Episode 22 recap: Rong Jiang was escorted out of the Rong residence by Rong Yu, who became the new head of the Astrology Pavilion.
Jiuling was taken to the outskirts where several assassins were preparing to bury her alive. At that moment, Zhan Ping arrived on a fast horse, and just as the assassins were about to bury Jiuling, she struggled and fought back against them. The assassins, frustrated and enraged, attempted to kill Jiuling with their knives. Rong Yu and his men arrived and rescued Jiuling from the assassins' blades. Jiuling saw a faint smile on Rong Yu's face.
Upon learning that Rong Yu had awakened, Rong Jiang hurriedly came to visit him. Rong Yu told Rong Jiang that he already knew everything. Jiuling had conspired with treacherous individuals and, for personal gain, caused the death of an important member of the He family. Was this the path the Astrology Pavilion was meant to follow? Rong Jiang responded that everything he had done was for Rong Yu's sake. Given the circumstances, did Rong Yu want to sacrifice himself in atonement?
With tears streaming down his face, Rong Yu told Rong Jiang that he couldn't understand how he had become the person he was now, rebellious and deserving of punishment. Rong Jiang angrily stated that Rong Yu had turned against him for a woman, and if he wanted to kill him, he should go ahead and try! Rong Yu acknowledged Rong Jiang's role in raising him and the debt he owed to his father. How could he bear to kill Rong Jiang? However, he couldn't pretend that none of this had happened. He respected Rong Jiang and displayed his father's inheritance, promising that he would send Rong Jiang away in the future. He would bear the burden of Rong Jiang's guilt. As the ultimate successor of the Astrology Pavilion, once he steered the pavilion back on the right track, he would willingly accept punishment.
Rong Yu officially became the ninth-generation successor of the Astrology Pavilion, determined to rebuild it with the assistance of the other astrologers. Rong Jiang refused to admit his own mistakes and continued to shout that it wasn't his fault as he departed. Rong Yu deeply knelt as he watched Rong Jiang's departing carriage, knowing that it was their final farewell as uncle and nephew.
The Regent Prince berated his subordinates angrily, calling them a bunch of useless people. At that moment, someone delivered a letter to him, leaving him pensive. The Regent Prince visited the Rong residence and inquired about Rong Jiang's whereabouts. Rong Yu informed him that Rong Jiang was suffering from a serious illness and had gone elsewhere to recuperate. The Regent Prince found it suspicious and realized that Rong Yu was standing up for Jiuling.
Rong Yu stated that he was about to visit the Ministry of Justice to clear his wife's name, as the accusation of her setting fire to the Astrology Pavilion was baseless. The Regent Prince stormed out of the Rong residence, feeling that Rong Yu was merely putting on an act. Furthermore, he discovered that the people he had sent to guard the gold mine in another region had been intercepted and killed by unknown assailants.
Rong Yu and the Regent Prince clashed in the Bao Chao Hall, angering the Emperor. The ministers involved in capturing Jiuling were terrified and submissive. Jiuling greeted Rong Yu at the door and he informed her that everyone involved in framing her had been punished. However, everyone believed Jiuling was already dead. Jiuling interrupted Rong Yu, expressing her concern for his health and stating that nothing else mattered except being with him.
Rong Yu reminded her, with mixed emotions, not to forget that they had already divorced. Once she recovered from her injuries, she should leave this place and go to Nanjiang or Xun Nan. Everything would be better once she left. Jiuling thought that Rong Yu had taken too much medicine and forgotten their time together. However, Rong Yu insisted that, on the contrary, he had remembered everything. He admitted that they had started off on the wrong foot, but he would gradually make things right.
As Jiuling tearfully watched Rong Yu's departing figure, Cheng Bi grew worried about her. Jiuling told Cheng Bi that she couldn't continue to burden her and advised her to return to Xun Nan. Cheng Bi wondered why Jiuling wasn't going to Xun Nan with her. Jiuling said that this place was her home and she wanted to stay. She asked Cheng Bi to convey an apology to her martial brother.
Disguised, the Emperor visited Jiuling and was heartbroken to see her emaciated. He told Jiuling that she had risked her life and burned the Astrology Pavilion. Rong Jiang was driven out of the Rong residence, and his lackeys had disappeared during her imprisonment. The Emperor believed they were getting closer to their desired goal.
Having grown up under Jiuling's protection for so long, it was time for Rong Yu to step up. He urged Jiuling to rest and leave the rest to him. The Crown Prince was waiting in Xun Nan to meet the Xun Nan King and expressed his intention to take his sister away. However, the Xun Nan King didn't pay him any attention, asking why he wanted to take the princess away to Xun Nan, where she could receive treatment if she fell ill and be buried if she died. Was there anything wrong with that? The Crown Prince accused the Xun Nan King of causing Jiuling's severe illness, but the Xun Nan King denied it, stating that he had mistaken the person responsible.
Atan advised Jiuling not to stay at her house and return to the Rong residence. Jiuling believed that she had done too many wrongs to Rong Yu and couldn't face him anymore. However, Atan's words made Jiuling reconsider. In the Rong residence, the Regent Prince discovered a spy and found the Jade Token in their possession. Holding the Jade Token, he realized it was a sign from the Emperor and angrily muttered that he had been too lenient with the young Emperor.
Rong Yu opened the pavilion for teaching, but Jiuling brought her own birth chart to have Rong Yu read her marriage fortune.
Uncle was a bit ruthless, but I just can't bring myself to hate him. The child he raised, the one who was so good and precious, was his only family, the only inheritor and hope. But he was poisoned and driven to madness, and he didn't hesitate to gamble the lives of his entire family, all for the sake of eloping.
If it were anyone else, could they remain calm? Uncle and his whole family were completely destroyed, weren't they?