Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Episode 39 Recap
> Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Recap
During a court session, a minister impeached Prince Wei, Fu Yanxin, for secretly collaborating with bandits in Chenzhou and relaying messages that led to repeated failures in suppressing the bandit problem. The minister presented evidence of the Tianxiong Army's collusion with the bandits, including a written testimony from Commandant Wang of the Tianxiong Army, urging His Majesty to severely punish Prince Wei.
When Xue Rong asked for his defense, Prince Wei admitted his guilt, not for colluding with bandits, but for failing to control his subordinates, allowing "evil guys" within the Tianxiong Army to collude with the bandits and cause the repeated failures in Chenzhou. He then declared himself unfit to command the Tianxiong Army and offered to surrender the commander's tally and retire to his hometown. Xue Rong accepted Prince Wei’s request.
Following this, some ministers recommended Li Huaijin to command the Tianxiong Army. Despite an initial objection regarding his suitability, other ministers quickly supported his appointment, citing his clean record commanding the Imperial Guards. Xue Rong then asked Li Huaijin if he was willing to take on this important task, and Li Huaijin accepted the order. After the court session, Jiang Shao went to Funing Palace to see Xue Rong but was blocked by Guo Fu.
Angered, Jiang Shao shouted from outside, demanding to know when he, as Duke Qin, would be allowed to attend court. From behind the closed door, Xue Rong angrily told him to "get out." Jiang Shao then went to Jinzhan, who had heard about his outburst at Funing Palace. Jiang Shao vehemently denied making a scene, claiming Xue Rong was merely too guilty to face him.
Jinzhan tried to persuade him that attending court was not desirable, listing the arduous duties, and asked when they could leave the capital, calling it a complicated place that would only drag them deeper. Jiang Shao refused to leave, declaring he would no longer back down and that the throne rightfully belonged to him, claiming he had only allowed Xue Rong to ascend the throne. Jinzhan was stunned, unable to believe he would say such a thing.
Jiang Shao then produced a posthumous edict, claiming it named him as the successor. He further revealed that the late emperor's chief eunuch, Li Fang, had specifically told him that the late emperor intended for him to ascend the throne, but some unforeseen circumstances must have prevented its public announcement. Enraged, Jiang Shao vowed to reclaim everything that belonged to him, wanting Xue Rong to experience being cornered.
Jinzhan, recognizing Jiang Shao's drastic change, urged him to calm down, insisting there must be a misunderstanding, and offered to arrange a meeting between him and Xue Rong, but Jiang Shao refused, saying he no longer wished to see him. Meanwhile, Yuzhan, aware of her deteriorating health, began writing down all the things she wished to do with Xue Rong, including enjoying the first snow.
Xue Rong found her list and playfully added more activities for spring, summer, and autumn, making her promise to complete them. Soon after, Lanpei informed Yuzhan that Prince Wei, her father, was preparing to return to his hometown and wished to see her before leaving. Yuzhan learned of her father's resignation from Jinzhan. Jinzhan, distraught by the growing rift between the brothers, implored Yuzhan to arrange a meeting to clear up their misunderstandings.
Yuzhan, experiencing a severe cough with blood which she concealed, knew her time was limited. Fearing that Xue Rong would be left "all alone" if he and Jiang Shao remained unreconciled, she agreed to help Jinzhan lure Xue Rong out of the palace. Yuzhan later asked Xue Rong to accompany her to the bamboo forest, citing their many fond memories there, and he agreed.
Jiang Shao met with Li Huaijin and unequivocally stated his desire to become emperor, believing it was his rightful destiny. Li Huaijin, affirming that Xue Rong would never grant Jiang Shao real power due to his identity, pledged his full support to help Jiang Shao ascend the throne. Li Huaijin expressed his delight over Prince Wei's departure, confident that with the commander's tally in hand, he now controlled most of the capital.
Jiang Shao, however, voiced concerns about the loyalty of the Tianxiong Army. Li Huaijin reassured him, stating that as soldiers, they were bound to obey the commander's tally, and any defiance would be treated as treason, with consequences for their families. They planned to recruit more ministers before making their move for Jiang Shao to take the throne. Xue Rong and Yuzhan shared a tender moment making clay figures in the palace.
Despite their "ugly" creations, Xue Rong insisted on having them fired and preserved, suggesting they exchange them to keep each other's. Yuzhan then expressed her desire to visit the bamboo forest, a place filled with their shared memories. In the bamboo forest, Yuzhan led Xue Rong ahead, promising a surprise, then stepped back. Xue Rong was startled to find Jiang Shao waiting on the hillside. Both realized they had been tricked into this meeting by Jinzhan and Yuzhan.
Xue Rong turned to leave, but Jiang Shao called him back, insisting they needed to clarify things. Xue Rong dismissively stated that Jiang Shao only wanted real power and a place in court, which he would never grant. Jiang Shao then presented the arrowhead Xue Rong had given him, reminding Xue Rong of his promise to grant any request.
Xue Rong questioned if Jiang Shao truly intended to use the arrowhead to demand real power, thereby severing their last thread of brotherhood. Without resolution, Xue Rong and Jiang Shao eventually emerged from the bamboo forest, each pulling Jinzhan and Yuzhan in opposite directions, leaving in silence. Back in the imperial court, Xue Rong and his ministers discussed the frequent incursions by Pengze soldiers near Yonglu and the presence of Pengze scouts in the capital.
They acknowledged Pengze's forcible occupation of Sanjia, which was historically part of Lingyang's territory. When Xue Rong asked for opinions, a general volunteered to lead an expedition to reclaim Sanjia. However, Li Huaijin opposed this, suggesting that Duke Qin, Jiang Shao, should lead the army. Li Huaijin argued that Jiang Shao, as the legitimate bloodline of the Xue family, would inspire the frontier soldiers and boost morale. Several other ministers echoed this sentiment.
Angered by the implied challenge to his authority, Xue Rong declared that he possessed greater imperial prestige and would personally lead the army to reclaim Sanjia. Following the court's decision, Li Huaijin and Jiang Shao discussed Xue Rong's choice to personally lead the campaign. Li Huaijin noted that Xue Rong's decision to go personally was a clever move by Jiang Shao, intended to assert his claim as the "destined emperor" by reclaiming Sanjia, a long-held regret of the late emperor.
Li Huaijin then revealed his plan to ambush Xue Rong on the road with killers to ensure he would "not come back" to the capital. Jiang Shao agreed to the plan. As Xue Rong rode to war, he instructed his general, Jia Dali, to lead the soldiers to search for a thief who had stolen a military deployment map from the army camp, while he remained alone, anticipating an ambush. As expected, a group of black-clad killers soon surrounded him.
Xue Rong fought back and managed to escape, but he fell into a hidden trap. Believing Xue Rong to be dead, the killers withdrew. Upon hearing the news, Li Huaijin gathered ministers, showing them "the posthumous edict" (presumably the one he found in his house) which stated that the late emperor intended for Jiang Shao to inherit the throne.
He emphasized that with Xue Rong missing, the nation could not be without a ruler, and proposed enthroning Jiang Shao in the morning court. Meanwhile, Lanpei delivered the devastating news to Yuzhan that Xue Rong had been ambushed in Sanjia City and was presumed to be in grave danger. Yuzhan immediately coughed blood and fainted into Lanpei’s arms. Jinzhan, hearing of Xue Rong's disappearance, rushed to Jiang Shao, desperately pleading with him to find his brother.
However, Jiang Shao coldly refused, stating that Xue Rong's death was "better for me" as he was poised to be crowned emperor the following day. Jinzhan was appalled, declaring that he was no longer the Jiang Shao she knew and vowing that she would not allow him to kill innocent people. That night, Jiang Shao secretly searched Li Huaijin's hidden room but failed to find the true posthumous edict, suspecting Li Huaijin might be carrying it himself.
Despite this setback, he resolved not to let it hinder his plans. The next morning, Jiang Shao entered the court with Li Huaijin's help, positioning himself before the throne. A minister, supporting Jiang Shao, initiated the discussion about establishing a new emperor, citing Xue Rong's disappearance, public panic, and external threats as reasons to consider Lingyang's future. The Imperial Astronomer reported that the Supreme Purple Star was dimming, indicating the emperor's mandate had passed.
When Mr. Jing passionately defended Xue Rong, stating he was not dead, he was dragged away by Imperial Guards on Jiang Shao's command. Mr. Fan also voiced his disapproval, calling their actions rash. Mr. Su firmly stated that as long as there was no confirmation of Xue Rong's death, a new emperor should not be enthroned.
Li Huaijin drew his sword, threatening Mr. Su, but Jiang Shao intervened, ordering Mr. Su to be publicly flogged with heavy boards instead of killed, ensuring his suffering would be prolonged. Lanpei, having witnessed the chaos, relayed the news to Yuzhan and Jinzhan. Yuzhan, knowing her end was near, handed Jinzhan a token Xue Rong had given her, assuring Jinzhan that it would grant her free access within Daqing Hall.
Jinzhan immediately rushed to the hall, interrupting the flogging of Mr. Su. She fiercely confronted Jiang Shao, calling his current demeanor "sick." Jinzhan then bravely shielded Mr. Su, declaring that as long as she lived, she would not allow anyone to harm the ministers. Li Huaijin ordered the guards to stop. Jiang Shao, unfazed, then declared that if no one had any further objections, the coronation would take place in three days. Jinzhan, disgusted, stormed out of the hall.
Later, Jinzhan received a note purportedly from Chai Zhenzhen, inviting her to meet at Peach Flower Lane. When Jinzhan arrived at the designated courtyard, she was ambushed and knocked unconscious. She awoke to find herself bound by Yueying, who proceeded to cut her wrist. Yueying explained that she was eliminating Jinzhan to prevent her from continuing to distract Li Huaijin and to compel him to "repent," as he had once again yielded to Jinzhan in court.
Meanwhile, Chai Zhenzhen learned that Jinzhan had gone to Peach Flower Lane and rushed to the location. Hearing Jinzhan's desperate cries for help from inside the locked courtyard, Chai Zhenzhen scaled the wall. She bravely rescued Jinzhan, stemmed the bleeding, and carried her back to Fu's Mansion. There, Chai Zhenzhen applied medicine to Jinzhan's wounds. In gratitude, Jinzhan offered Chai Zhenzhen some muscle-relaxing powder for her injuries. Acknowledging her heroic act, Chai Zhenzhen stated that it was her duty as a sister to care for Jinzhan.
