Unchained Love Episode 20 Recap
> Unchained Love Recap
Bu Yinlou, overhearing Xiao Duo and Cao Chun'ang discussing medicine, sent Tong Yun to investigate. Tong Yun's questioning of a flustered Cao Chun'ang led Bu Yinlou to mistakenly conclude that Xiao Duo was terminally ill. To confirm this, she had Tong Yun steal the medicine. However, a physician revealed the medicine's true purpose: to suppress male beard growth and give one a more feminine appearance.
This discovery made Bu Yinlou and Tong Yun realize why Xiao Duo seemed different from other eunuchs. Learning that Zhao Lanzhou, General of the Shu Army, resented the Prince of Nanyuan, Yuwen Liangshi, for inheriting his military authority, Xiao Duo devised a plan to make them destroy each other. He instructed Qilang to spread a fabricated rumor that a tortured prisoner had named Zhao Lanzhou as the mastermind behind Xiao Duo's recent poisoning.
Meanwhile, he sent Cao Chun'ang to the Prince of Nanyuan's residence to distract him with entertainment, preventing him from meeting Zhao Lanzhou as planned. After days of waiting in vain at Mingding Tower, Zhao Lanzhou grew impatient. His frustration intensified when he heard that Zhaoding Bureau personnel were reveling at the Prince's residence, and his anger boiled over upon learning of the false confession implicating him.
Realizing Yuwen Liangshi was framing him, Zhao Lanzhou's suspicions were confirmed when an assassination attempt was made on his life at the tower. Enraged, he vowed to retaliate. The Prince of Nanyuan attempted to leave his residence, but was immediately confronted by Zhao Lanzhou and his troops. Zhao Lanzhou accused him of betrayal and intended to kill him. Just then, Xiao Duo appeared and apprehended Zhao Lanzhou's forces, charging him with illegally deploying troops and attempting to assassinate a nobleman.
Desperate, Zhao Lanzhou accused the Prince of being the true culprit behind the poisoning, claiming the Prince feared Xiao Duo would uncover his illicit salt trading and private arms manufacturing. He stated that military ledgers and metalworkers at his own residence could prove the Prince's guilt. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Duo announced the court's seizure of the Shu Army's military power and placed the Prince of Nanyuan under house arrest.
Seeking to settle a personal score, Xiao Duo confronted the Prince, accusing him of murdering a young man in Ruyi Alley six years prior and presenting a silk cord as evidence. The Prince vehemently denied it, explaining he was allergic to perfume and that official logs would prove he was in his quarters at the time of the murder. Shaken by the credible alibi, Xiao Duo realized his six-year quest for revenge might have been built on a mistake.
He later confessed to Bu Yinlou the tragic story of his younger brother, Duo. Years ago, after Xiao Duo stole a steamed bun out of hunger, his brother disappeared, only to return later having been castrated in the palace. His brother explained he did it to earn money to buy Xiao Duo a roast chicken. Overwhelmed with guilt, Xiao Duo blamed himself for his brother's fate and lamented that the true killer remained unknown.
Bu Yinlou comforted the distraught Xiao Duo, reminding him that the truth, like flowers that rebloom, would eventually come to light. She promised to always stay by his side and share his burdens. Deeply moved, Xiao Duo spontaneously proposed. In a secluded garden, they knelt before a "Floral Goddess" and exchanged vows as Zhuoying and Fangjiang, pledging eternal devotion.
Lacking a proper betrothal gift, Xiao Duo gave Bu Yinlou his Zhaoding Bureau command ring, telling her she could use it to command the bureau if they were ever separated. Bu Yinlou promised to guard it, affirming their bond as husband and wife. Upon arriving in Jinguan City, Emperor Murong Gaogong went directly to the Prince of Nanyuan's residence, already displeased that Xiao Duo had concealed the fact that Bu Yinlou was the one poisoned.
The defiant Prince confronted the Emperor with "three questions," insinuating that Xiao Duo had orchestrated his downfall and that, should the Prince die, the empire would fall under Xiao Duo's complete control. Though publicly angered, Murong Gaogong privately recognized the truth in his words. Realizing he needed the Prince to counterbalance Xiao Duo's growing power, he decided to spare his life as a strategic move to reassert his own authority.
Feeling manipulated by Xiao Duo, the Emperor accepted Eunuch Sun's suggestion to recall the official Yu Zun in order to cultivate his own loyalists. When Xiao Duo and Bu Yinlou returned to Mengyun Pavilion, their joy faded upon finding Murong Gaogong waiting for them. Asserting his imperial authority, the Emperor ordered Xiao Duo to be severely caned, citing his failure to protect Bu Yinlou during the poisoning incident as the official reason. Bu Yinlou could only watch, heartbroken and helpless, knowing that any plea would only worsen Xiao Duo's punishment.
