Resumen del episodio 16 de Rebirth
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Inside the Empress's quarters, the atmosphere was tense. The Emperor had burst in, expecting to find the Empress with a lover after a report from Lady Hu. To his surprise, he found only the Empress and Zhao Chun'er together. The Empress calmly explained that they were simply bathing. Furious at being misled, the Emperor turned his rage on Lady Hu. When the maid Qinxiang was pressured to testify, she trembled and denied ever seeing a man.
Realizing he had been played, the Emperor grew livid and ordered Lady Hu and the maid to be dragged out and executed by beating. The Empress later confronted Zhao Chun'er, threatening her for knowing her secrets. However, Zhao Chun'er pleaded for her life, claiming she could not die until she saw Chu Qiao in hell.
She revealed that she had overheard the Empress's plans with Master Zhan and shared her own grievances, explaining how Chu Qiao and Yan Xun had ruined her life. Zhao Chun'er informed the Empress that Chu Qiao was currently in Lin City, attempting to rescue her former deputy, He Xiao. She noted that Yan Xun's scouts were already searching for Chu Qiao under the guise of "Lady Fu."
The Empress, realizing Zhao Chun'er could be a useful ally, spared her, concluding that Crown Prince Li Ce’s recent actions were likely a diversion to cover Chu Qiao’s rescue mission. On the outskirts, Zhuge Yue prepared a signal for his hidden subordinates. He used specialized sky lanterns from Qingshan Court, made with silk-screen paper that could fly higher and farther than ordinary ones. These lanterns served as a message to his Moon Guards that he was still alive.
When he met with his heart Moon Guards the following day, they were overjoyed. Zhuge Yue instructed them to keep his survival a secret from the court and his family. His primary mission for them was to locate the surviving remnants of the Xiuli Army. In Biantang, a conspiracy unfolded against the Crown Prince. An assassin infiltrated the Emperor's palace and, upon being caught, claimed Li Ce had sent him before taking his own life.
Following this, Li Ce was imprisoned, and his residence was surrounded. The fake King of Ximeng and the Queen of Lingyue were also taken into custody as accomplices. General Sun, however, grew suspicious while inspecting the assassin’s body. He noticed a tattoo associated with the Nanxi Tribe, a group Biantang had supposedly wiped out fifteen years ago. Realizing that the assassin could not have been working for the Crown Prince, Sun understood this was a dangerous imperial family matter.
He advised his colleagues to feign illness and stay away from the court to avoid the "muddy water." As the Emperor lay unconscious, his physicians informed the Empress that his condition was grave. Years of overindulgence, chronic stress, and the Empress's own calculated efforts to undermine his health had taken their toll. Even if he survived, he would never be the man he once was. Watching him on his sickbed, the Empress reflected on the past twenty-two years.
She recalled the day the current Emperor—then a rebellious prince—had murdered his own brother, the former Emperor, to seize the throne. Having lived through that tragedy as the former Emperor’s wife, she felt her long-held desire for revenge was finally coming to fruition. Near Lin City, Zhuge Yue’s Moon Guards successfully located several members of the Xiuli Army, including Li Ben, Xia Qingjiang, He Shao, and Lang Li.
When they were brought to Chu Qiao, she was deeply moved to see them alive alongside He Xiao. She expressed her regret for not saving them sooner, but the soldiers blamed the betrayal of Chen Yuan instead. They visited a cenotaph where the meager belongings of their fallen brothers were buried. The soldiers offered tributes, like hometown peaches and storybooks, for those who had died.
Chu Qiao stood before the memorial, promising to eventually bring all five thousand two hundred soldiers home, whether living or dead. Zhuge Yue comforted Chu Qiao after the memorial, telling her she could cry if she needed to. Though she initially resisted, she quietly thanked him for his help. Soon after, they received urgent news from Tangjing: Li Ce had been arrested for regicide, and their tavern had been shut down.
Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue immediately set out for the capital. Zhuge Yue, drawing on his strategic knowledge of the terrain, planned a high-speed route through the mountains to reach Tangjing as quickly as possible. The situation in the capital escalated when a box arrived containing the severed hand of General Li Qi. It was a message from Yan Xun, who had discovered Chu Qiao's location.
He demanded the return of his "Yanbei Princess Consort," threatening to breach Biantang’s northern border with his Black Eagle Army if his demands were not met. The Empress was hesitant; handing over Chu Qiao would be an admission of harboring her, which would damage Biantang’s international standing. Zhao Chun'er approached the Empress with a solution: a marriage alliance.
By officially marrying off "Lady Fu" to Yan Xun, the Empress could remove Chu Qiao, satisfy Yan Xun, and demand territory and gold in return. The Empress was delighted with the plan and appointed Li Yan, Prince Luo, as the new Minister of Rites to lead the negotiations. Li Yan was shocked by his sudden promotion and confronted Zhao Chun'er about her frequent visits to the palace.
She mockingly told him that she had orchestrated everything, from leaking Chu Qiao’s location to suggesting the marriage. When Li Yan asked why she would do such a thing, she lashed out at his perceived weakness and cowardice. She told him that she would never love a man who was too afraid to fight for what he wanted.
The Empress's decree was soon delivered to Chu Qiao’s residence, bestowing the title of "virtuous and wise" upon Lady Fu and ordering her to marry the King of Yanbei to secure peace. Shortly after, Yan Xun met with the Biantang envoy. He was surprised to see Zhao Chun'er accompanying her husband, Li Yan. Zhao Chun'er urged him to accept the alliance and put aside past grievances. Yan Xun, focused entirely on reclaiming Chu Qiao, agreed to the terms, noting that the marriage was his foremost priority.
