Episode 22 recap: Liu Cheng Feng poisoned Cui Yi.
Li Yi cooked soup for Cui Lin, and Cui Lin drank it happily. Li Yi then said he also wanted to taste if it was sweet or not. Cui Lin told him to serve himself if he wanted to drink. While Cui Yi was reading a letter, she suddenly coughed up blood and died. Young Master Cui, who had returned from the dead, believed that Li Yi killed Cui Yi. He ordered everyone to capture Li Yi and kill him to avenge Cui Yi.
Cui Li was tied to a big tree for three days and three nights, shouting if anyone was there and to come and rescue him. A Shu came with a pot of water to give him a drink, and he was surprised to see the person clearly. Young Master Cui also approached him, and he didn't realize that Young Master Cui was not Cui Lin. He kept calling for Cui Lin, and Young Master Cui slapped him and told him that he was not Cui Lin but Liu Cheng Feng.
Liu Cheng Feng asked A Shu to feed him the poison made by Jie Shuo. Cui Li realized that the person in front of him was definitely not from the Cui family. The Cui family and the Jie Shuo clan had been enemies for generations, and they couldn't be working together. Liu Cheng Feng told him that he had just fed him poison and if he didn't help him, he would slowly wait for death.
Chang Er and Tao Zi were eating wild fruits by the riverbank. Chang Er asked Tao Zi about Li Yi. Tao Zi told him that Cui Yi had whipped Li Yi thirty times, and Chang Er was somewhat worried. Tao Zi assured him that it would be fine because their General was a tough person with a soft heart and wouldn't make things too difficult for Li Yi.
Chang Er said, "I see. So the Cui family's soldiers are all tough on the outside but soft-hearted." Tao Zi punched him and told him that she was tough herself. Liu Cheng Feng tied himself to a tree and instructed Cui Li that when Cui Yi arrived, he had to cooperate with his act. Cui Li agreed, and he asked Liu Cheng Feng to give him the antidote later.
When Cui Yi arrived with people, she saw Cui Li holding a sword to Liu Cheng Feng's neck, and Liu Cheng Feng looked helpless. Cui Yi picked up an arrow and shot it towards Cui Li, rescuing Liu Cheng Feng. This was exactly the outcome he wanted. It allowed him to understand Cui Li and reintegrate himself into the Cui family's army.
Li Yi was cooking soup for Cui Lin when Tao Zi asked him to step aside and let her do it. However, Li Yi insisted that she could handle it. Just as she was about to scratch her back, Cui Lin arrived. She told Li Yi not to scratch and sat beside him. Li Yi served the cooked soup to Cui Lin, who asked if it was sweet. Cui Lin told him it was okay.
Li Yi said he also wanted to taste if it was sweet or not. Cui Lin told him to serve himself if he wanted to drink. Li Yi then said he wanted to taste if the medicine was bitter or not and leaned in to kiss Cui Lin. Cui Lin stopped him with her hand, and indeed, Cui Yi was standing nearby watching them. Cui Yi brought Cui Lin to visit Liu Cheng Feng, and Liu Cheng Feng was very happy to see Cui Lin again.
After Cui Lin finished talking to Liu Cheng Feng, she came to find Li Yi. Li Yi was unhappy that Cui Lin spent so much time visiting Liu Cheng Feng. He told Cui Lin that he didn't like Liu Cheng Feng because he was untrustworthy. He hadn't settled the score with him for betraying the Guan Pass last time.
Cui Lin said she would instruct the kitchen staff to bring Li Yi a bowl of vinegar to drink tonight. Li Yi hugged Cui Lin and said it was okay, he would take a sip and then feed Cui Lin a sip. Li Yi was about to kiss Cui Lin, and Cui Lin tried to dodge, but Li Yi thought it was a good opportunity since Cui Yi wasn't there.
Cui Yi found Liu Cheng Feng and told him that she had been too selfish before. From now on, Liu Cheng Feng could revert to his original name, and he could reclaim his ancestral heritage. And in the future, she would find a good girl for Liu Cheng Feng to marry and have children with.
When Liu Cheng Feng heard this, he became murderous. He brought medicine for Cui Yi to drink. Cui Yi was very curious about why it was him who brought the medicine. Liu Cheng Feng told her that it was something he should do. Shortly after Cui Yi finished drinking the medicine, Li Yi came to discuss matters in Changzhou with her. They had only said a few words when Cui Yi coughed up blood and fainted.
Liu Cheng Feng stopped Li Yi and told the soldiers of the Cui family that if anything happened to Cui Yi, they should kill Li Yi. Liu Cheng Feng ordered his men to kill Li Yi, but Cui Lin stopped them. She felt that they hadn't figured out the whole situation yet and couldn't kill him.
Liu Cheng Feng insisted on killing Li Yi, but Cui Lin held her sword to Liu Cheng Feng's neck and demanded that he let Li Yi go. Tao Zi arrived at the camp of the Zhenxi Army, and she came to discuss this matter with Li Yi.
Li Yi asked her if Cui Yi was poisoned or something else happened. Tao Zi told him that Cui Yi was poisoned. Liu Cheng Feng told Cui Lin that Cui Yi had said they should marry, but Cui Lin didn't believe that Cui Yi would say such things.
Liu Cheng Feng quickly arranged for them to get married. On their wedding day, Cui Lin found out that it was Liu Cheng Feng who had poisoned Cui Yi.
After watching up to episode 16, I feel that the male lead's love is too submissive, almost becoming a "simp." The female lead has been using him from the beginning, even the people around her.
The male lead saved the female lead and the second male lead, only to be betrayed by the second male lead in return. The plot didn't mention how many people died, it only said that more than half of the Zhenxi Army died, which must be over ten thousand people.
Aren't other people's lives valuable? I don't understand what kind of character would save someone who just saved their life, only to later take a knife and kill them.
He claims to be righteous, doing it to save his own father, but does his father really need saving? The female lead keeps acting high and mighty, blaming the male lead! Honestly, even a normal person, not just a "simp," wouldn't go and save someone a second time!
Cui Lin is truly the most outstanding character in the entire drama. She has been wise since childhood, and the unwavering love from her parents gives her confidence.
She becomes a young general, pursuing her passion, and serves in troubled times to bring peace to the world. When she encounters a more suitable male lead, she actively supports him.
She remains emotionally stable and never places her hopes solely on others. She is exceptional in her own right and believes in her friends and subordinates. She embodies the ideal image that all women aspire to have.