The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 23 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
In the ancestral hall of the Pei family, Chen Chuchu knelt before the memorial tablet of her birth mother, the late Minister Pei Wujiang. She recalled her mother's dying wish, entrusted to the City Owner: that Chuchu would grow up to be useful, succeed her as Minister, and serve Huayuan City. Now knowing her true lineage, Chen Chuchu lamented that she was never destined to be City Owner, yet was given false hope.
When Pei Heng arrived to comfort her, Chen Chuchu, believing he, Chen Qianqian, and others had kept the truth from her, angrily accused them of letting her live a grand illusion. Her resentment towards Chen Qianqian intensified. Meanwhile, Chen Qianqian spoke with Han Shuo's mother, the Xuanhu City Owner's wife, Minister Hua. Minister Hua shared her past: her father was Xuanhu's Minister of Defense.
When he fell ill and war was imminent, she, then young, disguised herself as a man to fight in his place. During that campaign, she met Han Shuo’s father, who was then an Army Supervisor, and proudly recounted how she defeated him in a duel. After their marriage, however, she acknowledged that she had lived a domestic life, abandoning her love for the art of war and leading armies.
Chen Qianqian resonated with her, understanding her desire to return to the battlefield. Chen Qianqian argued that a family should be a partnership, where both husband and wife are equal and free to pursue their ambitions, challenging the notion that women must sacrifice their careers for family. She also reflected that her own female-superior system in Huayuan City was equally unfair to men.
Minister Hua was deeply moved by Chen Qianqian’s words, realizing that her longing to return to her true self was valid. Empowered by her hidden history and newfound determination, Chen Chuchu publicly revealed her identity as the daughter of the late Minister Pei Wujiang, presenting a jade pendant and a handwritten letter as proof.
She then forcefully seized the flower token, the symbol of command, from Pei Heng and crushed it, declaring that from now on, Huayuan City’s City Guards would only recognize the person, not the token. Proclaiming herself the rightful Minister Pei, she immediately tore up the existing trade agreement with Xuanhu City and withheld the black stone mine.
She sent a message to Xuanhu, demanding Chen Qianqian's return, threatening to never sell black stone minerals to the Han family again if they refused. She further consolidated her power by replacing the City Owner's Mansion guards with her own loyalists and effectively placed the Huayuan City Owner under house arrest. When her adoptive mother confronted her, Chen Chuchu unapologetically stated that with power in her hands, the title of City Owner was irrelevant.
She vowed to prove herself superior to Chen Qianqian and ensure she wouldn't enjoy a peaceful life with Han Shuo. News of Chen Chuchu's actions reached Xuanhu City. Chen Qianqian, suspecting it was a trap, decided to return to Huayuan to investigate. Han Shuo, fearing for her safety, insisted on accompanying her. However, his father, the Xuanhu City Owner, refused to permit it, intending to send Chen Qianqian back alone to resolve the crisis.
Han Shuo's mother, Minister Hua, was enraged by her husband's condescending attitude toward women and his willingness to sacrifice Chen Qianqian. She declared her intention to personally lead troops to assist Chen Qianqian. When her husband threatened to divorce her if she dared to take up arms, Minister Hua promptly threw a divorce letter back at him, stating she had endured his misogyny long enough and was divorcing him first.
She then summoned Minister Li, who had guarded her father's Xuan Token, and dramatically reclaimed her ancestral authority, reassuming her role as Minister Hua, commander of Xuanhu's City Guards. The Xuanhu City Owner was devastated, lamenting his "ruined family" and bitterly blaming Chen Qianqian for causing his wife to leave. In a fit of anger, he swiftly enacted a series of stringent new laws restricting women's attire, education, and involvement in politics or business, even prohibiting them from initiating divorce.
These oppressive decrees caused widespread discontent among Xuanhu women, who, inspired by Minister Hua, began to demand more autonomy. Simultaneously, in Huayuan City, Chen Chuchu's rule was equally tyrannical. She openly interfered with state affairs, issuing harsh decrees targeting men, ordering the arrest and punishment of any man found improperly dressed, learning to read, or engaging in business. The men of Huayuan suffered greatly under her oppressive policies.
Pei Heng, deeply troubled by his adoptive sister's actions, confronted her, but Chen Chuchu defiantly declared that her will was the people's will, dismissing his concerns. Before the Xuanhu army's departure, Han Shuo sought out his father for a private conversation. The Xuanhu City Owner reminisced about his youthful romance with Minister Hua, recalling her as a fearless and captivating warrior. He lamented that after their marriage, she had lost her vibrant spirit.
Han Shuo subtly rebuked his father, likening his mother to a magnolia—a flower of unique elegance meant for the open wilderness, whose charm would be suppressed if confined indoors. He questioned why his father, who fell in love with a proud warrior, had forced her into a stereotypical domestic role and wondered if he truly understood her desires.
On the day of departure, Chen Qianqian formally introduced Su Ziying to Minister Hua, recommending him as her lieutenant, though with a cautious warning. Meanwhile, the Xuanhu City Owner, perhaps influenced by Han Shuo's words, secretly packed his belongings and followed his wife’s army. Chen Yuanyuan, accompanied by Su Mu, managed to escape the City Owner's Mansion through a secret passage and met up with Chen Qianqian.
Upon learning that the Huayuan City Owner and Pei Heng were imprisoned, and deeply disillusioned by Chen Chuchu's cruel and tyrannical actions, Su Ziying proposed a daring 'bitter flesh' strategy. Chen Qianqian initially wanted to avoid collateral damage to Huayuan citizens from a direct assault. Su Ziying suggested she feign capture by him, allowing them to infiltrate the city and seize Chen Chuchu without bloodshed.
Although Han Shuo offered to join, Chen Qianqian decided to go alone with Su Ziying to make the deception more convincing. Su Ziying, with the cooperation of Han Shuo and his subordinate Bai Ji, successfully enacted the plan. He dramatically presented a supposedly captured Chen Qianqian at the city gates, gaining entry into Huayuan City.
However, the Xuanhu City Owner, who had secretly followed his wife, was discovered while trying to speak with her and was promptly apprehended by the City Guards. The Xuanhu City Owner and Minister Hua, now captured, found themselves imprisoned alongside the Huayuan City Owner.
This unexpected meeting of the two City Owners led to an amusing debate about their children's marriage, arguing fiercely over whether Han Shuo should reside in Huayuan or Xuanhu, and whose surname their future children would bear. Eventually, Minister Hua and Sang Qi mediated, leading to a compromise: any sons would take the Han surname, while daughters would be surnamed Chen. Simultaneously, Chen Chuchu, having been informed of Chen Qianqian's presence, ordered the City Guards to seize her.
However, the City Guard commanders, tired of Chen Chuchu's misrule, her disregard for the citizens' welfare, and her betrayal of the late Minister Pei Wujiang's legacy, refused to obey. They openly sided with Chen Qianqian, turning their weapons against Chen Chuchu, who stood alone and betrayed.
