Love Like The Galaxy Episode 39 Recap, Plot

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Following the Changqiu Palace's birthday banquet, the scandal involving Fifth Princess's male companions persisted, leaving her manor deserted and her reputation ruined. Emperor Wen summoned Official Yue to the palace, intending to expedite Fifth Princess's marriage to his youngest son, believing this would dispel the rumors. Official Yue initially resisted, questioning the suddenness of the proposal.

The Crown Prince reminded him of their father's ancient promise of a marriage alliance between the Xuan and Yue clans, stating it was time to fulfill it. Official Yue then pointedly contrasted the virtuous daughters of the Yue clan with the princesses of the Xuan clan, implying Fifth Princess's recent disgrace. Ling Buyi intervened, questioning Official Yue's discriminatory remarks, emphasizing that all princesses were Emperor Wen's daughters.

Official Yue retorted that marrying Fifth Princess amidst the scandal would harm both the Yue clan's standing and Fifth Princess's reputation. Emperor Wen explained that he intended the marriage precisely to safeguard Fifth Princess's good name, as it would serve as proof against the circulating rumors. Despite his reservations, Official Yue ultimately bowed to the imperial decree, expressing his thanks. Later, Cheng Shaoshang encountered the Crown Princess and Fifth Prince's Consort.

Shaoshang explained she was there on the Empress's orders to deliver additional gifts to Qu Lingjun, who had left the palace hastily with her husband, Liang Shang. Soon after, they spotted Qu Lingjun and Liang Shang. After exchanging greetings, the Crown Princess expressed surprise that Qu Lingjun was leaving the capital so soon after arriving for the Empress's birthday, noting that the Crown Prince often spoke of Qu Lingjun's children and wished to meet them.

She then spoke of her own inability to bear children, remarking on how different things might have been if Qu Lingjun had married the Crown Prince. Liang Shang grew visibly uncomfortable and tried to depart, but the Crown Princess pressed them to visit the Eastern Palace, hinting at their past connection.

Qu Lingjun, observing her husband's rising anger, firmly refused, stating she would not visit the Eastern Palace and urged the Crown Princess to cease her "meaningless words" to avoid drawing unwanted attention. As Qu Lingjun and Liang Shang left, Fifth Prince's Consort expressed her sympathy for Qu Lingjun, remarking on Liang Shang's harsh demeanor. Meanwhile, the Crown Princess, watching from the city wall, sent an attendant after them with a "farewell gift" from the Eastern Palace.

Qu Lingjun politely declined the gift, but Liang Shang, despite his wife's protest, accepted it. Inside the box, he discovered the Crown Prince's personal handkerchief, which ignited his fury. From the city wall, the Crown Princess watched their horse cart depart, and a faint, sorrowful cry from Qu Lingjun was heard. Soon after, the Ministry of Justice received news that Qu Lingjun had murdered her husband, Liang Shang.

Ling Buyi reported this to the Empress, confirming the murder occurred around noon the previous day. Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately appeared, denying Qu Lingjun's guilt and declaring her framed. To prove her innocence, he confessed a shocking secret: he had been with Qu Lingjun at Zigui Courtyard that very noon. The Crown Princess, arriving and overhearing the confession, was enraged.

She accused Qu Lingjun of shamelessly seducing the Crown Prince during the Empress's birthday banquet to rekindle their old flame. The Crown Prince, however, sternly interrupted her, refuting her claims and stating they had merely "met," not engaged in a tryst. He harshly criticized her narrow-mindedness and revealed that Qu Lingjun's decade of suffering and abuse at Liang Shang's hands was a direct result of the Crown Princess's manipulative schemes.

He exposed her two-faced nature, revealing she had feigned kindness while secretly sending intimate gifts, such as his personal handkerchief, a summer sleeping mat, and a jade pillow, to Qu Lingjun under his name. This deceit fueled Liang Shang's jealousy and violence, making Qu Lingjun's life unbearable. With her malicious actions exposed, the Crown Princess made no attempt to hide her deep-seated hatred for Qu Lingjun, wishing her dead in prison.

Utterly disappointed, the Crown Prince presented her with an ultimatum: either accompany him to Emperor Wen to plead for Qu Lingjun's innocence or leave the Eastern Palace. The Crown Princess defiantly chose the latter, vowing never to forgive Qu Lingjun. Cheng Shaoshang, who had been present throughout this explosive confrontation, listened with a heavy heart, lamenting the intertwined fates.

Back at Liang's Residence, Yuan Shen prepared to escort Qu Lingjun to the Ministry of Justice, but Liang Shang's mother vehemently refused, demanding Qu Lingjun pay for her son's life. Liang Wuji, Liang Shang's adopted brother and Governor of Liang, urged for a peaceful resolution, fearing that implicating the Crown Prince would bring disaster upon the entire Liang clan.

He voiced his trust in Qu Lingjun, even acknowledging the possibility of an affair, arguing that such complex matters within noble families were common and difficult to discern, pointedly referencing Madam Liang's own past as a maidservant who became his father's official wife. Madam Liang, infuriated, attacked Liang Wuji, belittling his adopted status and threatening to expel him and Qu Lingjun from the clan for prioritizing clan interests over her son's life.

Unexpectedly, Qu Lingjun then confessed, admitting to meeting the Crown Prince privately and acknowledging her fault, expressing her willingness to die for her husband. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince knelt before Emperor Wen, pleading for a thorough investigation to clear Qu Lingjun's name. Emperor Wen was furious, scolding his son for his foolishness.

He chastised the Crown Prince for almost ruining his own reputation and bringing shame upon the royal family due to personal affections, deeming him unworthy of being the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, however, remained resolute, stating he would rather die than see Qu Lingjun wronged further, expressing remorse for her past suffering caused by him, and insisting on their innocence.

Emperor Wen scorned his claims, questioning who would believe in their innocence given they met alone in a private courtyard, further accusing him of prioritizing personal feelings over the stability of the nation. Empress Xuan then intervened, reminding Emperor Wen that parents understood their children best and that a child's trust in their parents was paramount. She affirmed her unwavering belief in the Crown Prince's integrity.

Moved by her words, Emperor Wen finally relented, tasking Ling Buyi with the investigation, demanding that he uncover the truth to provide closure for the Eastern Palace and the entire realm. Cheng Shaoshang, who had been secretly listening, emerged and requested to accompany Ling Buyi. She explained her desire to repay Empress Xuan's kindness and her admiration for the Crown Prince's newfound courage in standing up for justice.

She declared that good people should not suffer while the wicked prosper, citing Liang Shang's long history of abusing his family as reason for him not to be avenged by Qu Lingjun's death. Ling Buyi agreed to her request but cautioned her against causing any trouble, to which Shaoshang vehemently denied ever doing so. At Liang's Residence, Liang Shang's younger brother recounted the events surrounding the murder.

He described how Liang Shang cherished his valuable carvings and stated that on the day of the incident, servants saw Qu Lingjun deliver lunch. They then heard Liang Shang shouting at her, calling her filthy and ordering her to leave, never to return. Later that evening, servants discovered Liang Shang dead. Since no one else had entered or exited the room, they concluded Qu Lingjun was the murderer, a claim she had since admitted.

Cheng Shaoshang quickly intervened, reminding Madam Liang that private punishment was unlawful while the case remained unsolved. Madam Liang, dismissing Shaoshang's authority and accusing the Empress of protecting the Crown Prince, threatened to take her grievance to the Censorate, even "rolling over the nail board," to expose the Emperor and Empress's supposed favoritism and humiliation of their century-old noble family.

At this critical moment, Yuan Shen's mother arrived, immediately stopping Madam Liang and asserting her authority as the Liang family's eldest legitimate daughter to manage internal affairs. She forcefully had Madam Liang restrained, reminding her that when she was born, Madam Liang was merely her father's maidservant who was only elevated to official wife after bearing Liang Xia, making Liang Shang a concubine's son.

Yuan Shen's mother lambasted Madam Liang's narrow-mindedness and self-serving nature, accusing her of always favoring Liang Xia over Liang Shang, which fostered Liang Shang's suspicious and sensitive personality, ultimately leading to the tragic events. She declared that Qu Lingjun and her maid were now under her protection and that Madam Liang's status as a widow within the family was effectively over. Pressured by Yuan Shen's mother, Qu Lingjun finally revealed the truth of her suffering.

She confessed that she had initially sought to end her marriage, but Liang Shang repeatedly threatened to spread rumors of her alleged secret affair with the Crown Prince, and later, to harm their children, forcing her to endure years of abuse. Meanwhile, Ling Buyi continued his inquiry with the assembled Liang men. He presented his theory: the murderer acted with such conspicuousness because they had internal support.

He pointed out that Liang Shang, as the family head, if murdered and his wife framed, would render his son ineligible to inherit the position. This suggested the true motive was a power struggle for leadership within the Liang clan. Ling Buyi then revealed a crucial detail: the Crown Prince's "tryst" was a deception, as the person who delivered the meal to Liang Shang's study that fateful noon was not Qu Lingjun, but her personal maidservant, Youtong.

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