Episode 22 recap: Rong Er was drugged and thrown into a fire.
Li Qi was on patrol when he was informed that an eunuch had escaped from the Shen Xing Court. He urgently led a team to pursue him. In the Imperial Garden, Xiao De Zi, with no other option, took the Empress Dowager hostage and told Li Qi that he was not a thief, but had been framed. Li Qi assured him that he believed him, and asked him to release the Empress Dowager first. Xiao De Zi said that if he released her, he would be killed, as he had been severely tortured in the Shen Xing Court and forced to confess to theft. He hoped Li Qi could rescue him. Rong Er then took the opportunity to hit Xiao De Zi on the head with a stone, rescuing the Empress Dowager, but Xiao De Zi was killed by the guards.
Puyi asked Li Qi about the progress on the Feng Gong. Li Qi said that many treasures had gone missing from Feng Gong, and an eunuch from Jing Ren Gong had provided some information, but his investigations had yielded no results. Puyi was puzzled that a cold palace could have such turmoil, and told Li Qi to continue the investigation.
The Tai Ji Dian took back the authority over imperial meal provision. Jing Yi Tai Fei brought people to Rong Hui Tai Fei's Chong Hua Gong, demanding that Rong Er be sent to the Tai Ji Dian to cook for the Emperor. Rong Hui Tai Fei refused, angry that she had to go to Puyi to find out if this was the Emperor's idea or Jing Yi Tai Fei's own. However, she accidentally spilled water and scalded her hands. Rong Er hurriedly arranged for her to go to the Imperial Hospital, but the doctors had all gone to attend to Puyi, who had vomited blood. Rong Er had no choice but to go to the Imperial Hospital herself to get the medicine.
Qian De Hai was secretly taking precious medicines from the Imperial Dispensary to sell outside the palace. Rong Er urgently asked him to get medicine for the Empress Dowager, but Qian De Hai, remembering Su Gong Gong's instructions, said he had to deliver medicine to Puyi and had no time for the Empress Dowager. Rong Er had to go to the Imperial Dispensary herself to get the medicine, but was drugged and fell unconscious.
After Puyi had calmed down from his fit of anger and vomited blood, he learned that Rong Hui Tai Fei had fainted, and urgently sent the doctors and Li Qi to go visit her.
Chandler notified Gong Gong that he had drugged and bound Rong Er in the storeroom, and asked how to handle her. Gong Gong said he would go take care of it himself. Li Qi noticed that Rong Er was not in the Taiping Palace, and only after asking Qing Er did he learn that Rong Er had gone to the Imperial Pharmacy to get medicine over an hour ago and had not returned. Li Qi went to the Imperial Pharmacy to look for Chandler, but was told that Rong Er had already taken the medicine and left. Li Qi searched all over the palace but could not find Rong Er.
Duoluo Ma and Li Yumei were worried something had happened to Li Qi since he had not returned home from his leave, so they took Li Qi's jade pendant and went to the palace to look for him. Wu Tian had the old lady who saved his life go check near Rong Er's home and found that Rong Er had gone back into the palace. Knowing Rong Er's temperament, he was worried she would continue investigating the theft case, which would put her in danger again.
Gong Gong carried Rong Er out from where Chandler was holding her. Li Yumei and Duoluo Ma saw a eunuch carrying Rong Er into the Jianfu Palace, but couldn't make out that it was her. They then saw the eunuch pouring oil and starting a fire at the palace gate, at which point they realized something was wrong and urgently called for help. Liu Shouguide had been worried about Rong Er's safety since she had been in the palace for days, and suddenly saw the palace in flames. He quickly woke up Liu Er to go help put out the fire in the palace.
The fire in the Jianfu Palace grew larger and larger. Outside the palace gates, the Nationalist government and foreign fire brigades waited to enter and help put out the fire, but were blocked by the palace guards. Puyi feared they would loot like the Eight-Nation Alliance, so he first had the palace staff try to put out the fire. But the palace staff were not able to control the flames, which threatened to spread to other palaces. The Empress Dowager urged Puyi to let the outside fire brigades in to help. Finally, Puyi agreed to allow them to enter the palace and assist in putting out the fire.
Comments(Episode 22)