Episode 9 recap: Yun Wei Shan uses extreme cold poison to counteract the poison.
Yun Wei Shan walked among the mountains and lakes, carrying a lantern. She was stopped by patrolling guards, but she showed them a green jade token, indicating that she was tasked with going to the medical center to prepare a tranquilizing potion. She ordered them to go and play and quickly return. Gong Zi Yu tightly held Yun Wei Shan's hand, admiring her fiery body. He had always been afraid of the cold, with a lower body temperature than others. A warm-hearted person has warm hands, while Yun Wei Shan believed the opposite, that a person with a cold body has a warm heart.
Yun Wei Shan noticed Gong Zi Yu inside an ice bucket in time and rescued him with the help of others. While unconscious, Gong Zi Yu pleaded for them not to go in. When he woke up, he asked Yun Wei Shan if she saw everything. He was worried that she saw the tattoo on his back. She lied, saying she only saw his chest. She had told Gong Zi Yu that she had found a way to pass the first trial, which was the heart technique of the Gold and Fire factions. However, Gong Zi Yu knew that there were three types of heart techniques in the palace, and some were already lost and forbidden to practice. He practiced the Melting Snow Heart Sutra. Since childhood, his father had trained him in the icy and snowy environment, while his brother effortlessly excelled in martial arts training, but he, on the other hand, feared the cold and only knew the theory. Now he couldn't even withstand the cold winter wind.
Yun Wei Shan shared that her mother became strict with her after her father's death. She enjoyed martial arts and horseback riding, but her mother forced her to practice embroidery, accepting her mother's predetermined fate for her. However, she wanted to live for herself and not rely on others. She didn't even have the right to choose her own death. She had a younger sister, and the palace became her mother's reliance. Her mother would often bring trendy things from the outside to cheer her up. Upon learning that Gong Zi Yu had never left the palace, Yun Wei Shan expressed her intention to take him out in the future. However, due to the responsibility of carrying the Zhi Ren on his back, he could never leave the valley in this lifetime.
Yun Wei Shan thought of using extreme cold poison to counteract the poison. At this time, her "Half-Moon Fly" ailment flared up again, causing her great pain. She decided to go to the medical center herself to prepare the medicine. However, during this period, Yue Zhang Lao encountered trouble, and the former Zhi Ren and Young Master died from poisoning. It was not appropriate for her to prepare poison for Gong Zi Yu at this time. She took the hidden arrows and defensive layout map given to her by Gong Zi Yu and instructed herself to avoid that area. She went alone to the medical center, which was under the jurisdiction of Gong Yuan Zheng. Following Han Ya Si's instructions, she found cinnabar as one of the ingredients. Gong Yuan Zheng smelled someone brewing medicine in the medical center and approached Yun Wei Shan from behind. She lied, saying that she was preparing a soothing potion for Gong Zi Yu, but Gong Yuan Zheng detected the scent of poison from the residue and the medicine. Yun Wei Shan used taunting tactics, claiming that everyone had already drunk Gong Yuan Zheng's antidote, rendering her poison ineffective. Gong Yuan Zheng used venomous insects to force Yun Wei Shan to tell the truth. Yun Wei Shan criticized him for being childish and stated that if the insect was so powerful, Jia Guan Shi would not have died. Gong Yuan Zheng forced Yun Wei Shan to drink the poison she had prepared. Just as she was about to leave, he attacked her, disregarding the Zhi Ren and even her existence. If Yun Wei Shan died, he would only claim that he accidentally killed a thief due to the darkness. However, Gong Zi Yu and Gong Shang Jue arrived just in time and took Yun Wei Shan away while facing Gong Yuan Zheng.
In fact, Gong Zi Yu had been waiting for her outside the medical center, deeply worried. Gong Zi Yu gave Yun Wei Shan an herb called "Bai Cao Cui" to help her detoxify the extreme cold poison. She felt that the herb was too valuable and decided to endure tonight and take it later. Gong Zi Yu assured her that the herb wouldn't go to waste as long as she had it. Yun Wei Shan secretly kept the "Bai Cao Cui" for herself, and Gong Zi Yu mistakenly believed that she had already taken the antidote. They tenderly held hands and returned to their rooms.
Gong Yuan Zheng knew that Yun Wei Shan had prepared the extreme cold poison, while Gong Shang Jue knew that this poison could be obtained through the first trial. Gong Shang Jue suggested that Gong Yuan Zheng also participate in the trial in the future and use Yun Wei Shan's poisoning skills and martial arts to prove that she was not a member of the Yun family. However, there was no evidence at the moment. Gong Zi Yu envied the warm palms of Yun Wei Shan. Yun Wei Shan secretly hid the accumulated "Bai Cao Cui."
Gong Zi Shang worried that Gong Zi Yu would come to find him but discovered that he had gone to the back mountain, entangled with Jin Fan. Gong Yuan Zheng stealthily entered Lady Wu Ji's room and coincidentally encountered Jin Fan, who had come to see Lady Wu Ji. Looking into a bronze mirror, he spotted Gong Yuan Zheng hiding behind the wardrobe but left without alarming him. Gong Yuan Zheng mocked Jin Fan for his good luck. Gong Yuan Zheng found the true medical records of Lady Lan Fu and, as he was about to leave, Jin Fan attacked him. During their fight, the medical records were torn in half, and Jin Fan obtained one of the halves.
Gong Zi Yu entered the Snow Lotus Pond once again and recalled the time when Xue Zhong Zi saved him when he was young. Gong Yuan Zheng didn't expect Jin Fan to be so formidable and noticed Shang Guan Qian eavesdropping outside the door. In order to compensate for the misheard information, she claimed to have a way to retrieve the other half. Gong Zi Shang discovered that the book was Gong Zi Yu's mother's medical records and realized that Gong Yuan Zheng intended to use Gong Zi Yu's background against him. Yun Wei Shan asked Lady Wu Ji if she had lost something, and Lady Wu Ji attacked her. From her martial arts, Yun Wei Shan guessed that she was the nameless one.
The personality of the female protagonist is serene and slightly cold. This coldness serves her personal agenda. She doesn't invest herself in this "game" at all. Her goal is not promotion or the satisfaction of completing tasks; it's the longing for freedom, the desire to uncover the truth behind her sister's death, and seeking revenge.
Gong Shang Jue:
Strengths - Highly skilled in martial arts, meticulous in thinking, prioritizes the palace as the first priority, dedicated to protecting the palace and its people throughout life, well-connected with numerous influential allies, receives support from a majority of the palace and its members.
Weaknesses - Proficient in calculations, cold-hearted towards others, ambitious, willing to use any means to achieve goals.
Gong Zi Yu:
Strengths - Emphasizes emotions and loyalty, mentally flexible, naturally talented in martial arts, gentle and kind-hearted, understanding of others, doesn't care about social status.
Weaknesses - Careless and not cautious enough, extremely trusting of others, prone to impulsive decisions when angry, currently weaker in martial arts skills, doesn't prioritize the palace, can be overly naive.
Based on the above descriptions, for the role of Zhi Ren, I choose Gong Shang Jue.
One confusion: Isn't Gong Zi Yu's brother his biological brother? If there are suspicions about their mother having an affair and doubting whether Gong Zi Yu is the biological child of the previous leader, then it should also apply to his brother.
What does it have to do with Gong Zi Yu? In the drama, it's only mentioned that their mother had a lover before entering the palace, but it's not stated that she had any affairs during her time inside.
It's also not mentioned that the brothers are half-siblings. The focus seems to be on Gong Zi Yu's premature birth and their mother's previous lover.
It's quite strange.