The Story of Ming Lan Episode 77 Recap
> The Story of Ming Lan Recap
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
The rebels, seeing that Sheng Minglan had no intention of opening the door and entering the palace, immediately became angry and tried to ram the door open. Sheng Minglan sat calmly in the courtyard, while Master Tu Er led his men to fight the rebels. Rongjie'er held Tuange'er, trembling with fear, and Mama Rong stood by, extremely anxious. Consort Liu's brother-in-law, Ma Hui, quickly took control of the palace. Zhao Zongquan's bedchamber remained tightly shut.
Consort Liu sent someone to invite the Empress Dowager, believing that only then would her breaking down the door be justifiable. Master Tu Er discovered the person introduced by Mama Xiang. After interrogation, it was learned that one person had not yet been caught; that person was wearing a hood. Sheng Minglan immediately panicked upon learning where that person had disappeared to, and she went with Shitou and Xiaotao to where Tuange'er and Rongjie'er were.
The one wearing the hood was Zhu Manniang. She ran to Tuange'er's location, stabbed a female servant several times, then knocked Mama Chang unconscious and entered the room. Rongjie'er was about to attack the intruder but discovered it was her own mother and immediately panicked. Zhu Manniang's face was ferocious. Seeing Rongjie'er protecting Tuange'er, she violently pulled her away, disregarding Rongjie'er's head injury, and then walked towards the ceaselessly crying infant.
Zhu Manniang was momentarily stunned when she saw Tuange'er, but then she became demonic again. Just as the dagger was about to stab Tuange'er, Mama Chang awoke. Mama Chang picked up the pestle from the ground and beat Zhu Manniang to death. Sheng Minglan brought people in and saw this scene. Sheng Minglan quickly helped Rongjie'er up. Rongjie'er cried incessantly; after all, that was her mother.
The rebels launched a full-scale assault with scaling ladders, so Sheng Minglan could only have Shitou and Xiaotao take Mama Chang and Tuange'er to the secret chamber. The rebels still breached Chengyuan's main gate and engaged in a fierce battle with Master Tu Er and his men. Zhao Zongquan's bedchamber was surrounded by rebels. The Empress was very flustered, and Zhao Ceying quickly donned his armor to protect his parents.
In the Beijing suburbs, Gu Tingye and Shen Congxing were already fully prepared. Seeing the warning flares light up in the continuously slaughtering Bianjing City, the two immediately led their troops into the city under the banner of "serving the king." Sheng Minglan tucked Rongjie'er, Tuange'er, and Mama Chang into the secret chamber, leaving Shitou to protect them, while Xiaotao was to follow Sheng Minglan outside.
However, Rongjie'er suddenly clutched Sheng Minglan's hand and cried "Mother," saying she wanted the family to stay together and refusing to let Sheng Minglan leave. Sheng Minglan was momentarily stunned by the word "Mother," then quickly comforted Rongjie'er before hurrying away. Han Zhang and his inner family members were forcibly taken out of the mansion by the rebels. Seeing Han Zhang's arrogance, the rebels were about to execute him immediately.
At this moment, an arrow shot from afar saved Han Zhang. The soldiers, seeing that Gu Tingye was not dead, directly surrendered. Gu Tingye rode away quickly, leaving a bewildered Han Zhang behind. Inside Chengyuan, the scene was chaotic with glinting blades and bloodshed. A rebel lunged at Sheng Minglan, about to kill her. Sheng Minglan, terrified, brandished her knife wildly. Another arrow shot from afar saved Sheng Minglan.
Sheng Minglan looked up and saw Gu Tingye, clad in armor and exuding immense majesty. Sheng Minglan instantly threw herself into Gu Tingye's arms, crying and complaining that he came late, also realizing she had been deceived. Gu Tingye had to enter the palace to protect the emperor. Sheng Minglan reluctantly gave him a few kisses, telling him to wait for his return. Gu Tingye returned a kiss and instructed his men to protect Sheng Minglan well.
The Empress Dowager did not go to see Consort Liu as Consort Liu had wished. Consort Liu immediately sensed a trick, but before she could speak, she was informed that Gu Tingye had broken in. After a period of fighting, Gu Tingye and Shen Congxing captured Consort Liu and others, and also apprehended the eunuch by Zhao Zongquan's side. That eunuch was the Former Emperor's confidant and naturally also the Empress Dowager's person. Consort Liu immediately betrayed the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager had told her that Zhao Zongquan was disobedient and unfilial and should be deposed and replaced, and the replacement would naturally be Consort Liu's son, Yong'er. Zhao Zongquan immediately headed towards the Empress Dowager's palace, while Gu Tingye was to return to deal with matters at Chengyuan. The Empress Dowager knew she had fallen into Zhao Zongquan's trap and had no hope of survival.
She ordered someone to prepare "Drunken Immortal," intending to commit suicide to preserve her body intact. However, the Empress's voice rang out from outside the door, asking, "Does the Empress Dowager really hate Zhao Zongquan so much?" The Empress Dowager decided to drop the act. She indeed hated Zhao Zongquan venomously, claiming he had defied the Former Emperor's will and ruined the Former Emperor's originally excellent situation.
But the Empress Dowager denied that she intended to depose Zhao Zongquan, instead pinning the blame on Consort Liu. Consort Liu, who was outside the door, was immediately dumbfounded upon hearing these words and wanted to loudly defend herself, but her mouth was already gagged. Zhao Zongquan confessed that there was no war at present; what the Empress Dowager had seen was merely a ploy.
The Empress Dowager suddenly understood: from the very beginning, Gu Tingye's feigned arrogance, Zhao Zongquan's feigned suspicion, and even Gu Tingye's later exile, were all fake. There was no war on the frontier; Shen Congxing and Gu Tingye had long been ambushed in the suburbs, while the Duke of Yingguo had indeed gone to the frontier to deceive the Empress Dowager.
Zhao Zongquan had indeed woven a net, and it saddened him greatly that the Empress Dowager had fallen into it. The Empress Dowager then asked him to grant her a way to die. The Empress spoke up, saying that Zhao Zongquan merely hoped the Empress Dowager could live outside the palace. The Empress Dowager was greatly surprised. Zhao Zongquan was not vying for power with the Empress Dowager but merely for the ancestral foundation.
Zhao Ceying also came forward and expressed his lofty ambitions. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to compromise and live outside the palace. Madam Qin heard no commotion and thought the Empress Dowager had controlled the situation, and that Sheng Minglan had also been arrested and brought into the palace.
Who would have thought that Gu Tingwei would joyfully run over and declare that Gu Tingye was not dead, and that he and Shen Congxing had entered the palace to quell the rebellion? Madam Qin's eyes widened, and she instantly went mad.
