Resumen del episodio 12 de Ashes to Crown
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Years ago, during the first year of Tianshu, Chu Cen and the young Emperor Xiao Jing were close friends. When the Northern Desert gathered fifty thousand cavalry to threaten Yunzhong Prefecture, Chu Cen volunteered to defend the frontier. Xiao Jing appointed him Guard General and presented him with the Sword of the Loong's Roar. In his very first battle, Chu Cen encountered Alan Ruoying, the fierce Rakshasa of the Northern Desert.
Later, seeing her weep for her fallen soldiers on a barren hill, Chu Cen realized she possessed a gentle heart beneath her warrior facade. He met her alone at night, offering a jade pendant engraved with "Peace," which she accepted in exchange for a bone whistle. Alan Ruoying returned to her camp to plead for peace, but the Northern Desert King ordered her execution.
Chu Cen rescued her, brought her back to the State of Chu, and renamed her Mu Mianhong, marrying her. Their peaceful days were shattered when Xiao Jing issued an imperial decree demanding her execution under the pretense of "eliminating the mother to keep the child." Disillusioned by the calculations of the emperor, Chu Cen left the Capital, promising never to return without a summons.
He staged a bandit suppression campaign, hid Mu Mianhong in Cangmu Stronghold, and falsely reported her death. When their daughter, Chu Zhao, was born, Mu Mianhong wished for her to grow up without the shadow of war, instructing Chu Cen to tell her that her mother was a refined noblewoman living in the Capital. In the present, Chu Zhao is devastated to learn the truth.
She confronts Mu Mianhong, refusing to believe her mother was a blood-stained Northern Desert general rather than the cultured lady of her dreams. She demands Mu Mianhong demonstrate the refined arts of writing and painting, and when she cannot, Chu Zhao angrily rejects her and throws her out.
Afterward, Mu Mianhong tells Chu Cen that this is for the best, as Chu Zhao is now the Grand Princess of Chu and cannot bear the shame of having a Northern Desert mother. Chu Zhao flees to the desert to clear her mind. Xie Yanlai finds her and offers comfort, explaining that the lie was a desperate act of protection.
He shares his own painful past of being abandoned by his mother, urging Chu Zhao not to waste her father's remaining moments on anger and regret. In the Capital, Xie Yanfang tutors the young Emperor Xiao Yu. Upon learning that Deng Yi quickly approved the frontier memorials and sent them to Yunzhong Prefecture, Xie Yanfang is quietly displeased. He uses the moment to teach the young emperor how to turn an opponent's own weapons against them.
Meanwhile, Liang Qiang receives his official transfer to Yunzhong Prefecture. Knowing that Chu Zhao was the one who secured his promotion, he feels deeply grateful, recognizing her as an extraordinary woman. Hoping to comfort her father, Chu Zhao stays up late in the kitchen trying to bake jujube cakes, eventually falling asleep from exhaustion. Xie Yanlai carries her back to her room, where Mu Mianhong arrives with burn ointment.
Xie Yanlai asks if she regrets her past choices, but Mu Mianhong explains that revealing her identity would only strip Chu Zhao of her honor. She hands Xie Yanlai a hairpin meant for Chu Zhao's coming-of-age, asking him to present it as his own gift. Upon inspecting the hairpin, Xie Yanlai is startled to realize that its pattern is identical to the mark he saw at the scene of the Wei Village fire five years ago.
Elsewhere, Xiao Xun discusses the remnant Northern Desert forces with Tie Ying. When he spots the Xiaonan Prefecture insignia on the transport goods, he angrily reminds Tie Ying of the lesson they should have learned from the Wei Village fire five years ago. He demands that Tie Ying immediately find the missing boy, Xiang. Chu Cen's condition worsens rapidly.
On his deathbed, he urges Chu Zhao not to hate her mother, explaining that abandonment was the only way to save her in a cruel world. Wanting to bid Mu Mianhong a proper farewell, Chu Cen asks to be left alone with her. Xie Yanlai leads Chu Zhao away, leaving the couple to share their final moments.
Holding her hand, Chu Cen laments that their vow to never meet again in life has turned into a permanent parting, passing away peacefully as Mu Mianhong weeps. While sorting through her late father's belongings, Chu Zhao discovers a box of medicine marked with the Xie clan's crest.
She has the army physician examine the remaining pills, only to learn they are Bloodburn Pills—a drastic poison that temporarily boosts vitality but fatally erodes the heart unless a second dose is administered exactly three years later. The physician reveals that Chu Cen first took the medicine years ago when he was struck by a poisoned arrow, and the pill had been provided by Xie Yanlai. Chu Zhao realizes the tragic truth of her rebirth.
In her past life, Xie Yanlai returned to Yunzhong Prefecture in time to administer the second pill, extending her father's life. However, because she altered the course of events in this life, the Anping Rebellion occurred early, and Xie Yanlai was appointed Imperial Guard Commander, leaving him detained in the Capital and unable to deliver the medicine in time. Filled with grief and rage, Chu Zhao confronts Xie Yanlai, accusing him of poisoning her father.
Xie Yanlai recalls the moment his brother, Xie Yanfang, gave him the medicine under the guise of a life-saving remedy. Realizing he was used as a pawn to control those around him, a heartbroken Xie Yanlai refuses to defend himself and tells Chu Zhao to take his life for revenge. Chu Zhao aims an arrow at him, but memories of their shared devotion stay her hand. Ultimately unable to bring herself to kill him, she spares his life and declares that they are now even.
