Ashes to Crown Episode 10 Recap
> Ashes to Crown Recaps
The Northern Desert army has surrounded Wangcheng. The local general reports that the enemy has deployed fifteen hundred troops at the North Gate and five hundred at each of the other three gates. Confronted with three thousand elite enemy soldiers and only five hundred garrison troops of their own, the defenders are highly anxious. However, Zhong Changrong points out that their three hundred Chu family soldiers are far from useless, confidently asserting they can defeat the invaders.
They suspect Xiao Xun orchestrated this sudden invasion, opening the borders to foreign forces in a bid to pincer Yunzhong Prefecture and seize the throne. Despite the danger, Chu Zhao refuses to escape, determined to protect the citizens of Wangcheng and thwart Xiao Xun's conspiracy. Madam Ge soon arrives with the men of Cangmu Stronghold to offer their assistance. Although Zhong Changrong and Madam Ge are too shy to greet each other, they quickly join the council in the yamen.
The defenders learn that several Northern Desert spies have already been captured inside the city, indicating the enemy is desperate for a swift victory. Xie Yanlai analyzes the terrain, noting the enemy's water supply comes from a stream to the east, while their provisions are stored to the west. Madam Ge suggests using bone whistles to signal her comrades outside to divert the waterway overnight. Recalling an old, abandoned secret passage at the West Gate, Chu Zhao devises a plan.
She orders the citizens to remain indoors and commands that all defense resources and provisions be moved to the South Gate to serve as a diversion. To convince the Northern Desert forces to focus on the South Gate, Chu Zhao decides to send someone to pretend to defect with their defense map. When the local commander proves too terrified to act, Liang Qiang volunteers.
Chu Zhao promises him a promotion if he succeeds and returns alive, giving him the real map to ensure the lie is indistinguishable from the truth. Escorted into the enemy camp, Liang Qiang presents the map, claiming he betrayed his country because his clan was unjustly exiled. Though the Northern Desert general is initially suspicious, scouts confirm that Wangcheng's provisions are indeed being moved to the South Gate.
Convinced, the general diverts half of his forces from the other gates to launch an immediate assault on the South Gate. That night, a fierce battle erupts at the South Gate. Under the cover of darkness, Xie Yanlai and the Cangmu bandits sneak through the secret passage to the enemy's granary and set it on fire.
Seeing his supplies go up in flames, the Northern Desert general realizes he has been outsmarted, but can only order his men to fight desperately. By morning, the invaders are thoroughly routed, leaving behind two thousand dead while the defenders suffer three hundred casualties. Distressed by the news that Xie Yanlai is missing, Chu Zhao rushes out of the city gates, desperately searching through the bodies.
When Xie Yanlai appears before her, bloodied but alive, he reminds her of his promise to return safely, and Chu Zhao throws herself into his embrace. Word of the stunning victory quickly reaches the capital, elevating Chu Tang's standing among the noble ladies. She proudly defends Guard General Chu Ling's honor and celebrates Chu Zhao's battlefield triumph, organizing a grand banquet to silence those who previously slandered her family.
Meanwhile, the imperial court is in an uproar over the Grand Princess secretly traveling to the frontier while supposedly recovering from an illness. While some ministers criticize her for violating palace decrees, Deng Yi argues that her actions in defending the nation were entirely appropriate.
Emperor Xiao Yu puts an end to the debate by declaring that Chu Zhao went to the border at his personal request, and he orders Deng Yi to have the Ministry of War investigate how the enemy bypassed their defenses. Hoping to mend relations with Deng Yi after her previous rudeness, Chu Tang visits his residence under the pretext of bringing herbal medicine for his mother's persistent cough.
However, Deng Yi's elderly mother, whose eyesight and mind are failing, mistakes Chu Tang for Chu Zhao, whom she fondly remembers for sending millet in the past. The elderly woman warmly encourages Deng Yi not to let such a good match slip away, leaving Chu Tang deeply embarrassed. Deng Yi quickly apologizes for his mother's confusion, and Chu Tang politely takes her leave. In his palace, Xiao Xun is enraged to find his plans thwarted by Chu Zhao once again.
Fearing that the Emperor's investigation will expose his treason, he orders Tie Ying to slaughter all the surviving Northern Desert soldiers fleeing through Xiaonan Prefecture, ensuring that no living witness can implicate him. Back in Wangcheng, Chu Zhao grieves for the three hundred soldiers who perished in the battle. Xie Yanlai comforts her, explaining that their sacrifice saved tens of thousands of lives.
He then reveals that she was the one who had saved him years ago when his own clan tried to beat him to death, inspiring him to survive and follow her path. Chu Zhao is deeply moved to finally realize that the desperate youth she rescued was Xie Yanlai, who now pledges his life entirely to her. Soon after, Liang Qiang delivers three captured Northern Desert maps, one of which features a prominent mark on Wei Village.
The name sounds familiar to Chu Zhao, while Xie Yanlai is instantly reminded of a past fire from which he rescued people. Before returning to Cangmu Stronghold, Madam Ge quietly asks Zhong Changrong about Chu Ling's well-being. Upon hearing that he is still alive, she instructs Zhong to let her know if anything ever happens to him.
Chu Zhao runs up to invite Madam Ge to accompany them to Yunzhong Prefecture, but Madam Ge gently declines, stating she has been away from her stronghold for too long. Meanwhile, in Yunzhong Prefecture, Guard General Chu Ling receives the glorious report of the victory at Wangcheng. He proudly boasts to his officers that the hero returning is not just the Grand Princess, but his beloved daughter.
However, as the officers withdraw, Chu Ling's vision suddenly fails, and he collapses to the ground in total blindness, unable to fulfill his wish of seeing his daughter with his own eyes.
