Episode Summary
In Episode 20, the conspiracy deepens as He Youguang murders the key witness A-Tu to conceal his role in the death of A Mi Ta's father. During the chaos, his spy and adopted son, Lan Yu, is gravely injured while shielding A Mi Ta, leading to his confession. Just as the lychee mission seems hopeless, a map left by A-Tu reveals a secret mountain path, offering a new solution. Meanwhile, with A Mi Ta in hiding, Zhao Xinmin installs a puppet leader in the merchant guild to cut off Li Shande's resources. The episode culminates with A Mi Ta forming a vengeful alliance with her rescuer, Yun Qing, whose own dark past connects to the court's deepest intrigues.
Spoiler Alert
The Litchi Road Episode 20 Recap: A Secret Path, a Spy's Confession, and a Vow for Vengeance
This Episode , the tangled webs of conspiracy in Chang'an and Lingnan are pulled taut, revealing shocking betrayals and long-buried secrets. A key witness to a decade-old murder is silenced forever, a trusted friend is exposed as a spy, and two women, wronged by the same man, form a deadly new alliance. Just as the lychee mission seems doomed, a posthumous gift reveals a glimmer of hope.
A Showdown of Lies and a Father's Murder Revealed
The simmering conflict between He Youguang and A Mi Ta, the head of the Foreign Merchants' guild, finally boils over. He Youguang, flanked by the calculating Zhao Xinmin, storms the guild, demanding she hand over A-Tu, the sole survivor of the Whale-Riding Tower fire from ten years ago. Cornered, A Mi Ta plays her final card, revealing the truth she has long suspected: He Youguang orchestrated the fire that killed her father, Hai Hu. She recounts how He Youguang manipulated A-Tu into dumping 2,000 shares of "Haifan Chou" stock just before the blaze, a move that financially ruined his rivals and consolidated his power.
When A-Tu is brought forward, he bravely points a trembling finger at He Youguang, confirming the accusation. But just as he reaches for the evidence that would seal He's fate, an assassin's blade, dispatched by He Youguang, cuts him down. As chaos erupts, A Mi Ta draws her sword to avenge her father, but He Youguang, ever the coward, uses his own adopted daughter, Lan Yu, as a human shield, shooting an arrow into his shoulder before making his escape. In the ensuing pandemonium, a mysterious masked figure (sent by Yun Qing) swoops in, rescuing both A Mi Ta and the gravely wounded Lan Yu. He Youguang, furious at the turn of events, orders the city into lockdown with instructions to eliminate all witnesses to the day's bloody events.
A Spy's Confession and a Shift in Power
Lan Yu awakens to find himself under A Mi Ta's care. Wracked with guilt and pain, he confesses his long-held secret: he was bought by He Youguang as a child to spy on A Mi Ta, the woman he grew to love. He swears he never knew He Youguang was responsible for her father's murder, but the betrayal is too deep. With a cold finality, A Mi Ta severs all ties between them.
With A Mi Ta now missing and presumed on the run, the Foreign Merchants' guild is thrown into disarray. Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Xinmin maneuvers his pawn, Xiao Yunchuan, into the position of acting guild leader. The price for this power is steep: a thirty percent cut of the guild's profits for Zhao Xinmin, a deal tacitly approved by the bedridden He Youguang, who sees it as the perfect way to cut off Li Shande's access to resources and sabotage the lychee mission.
A Glimmer of Hope from a Fallen Friend
Devastated by A-Tu's death, Li Shande ensures his adopted daughter, A-Hui, is safely placed in an embroidery workshop. As a parting gift, A-Hui gives him a handkerchief, one of her father's last creations. Unbeknownst to them, the intricate embroidery is not just a pattern but a detailed map of the Dayu Mountains, revealing a hidden secret path—a potential solution to the impossible logistics of the lychee transport. While A-Chai gives A-Tu a traditional Dong burial, a determined Li Shande, along with Yan Yazhuang, begins planning to scout the new route, seeking out the merchant Su Liang to discuss a revised transport strategy.
An Alliance Forged in Blood
The episode flashes back nine years to a bloody night in Pingkang Fang. We learn that Lu Huan, under orders from the Left Chancellor, was sent to eliminate a traitor from the Department of City Security. During his stakeout, he witnessed Secretary Zheng of the department secretly meeting with an envoy of the Right Chancellor, handing over sensitive documents. At the same time, a young orphan, Yun Qing, had been sold to a brothel and, while resisting a client, was brutally beaten. Forced to serve tea to the envoy, she was assaulted, prompting Lu Huan to burst in. He slaughtered the envoy and his guards before eliminating Secretary Zheng. Yun Qing, who witnessed the entire massacre, managed to hide and survive, the event forever shaping her path.
Back in the present, Yun Qing reveals herself as A Mi Ta's rescuer. She offers a pact: she will provide the evidence needed to convict He Youguang for his crimes in exchange for A Mi Ta's help in her own quest for revenge. Two separate paths of vengeance, one born from a father's murder and the other from a night of terror, now converge, setting the stage for a new storm in the capital of Chang'an.
