Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Episode 8 Recap
> Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Recap
Li Fang confessed to Princess Royal that he only desired three more days to live. He explained that when the late emperor passed away, two other eunuchs, who were his close attendants, were also present. To protect himself from Princess Royal's potential harm, he had sent them out of the palace and hidden them securely, preventing their discovery. He admitted that his actions were all part of a plan to divert her attention and secure his own survival.
Before Princess Royal departed, she implied a threat to Li Fang's young nephew, the sole remaining bloodline of the Li family. Li Fang, however, feigned ignorance, claiming he knew and saw nothing. Meanwhile, Prince Jin was alone, drinking his sorrows away. Fu Yuzhan, too, looked contemplatively at the sachet the late emperor had bestowed upon her.
Her father, Prince Wei, approached her, urging her to move past her feelings, as her younger sister, Fu Jinzhan, was now destined to marry Prince Jin. He emphasized that she should not, and could not, dwell on the past. Fu Yuzhan assured him that she would return the sachet to Prince Jin the following day. Xue Rong and Jiang Shao sought solace in alcohol together. Jiang Shao questioned Xue Rong about his and Fu Yuzhan's future.
Xue Rong initially dismissed their situation as a mere marriage of convenience, born out of necessity, and not something to worry about. However, he admitted that while they could deceive others, they could not deceive themselves. Xue Rong then confessed to Jiang Shao that he had, unknowingly, fallen deeply in love with Fu Yuzhan, describing how he often imagined her presence in beautiful settings.
Jiang Shao, in turn, recalled Fu Jinzhan, cherishing the memory of her getting into mischief as his fondest. The two brothers lamented their changed circumstances, wondering why things had turned out this way. When Jiang Shao asked if Xue Rong believed in destiny, Xue Rong declared his belief in the power of human will. They reaffirmed their lifelong brotherhood, a promise made to the late emperor, vowing to always support each other, regardless of fate or human machinations.
During a court session, Prince Wei publicly challenged Princess Royal, questioning why she continually obstructed Prince Jin's enthronement despite Eunuch Li's testimony about the late emperor's wishes. Princess Royal countered, asserting that legitimacy was paramount. She insisted that Prince Jin could not ascend the throne without the formal imperial decree and the imperial jade seal, suggesting that discussions of enthronement should only resume once these items were presented.
Later, Princess Royal, along with her maid Yueying, discussed the need for a fake imperial seal. While Yueying was eager for Li Huaijin to immediately ascend the throne using it, Princess Royal cautioned against such haste. She clarified that the fake seal’s true purpose was not to enthrone Li Huaijin directly, but to pressure Prince Jin into revealing the "real" imperial jade seal.
She reasoned that Prince Jin, unwilling to yield power, must be frantically searching for the genuine seal, which the late emperor intended for him. She believed that rushing Prince Jin would cause him to make mistakes, thereby exposing his vulnerabilities. Fu Yuzhan visited Prince Jin's Mansion to return the sachet the late emperor had given her as an engagement memento.
Xue Rong expressed concern for her health after she was poisoned by Enticing Incense, to which she replied she was fine after merely sleeping for two days. As she handed him the sachet, she stated it now held no meaning. Xue Rong, understanding her implication, argued that human emotions, once developed, cannot be easily retracted. Fu Yuzhan, however, advised him that those with great ambition must learn to make sacrifices and let go of personal feelings.
Xue Rong was taken aback by her cold resolve. As she prepared to leave, he asked if she would have married him if she, and not Enticing Incense, had been in the bridal sedan chair that day, and if it had been for herself rather than her family. Fu Yuzhan offered a poignant reply: "There is always an assumption for things that make people feel sorry."
She then left, silently acknowledging that since Heaven had made their choice, they should not look back. Meanwhile, Fu Jinzhan, disguised as a male soldier, infiltrated the garrison to see Jiang Shao. Jiang Shao, upon finding her, reprimanded her for her reckless behavior and questioned if she had informed Prince Jin of her visit. Jinzhan defiantly blamed Jiang Shao for her current predicament as Princess Jin, attributing it to his "stupid idea" of having her wear the wedding dress.
Jiang Shao reminded her of the public nature of her marriage, witnessed by high-ranking officials, and the critical political climate. He warned her that with the new emperor not yet enthroned, rival forces were "waiting for the right time with greed," placing Prince Jin in a perilous position. He urged her, despite her simple and upright nature, not to cause further trouble for Prince Jin and the Fu family.
Jinzhan insisted she was merely practicing martial arts, but Jiang Shao firmly told her there was no longer a place for her in the garrison. He declared he had a clear conscience and would resign to roam the world and help people if necessary. Jinzhan excitedly agreed to join him on his adventures, but he advised her to behave until that day came.
Xue Rong went to the Imperial Garden and knelt by an ancient tree, which the late emperor had personally planted when he adopted Xue Rong. He spoke to his deceased father, lamenting that the granted marriage had failed and that the sachet, an engagement token, had lost its meaning. He buried the sachet beneath the tree, expressing his sorrow that despite fulfilling his father’s wish for a Fu daughter to be empress, he could not choose his own destiny.
Unbeknownst to him, Princess Royal observed his actions from a distance. She bitterly reflected on her brother's favoritism towards Xue Rong over her own son, Li Huaijin, the true bloodline of the Xue family. After Xue Rong left, Princess Royal ordered her maid, Yueying, to dig up the sachet, curious as to why Xue Rong had hidden it there. They retrieved the sachet and its contents.
Later, Jinzhan suggested to Xue Rong that he simply divorce her, but he explained the gravity of royal marriages. He then recounted how Princess Royal was demanding the imperial decree and jade seal for his enthronement, causing significant delays. Jinzhan suddenly remembered a piece of jade material she had picked up from Princess Royal’s Mansion. She retrieved it and presented it to Xue Rong. He immediately recognized it as royal jade used for crafting imperial seals, bearing dragon-like patterns.
This revelation led him to understand Princess Royal’s true intention: not to destroy a seal, but to forge a fake one to install her son, Li Huaijin, on the throne. Jinzhan, determined to stop her, declared she would inform her sister, Yuzhan. Fearing exposure from Jinzhan's possession of the jade material, Princess Royal orchestrated a manipulative scheme. She first dismissed her loyal, long-serving staff with generous severance, signifying a drastic change.
Then, feigning deep remorse and tearfully confessing to Li Huaijin, she claimed to have privately forged an imperial seal but was discovered by Fu Jinzhan, who had taken the remaining jade material. Dramatically, she expressed fears that Prince Jin's retaliation would doom their entire household.
To "save" him, she proposed a plan: Li Huaijin should take the "fake" imperial seal she had crafted and present it to Prince Jin, publicly exposing "her" (Princess Royal) as the sole culprit, thereby absolving himself. Believing his mother's sacrifice, Li Huaijin immediately asked about the jade material in Jinzhan's possession and rushed to Prince Jin's Mansion, vowing to protect his mother. There, he greeted Jinzhan. Despite her advising him against formal courtesies, he apologized on his mother's behalf.
Jinzhan then warned him to distance himself from his mother, revealing Princess Royal's treasonous act of forging an imperial seal and presenting the jade material as proof. Distracting Jinzhan momentarily, Li Huaijin apologized once more, stating, "She is my mother," before knocking her unconscious and making off with the jade material. Jinzhan awoke to find the jade material missing and confessed her carelessness to Yuzhan and Xue Rong.
Yuzhan, however, comforted her, explaining that even if they had the material, Princess Royal could simply deny the accusations, making conviction difficult. Xue Rong proposed they "strike first" by sending a letter to Princess Royal, falsely claiming he possessed the "real" imperial seal. This, he reasoned, would deter her from presenting her fake one and allow them to publicly expose her. This strategy would also buy them crucial time to locate the genuine imperial seal.
Xue Rong recalled the imperial seal was last seen when the late emperor granted him the Golden Lion. Upon inspection, he discovered a unique keyhole on the back of the Golden Lion. Yuzhan immediately recognized its shape, remembering the late emperor had given her an engagement sachet containing a similar key. Jinzhan urged them to retrieve the sachet from its burial spot.
Xue Rong rushed to the Imperial Garden only to find the sachet gone, and a palace attendant confirmed that Princess Royal had visited the tree after he had buried it. Devastated, Xue Rong asked Yuzhan to leave him, then poured out his heart to his deceased father, expressing his profound loneliness and how Fu Yuzhan brought "light" into his life, yet he "cannot marry her."
Yuzhan, remaining nearby, acknowledged her prior belief in fate but declared that if one is determined, their fate need not be decided by Heaven. She asserted, "If our fate was decided by God, I was gonna be the God." Xue Rong then asked if she would join him in changing their destiny.
Yuzhan responded that she could only do so if she was absolutely certain that she could devote herself to him "regardless of danger," even if it meant abandoning all personal interests. The next day, Xue Rong, engrossed in official documents, tried to avoid Fu Yuzhan's visit. Despite his attempts to redirect her to Jinzhan, Yuzhan insisted on speaking with Prince Jin directly.
She urged him not to avoid her, reminding him that with the imperial seal missing, the Fu family and Prince Jin were inextricably linked, sharing a common fate. She stressed that they could not allow personal emotions to jeopardize state affairs. Yuzhan emphasized the critical importance of safeguarding the Golden Lion, as without it, Princess Royal's retrieved key would be useless.
When Xue Rong inquired about a method to open the Golden Lion, Yuzhan suggested Mr. Lu of Yunshen Store, a renowned master of machining. Xue Rong eagerly proposed sending for him immediately, but Yuzhan calmly advised against such haste, prompting Xue Rong to realize that she had already sent Jinzhan to investigate Mr. Lu's capabilities.
