The Wolf Episode 21 Recap
> The Wolf Recap
His Majesty commanded Ma Zhaixing be taken to a secluded palace, ostensibly for treatment of her leg injury but in reality, for confinement. Awaiting her was Yao Ji, a skilled physician intended as a means to control Prince of Bo. Ma Zhaixing began a medicinal bath but was alarmed to feel something crawling on her leg, which Yao Ji calmly explained was merely a medicinal component.
After the treatment, Yao Ji forbade Zhaixing from leaving the palace or seeing anyone for five days, threatening that her own life was on the line. During their conversation, Yao Ji's intimate knowledge of the current Prince of Bo left Zhaixing feeling disheartened, as if the Wolf Boy she knew had been taken by someone who understood the Prince better than she did. Meanwhile, Prince of Bo was leading his subordinates to carry out a grim mission in Kuizhou City.
Before departing the capital, he felt a sudden unease, which he recognized as a lingering weakness stemming from his feelings for Zhaixing and resolved to suppress it. Later in Kuizhou, while General Ma Fengcheng was on his way to see Mr. Fang with a portrait of Prince of Bo for identification, a fire suddenly erupted at Mr. Fang's tavern.
The building was quickly engulfed in an inferno, and the ensuing chaos revealed that this was no accident, but the execution of the Emperor's order to silence Mr. Fang and his daughter. Witnessing the blaze, General Ma was stunned, his suspicions about the tavern owner's death growing despite bystanders gossiping that a family argument caused the fire. Upon Prince of Bo’s return to the palace to report, His Majesty informed him that Ma Zhaixing was staying there for treatment.
He then assigned Prince of Bo to lead troops to Beiliao River to deliver provisions to his brother, Zhen’er. As Prince of Bo prepared to leave, he noticed camellias, a flower he knew the Emperor disliked but was Yao Ji's favorite. He correctly deduced that the physician treating Zhaixing was Yao Ji.
His Majesty admitted to releasing her, claiming she was the only one capable of healing the injury and that he had concealed the fact to prevent Prince of Bo's overreaction. Prince of Bo expressed his deep distrust of Yao Ji, but the Emperor assured him Zhaixing would be healed upon his return. Prince of Bo's subordinates, Mo Xiao and Wen Yan, were deeply concerned, recalling the history between their master and Yao Ji.
They had once been an inseparable team in the Night Fiends, but their relationship soured when Prince of Bo won the leadership, leading Yao Ji to attempt an assassination that resulted in her imprisonment. They feared she would now use Zhaixing to target the Prince's newfound vulnerability. That night, Zhaixing, reflecting on Prince of Bo's nature, used medicine as a metaphor: its effect depends on the user.
To her, the innocent Wolf Boy and the cold Prince of Bo were the same person. She recounted a time he patiently played pitch-pot with children for an entire afternoon, a gentle side of him that was new to Yao Ji. Intrigued, Yao Ji agreed to Zhaixing's request to arrange a brief meeting with him.
The next morning, as Prince of Bo prepared to depart, it was discovered that Yao Ji had infiltrated his manor's secret chamber and poisoned Wen Yan and two other guards by crippling their hands. Enraged, Prince of Bo confronted her, but Yao Ji threatened to reveal his secrets to Zhaixing, such as his painful transformations from the Wolfbone flower and the truth of her father's death.
She then revealed the core of her plan: she claimed the Emperor had ordered her to implant a slow-acting poison in Zhaixing to control the Prince. In exchange for this information and control over the poison, she demanded the leadership of the Night Fiends. Suspecting a deeper plot, Prince of Bo decided to expedite his departure to that very night. Prince of Bo sought an immediate audience with the Emperor, who approved his early departure.
However, the Emperor secretly ordered his aide, Zhang Jin, to watch the Prince. When Zhang Jin reported seeing Prince of Bo leaving the palace with a veiled woman, an enraged Emperor rushed to Zhaixing’s room, only to find her still there. Summoning Prince of Bo, he revealed the elaborate deception: the entire situation, including the supposed poisoning, was a test of loyalty orchestrated by him and Yao Ji.
He expressed satisfaction that Prince of Bo had not chosen Zhaixing over duty and permitted him to take her back to his manor. Later, Prince of Bo confronted Yao Ji, who admitted the test was as much for her as for the Emperor; she needed to know if he had been weakened by love. She was pleased he remained unchanged. He then confronted her about the veiled woman, a ruse he had seen through.
She explained it was a necessary part of the test to see how he would react. Prince of Bo affirmed that had the Emperor's order been real, he would have obeyed. Shortly after, Zhaixing arrived, explaining the Emperor had agreed to a new treatment method that could be administered at the manor. Relieved, Prince of Bo vowed never to let her out of his sight again. That evening, Prince of Bo hosted a hot pot dinner to welcome Zhaixing home.
The celebration was cut short when a drunken Mo Xiao inadvertently mentioned Prince of Bo’s past visit to the "Flower Inn," a well-known pleasure house. Despite attempts to cover it up as a work-related investigation, a jealous Zhaixing was visibly upset and left the table. Later, after Zhaixing was asleep, Prince of Bo explained to his subordinates how he had seen through the Emperor's test.
He knew his longtime rival, Yao Ji, would never genuinely betray the Emperor to help him, as it would leave her with no path to redemption, confirming for him that the entire scenario was a ruse.
