Love & Crown Episode 18 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
Xiao Huan and Ling Cangcang departed from Kumor and Kuminjia, who respectfully bid them farewell. Kuminjia playfully asked Xiao Huan, whom she called Bai Chifan, if he had succeeded in winning back his wife. Kumor interjected, commenting that Ling Cangcang's gaze towards Xiao Huan had changed, indicating an improvement in their relationship. Hearing this, Xiao Huan promised to prepare a grand gift for Princess Cangcang. After exchanging goodbyes, the two groups went their separate ways.
Kuminjia watched them leave, expressing how much she would miss Ling Cangcang and Bai Chifan. Kumor teased his sister about her newfound shyness, remarking that she had grown up. Meanwhile, Xiao Qianqing tasked his sister, Xiao Ying, with preparing an important medicinal powder, promising her a gift upon his return. Xiao Ying gave him the powder, urging him to take care of himself. Later, Xiao Qianqing found Zhong Lin intently arranging flowers.
He informed her that the upcoming mission to transport supplies to Xuzhou would be extremely dangerous and offered to personally escort her, fearing she wouldn't be able to manage alone. Zhong Lin confidently stated that she had her own guards and did not need his assistance. Xiao Qianqing pressed the issue, reminding her that her true identity as a woman had been discovered, implying she faced greater risks. Zhong Lin expressed surprise that he knew her secret.
When she suggested he go alone, Xiao Qianqing refused, highlighting her indispensable knowledge of Xuzhou and affectionately referring to her as "Master Zhong." They then set off together. Separately, Xiao Huan sent his men to covertly track Imperial Physician Li, who had secretly left the Capital, while he awaited news in Xuzhou. Meanwhile, Xiao Qianqing and Zhong Lin reached Xuzhou, finding the city ravaged by sickness and famine, with corpses scattered across the desolate landscape.
Xiao Qianqing expressed his dismay at the local Governor's deceit and the urgent need to distribute grain before winter. Upon their arrival, officials gathered at the Xuzhou Yamen to greet the Imperial Commissioner. County Governor Li Youlin informed them that the previous Governor of Xuzhou had committed suicide in prison out of guilt and that he was now temporarily overseeing affairs.
Xiao Qianqing found the timing suspicious, believing Grand Tutor Ling was attempting to eliminate all loose ends by ensuring the Governor's silence. He instructed the officials to store half of the relief grain in the prefecture granary and distribute the other half to the populace according to household registries, threatening severe punishment for any shortage or deception.
Zhong Lin also provided a special locust-repelling powder from the palace, offering the recipe for large-scale production if it proved effective, which the officials welcomed as an additional measure to their current methods of using torches and wild ducks. Elsewhere, Grand Tutor Ling received intelligence that the Prince of Yuzhang, Xiao Qianqing, had secretly left the Capital and immediately dispatched his own forces, vowing to thwart any of his plans and ensure he would never rise again.
Subsequently, Zhong Lin received a secret command from her sect, accompanied by the Ghost King Token, ordering her to assassinate Xiao Qianqing. She was sternly warned that failure would result in severe repercussions from the Lingbi Sect. That night, Xiao Qianqing, half-asleep, murmured Zhong Lin's name, confessing that he felt himself falling for her, something he had never experienced before.
Zhong Lin, torn between her loyalty to the sect and her developing feelings, struggled with the grave decision and left Xiao Qianqing's side, deeply troubled. The following day, as they were distributing congee, Xiao Qianqing observed that Zhong Lin seemed unusually subdued. He showcased his compassionate side by offering his own congee to a man named Niqiu who was denied a second serving.
Noticing Zhong Lin watching him, he playfully asked if she was impressed by his gentle and benevolent nature. Despite her attempts to seem cheerful, Xiao Qianqing suspected she was concealing something important. Zhong Lin, when alone, agonized over her mission, recognizing that killing Xiao Qianqing would grant her freedom from the Lingbi Sect, yet she found herself unable to act on the order.
Xiao Qianqing soon discovered that the villagers were not consuming the distributed relief grain but were instead offering it in worship to a so-called Locust Lord. He found this practice utterly absurd, questioning why the officials had allowed such a harmful superstition to spread. Li Youlin explained that the common folk perceived locust plagues as divine retribution, and the recent suicide of the corrupt Xuzhou Governor had convinced them that the Locust Lord had delivered justice, thus intensifying their devotion.
Xiao Qianqing proposed a strategic retreat, but Zhong Lin, angered by the misuse of the precious grain, refused. She confronted the crowd, attempting to persuade them that the grain was for their sustenance, not for worshipping the destructive Locust Lord. Her words were met with fierce hostility from the villagers, who, incited by agitators, accused officials of being the true source of their suffering and claimed the Locust Lord was their protector.
The incensed crowd turned on Zhong Lin, and Xiao Qianqing immediately stepped in to protect her. They were soon surrounded and attacked by the angry mob and, in their desperate attempt to escape, both inadvertently tumbled into a dry well. Waking up in the well, Zhong Lin found Xiao Qianqing unconscious. She contemplated her mission to kill him, acknowledging that it would grant her freedom, yet she hesitated to strike.
Upon regaining consciousness, Xiao Qianqing urged Zhong Lin to shout for help. Zhong Lin expressed remorse for their situation, admitting it was her fault for provoking the crowd. She called for help but soon stopped, concluding no one would hear them. Xiao Qianqing noted her composure during the riot and questioned why she had insisted on coming if she knew the dangers.
He revealed his true motive: he had come to protect her, unwilling to let her face peril alone after she had helped him multiple times. He then proposed a plan for her to climb out using him as a stepping stone. After Zhong Lin successfully exited the well, she internally confessed her reluctance to kill him, feeling trapped by her obligations. Immediately, a member of the Lingbi Sect appeared, sternly rebuking her for her wavering resolve.
Reminding her of her loyalty and the command of the Ghost King Token, he reissued the order to kill Xiao Qianqing. Returning to the well, Zhong Lin revealed her conflicted state to Xiao Qianqing. She told him he was the first person to ever express feelings for her, but their paths were irreconcilable. She explained that if she didn't kill him, her sect would send someone else, and she could only buy him some time.
She proposed that once the Xuzhou crisis was resolved, they would part ways forever. Shortly after, officials arrived and rescued Xiao Qianqing, addressing him by his alias, "Mr. Song." The plan to quell the unrest moved forward with Xiao Qianqing, disguised as a divine spirit, instructing the people to spread the "Immortal Dew" (the locust-repelling powder) to end the plague. The villagers, awestruck, thanked him.
However, his disguise was soon exposed when an agitator noticed his official boots and tried to reignite the unrest. Xiao Qianqing immediately ordered his subordinates to arrest the instigators, leading to a confrontation. During the chaos, Zhong Lin saw a Lingbi Sect member signaling her to kill Xiao Qianqing. But before she could act, Xiao Qianqing swiftly stabbed her, and she collapsed. After the crisis was resolved, the thankful populace, led by Li Youlin, bid farewell to "Mr. Song."
Later, Xiao Qianqing confronted a captured Zhong Lin, demanding to know her true identity and why she had tried to assassinate him. Zhong Lin remained silent, but internally confessed she was a pawn of the Lingbi Sect, unable to escape her fate, and asked him to kill her. Understanding her plight and realizing she never truly intended to harm him, Xiao Qianqing let her go. He declared that since his alias "Song Lanxi" was now "dead," she was free.
He urged her to abandon her past identities, telling her, "You are not Song Lanxi, nor are you Zhong Lin. You can be yourself. No one will ever use you as a pawn again," and encouraged her to forge her own path.
