Love & Crown Episode 1 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
Xiao Huan arrived to meet Ling Cangcang, acknowledging her summons was regarding her master's death. She confronted him, demanding an explanation, but he stated he had his reasons, which he could not disclose. Ling Cangcang, holding a sword, moved to strike him, but Xiao Huan stood firm, dismissed his guards, and remarked that she lacked the ruthlessness needed for such an act.
He then announced his intention to marry her and make her his empress in two months, telling her to prepare for their wedding. He attempted to touch her, but she recoiled, expressing her disbelief that she could marry a murderer. Xiao Huan simply told her she had no choice. Returning to Ling Manor, Ling Cangcang firmly told her father, Ling Xuefeng, that she would never marry Xiao Huan.
Ling Xuefeng sternly reminded her that an imperial decree was not to be defied, warning her of the dire consequences for their entire clan. He emphasized that despite his past assistance in Xiao Huan's ascension, the Emperor's current status made his will absolute. Ling Cangcang knelt, declaring she would rather die than marry him, unaware that her late master, Li Lu, had been using her, which was why Xiao Huan had him killed.
Overwhelmed with grief, she sought out her adoptive brother, Luo Xianxue, intending to escape and seek revenge. However, Xiao Huan intercepted them. Ling Xuefeng arrived shortly after, prostrating himself and pleading with Xiao Huan for his daughter's life. Xiao Huan observed Ling Cangcang's vehement refusal to marry him, seeing it as naive. He asserted that his decisions were unchangeable. Luo Xianxue, holding Ling Cangcang's hand, prepared to fight, unaware of the Emperor's intense gaze fixed on their clasped hands.
Xiao Huan openly warned Luo Xianxue, reminding him of a past warning in Southern Chu against futile escape attempts. Luo Xianxue apologized to Ling Xuefeng before attempting to attack Xiao Huan, but he was no match. When Ling Cangcang threatened to take her own life, Xiao Huan countered by threatening the extermination of the entire Ling clan. Seeing her father's visibly aged and distressed state, still pleading for her, Ling Cangcang relented.
She tearfully declared her willingness to marry Xiao Huan if he would spare her family and Luo Xianxue. Xiao Huan questioned her sincerity but ultimately accepted her "willing" pledge. He then instructed Hongqing to take Luo Xianxue to the palace as a witness to Ling Cangcang's vow. Xiao Huan then confronted Ling Xuefeng, revealing his awareness of the Grand Tutor's manipulation.
He accused Ling Xuefeng of orchestrating the events to make Ling Cangcang appear to marry him willingly, thereby preserving Ling Xuefeng's image as a benevolent father while casting Xiao Huan as a ruthless villain. Ling Xuefeng simply responded by asking if the Emperor was not satisfied with having achieved his desires. Meanwhile, the Imperial Preceptor Du Tingxin, engaged in the critical stage of pill refinement, dismissed the upcoming wedding as a "worldly affair" and declined to attend.
Ling Cangcang was forced to proceed with the grand wedding. During the ceremony, she refused to hold Xiao Huan's hand, but he subtly threatened her by mentioning Luo Xianxue's situation, compelling her to maintain a facade of compliance. Later, in their chambers, she resisted drinking the nuptial wine. Xiao Huan, consumed by jealousy, questioned her love for Luo Xianxue and again threatened his life.
Ling Cangcang defiantly admitted her love for Luo Xianxue, stating she would have fled with him if she had the choice and would not live without him. Xiao Huan dismissed her death threat, claiming it would only work if he cared, and reminded her of his threat to her clan. Alone, Ling Cangcang looked into a mirror, murmuring the name "Bai Chifan" and lamenting that he "does not exist" and had lied to her.
The next morning, Xiao Huan visited, informing her that Luo Xianxue had been returned to the Ling Manor, which brought her a moment of relief. However, he then presented her with a small box containing Luo Xianxue's severed finger, warning her that there were rules she must obey and a price to pay for defiance.
He then forcibly adorned her hair with the pear blossom hairpin he had given her, reminding her that she wore it when she attempted to escape with Luo Xianxue, emphasizing her duties as his Empress. One year prior, during a court session, Emperor Xiao Huan expressed concern over the disappearance of over a hundred young boys in Southern Chu.
However, he faced opposition from ministers led by Grand Tutor Ling Xuefeng, who defended the Prince of Yuzhang and questioned the Emperor's authority, citing his youth and lack of personal governance. Xiao Huan's subordinate noted that Ling Xuefeng had promised the Emperor would gain full power after marrying Ling Cangcang, yet he continuously delayed and protected the Prince, leading them to suspect Ling Xuefeng intended to sabotage the marriage.
Feeling constrained and aware of spies in the palace, Xiao Huan realized he needed to find someone to break this deadlock. He learned Ling Cangcang was in Southern Chu. While initially puzzled by Ling Xuefeng's apparent lack of concern for his daughter's safety, he understood when he observed Luo Xianxue, known as Southern Chu's Top Swordsman, along with the skilled fighter Zhong Lin, accompanying her at the Fenglai Pavilion. Xiao Huan noted that Ling Cangcang seemed different from her father.
Xiao Huan adopted the identity of Bai Chifan and attempted to join Fenglai Pavilion, which was recruiting a new hall master. Ling Cangcang, the Pavilion Master, immediately sensed he was no ordinary fighter and suspected he was a spy sent by her father. She rejected his application, calling him "fine on the outside but rotten within," leading Bai Chifan to challenge her judgment and the reputation of her pavilion.
Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Liu learned of Xiao Huan's presence in Southern Chu, suspecting he was pursuing Ling Cangcang. She sent orders to the Ninth Prince, Xiao Qianqing, to win Ling Cangcang's favor and, covertly, to ensure Xiao Huan never returned. However, Xiao Qianqing, who preferred to avoid entanglements with the Emperor, instructed his attendants to ignore Ling Cangcang if she appeared. Ling Cangcang, needing a specific outfit for a plan, visited a tailor shop.
She learned that the Prince of Yuzhang had ordered a casual outfit but never collected it. She arranged to take it, intending for Luo Xianxue to wear it. Luo Xianxue reluctantly tried on the princely attire, with Ling Cangcang encouraging him about his role in their plan. Bai Chifan reappeared, attempting to buy the outfit, and offered it to Ling Cangcang in exchange for entry into Fenglai Pavilion. Ling Cangcang refused, stating there were other tailor shops.
She then questioned his insistence on joining her pavilion. He responded that he was "born defiant" and "never accepted defeat," a trait Ling Cangcang wryly claimed to share. Later, Xiao Huan learned from a subordinate that Zhong Lin was frequently visiting a mine in Southern Chu. Realizing her ambitions extended beyond the pavilion, he instructed his man, Shi Yan, to investigate everything about the mine, pondering Ling Cangcang's true desires.
Ling Cangcang visited her Master, who offered her pear blossom honey and questioned her prolonged absence from Sword Cottage. Ling Cangcang revealed that a mine had recently yielded rare iron ore, a unique metal for forging swords, which she believed would bring great renown to whoever acquired it. Her Master reminded her of her destiny as Empress, but Ling Cangcang reiterated her disinterest in the title, expressing her wish to "win someone's heart and roam the world with her sword."
Her Master, acknowledging the world's unpredictability, wished her lasting joy. Later, with the Prince's attire secured, Zhong Lin observed that Luo Xianxue still lacked the Prince of Yuzhang's noble bearing. Ling Cangcang agreed and coached him on his posture. The plan continued with Ling Cangcang disguising herself as a tattoo artist to meet Xiao Qianqing, who desired a magnificent peacock tattoo to deter marriage proposals.
During the session, Ling Cangcang deliberately prolonged the process, and under the guise of needing a paperweight, she sent Xiao Qianqing's attendant away, allowing Zhong Lin to discreetly acquire an impression of a seal from a golden embroidered box. When Xiao Qianqing complained about the pain, Ling Cangcang, in a moment of playful mischief, tattooed an ugly bird instead of a peacock.
After Ling Cangcang and Zhong Lin quickly departed, Xiao Qianqing examined his back and realized he had been tricked, furiously ordering his men to find them. As Ling Cangcang and Zhong Lin left, a child approached with flowers, and she recognized the sender, muttering, "Him again?" referring to Bai Chifan.
