Are You the One Episode 25 Recap, Plot

> Are You the One
> Are You the One Recap

Cui Xingzhou secretly ordered someone to follow Liu Miantang. On the day of the spring hunt, knowing that Liu Miantang was planning to take action, he began to protect her from the shadows. Liu Miantang quietly sneaked into the woods where the spring hunt was taking place. Seizing the moment when Prince Sui was off guard, she deliberately aimed an arrow to kill him. Unfortunately, her first arrow missed the vital spot.

She attempted to shoot another arrow, but Ziyu arrived and grabbed her hand, reminding her that the opportunity had been lost and that any further delay could cost her life. Ziyu then pulled Liu Miantang away to escape, with pursuers close behind. Fortunately, Cui Xingzhou intercepted the pursuers just in time, giving Ziyu and Liu Miantang enough time to flee. Cui Xingzhou rode up to Prince Sui and deliberately claimed that the arrow Liu Miantang had shot was his doing.

Prince Sui believed him and became furious, demanding that Cui Xingzhou be arrested and punished. However, Cui Xingzhou was well-prepared. He threatened that if Prince Sui tried to arrest him, he would expose Prince Sui’s secret purchases of iron ore to make weapons, a matter that the Empress Dowager would not take lightly. This revelation struck a nerve with Prince Sui, and he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Ziyu then secretly placed Liu Miantang under the protection of Shi Xueji, allowing her to escape danger. Shi Xueji finally got to meet the woman who had captured Ziyu’s heart. She marveled at Ziyu's keen eye for beauty, while Liu Miantang, in turn, recognized Shi Xueji's intelligence and her deep feelings for Ziyu. Liu Miantang intentionally remarked that she wished she could meet someone she could trust, just as Shi Xueji had.

After the spring hunt, Ziyu took Liu Miantang to climb a mountain. At the mountaintop, as they watched the sunrise, Ziyu asked Liu Miantang if she had made her choice. He hoped that one of the reasons she had returned to the capital was because of him. Liu Miantang replied with a smile that her return was solely for revenge.

She acknowledged that since she had failed this time, Prince Sui would likely tighten his defenses, making a second attempt even more costly. Ziyu promised to protect her with all his might, but Liu Miantang told him to let go. She said that if the first chance was missed, things would no longer be the same, and she knew that Ziyu was someone who understood how to weigh his options.

Back then, he had tolerated Sun Yuner because she was under Prince Sui's influence, and he hadn’t wanted to offend Prince Sui, which is why he had allowed Sun Yuner to harm Liu Miantang. Their paths were different, and Liu Miantang left the capital with her uncle and a few companions in a carriage. Cui Xingzhou stood on the city wall, watching the silhouette of Liu Miantang's carriage as it faded into the distance. He did not chase after her.

Knowing that after this departure, it was uncertain when they would meet again, Cui Xingzhou focused on his important task—convincing the former subordinates of Prince Sui on the border to pledge their loyalty to the emperor. Ziyu sat under the begonia tree in the Crown Prince's residence, lost in thought for a long time.

Finally, he made a decision to marry Shi Xueji as his empress, thereby also winning over Shi Yikuan from the Ministry of War, effectively reclaiming half of the military power. Shi Xueji, of course, knew that Ziyu’s heart was not with her. When she heard that she would be named empress, she was quite surprised. On the day of their grand wedding, she couldn’t help but ask Ziyu why he had chosen her.

Ziyu candidly replied that, as the daughter of a general, she would naturally understand the bigger picture and be entirely loyal to the emperor. Shi Xueji felt a coldness in her heart, realizing that the emperor had chosen her not out of love but after carefully weighing the pros and cons. That night, Ziyu excused himself, saying he had memorials to review, and left on his own. Cui Xingzhou arrived in the northwest and met with Prince Sui’s former subordinates.

They were all old and cunning, outwardly claiming they wouldn’t get involved in the palace disputes, but in reality, each harbored ulterior motives. Cui Xingzhou remained calm, using a strategy of first suppressing and then encouraging them, deliberately expressing support for their decision.

Episode 24 Recap

Episode 26 Recap

Related Posts