Episode Summary
Prime Minister Gao sacrifices himself to help General Gu Yu escape the palace, dying by the Dragon Throne. Xiao Wenjing reveals he is alive to the Iron Mo Envoy and secures an alliance by proving Gu Yu is also alive. Yan Fengshan holds Xie Huaian captive, but his grip on power slips as the Iron Mo Envoy turns neutral. Xie Huaian vows to kill both Yan Fengshan and his maid for the death of his sister.
Spoiler Alert
The Vendetta of An Episode 18 Recap: The Prime Minister's Last Stand
This episode hits the ground running with some heavy emotional beats and major power shifts. We start with a quiet, desperate moment between Prime Minister Gao and Gu Yu. Gao drags himself on a small cart to Gu Yu’s hiding spot. It’s a humble scene. They keep their voices down. Gu Yu is thankful for the food Gao has been sneaking him for the past month.
Gao feels guilty. He admits he judged Gu Yu wrongly back when Xiao Wuyang took the throne. But living in the shadows together changed his mind. He sees Gu Yu’s loyalty now. They bury the hatchet. It’s a nice moment, but in this show, nice moments usually precede something terrible.
The Prince Returns from the Dead
The Iron Mo Envoy gets settled into his room at the Tiger Guard quarters. He barely steps inside before he gets an axe to the face. Well, almost. A masked man holds him at knifepoint. It’s Xiao Wenjing. He’s been learning new tricks and hiding in the room all day.
The Envoy doesn’t recognize him at first. Then Wenjing peels back half his mask. The Envoy loses his composure. Everyone thought Wenjing died in a fire. Seeing him alive and operating this stealthily is a massive shock to the system.
But the Envoy isn’t stupid. He knows Yan Fengshan still controls the heavy military. He asks Wenjing why he should switch sides. Wenjing doesn’t argue. He just takes him to another location.
The White Kiss Tiger Lives
This is the turning point. The Envoy sees Gu Yu in the flesh. The leader of the White Kiss Tiger is alive. This changes the math completely. Wenjing points out that the White Kiss Tiger forces are still in the capital. As long as their general breathes, Xiao Wenjing has an army. These soldiers are tough and smart. They can beat Yan Fengshan.
Gu Yu steps in with a warning. A second catastrophe is coming for the court. They need to take out Yan Fengshan. If the Iron Mo tribe helps Yan, they will get wiped out too. The Envoy listens. He realizes betting on Yan might be a suicide mission.
A Visit to the Past
Yan Fengshan tries a psychological play. He takes his prisoner, Xie Huaian, to the place where Bai Wan used to live. Xie wakes up and sees his sister’s old room. He gets emotional. Every object reminds him of her.
Yan’s maid, Zhiying, brings a basin of water. Yan told her to be polite. Xie washes his face and asks a simple question. Did Zhiying help kill Bai Wan? She admits it. She mentions how she used the story of Bai Wan’s brother to manipulate the situation.
Xie Huaian doesn’t scream. He just says she has to die. Zhiying feels a chill. She’s seen what Xie can do. She knows this isn’t an idle threat. Her days are numbered.
The Morning After
The sun comes up, and Yan Fengshan gets bad news. The Iron Mo Envoy sends a message. He rejects Yan’s conditions. He says his army won’t retreat, but he’s vague about helping. Yan knows something happened last night. Someone got to the Envoy.
We then learn the cost of that meeting. Prime Minister Gao didn’t just visit Gu Yu to chat. He gave Gu Yu his clothes and the cart to help him escape. Gao stayed behind to draw fire. He crawled to the Dragon Throne in the palace. The soldiers turned him into a pincushion. He died covered in arrows right next to the seat of power.
The Eunuch’s Tribute
The Emperor’s head eunuch cleans up the mess. He sees the blood by the throne and sighs. He finishes cleaning and goes to the corner where Gao used to sit. He pours a cup of wine on the floor. It’s a silent funeral.
Yan Fengshan walks in on this. He sees the wine. He puts the pieces together. He asks if Gu Yu was hiding under the manhole cover right there. It explains why his men couldn’t find Gu Yu for a month. He was right under their noses in the palace. Yan is furious, but he doesn’t kill the eunuch yet. He thinks holding Xie Huaian is enough insurance.
Yan goes back to see Xie. Xie is clean and dressed in new clothes now. Yan tries to act like they are old friends. He compliments Xie on wiping out his elite guards. He asks Xie to spare just one person: the maid, Zhiying.
Xie shuts him down cold. He says Zhiying dies. And Yan Fengshan is on the list too.
