The Litchi Road : Episode 32 Recap and Spoilers

This episode peels back the layers on Su Liang's past, revealing the source of his deep-seated obsessions, while He Youguang’s endgame is finally laid bare, setting Lingnan on a collision course with rebellion. Alliances are tested, betrayals are set in motion, and a desperate race against time begins as the conspiracy for a new king in the south comes to light.

Key Moments from the Episode:

• Su Liang’s Tragic Backstory: A flashback reveals the heartbreaking story of Su Liang's childhood friend, a young lamb, and how their tragic end at the hands of foreign merchants ignited his lifelong distrust and explains his attachment to a single peacock feather.
• The "Lychee Bond" Gambit: The battle over financing the lychee shipment intensifies. He Youguang preemptively issues his own "Lychee Bonds," but Su Liang actively works to dissuade foreign merchants from buying them. This leads to Captain Yang framing Su Liang and arresting him on false charges.
• A Treasonous Plot Revealed: He Youguang drops his facade of a mad, bumbling official. He confesses to his confidant, Zhao Xinmin, that he has been feigning incompetence for eighteen years while secretly plotting with a powerful noble from Fanyang. His goal: to use the Military Fish Tally to seize control of the navy and declare himself the "King of Lingnan."
• Zhao Xinmin's Ultimate Betrayal: Torn between his loyalty to He Youguang and the safety of his pregnant wife, Zhao Xinmin makes a fateful choice. After learning of the rebellion, he secretly reports the entire plot to Attendant Yu.
• A Feast of Treachery and a Race to Intercept: Attendant Yu moves quickly to counter the threat. He invites He Youguang to a banquet—a classic trap—to stall for time, while dispatching Li Shande with the Right Chancellor's silver token to intercept the navy before it falls under He Youguang's control.

Full Recap

The Peacock Feather and the Lost Lamb

The episode opens with a look into Su Liang’s painful past. As a boy in a poor seaside tribe, his only companion was a small lamb. One day, foreign merchants (Hu Shang) landed their ship and, mocking the desolate shore, tried to persuade the young Su Liang to join them. When one merchant offered a beautiful peacock feather from his hat in exchange for the lamb, Su Liang refused, cherishing his friend above all else. However, after falling asleep on the beach, he awoke to find his lamb gone. He searched frantically, only to find the merchants roasting his friend over a fire. Enraged, Su Liang confronted them and, in a twist of fate, ended up joining their crew as a sailor. The peacock feather, the price he refused for his friend's life, became a memento he has carried ever since.

Chaos in the Lychee Market

Back in the present, the financial scheme to fund the lychee transport spirals out of control. After being sidelined from the official operation by Attendant Yu, a bitter Su Liang watches as He Youguang attempts to hijack the financing plan. He Youguang orders Zhao Xinmin to issue "Lychee Bonds" to the public, but citizens, still wary of a previous "Sea Sail Bond" scam, are hesitant to invest.

Recognizing He Youguang's ploy to fleece investors, Su Liang actively campaigns against the bonds, successfully convincing the influential foreign merchants not to buy in. When Li Shande learns of this, he is wracked with guilt. He knows Su Liang not only sold his own property to help him but is also the only person who knows the secret of the "double-walled urns" needed to keep the lychees fresh. If He Youguang's plan succeeds, Su Liang will be ruined. Li Shande pleads with an enraged Attendant Yu to compensate Su Liang, and Yu reluctantly agrees.

An Eighteen-Year-Old Ambition

The true danger, however, is far greater than a financial squabble. He Youguang receives a secret envoy from a noble in Fanyang county. For eighteen years, he has waited for this moment. He reveals he has acquired the "Military Fish Tally," a token that grants him command of the naval forces.

With his plan in motion, He Youguang needs to neutralize Su Liang's interference. Captain Yang suggests simply arresting him, but Zhao Xinmin, wary of Li Shande's authority via the Right Chancellor's silver token, advises they need a legitimate charge. Captain Yang promptly fabricates evidence, accusing Su Liang of forging five official permits, and has him arrested without a chance to defend himself. With Su Liang imprisoned, Zhao Xinmin corners the Foreign Merchants' Guild, forcing them to purchase the Lychee Bonds.

A Test of Loyalty and a Shocking Confession

Pleased with the bond sales, He Youguang summons Zhao Xinmin for a private meeting. He tests Zhao's loyalty, urging him to flee with his pregnant wife, but Zhao swears he will follow He Youguang to the death. Satisfied, He Youguang laughs and reveals his true plan. He confesses his long-held resentment for the Right Chancellor, who cast him aside for the eunuch Attendant Yu. For over a decade, he has played the fool while waiting for the signal from Fanyang to start his rebellion. His harassment of Li Shande was never personal; it was to prevent imperial officials from disrupting his carefully laid plans in Lingnan. His ultimate goal: to become the "King of Lingnan."

A horrified Zhao Xinmin is forced to choose a side. He feigns allegiance once more, but his first act is to secure his pregnant wife's safety, promising to protect her and their unborn child.

The Trap is Sprung

With his family safe, Zhao Xinmin immediately goes to Attendant Yu and exposes the entire treasonous plot. Realizing the urgency, Attendant Yu devises a two-pronged counterattack. First, he will host a "Hongmen Banquet"—a feast with deadly intentions—to occupy He Youguang. Second, he sends Li Shande, armed with the Right Chancellor's silver token, to intercept the navy before it can be turned.

As He Youguang arrives at the tense banquet, fully aware it's a trap, Li Shande races to the coast. He confronts the naval officers, presenting the silver token and exposing He Youguang's plot to rebel. But his authority is met with a chilling and fatalistic response: the soldiers only recognize orders from the Military Fish Tally.