Love & Crown Episode 7 Recap
> Love & Crown Recap
Ling Cangcang, having carefully snuck out of Linghe Hall, arrived at the cold palace and found Xiao Ying sitting blankly on the steps. Xiao Ying immediately led Cangcang inside, where she began to draw. Cangcang observed the drawing of a woman engulfed in flames and asked if it depicted Xiao Ying herself, hurt in a fire. Xiao Ying confirmed it by revealing a terrifying scar on the back of her neck.
Xiao Ying then recounted her childhood, fondly recalling her time playing with Xiao Huan at his residence, which contained many strange and fascinating books left by his late mother. She confessed she used to enjoy his company. However, one day, a huge fire broke out at his residence. She was trapped and desperately called for Xiao Huan to save her, but he never appeared. She remembered that his crickets were saved, but no one came for her.
Bitterly stating that he had promised to take good care of her, she concluded that "all liars deserve to die." Taking a small bottle, Xiao Ying then used its contents to render Cangcang unconscious. She further revealed that since Cangcang possessed a treasure that repelled poison, she had resorted to using the "Puppet Incense," a rare and difficult substance to concoct.
Xiao Ying then hypnotized Cangcang, instructing her to forget visiting the cold palace, to harbor deep hatred for Xiao Huan, and to kill him with her own sword. Meanwhile, Xiao Huan was at his mother's memorial, reflecting on the transient nature of his closest relationships. He was then informed that Empress Cangcang had fainted in the cold palace. The palace maids, questioned by Xiao Huan, explained that Cangcang had gone out for an appointment and forbidden them from following.
Xiao Huan realized Cangcang had encountered Princess Ying and fallen victim to her trap. Although urged by his attendants to return to rest due to his frequently flaring cold sickness, Xiao Huan dismissed them, choosing to remain. Later, as Xiao Huan slept uneasily in his chamber, a bell rang. Under the influence of Xiao Ying's hypnotic suggestion, Cangcang rose with vacant eyes, picked up a sword, and mechanically lunged at Xiao Huan.
As she attacked, she repeated, "Those who break their word all deserve to die. I will kill him with my own sword. I hate Xiao Huan to my very core." Xiao Huan, startled awake, quickly grasped the blade. He understood she was being controlled and, unwilling to harm her, tried to awaken her. Cangcang, though frail, struggled against the control, declaring that while she might hate him, she refused to be anyone's puppet.
She then dislocated her own arm to prevent herself from striking him and fainted. Xiao Huan immediately ordered his subordinates to keep the incident secret. He then discreetly summoned Imperial Preceptor Du Tingxin for treatment. When Du Tingxin later tended to Cangcang, she found the Empress about to question a maid about the strange events.
Du Tingxin confirmed that Cangcang had been controlled by Princess Ying's Puppet Incense and had attempted to assassinate Xiao Huan, but emphasized that Cangcang had dislocated her own arm to prevent harming him. Du Tingxin then shared her personal history: she was the former Imperial Preceptor's illegitimate daughter. After her mother was forced to self-immolate to protect her, the ministers still demanded her sacrifice.
It was Xiao Huan who saved her by pardoning her and appointing her as the new Imperial Preceptor, leading her to dedicate her life to him. Ling Cangcang, however, remained skeptical, asserting that "Emperors are heartless" and that "power is all he's ever valued." Du Tingxin countered that Cangcang's subconscious refusal to harm Xiao Huan, even while controlled, suggested she might truly care for him, urging her to trust him.
She vowed that if Cangcang could maintain a harmonious relationship with the Emperor, Nanrong Palace would become Linghe Hall's most loyal supporter. Separately, Ling Xuefeng harbored suspicions that Song Lanxi was still alive. Despite his subordinate's assurances that Song Lanxi had been gravely wounded during an assassination attempt (lured by Li Chengtian's name) and could not have survived, Ling Xuefeng remained unconvinced due to Xiao Qianqing's heightened security measures and large purchases of injury salves.
He arranged for his men to meet him before the final examinations. Feigning indifference, Ling Cangcang anxiously inquired about Xiao Huan's condition. After learning that Imperial Physician Li, a renowned healer discovered by the late Emperor, had been summoned to treat Xiao Huan's severe cold poison, her worry intensified.
Imperial Physician Li, after examining Xiao Huan, sternly warned him against continued recklessness, stating that his cold poison was only temporarily suppressed and his life would be in peril if he continued to wear himself out. He revealed he needed a woman with powerful inner strength and a "yin-soft" constitution to help suppress the "blazing hot" medicine he was using. At that moment, Ling Cangcang arrived.
Xiao Huan attempted to send her away, but Imperial Physician Li intervened, insisting she remain. Li then told Cangcang that Xiao Huan showed a clear preference for her, evidenced by his immediate attempt to straighten up upon her entrance despite his illness. He bluntly asked if she would save Xiao Huan's life.
Cangcang, feeling a sense of responsibility for his injury—even though Xiao Huan clarified it was Xiao Ying's doing—agreed to help, stating that despite her hatred for him, she didn't want him to die inexplicably. During the treatment, while semi-conscious, Xiao Huan mumbled that he had promised someone not to tell Cangcang the truth, hinting at a secret related to her master's death. This made Cangcang wonder if, despite his deceptions, Xiao Huan sometimes showed genuine emotion.
After Xiao Huan recovered, Cangcang confronted him about the "reasons" he'd hinted at for killing her master, saying the Bai Chifan she once knew couldn't have been entirely deceitful. Xiao Huan tried to deflect her questions. Xiao Huan then brought Cangcang to the cold palace. He interrogated the guards, who were all revealed to be from Xuanguang Hall.
Inside, Xiao Ying, immersed in concocting potions, became enraged when Xiao Huan deliberately knocked over her bottles and jars, destroying her favorite things. Xiao Huan retorted that she dared to harm his Empress and ordered all her possessions burned in the courtyard. The Empress Dowager arrived, demanding to know why Xiao Huan was interfering in the cold palace. She downplayed Cangcang's injuries and expressed concern for Xiao Ying's fright.
Xiao Huan accused her of feigning ignorance, suggesting she would have been pleased if Cangcang had killed him. He then questioned her competence, proposing that she was too old to manage the palace and should hand the Phoenix Seal to the Empress. He pointedly reminded her about the fire that had caused Xiao Ying's current state, implicitly accusing the Empress Dowager of orchestrating it. The Empress Dowager, her face grave, then requested severe punishment for Princess Ying.
Xiao Huan agreed, ordering the replacement of all cold palace guards, confining Xiao Ying, and forbidding any lamps for ten days. Xiao Ying, terrified of the dark, cried out for Xiao Qianqing to save her. Xiao Huan declared that Xiao Ying had never truly experienced darkness and that he owed her nothing. He then instructed Li Hongqing to take control of the cold palace and place Princess Ying under the watch of the Imperial Guards.
Reflecting on the callous display of familial relations in the palace, Ling Cangcang told Xiao Huan that she had witnessed his ruthless side. She then requested permission to leave the palace once, citing her help in saving his life. He granted her request but warned her not to disclose details of the Wuying Hall incident to anyone, only to state that his illness was severe and difficult to recover from.
He then ordered Li Hongqing to escort Cangcang to the Summer Palace to escape the heat and return immediately, leaving her there unattended. Xiao Qianqing, having learned of Xiao Huan's punishment of Xiao Ying, particularly the ten days without light, was furious, knowing her deep fear of darkness. He attempted to see Xiao Huan but was turned away by Eunuch Feng, who claimed the Emperor was unwell. Xiao Qianqing viewed this as a deliberate and unwelcome "homecoming gift" from his brother.
