Episode 18 recap: Jiu Ling went to the Jingshan Mountains to gather herbs, while Rong Jiang conspired with the Regent Prince to harm the He family.
Yan Gongzi came to find Jiu Ling and said he wanted to talk to her. Zhan Ping and Cheng Bi spoke, but Cheng Bi ignored him. Zhan Ping was reminded of He Shan. Rong Yu held a knife and pondered in secret. Suddenly, he remembered something and hurriedly went to find Jiu Ling.Yan Gongzi called Jiu Ling to a remote area and asked her if she killed Song Da Ren. Jiu Ling denied it, but Yan Gongzi recognized the knife used to kill him as Jiu Ling's. It was a custom-made weapon specially crafted for Jiu Ling by Qing Xi at the time. Jiu Ling no longer concealed the truth and asked him what he wanted. She declared that she would kill him along with the others. After saying that, Jiu Ling pressed the knife against Yan Gongzi's neck.
Yan Gongzi closed his eyes and offered himself to be executed. He said he would help Jiu Ling with whatever she wanted. If she wanted revenge, he was there to atone. Rong Yu couldn't find Jiu Ling anywhere, so he hurriedly went to the hunting grounds to search. When he saw the Regent Prince, he suddenly predicted that Jiu Ling was going to assassinate the Regent Prince, and the Regent Prince had already set up an ambush. When Jiu Ling saw Rong Yu, she took him back to their residence. Rong Yu told Jiu Ling not to go hunting the next day, and Jiu Ling, seeing his anxiety, reluctantly agreed.
The next morning, Rong Yu woke up and found Jiu Ling was no longer by his side. He heard that Miss Jiang from the Regent Prince's family had called Jiu Ling away, so Rong Yu hurriedly went out to search. At that moment, Miss Jiang was lecturing Jiu Ling in the identity of Princess Xihe, saying that she was ignorant of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and couldn't fit into the circle of noble ladies in the capital. Therefore, she wanted to teach her. Jiu Ling grabbed her wrist and told her to come along obediently. She wanted to teach Miss Jiang how to respect others first. Jiu Ling fed Miss Jiang a sleeping potion and planned to use the time to assassinate the Regent Prince. However, the Regent Prince had already laid a trap and was waiting for the assassin. Just as he was about to shoot an arrow at Jiu Ling's ambush location, Rong Yu arrived on horseback with Zhan Ping, causing the Regent Prince to order his men to stop shooting arrows.
Rong Yu rushed over, and the Regent Prince was puzzled as to why he had come. Just as he was about to send Rong Yu back, Rong Yu disagreed because his rank was higher than the Regent Prince's. Helpless, the Regent Prince had to return to the hunting grounds with Rong Yu. Rong Yu saw Jiu Ling and hurriedly ran over to examine her, inspecting her from head to toe until he saw that she was unharmed, finally feeling relieved.
From then on, Rong Yu stayed with the Regent Prince at all times, leaving Jiu Ling with no opportunity to take action. Even at night, when Jiu Ling tried to secretly escape while Rong Yu was asleep, Rong Yu had placed a bell in her boots.
Wang De Quan came to invite Jiu Ling and Rong Yu, saying that he wanted to reward them with gifts. Jiu Ling went inside to speak with the emperor, while Rong Yu absentmindedly fed the rabbits outside.
Jiu Ling felt guilty because she didn't get the military token. The emperor told her not to blame herself, as getting the token was not an easy task. When discussing the conflict between the Regent Prince and the Yan family, Jiu Ling suggested that the emperor could consider reusing Yan Lie. The emperor didn't understand because Jiu Ling was supposed to hate the Yan family the most. Jiu Ling helplessly said that she had learned how to survive in hatred.
The emperor told her that if staying by Rong Yu's side was difficult for her, he could help her leave. However, Jiu Ling expressed that when she was in trouble, Rong Yu helped her, and the emperor knew she was someone who valued gratitude and loyalty. Still, the emperor believed that he would be able to help Jiu Ling in the future.
He Jiu Ling was still working on developing an antidote for Rong Yu. Cheng Bi came to report that the Immortal Vine Grass she was looking for was located in Jingshan and needed to be harvested before sunrise the next day for the best effect. Jiu Ling prepared to go to Jingshan, but she was very worried about Rong Yu. She repeatedly advised and instructed him, but Rong Yu also expressed his desire to go with her. Jiu Ling knew that the road to Jingshan was difficult and dangerous, so she naturally refused to take Rong Yu with her.
At midnight, Jiu Ling quietly got up and, accompanied by Cheng Bi and A Tan, hurried to Jingshan. She faced numerous hardships but finally managed to gather the Immortal Vine Grass. On the way back, they rested and ate dry rations. Jiu Ling wanted to fetch water for everyone, but she saw the Regent Prince's carriage parked near an ancient tomb on the mountain. Jiu Ling felt it was a good opportunity to get rid of the Regent Prince. She was about to throw a dart when she overheard a conversation between the Regent Prince and someone else. The Regent Prince mentioned that his subordinates were either dead or rebellious, and the Yan family had already been exiled to the Shu region. During the hunting grounds event, the Regent Prince had predicted that someone was planning harm against him, but later he remained unharmed. Could it be that the divination was inaccurate? Jiu Ling heard a familiar voice and then saw Rong Jiang emerging from behind the tombstone.
Rong Jiang told the Regent Prince that it was not inaccurate; it was Rong Yu's appearance that resolved the omen. The Regent Prince asked Rong Jiang to continue divining and blessing him, saying that he could help him with whatever he wanted to do. Rong Jiang angrily stated that if He Jiu Ling dared to poison Rong Yu, he would make the entire He family accompany him to their graves.
After hearing this, Jiu Ling's eyes blazed with hatred, and the water in the bamboo tube spilled all over the ground.
Leaving aside other matters, Zhizi is innocent. His sister-in-law is still pregnant, and the child hasn't even had a chance to see the world yet. Even if the entire He family is guilty, the child is innocent. Your nephew is a human being, and your nephew is precious.
Isn't the child of someone else innocent too? When they grow up, they will also be cherished by their parents.