Unchained Love Episode 11 Recap
> Unchained Love Recap
The conflict begins when Tong Yun overhears Eunuch Sun advising Xiao Duo to send Bu Yinlou to Dream House. Sun suggests that its owner, the beautiful and talented Meng Jieyu, could tutor Bu Yinlou in dances designed to please men, which would surely win the Emperor's favor. Tong Yun relays this to Bu Yinlou just as Xiao Duo arrives, who firmly states he would never send her to such a place.
However, Bu Yinlou misunderstands the situation, accusing Xiao Duo of being two-faced—kind to her in public while treating her like a fool behind her back. Angered by what she perceives as his duplicity, she sarcastically asks for the exact date he plans to send her back to the palace so she can stop deluding herself that they are friends.
In a fit of defiance, Bu Yinlou declares she will go to Dream House on her own, telling Tong Yun to pack their bags as learning to seduce men is just another skill. Though outwardly furious, Xiao Duo is deeply concerned and orders his men to follow her and ensure her safety. The next morning, Bu Yinlou departs for Dream House without a word to Xiao Duo. There, she witnesses Meng Jieyu's captivating performance.
She learns of Dream House's rule: to gain an audience, one must toss a flower with their name attached through a window, hoping it matches Meng Jieyu's preference. Instead of a flower, Bu Yinlou throws a bare branch she finds on the ground, surprisingly earning her an invitation inside. When asked why, she cleverly deduces that Meng Jieyu isn't waiting for seasonal flowers, but for a specific person she has long missed.
Bu Yinlou then asks to become Meng Jieyu's disciple, claiming her family intends to marry her to a high-ranking official but feels she lacks sophistication. Meng Jieyu is initially uninterested, finding it too easy to teach women. However, she is intrigued when Bu Yinlou spiritedly objects to being called "plain-looking and lacking seductiveness." Seeing her as the greatest challenge of her career, Meng Jieyu accepts the woman she deems uniquely "devoid of natural charm" as her student.
Meanwhile, when Xiao Duo learns Bu Yinlou has indeed become a disciple, he feigns indifference but orders his men to continue watching her closely. Meng Jieyu begins Bu Yinlou's training with a "drastic measure," a difficult dance called "Love Choice," designed to be alluring without being vulgar and to reveal the observer's true feelings. Bu Yinlou is forced to practice relentlessly, treating the surrounding drums as her audience. Though she struggles with the grueling schedule and frequent falls, she perseveres.
Her motivation is no longer anger at Xiao Duo, but a newfound resolve not to be a burden on him any longer; she is determined to become whatever the Emperor desires to alleviate Xiao Duo's difficulties. Aware of her efforts, Xiao Duo initiates a city-wide "prostitution ban," which also targets the secret strongholds of his rival, the Prince of Nanyuan. This serves as a pretext to keep Dream House under surveillance and protect Bu Yinlou.
During her training, Bu Yinlou encounters the Young Prince, Yuwen Liangxu, who is desperately seeking Meng Jieyu's help to win the affection of Princess Hede, Wanwan. Tong Yun identifies him as the brother of the Prince of Nanyuan, Xiao Duo’s sworn enemy. Suspicious of his motives, Bu Yinlou convinces Meng Jieyu to accept him as a student so she can spy on him.
She feigns camaraderie, agreeing with his assessment of Xiao Duo as a "despicable man" while giving him terrible advice for wooing Wanwan. She suggests he gift the princess a bizarrely ugly flower arrangement to be memorable and later prepare a sedan chair to carry her to the temple. These attempts result in Wanwan punching him and having him carried away, which the naive prince misinterprets as signs of affection.
His antics exasperate Bu Yinlou, even causing her to injure her foot, and he further frustrates her by spoiling the ending of a novel she is reading. When Xiao Duo is informed of the Young Prince's unconcealed presence at Dream House, he realizes Bu Yinlou is investigating on his behalf and, despite his feigned annoyance, asks his subordinate to invite her back.
After observing him further, Bu Yinlou concludes that Yuwen Liangxu is genuinely simple-minded and not part of a larger conspiracy. He continues his clumsy courtship by picking plum blossoms for Wanwan after fighting off a dog, and though injured, he confesses his feelings directly. Annoyed but touched, Wanwan accepts the flowers. Moved by his persistence, Meng Jieyu formally accepts him as a disciple.
She advises him to adopt a strategy of absence, explaining that constant attention breeds annoyance, while distance can lead to longing, as deep affection often begins with "thinking too much." Due to Xiao Duo's ongoing "prostitution ban" operations, Meng Jieyu is unable to perform at the flower window and asks Bu Yinlou to take her place. Veiled and graceful, Bu Yinlou mesmerizes the crowd with her dance.
Among the captivated onlookers is an unsuspecting Cao Chunang, who has bought a large bundle of flowers to throw. He is left utterly astonished when Tong Yun reveals that the stunning dancer is, in fact, his own master's charge: the Endowed Consort Dowager, Bu Yinlou.
