Love & Crown Episode 28 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
Ling Cangcang expressed her concern to Xiao Qianqing about Xiao Ying's current state, observing that Xiao Ying remembered nothing, not even Li Hongqing, and questioned if she could truly find happiness living like this. At that moment, Xiao Ying herself experienced a breakthrough, recalling her desire to leave the palace with her brother, Xiao Qianqing. This sudden memory caused Du Tingxin great alarm.
Fearing that Xiao Ying remembering more could expose her, Du Tingxin declared that Xiao Ying must die and instructed her attendants to ensure it. Du Tingxin also reflected on Xiao Huan's resilience, noting that neither Xiao Ying's previous attempts nor Ling Xuefeng's efforts had succeeded in killing him, leading her to conclude that she must eliminate him herself.
Empress Dowager Liu was consumed with worry over Xiao Qianqing's lack of interest in marriage, lamenting his absence from Xuanguang Hall and accusing him of abandoning her for a "lowborn woman" (referring to Ling Cangcang). She dismissed the idea of him being busy with state affairs, expressing frustration that he didn't care for his duties. Du Tingxin then approached the Empress Dowager, offering her homemade Rest Incense, an unusual gesture.
Du Tingxin subtly began to sow seeds of discord, first feigning humility and then "accidentally" revealing that Xiao Qianqing had relinquished his royal seal and command tally to the Emperor, praising him for his "upright and selfless" act of withdrawing from power. Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Liu immediately summoned Xiao Qianqing.
When confronted, Xiao Qianqing confirmed he had indeed handed over his royal seal and command tally, stating he had thought it through and desired true freedom away from the burdens of power. His mother furiously rebuked him, reminding him of Xiao Huan's calculating nature and warning that such actions could lead to their deaths. Xiao Qianqing accepted any punishment, but questioned his mother's love for him and Xiao Ying.
He accused her of orchestrating the fire at Luling Palace that led to Xiao Ying's current condition and implicitly linked her to the previous empress's sudden death and Xiao Huan's cold poison. Xiao Qianqing asserted that the palace was a gilded cage where neither she nor Xiao Ying had found happiness. He declared his unwavering decision to take Xiao Ying away from the palace and back to Southern Chu once she recovered, seeking freedom for them both.
Empress Dowager Liu was visibly pained by his words. Later, Zhong Lin found a despondent Xiao Qianqing nursing a wound, inquiring if his mother had hit him. He admitted to being in a bad mood and in pain, to which Zhong Lin shared her own experiences of childhood beatings and offered him a special healing salve. Xiao Qianqing thanked Zhong Lin for her unwavering support during his most difficult times.
He then confided his decision to leave the palace with both Zhong Lin and Xiao Ying, planning to travel the world together, free and unrestrained. Zhong Lin eagerly agreed to join him. Xiao Ying continued her daily ritual of sunbathing with a small tree. When Empress Dowager Liu visited, Xiao Ying happily told her that Xiao Huan, whom she affectionately referred to as the "fun, pretty Empress," had promised to cure her and that her brother also liked him.
Empress Dowager Liu, enraged, warned Xiao Ying not to trust the Emperor's "lies." She then attempted to manipulate Xiao Ying into convincing Xiao Qianqing to reclaim his royal seal. However, Xiao Ying, seemingly on the verge of recalling more, suddenly asked her, "Mother, what did you give Father to drink?"
This question sent a chill down Empress Dowager Liu's spine, as she realized Xiao Ying's memory was returning and that the princess now posed a grave threat, cementing her belief that Xiao Ying had to be eliminated. Meanwhile, Hongqing, who had previously fallen off a cliff, awoke to find himself in Lujiao Village, rescued by two hunters who brought him back after finding him severely injured.
Though the village physician had believed he wouldn't survive, Hongqing had miraculously pulled through after fifteen days of unconsciousness. Immediately upon waking, he urgently requested to be taken to Fenglai Pavilion, promising the hunters a substantial reward for saving his life. Back in the palace, Xiao Ying, during a session with Xiao Huan, revealed that someone had told her Hongqing was dead and had given her a box containing incense with a familiar medicinal scent.
Connecting this to the late Emperor's last words, Xiao Huan's suspicions heavily fell on Du Tingxin as the mastermind behind these events. Xiao Huan had previously written a vow for Ling Cangcang, promising to travel the mountains and roam the martial world with her. Now, he made plans to send her away, revealing in an internal monologue that he suspected Du Tingxin was the true culprit and her influence ran deep within the palace.
He knew that if he moved against her, she would retaliate fiercely, and Ling Cangcang would be his weakness. Sending her away safely was the only way he could act decisively. He instructed Ling Cangcang to take a thousand-year lingzhi, a powerful tonic, to Ling Xuefeng, who was reportedly recovering at Fayun Temple and expected to wake soon, emphasizing that she should be by his side.
Although Ling Cangcang was reluctant to leave him, Xiao Huan reaffirmed their vow for a future free of palace intrigue. Elsewhere, Du Tingxin sought assistance from the Lingbi Sect, using a Golden Snake hairpin left by her mother as a means of seeking their help, a move that exposed her deep ambition. She then returned to the palace to consolidate her power by distributing lavish "gifts" to the palace stewards.
When one steward, Yan, refused her bribe, citing her desire to retire, Du Tingxin revealed she knew all about the bribes Yan had taken over the years, displaying her detailed knowledge of their corruption. She brutally executed those who defied her, using their written crimes as justification, thereby terrifying the remaining stewards into absolute loyalty.
Xiao Qianqing arrived and confronted Du Tingxin, questioning her authority to execute palace staff without permission, but his words went unheeded as she continued to replace key personnel with her own chosen appointees, effectively gaining control over the harem and the court. Back with Xiao Ying, Xiao Huan gave her a jade pendant, instructing her to give it to Xiao Qianqing once they left the palace.
He wished for both his siblings to live happily, away from the palace's coldness, and hoped his suspicions about the culprit were merely conjectures. He explained that he gave the pendant to her directly because Xiao Qianqing would ask too many questions. He instructed her that if she ever faced danger, she could use the pendant to seek unlimited money or help from Fenglai Pavilion.
Emotionally, he apologized to Xiao Ying, stating he hoped she and her brother would find happiness, as he foresaw the difficult path ahead. Xiao Ying, however, was desperate to regain her full memory of Hongqing and insisted on continuing her painful treatment, even resorting to self-harm when Xiao Huan hesitated. He reluctantly agreed. As Xiao Huan began the treatment, Empress Dowager Liu burst in, accusing him of cruelly torturing Xiao Ying and pleading with him to stop.
She pulled Xiao Ying away, offering to let her rest and end her suffering. Tragically, Xiao Ying collapsed in her arms, crying out that she was in great pain before dying. Xiao Qianqing arrived just as Xiao Ying passed, desperately trying to revive her, but it was too late. Empress Dowager Liu immediately blamed Xiao Huan for Xiao Ying's death, while Xiao Qianqing, bewildered, also harbored suspicions toward his imperial brother.
In his anguish, Xiao Qianqing desperately tried to rouse Xiao Ying, whispering promises of their future together—traveling to Southern Chu with Zhong Lin and searching for Hongqing, reminding her of her beloved Blaze Blossoms, which were now on the verge of blooming.
The Empress Dowager, however, continued her manipulative tactics, insisting that Xiao Ying was merely playing a trick, perhaps experimenting with her curious medicines, and reiterated her accusation that Xiao Huan was responsible for Xiao Ying's demise, clearly intending to incite conflict between the brothers. Soon after, Hongqing finally returned to the palace, only to be met with Xiao Qianqing's angry rebuke for being absent and presumed dead.
Hongqing, refusing to accept Xiao Ying's death, learned from a palace servant that she had died trying to expel the Dual-Pupil insect to regain her memories, enduring unimaginable pain. Overcome with grief, Hongqing vowed he would protect Princess Ying for life and attempted to carry her body away. Xiao Qianqing blocked his path with a blade, but Hongqing, unwavering, declared he was not afraid.
