Love & Crown Episode 34 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
The Saintess confronted Xiao Huan, daring him to kill her if he wished to lead the Lingbi Sect and prevent the Ghost King's return. Xiao Huan, recognizing the tattoo on her arm that matched his own mother's, found himself unable to strike her down. Instead, he ordered his guards to imprison her under strict watch. Meanwhile, Xiao Qianqing was preoccupied when Zhong Lin arrived with crucial information.
She presented a written confession from Aunt Chan, which revealed that Du Tingxin, not the Emperor, was responsible for Princess Ying's death. This prompted Xiao Qianqing to recall that all the palace maids from his mother's residence had mysteriously vanished after her funeral. Zhong Lin explained that she had investigated and found that all those maids had died mysteriously after leaving the palace, with only Aunt Chan disappearing without a trace, later succumbing to poison herself.
Zhong Lin discovered Aunt Chan's letter on her body, which became the final piece of evidence, but with no living witnesses. Xiao Qianqing then found a eulogy written by his mother, the Empress Dowager, for Princess Ying. The date on the eulogy was the day before Princess Ying died, leading him to a shocking realization: his mother knew of Princess Ying's impending death and was somehow involved.
He reluctantly concluded that only the current Imperial Preceptor, Du Tingxin, could have influenced his mother in such a way. Just as this thought crossed his mind, Du Tingxin appeared. She openly admitted to instigating Princess Ying's death, stating that she used Seven-Star Powder to ensure Princess Ying's swift demise. She cruelly claimed that Xiao Qianqing's mother, the Empress Dowager, was driven by ambition to see him on the throne, which is why she conspired in Princess Ying's murder.
Xiao Qianqing was furious, refusing to believe his mother, who he thought hated the Emperor, would commit such an act. Du Tingxin further revealed that she had initially planned a fake death for the Empress Dowager but deliberately withheld the antidote, letting her die as punishment for her "stupidity" and insatiable desire for power. She reveled in how she had manipulated them all, savoring the "delicious" feeling of control. Enraged, Xiao Qianqing struck her and vowed to kill her.
Du Tingxin, unfazed, rang a bell, summoning guards who were all under her control due to a Heartbane poison. Even Zhong Lin was afflicted. Xiao Qianqing tried to assert his authority as a royal prince, but the guards ignored him, leaving him helpless. Du Tingxin mocked his claim of being the Xiao dynasty's only heir, declaring that she, too, carried the Xiao bloodline and was fully entitled to the throne.
She announced her plan to hold a Heaven-worship ceremony in three days to usher in a new era. She then revealed that Xiao Qianqing was bound by her "Prison of Thousand Threads," a control mechanism that would soon turn him into an emotionless puppet. She also pointed out that Xiao Huan was similarly controlled by the Moon-Eclipse, a poison developed by the Saintess.
She ominously stated that after the ceremony, Zhong Lin would be returned, but whether she would still want a heartless puppet for a partner remained to be seen. Meanwhile, the Saintess confronted Xiao Huan about the Moon-Eclipse afflicting him. She claimed only she could undo it, but Xiao Huan revealed his knowledge: the Moon-Eclipse, a king of poisons, was fed on the lifeblood of Saintesses, and its cure required a life for a life.
He told her he knew she had regained her memories but had refused to acknowledge him because she was prepared to sacrifice herself to cure him. He vehemently refused her sacrifice, preferring to live with the torment of the Moon-Eclipse than to lose her again.
The Saintess, tearfully, confessed her past: how she fell in love with his father, the Emperor, twenty years ago in the Central Plains, how she was framed while pregnant, and how Xiao Huan was born with a cold illness. She recounted how the Lingbi Sect's secret arts had made her forget everything, expressing deep regret for her inability to protect him. Xiao Huan insisted he was doing well, but she knew he must have suffered greatly in the palace.
He then requested to handle Du Tingxin's rebellion himself. Seeing his unwavering resolve, the Saintess reluctantly gave him a potent elixir, refined from Ice Lotus, which possessed the power to bring him back from the brink of death. As the Heaven-worship ceremony approached, Du Tingxin, impatient, decided to escalate her plans.
She ordered Zhong Lin, accused of colluding with the Lingbi Sect, to be publicly displayed on the city gate to lure Ling Cangcang, knowing she would come to her friend's aid. Ling Cangcang, fully aware it was a trap, nevertheless went to rescue Zhong Lin. Xiao Qianqing, despite his own predicament, secretly assisted in the rescue. Ling Cangcang successfully freed Zhong Lin and revealed to her that Xiao Huan was still alive.
Seizing the chaos, Ling Cangcang also orchestrated a raid on the Lingbi Sect's secret treasury, robbing their funds and grain. Zhong Lin found Xiao Qianqing, who, suffering from the Prison of Thousand Threads, expressed fear of harming her and urged her to flee to safety, granting her freedom. However, he had one last request for her: to help him once more.
Xiao Qianqing then met with Xiao Huan, conveying his remorse and his intent to kill Du Tingxin, even if it meant sacrificing his own life due to the poison within him. Xiao Huan urged him to trust him and not act rashly, promising to handle Du Tingxin himself and not to let Xiao Qianqing risk his life again.
Xiao Qianqing, reflecting on his complicated relationship with his brother, expressed a wish to be his brother again in the next life, but this time, he hoped to be the elder, protecting Xiao Huan. Meanwhile, Du Tingxin's forces tracked Ling Cangcang to a secret tunnel. Du Tingxin exulted in capturing the Empress, gloating over her fallen state.
She announced a cruel seven-day torture: Ling Cangcang would be nailed up and subjected to burning incense daily, culminating in an "ice spike" on the seventh day. This spike, if it hit her heart, would leave her in a state of living death, a walking corpse, so she could witness Du Tingxin's moment of glory. Despite the pain, Ling Cangcang remained defiant, refusing to submit.
At the same time, Xiao Huan addressed the assembled members of the Lingbi Sect, declaring himself the Emperor of Great Qi. He announced a lenient punishment for their past wrongs: five years of labor. He also declared the dissolution of the Lingbi Sect, instructing everyone to abandon their old ways, uphold justice, and sever all ties with Nanrong Palace. Soon after, news of Xiao Huan's survival reached Du Tingxin through a traitor from the now-disbanded Lingbi Sect, igniting her fury.
