The Wolf Episode 22 Recap
> The Wolf Recap
Prince of Bo, reflecting on the recent loyalty test, knew from the start that Yao Ji’s offer to treat Ma Zhaixing’s legs was a trick. As her nemesis, he knew she would never betray the Emperor to help him. His subordinate, Wen Yan, asked a probing question: if the poison had been real, would he have defied His Majesty to save Ma Zhaixing?
Prince of Bo stated that if such a day came, he would first resign as the Head of Night Fiends to sever all ties and protect them from the consequences. He realized that after this test, the Emperor would no longer fully trust him. Sensing imminent danger, Prince of Bo resolved to find a way to get Ma Zhaixing away from the capital.
Ma Zhaixing, still upset over Prince of Bo's visit to the Hundred Flowers Brothel, confronted him with sharp sarcasm. He earnestly explained that he and Mo Xiao had gone there on the Emperor's orders to investigate rebellious officials, not for pleasure, and offered Ministry of Justice records as proof.
When she brought up Miss Lufu from Kuizhou, he clarified that she never entered his room; he had merely used her as a pretext to drive Zhaixing away for her own safety. Ma Zhaixing pressed him, asking if he was still the Wolf Boy who never hid anything from her. Prince of Bo reassured her that he would always be her Wolf Boy and would never do anything to hurt her.
He then showed her that he was planting Usnea herbs in the courtyard. Deeply moved, Ma Zhaixing acknowledged that while he had been Prince of Bo for eight years—a period she knew nothing about—she hoped these plants could help him reconnect with the Wolf Boy she cherished. Prince of Bo replied that he was indeed learning to appreciate the beauty of flowers. They embraced, their misunderstanding resolved.
Following their reconciliation, Prince of Bo filled the courtyard with Usnea herbs and flowers. He also had Mo Xiao prepare a custom-made "Wolf Pot" for pitch-pot, knowing it was Ma Zhaixing's favorite game. The pot was intricately designed with carvings of Wolf Boy and Xing'er. The group, including Mo Xiao, Wen Yan, and Hai Die, happily played a round. Prince of Bo was the first to be eliminated.
Mo Xiao won the round, earning the right to flick Prince of Bo's forehead as punishment. Feigning indignation, Prince of Bo challenged Mo Xiao to a one-on-one match. While the game continued, Ma Zhaixing slipped away to wait for Ma Jing, wanting to surprise her with the transformed mansion. Meanwhile, Yao Ji, newly appointed as head of the Grand Diviner Palace, arrived at the Prince of Bo Mansion and encountered Ma Zhaixing at the entrance.
Ma Zhaixing proudly led Yao Ji through the flower-filled mansion, commenting on how different Prince of Bo had become. Inside, they found the group still engaged in their game. Ma Zhaixing brought up the past animosity between Prince of Bo and Yao Ji, dismissing it as a resolved issue. Prince of Bo curtly asked Yao Ji's purpose for visiting. She announced that she would preside over this year's Slaughter Banquet and, by imperial decree, was inviting Ma Zhaixing to assist.
Later, in the dungeon, Yao Ji explained a tradition: ten portions of fine horse meat would be given to prisoners. She instructed Ma Zhaixing to select which prisoners would receive the meat, only to reveal afterward that those chosen would be executed. After Ma Zhaixing made her choices, Yao Ji chillingly added that Lord Duan Yanyu had been among those personally executed by Prince of Bo a year prior.
Distraught by this brutal revelation, Ma Zhaixing lamented that the kind Wolf Boy she knew seemed to be gone. When Prince of Bo found her, she expressed her conflict, acknowledging he was both Wolf Boy and Prince of Bo but admitting her selfish wish for him to revert to his simpler self. Prince of Bo gently affirmed their intertwined identities: "You're Xing'er, I'm Wolf Boy. But we're also Prince of Bo and Princess Consort of Bo."
Ma Zhaixing conceded she just needed time to accept his complex world. Stating he had urgent military duties, Prince of Bo told her he would be leaving the mansion and that she should use the time to calm down, reminding her to take care of herself. Under the cover of night, Prince of Bo and Mo Xiao secretly left to find Mr. Fang and his daughter, Hong'er.
Prince of Bo had spared them against the Emperor's orders to kill them and prevent the Ma Army from suspecting foul play in the Ma Mansion massacre. He gave them money and instructed them to leave at daybreak and forget what happened, warning them their lives depended on it. Upon receiving a report of Prince of Bo's suspicious nighttime departure, Yao Ji realized he had secretly spared the two.
She concluded that his loyalty to the Emperor was wavering because of Ma Zhaixing and that he was on a self-destructive path. Believing he was making a grave mistake, Yao Ji decided to intervene. The next morning, Ma Zhaixing ordered the servants to stop redecorating the mansion, arguing it put undue pressure on Prince of Bo. Just then, Yao Ji arrived, claiming the Emperor had sent her to placate Ma Zhaixing after the Slaughter Banquet incident.
She invited Ma Zhaixing to a place that might resolve her misunderstandings. Despite Mo Xiao's skepticism, Ma Zhaixing agreed to go, with Mo Xiao accompanying them. Yao Ji led them to the Duan Mansion, revealing that the elderly woman living there was Lord Duan's mother. She explained that Prince of Bo had spared the old woman's life due to her frailty and secretly arranged for Wen Yan to deliver medicine to her monthly. The old woman corroborated the story.
Touched, Ma Zhaixing began to see Prince of Bo in a new light. The old woman then cunningly sent Mo Xiao to the market for groceries and medicine. Once he was gone, she revealed she had a letter that Lord Duan, before his death, had entrusted to her. It was meant for Ma Zhaixing. Stating the letter was of extreme importance, she handed it over. Ma Zhaixing immediately took the letter and left.
Shortly after, Mo Xiao returned to find her gone. Concerned, he rushed back to the Prince of Bo Mansion. There, he found Prince of Bo, who had been unexpectedly recalled by the Emperor. Mo Xiao reported Ma Zhaixing's disappearance, suspecting Yao Ji's involvement. Prince of Bo immediately rode to the Grand Diviner Palace. Inside, Prince of Bo found Yao Ji holding a Wolfbone Flower over what appeared to be an unconscious Ma Zhaixing.
He moved to attack, but Yao Ji stopped him, callously revealing the body was not Ma Zhaixing but Hong'er. She confessed she had killed both Hong'er and her father to "correct" Prince of Bo's mistake. Furious, he demanded to know Ma Zhaixing's whereabouts. Yao Ji explained her true motive: she wanted to destroy his sentimentality and make him the ruthless man he once was, believing only Ma Zhaixing's death could achieve this.
She revealed the Wolfbone Flower exacerbated a side effect from an old medicine, causing him excruciating pain and loss of control, and she had used it to force him to confront this dangerous part of his nature. Desperate, Prince of Bo agreed to become ruthless again if she returned Ma Zhaixing. Yao Ji declared it was "too late," as Ma Zhaixing was already "heading towards death."
Unbeknownst to them, Ma Zhaixing was at that moment kneeling before the Emperor, petitioning him to reopen the Ma Mansion case. She presented the letter from Lord Duan, which stated that over a year ago, the Second Prince (the Prince of Yun) and Prime Minister Jing had been consolidating power to seize the throne. When Ma Zhaixing's father and other loyal ministers discovered the plot and reproached them, the Second Prince grew enraged. Subsequently, those ministers were framed for treason.
The letter voiced Lord Duan's suspicion that the Second Prince had colluded with the Jin Army to assassinate her father. The Emperor dismissed this as nonsense, but Ma Zhaixing countered, arguing that her father's movements were secret. The attackers could not have known his schedule so precisely unless there was a high-ranking internal spy.
