And the Winner Is Love Episode 13 Recap
> And the Winner Is Love Recap
Yuwen Muyuan was consumed by a complex mix of emotions upon learning that his father, Yuwen Yupan, had been killed by Chong Ye. His grandfather, Yuwen Zhongsong, had questioned his allegiance, asking how he could protect the daughter of his father's killer. Kneeling before his father’s memorial tablet, Yuwen Muyuan wrestled with the dilemma of choosing between filial piety and loyalty to the Hall of Flames. As Yuwen Muyuan emerged from the mourning hall, he found Zhong Xuezhi awaiting him.
She confronted him, fearing he was abandoning her like everyone else. Overwhelmed by her perceived failures, including the deaths of Gugu and Haitang, Zhusha's injury, and the destruction of the manual, she confessed her feelings of uselessness. Believing herself unqualified to lead, Zhong Xuezhi offered her position as Leader of the Hall to Yuwen Muyuan, hoping he would guard it in her stead.
However, Yuwen Muyuan refused, seeing her offer as an act of cowardice and an attempt to escape responsibility. He urged her to embrace her duty, reminding her that some responsibilities are inescapable. He emphasized that the Hall of Flames was her fate and responsibility, and she needed to be a decisive leader ready to fight. He encouraged her to grow stronger and prove to the martial world that she was the most qualified leader, assuring her of his steadfast support.
Yuwen Zhongsong had overheard their conversation. After Zhong Xuezhi departed, Yuwen Muyuan sought to appease his grandfather, who accused him of abandoning their family's cause. Yuwen Muyuan, however, declared his intention to publicly clear Zhong Xuezhi’s name by attributing all past misfortunes to Yu Wan, emphasizing that he sought no gratitude, only for his grandfather to release his burden of hatred. Yuwen Zhongsong passionately argued that he could not forget his son's murder by Chong Ye.
Yuwen Muyuan acknowledged his grandfather’s pain but pleaded for Zhong Xuezhi’s safety, asserting her innocence due to her youth and ignorance of past events. He warned that if any harm befell her, he would leave the Hall of Flames permanently. Although shocked by Yuwen Muyuan’s resolve, Yuwen Zhongsong recalled that Yuwen Yupan had also refused the leadership position when Chong Ye went astray, noting the strong resemblance between father and son.
Unwilling to lose his only remaining family, Yuwen Zhongsong relented, and Yuwen Muyuan reassured him that he would never lose his grandson. Meanwhile, Shangguan Tou arrived at the Emei School to uncover his past. He was greeted by a nun who specified that Abbess Baiyun would only see him alone. Upon meeting Baiyun, she noted a striking resemblance in his eyes to his biological mother. Baiyun, her health failing, revealed that Shangguan Tou’s biological mother was Bailu, her own sister.
Feeling time was short, she decided to reveal the truth. She led Shangguan Tou to a high tower, explaining that it was where she and Bailu had trained at Emei, aspiring to become righteous heroines. Bailu, bright and persistent, had always conquered challenges, but love proved to be her ultimate undoing. Baiyun recounted how, during an outing, Bailu fell deeply in love with Shangguan Xingzhou, then the new Officer for state affairs.
However, Shangguan Xingzhou was already married to Peirong, the Great General’s daughter, a union formed for political ambition. Bailu became pregnant with Shangguan Tou, but Peirong, enraged by the affair, sent assassins to eliminate her. Despite Baiyun's valiant efforts to protect her sister, Bailu was severely injured and went into premature labor.
With her last breath, Bailu asked Baiyun to save her child, naming him Shangguan Tou, meaning "bright and crystal clear," and implored her to tell him her story when he was older. After giving birth, Bailu passed away. Shangguan Xingzhou arrived, distraught, but Baiyun angrily declared him undeserving of fatherhood. Shangguan Xingzhou cradled his newborn son, weeping over Bailu’s sacrifice and his inability to atone for it.
Baiyun reflected on Bailu’s pure and smiling nature, her enduring love for Shangguan Xingzhou, and her ultimate forgiveness, calling her "the silliest girl in the world." Shangguan Tou was heartbroken by the revelations. He recalled his childhood in the Imperial Teacher's Mansion, where, despite his apparent privilege, his foster mother Peirong subjected him to constant harshness.
His father, Shangguan Xingzhou, attempted to intervene, but Peirong maintained that while she wouldn't harm him, he should expect nothing more from her, citing past resentments. Shangguan Tou remembered his father encouraging him to learn martial arts and wishing him safety. To appease Peirong, Shangguan Xingzhou eventually sent him to the Sword Manor, initially visiting occasionally but eventually ceasing altogether. Shangguan Tou, who once believed his father feared disturbing his studies, now realized he was sent away to placate Peirong.
He finally understood why his family lacked the loving warmth he witnessed in other families, realizing Peirong’s coldness stemmed from his illegitimate birth. Abbess Baiyun, her health rapidly deteriorating, found solace in recounting the past to Shangguan Tou. She expressed satisfaction in fulfilling her sister’s dying wish before passing away. Shangguan Tou solemnly buried Baiyun beside his biological mother, Bailu, expressing gratitude for the truth and apologizing for his delayed visit to his mother’s grave.
Consumed by anger, he immediately returned to the Imperial Teacher’s Mansion. He silently confronted Shangguan Xingzhou, who calmly acknowledged his presence, noting that after ten years, he had finally returned. Shangguan Tou, seething, declared that while he could forgive his father's abandonment, he could not forgive his abandonment of Bailu. Shangguan Xingzhou admitted his youthful ambition had led him to forsake true love and offered to apologize to Bailu in the afterlife, inviting Shangguan Tou to take his life.
Dismissing his attendant, Shangguan Xingzhou revealed that he had anticipated this confrontation since the day he sent Shangguan Tou away. This unexpected acceptance of fate disarmed Shangguan Tou, who dropped his sword. Meanwhile, Zhong Xuezhi and Yuwen Muyuan met. Yuwen Muyuan informed her that Yu Wan was the traitor who had fled the Hall.
Though Yuwen Muyuan intended to pursue him, Zhong Xuezhi, noting she was unharmed and that Yu Wan was a subordinate of the Elder in Chief, decided to let him go, hoping he would reform. Yuwen Muyuan observed her newfound decisiveness. Zhong Xuezhi acknowledged she was not yet a qualified leader, agreeing with Elder Yuwen's past assessment, but vowed to improve through secluded cultivation.
She refused to remain a pampered girl hiding behind others, determined to strengthen herself since she couldn't change others or the world. She then entrusted Yuwen Muyuan with managing the Hall of Flames during her seclusion. Shangguan Xingzhou asked Shangguan Tou if he still considered him his father, admitting he never expected forgiveness but regretted the bitterness of their reunion. He acknowledged his own unhappy destiny and gave Shangguan Tou a detached warning to take care of himself.
Shangguan Tou bitterly condemned his father’s hypocrisy and heartlessness, stating he was merely a biological father who provided life but no support. He accused Shangguan Xingzhou of giving him a house but no home, questioning why he wasn't simply left to grow up as an orphan rather than abandoned at the Sword Manor like a "dignity-less stray dog." This forced him to live a superficial life, feigning the persona of a playboy while enduring slander.
Shangguan Tou vividly recalled his helplessness and despair when he was poisoned, feeling like a "wingless startled bird" struggling in an abyss, and demanded to know where his father was during his darkest moments when he wished for death.
