The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 22 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
Lin Qi's unexpected survival and Su Ziying's failed assassination attempt enraged Chen Chuchu, who had her subordinate report the events. Chen Chuchu, furious that Chen Qianqian had escaped with Lin Qi's help and that Su Ziying was captured, immediately dispatched more assassins with orders to kill Chen Qianqian before she could reach Xuanhu City. Meanwhile, Pei Heng confronted Chen Chuchu, expressing his profound disappointment.
He reminded her that with the City Owner's public declaration of Chen Qianqian's death and her older sister still recovering, Chen Chuchu was the sole rightful candidate for the position of City Owner, yet she remained obsessed with harming Chen Qianqian. Chen Chuchu dismissed his concerns, believing that once her mother forgave her, she would still become Minister of Defense. Pei Heng countered that the City Guards were historically linked to his family, making the position rightfully his.
Disillusioned, he left Chen Chuchu, determined to assume his inherited role as Minister of Defense. The City Owner, having withdrawn into seclusion and fortified her mansion, left the city's affairs to her generals. Chen Chuchu, no longer holding any military rank, boldly went to the army camp, ordering the execution of the Xuanhu City prisoners of war. However, Pei Heng, now formally the Minister of Defense, firmly rejected her demand.
He argued that these soldiers were merely following orders and did not deserve death; instead, he decreed they should be sent to labor in the mines. Pei Heng invoked the wisdom of his late mother, the former Minister Pei, stating that true courage lies not in prolonging conflict but in finding a rational way to end it.
The assembled generals, deeply impressed by Pei Heng's compassionate and decisive leadership, openly pledged their loyalty to him, implicitly shaming Chen Chuchu's ruthless proposal. Enraged by their defiance, Chen Chuchu stormed out. On their journey to Xuanhu City, Han Shuo, anticipating Chen Qianqian's boredom, arranged for three storytellers to accompany them. As the storytellers recounted tales, they revealed their understanding of Chen Qianqian's "Apple, Orange, Banana" analogy, correctly identifying them as Chen Chuchu, Chen Qianqian, and Han Shuo respectively.
They marvelled at her apparent foresight, suggesting she was like an immortal, possessing knowledge of secrets like the Dragon Bone's whereabouts and Han Shuo's heart condition. Chen Qianqian, with a modest air, admitted she was indeed the creator of their entire world. Han Shuo, overhearing her confession, was furious about her secrecy. He confronted her, demanding an explanation for framing him for Su Mu's troubles and his subsequent exile.
Chen Qianqian tearfully explained that in her original script, characters like her mother, Lin Qi, and Lu Peng had died or suffered terrible fates. Fearing a similar end for Han Shuo, she deliberately altered events to save him. She confessed that she had stopped trying to push him towards Chen Chuchu once she realized her true feelings for him. She also revealed that his heart condition was a plot device she created, which she then cured with the Dragon Bone.
Han Shuo was initially incredulous but also captivated by this extraordinary revelation. He asked about the story's ultimate ending, and Chen Qianqian shared her belief that she might return to her original world when "the sun and moon are up in the sky at the same time and the gate to Heaven is wide open." Han Shuo, deeply saddened by the prospect of her departure, playfully tried to provoke her by boasting about taking three hundred concubines if she left.
However, Chen Qianqian reassured him, affirming her decision to stay with him, regardless of whether their world was fictional. She emphasized that her love for him was real and she could not easily let go. Hearing this, Han Shuo's resentment dissipated, replaced by relief and joy at finally understanding her true feelings. Upon their arrival in Xuanhu City, a starkly male-dominated society, Han Shuo and Chen Qianqian were met with a mix of curiosity and disapproval.
Locals openly gossiped, especially at the sight of Han Shuo, a prominent male figure, leading Chen Qianqian's horse, an act viewed as highly unconventional and demeaning for a man. Chen Qianqian's attendant bravely defended her mistress's title as "Third Princess," but Chen Qianqian gently urged him to conform to Xuanhu customs. They encountered a guard who barred the attendant from the back garden, explicitly stating that "irrelevant men" had to be castrated to enter.
Chen Qianqian then attended a banquet hosted by the City Owner's wife, where she tried to present herself as demure and scholarly. However, Lin Qi inadvertently revealed Chen Qianqian's past frequent visits to the Music and Dance Academy, shattering this facade, shocking the City Owner's wife and other aristocratic women and creating a poor first impression.
Meanwhile, Han Shuo met with his father, the City Owner, who sternly reprimanded him for failing all his missions in Huayuan City, particularly for not securing the valuable black stone mine. Back in her quarters, Chen Qianqian, feeling stifled by Xuanhu's rigid environment, voiced her desire to leave, even contemplating returning to Huayuan City despite Chen Chuchu's threats, prioritizing her own happiness.
As punishment for her perceived improper conduct and as a prerequisite to leaving, she was ordered to copy "Female Virtues" a hundred times. When Han Shuo learned of her predicament, he was deeply moved. In a powerful defiance of Xuanhu City's patriarchal norms, he immediately offered to help her copy the text and, in front of the servants, personally washed her feet.
This act of blatant submission to his wife enraged the City Owner, who saw it as a profound humiliation for his son. However, the City Owner's wife, a woman of quiet strength who generally deferred to her husband in public, subtly revealed his diminished authority at home, as he was later seen meekly washing her feet. News of Young Master Han washing his wife's feet spread like wildfire across Xuanhu City.
The local aristocratic wives, who had initially looked down on Chen Qianqian, were now a mixture of astonished and envious. They flocked to her residence the following morning, eager for her "husband-taming" advice. Chen Qianqian, embracing her new role as a relationship expert, explained that true "husband-taming" was actually about "self-mastery." She taught them that women should cultivate their own inherent value and their value to their partners.
She emphasized that love thrives on mutual respect and a man's recognition of his wife's irreplaceable presence, advocating for equality rather than a mere reversal of power dynamics. At a subsequent banquet, the male officials openly complained about their wives' recent, unusual behaviors, noting their wives were now demanding jobs or threatening to return to their parental homes if their feet weren't washed, clearly influenced by Chen Qianqian's teachings and Han Shuo's example.
Han Shuo, further challenging social norms, openly served Chen Qianqian at the table, much to the City Owner's visible displeasure. When the City Owner expressed concern about the city's declining birth rate due to marriage issues, Chen Qianqian seized the opportunity. She sharply critiqued Xuanhu City's deep-seated male chauvinism, where men's self-righteousness led them to make decisions without consulting their partners.
She dismissed suggestions of "bachelor taxes" or forced marriages as ineffective, asserting that the problem lay with the men, not the women. Chen Qianqian then boldly proposed opening intermarriage between Xuanhu City and Huayuan City. She argued that despite their differing social structures, allowing individuals to freely choose partners from either city would solve Xuanhu's population decline, resolve cultural misunderstandings, and foster peace and prosperity between the two realms.
The City Owner, however, vehemently rejected her proposal, and Han Shuo's agreement only earned him a stern rebuke from his father. Meanwhile, Chen Chuchu attempted to visit the City Owner but was barred by newly appointed, loyal guards, underscoring her increasing isolation. The City Owner finally summoned Chen Chuchu, who feigned ignorance about the assassination attempt on Chen Qianqian.
The City Owner, revealing that Su Ziying had already confessed, chastised Chen Chuchu for her ruthless actions, especially after Chen Qianqian had willingly faked her own death to clear the path for Chen Chuchu's ascension. The City Owner then revealed Chen Chuchu's true parentage: she was the biological daughter of the late Minister Pei, whom the City Owner had adopted and raised as her own after Minister Pei's death, keeping her identity a strict secret.
The City Owner accused Chen Chuchu of having developed a "wolf's ambition," driven by fear that Chen Qianqian might eventually return to reclaim the throne. She somberly told Chen Chuchu that despite her willingness to transfer power, Chen Chuchu lacked the moral character and popular support, even from the City Guards who had served her for years, to rule effectively, thus bringing shame upon the memory of her true mother, Minister Pei.
