Love Through a Millennium Episode 20 Recap
> Love Through a Millennium Recaps
After learning in the modern era about Wang Mang's tragic fate, Gong Ming, deeply unsettled, traveled back to the Western Han Dynasty to warn his friend. He appeared before Wang Mang, who was overjoyed to reunite with his confidant. Gong Ming explained that he had to come back because he feared for Wang Mang's life.
He described the mysterious jade pendant, explaining that it transports him to a distant future where historical records detail everything, including Wang Mang's impending violent death. Gong Ming expressed profound remorse, believing his misuse of the jade pendant had caused a ripple effect, leading to Wang Mang's banishment by the Wang family and his eventual demise.
Despite Wang Mang's calm acceptance, suggesting his death might benefit Gong Ming, Gong Ming firmly rejected the idea, stating he never wished him harm and only wanted him to abandon his ambitions. He urged Wang Mang to trust his words this time. Meanwhile, Gong Ming had sent a message to Ying Yue, instructing her to meet them at the bamboo forest near Wang Mang's residence, as their lives were in peril. Ying Yue received the letter and immediately set out.
However, Zi Xiu's men ambushed her on the way. Outnumbered and outmatched, Ying Yue was severely injured and captured. When Gong Ming and Wang Mang arrived at the scene, they found Zi Xiu holding a wounded Ying Yue hostage. Zi Xiu, who was aware that Gong Ming was still alive after his previous failed assassination attempt and had discovered Gong Ming's letter to Wang Mang, mocked Wang Mang's friendship with Gong Ming. Wang Mang, furious, demanded Ying Yue's release.
Zi Xiu, however, offered a grim choice: Wang Mang must personally kill Gong Ming in exchange for Ying Yue's freedom. He further ordered Gong Ming to discard the jade pendant, claiming its mystical power would not save him this time. Torn between his dear friend and the woman he loved, Wang Mang hesitated. Seeing Wang Mang's agonizing indecision, Gong Ming made the choice himself, closing his eyes and preparing for death.
In a desperate act, Ying Yue broke free from Zi Xiu's grasp and lunged to shield Gong Ming. Zi Xiu, with a swift stroke, ran his sword through Ying Yue. Enraged by her sacrifice, Wang Mang immediately killed Zi Xiu. Ying Yue collapsed into Gong Ming's arms, barely conscious. With her last breaths, she whispered that she was happy to have seen Wang Mang again and had no regrets.
She then repeatedly apologized to Wang Mang before closing her eyes forever. Grief-stricken, Wang Mang cradled Ying Yue's lifeless body, accusing Gong Ming of causing her death and declaring that his own heart had died with her. He swore he would never see Gong Ming again in this life and carried Ying Yue's body away. News of Ying Yue's death devastated Gong Ming's Mentor, who collapsed in sorrow.
Gong Ming, his heart heavy, asked his Mentor to help Wang Mang bury Ying Yue, as he felt unable to face it himself. The jade pendant, whose efficacy was believed to be tied to Ying Yue, turned jet black—a never-before-seen ominous change. Despite the danger, Gong Ming felt compelled to return to the modern era to inform Lin Xiangxiang, who was still waiting for him.
He contacted her by phone, and she, relieved to hear from him after waiting at the train station, agreed to meet him at their usual bridge. As they stood on the bridge, just moments after seeing her, Gong Ming suddenly vanished before Lin Xiangxiang's eyes, leaving only his ringing phone behind.
Lin Xiangxiang, weeping, picked up his discarded phone, while Gong Ming found himself stranded back in the Western Han Dynasty, sitting on the ground in despair, realizing he might never return to her. Back in the modern world, Lin Xiangxiang, unable to reach Gong Ming, continued to visit the bridge daily, waiting in vain for his return. Her friends, seeing her distress, reminded her that Gong Ming had already proposed marriage, criticizing his sudden disappearance and the uncertainty it caused.
Lin Xiangxiang, however, steadfastly believed he would return. She expressed her frustration at being unable to help him, relying solely on a history book, and hated her own helplessness. Meanwhile, Gong Ming decided to travel to Jingzhou to return Ying Yue's belongings to her relatives. His Mentor urged him to use this journey to uncover the true origin of the jade pendant.
The Mentor theorized that the jade pendant's ability to protect Gong Ming and "encounter death and then live" was fueled by Ying Yue's selfless will and constant worry for him. With Ying Yue gone, the jade pendant had lost its efficacy.
However, Ying Yue's distant relatives in Jingzhou knew nothing about the jade pendant's specific origins, only that an ancestor had received it as a gift from a "true person" named Nan Hua, whom Gong Ming referred to as a Taoist immortal. The Mentor advised Gong Ming to try and forget the distant future and live out his life in the present, emphasizing that Ying Yue had died and Lin Xiangxiang was not yet born in this era.
However, Gong Ming, tormented by the thought of Lin Xiangxiang waiting anxiously for him, decided he would risk his life to attempt to return to the modern era, even if for a mere moment. The Mentor vehemently opposed this, reminding Gong Ming of Ying Yue's sacrifice and urging him to consider her memory. He advised Gong Ming that finding the jade pendant's true origin and restoring its function was the wiser course of action.
Gong Ming, though agreeing to his Mentor's words to live in seclusion, later wounded himself, attempting once more to activate the jade pendant and cross time. He planned to reside in his old, now abandoned, house in the capital, feeling like a lonely soul.
