Episode 20 recap: Jiang Xue Ning was unexpectedly taken away by the rebel party.
The Emperor prepared several pairs of tiger-head shoes for the Crown Prince. When Zhang Zhe walked in, the Emperor asked him to help choose and inquired about the preparations. Zhang Zhe informed the Emperor that everything was ready, but since it was a play, they should make it more realistic by issuing a few more imperial edicts. After leaving the palace, Zhang Zhe was having a meal with his mother when suddenly the Xingwu guards arrived with the imperial edicts. Zhang Zhe comforted his mother and left with them.
A notice was quickly posted in the capital, stating that the leader of the rebel party, Du Junshan, had been captured. Upon hearing the news, Huang Qian rushed to inform Xue Dingfei. Following Xie Wei's instructions, Xue Dingfei calmly incited Huang Qian and arranged for Prince of Pingnan's men to come and break into the prison. Learning that the plan succeeded, Xie Wei was extremely pleased. His purpose in staging this play was to pit the Emperor against the Prince of Pingnan in a life-or-death struggle, while he reaped the benefits. However, what he didn't anticipate was that the Prince of Pingnan would send his capable subordinate, Feng Mingyu, with a large amount of explosives to the capital.
Jianshu warned Xie Wei that once the explosives detonated, Xue Yuan was likely to lose his life. He urged Xie Wei to think it over, as Xue Yuan was his biological father. Jiang Xue Ning visited Yan Lin in prison and was heartbroken to see his injuries. However, Yan Lin comforted her instead.
There was one thing that puzzled Yan Lin: Jiang Xue Ning treated him so well, and he treated her well too, so why didn't Jiang Xue Ning like him? Jiang Xue Ning then revealed to Yan Lin that she had a dream in which she became the Empress. She used that dream to explain some things from her past life. However, Yan Lin had already figured out that Zhang Zhe was the one Jiang Xue Ning admired. He also told Jiang Xue Ning that before he returned from exile, she must marry someone else. Otherwise, when he came back, whether she agreed or not, he would marry her.
Jiang Xue Ning cried and pleaded for Yan Lin to return safely. Jiang Xue Ning secretly came to visit Yan Lin. After Yan Lin was taken away, Zhou Yinzhi wanted to escort her out but found many people outside. In order to avoid being discovered by others, he had to ask Jiang Xue Ning to endure a little longer in the cell.
Xie Wei played the qin on the city wall, watching Yan Mu and Yan Lin leave, feeling extremely upset. Jianshu approached him and informed him that everything was ready. Xie Wei then gave the order to proceed. Zhou Yinzhi heard the signal of the prison break and gave Jiang Xue Ning a dagger, instructing her to protect herself and then hurried there with his men. In order to prevent the rebels from escaping, he also ordered his men to kill them without mercy.
Jiang Xue Ning listened to the sounds of the fight outside and felt uneasy when she unexpectedly encountered Zhang Zhe. Zhang Zhe informed Jiang Xue Ning that the Emperor had devised a plan to lure and capture the rebel party. For the sake of convenience, he had given Jiang Xue Ning a male hairstyle and changed her into men's clothing. He warned her to follow closely behind him when they went out and apologized to her before taking her hand and running outside.
Upon learning that there was a rebellion, Xue Yuan led his troops to the scene. Seeing someone falsely accusing Zhou Yinzhi, Xue Yuan didn't kill Zhou Yinzhi but instead killed the accuser to warn Zhou Yinzhi, leaving him in a cold sweat. Zhang Zhe and Jiang Xue Ning were running together when several men in black blocked their path. Zhang Zhe then pretended to be Du Junshan and escaped with a few of the men in black. To make the men in black believe his identity, he followed Xie Wei's instructions and accused the Chief Officer of betrayal. Hearing his convincing argument, the rebels truly believed him.
When Xie Wei revealed all this to Zhang Zhe, Zhang Zhe noticed that he had a deep understanding of the rebels, knowledge that couldn't be obtained through confessions alone. He immediately questioned Xie Wei. According to the prearranged plan, Zhang Zhe and Jiang Xue Ning, along with a few rebels, bypassed several sentries and arrived at an inn. They took a carriage full of goods from the inn and arrived at the city gate. After giving the secret signal to the guards at the gate, Zhang Zhe told the leader that he urgently needed to transport some goods today. The soldiers allowed them to pass.
Seeing how well Du Junshan was able to manipulate the situation, the rebels couldn't help but marvel, realizing that the prince hadn't misjudged him. After Xue Yuan left, Zhou Yinzhi went to look for Jiang Xue Ning but discovered that she was gone. He suspected that Jiang Xue Ning had been kidnapped by the rebels and hastily informed Xie Wei. Xie Wei warned him not to disclose the information about Jiang Xue Ning being taken to the dungeon, or else his life would be forfeit.
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