The Vendetta of An Episode 3 Recap
> The Vendetta of An Recap
Xie Huaian privately met with his sworn friend, Ye Zheng, who had risked his life to locate and imprison Xiao Wenjing, the deposed emperor. Xie Huaian visited Xiao Wenjing, now disheveled and stripped of all imperial dignity, whose sole concern was to find something to eat. Xie Huaian addressed him as "Your Majesty," prompting Xiao Wenjing to immediately demand warm, edible food, lamenting that he had not eaten in a long time.
As Xie Huaian turned to leave, Xiao Wenjing desperately pleaded for him not to go and to bring him food. Returning to the kitchen, Xie Huaian began to cook. He asked Ye Zheng how long he had starved Xiao Wenjing. Ye Zheng explained that he initially brought food daily, but Xiao Wenjing was particular, demanding palace delicacies like "golden milk pastry," so Ye Zheng had stopped feeding him for about two or three days, confident he wouldn't starve to death.
Ye Zheng remarked that the good food Xie Huaian was preparing seemed too generous for Xiao Wenjing, but Xie Huaian clarified that the meal was for Ye Zheng, acknowledging his loyalty and the risks he had taken. Xie Huaian then presented a bowl of plain white rice to Xiao Wenjing, warning him that his life was in constant danger.
He explained that the new emperor was actively searching for him, and Yan Fengshan of the Huben Army intended to use him to instigate a war. Regardless of the war's outcome, Xiao Wenjing would not survive if he left his current confinement. Xie Huaian asserted that only he could ensure Xiao Wenjing's survival, but at the cost of becoming bait in his scheme against Yan Fengshan and the Huben Army.
Xie Huaian then revealed his identity and commanded Xiao Wenjing to forget his imperial status, reminding him of his "schemer" nature from their days at the Grand Academy. He declared that from that day forward, Xiao Wenjing must live by Xie Huaian's rules, or he would face death. Xiao Wenjing, still fearful, asked if Xie Huaian was Liu, but Xie Huaian corrected him, stating that "that man is dead," and he was now Xiao Wenjing's master, Xie Huaian.
In a hidden room, Xie Huaian and Ye Zheng gazed at six portraits of key Huben Army figures, which Xie Huaian had commissioned during his seventh year in exile to ensure he never forgot their faces. These individuals—Pu Nichuan, Wei Qianting, Qingyi, Liu Ziyan, and Yan Fengshan—all bore significant blood debts.
Xie Huaian detailed their histories: Pu Nichuan was abandoned by Yan Fengshan, and his fate was unknown; Wei Qianting was elusive; however, Xie Huaian revealed that he had encountered him seven years prior and that he was now buried in the reed swamps of Nanwei Trough. Yan Fengshan, widely known as "Emperor Yan," wielded formidable shadow guard techniques, surpassing even Xie Huaian's father, a prowess attributed to a mysterious strategist.
This strategist, whose face Xie Huaian could not clearly see that night and whose whereabouts remained unknown despite years of searching, had now emerged. Qingyi managed surveillance and intelligence, possessing secrets of many court officials. Liu Ziyan was the Huben Army's top assassin. Ye Zheng then asked who their first target would be. Xie Huaian immediately named his own uncle, Liu Ziyan, the Huben Army's deadliest assassin, expressing his long-held desire for revenge.
He then turned to Ye Zheng, asking if he, too, yearned for Liu Ziyan's death, emphasizing his own inability to find peace as long as his uncle lived, and assured Ye Zheng that this day would arrive soon. Meanwhile, in a cave at Yulong Ridge, Liu Ziyan was seen performing a farewell ritual, washing the feet of a mysterious prisoner. Liu Ziyan explained that he was departing to search for a missing subordinate.
The prisoner questioned Liu Ziyan's unwavering loyalty to Yan Fengshan, especially since Yan Fengshan had ordered the death of Liu Ziyan's elder brother, Liu Ziwen. Liu Ziyan revealed that his brother's rigid military discipline differed from General Fengshan's more lenient approach. He recounted how, during the Battle of Chen Valley, a civilian family he had saved later betrayed him, nearly costing him his life. He chose to kill them, an act his brother would have condemned.
Liu Ziyan stated that while his brother believed killing was for saving, he now killed purely for self-preservation, a philosophy General Fengshan tolerated. The prisoner found his reasoning sound, and Liu Ziyan departed. Liu Ziyan then discreetly made his way to a lamb stew stall, where his subordinates reported that the deposed emperor, Xiao Wenjing, had been rescued by a man in green clothes. They confirmed that the rescuer was wounded in at least four places by poisoned Huben knives.
Liu Ziyan ordered them to continue their search, noting that the Huben poison was not easily treated, and only a select few physicians possessed the antidote. Liu Ziyan then visited his family's old residence. Inside, he found Xie Huaian sweeping snow. Xie Huaian, recognizing his enemy, felt a surge of rage. Liu Ziyan, not recognizing his nephew after fifteen years, inquired about Xie Huaian's age. Xie Huaian claimed his master had recently purchased the property.
Liu Ziyan, identifying himself as the former steward, requested to retrieve some old items, reminiscing about the two brothers who once lived there and how he used to play with the elder brother's children in the lively courtyard filled with pear blossoms and guests. As he dug in the snow, he unearthed a rusty knife. Xie Huaian immediately recognized it as the weapon his uncle had used to kill his dying father.
Unaware of Xie Huaian's recognition, Liu Ziyan confirmed he used the knife for "hardships," such as killing. Xie Huaian pointedly asked if the hardship was indeed killing, to which Liu Ziyan responded with a knowing smirk, affirming his guess. Xie Huaian and Ye Zheng brought Xiao Wenjing to their master, Zhu Zhilong. Zhu Zhilong, referring to a "puppet," showed them a person kept barely alive by special medicine, whose face was being "cultivated" for transplantation.
Xie Huaian intended for Xiao Wenjing to assume the identity of a pageboy named Mo, also known as Zhang Mo. Zhu Zhilong proceeded with the face-changing procedure, meticulously removing a face from the "living dead" person and, with Ye Zheng's assistance, transplanting it onto Xiao Wenjing. The new face perfectly resembled Zhang Mo's. Zhu Zhilong remarked that the new face suited him, and as long as he remained silent, no one would suspect anything.
Xie Huaian instructed Xiao Wenjing that changing his face was merely the first step; he must now perfectly mimic Zhang Mo's mannerisms, expressions, and actions until he was indistinguishable. Xie Huaian stressed that the Huben Army was actively searching for him, and without this complete transformation, no place in the world would be safe. He commanded Xiao Wenjing to abandon his true identity and fully embrace the persona of the pageboy, Mo.
Xiao Wenjing struggled to shed his imperial demeanor, revealing his true nature. Xie Huaian had to remind him repeatedly to act like the pageboy Mo. Zhang Mo diligently taught Xiao Wenjing how to chop wood, make fires, and eat like a commoner, helping him refine his imitation. After some time, Zhang Mo praised Xiao Wenjing's progress, noting that he now genuinely resembled a servant. Xiao Wenjing, however, expressed his bitterness, calling himself a "prisoner."
Zhang Mo tried to reassure Xiao Wenjing, stating that Xie Huaian was acting in his best interest, although he also acknowledged Xie Huaian's personal motives in the matter. Zhang Mo then announced that his task was complete, and he would return to Huzhou to his wife and two children, a son and a daughter, expressing his joy at the impending reunion. Xiao Wenjing, now wearing Zhang Mo's face, felt a profound envy for Zhang Mo's freedom.
That night, Zhang Mo visited Xie Huaian. He reminisced about making a pair of shoes for Xie Huaian's tenth birthday, wishing him a smooth path. Now, after Xie Huaian's many years of wandering and hardship, Zhang Mo had crafted another pair as a farewell gift, tearfully expressing his wish for Xie Huaian to return to Huzhou with him, though he understood the arduous path of revenge Xie Huaian had chosen.
He then knelt to help Xie Huaian put on the new shoes, serving him one last time. Deeply moved, Xie Huaian told Zhang Mo to forget the past and live his own life in Huzhou with his family, asking him to prepare a jar of good wine should he ever pass through. Meanwhile, Xiao Wenjing gazed at his new face reflected in a well.
He resented his new identity as a "servant" and "prisoner," while Zhang Mo was about to return to a free and joyful life in Huzhou. He deeply envied Zhang Mo's freedom. As Zhang Mo approached to bid him farewell, Xiao Wenjing suddenly attacked him with a sharpened axe, killing him. Hearing the commotion, Xie Huaian and Ye Zheng rushed out to find Zhang Mo dead in a pool of blood.
Xiao Wenjing, covered in blood, brazenly asked if this was what they desired—for him to be exactly like Zhang Mo. Enraged, Xie Huaian struck Xiao Wenjing to the ground. Far away in Huzhou, Zhang Mo's wife joyfully prepared a feast, telling her children that their father was soon returning home from Chang'an.
