Episode 20 recap: Wei Zhao Takes Jiang Ci to Moonset City
In this episode, Jiang Ci has been anxiously waiting for several days when an elderly woman finally arrives to meet her. Her master, aware of the dangers in the martial world, worries that Jiang Ci might be deceived and instructs her to use a small clay cat as a signal. Jiang Ci makes her own clay cat, but it gets snatched away by Wei Zhao. After arriving on Yuzhou Island, she intends to retrieve it.
When Jiang Ci deliberately presents her handmade clay cat as a signal, the elderly woman quickly sees through her ruse, forcing Jiang Ci to show the real clay cat. The woman falsely claims that Jiang Ci's master has gone to Moonset City to find her, and Jiang Ci believes her. In reality, this is part of Wei Zhao's plan, as he had previously instructed the woman on how to distinguish the fake from the real clay cat, successfully deceiving Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci gifts her handmade clay cat to Wei Zhao, who agrees to take her to Moonset City. Meanwhile, the Emperor of Daliang, Xie Che, sends a secret letter with Wei Zhao, tasking him with monitoring Lu Yu in Liangzhou. To prevent Jiang Ci from meeting her master, Wei Zhao secretly swaps the clay cats and even breaks Jiang Ci’s handmade version.
Early the next morning, Wei Zhao takes Jiang Ci out and intentionally bumps into her, causing her package to fall. When she picks it up, she discovers the clay cat is broken, and Wei Zhao offers her comforting words.
Pei Yan kneels for a day and night until Rong Yu Die finally agrees to see him. Eager to learn why Rong Yu Die is hiding gold, silver, and weapons at Bihua Mountain Manor, Pei Yan is surprised to hear that Rong Yu Die wants him to become emperor to escape the control of Emperor Xie Che. However, Pei Yan is reluctant to betray the court.
Rong Yu Die reveals the battle armor worn by Pei Zijing during his last fight, stained with blood. Pei Zijing fought for the court for many years before dying on the battlefield. Rong Yu Die wants to prevent Pei Yan from sharing the same fate and explains the stakes involved. Pei Yan is heartbroken as Rong Yu Die, willing to sacrifice his own reputation, falsely claims to be Emperor Xie Che's biological son. Pei Yan shows little interest in wealth and the throne, but Rong Yu Die is convinced he can persuade him to change his mind.
Meanwhile, Lu Yu is stationed at the border of Daliang in Liangzhou. He learns that his and the Armory's accounts have been submitted to the court by Pei Yan. The Daliang Emperor Xie Che sends someone to take his eldest son out for a stroll, resulting in the boy catching a cold. Lu Yu realizes this is Xie Che's way of intimidating him and feels desperate. If not for his son being held as a hostage in Qingkang, he would have already revolted. Lu Yu has one last card to play: he has placed an undercover agent in Moonset City, and if that person successfully becomes the city lord, Moonset City will be within his grasp. With the help of the Wei state’s military, Lu Yu could overthrow Emperor Xie Che.
As Wei Zhao takes Jiang Ci toward Moonset City, she is captivated by the beautiful scenery along the way. Excited at the thought of finally meeting her master, her mood lifts. Jiang Ci casually mentions that her master had been to Moonset City before and still reminisces about the unsweetened porridge. Wei Zhao, curious, asks about her master, but Jiang Ci doesn't have much information to share.
### Title: Arrival at Moonset City
As Moonset City comes into view, Elder Ping Shu arrives to meet Wei Zhao and informs him about Lu Yu's undercover agents in the city. Wei Zhao and Jiang Ci change into local attire, and the three of them walk to Moonset. A Le greets them and invites them to his home for a meal. A Le’s grandmother, who is blind, uses bone divination on Wei Zhao and cautions him to proceed with caution.
A Le realizes that Jiang Ci is from Daliang, where people from Moonset are often sent as slaves. The people of Moonset harbor deep resentment toward Daliang, and A Le forcefully tries to drive Jiang Ci away. However, his grandmother quickly intervenes to stop him, leading A Le to storm out of the house in frustration. Wei Zhao encourages Jiang Ci to enjoy her meal.
Suddenly, Yu Lian arrives with a message for Wei Zhao, prompting him to take Ping Shu outside to discuss it. Yu Lian has discovered that Lu Yu intends to support his own loyalists to become the city lord, but he lacks the white jade hairpin that the former lord left behind as a token. Wei Zhao decides to use the jade hairpin as bait to flush out the internal traitors in Moonset.
Yu Lian recognizes Jiang Ci as the person who disrupted her assassination attempt at Fanglin Garden and plots to kill her. Wei Zhao claims he needs Jiang Ci to help find Yan Qiao Shuang, forcing Yu Lian to abandon her plan. A Le’s grandmother explains to Jiang Ci how Wei Zhao saved A Le, who was captured and made a slave in Qingkang. He fought back fiercely and was nearly beaten to death by the guards, but Wei Zhao intervened and rescued him.
The grandmother performs a bone reading for Jiang Ci, predicting that she will find a loving partner. A Le inadvertently spots Lu Yu’s soldiers coming to Moonset and sets a trap, ensnaring them in a net. However, outnumbered, he is eventually caught. A Le is surrounded and beaten by the guards, and Wei Zhao grits his teeth in anger, eager to rush in to save him.
Jiang Ci quickly grabs some Heartbinding Grass, crushes it, and applies it to a machete. She runs over to plead for A Le, scolding him fiercely. In a moment of desperation, she stabs A Le with the machete to gain the guards' attention, asking them to release him.
The guards, captivated by Jiang Ci's beauty, attempt to take advantage of her. In response, she spits out a piece of Heartbinding Grass into one guard's hand, falsely claiming it to be poison. She warns him that if he doesn’t wash it off immediately, he will die. Terrified, the guards flee in a hurry.
Wei Zhao pulls the machete from A Le's chest, and Jiang Ci helps him bandage the wound. Wei Zhao instructs Ping Shu to focus all efforts on finding the traitors within Moonset and to temporarily set aside the matter of Yan Qiao Shuang. He also asks Yu Lian to keep an eye on Jiang Ci.
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