Legend of the Female General Episode 34 Recap
> Legend of the Female General Recap
Xiao Jue reflects on the suffering caused by war, musing that if peace could be achieved, he would gladly retire from the military. He Yan playfully teases him, declaring her ambition to become a great general and promising to support him with her salary. Playing along, Xiao Jue bows in gratitude, and they share a laugh.
Later, He Yan goes alone to see Li Kuang off on his journey back to Rundu, deciding it best not to bring Xiao Jue along. Meanwhile, Cheng Lisu puts an elaborate plan into motion to propose to Song Taotao. After faking an allergic reaction to get her attention and confirm her feelings, he sincerely confesses his love and asks for her hand in marriage.
He presents her with a beautifully carved Albizia flower hairpin, a symbol of love and marital bliss, which she happily accepts. Soon after, their wedding invitations arrive at the Xiao mansion, prompting Xiao Jue's sister-in-law to good-naturedly ask when he and He Yan plan to marry. Xiao Jue takes He Yan on a nostalgic trip to their old school, Xianchang Academy.
Standing by a loquat tree, He Yan recalls a time when she was locked in a dark room as punishment, and a kind soul secretly passed her a bag of loquats to ease her hunger. Xiao Jue finally confesses that he was the one who gave them to her. Their trip is interrupted by their former teacher, who still remembers Xiao Jue as his most brilliant student and He Yan as the troublemaker who was always last in her class.
He accuses He Yan of luring his prized pupil astray, but Xiao Jue quickly defends her, stating that he fell in love with her first and proudly reminding the teacher that she is now the great General Feihong, the first female general in Wei. That evening, they attend the bustling Yaojing Lantern Festival, which He Yan finds far more lively than the Water God Festival in Jiyang.
At a sugar painting stall, Xiao Jue becomes visibly jealous, remembering that He Yan once made a candy basket for Chu Zhao. When she offers to buy him one, he coldly refuses. Seeing through his pettiness, He Yan explains that the gift to Chu Zhao was merely to repay a favor, and then lovingly crafts a new, much larger sugar painting just for him. Their date continues as they run into Yan He and his wife, Chengxiu.
The four of them participate in guessing lantern riddles, where He Yan’s quick wit wins a beautiful lantern for Xiao Jue. Later, while they are sharing a bowl of sweet dumplings, He Yan spots Feinu in the background and realizes that their entire "lucky" evening, from the unique lantern to the conveniently available food, has been carefully orchestrated by Xiao Jue.
He then leads her to a beautiful tree, presents her with a flower, and confesses his love, asking her to marry him. He Yan joyfully accepts, and they share a passionate kiss, sealing their promise to spend their lives together. In stark contrast, a heartbroken Chu Zhao sits alone, speaking to the sugar painting He Yan once gave him, desperately trying to convince himself of her affection. As if a terrible omen, the delicate candy shatters in his hand.
His despair deepens when he witnesses He Yan and Xiao Jue's kiss under the plum blossoms at the festival. Later, in court, Chu Zhao plants a seed of doubt in the Emperor's mind, arguing that while Xiao Jue and He Yan are a perfect match, it would be dangerous for the state to allow General Fengyun and General Feihong, two commanders with immense military power, to marry.
Unaware of the looming threat, Xiao Jue tells He Yan he has already commissioned Yaojing’s finest embroiderers to create her wedding gown. As she is being measured for the dress, Xiao Jue playfully insists that she measure him as well, leading to a tender moment between them. Their happiness is cut short when a messenger arrives with an urgent summons for Xiao Jue to the palace.
There, after a briefing on a potential threat from the Wutuo people, Chu Zhao makes a shocking entrance and formally asks the Emperor for He Yan’s hand in marriage. Xiao Jue immediately objects, declaring his own engagement to her. The Emperor, swayed by Chu Zhao's earlier warning, presents Xiao Jue with an impossible ultimatum: he may marry He Yan, but only if one of them agrees to surrender their military authority.
He gives Xiao Jue until the next day to decide. Outside the palace, an enraged Xiao Jue punches Chu Zhao, who coldly justifies his actions by pointing out the dilemma: Xiao Jue would never force He Yan to give up her hard-won dream of being a general, nor could he abandon the Xiao Army his father entrusted to him.
When Xiao Jue returns home, he conceals the true nature of the meeting from He Yan, telling her only of the Wutuo threat. Looking at her, he says with hidden sorrow that as General Feihong, she is meant to soar freely. In his ancestral hall, before his parents' memorial tablets, Xiao Jue makes a silent, agonizing decision. He cannot abandon his duty, but he will not be the one to clip her wings. He resolves to sacrifice their future together, accepting a life of solitude.
