Love & Crown Episode 29 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
After Princess Ying's death, Hongqing, grieving deeply, approached Xiao Qianqing, who was guarding his sister's body. Overcome with sorrow and rage, Xiao Qianqing threatened to kill Hongqing. Hongqing, however, insisted that he had returned only to fulfill Princess Ying's dying wish to see the fields of flowers beyond the palace walls, expressing profound regret that he couldn't take her out sooner.
Recalling Princess Ying's heartfelt words about her love for him and her desire to travel, Hongqing took her body to honor her final wish after Xiao Qianqing, still distraught, gave him two hours to return. Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Liu mourned Princess Ying, reminiscing about her as a cheerful, chubby baby.
Du Tingxin arrived, offering condolences but subtly implicated the Empress Dowager herself by noting that Princess Ying, who had shown signs of recovery, declined and died immediately after Empress Dowager Liu's visit. Deflecting, the Empress Dowager accused Xiao Huan of causing her daughter's demise. Du Tingxin then revealed her true intentions: to assist Empress Dowager Liu in eliminating her "real threat" and helping Xiao Qianqing seize the throne.
She explained her own deep-seated resentment towards Xiao Huan, whose betrayal had transformed her disappointment into hatred. Du Tingxin proposed a risky plan: Empress Dowager Liu would take a potent poison that induces a deathlike trance while keeping the user conscious. She presented the antidote, assuring her it would revive her, and even took the poison herself to prove its efficacy. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, Empress Dowager Liu, convinced by Du Tingxin's assurances, agreed to the dangerous charade.
Elsewhere, Ling Cangcang rushed to see her father, Ling Xuefeng, after hearing he showed signs of waking. Upon her arrival, Physician Li’s panicked reaction, coupled with Ling Xuefeng's weak but persistent murmuring of "Preceptor Du," made Ling Cangcang realize Xiao Huan had deceived her. He had deliberately sent her away from the palace to protect her from Du Tingxin, the true mastermind.
Ling Xuefeng confirmed her suspicions, revealing that Xiao Huan had entrusted her with the Imperial Seal as a means to ensure her survival. Refusing to abandon Xiao Huan, Ling Cangcang vowed to stand by him and immediately hastened back to the palace with the Imperial Seal. Back in the palace, Xiao Huan found Xiao Qianqing still mourning. He offered his apologies and pledged to investigate Princess Ying's death thoroughly.
Xiao Qianqing, overwhelmed by guilt, blamed himself for allowing Xiao Huan to treat his sister. Xiao Huan urged him to consider the suspicious circumstances, suggesting someone had actively worked against her recovery. At that moment, Empress Dowager Liu arrived, dismissing Xiao Huan’s words. She passionately accused Xiao Huan of murdering Princess Ying as revenge for the Empress's lost child and to eliminate threats like Ling Xuefeng, with Xiao Qianqing next.
Feeling deeply hurt by Xiao Qianqing's wavering trust, Empress Dowager Liu dramatically consumed the poison. With her last breaths, she warned Xiao Qianqing against trusting Xiao Huan. Devastated, Xiao Qianqing confronted Xiao Huan, accusing him of orchestrating all their suffering, and stabbed him. News of the attack reached Du Tingxin, who was elated her plan was succeeding. Reflecting on her and her mother’s difficult lives, she declared her resolve to defy fate.
She then confronted Xiao Huan and his guards, openly declaring a rebellion. Xiao Huan accused her of being the mastermind behind Ling Xuefeng's plot, but she feigned ignorance. When informed that Ling Cangcang was missing, Xiao Huan accused Du Tingxin of deliberately letting her escape. Enraged, Du Tingxin ordered Ling Cangcang killed on sight if she returned and commanded her forces to execute Xiao Huan.
However, Xiao Qianqing, who had only wounded Xiao Huan, intervened, stating that a quick death would be too merciful. Du Tingxin relented, ordering Xiao Huan imprisoned instead. She then urged Xiao Qianqing to claim the throne, presenting herself as a loyal Imperial Preceptor. Xiao Qianqing, calling her a "pitiful lunatic," initially refused but agreed to an alliance on two conditions: Xiao Huan remains alive until the funerals, and Du Tingxin revives the Empress Dowager.
Du Tingxin explained her motive for rebellion stemmed from bitter resentment over Xiao Huan carelessly offering Ling Cangcang the life-saving medicine she had painstakingly prepared for him. Later, Du Tingxin dismissed her guards and spoke to the seemingly lifeless Empress Dowager Liu. She revealed that she knew the Empress Dowager, fueled by jealousy over the late Emperor’s affections, had eliminated all the women he favored, including her own mother.
Du Tingxin then chillingly confessed that the "fake death" poison was a slow-acting toxin that would kill her in three days, by which time she would already be sealed within her coffin. Soon after, ministers confronted Xiao Qianqing, demanding a proper imperial funeral for Princess Ying. Xiao Qianqing fiercely condemned their hypocrisy, reminding them they had never treated Princess Ying as a princess while she was confined to the cold palace.
He refused to allow her to be imprisoned in a mausoleum in death as she was in life, threatening a minister who insisted on rituals. As he lamented that they denied her peace in both life and death, Zhong Lin approached, offering comfort and promising to remain by his side. Unbeknownst to them, Du Tingxin watched from the shadows.
