CDrama Recap – The Romance of Hua Rong – Episode 14

I have a dilemma. I only have 12 gigs of internet on my phone, and the office wifi connection is trash. There are at least two more days until I can go home and get proper internet, AND THERE ARE TEN MORE EPISODES TO GO.

So. Onwards.

Bearded Dad refuses to help cover up the crime. Even with Snooty’s urging. (Heh, he’s always thought she was more reasonable than Hua Rong). But he won’t disappoint Hua Rong by breaking the law!

Wrong tack. On the subject of Hua Rong: Big Enemy announces that he’s going to marry her in five days. So now Bearded Dad, if he wants to protect his now-expanded family, will send back a clear report; if he doesn’t, Hua Rong will have the same fate as her husband….Snooty Cousin isn’t happy with this plan…And Big Enemy fails to soothe her. Her attempts, meanwhile, to assert herself meet with no success. OH AND HE PULLS THE JADE BRACELET OFF HER!) What a dick.

So the red bunting and stuff is going up and Hua Rong is being forced into a wedding dress. And Big Enemy is forcing the bracelet onto her hand. So. HR points out that he needs parental authority to marry, being a Prince. –but he has it. He also tells her that after they get married they will live in complete harmony and peace. Because he likes her. And that’s all that matters. And that Chang Sheng fellow is as good as dead.

You see, this is what I was worried about all the way back in episode three or four, that the heroine would end up emotional and physically neutered. But at this point I trust the writers to a degree.

So. Big Enemy is fully expecting an attack, and the ambush is laid. Hua Rong has to be dragged into the room by guards and is tied up.

And, on cue, Chang Sheng enters. Very fetching though that’s an unconvincing suit of armor, I might add. He’s alone, which they didn’t expect. He’s also ready to talk some trash. This annoys Big Enemy but turnabout is fair play.

And so is learning from your enemy’s tactics. Turns out CS isn’t alone, and his brothers have brought what looks rather like a bomb. Oh. It’s a coffin. And it’s filled with the evidence from the magistrate’s office against Big Enemy. Also! the outside guards aren’t obeying anymore. The pirates killed them all!

OH! LITTLE BRO WAS JUST FAKING BEING A TRAITOR! HE WAS GUARDING BEARDED DAD! YES!!

(This situation is going to go horribly wrong in a minute, I just know it.) Hua Rong told him to! She asked him to find out the best way into the easily-defensible manor house. He got the info to CS! Even though he legitimately hates CS still, he’s more loyal to Hua Rong!

And with the Bearded Dad General free, not to mention Shaggy Bro standing guard, he’s safe. CS heads out to fetch Hua Rong. (No, don’t try to bargain with him. Just kill him. You’ve done it before!) CS challenges Big Enemy to single combat. But naturally the Black Dragon Gangsters cheat and attack.

HR has not managed to free herself, she’s still tied up, but at least she’s trying. She’s going to burn her bonds free with a candle. But! Big Enemy is stalking the halls–dragging his swordblade ominously! Tell me he’s at least been badly injured. He enters! Her bonds are not yet broken! No!

She agrees to go with him if he unties her….the ropes are actively on fire…SHE SHOVES THE CANDLE INTO HIS FACE AND RUNS AWAY!

Pei Yong just bit it. Good! I think YF did it. CS saves YF from an attack and tells him to lead them to HR.

HR–oh it is good to see her sneaky grin come out again, even at this juncture and just for a moment–when she spots an unaware guard. Whoops, that blow didn’t actually knock him out, though. She stabs him with a hairpin while he’s trying to chop her head off. But then she spots Snooty Cousin in the cell next door. Snooty is sitting in an unhappy daze, wondering whyyyyy she got lied to?

Snooty wishes that she had been more like Hua Rong, and had traveled and seen more of the world, and could understand why people treated her badly. Hua Rong leaves her there, since Big Enemy is actively chasing her and it’ll be more dangerous if she comes along–but leaves her a sword and tells her to ask for Chang Sheng if the pirates come. She’s gonna kill herself, isn’t she?

But the delay was too long, and Big Enemy has caught up. He’s got a burn on his face and he is at the tranquil fury stage of pissed. He tells her that he’s truly in love with her! And that’s why he hasn’t escaped yet. She has to come. And her refusals and these accusations that he’s going to stand trial for slavery, bribery, murder, etc, really hurt him! He slaps her. Hua Rong attempts to attack him. He slaps her again. She keeps coming and he knocks her to the ground. He always gets what he wants.

LOL, the bridal chamber is rigged. There are a bunch of assassins, and YUE FENG GETS STABBED BY THE CHAMBER MAID. YF shrugs it off and sends CS to go get HR!

Fortunately, Big Enemy is still posing and trying to intimidate HR. Being slapped bloody seems to have actually knocked the wind out of her….and then Snooty Cousin shows up. She’s come to visit the man she loves. With a sword. Heh, I like it when the crazy guy starts acting wary of the crazy girl. But the sword isn’t to kill him, it’s to kill Hua Rong! Oh GOSH. Furthermore, Snooty is the one who knows the secret way out of the house. The price is: killing Hua Rong.

Big Enemy points out they need HR as a shield, and that once they get out, Snooty can do what she wants. Snooty points out that Enemy has lied before. He tells her that he knows better now. Otherwise, how could he have beaten her up like that? Snooty asks for a hug to make sure. AND DROPS THE SWORD, OH NO. AND THEN STABS HIM WITH HER HAIRPIN, YOU GO GIRL. I knew she was good stuff.

Oh, and then she does kill herself with the sword. I knew that was going to happen.

Heh. Enemy has an eyeroll.

Snooty apologizes to Hua Rong and asks her to live well, and then keels over.

Oh no. Is Hua Rong really cowed by just being slapped like that? NO. She starts throwing a bottle of kerosene around–and ON ENEMY–and then throws a candle into it. And then, when Enemy declares that he needs to take her with him! She dares him to cross the flames and grab her.–she is also covered in oil. Chang Sheng, this would be an excellent time to arrive….

Hua Rong calls him out as a greedy coward who wasn’t worth Snooty Cousin’s death. She pulls off the jade bracelet, and tells him he is a disgrace to his mother. He fishes it gingerly out of the flames….and she says that “coward” is being generous. But he won’t cross the flames.

The pirates are still fighting the ninjas, when! Officials arrive! They order the criminals to surrender. Heh, for a moment there I thought the pirates were going to be the ones to put down their swords.

Pei Yong is only faking being dead!

Chang Sheng finally spots the flames….but inside, the fire is burning down.

BUT HE ARRIVES JUST IN TIME AND KICKS ENEMY DOWN. KILL HIM! Don’t stun him, kill him! It’s not an entirely happy reunion, but they do hug and Big Enemy is captured and hopefulllllllly going to face justice.

CS is kind of annoyed they had to let the officials get the credit.

Oh wow. Okay, I am genuinely impressed by this script now. Like, for real. Hua Rong just spotted that Pei Yong has disguised himself as a soldier and is sneaking out. CS also spots it, and they both keep quiet. We still have a use for him?

So. Back on board the pirates’ ship. They are being presented with a tray full of gold pieces and armor from I assume the King. He wants to make CS a general, but CS wants to continue being a ramblin’ man who is also his own free person. What he wants is to have the ability to trade with foreigners and explore new ports. He’s willing to be loyal and fight for the King, thouh, definitely. The King gives him it, but assigns an ambassador to keep an eye on him.

Guess who?

Bearded Dad asks CS to take care of her. CS promises that he will protect her with his life. Yue Feng is OK! But he stays behind.

Hua Rong tells Chang Sheng that since she’s the ambassador, he has to treat her politely.
But of course he has no choice! Boop!

UH OH, Big Enemy is just under house arrest. But they hope that this will keep him out of their way and anyway, they took him down once and can do it again. So! They’re off…to Wen Jiang. ? Is that where Mr. Jin is?

Aw, Shaggy Bro showing Hui how to steer the ship. It takes hands-on instruction.

Everybody’s happy! I’m happy! AWWW THEY GET TO KISS FINALLY AS THEY’RE SAILING INTO THE SUNSET. OK, but there’s still like ten more episodes left, what about the plo–

Oh. So we cut back to Pei Yong, running away–Oh. Hero Yun He dealt with him. He says that the other half of the treasure map is with Big Enemy in Wen Jiang. And this time, Chang Sheng/Yun He kills him.

Rated: I freaking love that the heroes make sure their enemies aren’t going to KEEP COMING BACK OVER AND OVER AGAIN for the next fifty episodes. It’s really refreshing to see a bit of pragmatism.