Legend of Fu Yao Episode 28 Recap, Plot

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Days before the royal wedding, as Qi Zhen finalized his plans to seize the Taiyuan throne on the day of Xuanyuan Min’s wedding, Zhangsun Pingrong met with him. Zhangsun Pingrong questioned why Qi Zhen chose this particular day to act. Qi Zhen explained that the palace would be filled with officials, allowing him to gather his loyal supporters and eliminate all who opposed him, securing his position and removing future threats.

Zhangsun Pingrong, impressed by Qi Zhen’s ruthless cunning, pledged his support. Unbeknownst to them, Qi Yun had secretly followed and overheard their entire conversation. As she prepared to step forward, Zong Yue appeared from behind her, knocking her unconscious and taking her away. The night before the conferring ceremony, Tang Zhirong was in her bath, filled with resentment and anger, angrily dismissing her maids.

After dressing, she reflected on her unfilial behavior towards her father, Tang Bonian, yet fantasized about the power and glory that would come with being queen, vowing to make those who had wronged her and her family pay. Suddenly, she was attacked from behind and fell lifelessly into the bath. Meanwhile, Fu Yao awoke in an unfamiliar room, finding the Nine Dragons and Phoenixes Crown, the Rosy Cloud Gown, and other items only meant for the Queen.

She then remembered being secretly abducted from the palace the previous night. Qi Zhen appeared, revealing he had arranged her capture. He intended for Fu Yao to become the Queen of Taiyuan and marry Xuanyuan Min. Fu Yao refused, stating she was not Xuanyuan Min's destined consort. Qi Zhen coldly scoffed, revealing his true intention was not to unite them in marriage. Instead, he saw Fu Yao as a "sword" to be placed by Xuanyuan Min's side.

He explained that everything in the palace was arranged; before the wedding ceremony began, the Imperial Household Department would issue a new royal decree, appointing Fu Yao as Queen. Qi Zhen then assigned her mission: on the day of the royal wedding, according to Taiyuan's tradition, half of the nation's troops would be reorganized into the Royal Guards, commanded by the King. The marshal seal, which commanded these Royal Guards, would be presented by the Queen during the ceremony.

Qi Zhen ordered Fu Yao to seize this seal during the ceremony. Additionally, as she would be closest to Xuanyuan Min at the wedding, he commanded her to kill Xuanyuan Min without hesitation upon his signal, enabling him to seize the throne. When Fu Yao hesitated at the thought of regicide, Qi Zhen threatened the lives of her entire Yuwen family, leaving her with no choice but to feign compliance.

Tang Zhirong’s body was discovered, and Xuanyuan Min ordered her to be respectfully buried. Upon learning that Fu Yao had also disappeared from the palace, Xuanyuan Min grew wary, recognizing that Qi Zhen’s machinations now involved Fu Yao. He correctly surmised that Qi Zhen would attempt to seize the marshal seal during the handover ceremony. Soon after, palace eunuchs delivered memorials from court officials, all requesting Xuanyuan Min to appoint Qi Zhen’s adopted daughter, Yuwen Zi, as the new Queen.

Xuanyuan Min feigned impatience and annoyance, angrily agreeing to the officials’ demands. After the eunuchs left, Xuanyuan Min sighed. He had previously arranged for Fu Yao to leave the palace to keep her out of these troubles. However, if fate decreed her to be his Queen, he resolved to follow destiny and his own heart. Fu Yao paced anxiously in her room. Shi Lan arrived, claiming to be a personal maid sent by Duke Qi Zhen to serve Fu Yao.

Fu Yao desperately tried to convince Shi Lan to deliver a message to Xuanyuan Min, warning him of Qi Zhen’s plot. However, the Duke's Mansion was heavily guarded, making escape impossible for both of them. In despair, Fu Yao decided to try a desperate measure, repeatedly calling out Yuanbao’s name, hoping the spiritual creature would hear her. Yuanbao, indeed, heard Fu Yao’s distress. It frantically circled Xuanyuan Min, who was at the time meeting with Qi Zhen.

Xuanyuan Min, having to maintain composure during his audience with Qi Zhen, temporarily suppressed the agitated Yuanbao. With Zong Yue having settled Qi Yun, Qi Zhen was about to commence his plan. He noticed the emptiness of his mansion and suddenly inquired about Qi Yun’s whereabouts.

Yun Hen informed him that Qi Zhen himself had arranged for Lady Qi and Qi Yun to leave Kunjing a few days prior, and they were expected to reach Gan Province within two or three days. Just then, a servant reported that the person Qi Zhen had previously sought was ready. Qi Zhen, viewing this as a sign of divine favor, instructed Yun Hen to bring this person along the next day.

Satisfying Yun Hen's curiosity, Qi Zhen then explained his reason for choosing Xuanyuan Min’s wedding day for his rebellion: he sought to seize the opportunity to eliminate all disloyal individuals at once. Yun Hen expressed concern, noting that thousands of people would be in the palace during the wedding, and the ensuing battle would be merciless. But Qi Zhen, having waited years for this moment, would tolerate no errors.

To ensure Yun Hen’s loyalty, Qi Zhen sternly warned him that any outsider would be killed, and even his own men would be mercilessly eliminated if they obstructed his plans. The next day, as the sun rose, Xuanyuan Min and Fu Yao, both clad in grand red robes, awaited the tumultuous events. Fu Yao entered her royal sedan, surrounded by attendants who began the traditional conferring ceremony.

According to custom, the procession from Fu Yao's bedchamber to Yongjia Palace required attendants to stop and prostrate every ten steps, offering gratitude to the gods for bestowing Taiyuan with a virtuous Queen. Fu Yao also had to endure numerous other elaborate rituals, her face showing impatience at the lengthy formalities. At this moment, Yuanbao slipped into her sedan, bringing a secret letter from Xuanyuan Min.

The letter warned that the wedding day would also be a day of great chaos, instructing Fu Yao to quickly complete the rituals. It also told her that once he called her a "slut," she was to leave immediately with Yuanbao. To cooperate with Xuanyuan Min’s plan, Fu Yao dramatically pulled back the sedan’s curtains, stepped out, and, to the shock of all present, ran directly towards Yongjia Palace.

The established protocol required her to wait at Yongjia Palace for a eunuch to finish reciting the ceremonial text before entering the main hall. Short on time, Fu Yao gave the eunuch only enough time for one stick of incense to burn. As it extinguished, Fu Yao rushed into the Main Palace Hall, leaving the stunned eunuch and a train of bewildered ceremonial maids scrambling to follow her.

In the Main Palace Hall, Xuanyuan Min skipped traditional rituals like the sky worship and immediately summoned the officials. Despite it not being the auspicious hour, he declared his intention to proceed with the Queen’s conferring ceremony at once. Just then, Qi Zhen arrived, attempting to stop him.

Qi Zhen argued that the Queen's procession, with all its required prostrations, would take at least half an hour to reach the hall, and the ceremony could not proceed without her as per ancestral rules. His words, however, were cut short as Fu Yao, in her vibrant red gown, entered the Main Palace Hall alone as the Queen. The officials were astounded, as such an unprecedented act had not been witnessed in Taiyuan for hundreds of years.

Despite their shock, seeing Xuanyuan Min's eagerness, and as he stepped onto the platform alongside Fu Yao, the officials reluctantly overlooked the breach of etiquette. Qi Zhen, meanwhile, covertly calculated the time for his uprising. With an hour still remaining before the planned rebellion, he needed to prolong the wedding ceremony. To buy time, Qi Zhen instructed Yun Hen to bring forward the special person they had prepared. He then stepped forward, vociferously challenging the legitimacy of the wedding, declaring to the assembled officials that the King on the platform was not of the true Xuanyuan bloodline.

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