Huan Zhu Ge Ge Season 2 Episode 3 Recap

First of all, I’m so sorry for whoever has been patiently waiting out for this, these few weeks I’ve seen my page count slowly creep up and each time I keep on reminding myself to revisit this project because it just hurts my heart to see that no one has recapped the second series yet alone subbed it all. As for why the delay- life gets in the way, first in was uni life including those awful final exams and then it was technological failure- I know. My less than 1-year-old computer died which had my draft versions for the next few episodes which were yet to be moved to blogger and well my computer died I lost them (RIP).

Actual Recap:

The second episode ended with Xiao Yan Zi getting into a fight with Meng Dan.

Cue resume fight but before they even get started Er Kang tells them off as its inauspicious for them to be fighting on the opening of Liu Hong and Liu Qing hostel.  Xiao Yan Zi instead asks to bring the fight outside and provokes Meng Dan akin to everyday asking a person if they’re a ‘chicken’, be warned Xiao Yan Zi is going to create another drama and it’s up to the gang to stop her from running amok. It’s amazing how a crowd just seamlessly gathers outside as the two start to trade moves but it becomes increasingly obvious that Xiao Yan Zi is no match for Meng Dan, on the side the gang speculate as to the ethnicity of Meng Dan recognizing him as a Uyghur. The battle ‘concludes’ or at least it would’ve if Xiao Yan Zi wasn’t so stubborn by retaliating by throwing every object in the vicinity at Meng Dan. As Xiao Yan Zi gets hoisted up (hehehe sacrificial position here) Yong Qi/5^th Prince acts (yay OTP) to save her but in response Meng Dan’s men join in to help him and hence so do the gang.

Amazing how they were able to pull such a crowd

(Summarising a bit here) Everyone starts fighting, Zi Wei and Jin Suo on the side are trying to break up the fight with words of wisdom but they fall on deaf ears. Our lovely servants are petrified that their masters are going to be hurt and thus they’re going to get caned having to account for them back in the Palace (ahh love them). Er Kang and 5^th Prince duke it out against an injured Meng Dan, no prizes for who loses (sorry). It’s only when Meng Dan starts bleeding that everyone stops, he takes medicine and thanks them but passes out right after Xiao Yan Zi commends him for his great martial arts. He receives treatment from Liu Qing and Jin Suo who ponder as to how he became so greatly injured but they receive no help from Meng Dan’s men. Meng Dan wakes up gets praised for his kungfu, throw a bit of Xiao Yan Zi misunderstanding hearing that Meng Dan is a ‘ginger’ person and you have all the ingredients for a blossoming friendship with the gang. Meng Dan then requests for them to keep his identity a secret only for Xiao Yan Zi to turn it into a bargaining tool for him to become her teacher. The gang then leaves to return back to the palace.

Kids when you're fighting against an opponent that you cannot beat, a good idea is to not throw everything within the vicinity at them

Ahh poor servants

The Gang! I found it quite hilarious seeing 5th Prince in the background peering over to see

OTP

Back at the palace, the Empress Dowager is still at a loss for the events that took place in her absence (have to agree with her there the events of season 1 were quite bizarre even for the Forbidden City). She turns to the Empress to ask why she didn’t stop the Emperor from conferring the rank of ‘princess’ so easily only to be baffled (literally) to hear that her words were of no importance to the Emperor. Even Rong MoMo (that bitch) gets her turn to giver her two cents on the two princesses to get sympathy points for the Empress and to the Dowager, these are just the words she’s been wanting to hear and this pretty much solidifies her disapproval of the two princesses. Unfortunately for her, Xia Yuhe (Zi Wei’s mother) has already passed away but at Rong MoMo’s suggestion there should be other people in Jianan who can testify to Zi Wei being born out of wedlock (remember this guys because this is going to crop up later in the series).

Zi Wei and Er Kang continue to have problems regarding their overtly (in those times) public courtship, they have a private heart to heart led by Er Kang about his relationship with Qing Er and a matter concerning Jin Suo. But once she learns the truth of Qing Er and Er Kang’s once engagement… well let’s just stay she doesn’t handle it rationally with her cool head that we’re used to and to that she also develops an inferiority complex. That leads to the dreaded ‘do you trust me question’ and when Zi Wei can’t give a straight answer, Er Kang whips out the marriage solution which has Zi Wei gushing to tell him that she trusts him- I swear Er Kang and 5^th Prince should play this card more often because it’s bound to work most if not all the time.

Back at Shu Fang Zai, Min Yue and Cai Xia inform the gang that they’ve been requested to attend the Empress Dowager’s banquet. As much as Xiao Yan Zi wants to refuse the Dowager’s invitation, 5^th Prince reminds her that even the Emperor dares not to refuse her banquets.

Poor Concubine Ling and 5^th Prince and having to fend off the Dowager’s critique and questions respectively, even the Emperor’s good words have little stance. The excuse is Fu Jia or Fu’s home (aka Minster FuLun’s home or Er Kang’s home) but because Xiao Yan Zi was the one who saw 5^th Prince mouth the words out to the point where he had to ‘whisper’ she misread/heard it as Pu Sa which means Buddha (facepalm). 

A worried Concubine Ling versus a suspicious Empress

First picture: Emperor- this is my pretending I'm angry look 

Ahhh my 5th Prince has to fend off the Dowager's questions

They're here!

Arriving in spectacular fashion as always

Pu Sa?

FU JIA (Fu's home)
Shen Me? (What)

 And when she asked to tell the Dowager where she went she says it so confidently all the while we know she’s digging herself a very big grave and when 5^th Prince goes to word it out once more, she’s even more confident that she understood him correctly but elaborating on her Buddha story (massive facepalm). This only makes the Dowager even more furious as she clearly knows that Xiao Yan Zi is lying to her face, all the while you really just can’t wipe the grin off the Empress’ face juxtaposed against the worry on Concubine Ling and 5^th Prince who send Qing Er pleading looks. Fortunately Qing Er is just so loveable by helping them out once again but this time the Dowager remains stern in her hardline approach as she orders Gui MoMo and Rong MoMo to punish them on her behalf by taking them to the ‘darkroom’. .

FACEPALM as she recounts the 'Buddha' story

Now she gets told otherwise

One happy Empress

I coincidently captured and realised how awesome 5th Prince is in this shot. Isn't he so adorable

 And of course, Xiao Yan Zi doesn’t sit still patiently waiting to be punished, the girl’s got attitude and resists in every way possible including hitting the MoMos when they proceed to slap her. Poor thing, even the Emperor got upset at her for her rudeness and out of line behavior so 5^th Prince goes to speak up for them.

Retaliation

the begging

The next part is definitely the highlight of the entire series coupled with Xiao Yan Zi’s over the top acting (Zhao Wei there’s a reason why I adore you as one of my favourite actresses). Basically, Rong MoMo goes to pinch Xiao Yan Zi who ‘cries’ out in pain and then somehow collapses on the floor, Zi Wei who was next to her at the time rushes to her side asking her to wake up before Xiao Yan Zi on the side, gives her a wink and sticks out her tongue to tell her that nothings wrong with her. All the while the lovely future husband that is 5^th Prince (<3) goes to Rong MoMo and starts to berate asking for what she did to Xiao Yan ZI to put her life in such peril and hence Rong MoMo falls to her knees begging for understanding that she did nothing wrong but measured up against the life of a princess her word is nothing (muahahahaha go XYZ). But once Zi Wei realizes that Xiao Yan Zi is just faking it she now has to conjure up a story for everyone with little time to react as the Emperor goes to see Xiao Yan Zi. Thankfully Zi Wei is heaps smarter than Xiao Yan Zi and brings up the time when Xiao Yan Zi was shot by an arrow and the relapse of such pain as reasons for her ill health and upon hearing the news this sends the Emperor into a rage taking it out on Rong MoMo (yes shout at her more please, the bitch doesn’t get punished enough).

So over the top but loving it

5th Prince all concerned about his love

That moment 

This moment when Rong MoMo gets told off

However before Concubine Ling, 5^th Prince and the Emperor could usher them back to Shu Fang Zai, the Empress offers to practice her skills in remedying sudden faints (COUGH COUGH BIG FAT LIAR) i.e. why don’t a stab your upper lip with one of my hair pins (beware these things are deadly) because that’s totally going to render you conscious. Xiao Yan Zi who we know was faking it wakes up immediately in pain with a bleeding upper lip and then has to continue with the story but acting as if she has no idea where she is and cue ultimate escape route if the first time you fake faint doesn’t work then try again.

My shock at the Empress' actions mirror that of the Emperor's

When your first act fails try again

In which case... faint again

Cut to a ‘sleeping’ Xiao Yan Zi whose surveying her surroundings to check if she’s safe but Zi Wei beats her to it but telling her that everyone in Shu Fang Zai is one of them. Zi Wei then proceeds to tell Xiao Yan Zi off for pretending and leaving her to fend for the two of them and not to try this trick again but instead Xiao Yan Zi takes it as an opportunity for Zi Wei to pretend to faint next time as her stabbing last season was more severe and thus more convincing.

Er Kang and 5^th Prince are there to visit again, makes me wonder how much time they spend at their own respective residences, and upon seeing her wound 5^th Prince whisks her off to reapply more medicine (cute).

Two resident worry warts

Confirming that she's truly okay which Xiao Yan Zi laughs off

Always taking care of his love and fiancée as Xiao Yan Zi gets forced to reapply some medicine 

Er Kang then warns them of how formidable the Dowager is and that they may not be fortunate enough to have her believe them a second time- if she even bought their story this time.
After mentioning the importance of having their stories in sync after Xiao Yan Zi’s Buddha outburst, Xiao Yan Xi adamantly shifted the blame to 5^th Prince thinking that he whispered Buddha (facepalm), at least the guy knows how to defend his himself calling Xiao Yan Zi a grand-aunt for her terrible hearing. In response, she tells 5^th Prince to say ‘Er Kang’ next time which she’ll know for sure but Er Kang corrects her that she might hear it as ‘Shui Gang’ meaning water jar which causes her to spit out the water that she was drinking onto 5^th Prince (poor guy).

First blame 5th Prince for uttering 'Pu Sa' if that doesn't work accidentally spit water on him
Got to love their relationship 

The Emperor arrives which is kinda bad at this time  because Shu Fang Zai is a princess residence and that means 5^th Prince and Er Kang shouldn’t even be there at night. The two princesses in a moment of panic as the two guys to hide under a table but neither accept.

Emperor's coming, quick hide under a table (cute)
Also loving 5th Prince wiping off the water off his face whilst everyone else is panicking

 After the gang said their greetings, the Emperor starts by commenting on how it’s so late and that the two guys are visiting the sick and then moving onto how Xiao Yan Zi has recovered so quickly. Xiao Yan Zi keeping affront begins to recount her pain but then the Emperor bursts into rage knowing full well that Xiao Yan Zi was faking it the entire time continuing to chastise them for their audacity in deceiving the Dowager. His temper lessens as he warns of the dangers of their acts and how one they may really have to pay with their lives as he cannot always continue to forgive them for whatever they do.  After the gang comes clean with their true ‘Buddha’ story as the two princesses go one to praise him for being magnanimous and understanding. Though, I have to admit our Emperor is such a great character telling Xiao Yan Zi how stupid she is for not hearing ‘Fu Jia’ instead thinking it was ‘Pu Sa’ and how he saw through her act earlier even having to go along to ensure their safety which leads to further praise from Xiao Yan Zi. After remind the gang to behave themselves he mentions the arrival of Ali Khoja and his princess which has the gang worried as they fear that either Er Kang or 5^th Prince might be betrothed to her compounded by the Emperor’s open answer when asked.

Lovely Emperor

We’re on the streets now as the Uyghurs are approaching the palace, watching this is Liu Qing, Liu Hong and Meng Dan- who wants to rescue her this minute but is stopped by his comrades. THE END