The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 22 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
With Lin Qi alive and Su Ziying’s plan failed, Chen Chuchu, enraged, sends assassins after her. Pei Heng, disillusioned with Chen Chuchu, fails to dissuade her and leaves in anger, taking command of the city guard as its leader. The city owner, secluded, orders troops to secure her mansion. Though Chen Chuchu demands the execution of Xuanhu City prisoners, Pei Heng, prioritizing the bigger picture, assigns them to mine labor instead.
Impressed by his judgment, the generals openly mock Chen Chuchu’s immoral conduct. Chen Qianqian’s fame spreads in Huayuan City, with some compiling her life into a book. Having faked her death to part from her mother, she’s now en route to Xuanhu City. To keep her entertained, Han Shuo invites the three storytellers, who, recalling her apple, orange, and banana tale, recognize its metaphors. Chen Qianqian, seen as prophetic, humbly admits she’s the story’s architect, overheard by Han Shuo.
Fearing misunderstanding, she rushes to appease him, explaining everything. Initially shocked, Han Shuo finds it intriguing and asks about the story’s ending. When she mentions possibly leaving during a celestial event, he grows melancholic, but Chen Qianqian, resolved to stay in this fictional world, refuses to let go of love. After days of travel, Han Shuo brings Chen Qianqian to Xuanhu City, where male dominance sparks gossip about her, especially when Han Shuo leads her horse.
Her first act is attending a banquet hosted by the city owner’s wife. Though Chen Qianqian appears refined, Lin Qi’s blunt remark about her frequenting Huayuan’s courtesan house shocks the wife and noblewomen. The city owner’s wife orders Chen Qianqian to copy the Female Virtues a hundred times. Outraged, Chen Qianqian prepares to return to Huayuan City, but Han Shuo, returning, not only copies the text for her but washes her feet in front of servants.
The city owner, hearing this, nearly kicks over the basin, but his wife, assertive at home, keeps him in check. News of Han Shuo washing his wife’s feet spreads across Xuanhu City. Noblewomen, once scornful, now visit Chen Qianqian to learn her “husband-taming” ways. At a welcome banquet, officials, seeing Han Shuo serve Chen Qianqian food, scold their wives for recent defiance.
Annoyed by marriage issues, the city owner hears Chen Qianqian critique Xuanhu’s male-dominated system, which discourages marriage and reduces population. She proposes allowing intermarriage between Xuanhu and Huayuan Cities for free spouse choice, but the city owner rejects it. Meanwhile, in Huayuan City, the city owner selects loyal guards and tightens security. During a heated argument, Chen Chuchu learns her true identity. The city owner criticizes her unworthiness, stating that even passing the title to her wouldn’t gain public support.
