Love & Crown Episode 33 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
Imperial Physician Li confirms that Mr. Li has miraculously survived his ordeal and is out of danger, truly blessed by the heavens. Hongqing informs Xiao Huan of Mr. Li's recovery and the growing renown of the Ghost King in the martial world. Xiao Huan believes that the Lingbi Sect and Nanrong Palace's attempt on Li Chengtian's life is just the beginning. He asserts that instead of waiting for the Lingbi Sect to make a move, they should take the initiative.
Meanwhile, Ling Cangcang convenes with her late father's former subordinates. She expresses her resolve to rectify the chaotic situation caused by the Imperial Preceptor, Du Tingxin, who has taken control of the court. When a subordinate informs her of the Ghost King's emergence, Ling Cangcang, recalling her master's death, speculates that the new Ghost King might be Xiao Huan. Disguised as a maidservant, Ling Cangcang infiltrates a branch of the Lingbi Sect.
She overhears conversations and later sees the Moon-Eclipse Worm, which confirms her suspicion that Xiao Huan is indeed the Ghost King. However, when she tries to locate him, the area is deserted. The Saintess of the Lingbi Sect demonstrates her formidable control over her followers using Heartbane Bugs cultivated from a Heartless Willow. She boasts that if the Ghost King possesses the Moon-Eclipse Worm, he will become her personal possession.
Unbeknownst to her, Xiao Huan's allies are plotting against her, believing that poison cannot truly control a person's heart and that obtaining an antidote would be her undoing. Xiao Huan obtains the leaves of the Heartless Willow, which he believes are crucial for developing an antidote to the Heartbane poison, and entrusts them to Imperial Physician Li. Elsewhere, Du Tingxin, now embracing a more elegant but ruthless persona, relishes the absence of opposition in court.
She orders her subordinates to scour for gold and treasures to fund the Lingbi Sect's expansion, unconcerned about the ensuing public unrest. She declares her intent to systematically destroy everything Xiao Huan cherishes, especially his vision for Great Qi, which involves abolishing the status verification system and easing the tax burden on the common people.
Du Tingxin continues to manipulate Xiao Qianqing, provoking him by reminding him that "the Xiao Qianqing Zhong Lin loved is already dead" and that Zhong Lin has cut all ties with him. She notices his preoccupation with lost love and warns him against interfering in her affairs. Du Tingxin then proposes to turn Zhong Lin into Xiao Qianqing's compliant "personal doll" who would only obey and adore him, highlighting her increasingly ruthless methods.
Enraged but feeling helpless, Xiao Qianqing struggles with his desire to eliminate Du Tingxin. Imperial Physician Li successfully synthesizes the antidote for the Heartbane poison. Xiao Huan distributes it to his secret allies within the Lingbi Sect. One of them, a loyal scout, laments that if he had met Xiao Huan sooner, his friend Dienu, who tragically died choosing freedom over succumbing to the Heartbane poison, might still be alive.
With the antidote in hand, Xiao Huan confirms that all is prepared for the assault on the Sacred Hall, aiming to end the Saintess's reign. During these preparations, Xiao Huan looks at a report detailing the Saintess's habits and preferences, and he expresses concern for Ling Cangcang's whereabouts. Simultaneously, Xiao Qianqing learns that Zhong Lin has been taken by Du Tingxin.
He intercepts Du Tingxin, preventing her from taking Zhong Lin away, and pleads with Zhong Lin to stay in the palace with him, warning her that Du Tingxin is "growing increasingly ruthless." Zhong Lin, however, insists on leaving to investigate the truth behind her mother's death. To ensure her safety, Xiao Qianqing stages a fake assassination attempt on himself, allowing Zhong Lin to escape while secretly dispatching his scouts to protect her.
He also learns that Preceptor Du has left the palace. News of Zhong Lin's escape reaches Du Tingxin. She then meets the Lingbi Sect Saintess and questions the Saintess's unwavering support, asking if it is solely because she is the daughter of her savior.
The Saintess, holding a significant hairpin, explains that although she has lost most of her memories, she vividly recalls Du Tingxin's mother, Sui, a "spiritually gifted sacred maiden" from the royal family who was her closest friend. The Saintess reveals that she believes she "went berserk" while practicing the divine art of Lingbi, resulting in her memory loss and the feeling of having lost something profound.
She also confesses to having recurring dreams of a child but cannot recall his identity. Meanwhile, Ling Cangcang finds herself in danger from Du Tingxin's scouts but is rescued by Hongqing. She demands to be taken to Xiao Huan immediately, but Hongqing refuses. Xiao Huan, now openly acting as the Ghost King, storms the Lingbi Sacred Hall. The Saintess is visibly shaken by his appearance, experiencing a sudden headache.
Believing her Heartbane poison still holds sway, she attempts to use the Heartbane Bell to control her followers, but to her shock, her control fails. She realizes that Xiao Huan has provided an antidote, freeing her followers from her influence. Witnessing the Saintess's cruelty towards her former followers, Xiao Huan attacks her. As he prepares to deliver a fatal blow, he notices a distinctive tattoo on her wrist—a tattoo identical to one his mother had.
This sight triggers a deep memory of his mother giving him bitter medicine for a "cold-related ailment" in his childhood. The Saintess, in turn, experiences fragmented memories of taking a "fake-death decoction" to save a child and secretly escape the palace. Instead of revealing these profound truths, she defiantly provokes Xiao Huan, daring him to kill her and warning him cryptically that on the full moon, "the Ghost King returns to his tomb."
