Episode 39 recap: Shen Yu Rong led his troops to besiege Xiao Heng in the city tower.
The dazed Zhao Ke woke up and heard Jiang Yunxing talking to himself, learning that Wanning had kidnapped Yang's descendants to threaten him, and he had no choice but to do as Wanning demanded. Chengwang told Wanning not to move Xue Fang Fei for the time being, as he wanted to use Xue Fang Fei to lure Xiao Heng and exploit his weakness.
Wanning believed this was not the time to be distracted by Xiao Heng, and Chengwang was worried that Xiao Heng might find out the real cause of Xiao Minhan's death, so he wanted to deal with Xiao Heng quickly before it caused major trouble. Wanning assured Chengwang that as long as Xiao Heng came to rescue Xue Fang Fei, she would not let him leave alive.
Xiao Heng was arranging the defense lines in the palace when Zhao Ke hurriedly came to tell him about Jiang Yunxing's situation. Xiao Heng was worried about Xue Fang Fei's safety and prepared to go to the princess's residence personally, asking Lu Ji and the others to be on standby. General Xiao appeared and believed that as the commander, Xiao Heng should not leave the battlefield, and he was willing to go rescue Xue Fang Fei himself.
Shen Yu Rong had a maid deliver a stew to Wanning, deliberately delaying to find Xue Fang Fei. Wanning was relieved, thinking Shen Yu Rong had seen the light, and drank the stew happily. Shen Yu Rong demanded to rescue Xue Fang Fei, but Xue Fang Fei sympathized with Wanning's plight and accused Shen Yu Rong of betraying her.
Shen Yu Rong became emotional, believing that everything was forced upon him by Wanning. Xue Fang Fei mocked his fear of death and pretended to agree to leave with him, but Shen Yu Rong attacked her from the side, knocking her unconscious. After drinking the stew, Wanning suddenly vomited blood, and she suspected that Shen Yu Rong had poisoned her.
As heavy rain fell, Shen Yu Rong carried the unconscious Xue Fang Fei out and saw Wanning standing in the rain outside. Heartbroken, Wanning questioned Shen Yu Rong if he had ever loved her. Shen Yu Rong told her about Chengwang's scheme, believing she was just a pawn who would be used when needed and abandoned when not.
Completely disappointed, Wanning took off the hairpin Shen Yu Rong had given her and stabbed it into his chest twice, using her last bit of strength to tell him she would wait for him in hell. Stunned, Shen Yu Rong watched Wanning collapse on the ground.
Shen Yu Rong took Xue Fang Fei away, and she woke up but was too weak to resist. She accused Shen Yu Rong of being selfish and heartless. Shen Yu Rong believed he had avenged her by killing Wanning, but Xue Fang Fei hoped he would commit suicide. Enraged, Shen Yu Rong took out a fish symbol, indicating he would kill Xiao Heng.
The banquet proceeded as usual, with singing and dancing in the grand hall.
General Zhang Wei was stationed outside the palace, waiting to receive orders from the Crown Prince. Xu Zhi rushed in with evidence, accusing Zhang Wei of colluding with the Northern border to plot a rebellion, and ordered the soldiers to arrest him. The soldiers remained indifferent, and Zhang Wei was pleased, as he had known all along that Xu Zhi was a spy, and had intentionally let them think his plan had succeeded.
Shen Yu Rong handed Wan Ning's body over to Li Jin, who thought they were just acting, but upon realizing Wan Ning was truly dead, he was secretly delighted. Shen Yu Rong instructed him to proceed according to the Crown Prince's original plan, and have Wan Ning's body brought to the main hall. Shen Yu Rong had his men watch over Xue Fang Fei, as he wanted to deal with Xiao Heng.
After Shen Yu Rong left, the Old General Xiao came to rescue Xue Fang Fei, and Lai Biao and the others also received the signal to come help. Hong Xiao Di received news and prepared to leave with the excuse of accompanying Princess Liwei, but was deliberately stopped by the Crown Prince. Liwei stayed behind to appease the Crown Prince, allowing Hong Xiao Di to leave smoothly.
Li Jin rushed to the main hall carrying Wan Ning's body, loudly accusing Hong Xiao Di of killing her. The Crown Prince, seeing Wan Ning's body, did not have time to grieve, and declared he would execute divine judgment. When a minister disbelieved and criticized the Crown Prince, he was killed by the Crown Prince's sword. Li Zhongnan took the lead in following the Crown Prince, and the others had no choice but to obey.
The Crown Prince's men signaled Shen Yu Rong, who used a fish token to force the Dragon Guard commander Yang Qing to open the city gates, allowing the Crown Prince's men to enter. Chu Lan's men charged in, but were defeated by Wen Ji and Si Tu Jiuyue's joint efforts. Lü Ji escorted Hong Xiao Di to leave from the West Palace gate, but was blocked by Li Zhongnan's men, until Jiang Yuanbai's timely arrival.
The Crown Prince ordered to capture Hong Xiao Di, but Xiao Heng blocked him. Old General Xiao escorted Xue Fang Fei to see Xiao Heng, as she planned to help him. Xiao Heng was surrounded by the Dragon Guard alone, and Shen Yu Rong ordered the archers to take aim, believing Xiao Heng's appearance had stolen Xue Fang Fei's heart. Xiao Heng had already prepared to fight to the death, with no intention of surviving.
Comments(Episode 39)