Unchained Love Episode 21 Recap
> Unchained Love Recap
After Cao Chunang expressed his frustration to Xiao Duo about the Emperor’s harsh punishment, which risked alienating a loyal subject who had just reclaimed military power for him, Xiao Duo understood the act as a deliberate warning. He suspected someone had intentionally reported Bu Yinlou's poisoning to the Emperor, as he had kept the matter secret. Later, Bu Yinlou quietly visited Xiao Duo, distressed to see his back wound was still bleeding.
As she voiced her concern, he admitted the pain was severe, but before they could talk further, Bu Yinlou was summoned by the Emperor, Murong Gaogong. Murong Gaogong confronted Bu Yinlou, asking if she had enjoyed her time in West Shu. He revealed that he had discovered her nickname, Zhuo Ying, from another man's belongings, expressing his dismay at having been kept in the dark.
He accused her of having a secret affair with her cousin, with whom she grew up, and of visiting him in disreputable places. Bu Yinlou vehemently denied this, insisting their relationship was purely that of siblings. Xiao Duo interceded, vouching for Bu Yinlou's innocence. However, Murong Gaogong revealed he had evidence of her intimate conduct with a man outside Jinguan City, where they acted like a married couple.
He mockingly told Xiao Duo that he was only spared punishment for concealment because it was confirmed they had not crossed any ultimate boundaries. Citing Xiao Duo’s meritorious service in uncovering the Prince of Nanyuan's crimes, he nonetheless ordered him to remain in West Shu to suppress banditry, forbidding his return to the capital until the task was complete. He then declared that Bu Yinlou would return to the palace with him the next day.
Xiao Duo’s plea that she was too ill for the journey was adamantly rejected. Alone, Xiao Duo revealed a desperate plan to Bu Yinlou: they would elope. He detailed how he would intercept her carriage on the treacherous Mount Yanguo pass. Bu Yinlou initially called him crazy, fearing they would be killed, but was moved when he declared she was his wife and he refused to let her become another man's woman.
When she questioned if he would abandon the search for his brother's killer, Xiao Duo confessed that while revenge was once all he had, she was now his entire world and he could not bear to lose her as he had lost his brother in a recurring nightmare from his past. Convinced, Bu Yinlou agreed to the dangerous plan, promising to get off the carriage at Mount Yanguo.
Despite her promise, a sense of unease prompted Bu Yinlou to probe Murong Gaogong's intentions by bringing him stew. From outside his door, she overheard him ordering his new Imperial Army commander, Yu Zun, to set up an ambush at Mount Yanguo, vowing that anyone who tried to help her escape would be met with a volley of a thousand arrows and killed on the spot. Shaken, Bu Yinlou dropped the stew and fled to her room.
There, she recalled the story of Lao Ai, a false eunuch whose affair with the Queen Dowager led to his brutal execution. Seeing a parallel to Xiao Duo's situation, she vowed to protect him as he had protected her, realizing the Emperor's power was absolute. Just then, Eunuch Sun arrived to order her immediate departure for the capital. As Bu Yinlou’s carriage departed, Xiao Duo and Cao Chunang waited.
Xiao Duo admitted to Cao Chunang that this was his riskiest gamble, with less than a fifty percent chance of success, but that he had to try to win Bu Yinlou's freedom. He instructed his men to disavow any connection to his actions should he fail. As her carriage approached, Bu Yinlou, knowing the trap that awaited, decided she had to protect him by breaking her promise.
Xiao Duo called out her nickname as she passed, but she did not get out. He lunged forward in desperation but was restrained by Cao Chunang. Inside the carriage, Murong Gaogong mockingly noted the heavy Imperial Army presence and asked if she still wanted to get off. He then declared that her past was forgiven, but from now on, her heart could only belong to him. Resigned, Bu Yinlou acquiesced.
Back in Yongze Palace, Bu Yinlou was plagued by nightmares of Xiao Duo's death, believing he must now hate her. Her only remaining purpose was to fulfill her promise to find his brother's murderer, seeing it as their sole remaining connection. She theorized to her maid, Tong Yun, that the original investigation was flawed.
Recalling Xiao Duo’s certainty about seeing the Prince of Nanyuan’s carriage, she deduced that a second, unmentioned carriage must have been involved, smuggling a hidden accomplice whom the Prince was protecting. She identified the recently deposed Empress Rong'an, a long-time ally of the Prince, as the key to uncovering this person's identity.
Her plan to bribe the Empress’s attendants was immediately thwarted when she learned Tong Yun had spent all her money on lavish tips upon their return to the palace. As she lamented this, Eunuch Sun arrived to announce that the Emperor would be visiting her that night, and she was expected to serve him.
Meanwhile, Princess Wan Wan grew frantic after learning that Yuwen Liangxu had been severely injured by the Imperial Army while creating a disturbance in a desperate attempt to return to West Shu. Murong Gaogong refused her plea to send a physician, angrily confining her to her palace for her repeated disobedience and association with Yuwen Liangxu. Desperate, Wan Wan sought out Bu Yinlou, who agreed to help in exchange for a favor.
That evening, when Murong Gaogong arrived at her palace, Bu Yinlou served him a sweet steamed egg, a dish his late mother used to make. Wan Wan then appeared, and Murong Gaogong, initially angry at the manipulation, softened as they reminisced about their childhood. He relented, lifting Wan Wan’s confinement and allowing her to summon a physician for Yuwen Liangxu. As Wan Wan left, she discreetly passed a small bottle of medicine to Bu Yinlou.
