The Vendetta of An Episode 20 Recap
> The Vendetta of An Recap
Yan Fengshan staggered back into the courtyard, clutching his wounds as his lifeblood ebbed away. The figure he believed to be his adopted son, Wang Pu, reached up and peeled away a lifelike mask, revealing the cold deception that had finally snared him. Standing before him was Xie Huaian, looking down with icy indifference. Recognizing his defeat, Yan Fengshan admitted that Xie Huaian’s strategic mind had far surpassed that of his father, Liu Ziwen.
They spoke of the tragedy fifteen years prior; Liu Ziwen had known of the impending rebellion but died because he believed a disciple would never be so heartless as to slaughter his own master’s family. Xie Huaian, however, had long since abandoned such mercy, telling the dying general that he would let him die slowly so the agony would linger. With Yan Fengshan’s severed head in hand, Xie Huaian confronted the regional armies stationed outside the city.
These commanders, who had been acting as fence-sitters to see who would emerge victorious, realized the rebellion had collapsed. Xie Huaian, acting with the authority granted by the throne, promised that if they laid down their weapons and ended the siege, their past transgressions would be forgiven. Meanwhile, Xiao Wenjing felt a profound sense of liberation upon hearing the news. After years of hiding like a rat in the shadows and suppressing his every move, his greatest enemy was gone.
He asked for a moment of solitude to process this freedom, even as soldiers arrived with news regarding the fate of Ye Zheng. Inside the silent imperial palace, the young orphan who had played the part of a fake emperor for days sat on the floor, surrounded by a sea of lit candles. Knowing his time was short, the boy was lighting the lamps for himself, fearing he would get lost in the dark of the afterlife.
Xie Huaian found the child and showed him unexpected gentleness. Recognizing the boy was a mere pawn used by the rebels, Xie promised that once the true emperor returned and the turmoil subsided, he would find the boy a place where no one knew his face, allowing him to live out his days in peace. At Yulong Ridge, the true architect of the chaos finally emerged.
The King of Tiemo, who had been orchestrating events from a prison-like seclusion for thirty years, calculated that with Yan Fengshan dead and the regional armies withdrawn, the Central Plains were at their weakest. As he played the flute, transitioning from a tune of parting to the mournful "White Bone Ballad," he spoke of the harshness of the Tiemo lands where children rarely survived the winter. His invasion was a desperate gamble to seize fertile land at any cost.
He revealed that Tiemo sleeper agents had lived as ordinary citizens in Chang'an for two decades, blending in as tailors and weavers, and were now ready to return to their predatory nature at the sound of his music. Xie Huaian soon encountered his mentor, Uncle Long, on the streets of the capital.
Seeing the man leading Tiemo horses and noticing his hidden foreign habits, Xie realized that Long had been a deep-cover agent all along, having masterminded the creation of the masks used in the counterattack. During a carriage ride to meet the Tiemo King, Long admitted his people were involved in the murder of Xie’s father to pave the way for Yan Fengshan's rise.
Xie also discovered the truth behind Xiao Wuyang’s disappearance; the "King of Death" had actually awakened earlier than anyone knew but kept it secret because he realized Long was controlling his recovery. Recognizing he was being led into a trap, Xie Huaian used a hidden smoke screen to incapacitate Long and escaped into the night. Meanwhile, Gu Yu’s journey to find the Baiwenhu Army ended in capture.
The Tiemo King had him bound and slowly bled him out while transporting him across the country, finally dumping the weakened general at the threshold of a house where Bai Guan once lived. Despite his extreme frailty, Gu Yu remained defiant, telling the King that the people of Chang'an would never submit. He even managed to fire a hidden weapon from his sleeve, though the King dodged it with ease.
Back in the city, Xie Huaian navigated the empty streets with caution. He was lured into a shop by an owner who acted with forced familiarity, only to find the man brandishing a blade. Identifying him as a Tiemo agent, Xie Huaian subdued him and demanded to be taken to the King, knowing the final battle for the city had just begun.
