Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Episode 37 Recap
> Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Recap
Jiang Shao requested Chai Zhenzhen to deliver a message to Fu Jinzhan, urging her not to act impulsively and attempt to steal the wooden badge from Xue Rong. Li Huaijin observed this exchange. Xue Rong reflected on his deep friendship with Jiang Shao, reminiscing about a time when they were so close they could entrust their lives to each other.
He confessed to Yuzhan that he sometimes overthought things and decided to return the wooden badge to Jiang Shao the following day. He also reminded Yuzhan to rest well, as the toxins in her body had not yet been fully eliminated. Chai Zhenzhen went to the Cold Palace to relay Jiang Shao’s message to Fu Jinzhan, advising her against stealing the wooden badge and to defer to Xue Rong’s decision. However, Fu Jinzhan was resolute in her plan.
She believed that Xue Rong had too many political considerations beyond their brotherhood, and that his bond with Jiang Shao would not be his sole priority. Fu Jinzhan then quietly shared her plan with Chai Zhenzhen. Meanwhile, Li Huaijin summoned Commander Wang Hai and instructed him to report to Xue Rong.
Wang Hai was to claim he had overheard Jiang Shao secretly planning to steal a wooden badge with Chai Zhenzhen, and that Chai Zhenzhen then went to the Cold Palace. Wang Hai delivered this fabricated report to Xue Rong, who found the situation highly ironic, believing Jiang Shao was instigating the theft. Shortly after, Chai Zhenzhen arrived to visit Xue Rong, bringing cloud-shaped cakes and lotus pies. Xue Rong, suspicious, deliberately displayed Jiang Shao’s wooden badge on his table.
Chai Zhenzhen noticed it and, after making an excuse to leave, reported its location back to Fu Jinzhan. The two then planned to seize the opportunity when Funing Palace was empty. With the covert assistance of Li Huaijin and Chai Zhenzhen, Fu Jinzhan successfully retrieved the wooden badge. As Xue Rong, Yuzhan, and Chai Zhenzhen were playing chess, Guo Fu reported that the badge had been stolen from Funing Palace.
Xue Rong immediately ordered the palace guards to capture the former Empress Fu Jinzhan. He then confronted Chai Zhenzhen, accusing her of conspiring with Jiang Shao. Chai Zhenzhen denied Jiang Shao’s involvement, insisting that she and Fu Jinzhan had acted on their own initiative and that Jiang Shao had actually advised them against the theft. Skeptical, Xue Rong pressed her for the agreed meeting location with Fu Jinzhan, offering leniency in return.
After a moment of hesitation, Chai Zhenzhen revealed it was the northeast palace gate. Xue Rong rode to the designated spot, dismissing his soldiers once he was near. He found Fu Jinzhan hiding by a wall and angrily confronted her, speaking as if Jiang Shao could hear him. He accused Jiang Shao of betraying their brotherhood, resorting to despicable, underhanded tactics by using Chai Zhenzhen and Fu Jinzhan to steal the wooden badge.
Xue Rong declared that everything Jiang Shao possessed in the palace was "given by me." Hearing this, Fu Jinzhan felt they had made a grave mistake. Chai Zhenzhen then found Fu Jinzhan, who, having not been arrested by Xue Rong, handed her the wooden badge and asked her to deliver it along with Xue Rong’s message to Jiang Shao.
Chai Zhenzhen later presented the wooden badge to Jiang Shao, explaining that Xue Rong had originally intended to return it, but their actions had led him to believe Jiang Shao instigated the theft. She apologized, to which Jiang Shao expressed his gratitude for the badge and the efforts of both Chai Zhenzhen and Fu Jinzhan, hoping he would see Jinzhan again.
During a court assembly, ministers confirmed that the jade in Jiang Shao’s wooden badge was of royal quality and that the inscription was in the late emperor’s handwriting, definitively proving Jiang Shao’s identity as the late emperor’s son. They requested that he be granted a royal title. Xue Rong initially proposed enfeoffing Jiang Shao as "Prince Ping of the Commandery," then "Duke Ping," arguing Jiang Shao had no significant achievements.
However, the ministers countered by citing Jiang Shao’s role in Liu Chengfu's assassination and his aid during the Yellow River flood. They pressed for a more distinguished title, ultimately suggesting "Duke Qin," a rank second only to Prince Jin, which Xue Rong reluctantly accepted. After the court session, Xue Rong, feeling profoundly dejected, secluded himself in his palace. Yuzhan came to comfort him.
Xue Rong lamented the ministers' insatiable demands, feeling they were trying to replace him, despite his prior readiness to abdicate due to his adopted status. Yuzhan reassured him that he was the rightful ruler and that his true concern lay with the empire and its people, not merely the throne, a sentiment Xue Rong appreciated. An imperial decree was delivered to Jiang Shao at Li Huaijin’s mansion, officially conferring upon him the title of Duke Qin.
Jiang Shao was overjoyed, and Li Huaijin encouraged him to personally thank the Emperor at the upcoming enfeoffment ceremony. During the grand ceremony, Xue Rong, suppressing his anger, formally bestowed the title. Jiang Shao accepted the decree and expressed his gratitude, but Xue Rong gave him a cold, indifferent look before departing. Jiang Shao followed Xue Rong, reiterating his thanks for the wooden badge and the title, pledging unwavering loyalty.
He also tried to explain the misunderstanding, but Xue Rong coldly cut him off, telling him to "feel at ease" and implying that no further explanation was needed. Prince Wei later met with Jiang Shao, advising him not to let personal sentiments supersede court protocol now that he held a royal title.
Prince Wei then revealed the results of his half-year investigation into who framed him for the murder of Jiang Shao’s mother: Li Huaijin was the prime suspect, having been found entering the archive where records were falsified. Prince Wei speculated that Li Huaijin’s motive stemmed from his long-standing affection for Fu Jinzhan, his childhood friend, which was exacerbated by her marriage to Jiang Shao, leading Li Huaijin to sow discord. Jiang Shao found it hard to believe.
Back at his mansion, Jiang Shao decided to subtly test Li Huaijin. He recounted a story about a man who murdered a girl’s father because the girl, his childhood sweetheart, was betrothed to another. Jiang Shao expressed his incomprehension at such an "irrational" act.
Li Huaijin responded philosophically, stating that separation from one's true love could be more agonizing than death itself, and that in the spectrum of human experiences, nothing was inherently reasonable or irrational, often depending on one's ability to empathize. Li Huaijin subsequently hosted a private dinner for several high-ranking ministers. While feigning modesty, he thanked them for their support of Jiang Shao in court.
He then subtly expressed "sympathy" for Jiang Shao, remarking that despite his title as Duke Qin, he possessed no real power and lacked his own princely mansion, forced to temporarily reside in Li Huaijin’s estate. This insinuation stirred discontent among the ministers regarding Xue Rong's treatment of Jiang Shao. Minister Zheng, particularly incensed, accused Xue Rong of fearing Jiang Shao's claim to the throne.
Li Huaijin then drew Minister Zheng aside and, playing on his indignation, implied that his own mother, Princess Fuqing, had been killed because she attempted to reveal Jiang Shao's identity and bring him back to the palace, suggesting Xue Rong orchestrated her death to prevent this. Convinced, Minister Zheng pledged his unwavering loyalty to Li Huaijin. Following this, Li Huaijin introduced Wang An, the Vice Minister of Rites, to Jiang Shao.
Wang An was tasked with instructing Jiang Shao on the intricate etiquette for the upcoming Winter Solstice ancestor worship ceremony. Wang An explained that "Xianzuo," or offering the oblation, was a tradition where the emperor personally presented offerings to show filial piety and respect to the ancestors. During the court assembly for the ceremony, Minister Zheng controversially proposed that Duke Qin, rather than Xue Rong, should perform the "Xianzuo."
Despite objections from other ministers, Zheng vehemently argued that "Xianzuo" should only be performed by a blood relative, not an adopted son. He openly challenged Xue Rong's legitimacy, suggesting that since Jiang Shao, the late emperor's biological son, had returned, the throne of Lingyang rightfully belonged to him as the true imperial bloodline.
