Legend of Yun Xi Episode 44 Recap
> Legend of Yun Xi Recap
Gu Beiyue conceded that only Han Yunxi’s heart’s blood could detoxify the gu poison afflicting Long Feiye. Unbeknownst to them, Gu Qishao had overheard their entire conversation. Upon hearing the truth, Han Yunxi became overwhelmed with sadness. When Long Feiye entered, noticing her tears, he asked what was wrong. She dismissed it, claiming she was simply happy to be with him. They shared a tender moment, speaking of their fears about love and the future.
Long Feiye reassured her that they would face any challenges together. After Han Yunxi left, Long Feiye asked Gu Beiyue if what he told "Poison Girl" (Han Yunxi) was true. Gu Beiyue regretfully admitted it, explaining that given Han Yunxi's character, she would sacrifice herself to save Long Feiye even if he had lied. Gu Qishao, distressed, questioned what they should do. At Xiongfeng Palace, Emperor Tianhui was enraged to learn that the assassination attempt on Han Yunxi had failed.
His eunuch, Li Quan, admitted he had not anticipated Baili Mingxiang saving Han Yunxi, explaining that she knew only Han Yunxi’s heart’s blood could save Long Feiye and had betrayed them for her beloved. Emperor Tianhui condemned Baili Mingxiang's "petty kindness" as foolish and worried that Long Feiye, due to his deep affection for Han Yunxi, would not sacrifice her life.
He resolved to accelerate the plan to develop gu-abetted men, seeing it as crucial to eliminate Long Feiye and secure his throne. Consort Qing, Chu Qingge, arrived, offering the Emperor millet congee. She found him troubled, confirming his worries about Han Yunxi's heart’s blood being Long Feiye's only antidote. In her mind, Chu Qingge fumed, determined that Long Feiye must not survive, as her father's revenge was within reach.
She suggested killing Han Yunxi outright, but Emperor Tianhui deemed it too difficult after their recent failure. Chu Qingge then advised that, as a woman in love might sacrifice everything, they should relentlessly track Han Yunxi, believing she would eventually be caught alone. Emperor Tianhui concurred, resolving to devise a foolproof plan.
Meanwhile, Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao realized that the Seven-poisons grass, a necessary component for the antidote, would be ripe in half a month and needed to be used immediately, giving Long Feiye only a month at most. Han Yunxi, aware of this, privately asked Gu Beiyue to help her make the antidote for Long Feiye after she took out her heart’s blood, and to keep the truth from him for as long as possible.
Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao then decided to travel to Qingshan Town. Gu Beiyue explained that Emperor Tianhui was using the poison plague at the southern border to conduct trials for his gu-abetted men. He believed that if they could acquire the formula for creating gu-abetted men, they might find a way to save Long Feiye.
Eunuch Li later informed Emperor Tianhui that the gu poison reagent was complete, but their spies reported that Long Feiye had successfully eradicated the poison plague in the southern border, frustrating the Emperor's plans. Despite this setback, Emperor Tianhui commanded them to proceed with the gu-abetted army plan and to gather materials from Qingshan Town, a town on the border of the capital and Xijing.
Upon arriving in Qingshan Town, Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao witnessed imperial soldiers rounding up villagers. They quickly found Yu Ze, who had hidden herself. Yu Ze explained that the plague had suddenly broken out again, leading to mass arrests and forced isolation. Gu Beiyue concluded that Emperor Tianhui was indeed conducting his human trials. In the secret base, Eunuch Li ordered the weakest villagers to be killed and cremated, as their materials were insufficient for the experiments.
Yu Ze informed Gu Qishao about the stubborn Traceless grass, a vital ingredient, which required slice-by-slice drying over half a month. This news left them concerned about the lack of time and the weakened efficacy of their current supply. Gu Beiyue then proposed that their only way to obtain the gu poison formulation was to disguise themselves as infected villagers and infiltrate the facility.
At another location, Long Feiye shared his dream with Han Yunxi of leaving behind his royal duties after conquering Xijing, passing the throne to Tang Li, and living a simple, secluded life with her, filled with wisteria, hydrangeas, peonies, and lotuses. Han Yunxi happily agreed, imagining picking wintersweet in the snow and listening to insects in the summer.
Long Feiye confirmed that Tang Li was now handling state affairs capably, even mentioning Tang Li's recent hasty marriage to Ningjing, which Long Feiye promised to re-celebrate grandly later. As they embraced, Han Yunxi's hidden paper revealed her list of things to do before sacrificing her heart’s blood: experience living in seclusion with Long Feiye, proactively kiss him, and consummate their marriage, believing that if they didn't, he might forget her faster.
The last item on her list was to make him think no more of her. Later that night, as Long Feiye sent his secret guards away to give them privacy, Han Yunxi kissed him, then quickly turned away, tears streaming down her face. She knew that in just a few days, she would have to start finding fault with him and make him despise her, ensuring she could never be his consort, so he would fully give up on her.
Meanwhile, inside Emperor Tianhui's secret base, the scientists confirmed that the poison plague had indeed improved the physical build of the test subjects, making their internal gu poison more stable. Eunuch Li boasted that once fully refined, these gu-abetted men, with acupuncture stimulation to their brain's acupoints, would lose their consciousness and only obey Emperor Tianhui, draining their lives to conquer territories. He promised immense rewards. Just then, Eunuch Li recognized Gu Beiyue among the disguised villagers.
Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao quickly made their escape after acquiring the gu poison. On their path, they encountered Old General Mu. Gu Beiyue implored the old general to stop Emperor Tianhui from creating gu-abetted men for the sake of all people. Old General Mu, however, stated that his clan could not betray the Long family but allowed Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao to leave unharmed, instructing them to be careful and pretending the encounter never happened.
Later, facing a shortage of materials for his gu-abetted men, Eunuch Li ruthlessly began using his own personal guards as test subjects, telling them this was their best opportunity to atone for their faults. At Chu Qingge's palace, an envoy from Beili arrived, reminding her of the enduring alliance between Beili and Xiqiu. The envoy urged Chu Qingge to act swiftly, revealing that Emperor Tianhui had obtained the complete Poison Scripture and that the gu-abetted men were nearing completion.
The envoy proposed that Chu Qingge administer a slow poison to Emperor Tianhui, then seize his power or kill him once the gu-abetted men were ready, allowing Beili and Xiqiu to benefit. Chu Qingge hesitated, denying any affection for Emperor Tianhui but arguing that Xiqiu's political situation was stable and that Emperor Tianhui, who loved her, would not attack Xiqiu even with gu-abetted men.
The envoy dismissed her concerns as naive and revealed that her younger brother had long been under Beili's control, presenting his handwriting as proof. Enraged by their treachery, Chu Qingge reluctantly accepted the poison. Remembering a past conversation with her brother about her forced political marriage and his pleas for her to protect herself, she realized she was in a doomed situation.
She resolved that if Emperor Tianhui successfully created the gu-abetted men, she would seize control of them herself to save her brother and Xiqiu, never allowing Beili to have them. She immediately ordered her nanny to prepare Emperor Tianhui's favorite lotus-nuts sweet soup. When her nanny suggested she tell Emperor Tianhui the truth, believing he truly loved her and might forgive her, Chu Qingge cynically asked, "Will you tolerate your beloved wife cheating on you all this time?"
Meanwhile, Tang Li received urgent news that the poison plague in Qingshan Town had spread widely into their own territory. He discussed with Ningjing that ministers suspected Emperor Tianhui was behind it again, using it as a desperate measure. Tang Li decided to go to Qingshan Town alone with imperial doctors, explaining that he hadn't told Long Feiye yet because he and Han Yunxi had just reconciled.
Ningjing insisted on accompanying him, reminding him that she, as his wife, must follow him. Tang Li relented, urging her to be careful. Back at the secret base, Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao struggled to identify the components of the gu poison they had obtained, realizing the herbal essence had transformed through extraction and mixing.
They decided to try directly formulating an antidote, with Gu Qishao trying to recall Poison Master's research, worried that Han Yunxi would not wait for them. At Xiongfeng Palace, Chu Qingge personally presented the lotus-nuts sweet soup to Emperor Tianhui. He praised her culinary skills, and she watched as he consumed the poisoned soup.
