My Queen Episode 8 Recap
> My Queen Recap
After Chang Kong spent the night sleeping outside, Murong Chen confronted him, demanding to know how a skilled fighter like him could have failed to notice Xiao Ai's abduction. Chang Kong explained that everyone sleeping nearby claimed no one approached, making the incident puzzling since there were no signs of entry through the roof or door. Jiang Mengmeng then realized a crucial detail: how did the criminal know Xiao Ai was a girl, given her male disguise?
She soon discovered beads from Xiao Ai's purse in the toilet, concluding that Xiao Ai must have been kidnapped there during a late-night visit, with the dropped beads confirming her struggle. Murong Chen was disgusted by the criminal's method of hiding in a latrine to abduct someone. Chang Kong, visibly distressed, vowed to rescue Xiao Ai, prompting Jiang Mengmeng to observe his unusual level of concern, noting he seemed more worried than Xiao Ai's actual partner.
Chang Kong denied this, saying he was simply worried, but Jiang Mengmeng playfully acknowledged his transparent "honest person" persona, redirecting their focus to devising a rescue plan. Jiang Mengmeng declared her intention to act as bait, resuming her female identity to lure the criminal into a trap. Both Murong Chen and Song Che strongly objected, recalling a previous dangerous encounter at Baihua Village where she nearly lost her life.
Jiang Mengmeng insisted she would be fine this time, emphasizing their planned coordination with her luring the enemy and them providing outside support. However, Song Che countered that they lacked information about the enemy, making her plan too risky. Murong Chen agreed, likening it to "a lamb walking into a tiger's mouth." Jiang Mengmeng then suggested that if there were another girl among them, she wouldn't have to go alone, or perhaps two could go together for mutual support.
Murong Chen proposed that if girls could disguise as men, the reverse was also possible, meaning male cross-dressing. Reluctantly, Murong Chen agreed to cross-dress and accompany Jiang Mengmeng. Dressed in elaborate female attire, Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen confidently walked through Qing Luo Town. Murong Chen, playing the role of "Rongrong," Jiang Mengmeng's "sister," deliberately acted intimately with Jiang Mengmeng, even applying makeup to her face, to attract attention.
From a distance, Song Che fumed, believing Murong Chen was taking advantage of Jiang Mengmeng, but Chang Kong held him back, warning that any disturbance could alert the criminal. A local vendor cautioned them about the town's recent instability for young girls. Despite their public display, Jiang Mengmeng observed that the criminal hadn't appeared by day's end, predicting he would strike that night.
Back at the inn, Murong Chen and Jiang Mengmeng were in a room together, which infuriated Song Che. He complained to Chang Kong that everyone only cared about Xiao Ai, ignoring his feelings for Jiang Mengmeng. Chang Kong reminded him it was a necessary part of the plan to draw out the criminal and rescue Xiao Ai. Inside their room, Murong Chen teased Jiang Mengmeng about her layers of clothing, to which she pretended to be cold.
They then extinguished the lights, recognizing it was essential to entice the criminal. As they waited, Jiang Mengmeng grew impatient, wondering if Song Che and Chang Kong had already captured the perpetrator. Just then, Murong Chen noticed a toxic sleeping gas being sprayed into the room. He frantically tried to rouse Jiang Mengmeng, but both were quickly overwhelmed and fell unconscious.
Outside, Song Che and Chang Kong, having chased a fleeting shadow that vanished, realized they had been victims of a diversion. Rushing back, they found Murong Chen and Jiang Mengmeng gone. Chang Kong, blaming himself for failing to protect Jiang Mengmeng, immediately sent a signal flare. Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen awoke in a peculiar house that seemed like a "Spiders' Cave," surrounded by women bathing in a hot spring.
Among them was Xiao Mei, whom Jiang Mengmeng recognized from a previous encounter. Xiao Mei and the other women urged them to undress and join. Murong Chen, still disguised as "Rongrong," claimed to have sensitive skin that reacted to hot water, thereby avoiding the spring. While Murong Chen rested, Jiang Mengmeng questioned the other women, who couldn't recall how they arrived and were only concerned with maintaining their beauty.
When Jiang Mengmeng pressed about their families, they appeared bewildered, focused solely on appearances. Jiang Mengmeng then experienced a brief moment of memory loss, confirming her suspicion that the hot spring was a tool for memory erasure. Murong Chen explained that the spring could "wash out" memories, and the women, finding attempts to recall their past painful, eventually gave up, embracing the narrative that "girls are supposed to be beautiful."
Murong Chen then spoke with Xiao Mei, learning that 18 girls had been captured, including two newcomers. Xiao Mei mentioned that one new girl had been crying incessantly and was confined to a small room, leading Murong Chen to correctly identify her as Xiao Ai. Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen began a room-by-room search, eventually finding Xiao Ai, who was still crying and being harshly scolded by a servant.
After the servant departed, Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen entered Xiao Ai's room. Xiao Ai, initially believing Murong Chen's female disguise was a hallucination, was greatly relieved to realize it was truly them. Jiang Mengmeng noted that Xiao Ai's persistent crying had likely helped her resist the memory-wiping effects of the environment. Xiao Ai vaguely recalled the servant mentioning a "Madam," whose name sounded like "Luo Bo, Bo Luo, or Sang Luo."
Xiao Mei then joined them, confirming the name "Sang Luo" and assuring Jiang Mengmeng that her parents were well, though worried. Jiang Mengmeng inquired how Xiao Mei had retained her memories. Xiao Mei revealed that before her memories fully faded, she had carved the words "stay away from the hot spring" into her bed frame. Touching these words daily helped her resist the spring's influence. She also confessed to attempting escape but found the house too heavily guarded.
Xiao Mei then disclosed vital information: she had overheard Sang Luo conversing with two servants the previous night. The servants expressed suspicion about Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen being government spies, but Sang Luo dismissed their concerns, stating she urgently needed "the last two" girls for a plan that required the full moon and would be delayed a month if missed.
Sang Luo then instructed one servant to create a diversion outside and the other to capture the two new girls. Murong Chen sarcastically commented on Song Che's and Chang Kong's susceptibility to such a diversion. To uncover more details, Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen, with Xiao Mei's assistance, observed Sang Luo. Through a window, they saw Sang Luo, discontented with her skin, demanding honey for a mask.
Seizing the opportunity, Murong Chen incapacitated the servant bringing the honey, donned his uniform, and entered Sang Luo's room to deliver it himself. Meanwhile, a servant conducted a routine room check in Jiang Mengmeng and Murong Chen's room. Xiao Mei and Xiao Ai, having quickly moved to the room and hidden under the covers, successfully feigned sleep, avoiding suspicion. Inside Sang Luo's room, Murong Chen was momentarily stunned to see her holding a blood night-blooming cereus.
Sang Luo, rejecting the honey mask as ineffective, revealed her horrific plan: on the upcoming fifteenth full moon, she would perform the "Blood Moon Tactics," injecting the blood of 18 young girls into the blood night-blooming cereus to achieve eternal youth. Jiang Mengmeng, listening from outside, was aghast at this gruesome revelation. Concurrently, Chang Kong received intelligence confirming that Sang Luo of Qing Luo Town had indeed purchased a fake blood night-blooming cereus the previous month.
Back in their room, Jiang Mengmeng, now aware of Sang Luo's horrifying intentions, comforted a terrified Xiao Ai, reassuring her that they still had one day to find a solution. Murong Chen also offered words of encouragement, affirming Jiang Mengmeng's bravery and his unwavering support. They then realized the immediate threat posed by the incapacitated servant; if he was discovered, their plans would be jeopardized. Xiao Mei then proposed an idea to resolve the situation.
