Novoland: Pearl Eclipse Episode 36 Recap
> Novoland: Pearl Eclipse Recap
Having revealed her female identity at the Dongyu Horse Ranch, Fang Haishi was led by a palace maid named Yuran to a side hall. Yuran informed her that she was to change into a dress at His Majesty’s command but knew nothing of Lord Qinghai’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Emperor Di Xu confronted Fang Jianming, who was kneeling before him.
Di Xu noted the thumb ring he had seen, showing he understood Fang Haishi was the woman Fang Jianming wished to spend his life with. Accusing Fang Jianming of throwing him a "hot potato" by revealing Haishi’s identity, Di Xu knew the visit was for more than just an apology. Fang Jianming then proposed that Di Xu take Haishi into the palace as his consort. A distressed Fang Haishi questioned Fang Jianming about Di Xu's treatment of him.
Fang Jianming revealed Di Xu’s order to make her a consort. He explained that her disguise was a capital crime, and while he, as Lord Qinghai, could not circumvent the law, Di Xu could protect her. This arrangement, he stated, would pacify the court and allow her to remain by Di Xu’s side to protect him, a win-win outcome. Fang Haishi, suspecting a deeper plan, pledged not to disrupt it.
Fang Jianming, however, denied any hidden agenda, asserting that making her Di Xu’s consort was his sole desire. He praised her talent and wisdom, stating he knew from their first meeting she would become a pivotal figure. He stressed that Di Xu had chosen her, and it was her duty to stay with him, protect him, and obey him. Distraught, Haishi accused him of meticulously planning to lure her back to Tianqi only to sacrifice her.
Pleading with him to say it was a lie, she asserted her right to control her own life. In despair, she grabbed a hairpin to kill herself, but Fang Jianming swiftly intervened, letting the hairpin pierce his own hand. Earlier, Fang Jianming had implored Di Xu to take Haishi in, confessing his own life was nearing its end and he had many enemies.
He feared that after his death, Haishi, with her proud and unyielding nature, would be vulnerable to retaliation. He begged Di Xu to protect her. Di Xu, emotional, dismissed talk of death, mentioning Physician Li was working on an antidote. Fang Jianming compared his love for Haishi to Di Xu’s for Zizan, lamenting he had run out of time to live a few happy years with her. His final wish was for Haishi to live safely.
Di Xu noted the pain this would cause Haishi, but Fang Jianming believed she would eventually overcome it, even if she hated him, and would forget him after he died. Di Xu forbade him from speaking of death. Fang Jianming urged Di Xu to grant his wish, asking him to treat Haishi as he would treat Fang Jianming after his death.
Di Xu agreed, acknowledging his debt to Jianming and Dazheng, and promised that Fang Haishi would legitimately receive everything Fang Jianming deserved. Meanwhile, outside Zichen Hall, dozens of officials knelt in the snow, accusing Lord Qinghai of deceiving the emperor and endangering the nation. They demanded his severe punishment for his treacherous acts, including Haishi’s male disguise and the release of the Huku spy, Fang Zhuoying. Servants bypassed palace security to bring warm clothing and soup to the protesting officials.
Inside, Di Xu was informed of the protest but dismissed it, stating they could kneel as long as they wished. He then inquired about Consort Shurong, Ti Lan, learning she was well but frequently wept. In her assigned quarters, Fang Haishi refused to eat. Despite Yuran’s warning that Di Xu might not grant an audience due to the protests, Haishi insisted on seeing him.
After defying the guards, she confronted Di Xu, confessed to her crimes of deception and freeing a felon, and requested death to appease the officials. Di Xu refused, stating her life was no longer hers since Fang Jianming had entrusted her to him. When Haishi questioned Jianming’s right to decide for her, Di Xu warned that if she continued to defy him, he would punish Fang Jianming instead.
In the ensuing struggle, Haishi attacked Di Xu, wounding him with a sword and biting his arm. Simultaneously, Fang Jianming, sitting elsewhere, manifested an identical cut on his face and bite marks on his arm. At Yu’an Palace, Ti Lan learned of Haishi’s identity revelation. Unsurprised, as she had known since Haishi saved her, she worried about Haishi's fate and tried to intercede. Her maid Bizi stopped her, revealing rumors that Di Xu intended to make Haishi his new consort.
Though momentarily sad, Ti Lan expressed sincere good wishes for them, believing them a suitable match, unlike herself who only ever displeased the Emperor. The next morning, Di Xu ordered the Ministry of Rites to confer the title of Consort Chunrong upon Fang Haishi. Fang Jianming arrived with a congratulatory gift: a box of priceless luminous pearls. He explained they were a gift from the merfolk to Haishi when she was a child.
Delighted by this auspicious sign, Di Xu bestowed a special title upon her: "Madam Pearl," an unprecedented honor. Fang Haishi, however, remained unresponsive and attempted to drown herself in a bath. Yuran screamed, and Fang Jianming rushed in, disregarding protocol, to pull her from the water. Seeing the sword wound on Fang Jianming’s face, Haishi realized her attack on Di Xu had been transferred to him, explaining his deteriorating health over the years.
Di Xu then revealed the truth of the Baixi: for over 670 years, each Lord Qinghai had served as the Emperor’s body-double, bearing all his pain and misfortune, which led to their premature deaths. During the Rebellion of Prince Yi, Jianming voluntarily became his Baixi to protect him and Dazheng. Deeply distressed, Haishi listened as Di Xu told her that if she still wished to protect Jianming, there was one crucial task only she could undertake.
As soon as Di Xu left, Haishi’s demeanor shifted, and she instructed Yuran to help her dress in formal consort attire. At Zichen Hall, officials continued to demand punishment for Fang Jianming and questioned Fang Haishi’s legitimacy as an auspicious figure, arguing the timing was too coincidental. Di Xu suggested they were merely using Jianming as a target because they were afraid to criticize him directly. Fang Jianming presented the luminous pearls as proof of Haishi’s encounter with the merfolk. While many were intrigued, some officials remained skeptical, suggesting they could be faked. Stating that their authenticity would be easy to prove, Di Xu ordered Consort Chunrong to be summoned.
