Episode 29 recap: King Kang has kidnapped the eldest princess.
King Kang informed the emperor that the crown prince and crown princess had fabricated a pregnancy to deceive everyone in their pursuit of the throne. King Kang believed that the eldest princess intended to have Emperor Shang Yi Zhi succeed to the throne, and Minister Zeng was also instigated by her. He felt that the eldest princess was targeting him. The eldest princess went missing, and Shang Yi Zhi and A Mai were searching for her everywhere.
As soon as the emperor woke up, he saw King Kang by his bedside, which startled him. He asked King Kang why he had come to attend to him when he had specifically instructed him not to. King Kang replied that he was afraid the emperor would wake up thirsty, so he brought a bowl of tea for him to drink. After the emperor moved away, King Kang told him that he had wanted to visit him several times, but Grand Eunuch Gao had been blocking him.
Upon hearing this, the emperor became anxious and asked King Kang what he had done to Grand Eunuch Gao. King Kang said he knew how important Grand Eunuch Gao was to the emperor and that he had merely let him sleep a little longer. After listening, the emperor hurriedly walked to the door to leave, but to his surprise, King Kang had locked it. The emperor had no choice but to sit on a stool and ask King Kang what he wanted.
King Kang told him that he was the one who truly cared for him. He informed the emperor that the crown prince and crown princess had pretended to be pregnant together in their quest for the throne, deceiving everyone. The emperor found this hard to believe, so King Kang told him that he had evidence. He confronted the crown prince with the evidence, and the crown prince chose death over revealing the truth. The crown princess followed suit.
King Kang informed the emperor that there were rumors spreading throughout the court, and he told the emperor that in order to secure the foundation of Nanya, he should pass the throne to him. The emperor asked King Kang why he should pass the throne to him, and King Kang believed that since the crown prince was dead and Yuer was not of the emperor's bloodline, who else should he pass it to if not him? Just as they were speaking, Grand Eunuch Gao arrived with his men. The emperor told King Kang that he intended to pass the throne to Qi Huan.
King Kang returned to his residence feeling extremely angry. He believed that as the emperor's own son, the throne should have been passed to him. He thought that all of this was orchestrated by Princess Shenghua, otherwise the emperor wouldn't have considered passing the throne to Qi Huan.
King Kang felt that the eldest princess might be tired of living, so he wanted to kidnap her. Pang Shi advised King Kang against it, explaining that such an action would only serve as a wedding garment for someone else.
King Kang didn't understand Pang Shi's words and questioned whether Pang Shi was on his side or on the side of the eldest princess. Pang Shi told King Kang that he had once thought of him as a wise ruler, but now it seemed that it was all his wishful thinking. King Kang asked for clarification, and Pang Shi said that he finally understood why the emperor had chosen to pass the throne to an outsider. This enraged King Kang, and he threw Pang Shi into the dungeon.
The maid of the eldest princess informed her that bringing Lin Ze Rou into the residence ahead of time was a clever move. Upon hearing this, the eldest princess felt that it was not wrong for her to surrender first. She decided to buy some pastries that Shang Yi Zhi liked and coincidentally, Shang Yi Zhi was also going to buy pastries for her.
When Shang Yi Zhi returned to the residence, he discovered that his mother was missing. A Mai instructed them not to make a fuss and to search for the eldest princess first. Pang Lao was murdered in the prison, and A Mai accompanied Shang Yi Zhi in the search for the eldest princess throughout the night. The eldest princess and her maid were locked in a courtyard, but the maid assured her not to worry as Shang Yi Zhi would surely come to rescue her.
The eldest princess expressed her concern, as she suspected that the person who kidnapped her had targeted Shang Yi Zhi. When the eldest princess saw King Kang approaching, King Kang asked why she wasn't surprised to see him. The eldest princess told him that besides him, this despicable person, no one in Nanya would treat her this way.
She informed him that if he intended to use her to blackmail Shang Yi Zhi, he was gravely mistaken. King Kang told the eldest princess that since he left the residence, Shang Yi Zhi's people had been following him. The eldest princess stood up and warned King Kang that if he dared to harm Shang Yi Zhi, he should give it a try.
King Kang cautioned the eldest princess to be careful, as it could result in the loss of loved ones. The eldest princess reminded him of who she was. Shang Yi Zhi was her son, the beloved one in her heart, while King Kang was the son rejected by the emperor, always living in the shadow of his elder brother. The eldest princess told him that even if he believed he had a firm grasp on the throne today, he should honestly ask himself which minister in the court truly believed in him.
The ones actually doing their job are Prime Minister Lin and the Princess. The Crown Prince ruined himself. The Second Prince is cunning, selfish, and lacks virtue and talent. Shang Yi Zhi is love-struck and foolish.
A Mai is solely focused on seeking revenge, disregarding the stability of the court and the nation. The Emperor manipulates politics, is ruthless, cunning, and suspicious. In the end, he even kills the counselor who plotted against the Second Prince, using the Second Prince against the Princess.
It's a thorough exploration of human nature. Only the alliance between the Marquis's Manor and the Prime Minister's Manor, with both military power and influential ministers, not to mention Shang Yi Zhi's royal bloodline, can have the most advantageous position in the situation.
Only then can they resolve internal troubles. Often, a country's downfall begins with internal strife. Without internal corruption, there will be no external chaos.