Unchained Love Episode 14 Recap
> Unchained Love Recap
Bu Yinlou returns to Fushui Town and encounters an old neighbor who expresses surprise at her late return. The neighbor reveals that Bu Yinlou's mother passed away six months prior due to illness and was unceremoniously buried wrapped in a straw mat, with no one paying their respects. Devastated, Bu Yinlou rushes to a bamboo forest, where she finds her mother's humble grave. Overcome with grief, she collapses, weeping that she no longer has a mother.
Xiao Duo steps forward and embraces her, offering silent comfort. Xiao Duo escorts Bu Yinlou back to the capital and confronts the Bu family, accusing them of deceiving the Emperor by forcing Bu Yinlou to take her sister's place and demanding they kneel. Grand Tutor Bu, feigning remorse, calls for a cane to beat his wife. Unmoved, Bu Yinlou coldly tells him to proceed. Madam Bu faints from terror and is taken away by Cao Chun'ang from the Zhaoding Bureau.
Grand Tutor Bu then attempts to privately appeal to Bu Yinlou's sense of family, but Xiao Duo insists on staying. Bu Yinlou reveals that when the imperial edict came, her stepmother threatened her birth mother's life to force Bu Yinlou, an illegitimate daughter, into the palace, as the late Emperor was already ailing. Her father tries to justify this by claiming it led to her current good fortune.
Bu Yinlou then reveals that her stepmother tried to have her killed more than once, and that the Zhaoding Bureau has a case file on her bribing a concubine at the mausoleum to assassinate Bu Yinlou. Xiao Duo confirms that these crimes could lead to the execution of the entire family. Desperate, Grand Tutor Bu declares he will divorce his wife and send her to the ancestral temple to repent.
Xiao Duo warns him that if any further incidents occur, he will expose everything for the court’s entertainment, disregarding the family's reputation. Afterward, Xiao Duo finds Bu Yinlou troubled. He provocatively offers to have the entire Bu family executed, but she questions if he is egging her on to murder her own family. He dismisses them as rotten people, noting her father’s willful ignorance of the abuse allowed it to happen.
Bu Yinlou acknowledges her father is a calculating man who only acts when it benefits him, and she no longer feels any filial love for him. Her sadness, she explains, is for her mother, who lovingly wove a silk cord for her father, only for him to discard it. She laments that her mother's life and death meant nothing to him, like losing a "useless tea set."
Concluding that she has no home, Xiao Duo immediately refutes her, affirming, "You have a home. Yinlou. We're home." His words fill her with warmth, dispelling the shadows of the day. Rumors about Bu Yinlou and Murong Gaogong spread, leading to criticism from court officials. The Emperor speculates that he is being condemned for taking the late Emperor's concubine.
When Bu Yinlou arrives, he playfully critiques her calligraphy, which quotes an ancient advisor: "Fearing negligence, one begins with careful consideration and concludes with assiduity." She explains it is advice on diligence, adding that he should be a virtuous Emperor. Seizing the moment, Xiao Duo suggests that to quell the rumors, Bu Yinlou should travel with him to West Shu under the pretense of escorting her sister to her marriage.
The Emperor stubbornly refuses, but Xiao Duo reminds him that a benevolent ruler must not allow his name to be tainted. Recalling Bu Yinlou's words about being a virtuous ruler, the Emperor relents. He agrees to let her go to West Shu to "relax," sternly instructing Xiao Duo to bring her back safely.
Taking her advice as a reason to act, he then declares that the Zhaoding Bureau must submit all reviewed memorials to him for personal examination, effectively seizing back power. This was all part of Xiao Duo's plan; he had instructed Bu Yinlou to flatter the Emperor, knowing it would create an opening to persuade him to send her away to protect his reputation. Xiao Duo also anticipated this would give the Emperor the excuse he needed to reclaim authority.
He correctly predicts that after being criticized by officials in court the next day, the frustrated Emperor will seek her out. On the government ship, Bu Yinge, believing Bu Yinlou has fallen out of favor, orders her luggage thrown overboard. Bu Yinlou calmly retaliates by tossing Bu Yinge's luggage into the river. She then slaps her sister across the face.
As Bu Yinge reacts in shock, Bu Yinlou states, "I was so focused on hitting your mother last time, I forgot to hit you," and delivers a second slap. When Bu Yinge orders her servants to attack, Xiao Duo arrives and stops them. He has Bu Yinge moved to a smaller boat, leaving the main vessel for Bu Yinlou and himself.
He notes the proximity of their rooms is convenient for serving her, and when she worries her restless sleeping will disturb him, he playfully offers to knock on the wall in return. Later, Cao Chun'ang confronts Xiao Duo about his feelings for Bu Yinlou. Xiao Duo admits them, and Cao earnestly warns him that their difference in status—her being the Emperor's woman—could bring harm to them both if revealed.
Meanwhile, Bu Yinlou bids farewell to Princess Rong'an, who reveals the Young Prince is under house arrest due to the Emperor's growing wariness. In the capital, Murong Gaogong practices archery, vowing to become a true ruler by the time she returns so no one can criticize him. On the river, Bu Yinlou suffers from severe seasickness. She resists seeking Xiao Duo's help, knowing he likes her and not wanting him to worry.
However, he discovers her condition and brings her medicine sweetened with powdered candied fruit. When the medicine is slow to work, he suggests pressing the Jiuwei acupoint to stop the vomiting. Desperate, she agrees. Xiao Duo hesitantly states the acupoint's location is "not convenient." When his hand moves toward her abdomen, she stops him. He explains the point is seven fingers above the navel.
As he begins to press, Bu Yinlou, seeing his shy demeanor, decides to tease him by crying out in mock pain. Flustered by her cries and their proximity, Xiao Duo quickly states the point shouldn't be pressed for long and hastily retreats to his room. Elsewhere, Empress Rong'an, claiming to have learned strategy from Xiao Duo, prepares a sachet of incense designed to cause nightmares. She has it sent via an accomplice to the Emperor's Shangqiong Palace. That night, Murong Gaogong inhales the incense and is plagued by a nightmare in which the deceased Prince Rong appears and calls him "Imperial Uncle."
