Episode Summary
Imperial Consort Zhao’s dark ritual to sacrifice Princess Duanyang’s happiness backfires when the Bamboo Forest Four Heroes expose her crimes using a paper-puppet trap. A Nightmare Demon’s plot unravels as past sins—including Zhao’s murder of her brother and substitution of a peasant girl in a ritual—are revealed. Ling Miaomiao and Mu Sheng’s disguise as the doomed lovers seals Zhao’s confession, collapsing the demon’s scheme.
Spoiler Alert
Well, well, well—if you thought Imperial Consort Zhao’s "mother of the year" vibes couldn’t get any worse, Episode 21 just dropped a whole cursed temple on her reputation. Let’s unpack the chaos!
A Mother’s "Love" (Or Lack Thereof)
At the newly completed Xingshan Temple, Imperial Consort Zhao’s confidante Tao Ying drops a bombshell: Princess Duanyang’s "lucky" birth chart makes her the perfect candidate for a sinister ritual. No, she won’t die—but her happiness will be drained to fuel the Seventh Prince’s political rise. Imperial Consort Zhao, ever the selfless mom (/s), greenlights this emotional lobotomy for the sake of her family’s power. But when Duanyang suddenly shows up at the temple to marry the young Marquis? Mama Zhao rushes to stop it… only to walk straight into a trap.
Paper Cutouts & Plot Twists
Turns out, the Bamboo Forest Four Heroes (our resident chaos crew) have turned Xingshan Temple into a literal puppet show. The "wedding guests"? All paper cutouts repeating the same lines like broken records. Mu Yao and Liu Fuyi reveal themselves, mocking the Nightmare Demon (Yan Yao) for being a mere "fourth-tier" spirit. But the real drama unfolds when Yan Yao drags everyone into Imperial Consort Zhao’s personal nightmare reel—starting with her guilt-ridden past at Qilin Mountain.
Flashbacks & Family Secrets
Young Imperial Consort Zhao’s first sin? Using forbidden talismans to trap innocent mountain spirits. Why? To erase her brother Qingyi Hou’s forbidden romance with a female spirit. Worse—she hit him with a Forgetting Spell… then watched him die haunted by an emptiness he couldn’t explain. But wait, there’s more! When Duanyang was a kid, Imperial Consort Zhao replaced her in a ritual with a peasant girl named Yu’er. Cut to present day: Yu’er’s sister Pei Yun has infiltrated the palace for revenge.
Karma’s a Papercut
Back to the nightmare realm, the gang forces Imperial Consort Zhao to confront her sins. Spoiler: She’s not sorry… until paper-cut Marquis and Duanyang (actually Ling Miaomiao and Mu Sheng in disguise!) fake their deaths via vengeful spirits. Terrified, Imperial Consort Zhao finally cracks: “It’s all my fault! My greed doomed everyone!” Cue the Nightmare Demon’s tantrum as his grand ritual crumbles.
Final Thoughts
• MVP of Lies: Ling Miaomiao and Mu Sheng’s Oscar-worthy performance as doomed lovers.
• Most Haunting Line: “You killed your brother, and you made him forget why he was grieving.” (Mu Yao, casually dropping truth bombs.)
• What’s Next: Yan Yao’s not done yet—dude’s still clinging to his failed ritual like a kid refusing to leave a burned-down candy store.
Stay tuned for Episode 22, where we’ll see if Imperial Consort Zhao’s apology tour includes actual repentance… or just more palace-approved gaslighting.
