Court Lady Episode 41 Recap, Plot

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The Empress demanded to know what had truly transpired. The Crown Prince replied that Sheng Chuling had disobeyed an order. When the Empress clarified that she was asking him, the Crown Prince explained that he had invited Lord Liang to the East Palace as a guest and permitted him to command the imperial guards. Sheng Chuling's disobedience to Lord Liang's command, therefore, was equivalent to disobeying the Crown Prince himself.

A guard who was on duty with Sheng Chuling quickly interjected, explaining to the Empress that Lord Liang had commanded them to fight each other with real weapons for his amusement. Sheng Chuling, seeing that the guard was already injured, refused to continue. Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately ordered Sheng Chuling to be taken away for medical treatment.

The Crown Prince, however, insisted on severe punishment for Sheng Chuling, stating that disobeying an imperial guard's orders was a critical crime with no excuse. Fu Rou spoke up in Sheng Chuling's defense, arguing that he had done nothing wrong. She quoted Confucius, explaining that Lord Liang's actions were reckless and his order immoral. Therefore, Sheng Chuling's disobedience was justifiable according to the teachings of the sages. Lord Liang accused Fu Rou of being biased.

However, the Empress, displeased with Lord Liang's conduct, ordered him to return and reflect on his actions in solitude for three days. She reprimanded him for finding amusement in watching guards bleed, warning that the Emperor would inevitably question him about the matter. Lord Liang reluctantly departed. The Empress then turned to the Crown Prince, questioning his intentions.

The Crown Prince, feeling aggrieved, lamented that he was constantly slandered by officials due to his limp, and even his own imperial guards no longer obeyed his commands. He expressed frustration that he could not control officials or Prince Han, whom his mother had also defended. He concluded by saying that all he could do was stay in the East Palace and seek amusement with Lord Liang. Feigning discomfort in his leg, he asked to be excused.

The Empress expressed her disappointment that he still believed she favored Prince Han and did not understand her heart. The Crown Prince, however, only requested that if he were ever framed by malicious individuals, the Empress would speak up for him and spare his life, assuring her he would be content with that. He then left. Sun Lingshu also attempted to depart, but the Empress ordered her to stay and kneel.

The Empress reprimanded Sun Lingshu for her various wrongdoings, including witnessing Princess Xin Nan being flogged without intervention. She reminded Sun Lingshu that when the Crown Prince had associated with a performer, Sun Lingshu had instigated Sun Tan to escalate the matter in court. Furthermore, instead of mediating the discord between the Crown Prince and Prince Han, she had actively fanned the flames. Sun Lingshu claimed helplessness, but the Empress insisted she simply didn't want to manage the situation.

The Empress then asked Fu Rou to state the punishment for a wife who causes her husband to lose his father's affection and alienates him from his siblings due to her loose tongue, to which Fu Rou responded that such a wife should be expelled by law. Sun Lingshu pleaded for mercy, promising to reform. The Empress sternly warned her that any further mistakes would result in her being expelled from the East Palace with the greatest humiliation.

After Sun Lingshu left, Fu Rou expressed her concern to the Empress that she was overly harsh on the Crown Princess, suggesting that not all blame lay with the wife. The Empress, however, explained that the domestic affairs of royal families were complex.

While princes, being of the Emperor's blood, could not be easily punished for their mistakes, their wives could be replaced at any time if it benefited the harmony of the royal family and the stability of the country. Meanwhile, Sun Lingshu, despite the Empress's stern lecture, failed to acknowledge her own faults. She confided in Shuang Xi, feeling that she had done too much wrong and was threatened with expulsion.

Shuang Xi immediately defended her, claiming that Lord Liang, Sheng Chuling, and Princess Xin Nan were the ones at fault, a sentiment Sun Lingshu readily agreed with, asserting her own innocence. Prince Han and Princess Consort Han came to pay their respects to the Empress. Princess Consort Han offered the Empress a date cake she had personally made, hoping to appease her. Prince Han explained that his wife had been worried and praying for the Empress's recovery.

The Empress, however, was clearly dissatisfied that Princess Consort Han was not pregnant again. Princess Consort Han apologized for her "uselessness," but Prince Han quickly defended her, joking that after three years of not conceiving, she would surely birth a brilliant son. The Empress then allowed Princess Consort Han to rise. The Empress then turned to Prince Han, questioning why he had not supported the Crown Prince.

Prince Han, flustered, explained that the incident had happened too quickly for him to react. He expressed his urgency to visit the East Palace to clarify his loyalty to the Crown Prince, who now regarded him as a traitor. The Empress stopped him, stating that the Crown Prince would not listen and his attempt would only worsen the situation.

She advised him to continue treating the Crown Prince with respect and share his tributes and Princess Consort Han's homemade delicacies with the East Palace. Fearing the deepening conflict between the Crown Prince and Prince Han, the Empress then suggested that Prince Han leave Chang'an for a while. Prince Han was reluctant, citing the Empress's illness as a reason not to travel.

Fu Rou intervened, proposing a compromise: Prince Han could visit Fengtian Temple to pray for the Empress's health, an act that would demonstrate his filial piety and please the Emperor. Prince Han accepted this suggestion, agreeing to temporarily leave Chang'an to avoid upsetting the Crown Prince further. After dealing with Prince Han, the Empress instructed Fu Rou to summon Princess Xin Nan. Fearing further reprimand from the Empress, Princess Xin Nan immediately sought Fu Rou's help.

She tearfully pleaded for assistance, even referencing Fu Rou's own complicated relationship with Sheng Chumu, asking for help to secure her union with Sheng Chuling. After Princess Xin Nan apologized for her bluntness, Fu Rou, softened by the princess's distress, advised her to feign extreme misery before the Empress. Following Fu Rou's advice, Princess Xin Nan knelt before the Empress, lamenting her transgression of palace rules by falling in love with Sheng Chuling and declaring that she deserved death.

She confessed her humiliation towards her mother and requested poisoned wine or white silk to end her life. The Empress, distressed by her daughter's self-harm and talk of suicide, called her "silly" and insisted that despite her anger, she would not force Xin Nan to take her own life. Princess Xin Nan further played on the Empress's emotions, pointing out that her affair with Sheng Chuling was now public knowledge due to the incident in the East Palace.

She expressed fear that the Emperor might force her to become a nun, or if married to another, her husband's family would torment her for having loved someone else previously, making her life unbearable. Fu Rou supported Princess Xin Nan, suggesting that since the scandal was already public, it would be best to "go with the flow" and arrange a marriage between Princess Xin Nan and Sheng Chuling to protect the royal family's dignity and ensure the princess's future happiness.

The Empress acknowledged that Sheng Chuling's rank was insufficient for marrying a princess but agreed that promoting him two ranks would resolve this, given his noble background. However, she expressed concern because Prince Han had mentioned Sheng Chuling's violent tendencies when drunk, fearing Princess Xin Nan would suffer. Fu Rou quickly offered a solution: the Empress could issue a decree forbidding Sheng Chuling from drinking alcohol.

The Empress, though still regarding Sheng Chuling as reckless, conceded that for Xin Nan's sake, she could not punish him further and would use the drinking ban as his penalty. She then relented, telling Princess Xin Nan to prepare for marriage and stating that she would discuss the matter with the Emperor. Elsewhere, Sun Lingwei approached her elder sister, Sun Lingshu, expressing her strong desire not to marry Lu Qi.

During their conversation, a unique safety charm fell from Sun Lingwei. Sun Lingshu, recalling Princess Xin Nan having a similar charm, inquired about its origin. Sun Lingwei, visibly flustered, claimed it was from Fuan Temple. Sun Lingshu did not press the matter further but asked Sun Lingwei to leave her maid, Guiyuan, in the East Palace to assist her, which Sun Lingwei agreed to after reiterating her sister's promise to help her.

Later, Sun Lingshu interrogated Guiyuan, asking about Sun Lingwei's frequent visits to Fuan Temple. After some probing, Guiyuan revealed that Sun Lingwei had been regularly meeting a "Young Master Sheng" there, identified as Sheng Chujun from Duke Lu's family. This revelation devastated Sun Lingshu, who felt betrayed and isolated, believing that everyone around her, including her own sister, had aligned with Prince Han's faction.

At that moment, Shuang Xi announced that Prince Han's Manor had sent over some sour date cakes. In her anger, Sun Lingshu ordered Shuang Xi to discard them and anything else sent from Prince Han's Manor. Fu Shui intervened, taking the cakes and advising Sun Lingshu against destroying food out of frustration.

Due to the imperial grandson falling ill, the Empress expressed concern that the East Palace's unsettling atmosphere, likely caused by Lord Liang's earlier antics, was unsuitable for his recovery. She instructed Fu Rou to bring the imperial grandson to her palace for recuperation, promising to return him once his fever subsided. Upon learning that Fu Rou had taken the imperial grandson, Sun Lingshu was distraught, immediately assuming the Empress intended to seize her child.

She rushed to confront the Empress, but Fu Shui stopped her, warning that such an act would only enrage the Empress and give her an excuse to expel Sun Lingshu from the East Palace, permanently separating her from the imperial grandson. Fu Shui then fueled Sun Lingshu's paranoia, highlighting that Fu Rou was affiliated with Prince Han's Manor, suggesting a concerted effort to undermine Sun Lingshu and the Crown Prince's position.

He emphasized that any retreat from Sun Lingshu would lead to greater losses for herself and her family. Lu Qi informed Fu Yin that the Empress had granted him a marriage. Fu Yin's only reaction was a detached "Congratulations, Young Master." Lu Qi, hurt, accused her of being cruel and heartless, reminding her of her past statements about wanting to get rid of their baby, despite his love and protection.

He confessed he wanted to kill her for her emotional abuse, but Fu Yin, consumed by guilt, urged him to do it. She expressed remorse for failing her late mother, losing herself in her quest for revenge, and becoming a "killer." She admitted to ruining their potential life together and desperately wished for death as atonement. Lu Qi, still deeply in love, refused to let her die and asked if she would forgive him. Fu Yin, tearfully, agreed.

Lu Qi then suggested naming their child "Shan'er," meaning good, as a symbol of repentance and new beginnings, to which Fu Yin happily consented. Sun Lingshu instructed Guiyuan, who was preparing to return to the manor, to take the sour date cakes from Prince Han's Manor to Sun Lingwei. Sun Lingshu claimed she disliked them but knew her sister did. Sheng Chujun relayed the news to Sheng Chuling that Princess Xin Nan could be married to him.

Sheng Chuling, who had been planning to confess to the Empress to protect Xin Nan, was ecstatic. Sheng Chujun then leveraged this, proposing that if Sheng Chuling and their mother agreed to his marriage with Sun Lingwei, he would ensure Sheng Chuling married the princess. Sheng Chuling eagerly agreed, persuading their mother to consent to Sheng Chujun and Sun Lingwei's union, stating he would not intervene.

Sheng Chujun revealed that he had heard the Empress intended to marry off Princess Xin Nan to a disreputable, low-ranked playboy lacking in both civil and martial skills, implying this "playboy" was Sheng Chuling and that an imperial decree for the marriage was imminent. Later that evening, Sheng Chujun shared the joyful news with Sun Lingwei that his family had agreed to their marriage.

Sun Lingwei was equally thrilled, mentioning that her sister, Sun Lingshu, had also promised to help her, dispelling her previous misgivings about Sun Lingshu. As Sun Lingwei's mother approached, Sheng Chujun quickly fled. After her mother left, Sun Lingwei happily ate the sour date cake that Sun Lingshu had sent to her. The next morning, Guiyuan discovered Sun Lingwei's lifeless body, screaming for her parents.

Sheng Chujun, grief-stricken, burst into the Sun residence, clinging to Sun Lingwei's body despite being violently beaten by Sun Tan's men. An attendant informed the Crown Prince that the Ministry of Punishment had determined the poisonous sour date cakes originated from Prince Han's Manor and were sent to the East Palace. Following Sun Lingwei's death, the Crown Prince and Sun Lingshu presented themselves before the Empress.

The Crown Prince, in a dramatic display, offered to die by her hand, lamenting that his father was disappointed and his mother no longer loved him, leaving him with no other option but to die so she could shower all her love on Prince Han. Sun Lingshu accused Prince Han of cruelty, claiming the sour date cakes, which she had disliked and passed to her sister, had caused Sun Lingwei's death in their stead.

The Empress initially defended Prince Han, but the Crown Prince, accusing her of favoritism, pressured her for a just verdict. The Empress conceded that Prince Han's Manor was certainly implicated but insisted Prince Han himself was not directly responsible. Sun Lingshu then directly blamed Princess Consort Han, asserting that she had made the poisonous cakes and demanding justice for her deceased sister.

Despite Fu Rou's pleas for a thorough investigation before condemning Princess Consort Han, the Empress declared Princess Consort Han undeniable responsibility. Ignoring Fu Rou's warnings not to bestow death without clear evidence, the Empress ordered her guards to arrest Fu Rou and revoke her palace entry-exit permit, fearing she would warn Prince Han. Fu Rou resisted fiercely, shouting that Princess Consort Han must not be condemned without a proper investigation.

Imprisoned, Fu Rou frantically called for help, demanding to be released to prevent Princess Consort Han's unjust death. When Wu Shangyi arrived, Fu Rou urged her to notify Prince Han about the Empress's decree. Wu Shangyi, however, explained that no one could leave the palace at such a critical time. Recalling Prince Zhou, Fu Rou resolved to go to Celestial Pavilion. Wu Shangyi helped her create a diversion.

Pursued by guards, Fu Rou was spotted by Lady of Treasure Li, who cleverly misled the guards and then helped Fu Rou disguise herself as a palace maid with the help of a maid named Guihua. Upon reaching Celestial Pavilion, Fu Rou found Prince Zhou absent but encountered Consort Yan.

In a panic, Fu Rou explained the urgent situation regarding Princess Consort Han and implored Consort Yan to send an alert, emphasizing that her intervention would earn the gratitude of Duke Lu's Manor and Prince Han's Manor, greatly benefiting Prince Zhou and Consort Yan. Consort Yan acknowledged the logic but declared that the palace operated on interest, not reason. She then ordered guards to seize Fu Rou, stating her only option was to cooperate with the Empress's arrest.

Fu Rou desperately pleaded, accusing Consort Yan of complicity and demanding to see Prince Zhou, but Consort Yan remained indifferent, instructing the guards to drag Fu Rou away. Meanwhile, the Empress's edict had already arrived at Prince Han's Manor. The imperial envoy delivered the edict, informing Princess Consort Han of her impending death. Despite cries of "injustice" from her attendants, Princess Consort Han, in her final moments, requested to see Prince Han one last time.

The envoy, however, refused, stating that the Empress's command could not be delayed and threatening to force her compliance if she did not drink the poisoned wine voluntarily. With no other choice, Princess Consort Han drank the poison. As she succumbed, she asked them to relay a message to Prince Han: that serving him had been the greatest fortune of her life, and she wished him well, hoping he would enjoy fortune, longevity, and many descendants.

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