Unchained Love Episode 26 Recap
> Unchained Love Recap
During the Buddha's Birthday celebration, the Empress Dowager adamantly expressed her refusal to allow Bu Yinlou to return to the palace, citing Consort Duan as unchaste and ominous, believing her presence to be a bad omen. Murong Gaogong, unable to counter his mother's firm stance, turned to inquire about Bu Yinlou, only to be informed by her maid that Bu Yinlou was feeling unwell and had retired to her room.
However, Rong'an interjected, claiming her own maid had just visited the concubines' rooms an hour prior and did not find Bu Yinlou there. Later, while passing by the lake, Rong'an spotted Bu Yinlou emerging from the area. Curious, she approached the small boat and saw Xiao Duo leaving it. After Xiao Duo departed, Rong'an entered the boat and found the rose-mallow necklace there. As she left the boat, Xiao Duo intercepted her.
Rong'an confronted him, suspecting he had a secret rendezvous with Bu Yinlou there overnight, and threatened to expose their affair to the Emperor. Xiao Duo, however, remained unfazed. He revealed his intimate knowledge of Rong'an's past atrocities, including her involvement in the deaths of Noble Consort Shao, the pregnant Consort Shu, and several imperial princes, as well as her embezzlement of disaster relief provisions during a drought.
He warned her that if he were to be discarded by the Emperor, he would drag her down with him, emphasizing that while his own life was wretched, Bu Yinlou’s life was invaluable, and he would take anyone who harmed her down to hell. Rong'an, enraged but threatened, silenced him. Upon Bu Yinlou's return, Murong Gaogong questioned her about her absence and the missing rose-mallow necklace he had given her.
He noticed her bare neck and immediately ordered Yu Zun to search the entire temple grounds. However, the thorough search yielded no results. Murong Gaogong pressed Bu Yinlou again, demanding to know where she had been and who she had met. Before she could answer, Wan Wan, the Princess, arrived and claimed she and Bu Yinlou had spent the night together reading storytelling books. Murong Gaogong, still suspicious, asked if the necklace was with Wan Wan.
At that moment, Rong'an appeared, claiming to have found the necklace stuck in the crack of Wan Wan's room door, implying Bu Yinlou and Wan Wan were slacking off instead of praying. Murong Gaogong dismissed Rong'an's accusations, stating he would handle the matter himself, and lightly admonished Wan Wan for being a bad influence on Bu Yinlou. Wan Wan then confronted Bu Yinlou, upset that Bu Yinlou had put her in a compromising position with the Emperor.
She expressed her anger at being used and lied to, vowing not to cover for them again. Bu Yinlou, in turn, confessed her deep unhappiness and constrained life in the palace. She spoke of her constant fear of her relationship with Xiao Duo being discovered and how she felt like a liar, a dead object, stripped of her emotions and agency. She stated her genuine love for Xiao Duo and her unwavering stance that her feelings were not wrong.
Despite her initial shock and anger, Wan Wan, seeing Bu Yinlou's steadfastness, reluctantly accepted their relationship and agreed to pretend she knew nothing. However, Bu Yinlou then revealed an even more shocking secret: Xiao Duo was not a real eunuch. Stunned, Wan Wan was sworn to secrecy by Bu Yinlou, who playfully chased her as Wan Wan expressed her outrage and disbelief, ultimately keeping the secret.
Later that evening, Bu Yinlou covertly went to the small boat for a meeting with Xiao Duo. When a team of guards approached, she instinctively hid, but Xiao Duo confidently assured her that the entire temple was under his control. With the threat gone, they reveled in their private moment on the boat.
Xiao Duo recited a poem about freedom and contentment, but Bu Yinlou expressed her skepticism, comparing their situation to fish trapped in the royal lake, fearing they could never truly escape the confines of the Imperial City. Xiao Duo then spoke of his intention to retrieve Tong Yun from the Dyeing Workshop in a few days. Bu Yinlou expressed concern, reminding him that Murong Gaogong was closely monitoring him, and Tong Yun had deeply offended the Emperor.
She suggested it would be better if she herself found a way to coax the Emperor and secure Tong Yun's release, to avoid further displeasing him. After some playful banter where Xiao Duo rejected her initial ideas for coaxing the Emperor, he subtly suggested a more dramatic approach. Bu Yinlou, agreeing to the plan, went with Wan Wan to the small worship hall in the temple.
When Murong Gaogong arrived, she feigned intense grief and devotion, explaining that Tong Yun was like family and she blamed herself for Tong Yun’s punishment. She took a knife, threatening to cut her own flesh to pray for Tong Yun’s safety. Murong Gaogong, horrified, immediately stopped her, asserting that her body belonged to him. Moved by her display, he agreed to pardon Tong Yun for Bu Yinlou’s sake and immediately sent someone to arrange her release.
Later, Wan Wan complained about Xiao Duo’s "terrible idea," having almost gotten hurt during the act, but Bu Yinlou lightly shrugged off Wan Wan's complaints, playfully telling her to mind her own business. Tong Yun was indeed pardoned, but instead of being taken back to the Deer's Reed Residence as she expected, she was brought before Rong'an. Rong'an revealed her intention to use Tong Yun for her own benefit now that she was free.
Afterward, Tong Yun found Cao Chun'ang, who had been waiting for her. He confessed his long-held affection for her, admitting he had liked her since their time at the Imperial Mausoleum. He gave her a hairpin he had intended to give her before his journey to West Shu, acknowledging he might not be worthy of her but wanting her to know his feelings. He then left her, leaving Tong Yun in turmoil, as she believed herself unworthy of his affection.
Meanwhile, Rong'an’s maid urged her to reconsider her dangerous path, warning of potential catastrophe. Rong'an, however, was resolute. She declared that as a noble-born woman, she was destined for ultimate power and had always fought for what she desired. She expressed her frustration at failing to "acquire" or "possess" Xiao Duo, a mere servant who dared to defy her.
Having experienced both prestige and desolation, she claimed to fear nothing, vowing that if she couldn't have something, she would fight for it, vie for it, and snatch it away. Her maid questioned if she would sacrifice everything for Xiao Duo. Rong'an, consumed by obsession, stated that if the Imperial City could drive dignified people mad, and since Xiao Duo had gone mad for a woman, she would go mad with him too.
