Love & Crown Episode 35 (Ending) Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
Upon learning that the Lingbi Sect had been destroyed, Du Tingxin acknowledged the Ghost King's power. However, an agent then revealed that the Ghost King was in fact Xiao Huan, leaving Du Tingxin torn between love and resentment, bordering on madness. She confronted Xiao Qianqing, accusing him of protecting Xiao Huan despite being poisoned himself, calling him a "useless fool" for his perceived delay.
In her fervor, Du Tingxin commanded her dragon robe to be brought forth, proclaiming her intention to become the first Empress of Great Qi and declaring that her ascension ceremony would mark the death of all who opposed her. She coerced the Prince of Yuzhang to draft an imperial edict, denouncing the Xiao clan and declaring herself the chosen one with the support of the people.
She then announced that the upcoming Heaven-worship ceremony would serve as her ascension ceremony, where she would rule the nation. Du Tingxin sinisterly anticipated Xiao Huan's arrival at the ceremony, looking forward to his demise and that of his empress, Ling Cangcang, who she believed should "die with him." While Du Tingxin reveled in her plans, news of turmoil in the palace reached Xiao Huan.
Du Tingxin, still holding Ling Cangcang captive, taunted her with the revelation that Xiao Huan was not dead but had become the Ghost King. Ling Cangcang, however, calmly informed Du Tingxin that she was the last to learn this news, much to Du Tingxin's fury. Ling Cangcang asserted that Xiao Huan would personally reclaim his throne and Great Qi.
Du Tingxin, infuriated, swore that Xiao Huan's death would occur at the upcoming ceremony and threatened to send Ling Cangcang to join him in death. She then instructed her guards to keep a close watch on the empress. Meanwhile, Xiao Huan's forces gathered, with General Ling's elite troops arriving in batches and Southern Chu's army ready outside the capital.
With the Imperial Guards' deployment map in hand and knowing Du Tingxin intended to ascend the throne using a coerced imperial edict, Xiao Huan declared it was time to put an end to the conflict. One of Xiao Huan's subordinates secretly delivered an antidote to Ling Cangcang, saving her from Du Tingxin's incapacitation. As she recovered, Ling Cangcang found a letter from Xiao Huan, expressing his deep love and his willingness to face death without regret for their bond.
Despite her attendant's plea to escape through a back door, Ling Cangcang resolved to stay and confront the challenges alongside Xiao Huan. At the ascension ceremony, Du Tingxin, adorned in her dragon robe, presided over the court. She forced the Prince of Yuzhang to read an imperial edict condemning the Xiao dynasty and proclaiming her divine right to rule.
However, the Prince of Yuzhang defiantly interjected, questioning to whom Great Qi truly belonged and denouncing those who would steal the state. Du Tingxin, though amused by his "obedience," promised to personally deliver the answer to him. As a minister urged the ceremony to continue, an arrow suddenly flew in, signaling Xiao Huan's arrival. Xiao Huan appeared, interrupting Du Tingxin's coronation by shooting an arrow.
He announced that his followers were no longer under her control and rallied them to "purge the court of treacherous ministers" and "slay the demoness." Du Tingxin, undeterred, revealed her control over Xiao Qianqing with a bell and commanded him to kill Xiao Huan, intending for the brothers to destroy each other. Unexpectedly, Xiao Qianqing broke free from her control, struggling against the bell's influence.
Zhong Lin, who had disguised herself, intervened, revealing that she had used her own toxic blood as a counter-poison to suppress the "Prison of Thousand Threads" in Xiao Qianqing, binding their lives together. The intense pain from the Heartbane bell had helped him regain his senses. Xiao Huan instructed Shi Yan and Hongqing to protect their allies.
Du Tingxin, enraged by the failure of her plan and disgusted by their self-sacrificing nature, initiated a grand formation, releasing countless Heartbane insects forged from blood, aiming to poison and control everyone present. Xiao Huan confronted her, but Du Tingxin, now completely unhinged, confessed that she had gone mad the moment she discovered her royal lineage and her sibling relationship with Xiao Huan.
She declared that since there was "no place for me in the world anyway," she might as well "go all out and lose my mind completely." As the Heartbane insects swarmed, Xiao Huan, in a desperate act of self-sacrifice, cut his own wrist, allowing the venomous bugs to consume his blood. He knew the Moon-Eclipse within him, the king of all poisons, could counteract the Heartbane, preventing a widespread tragedy.
Ling Cangcang arrived just as the Moon-Eclipse's toxicity began to take hold of Xiao Huan, causing him immense suffering. In his final moments of lucidity, he urged her to kill him, but she refused. Even Du Tingxin was momentarily saddened to witness Xiao Huan's selflessness for the sake of his people. Xiao Qianqing and Zhong Lin also watched in sorrow as Xiao Huan collapsed, and Ling Cangcang cried out in despair.
Xiao Huan's last thoughts were of his love for Ling Cangcang, recalling his promises to protect her and declare her his only empress. Ling Cangcang desperately tried to awaken him, but he succumbed to the Moon-Eclipse's torment. Du Tingxin was then imprisoned in Nanrong Palace for her heinous crimes, condemned to remain there until her death. The Saintess visited her, revealing the tragic truth of Du Tingxin's birth.
She recounted how the late Emperor, despite his public persona, had forcibly taken her beloved friend, Sui. Sui, Du Tingxin's mother, bore her daughter but concealed her identity to protect the Saintess. Sui then tricked the Saintess into leaving the palace and subsequently took her own life, only for the late Emperor to falsely accuse her of adultery. Hearing her mother's complete story, Du Tingxin wept, consumed by regret and a desire to see her mother.
The Saintess urged Du Tingxin to abandon her destructive path, asking how she was any different from those who had harmed her mother. Du Tingxin, still holding some affection for Xiao Huan despite her madness, tearfully asked if he was truly dead, before acknowledging her fault and expressing a wish to join her mother. Five years passed. Xiao Qianqing, who had suffered from poisoning that left him disoriented and with limited mobility, gradually recovered.
Zhong Lin, who had lost her hearing, also healed with careful treatment, though she remained visually impaired, needing Xiao Qianqing's assistance. They continued to support each other. Ling Cangcang, having given birth to Xiao Huan's son, Ning, visited Xiao Huan's grave. She reflected on the peace and tranquility of Great Qi under their child's future care, assuring Xiao Huan that he could rest easy.
Years later, Ling Cangcang, now the Empress Dowager, succumbed to the lingering effects of old wounds from a previous nail punishment. On her deathbed, she spoke to her grown son, Ning, making him promise to safeguard the empire. Eventually, Zhong Lin also passed away, leaving Xiao Qianqing to support Ning as he assumed his responsibilities. Ning, in turn, found strength in the belief that his father, mother, and Aunt Lin were all watching over them from above, their shared legacy enduring.
