Young Blood Episode 2 Recap
> Young Blood Recap
After Xiao Jing led Yuan Zhongxin upstairs at the Ecstasy Gate brothel and left, a beautiful woman entered the room. She immediately addressed Yuan Zhongxin, mentioning the injustice suffered by Yuan Boqi, and stated that she had come for him, though she was surprised to find Wang Kuan and Wei Yanei also present. Wei Yanei, captivated by her beauty, began to flirt aggressively.
However, the woman quickly turned the tables, locking the three men in the room and releasing a knockout smoke, causing them to lose consciousness. They later awoke in a deserted temple. Yuan Zhongxin immediately tried to escape but found that all possible exits, including the back door and the roof, were heavily guarded. Meanwhile, Wei Yanei, still fixated on the "beauty," wondered where she and his guards had gone, assuming they had been kidnapped by bandits.
The woman then reappeared, confirming that the guards were under her command and that she and her men were secret agents from the Liao Dynasty. She told Yuan Zhongxin that Liao appreciated talent and offered to help him rescue Yuan Boqi if they pledged allegiance to Liao, promising them marquis titles. Wei Yanei vehemently refused to betray his country, vowing to kill them all.
Yuan Zhongxin pulled Wei Yanei aside, explaining to him and Wang Kuan that he intended to feign surrender. Given only a joss stick's time to decide, Yuan Zhongxin reasoned that Liao agents needed their high status for military intelligence. Therefore, they would need to return them to Kaifeng, at which point they could escape and report the Liao agents to the authorities.
Wang Kuan, known for his integrity, initially expressed hesitation about lying, but Yuan Zhongxin instructed him to remain silent and trust his plan. When the time was up, Yuan Zhongxin informed the woman that they had agreed to her terms, but insisted that Yuan Boqi must be rescued first. The woman revealed that the means to save him was already at hand.
She explained that the imperial guards who arrested Yuan Boqi were under the command of Wei Yanei's father, the Grand Commandant. Therefore, Wei Yanei's presence would be instrumental in intimidating the guards to release Yuan Boqi. However, still suspicious of Yuan Zhongxin's loyalty, she presented another challenge. She handed him a knife and ordered him to kill Wang Kuan, calling it an "oath of the outlaw."
Yuan Zhongxin took the knife, feigned a strike at Wang Kuan, and then quickly used the opportunity to seize Zhao Jian as a hostage. Shocked, Zhao Jian accused him of being heartless and asked if he had truly killed his friend for this. Yuan Zhongxin clarified that Wang Kuan was unharmed; the blood was his own, from a cut he inflicted on his palm, and Wang Kuan had simply played along.
During this exchange, Yuan Zhongxin learned her name was Zhao Jian. Unexpectedly, Wang Kuan disarmed Yuan Zhongxin and then revealed Zhao Jian's true identity: she was not from Liao, but a loyal descendant of the Zhao family and, in his eyes, his fiancée. He explained that their families had a childhood betrothal, which his father later broke due to the Zhao family's decline, but he still considered the engagement valid.
Yuan Zhongxin confronted Zhao Jian, asking why she had impersonated a Liao agent. Zhao Jian explained that her actions were a test of his character and loyalty. She revealed that Liao's secret agents would indeed seek him out, likely due to his brother Yuan Boqi. She explained that Song's intelligence network in Liao had been completely wiped out, and the Liao Emperor was personally overseeing the infiltration of many agents into Kaifeng.
Yuan Zhongxin was the bait they needed to capture these agents. If he cooperated, Yuan Boqi would be released. Yuan Zhongxin, seizing the opportunity, agreed to help, but demanded not only Yuan Boqi's release but also a payment of fifty thousand taels. Though initially outraged by the large sum, Zhao Jian reluctantly agreed, recognizing the critical importance of the mission. Meanwhile, a prominent Liao agent known as Mr. Han successfully entered Kaifeng.
After confirming Yuan Zhongxin's presence at Ecstasy Gate through an informant in a candied fruit shop, Mr. Han decided to proceed there himself. Back at Ecstasy Gate, Zhao Jian informed Wang Kuan and Wei Yanei that while they were free to leave, Yuan Zhongxin was required to stay with her and act as a loving couple, even living together as a cover. Yuan Zhongxin expressed concern about how Wang Kuan, his upright friend, would react to this charade.
However, Wang Kuan, emphasizing that "those who accomplish big things don't trip over little trifles," declared his understanding for the sake of state affairs, though he still maintained that his engagement to Zhao Jian remained valid. As Yuan Zhongxin and Zhao Jian left Ecstasy Gate, publicly displaying affection as a new couple, they were discreetly followed by Mr. Han.
Wang Kuan, shrewdly realizing that Zhao Jian would not truly let him or Wei Yanei go freely due to the sensitive nature of the mission, decided to remain at the brothel, waiting for Xiao Jing. His intuition was correct, as moments after Wei Yanei stepped outside Ecstasy Gate, he was immediately intercepted and captured by a formidable young man, who easily overpowered Wei Yanei's guards.
