The Vendetta of An Episode 1 Recap
> The Vendetta of An Recap
In the 28th year of Qiansheng, the Founding Emperor suddenly fell ill and passed away. General of Huben Army, Yan Fengshan, seized control of the imperial court, plunging the government into chaos. He installed the late emperor’s youngest son, Xiao Wenjing, on the throne, ruthlessly eliminating feudal lords and purging dissidents, clearly harboring rebellious intentions.
Four years later, in the Wencheng era, the late emperor’s eldest son, feudal lord Xiao Wuyang, launched a campaign from the north under the banner of overthrowing tyranny. His forces marched 1,300 li southward with strict military discipline, gaining widespread allegiance. He swept through treacherous officials and successfully entered Chang'an, taking control of the imperial court. However, the deposed emperor, Xiao Wenjing, unable to face defeat, reportedly set himself on fire in Taiji Hall.
To verify this, Marquis of Northguard, Gu Yu, oversaw the examination of five charred bodies found in the hall. Despite their unrecognizable state, a meticulous inspection revealed none of the bodies matched Xiao Wenjing's known physical traits, such as a chipped upper left molar and a fractured right leg, injuries recorded from a childhood fall on a hanbaiyu marble staircase. Furthermore, a Huben Token was discovered inside the abdomen of one of the corpses.
Gu Yu understood this was a deliberate act, a clear declaration of war against Xiao Wuyang. Meanwhile, Xiao Wuyang's generals were optimistic about their swift victory, reporting that city-guarding general Li Longjing’s troops had surrendered and all 12 gates of the Capital were secured. However, they remained silent when Xiao Wuyang pressed them for the whereabouts of Yan Fengshan and his army. Gu Yu then arrived to report his findings, presenting the Huben Token.
Xiao Wuyang quickly deduced that Yan Fengshan had abducted his younger brother, Xiao Wenjing. He realized that with the deposed emperor as a hostage, Yan Fengshan would undoubtedly make a comeback, signaling that the real war was only just beginning. Later, at night, an aged minister sought to resign, citing his advancing age and occasional carelessness.
Xiao Wuyang reassured him, acknowledging the formidable nature of Yan Fengshan and stating that no one could achieve a complete victory in a single stroke against such an enemy. The minister then recommended an extraordinary individual, someone who understood the Huben Army better than anyone else. This man’s father, Liu Ziwen, had been the founder of the Huben Army.
Fifteen years prior, Yan Fengshan had led the entire Huben Army in a betrayal against Liu Ziwen, resulting in the annihilation of the entire Liu clan. This individual, Liu Ziwen's son, had miraculously survived and, fueled by a deep-seated hatred, had spent 15 years meticulously preparing for revenge, covertly supported by many former retainers of the Liu clan. The old minister admitted his own inferiority compared to this young talent.
Impressed, Xiao Wuyang ordered the man to be brought before him for a personal assessment. In the remote Huainan District, Magistrate Zhou Mo excitedly rehearsed a verbose "proclamation condemning the rebels," much to the confusion of his uncomprehending subordinates. He was eagerly anticipating the arrival of an imperial envoy, a rare event in their isolated region, and frantically searched for his registrar, Xie Huaian. Xie Huaian, resting at a threshing ground, received outdated imperial gazettes from his assistant, Ziya.
Despite the delayed information, Xie Huaian meticulously analyzed them, discerning a shift in the Capital’s defense personnel, specifically noting General Li Longjing's cowardice, and correctly deducing that Xiao Wuyang had likely already entered Chang'an, foreshadowing significant political upheaval. Ziya then mentioned that the imperial envoy, who had traveled from Chang'an, was about to arrive, and Zhou Mo was waiting to greet him with Xie Huaian’s “proclamation condemning the rebels.”
Xie Huaian was startled, realizing that the envoy served the new emperor. If Zhou Mo were to present an article condemning the previous regime’s enemies, it would be misconstrued as a condemnation of the new emperor and would be considered an act of treason. He quickly located a congratulatory article he had written two years prior and rushed to the city gates.
At the city entrance, Zhou Mo, accompanied by a small band of musicians, enthusiastically greeted the imperial envoy, a eunuch who openly grumbled about the arduous 70-li journey from the county seat. Zhou Mo, a master of flattery, prepared to present his "proclamation condemning the rebels." Just then, Xie Huaian arrived, seemingly by accident, bumping into Zhou Mo and causing the scroll to fall.
He subtly swapped it with his congratulatory article and presented it to the envoy, attributing its authorship to Zhou Mo. The envoy, after reading it, effusively praised its brilliance, calling it the best congratulatory article he had received, and remarked that Zhou Mo's talent was too great to be confined to such a remote district.
The envoy then revealed his true purpose: by imperial decree, he was to summon a man named Xie Huaian to the Capital for an audience with the Emperor, who had a critical mission for him. Xie Huaian stepped forward, identifying himself. That evening, Zhou Mo hosted a lavish farewell banquet for Xie Huaian, ensuring his journey expenses were covered and promising a grand welcome by a renowned official named Li, a Hanlin scholar, in Chang'an.
Zhou Mo expressed his sorrow, recalling Xie Huaian’s past promise to be his registrar forever, recognizing that Xie Huaian was destined for greatness. He presented Xie Huaian with a sealed letter, to be opened if his official career ever faltered, as a means to facilitate a future reunion. Later, under the moonlight on the threshing ground, Xie Huaian, in a moment of emotional candor, revealed his painful past to Zhou Mo and Ziya.
He recounted how, when he was ten, his mother had died in the North, and his father and the entire Liu clan were tragically annihilated 15 years ago by Yan Fengshan and the Huben Army. Having survived by luck, he endured a life of hardship, sleeping in the wilderness and living as a water person, constantly aware that one wrong step meant death.
He acknowledged that the political tides had turned, with Xiao Wuyang now on the throne and Yan Fengshan in disfavor. He confessed that he was not seeking to clear his family's name, as they were all dead, but rather to seek revenge. This summons to the Capital, regardless of its true purpose or who recommended him, was his opportunity, and he vowed to seize it.
Later that night, as Xie Huaian read, a sense of unease settled over him, prompting him to recall the suspicious events of the day. When he opened his door, Zhou Mo was waiting, sword at his throat. Zhou Mo confessed that he was a Huben member, an informant bound by an oath of loyalty to General Yan Fengshan, who had saved his life.
He expressed profound shock and sorrow that his trusted brother was, in fact, the descendant of Liu Ziwen, the Huben Army's founder and Yan Fengshan’s betrayed former leader. Despite their deep bond, Zhou Mo declared he could not allow any threat to Huben to reach the Capital, lamenting that his first act of killing would be against his own brother. He spoke of the vast network of shadow guards throughout the empire, implying Xie Huaian could not prevail.
Offering Xie Huaian a cup of poisoned "farewell wine," Zhou Mo suggested they part ways without regret. However, in a swift and decisive move, Xie Huaian, remembering the brutal murders of his parents by the Huben Army, stabbed Zhou Mo, declaring that he could not die until he had avenged his family and eliminated every single member of the Huben Army. The next morning, Xie Huaian’s friends arrived to see him off, bringing gifts of eggs for his journey.
They were stunned to find Xie Huaian emerging from his room with a bloodied knife, and Zhou Mo fatally wounded inside. With his dying breath, Zhou Mo urged his bewildered subordinates not to ask questions, not to blame Xie Huaian, and to keep the incident a secret, implying that all involved had their reasons and unavoidable circumstances. Xie Huaian, warning them to stay away if they wished to live, then departed.
He made a stop by a riverside to see an old man, lamenting his uncertain fate in Chang'an, unsure if he would leave alive, and acknowledging his sister's pursuit of studies there. He knew she had written to him, and he had replied, but he dared not reunite with her, wishing her a peaceful life with her new, changed name, free from the cursed fate of the Liu clan, whose lives were too bitter. As winter set in on Lidong with heavy snowfall, two officials arrived to officially welcome "Mr. Huai'an" and escort him through the gates into Chang'an.
