Legend of Zang Hai Episode 26 Recap, Plot

> Legend of Zang Hai
> Legend of Zang Hai Recap

Jiang Xiang learned that Zhuang Luyin had named Zhuang Zhixing as the heir and even written his mother Shen Wan into the family genealogy, placing her memorial tablet in the ancestral hall. She couldn’t swallow the insult. Carrying Shen Wan’s tablet, she stormed over to confront Zhuang Luyin.

Jiang Xiang threw Shen Wan’s memorial tablet to the ground in front of everyone, insisting that she was the rightful mistress of the Marquis’s residence and threatening to expose the truth behind Shen Wan’s death. Zhuang Luyin slapped Jiang Xiang hard across the face and forcibly expelled her. Zhuang Zhixing held his mother Shen Wan’s memorial tablet in his arms, overcome with grief. Zang Hai tried to console him with kind words.

No sooner had Jiang Xiang returned to her room than Zhuang Shan came to inform her that she and her husband Zhuang Zhifu would be sent back to their hometown at dawn. Jiang Xiang refused to leave. She ordered her daughter-in-law to bring her the robes of a First-Rank Lady granted by the Emperor—she intended to enter the palace and file a formal complaint. After the evening banquet ended, Zhuang Zhixing went to see Zhuang Luyin.

Zhuang Luyin confessed to the massacre of Kuai Duo’s family years ago and handed the bronze fish over to Zhuang Zhixing. Zhuang Zhixing felt that Zhuang Luyin had aged a great deal overnight and felt a deep sorrow for him. That night, Zhuang Zhixing sought out Zang Hai and pleaded with him to spare Zhuang Luyin’s life. Zhuang Luyin was now without power or troops, just a pitiful old man.

But Zang Hai remained unmoved—his heart set like stone—insisting on avenging his parents and sister. Unable to persuade Zang Hai, Zhuang Zhixing returned the bronze fish to him and revealed the entire truth. Zhuang Luyin had twice led campaigns against Dongxia, but both times the advance was halted by the mute soldiers controlled by the Gui Seal.

Ten years ago, Zhuang Luyin returned to the capital with Dongxia’s hostage prince and had Chu Huaiming watch over Kuai Duo as she built the Fengshan Altar. Midway through his journey, Zhuang Luyin received a secret letter from Chu Huaiming informing him that the altar had suddenly collapsed. Chu Huaiming saw Kuai Duo escape from the ruins holding something, then leave Dongxia. Zhuang Luyin suspected that Kuai Duo wanted to keep the Gui Seal for herself.

He and Cao Jingxian went to negotiate with the Queen of Dongxia and later led men to arrest Kuai Duo. What followed was the massacre of her entire household. When Zang Hai found out the third murderer was Xiang Antu’s mother, the Queen of Dongxia, he swore to kill her. Zhuang Zhixing fulfilled his promise and found out the identity of the third enemy. He agreed to help Zang Hai take revenge—but Zang Hai must not kill Zhuang Luyin.

Zang Hai immediately went to see Xiang Antu and told her everything. Xiang Antu refused to believe her mother was the murderer and insisted that Zhuang Luyin had framed her. She pleaded with Zang Hai not to take Zhuang Luyin’s word at face value, but Zang Hai wouldn’t listen. The next morning, Zhuang Zhixing went to court with all the civil and military officials. The Emperor bestowed a promotion and noble title upon him.

Jiang Xiang, dressed in the First-Rank Lady’s robes gifted by the Emperor, came to the palace to strike the grievance drum. The Emperor allowed her in to state her case. Zhuang Luyin whispered to Jiang Xiang to return home immediately, but she ignored him completely. Jiang Xiang publicly accused Zhuang Luyin of deceiving the Emperor and engaging in corrupt practices, declaring that Zhuang Zhixing’s victory in the imperial military examination was unworthy.

She presented evidence of Zhuang Luyin bribing the three examiners, and they admitted to accepting bribes to make things easier for Zhuang Zhixing. Zhuang Luyin tried desperately to defend himself, but the Emperor wouldn’t believe a word. He Ziqing exposed Zhuang Luyin’s indulgence of Zhuang Zhifu’s embezzlement and his coercion of craftsmen into burial sacrifices. Zhuang Luyin could no longer refute the accusations.

The Emperor ordered him imprisoned and declared that the case would be tried jointly by the three judicial offices. Zang Hai brought food and wine to Zhuang Luyin in prison and informed him that the joint review had confirmed his guilt. Cao Jingxian had repeatedly urged the Emperor to grant Zhuang Luyin the death penalty.

Zhuang Luyin refused to believe the Emperor would utterly destroy him and urged Zang Hai to seek help from Xie Houguang of the Ministry of War and Huang Shen of the Ministry of Rites. But Zang Hai refused to obey. Instead, he placed a chair outside the prison cell and sat down. Zang Hai revealed he was actually Zhinu, the son of Kuai Duo.

Zhuang Luyin burst out laughing toward the sky—he had killed many in his years of warfare, and Kuai Duo was just one of them. He firmly believed he would not die and that, if he were released, the first person he’d kill would be Zang Hai. Zang Hai mocked him in return.

Zhuang Luyin threatened to reveal Zang Hai’s true identity to Cao Jingxian so he could kill him, but Zang Hai told him to abandon the thought—he wouldn’t live to see Cao Jingxian again. Zang Hai had learned the identity of the third enemy from Zhuang Zhixing and vowed to eliminate each one of them. Zhuang Luyin hadn’t expected that Zhuang Zhixing was also a pawn of Zang Hai.

Realizing that his cause was lost, he could only roar toward the heavens in despair. Zang Hai walked out of the prison. Heavy snow was falling. Thinking of his brutally murdered parents and sister, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Episode 25 Recap

Episode 27 Recap

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