Episode 38 recap: King Cheng led his troops back to the capital to participate in the grand sacrificial ceremony.
Shen Yu Rong told Shen's mother and Shen Ru Yun to pack their bags and return to their hometown, avoiding the limelight, reminding them not to contact outsiders. Shen's mother was unhappy, as she did not want to return to the remote and impoverished hometown, believing that Shen Yu Rong was daring to go on his own. Shen Yu Rong hinted that there was a change in the capital, and Shen's mother, after hearing this, did not dare to say more.
King Cheng was preparing to return to the capital to offer sacrifices to his ancestors. He sent a memorial to Hong Xiao Di, saying he wanted to offer up captives, so he increased the number of troops to escort them. Jiang Yunbo saw the memorial and thought that King Cheng was planning a rebellion. He was very angry and proposed to strike first. Xiao Heng thought this was not appropriate. He saw that King Cheng's intentions were clear, and believed this matter was reasonable. If the emperor were to act against him because of this, it would just confirm that Hong Xiao Di had persecuted loyal ministers, and the troops stationed outside the city under King Cheng could take advantage of the chaos to attack.
He felt this was not a strategy that King Cheng could have come up with. Ye Shijie was in charge of the grand sacrificial ceremony. When he first took on the role, he was extremely cautious, believing that the sacrificial ceremony was crucial to the fate of the nation, and was fortunate to have the assistance of his colleagues. King Cheng's troops were already on their way to the capital, and Shen Yu Rong went alone late at night. King Cheng praised him for his previous strategic suggestions, believing he was courageous and resourceful, finally understanding why Wan Ning was attracted to him.
Shen Yu Rong felt that he now only lacked the title of "chief strategist", and had already conceived a plan to present to King Cheng, waiting to see if the king was willing to make the sacrifice. King Cheng let him speak freely, and Shen Yu Rong wanted to kill Wan Ning, give a fake to Hong Xiao Di, and thereby enable King Cheng to lead his troops smoothly. Hearing this, King Cheng immediately drew his sword, believing Shen Yu Rong's suggestion was outrageous.
Shen Yu Rong remained calm, believing that King Cheng was not a soft-hearted person, and that to achieve great things, one must be willing to make sacrifices. King Cheng expressed that he could not bear to use Wan Ning's life to secure the imperial throne, but could act out a false scenario. Shen Yu Rong had prepared a strategy, and he would not tell Wan Ning about this, but rather give her a fake death potion, worried that she might blame him afterwards, and hoped that King Cheng would speak on his behalf, to which the king agreed.
Shen Yu Rong proposed a condition, wanting Xiao Heng's fish token. After returning to the capital, Hong Xiao Di publicly issued an edict, rewarding them for preventing the invasion from the north and guarding the Great Yan, deliberately saying he wanted to keep them in the capital after the grand sacrificial ceremony. But King Cheng did not care for these gold, silver, and precious jewels, and pretended that he would return to the north after the ceremony.
King Cheng came to find Wan Ning, and the two siblings reunited. King Cheng accused her of not getting along with Li Zhongnan, knowing that she had been confused by the fake pregnancy. They went to offer sacrifices to their mother, Empress Dowager Liu Guifei. They recalled how Empress Dowager Liu had been plotted against and bedridden in her later years. Before her death, Empress Dowager Liu regretted not having a prominent family background and not receiving the previous emperor's favor. She urged the royal siblings to help each other in the future and find a way to fight for imperial power.
Li Zhongnan did not mind the previous misunderstanding and proactively helped King Cheng propose an attack plan, dividing their troops into four routes. On Xiao Heng's side, Wen Ji and others also made preparations. Xue Fang Fei stated that no matter what happened, she would not give up on Xiao Heng.
Jiang Ruoyao sent a letter home, saying she was doing well in Yongzhou and hoped Mrs. Jiang would take care of her health.
Jiang Yunbai remembered the previous emperor's final instructions to him, appointing him as the Zhongshu Ling, hoping he could help Hong Xiaodi stabilize imperial power. To keep the Jiang family out of danger, Jiang Yunbai deliberately stepped back after Hong Xiaodi personally took charge of state affairs. He felt guilty and powerless about the previous incidents in the Jiang family.
Now that the court was under threat, he should stand up. Mrs. Jiang was pleased, praising him for finally showing the Jiang family spirit. Yang Shi overheard their conversation and told Jiang Yunxing. Jiang Yunxing was worried that King Cheng would blame them if he succeeded, and wanted to pack up and run away. Princess Rui, who had been sent away by Hong Xiaodi, was concerned for Hong Xiaodi's safety and stubbornly returned, threatening to die in order to stay, not wanting to arouse King Cheng's suspicions.
At the sacrificial ceremony, Hong Xiaodi thought about not letting anyone snatch the throne, while King Cheng was thinking about how to seize the throne. Wan Ning recalled that when the previous emperor was alive, she was dissatisfied with him sending her to be a hostage in the vassal state, and had used a pillow to smother the emperor to death. Xue Fang Fei had arranged for Zhao Ke to prepare, but Jiang Yunxing colluded with King Cheng's men, drugging and killing Zhao Ke.
Xue Fang Fei received a letter from Xiao Heng, asking Zhao Ke to accompany her. On the way, Xue Fang Fei discovered that this Zhao Ke was an impostor, and wanted to use this chance to leave, but was knocked unconscious by the fake Zhao Ke and sent to Wan Ning's private prison. Wan Ning wanted to make Xiao Heng and Xue Fang Fei suffer together, hating them for their plot about the fake pregnancy.
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