Untouchable Lovers Episode 1 Recap
> Untouchable Lovers Recap
Flowers bloomed all over the mountains, and a small building stood by the lake. The imperial son-in-law had an affair with a maid and was forced by the princess to jump into the lake. These rumors circulated among the common people, and they were not unfounded, because ever since the Jin Dynasty, all who married princesses ended up miserably. In the Liu Song Dynasty, Liu Ziye ascended the throne, and all officials paid their respects.
However, this monarch seemed different from his predecessors; his temperament was perverse and unpredictable, filling his officials with immense fear, yet they dared not voice their anger. Liu Ziye was furious simply because the portrait of the late emperor did not depict his rosy, bulbous nose, and for a moment, he could not control his emotions. Fortunately, Princess Shanyin, Liu Chuyu, arrived in time. She and Liu Ziye were full siblings.
Seeing her walk gracefully into the hall from outside, Liu Ziye's agitated heart finally calmed down, especially upon smelling the scent of his elder sister, he completely relaxed. Liu Chuyu was known as the most beautiful woman in the Liu Song Dynasty and usually had a fondness for handsome men. After Liu Ziye ascended the throne, at her request, he sent all the handsome men in Jiankang City to his elder sister to be her retainers.
Liu Chuyu paraded through the streets with a group of retainers, drawing pointing fingers and much excitement from the people by the roadside. A small child, seeing Liu Chuyu's carriage, curiously teased the ox pulling it with a red handkerchief. The old ox suddenly started charging and crashing around like it had gone mad. The incident happened suddenly.
Liu Chuyu, inside the carriage, was thrown from side to side, shouting the name of Yue Jiefai, the commander of the princess's guards. But the scene was chaotic, catching the guards off guard, and the princess's carriage then fell into the lake. Liu Chuyu fell into the lake and kept sinking.
In her panic, she felt herself sinking deeper and deeper, while another Liu Chuyu, identical to her, floated higher and higher, as if about to live a new life in her place. Not long ago, after Liu Ziye killed his half-brother Liu Zishuan, everyone in the Liu clan felt unsafe. Liu Ziye's eleventh and twelfth uncles specifically sought out the Tianji Pavilion, rumored to be omnipotent, to eliminate Liu Ziye.
Zhuque of Tianji Pavilion received the Pavilion Master's ring to carry out this mission, and Liu Chuyu's accidental fall into the water just provided her with the opportunity to switch identities. Inside the princess's residence, Liu Chuyu woke up dazedly, only to find a handsome man lying in her bed, with a refined face and sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes.
However, none of this was the most important; Liu Chuyu found that she had no memory of previous events and no impression of the handsome man. Rong Zhi introduced himself, and at the same time, two other retainers also rose from the bed. Liu Chuyu's face turned pale, overwhelmed by so many men. Liu Chuyu had lost her memory, even forgetting the rule that she could not enter the palace to meet the emperor due to her injuries.
Although her temperament remained headstrong after she woke up, she no longer lingered among her retainers. For days, the princess had not summoned her retainers, and some became restless. The retainer Liu Se caused a big scene, insisting on seeing the princess. He was unfortunately blocked by Yue Jiefai, lost his footing, and fell, exposing his flowery underwear embroidered with four goldfish, making himself a big laughingstock.
After avoiding them for many days, Liu Chuyu still had to meet these retainers, as letting them run wild was not an option. Meanwhile, Liu Se went to Rong Zhi's place. Among all the retainers, the princess only held Rong Zhi in high regard, giving him the right to enter and exit her Mingyue Pavilion freely. Ordinary retainers like them couldn't sit still, and Liu Se didn't believe Rong Zhi could either.
However, Rong Zhi calmly read and savored tea, completely without any restlessness. Just then, a servant reported that the princess was holding a spring banquet in the garden and invited all the retainers to attend. There were twenty-four retainers in the princess's residence; the youngest was only twelve years old, named Liu Sang, and his duty was to play cricket fighting with Liu Chuyu. Liu Se deliberately changed into new clothes to parade before Liu Chuyu, displaying extreme obsequiousness.
To show his loyalty, he brought forward the child who had caused the ox to go mad. Liu Se claimed that the child had deliberately attempted murder, and red was the reason the ox went mad. Rong Zhi, however, said the ox went mad simply due to being swayed. With both holding different views, Liu Chuyu asked Liu Se, who was wearing green clothes, to sway in front of the ox to see who was right.
Liu Se was initially full of confidence, but at the moment the ox charged, he was dumbfounded. In fact, Liu Chuyu knew Rong Zhi wanted to save the child's life but did not expose him on the spot. Liu Se was greatly moved by Rong Zhi's privileges, and Liu Chuyu, to show her fairness, canceled all of Rong Zhi's special rights.
Liu Chuyu returned to her Mingyue Pavilion, dismissed everyone, and picked up a small plate from the table, lightly roasting it over a fire. Words immediately appeared. She was Zhuque of Tianji Pavilion, personally impersonating Liu Chuyu, ordered to assassinate Liu Ziye.
After some thought, Liu Chuyu went to Rong Zhi's Muxue Garden, intending to gauge his depth, but unexpectedly overheard retainers Jiang Yan and Huan Yuan, who had feigned illness and not attended the spring banquet, secretly plotting a rebellion. Huan Yuan and Jiang Yan were both men of noble character, unable to tolerate being confined to the residence by Liu Chuyu for mere amusement.
Especially Huan Yuan, who was from the former imperial family, found such humiliation even more unbearable and had been actively planning a rebellion. Rong Zhi kindly lent his place for their private discussion, but Huan Yuan tried to drag him, an outsider, into their plot. However, Rong Zhi was no pushover; how could he be threatened by Huan Yuan? After Huan Yuan and Jiang Yan left, Liu Chuyu did not avoid Rong Zhi and walked past him openly.
After she returned, she thoroughly checked the retainers' files, knowing that "to know yourself and your enemy is to win every battle." However, Rong Zhi's file was completely blank, leaving her bewildered. The next day, Liu Chuyu summoned all the retainers. In front of everyone, she gave Jiang Yan her letter of recommendation, offering him a bright future. Before Jiang Yan left, Liu Chuyu specifically reminded him to pay attention to managing his interpersonal relationships in the future.
Afterward, Rong Zhi had a private conversation with Liu Chuyu, highly praising her for achieving multiple goals with one action. Not only did she successfully sow discord between Jiang Yan and Huan Yuan's rebellion, but she also made Jiang Yan deeply grateful to her, and at the same time, sent away other retainers who might have been accomplices. Regarding Rong Zhi's words, Liu Chuyu gave a vague response, not explicitly stating anything.
Liu Se held a grudge about Jiang Yan leaving the residence, thinking it was Rong Zhi's idea. He specifically sought him out to quarrel. Just then, the princess summoned Rong Zhi, allowing him to seize the opportunity to escape. You Lan, the maid by the princess's side, reminded him to be careful, as the princess's temperament had changed greatly since recovering from a serious illness. Rong Zhi thanked her with a smile.
Liu Chuyu summoned Rong Zhi without explaining the reason, but in his presence, she met Shen Guangzuo, a retainer who came to report Huan Yuan. Shen Guangzuo was a sycophant who adapted to circumstances. Liu Chuyu originally didn't want to give him a good path, but Rong Zhi spoke up, suggesting to recommend him to General Shen Youzhi. After Shen Guangzuo left, Liu Chuyu immediately changed her demeanor; she did not want to give such a snob a bright future. Rong Zhi, however, told her that such petty individuals were easier to use than noble-minded people like Jiang Yan.
