Episode 21 recap: Feng Mingyu became suspicious of Zhang Zhe.
Zhou Yinzhi told Xie Wei that he wouldn't reveal this matter, but Xue Yuan had already become suspicious of him. Today, he nearly lost his life because of it. After hearing Zhou Yinzhi's words, Xie Wei immediately realized that Zhou Yinzhi intended to use him to resolve the concerns of the Xingwu Guard. So, Xie Wei reminded him not to play tricks in front of him and assured him that he could help resolve the matter concerning the Duke Dingguo.
After Zhou Yinzhi left, Xie Wei was worried. If Zhang Zhe were to reveal any flaws, Jiang Xue Ning would be in danger. However, Jian Shu reminded him that it was about to snow in Tongzhou, and his health would suffer if he went there at this time. Despite Jian Shu's opposition, Xie Wei decided to go to Tongzhou to rescue Jiang Xue Ning.
The next day, Xie Wei went to see the emperor. Duke Dingguo was reporting to the emperor about the incident of the rebellion and prison break. When the male protagonist entered, Duke Dingguo arrogantly asked him to leave. However, the emperor stood up and informed Xue Yuan that the rebellion and prison break were actually part of his and Xie Wei's plan. Xie Wei volunteered to lead the Yan Family Army from Tongzhou to capture the rebels. Previously, the emperor and Xie Wei's plan was to have Xue Yuan lead the troops, and once Xue Yuan left, Xie Wei would explain to the emperor that he went on his own initiative to prevent the military power of the Yan Family Army from falling into Duke Dingguo's hands.
Upon returning to his residence, Duke Dingguo was infuriated and kicked over a fireplace. He did not expect that just after defeating the Yan family father and son, the emperor brought forth Xie Wei to deal with him. However, he had another thought. Considering Xie Wei's background as a weak scholar, he must be clueless about leading troops and engaging in warfare. His guess was indeed correct, as the emperor soon issued an imperial edict, ordering him to lead the Xingwu Guard and cooperate with Xie Wei in suppressing the rebellion.
Before heading to Tongzhou, Xie Wei first visited the Jiang residence and asked Jiang Tianyou to find a way to cover for Jiang Xue Ning's disappearance, so as to prevent anyone from discovering it. Jiang Xue Ning and Zhang Zhe, along with Huang Qian and others, arrived at a stronghold belonging to the Prince of Pingnan. There, they encountered a woman named San Niang. When San Niang glanced at Jiang Xue Ning's pierced ears, she immediately realized that she was a woman. Zhang Zhe explained to them that Jiang Xue Ning was his sister.
To dispel their suspicions, Jiang Xue Ning and Zhang Zhe chose to stay in the same room.
Jiang Xue Ning looked at Zhang Zhe beside her and thought of their past life. When the rebels attacked, Zhang Zhe desperately protected her and ended up injured in the leg. When they were fleeing, they also faced similar situations. On that cold night, she wanted Zhang Zhe to stay inside the room, but he insisted on guarding outside because of the difference in status. He wouldn't even touch the water she had drunk.
But in this life, Zhang Zhe not only stayed in the room, allowing Jiang Xue Ning to snuggle against his shoulder as she slept, but he also took the initiative to tidy up her messy hair. When he saw that the bowl used for drinking water was dirty, he cleaned it before handing it to Jiang Xue Ning. She took two sips and then handed him the bowl to drink, and without hesitation, he drank it all.
Among the rebels, Xie Wei arranged for a young boy named Xiao Bao to deliver messages. When Xiao Bao caught up with them and Jiang Xue Ning read the message he left, she learned that Feng Mingyu had become suspicious of Zhang Zhe. It was Xiao Bao who impersonated the fake Xue Dingfei to prove that Zhang Zhe was Mr. Du Jun. This temporarily dispelled Feng Mingyu's suspicion. After reading Xiao Bao's message, Jian Shu was worried that Xiao Zhang would guess the relationship between Xie Wei and the rebels and that Xie Wei would kill Zhang Zhe to silence him.
Jian Shu's concerns were not unfounded. Although the fake Xue Dingfei denied knowing Xie Wei, Zhang Zhe was convinced that he was sent by Xie Wei. Xie Wei arrived at the Tongzhou barracks and, from the perspective of Yan Mu's considerations, successfully persuaded Yan Ning to lead the troops to immediately search if there was any gunpowder buried near the military camp.
Zhang Zhe and Jiang Xue Ning sat in the carriage and noticed that Feng Mingyu was deliberately taking a detour, as if he was not in a hurry to go to Tongzhou. They suspected that Feng Mingyu had a larger conspiracy. During a rest, Zhang Zhe found some saltpeter in another carriage, confirming Feng Mingyu's true intention, which was to wait for Xue Yuan to catch up and cause trouble for the prince.
In order to ensure Jiang Xue Ning's safety, Zhang Zhe initially planned to find a way for her to leave. However, he didn't expect that Feng Mingyu suddenly proposed to split the troops into two groups and intentionally separated him from Jiang Xue Ning.
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