Young Blood Episode 16 Recap
> Young Blood Recap
Lu Guannian summoned Wang Kuan, informing him that the ongoing closed learning period was intended to keep the students from the complicated case of Chen Gong, whose whereabouts remained a mystery and whose actions implicated many. He instructed Wang Kuan to remain within the Secret Repository, await orders, and report immediately if any of his section members secretly left the premises, thus tasking Wang Kuan with supervising his peers.
Shortly after, a surprise dormitory inspection was announced, led by Liu Sheng from Section 5, known for his animosity towards Section 7 members, with the exception of Zhao Jian. Anticipating his arrival, Yuan Zhongxin initially planned to hide Chen Gong under a bed, then let Zhao Jian and Xiao Jing block Liu Sheng outside. Upon Liu Sheng's arrival at the men's dorm, he immediately targeted Wei Yanei, ridiculing his background and calling him a "loser."
Xue Ying defended Wei Yanei, demanding an apology, but Liu Sheng, asserting his authority, refused to back down. As he continued his inspection, Liu Sheng found a suspicious large box. Zhao Jian promptly claimed it was hers. Despite her claim, Liu Sheng insisted on opening the box, revealing it contained Zhao Jian's underwear and sweat towels. After this discovery, Liu Sheng announced his intent to inspect the girls' room next and warned of more unscheduled inspections.
Once Liu Sheng had departed, Yuan Zhongxin revealed that Chen Gong had been hidden inside the box. Zhao Jian, embarrassed, retrieved her underwear and sweat towels, allowing Chen Gong to emerge. Wang Kuan then revealed that Lu Guannian had specifically tasked him with monitoring the team, confirming their suspicion that their superior already doubted them due to their past conduct. They also discussed the mole they had previously encountered, anticipating further actions from them.
Chen Gong, visibly battered, returned to Qizhai. He met Yuan Zhongxin, who was there to retrieve a small wooden box that belonged to Zhao Jian. Yuan Zhongxin mocked Chen Gong, then hid him in a wardrobe. While Yuan Zhongxin was distracted, Chen Gong secretly took the "birth chart" (生辰帖) from that wooden box.
Chen Gong had just failed his attempt to escape through the secret tunnel disguised as a woman, where he was caught and beaten by vigilant female students guarding the passage. At that moment, the indignant girls arrived at Qizhai, still pursuing the "peeping tom." To shield Chen Gong from further detection and harm, Yuan Zhongxin quickly donned Chen Gong's female disguise and allowed himself to be mistaken for the culprit. The girls viciously attacked Yuan Zhongxin.
Afterwards, they confronted Zhao Jian, ordering her to "control her man" and threatening to report him to Dean Lu if such incidents recurred. Zhao Jian later questioned Yuan Zhongxin about his injuries, to which he explained that he deliberately took the blame to prevent the girls from conducting a more thorough search that might have exposed Chen Gong. Yuan Zhongxin admonished Chen Gong for wasting time on futile escape attempts instead of focusing on drawing the crucial blueprint.
Still sore from his beating, Chen Gong defiantly refused to cooperate. However, Jing approached Chen Gong with kindness, offering to prepare him some food. Chen Gong expressed a craving for steamed buns from a specific shop, but Jing informed him that the academy was under lockdown, making it impossible to procure anything from outside. Yuan Zhongxin later spoke with Jing in the kitchen, subtly inquiring about Chen Gong's dietary requests.
Learning of Chen Gong's specific longing for steamed buns, Yuan Zhongxin recalled discovering uneaten, dried steamed buns in Chen Gong's room at the Crossbow Workshop. He advised Jing to feign ignorance about this detail, suspecting that Chen Gong's desire for the buns held a deeper, more significant meaning. During an interrogation by the Imperial Guards, Zhao Jian reminded Yuan Zhongxin of three promises he had made to her.
She immediately demanded that he return to the Secret Repository to steal a small wooden box from Wang Kuan's room, which she believed contained her birth chart. Zhao Jian pledged to create a distraction to delay Wang Kuan. To ensure Yuan Zhongxin had adequate time, Zhao Jian deliberately disabled their carriage outside the yamen, forcing everyone to walk back and giving her an opportunity to briefly hold up Wang Kuan.
Yuan Zhongxin successfully retrieved the box and handed it to Zhao Jian, cautioning her to deny any knowledge of it if questioned. Later, Wang Kuan confronted Yuan Zhongxin about his missing box, but Yuan Zhongxin refused to admit taking it. Upon receiving the box, Zhao Jian discovered it was empty, infuriating her with Yuan Zhongxin's apparent deception. Chen Gong, having finally come to terms with his situation, completed the intricate Car-Mounted Cannon blueprint.
He proudly proclaimed it his life's work and invention, expressing his unwavering belief that this drawing would make invaluable contributions to the Song dynasty on the battlefield. Wang Kuan was perplexed by Chen Gong's sudden willingness to complete the drawing. Yuan Zhongxin intercepted Chen Gong, who was once again attempting to leave the Secret Repository.
He convinced Chen Gong that he was the only one who had seen the Imperial Guard mole and could identify him, and that they should go together to the Privy Council. As the group hurriedly tried to secure Chen Gong, they unexpectedly encountered Lu Guannian, who appeared to be fully aware of their entire situation. Instead of reprimanding them, Lu Guannian demanded they devise a plan.
The team unanimously agreed with Zhao Jian's proposal: they would first safely deliver Chen Gong to the Privy Council, then investigate to uncover the identity of the Imperial Guard mole to atone for their previous failures. Lu Guannian approved their plan, expressing confidence in their cunning, and stated he would await them at the Privy Council. The Qizhai members then secretly began escorting Chen Gong to the Privy Council.
Following their strategic plan, Zhao Jian deliberately leaked a false route—via Yulin Lane—to the Imperial Guards. Ma Duwei, after reviewing the leaked route, decided to deploy his troops to Yulin Lane. Meanwhile, Yuan Zhongxin informed Chen Gong that their actual route would be through Yanqing Temple, not Yulin Lane.
This deception served as a calculated test: if the Imperial Guards appeared at Yulin Lane, it would confirm the presence of a mole within their ranks; if they converged on Yanqing Temple, it would suggest Chen Gong himself was compromised. At Yulin Lane, Zhao Jian, Wei Yanei, and Xue Ying lay in wait. They soon spotted Ma Duwei leading Imperial Guards into the alley. Wei Yanei immediately recalled that Ma Duwei had conspicuously avoided him during the previous day's interrogation.
Seeking answers, Zhao Jian's group confronted Ma Duwei, directly questioning his evasive behavior from the day before. Ma Duwei offered a smooth, dismissive response. Zhao Jian then openly suggested that Ma Duwei was there searching for Chen Gong, revealing to a surprised Ma Duwei that she was the one who had intentionally tipped off the Imperial Guards. At Yanqing Temple, Yuan Zhongxin's observations led him to confirm Chen Gong's loyalty.
He presented Chen Gong with a row of dried, uneaten steamed buns that had been found hidden in Chen Gong's room at the Crossbow Workshop. Recalling Chen Gong's recent request for shop-bought steamed buns, Yuan Zhongxin deduced that Chen Gong’s attachment to the buns stemmed from his concern for the person who made or sold them. To solidify his hypothesis, Yuan Zhongxin brought Chen Gong to a spot across from a steamed bun shop. Chen Gong's evident discomfort and reluctance to look at the shop’s female owner further validated Yuan Zhongxin's theory.
