Episode 15 recap: Xiao Dou Zi rescued his adoptive fathers, while Nan Gong Yao hosted a banquet to receive them.
Xiao Dou Zi noticed the token left by his adoptive father on Nan Gong Yao's sleeve, and asked about the result of the pretended disaster victims. Nan Gong Yao said that the three men would be executed the next day. Xiao Dou Zi insisted on disguising himself as an eunuch or a servant to go with them, but Nan Gong Yao refused, asking Xiao Dou Zi to rest and recover first.
After Nan Gong Yao left, Xiao Dou Zi started worrying about how to get out of the palace, as they were under house arrest with guards stationed outside. Just then, Su Ruo Mei and Zhuang Yang Yang mockingly greeted them outside. Xiao Dou Zi was not angered, but instead came up with a plan. He had Mei Yu Shan claim that the Crown Prince had just visited and given them gifts and snacks. The two, annoyed, entered the room to check, and were knocked out by Xiao Dou Zi, who then used their clothes to deceive the guards.
At night, the two secretly ran to the palace gate, only to find multiple checkpoints. Seeing the Crown Prince's carriage pass by, Xiao Dou Zi, familiar with the layout of the East Palace, led Mei Yu Shan to the East Palace stable, where they each hid in a carriage.
Early in the morning, Xiao Dou Zi's three adoptive fathers were being forcibly dragged to confess and prepare for execution before they had even woken up. Xiao Dou Zi, hidden in Nan Gong Yao's carriage, had already left the palace. Nan Gong Yao had originally planned to deal with some matters first before heading to the execution site in the afternoon, but Xiao Dou Zi, as if telepathically aware, kept urging Nan Gong Yao to hurry to the yamen to save the men.
Bai Ye had foreseen the Crown Prince's danger and sent guards to the yamen. Nan Gong Yao and Xiao Dou Zi arrived just in time to hear about the impending execution. Xiao Dou Zi rushed into the yamen, where Shen Yu was about to torture the three men. Xiao Dou Zi stepped forward, intercepted the wooden stick, and pleaded their innocence, explaining that the incriminating items found in their belongings actually belonged to the accuser, and that the three men had an alibi for the night in question. Shen Yu, unaware of Xiao Dou Zi's identity, reprimanded him for disrespecting the court, but dared not say more after receiving a look from Nan Gong Yao.
The crowd of people was growing larger, with a few individuals inciting the masses and demanding that the heads of three thieves be chopped off. A soothsayer also arrived at the scene, claiming that the current crown prince was destined to fall in love with Princess Sheng Dong, a harbinger of the kingdom's downfall. When Mei Yu Shan and Xing Shi rushed to the government office, the crowd had already started breaching the office's defenses. Mei Yu Shan prepared to protect Xiao Dou Zi, nearly getting struck by a collapsing drum that was being used to make a plea, but Xing Shi stepped in to block it, getting his hand pierced by a drum nail and bleeding profusely.
The crowd descended into chaos, and a man in black clothes slid a dagger out of his sleeve, approaching Nan Gong Yao. Dong Xi noticed and kicked the man away, but he persisted, grabbing a wooden stool to strike down. Xiao Dou Zi shielded Nan Gong Yao, getting knocked unconscious. Guards quickly surrounded the man in black, who then took poison pills to commit suicide. Nan Gong Yao carried Xiao Dou Zi back to the office, and Shen Yu rushed to apologize. Fortunately, Nan Gong Yao was unharmed, and Xiao Dou Zi bore no grudge, only urgently inquiring about the wellbeing of the three "godfather" figures. Shen Yu and Nan Gong Yao were both amazed, and after Xiao Dou Zi explained the situation, Shen Yu quickly brought the three men to meet Xiao Dou Zi.
Shen Yu hosted a banquet to calm the three men's nerves, preparing some exquisite cold dishes, but the three, accustomed to coarse fare, demanded large fish and meat. Nan Gong Yao agreed, and Shen Yu replaced the dishes. As they ate and chatted, the three men finally explained the backstory of their impersonation as disaster victims, unaware of Nan Gong Yao's identity, and freely joked around. Xiao Dou Zi could no longer hold back and revealed his status as the crown prince. The three men were terrified, realizing Xiao Dou Zi could become the crown princess, making them the future emperor's in-laws, and they tremblingly returned to their seats, mechanically answering Nan Gong Yao's questions.
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