Under the Power Episode 50 Recap, Plot

> Under the Power
> Under the Power Recap

Yuan Jinxia, feeling exhausted and lamenting her failure to protect her only relative, Lin Ling, was comforted by Mr. Beggar. He reminded her that she was not the timid person she thought she was and insisted on facing any danger with her, declaring that for her sake, he was willing to make any sacrifice. Together, they decided to set off fireworks to momentarily forget their worries.

Meanwhile, the Emperor, feeling much better after taking Priest Lan Qingxuan's medicine, joked about living to 100 or even forever. He immediately ordered Eunuch Li to summon Lan Qingxuan, lifting his ban. Eunuch Li, eager to take credit, congratulated Lan Qingxuan and subtly requested one of the miraculous pills, which Lan Qingxuan provided with a warning not to take too many. At the same time, Lu Yi met with Deputy Grand Secretary Xu.

Lu Yi had observed a patch on Mr. Xu's court robe, which Mr. Xu explained was a metaphor: sometimes actions and visible integrity speak louder than words, especially when dealing with corrupt officials in other ministries like Revenue and Works. Lu Yi then presented Mr. Xu with problematic account books from the Salt Transport Commission, which his people had secretly investigated for half a year. These accounts showed huge losses and significant discrepancies compared to those submitted by Yan Shaoqiong.

Lu Yi suggested that if the Emperor saw these, Yan Shaoqiong's powerful Yan family connections might not be enough to save him. Mr. Xu agreed that this was a valuable opportunity to expose corruption, trusting the Emperor to draw his own conclusions. Yuan Jinxia and Mr. Beggar followed the carriage, which Yuan Jinxia recognized from the Yan mansion and found Lin Ling's pomade on its wheel, to a house. Yuan Jinxia believed Lin Ling was being held inside.

Mr. Beggar initially wanted to rush in, but Yuan Jinxia cautioned him against a reckless daytime entry, especially since Yan Shifan had just entered. They decided to wait until nightfall to investigate together, believing they would be less likely to be found. Separately, Lan Qingxuan, now free from his ban, met with Lu Yi after sending him a message by dove.

Lu Yi advised them to meet less frequently, suspecting that Yan Shifan was directly targeting Lan Qingxuan and was responsible for the death of the White Deer. Lan Qingxuan confirmed that Yan Shifan's people had attempted to recruit him. Lan Qingxuan noticed Lu Yi's continued sadness and correctly guessed he was still grieving over Yuan Jinxia. He quoted a poem, and Lu Yi admitted his sorrow, primarily wanting to spare Yuan Jinxia from sadness.

Lan Qingxuan urged Lu Yi to "go get her back." As night fell, Yuan Jinxia and Mr. Beggar cautiously infiltrated the house. They found a maid and, without resorting to violence, questioned her about a woman in her thirties. The maid led them to a secret room where Lin Ling was indeed confined. Aunt Ling was shocked to see them and immediately urged them to leave, acknowledging the immense danger. Yuan Jinxia, however, insisted on saving her aunt.

As they attempted to leave, they suddenly detected a strange smell and realized they had been drugged. Their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground just as Yan Shifan entered. Yan Shifan confronted Yuan Jinxia, mockingly asking if Lin Ling was her aunt and if her mother was Lin He. Yuan Jinxia initially denied knowing Lin He, but Yan Shifan picked up a sword and placed it at Mr. Beggar’s neck, threatening to kill him.

Seeing Mr. Beggar in imminent danger, Yuan Jinxia tearfully admitted that Lin He was her mother, begging Yan Shifan not to harm them. Yan Shifan ignored her pleas and ordered his men to take Yuan Jinxia away, then commanded them to brutally beat Mr. Beggar. Lin Ling, horrified, begged them to stop and pleaded with Yan Shifan to release them.

Yan Shifan offered a cruel deal: if Lin Ling agreed to stay by his side willingly, he would release Mr. Beggar. Mr. Beggar, battered and spitting blood, eventually fainted from the beating. Terrified, Lin Ling frantically agreed to Yan Shifan's demand, then pushed him away to check on Mr. Beggar, apologizing profusely to him. Yuan Jinxia later woke up to find herself and Mr. Beggar tied in a room.

Mr. Beggar, severely injured, tried to cover her escape, but she refused, insisting they leave together despite his internal injuries making it difficult for him to move. Amidst a heavy snowfall in the Forbidden City, Lu Yi presented his investigation findings to the Emperor. The Emperor was furious upon learning that officials in the Ministry of Works had been deceiving him and taking kickbacks.

Deputy Grand Secretary Xu presented two account books for the Ministry of Revenue, showing a 3,000 tael discrepancy and huge losses in salt transport. Yan Shaoqiong, who was in charge of the Salt Distribution Commission, blamed Japanese pirates and accused Xu of framing him. However, Xu countered that Yan Shaoqiong had imposed more taxes without applying for reductions, leading to public complaints, and only recorded half of the collected taxes.

The Emperor questioned Yan Shaoqiong’s involvement in the temple construction and discovered that Grand Secretary Yan had ordered it. Despite Grand Secretary Yan attempting to distance himself from the scandal, the Emperor ordered Yan Shaoqiong's immediate imprisonment in the Imperial Prison and subsequently decreed a three-year tax exemption for the Liangzhe Circuit.

At his mansion, Yan Shifan, realizing that Deputy Grand Secretary Xu was an "old fox," correctly deduced that Lu Yi must have provided the damaging salt transport account books, admitting he had underestimated Lu Yi. Meanwhile, in the Imperial Prison, Lu Yi interrogated Yan Shaoqiong, who stubbornly refused to confess, denying any wrongdoing beyond accepting bribes and insisting he knew nothing of Sima Chang'an.

Lu Yi countered by revealing his knowledge of Yan Shaoqiong's close ties to certain salt merchants and the exorbitant bribes required for salt transport licenses. Lu Yi then ordered Cen Fu to present a gun that General Yu had recovered from Mao Haifeng’s stronghold. Lu Yi pointed out a unique spring inside the gun, explaining that it matched those made by Sima Chang'an, whose illegally excavated iron ore had a distinct quality.

Lu Yi revealed that Sima Chang'an had been making gun components and colluding with Japanese pirates under the pretense of salt transport. He pressed Yan Shaoqiong to name the real mastermind, hinting that the "real Sima Chang'an" was someone else, and threatening to report Yan Shaoqiong as an accomplice to the Emperor if he continued to protect the true culprit. Back in Yang Chengwan's household, Ms. Yuan arrived, distraught that Yuan Jinxia had not returned home last night.

Yang Yue realized that both Jinxia and Mr. Beggar must have secretly gone to rescue Lin Ling. Yang Chengwan expressed his regret, recalling Jinxia's earlier intuition about Lin Ling being held in another Yan family property and his refusal to send men to investigate then. He knew they couldn't rescue them alone and instructed Yang Yue to seek Lu Yi's help, despite Yang Yue's doubts due to Jinxia and Lu Yi's recent breakup.

Soon after, Shangguan Xi and Xie Xiao arrived, also expressing their anxiety about Jinxia and Mr. Beggar’s disappearance, concurring that their only hope was Lu Yi given Yan Shifan’s vast influence. Lu Yi, meanwhile, was discussing Yan Shaoqiong's interrogation with his father, Lu Ting. Lu Yi admitted he still lacked "hard evidence" against Yan Shifan for colluding with Japanese pirates and saw Yan Shaoqiong as his best lead.

Lu Ting cautioned him, explaining that Yan Shaoqiong, though greedy, was a stubborn scholar fiercely loyal to the Yan family, making him difficult to break. Lu Ting also warned Lu Yi against using "abnormal means" to extract a confession, as the Emperor's inherent distrust could make such tactics backfire on them. Seeing his father's declining health, Lu Yi expressed concern and promised not to act recklessly, offering to handle such matters to ease his father's burden.

Soon, Shangguan Xi and Yang Yue arrived at the North Bureau to deliver the urgent news of Yuan Jinxia's disappearance. Yang Yue explained how Jinxia had previously located Lin Ling's place of detention but had been refused assistance by her father, suggesting Jinxia and Mr. Beggar were likely trapped there. Lu Yi, visibly anxious, called Jinxia "too bold" for sneaking into Yan Shifan's property.

He immediately went to the Yan family mansion, directly confronting Yan Shifan and asking if Constable Yuan had been there looking for Doctor Lin. Yan Shifan feigned ignorance, claiming no knowledge of Yuan Jinxia's whereabouts, which Lu Yi countered by bringing up Yan Shifan's recent recapture of Doctor Lin, reminding him of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's rules regarding evidence for such actions.

Episode 49 Recap

Episode 51 Recap