Episode 13 recap: King Jing and Mei Lin Under Siege
In Episode 13, Yan Di issues a decree allowing Yin Luo Mei to choose her own husband. Overjoyed, she approaches Mu Rong Jing He, hoping he will fulfill the promise he made in the past. However, Mu Rong Jing He sees her only as a comrade; his heart belongs to Mei Lin.Heartbroken upon learning this, Yin Luo Mei feels devastated.
Meanwhile, Mu Rong Xuan Lie discovers that Yin Luo Mei intends to marry King Jing. Consumed by rage, he even contemplates murder. Qing Yan, noticing this, advises Mu Rong Jing He to show weakness in front of Yan Di in hopes of regaining Mei Lin’s freedom.
However, Qing Yan misunderstands Mu Rong Jing He’s feelings. He’s not worried about Mei Lin ruining the plan; rather, he is deeply in love and unable to let go.
On the day of the Spring Hunt, Mei Lin secretly changes her outfit to avoid meeting King Jing and heads to the West Mountain mine. At the same time, Mu Rong Xuan Lie plots in the shadows, releasing prisoners of war from the West to eliminate Mu Rong Jing He during the hunt.
Mu Rong Jing He pretends to go missing, but his real intention is to search for Li Qing at the West Mountain.
During the hunt, Mu Rong Jing He appears disinterested, and Yin Luo Mei quickly realizes he is rejecting her. Princess Zi Gu, skilled in archery, challenges Yan Di to a contest, asking for a wish if she wins. Although Yan Di is a superior archer, he feigns weakness until the last moment to secure the win. Zi Gu’s innocence touches Yan Di, making him realize that confining her to the palace would be unfair.
While navigating the hunting grounds, Mu Rong Jing He unexpectedly spots Mei Lin but witnesses the noblemen treating her disrespectfully. He intervenes just in time, but this scene is caught by Yin Luo Mei, who is patrolling the area.
To prevent their plan from being exposed, Mu Rong Jing He forces Mei Lin to act intimately with him, leaving Yin Luo Mei heartbroken as she walks away.
On her way, a disguised assassin posing as a prisoner suddenly attacks, but thanks to hidden guards, she is protected.
Mu Rong Jing He, worried about Mei Lin's safety, increased the number of guards to protect her. Meanwhile, Yin Luo Mei ventured alone to the area where the red foxes were known to appear. She reminisced about the time she hunted red foxes with Mu Rong Jing He, recalling how she had once wished that if she saw a red fox, they would be together for life—yet that wish had not come true.
Mu Rong Xuan Lie appeared and suggested a plan to Yin Luo Mei: if she could win first place in the spring hunt, it would delay her marriage. Although he desired to marry her, he respected her choice, and this sincerity touched her. Just as they were talking, the red fox appeared. Yin Luo Mei gazed at it and thought of Mu Rong Jing He, finally deciding to let go of her hopeless feelings.
On her way to the West Mountain, Mei Lin accidentally overheard Mu Rong Xuan Lie's conspiracy and felt a surge of anxiety. Meanwhile, Mu Rong Jing He found himself cornered by the prisoners of war at the edge of a cliff, ready to jump. At that moment, Mei Lin arrived just in time, and the two of them fell into a deep pool together, narrowly escaping disaster.
To protect Mei Lin, Mu Rong Jing He was bitten by a poisonous snake, forcing them to continue their journey together. Yan Di learned that the prisoners had infiltrated the spring hunt estate and ordered the mountains to be sealed off to search for Mu Rong Jing He, assigning the task to Yin Luo Mei. Mu Rong Xuan Lie secretly instructed Yang Zhen to buy time, intending to make Mu Rong Jing He disappear completely.
Mei Lin supported the poisoned Mu Rong Jing He as they struggled to reach Zhong Mountain. Due to the snake venom, Mu Rong Jing He lost consciousness and even lost control of his bladder, which filled him with shame, leading him to lash out at Mei Lin. She fashioned a stretcher from branches to carry him to a small cabin in the mountains.
As night fell, Mu Rong Jing He soaked in a medicinal solution to detoxify, while Mei Lin stayed by his side, sharing the good news of his impending recovery.
Mu Rong Jing He reflected on his difficult years living as a cripple, filled with resentment. He confessed that he couldn't be as good a person as Mei Lin, but for the sake of exposing the truth about Qingzhou, he was willing to pay any price, even his life.
Hearing this, Mei Lin's resolve to stay by his side grew stronger.
Comments(Episode 13)