Episode 19 recap: Wei Zhao Discovers Jiang Ci is Yan Qiaoshuang’s Apprentice
In Episode 19, Pei Yan uncovers that Wei Zhao is the silver-masked assassin responsible for Teng Rui's murder. He also finds the hidden arrow as evidence. Pei Yan plans to take Jiang Ci back to Qingkang to report to Emperor Xie Che of Da Liang, but unexpectedly, the arrow box is stolen, and Jiang Ci goes missing. Pei Yan believes Wei Zhao is behind it all and confronts him directly. When questioned, Wei Zhao feigns ignorance, and despite Pei Yan searching his residence thoroughly, he cannot find Jiang Ci, which only adds to his frustration. As Pei Yan develops feelings for Jiang Ci, he is shocked to learn that she has hidden Wei Zhao’s true identity from him.
Pei Yan and Wei Zhao clash violently after a disagreement, neither willing to back down as they fight fiercely. Yi Fei and Tong Min, who are watching, get into a heated argument while trying to protect their respective masters. Seizing the moment, An Cheng sneaks back to Wei Zhao's place to look for Jiang Ci. Wei Zhao quickly follows, but when An Cheng opens the wardrobe, he finds no trace of her. Infuriated, Wei Zhao forcefully drives Pei Yan away.
Worried that Pei Yan will report his identity to Emperor Xie Che, which would ruin the plan he and his clan have carefully crafted over the years, Wei Zhao becomes increasingly anxious about Jiang Ci’s safety. He sends Yi Fei to locate He Zhenwen and obtain evidence to threaten Pei Yan.
Hearing the fight between Wei Zhao and Pei Yan, Jiang Ci decides she can no longer hide in the wardrobe and quietly climbs to the beams to avoid detection. When Wei Zhao returns, Jiang Ci attempts to descend but accidentally gets her dress caught, falling directly onto Wei Zhao. Their close proximity leaves them both blushing.
Pei Yan is convinced Jiang Ci is hiding in Wei Zhao's room and assigns An Cheng and Tong Min to keep a close watch on him. Meanwhile, Cui Liang personally escorts Jiang Ci out of the city, urging Pei Yan to let her go. Already suspicious of Cui Liang, Pei Yan forbids him from leaving Changfengwu. After losing the evidence against Wei Zhao, Pei Yan worries that Wei Zhao will seek out He Zhenwen for the account books, so he sends someone to monitor He Zhenwen.
Jiang Ci returns the hidden arrow to Wei Zhao, eager to reunite with her master. Wei Zhao suspects Pei Yan has set a trap in his home and gives Jiang Ci a set of men's clothes, promising to find an opportunity to help her escape from Nanling. Jiang Ci pulls out a small clay cat she made, and without hesitation, Wei Zhao snatches it from her, wanting to keep it as a memento.
As Jiang Ci and Wei Zhao share a room, both feel a sense of sadness at the thought of their uncertain future. Meanwhile, He Zhenwen, imprisoned in the dungeons of Changfengwu, vows to make the Pei family pay dearly for his son He Yonglin’s fate. Pei Yan urgently seeks the account books from the Armory Department, but He Zhenwen flatly refuses to hand them over. Pei Yan anticipated this and has people waiting outside the city. He Zhenwen sends the account books of Lu Yu and Rong Yu Die to Qingkang, but An Cheng and Tong Min intercept the courier and seize the books. Unexpectedly, another masked figure arrives and snatches away a different account book.
Pei Yan dispatches his men to retrieve the account books from Lu Yu and the Armory Department, suspecting that Wei Zhao’s men have taken the other one. His instincts prove correct as Yi Fei, acting on Wei Zhao’s orders, successfully steals the account books from Rong Yu Die and the Armory Department. With leverage against Pei Yan now in his possession, Wei Zhao decides to bide his time, first writing a confidential letter to Emperor Xie Che, reporting the arms dealing by the Armory Department without revealing the mastermind behind it.
Xie Che received secret reports and suspected that the Pei family was colluding with the Armory Department, so he sent people to surround the Jian Ding Marquis residence. The steward rode through the night to rush to Nanling and urged Pei Yan to return and take charge of the situation. Pei Yan, not daring to delay, hurried back to Qingkang overnight.
Seeing Pei Yan ride away, Wei Zhao realized that he would definitely report Lu Yu's account books to the court in order to save his mother, Rong Yu Die. Thus, he decided to first take Jiang Ci to Yuzhou before returning to participate in the city lord election in Yue Luo.
Jiang Ci couldn't sleep at night; she gazed at Wei Zhao's handsome face in a daze and eventually fell asleep beside him. When Wei Zhao woke up the next morning, he found Jiang Ci tightly hugging his neck, calling out for her master. Startled, he froze in place. Yi Fei came to report the investigation results, and Wei Zhao quickly wriggled out of Jiang Ci's embrace and jumped up in surprise.
Yi Fei went to Yuzhou to investigate and finally learned about Yan Qiao Shuang's whereabouts. However, the people from Changfengwu had also gone there to gather information, which alarmed Yan Qiao Shuang, causing her to disappear quickly. Yi Fei discovered that Yan Qiao Shuang had been living with a girl in Jiangjia Village for a long time, but two months ago, the pair suddenly vanished, and their residence had been burned down. Wei Zhao was stunned; he hadn’t expected that the murderer he had been searching for, Yan Qiao Shuang, was actually Jiang Ci's master. After much consideration, he decided to take Jiang Ci to Yuzhou first.
Pei Yan rode back to Qingkang as fast as he could, presenting the account books that linked Lu Yu with the Armory Department to Xie Che. He tactfully mentioned He Zhenwen’s corruption and the Pei family's bullying behavior. Xie Che praised Pei Yan and told him to return home to accompany Rong Yu Die.
Braving the heavy rain, Pei Yan sought out Rong Yu Die for accountability, but she avoided him. He knelt outside, allowing the rain to pour down on him relentlessly.
Meanwhile, Wei Zhao brought Jiang Ci to Yuzhou, but after waiting several days at the designated spot without anyone arriving to meet her, he felt guilty and asked Yi Fei to find someone to pose as the contact.
Comments(Episode 19)