Legend of Fu Yao Episode 61 Recap
> Legend of Fu Yao Recap
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As Zhangsun Pingrong and his aide, Xu Lai, departed from Zhangsun Jia's camp, Zhangsun Pingrong proudly displayed a map. He boasted that he had long ago secretly recorded Zhangsun Jia's military deployment and planned to return to the Imperial City, believing this information would be his ultimate safeguard. However, in a sudden turn, Xu Lai betrayed Zhangsun Pingrong, stabbing him.
A shocked Zhangsun Pingrong questioned Xu Lai's actions, but Xu Lai declared that following a defeated master would only lead to his own demise. He revealed that Prince De had instructed him to kill Zhangsun Pingrong if he attempted to flee, asserting that he had no principles, only a pragmatic stance for his own future. Meanwhile, within the palace, Fu Yao struggled to believe that Changsun Jiong was the true orchestrator of all the schemes.
The Empress, Yuan Qingyi, began to recount her painful past to Fu Yao. She revealed that at the tender age of sixteen, she was deeply in love with Zhangsun Jia, and they had planned to be together forever. However, just as he was preparing to propose, the newly enthroned Emperor Changsun Jiong issued a decree to marry her.
Trapped by the need to protect their families, both she and Zhangsun Jia had no choice but to yield to the imperial will. Yet, upon entering the palace, she quickly realized Changsun Jiong had no genuine affection for her; his sole purpose was to tear her and Zhangsun Jia apart. She confessed that if it weren't for Changsun Wuji and the hope of his future ascension to the throne, she would have long ago escaped her gilded cage.
Unbeknownst to them, Changsun Jiong had entered and overheard her heartfelt confession. He then approached them, noting Changsun Wuji's recent military movements. Fu Yao and the Empress were stunned, realizing with chilling clarity that Changsun Jiong's ultimate target was Changsun Wuji. Changsun Jiong then began to unveil the deeply buried secrets of his heart. He explained that while the Emperor of Tianquan appeared to wield absolute power, he was, in reality, constrained by the Five Kingdoms and his own people.
He spoke of his childhood with Zhangsun Jia, a brotherly bond despite their stark differences. Zhangsun Jia was intelligent and universally adored, whereas Changsun Jiong, though mature for his age, was mistakenly perceived as dull and clumsy. Their father, the former king, openly favored Zhangsun Jia.
Knowing full well about the malevolent curse afflicting the throne of Tianquan—a curse that condemned its successors to short lives—their father nonetheless appointed Changsun Jiong as Crown Prince, effectively making him a sacrifice to the throne. Changsun Jiong declared that he had, over decades, broken this deathly curse, ensuring that all future successors would enjoy long lives. However, this achievement came at the cost of a lifetime of debilitating illness for himself.
His voice filled with anger and shock, he revealed the ultimate betrayal: Changsun Wuji, the Empress's son, was not his biological child but Zhangsun Jia’s illegitimate offspring. Fu Yao asserted that Changsun Wuji was innocent, having played no part in these machinations. However, Changsun Jiong vehemently disagreed, stating that no one born into the Zhangsun royal family was truly innocent, for each bore a heavy destiny and was subject to the harsh reality of survival of the fittest.
The Empress, Yuan Qingyi, desperately pleaded with Changsun Jiong to spare Changsun Wuji's life. However, Changsun Jiong had no intention of letting Changsun Wuji die easily. He declared that Wuji was his chosen heir, destined to ascend the throne of Tianquan and endure pain beyond human comprehension. Knowing that both Fu Yao and the Empress were deeply loved by Changsun Wuji, Changsun Jiong produced a vial of potent poison, demanding that one of them personally administer it to the other.
Fu Yao implored Changsun Jiong, reminding him of Changsun Wuji's profound respect, admiration, and even concern for him, stating that Wuji had always considered him a true father. She highlighted Wuji's cautious and diligent journey from Taiyuan, driven by a fear of disappointing Changsun Jiong.
But Changsun Jiong remained unyielding, asserting that this cruel act was Changsun Wuji's final lesson in the art of emperorship: to become as hard as steel and walk his solitary path, even if it meant being abandoned by all his loved ones. He gave them the duration of one incense stick. After that time, the secret chamber would fill with poisonous mist. They faced a choice: either both would perish there, or one would poison the other to emerge alive.
Changsun Jiong expressed his indifference to their choice, only caring that Changsun Wuji would finally experience the same boundless agony he had endured. Meanwhile, Zhangsun Jia had received confirmation that the Empress had been captured by Changsun Jiong, signaling that their strategic plan had been exposed. The Empress's precise location, however, remained unknown. With Changsun Wuji's reinforcements, estimated at over three hundred thousand, now approaching from the south and forming a siege, a major battle was inevitable the following day.
Zhangsun Jia, unwilling to endanger Xuanyuan Xiao, prepared to send her away, acknowledging his past failings towards her and Lian Er. Xuanyuan Xiao, addressing him as "Prince De," confronted him about his past abandonment. Zhangsun Jia claimed that he had allowed her to leave with Lian Er, seemingly indifferent, only because he believed they would live better lives away from him.
Remembering the painful past, Xuanyuan Xiao recounted the day when, admiring peach blossoms in the palace, she stumbled upon Zhangsun Jia and Empress Yuan Qingyi secretly meeting. Overcome with shame and anger, she fled with Lian Er, only to get lost, overhear a dangerous secret, and find themselves pursued by Changsun Jiong, who ordered them to be burned alive.
In that desperate moment, Fei Yan saved her, but at a steep price: Xuanyuan Xiao's own lifespan and sanity, turning her into a distraught woman who heartbreakingly lost track of her daughter, Lian Er. Xuanyuan Xiao expressed her intense hatred for Zhangsun Jia, convinced that his affair with the Empress was the root cause of all her suffering. Zhangsun Jia, learning the full truth of her ordeal, was shocked and initially suspected she was collaborating with Changsun Jiong for revenge.
Xuanyuan Xiao clarified that she was merely fulfilling a promise to Changsun Jiong: he had vowed to reveal Lian Er's whereabouts if she delivered a crucial truth to Zhangsun Jia. She then delivered the devastating revelation: Changsun Wuji was the biological son of Zhangsun Jia and Empress Yuan Qingyi, completely unrelated to Changsun Jiong. Zhangsun Jia was deeply shaken, his disbelief quickly giving way to a grim understanding of Changsun Jiong's decades-long cunning and hidden resentment.
Changsun Jiong's ultimate goal was to force father and son into a deadly conflict. With Changsun Wuji's army now at the city gates, Zhangsun Jia recognized he had no alternative but to fight. Xuanyuan Xiao expressed her dismay that Zhangsun Jia would be willing to face his own son in battle, seemingly for his own survival and power. Zhangsun Jia, however, offered a bitter smile, stating he had no other choice.
As a known traitor across the Five Kingdoms, he acknowledged that Wuji killing him in battle would earn him the people's support and secure the realm. Zhangsun Jia, who had never harbored ambitions for the throne, explained that all of this was forced upon him by Changsun Jiong. He was willing to die by his own son's sword, thereby ensuring Wuji's succession to the throne and dealing Changsun Jiong a fatal blow.
He grimly noted that the throne of Tianquan had always demanded bloodshed, with its occupant ascending over the corpses of their closest kin, and Changsun Wuji would be no exception. The following day, Changsun Wuji's formidable army stood at the city walls, yet he hesitated, reluctant to issue the order to attack. Within the city, Zhangsun Jia, informed of the situation, made a decisive choice and ordered General Ma Wende to retreat.
He declared his intention to bear the burden of this battle alone. As he prepared to leave, Xuanyuan Xiao, his former wife, called out to him. For the sake of their shared past, she helped him don his armor and fasten his sword one last time, recalling how she always silently prayed for his safe return from every campaign. With this final gesture, they severed their ties, acknowledging that their fates were now separate. Zhangsun Jia embraced her one last time, expressing his firm belief that their daughter, Lian Er, was still alive, and imploring Xuanyuan Xiao to find her and live on.
