Love of Thousand Years Episode 17 Recap
> Love of Thousand Years Recap
Sensing a potent demonic energy from Gongziqi's residence, Fu Jiuyun decided to confront its source. Crown Prince Li Yuan, impressed by the paintings, arrived eagerly to meet the artist. Meishan Jun, disguised as Gongziqi, humbly introduced himself as a carefree immortal, expressing surprise at the Crown Prince's visit. When Li Yuan asked to see his true face, claiming he resembled an old friend, Meishan feigned pain before removing the mask to reveal an unfamiliar face with a mustache.
Realizing his mistake, Li Yuan apologized and, as a gesture of goodwill, offered "Gongziqi" a spacious residence in Gaodu and an invitation to the upcoming Huachuang pageant as a distinguished guest, both of which Meishan readily accepted. Shortly after Li Yuan's departure, Tan Chuan, who had been hiding nearby, prepared to assassinate the prince. However, a young attendant named San'er intercepted her, preventing the attack.
Once Tan Chuan left, San'er returned to the residence and dispelled his illusion, revealing himself to be Fu Jiuyun. Meishan immediately teased him, pointing out that despite his claims of indifference, he had still followed Tan Chuan to Gaodu. He accused Fu Jiuyun of self-deception, suggesting he was using the Gongziqi persona because he was afraid to face her as Fu Jiuyun. Fu Jiuyun angrily denied this, asserting he no longer cared about her quest for revenge.
Pressured by Meishan to reveal his true purpose, Fu Jiuyun admitted his concern: the Crown Prince's demonic energy was identical to the two powers sealed within him. Meishan grew worried, reminding Fu Jiuyun that he had only managed to learn a fraction of the Suzerain's sealing art to suppress those powers, and any carelessness could cause the seal to break. Elsewhere, Li Yuan reported to his master, the State Preceptor, confirming that the painter was not Fu Jiuyun.
They discussed their plan to use the pageant to lure out the true killer of Zuo Zichen’s father—who they know received the spiritual lamp from Fu Jiuyun and now targets Li Yuan—by manipulating Tan Chuan, which in turn would draw out Fu Jiuyun himself. Meanwhile, Li Yuan arranged for a grand residence for Xuanzhu and her mother.
While her mother was overjoyed, Xuanzhu confronted Zuo Zichen, questioning why a man of his principles would abandon his ambitions to serve Li Yuan by evaluating beauties. A disheartened Zuo Zichen simply stated he was following orders. Later, he reported to Li Yuan on the pageant preparations. Li Yuan, dissatisfied with the candidates, asked for Zuo's opinion on making Xuanzhu the Crown Princess. After Zuo gave a detached assessment, Li Yuan probed him about his father's unsolved murder.
Expressing profound grief and regret for his past arrogance, Zuo Zichen swore to fulfill his father's final wish by serving the "demon god" (Li Yuan), which he now saw as his ultimate act of filial piety. Relieved by his loyalty, Li Yuan expressed concern that the killer might disrupt the pageant, but Zuo Zichen assured him all was secure. When Gongziqi's arrival in the capital was announced, citizens flocked to see him.
Tan Chuan was reluctantly persuaded by her boss and Aunt Guo, both avid fans, to join the crowd. Though he was masked, she recognized his familiar demeanor, triggering fragmented memories. Since Gongziqi had moved into the mansion granted by the Crown Prince, a daily stream of women delivered him food. Compelled by her boss, Tan Chuan was sent to deliver a meal.
Seeing the throngs of women at the main gate, she sat on the back steps to eat the sweet and sour crispy pork herself. To her shock, Gongziqi appeared behind her. He asked how she knew his favorite dish and invited her to eat with him, remarking that it reminded him of his "beloved woman."
During their meal, he revealed his identity as Fu Jiuyun, admitting he was the same Gongziqi who had teased her in the former state of Li. He confessed he knew of her plans to infiltrate the pageant. Tan Chuan warned him not to interfere.
Fu Jiuyun proposed they stay out of each other’s way, but then provocatively confessed he was truly there to watch her, curious to see what chaos her "ant-like strength" could cause and whether she would call for him when she inevitably failed. Defiantly, Tan Chuan retorted that she could thrive even in the deepest abyss. After leaving him, she burned a paper doll she had long kept, resolving to cut all ties with her past.
Fu Jiuyun, watching her go, silently vowed that while he couldn't be with her last time, he would "catch" her this time. Later, Meishan confronted Fu Jiuyun for deliberately revealing himself to Tan Chuan. Fu Jiuyun explained that being "Fu Jiuyun" carried too much weight, and he preferred the carefree identity of "Gongziqi" to simply watch events unfold, believing it was easier for Tan Chuan as well.
Meishan mocked him for hiding behind a mask for a woman and reminded him that Tan Chuan would surely act during the pageant in three days. Fu Jiuyun reiterated that he would only observe, wanting to see what she could accomplish on her own. On the day of the pageant, Tan Chuan disguised herself as a Persian contestant after rendering the original dancer unconscious.
Crown Prince Li Yuan arrived with the Second Prince, casually apologizing for being late and remarking to his brother that the dancers were inferior to those from Li. He then asked Zuo Zichen if any of the beauties were exceptional. Zuo Zichen dismissively called them "clowns" and noted their dancing skills were poor. Throughout the selection, Li Yuan paid little attention to the stage, his gaze fixed instead on Xuanzhu, an observation Zuo Zichen noted with forced composure.
