Fight For Love Episode 3 Recap
> Fight For Love Recap
The Wei Army fought desperately against the numerically superior North Qi forces. One after another, the Marquis of Zhenguo Wei Zhong, General Wei Shu, Captain Wei Qin, Captain Wei Feng, Deputy Captain Wei Ya, and Deputy Captain Wei Rong fell in battle, leaving only Wei Jun to fight on. Meanwhile, at the rear, Wei Yun, who was tasked with guarding the camp, noticed a strange smell.
He quickly discovered that the granary was on fire, set ablaze by North Qi infiltrators. He wondered why North Qi would send spies to burn their granary when they were supposedly retreating to Baidi Valley and preoccupied. A report soon arrived, informing Wei Yun that all the generals were trapped in Baidi Valley and needed urgent rescue. The intelligence was flawed; North Qi's forces were over four times their estimate, and the Wei Army was hard-pressed, unable to break out.
Despite Wei Jun's earlier instruction for him to stay, Wei Yun ordered a portion of his men to continue fighting the fire while the rest followed him to reinforce Baidi Valley. Upon his arrival at Baidi Valley, Wei Yun found himself targeted by North Qi's octagonal crossbows. Wei Jun, with a desperate cry, threw himself in front of his younger brother, shielding him from the barrage of arrows with his own body.
Mortally wounded, Wei Jun chastised Wei Yun, asking why he hadn't stayed in the camp as instructed. With his last breaths, Wei Jun revealed that there was a mole in the Arsenal Bureau who had given North Qi the octagonal crossbow plans and urged Wei Yun to find the traitor. Wei Jun apologized to Wei Yun, acknowledging that he and his brothers were leaving him to face the challenges ahead alone.
Overwhelmed by grief, Wei Yun cried out in despair as his brother died before his eyes. As the reports poured in, announcing the deaths of Marquis of Zhenguo Wei Zhong, General Wei Shu, Captains Wei Qin and Wei Feng, and Deputy Captains Wei Ya and Wei Rong, Wei Yun, now the sole surviving son, ordered a retreat to Tianshou Pass to prevent North Qi from launching another attack on Huajing.
In the imperial court, Crown Prince Li Huan quickly sought to absolve himself of blame for the catastrophic defeat. He falsely claimed that Wei Zhong was reckless and greedy for glory, ignoring his advice to not pursue a retreating or cornered foe, which led to the ambush and the loss of seventy thousand elite Great Sui soldiers. When questioned by Emperor Chunde, General Yao Yong corroborated Li Huan's fabricated account.
Duke of Ning, Wang Jingzhi, also weighed in, stating that while the Crown Prince wasn't entirely blameless, his youth and lack of command authority meant his inability to stop Wei Zhong, despite sensing danger, was understandable. Wang Jingzhi further pressed the Emperor, emphasizing that the loss of seventy thousand elite troops was immense, and the Wei family could not escape blame. He urged the Emperor to decide quickly, especially with Wei Yun returning with the coffins.
Emperor Chunde decided to defer the investigation of the Wei family until after the Marquis's burial, leaving the matter to the Court of Judicial Review. The Emperor, weary, worried that Great Sui no longer had generals to defend its borders, and with a useless Crown Prince, wondered if peace with North Qi was inevitable, and what the future held for Great Sui. Meanwhile, Chu Yu was filled with unease.
Her maid, Wanyue, burst in with devastating news: the Wei Army had been defeated, their entire clan wiped out, and seventy thousand soldiers had perished in Baidi Valley. Chu Yu was stunned. Wei Yun, stained with blood from battle, returned to Huajing escorting the coffins containing his father, Wei Zhong, and his six brothers. Liu Xueyang, the matriarch of the Wei family, along with her daughters-in-law, wept mournfully as they greeted the returning coffins.
Despite their profound grief, Liu Xueyang declared her husband and sons heroes, men of loyalty and honor who died for Great Sui, praising their bravery. Then, Chu Yu arrived, clad in a red wedding dress, determined to fulfill a promise. Liu Xueyang questioned if Chu Yu was there to shame the Wei family. Chu Yu revealed that she and Wei Jun had secretly agreed to marry upon his return from battle, and she was there to honor that promise.
Wei Yun, holding a sword, stated that his brother had never mentioned such an arrangement to him. Chu Yu retorted that Wei Yun couldn't possibly know what had passed between them. Liu Xueyang, recalling a conversation where Wei Jun had promised to marry after his victorious return, assumed he meant Chu Yu. Distraught, she implored Chu Yu to leave, saying that her son had gone to the afterlife alone and had failed Chu Yu.
Liu Xueyang reminded Chu Yu that if she were to marry now, she would immediately become a widow, and asked if her own mother knew of her intentions. Chu Yu recounted how she had openly confessed her feelings to Wei Jun at the Spring Breeze House, where everyone else mocked her, but only Wei Jun understood her courage to love. At the Chu family mansion, Chu Yu’s mother confronted her daughter about her choice.
Chu Yu declared her intent to marry Wei Jun and fulfill their promise, asserting that no one would stop her. Her mother accused her of wanting to ruin the Chu family's reputation and asked Chu Linyang to intervene. Chu Linyang confessed he had no other option and convinced his mother to let Chu Yu go.
Before Chu Yu departed, her mother sternly warned her that if she dared to step out of the Chu family gates that day, she would no longer be considered a member of the Chu family. Outside the Wei mansion, before the watchful eyes of Huajing's citizens, Chu Yu knelt. She acknowledged that marriage required parental consent and a matchmaker's words but declared that she would only follow her heart.
Liu Xueyang again expressed her reluctance to let Chu Yu enter, highlighting the inevitable widowhood. Chu Yu appealed to Liu Xueyang’s own experience of losing her beloved, asking her to understand her current pain. Chu Yu then dramatically cut her hair as a solemn vow, proclaiming her marriage to Wei Jun, without regret. She declared Wei Jun her husband, pledging to mourn him and live as his widow.
She threatened to remain kneeling there until Wei Jun was laid to rest if she was denied entry. A family member advised Liu Xueyang that, with the entire city witnessing Chu Yu's actions, turning her away would only make her life harder. Liu Xueyang relented, allowing Chu Yu to enter and change her clothes, postponing further discussions until after the burial. Wei Yun tried to protest, but Liu Xueyang, weary, instructed him to take his father and brothers home first.
Troubled by the news of Chu Yu marrying into the Wei family as a widow, Gu Chusheng was haunted by memories of their past. Overcome with emotion, he coughed up a mouthful of blood that spattered onto drawing paper, resembling a red plum blossom. His servant tried to replace his old inkstone with a new one from his wife, Wang Linlang, the Duke of Ning's daughter.
Gu Chusheng refused, dismissing his servant's remark about Chu Yu with an order to leave. He then recalled a time when he had physically assaulted someone for slandering Chu Yu, abandoning his gentlemanly conduct. Chu Yu, seeing his passion, playfully offered to teach him martial arts so he could protect her better, but he countered by saying he'd rather she always stay by his side. She, in turn, promised to protect him for life.
He remembered Chu Yu gifting him an inkstone, wishing him success in his imperial exams. He also recalled his wedding night with Wang Linlang, where he simply stated they were both tired and should rest early, indicating his emotional distance and the absence of marital relations between them. Meanwhile, Chu Linyang, concerned for Chu Yu, sent Wanyue to join her at the Wei family mansion.
Chu Yu, preparing to go to the mourning hall, told Wanyue to stay in her room, despite Wanyue's insistence on accompanying her. Just as Chu Yu was about to leave, urgent cries for the "Second Madam" erupted from the mourning hall, suggesting yet another crisis had struck the grieving Wei family.
