Episode 21 recap: Li Yi endured the whipping for Cui Lin.
Li Lai held Prince Liang's decree and informed Li Yi that the Emperor had reappointed him as the Grand Marshal. Cui Yi wanted Li Yi to marry into the Cui family, lead the Cui family's army, and take Cui Lin as his wife. Li Yi told him that he couldn't do it, and Cui Yi beat him severely. Cui Lin noticed his injuries and saw the whip marks all over his back when she helped him remove his clothes.
Chang'er came to report that people from the Zhen Palace had arrived. Lao Bao instructed Chang'er to tell them that the Prince was sleeping. Li Yi told Lao Bao not to send Chang'er, as he couldn't lie and would easily give away the truth. Lao Bao understood that he was being asked to handle the people from the palace, and he agreed, saying that he wanted to eat grilled meat. Li Yi gave his money pouch to Lao Bao, who happily left, promising not to let anyone disturb Li Yi's sleep from outside.
Li Jun ordered the Emperor to punish Li Yi again, but the Emperor was furious. He told Li Jun that all he knew was punishment, and he asked Li Jun who would fight in place of Li Yi. Li Jun was also very angry, thinking that Li Yi had done it intentionally to make the Emperor vent his anger on him. Li Lai told Li Jun that perhaps Li Yi had something he desired deep in his heart, so the Emperor wanted Li Lai to ask Li Yi what he wanted.
Li Lai believed that if he directly asked Li Yi, he might not give a straightforward answer. The Emperor became even angrier, feeling that as Li Yi's father, he should know what Li Yi wanted. Li Lai proposed to persuade Li Yi himself, and the Emperor thought highly of Li Lai's understanding of Li Yi. Li Lai informed Li Yi that he had persuaded the Emperor to return the military power of the Zhenxi Army to him.
However, Li Yi insisted that the military power belonged to the whole nation and couldn't be solely his. Li Lai presented the Emperor's decree appointing Li Yi to lead the army, but Li Yi stated that if he accepted the military power, he had one condition: no withholding of food and supplies. Uluo's leader saved Cui Gongzi's life and told him that it was time for him to serve him. Cui Gongzi acknowledged that Uluo had saved him and restored his health.
However, he couldn't share the military strategy of the Cui family's army with Uluo. Uluo requested his life-prolonging medicine, stating that he wouldn't provide it unless Cui Gongzi helped him. Cui Gongzi assured him that he understood the people of the Central Plains well and knew how to make them fight against each other. If Uluo didn't believe him, Cui Gongzi invited him to go to the Central Plains together to witness how he would repay him.
Cui Yi learned that the Emperor wanted Li Yi to lead troops to attack Changzhou, and he told Cui Lin that he wouldn't show any mercy in this battle. Cui Lin advised him not to hold back and wanted to show Li Yi how formidable Cui Yi was. Cui Lin and Tao Zi strolled through the streets and saw someone who looked very much like Young Master Cui. They followed him to a small alley where many black-clad individuals were lying in ambush. They captured Cui Lin and bound her with iron chains. Cui Lin used their hidden weapons to eliminate those people, and Tao Zi arrived just in time. Lao Bao told Li Yi that he could already see it—Li Yi would definitely be afraid of his wife in the future.
Just then, Lao Bao caught Cui Lin's message delivered by a pigeon. He used the pigeon to threaten Li Yi, who reluctantly handed over his money pouch to Lao Bao. Carrying medicine, Li Yi secretly approached Cui Lin's bedside, and to her surprise, she noticed his presence. Li Yi believed that Cui Lin had already obtained Changzhou, and he couldn't secretly bind her and exchange her for Changzhou. Li Yi brought soup medicine for Cui Lin to drink, and since she disliked the bitter taste, he took a sip himself to see if it was bitter or not.
Cui Lin asked him why he didn't say anything beforehand before drinking it. The medicine was an antidote and had some toxicity. After hearing this, Li Yi pretended to faint, causing Cui Lin to panic and prepare to call for help. Li Yi immediately grabbed her and pressed her down on the bed, kissing her. He asked Cui Lin if the medicine was bitter, as he had tasted it for her. While they were talking, Cui Yi's men arrived and took Li Yi away, suspecting that he had sneaked in to steal their secrets. Cui Yi imprisoned Li Yi in a water dungeon and forbade Cui Lin from stepping out of the room.
Xie Chang Er disguised herself as a soldier from the Cui family's army and met with Cui Lin. Cui Lin felt they needed to find a way to rescue Li Yi. Li Yi sat alone in the water dungeon, speaking to himself, saying that Cui Yi was so fierce, and when he got out, he would definitely elope with Cui Lin. Unexpectedly, Cui Lin agreed to him not far away. Li Yi was astonished that Cui Lin had come, and she helped him escape, but they encountered Cui Yi immediately upon leaving. Li Yi told Cui Yi that he had liked Cui Lin for a long time, and Cui Yi revealed that he wasn't opposed to granting their relationship. He wanted to see if Li Yi could withstand his whip. Li Yi's back was covered in whip marks, but he didn't fall down.
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