after her marriage gave his life meaning, making her his greatest aspiration. However, Chen Qianqian gently told him that she only understood true love after meeting Han Shuo, and encouraged him to move on, assuring him he would find a wonderful person in the future and that she would be fine. They made a solemn pact that Pei Heng would stop loving her starting the next day.
As Pei Heng, still heartbroken, left Yueli Mansion, he encountered Chen Chuchu, who had come to pay her respects. Noticing Pei Heng’s lack of tears, Chen Chuchu grew suspicious of Chen Qianqian’s death and instructed her attendant, Zi Zhu, to prepare some items. Back inside, Han Shuo, teasingly calling himself the "Xuanhu King of Jealousy," demanded Chen Qianqian explain all her secrets, including her martial arts, once they returned to Xuanhu City.
She agreed, and he playfully threatened to "reassert his husband's authority" if she lied again. The City Owner, Chen Yuanyuan, and Chen Chuchu then arrived at the mourning hall. Chen Chuchu insisted on seeing Chen Qianqian one last time, but the City Owner gently refused, saying it would only bring more sorrow.
Chen Chuchu then proposed a method to preserve the body: refining mercury from cinnabar and injecting it into the blood vessels to prevent decay, a clear attempt to poison Chen Qianqian. Han Shuo vehemently objected, accusing Chen Chuchu of disrespecting the deceased and attempting to poison her. Chen Chuchu retorted that Chen Qianqian was a sinner who disobeyed the City Owner and did not deserve an elaborate coffin or burial in the ancestral tomb.
She then suggested cremation, turning Chen Qianqian's remains into a sarira to be enshrined in the ancestral temple, an act that Han Shuo recognized as an attempt to completely destroy her. He loudly questioned Chen Chuchu's deep-seated hatred for Chen Qianqian, provoking Chen Chuchu to call him heartless. The City Owner, observing Han Shuo’s unusually strong reaction, realized Chen Qianqian's fake death plan. Feigning sorrow, she pounded on the coffin, discreetly creating a small gap for Chen Qianqian to breathe.
She then dismissed everyone, and privately urged Han Shuo to treat Chen Qianqian well. The City Owner understood that Chen Qianqian’s feigned death was not just for Han Shuo, but also for Huayuan City, to prevent further conflict with Chen Chuchu and ensure a smoother succession. By accepting her death, she was severing their mother-daughter bond, hoping Chen Qianqian would understand her difficult choice.
She ordered Chen Qianqian's coffin to be escorted to the cemetery that night, giving her a chance to escape. However, Chen Chuchu had already anticipated this and secretly dispatched Su Ziying to assassinate Chen Qianqian at the cemetery, intending to turn the fake death into a real one. As the coffin was being transported, Chen Qianqian, still inside, complained about the dark and confined space, and the lack of oxygen.
Han Shuo jokingly offered to join her, and when she mentioned the oxygen issue, he declared she was his oxygen. Suddenly, Su Ziying launched an ambush, attacking the coffin and demanding Chen Qianqian’s death. Fortunately, Lin Qi arrived with her people and captured Su Ziying on the spot. Lin Qi, who had survived thanks to Chen Qianqian's previous intervention, declared she couldn't die before avenging her past grievances.
When asked how to deal with Su Ziying, Meng Guo suggested capturing and releasing him repeatedly to earn his loyalty. Chen Qianqian, knowing Su Ziying's cunning nature, disagreed, insisting that releasing him would be a mistake. Han Shuo argued for harsher punishment, even death, given Su Ziying's repeated attempts on Chen Qianqian's life. Chen Qianqian, however, chose mercy, ordering them to simply tie him up to prevent further trouble, and Meng Guo led Su Ziying away.
Lin Qi then explained that she had come to pay her respects, surprised to find Chen Qianqian alive. Han Shuo urged Chen Qianqian to return to Xuanhu City with him, and Chen Qianqian, delighted to see Lin Qi, suggested she join them. Lin Qi revealed that she had gotten married to a traveling merchant from Xuanhu City who saved her life when she was severely injured. Chen Qianqian enthusiastically suggested that Lin Qi and her husband accompany them, but Lin Qi, though happy for Chen Qianqian, still expressed hesitation, reiterating that she now had a husband.
