Episode 20 recap: Pei Wen Xuan's surprise for Li Rong was ruined.
In order to surprise Li Rong, Pei Wen Xuan expended great efforts, covering the entire Butterfly Valley with a vast array of fresh flowers, creating a sea of blossoms, and positioned himself within it to play the zither while awaiting his beloved. However, unbeknownst to him, Li Rong had a plan in motion and was unable to keep the rendezvous. She led a group to the Butterfly Valley, only to be ambushed by assassins on the way.
Outside, the scene descended into chaos, with the sound of slashing cutting through the air. Jing Mei and Jing Lan were deathly pale with fear, but Li Rong remained calm and composed, even riding a red-clad horse to rush towards the Butterfly Valley amidst the pandemonium. In the nick of time, Pei Wen Xuan was injured while trying to save Li Rong, and the flower-filled valley had transformed into a sea of blood, deeply saddening him.
Due to Pei Wen Xuan's injury, Li Rong habitually served him soup, their interactions appearing affectionate on the surface, but upon closer inspection, they were bickering. Pei Wen Xuan subtly probed whether Li Rong appreciated the romantic gesture he had painstakingly prepared, even though Su Rong Qing had cultivated Li Rong's beloved peonies in the past life, Pei Wen Xuan knew Li Rong preferred the golden bird flower.
That night, the two harbored their own thoughts and began making their own preparations. Li Rong's case had reached its final stage, and she deliberately showcased a crate of gold in court, using the pretext of someone attempting to bribe her, to publicly convict 78 officials, with over 40 being demoted, more than 20 exiled, 7 executed, and some committing suicide to avoid punishment.
In contrast, Pei Wen Xuan had selected a lush, mountainous Butterfly Valley to surprise Li Rong, and through immense effort, had covered the entire valley with golden bird flowers, creating a dazzling sea of gold. Likewise, Li Rong had also deployed ambushes in the Butterfly Valley, and Su Yao immediately reported to her when he saw Pei Wen Xuan's flower-carrying entourage.
However, Li Rong believed that Pei Wen Xuan had discovered her actions against the powerful families and was secretly preparing to assist her. Li Rong personally went to confront Pei Wen Xuan, revealing that she already knew about the Butterfly Valley, and Pei Wen Xuan, seeing no other choice, proceeded with his plan and extended an invitation, which Li Rong readily accepted.
During dinner, Li Rong was in high spirits, while Pei Wen Xuan was filled with anxiety, worried that his performance the next day might disappoint Li Rong. So Pei Wen Xuan stayed awake all night, only changing into his attire at dawn, and with his beloved ancient zither, waited in the flower-filled valley for Li Rong's arrival.
Li Rong, knowing that Pei Wen Xuan had taken his elite forces away, was even more confident in her plan for the day. She then led Jing Lan and a sizable entourage with many guards towards the city outskirts. As expected, assassins were already lying in wait along the way, and Li Rong, hearing the chaos and sounds of slaughter outside, promptly rode a red-clad horse alone to lure the assassins into the previously set ambush.
At this moment, Pei Wen Xuan was plucking the strings of his zither, when he heard Tong Ye come running to say that there were assassins nearby. He immediately ran in the direction of Li Rong. Just as Li Rong was dismounting her horse to evade the hidden weapons, Pei Wen Xuan had already caught her in his arms. By the time he reacted, the assassins were engaged in battle with the guards, and the two groups were clashing, turning the golden bird flower sea he had painstakingly cultivated into a sea of blood.
Seeing the flower sea and his zither destroyed, Pei Wen Xuan was heartbroken, yet he still stood in front of Li Rong to shield her from the assassins' attacks, sustaining multiple knife wounds. Li Rong then ordered the detonation of explosives, supporting Pei Wen Xuan as they hid in a previously prepared mountain cave. However, Pei Wen Xuan resisted letting Li Rong tend to his wounds, his face visibly worsening.
In their conversation, Li Rong unexpectedly learned that the flower sea was a surprise Pei Wen Xuan had prepared, and not something he had arranged to lure out the assassins. When Li Rong saw the broken-stringed zither, she was at a loss, until Shang Guan Ya's urging prompted her to chase after Pei Wen Xuan with the zither.
Pei Wen Xuan was visibly saddened, expressing that he now understood why Li Rong had resisted love in the past - because she must have had someone she cared for, and thus would lose her composure. He openly revealed Li Rong's feelings, believing that she knew his thoughts and sentiments but refused to reciprocate, pretending not to know and continuing their so-called friendship, unashamedly accepting his affection while viewing him as a schemer. This made him feel humiliated and exhausted, defeated and without dignity.
After Pei Wen Xuan left, Li Rong returned to the flower sea with the zither, ordering the guards to first take the captured assassin for interrogation. At that moment, the brothers Su Rong Hua and Su Rong Qing hurriedly arrived, with Su Rong Qing reminding Li Rong to be cautious, assuring her that the Su family or the Ministry of Justice would protect her if needed.
The leader of the assassins, Lin Fei Bai, the deputy hall master of the top mercenary organization Seven Star Hall, was captured alive. Li Rong personally negotiated with him, requesting that they betray the person who hired them. Once the task was accomplished, Li Rong would sell a plot of land from her fief to the Seven Star Hall, without them needing to pay. This would allow the Seven Star Hall to establish a base on Li Rong's fief, which she could then protect them with her authority.
After some hesitation, Lin Fei Bai revealed that the employer was Minister of Justice Xie Lan Qing. Without any hesitation, Li Rong immediately issued a kill order. As Li Rong left the Supervisorate, Shang Guan Ya came to interrogate Lin Fei Bai again, whose attitude had changed completely.
Seeing Shang Guan Ya displeased, Su Rong Hua took the initiative to comfort her, and at Li Rong's instruction, personally escorted her home. Shang Guan Ya, still busy with official duties in the Supervisorate, was concerned about the emotional turmoil between Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan. Su Rong Hua helped explain, believing that Pei Wen Xuan and Li Rong were not well-suited.
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