Overlord Episode 28 Recap
> Overlord Recap
Long Aoyi, finding the music boring, decided to visit Buyu Pavilion, arguing that gambling would be "favorable for intelligence development" for her unborn child. She believed it required more thought than listening to music and would help develop astute, bold, cautious, and calculative abilities. Li Qingliu disagreed, calling the place a mess and unsuitable for a pregnant woman.
To stop her from gambling, he distributed a bag of silver to all the other gamblers, instructing them not to play with her. Frustrated, Long Aoyi complained, but Li Qingliu insisted he had to be responsible for her and the baby, and then pulled her away, despite her pleas for just one more round. Meanwhile, Concubine De, upon hearing that Li Zhao was once again drunk in a brothel, personally went to reprimand him.
She criticized him for venting his anger on servants rather than his enemies and for not behaving like a noble prince. She called him a "rascal" for only thinking of Long Aoyi, who was now with Prince Jun.
Concubine De warned that if Long Aoyi were to give birth to a son, Li Qingliu would likely replace him in the Emperor's favor and could even become Crown Prince, while Li Zhao was a "complete failure" and a "disgrace," "not half as good as Li Qingliu," which was why the Emperor neglected him. Li Zhao apologized and acknowledged his mistake. Concubine De then instructed him to remember his enemies and his identity as a prince and the "future. .
." but she stopped short of completing the sentence, only adding, "Don't let me down." Du Xiaoxian continued her efforts to win Li Qingliu's affection, bringing him dishes like spinach soup from India daily, despite his earlier displeasure when she questioned Long Aoyi's pregnancy. Feeling it was time to clarify their relationship, Li Qingliu told her she didn't need to bring food every day, though she insisted it was her duty as they were engaged.
He explained that from their time in Silver City to Chang'an, he had always regarded her as his "closest partner" and like a sister. He only agreed to the imperial marriage decree to protect her reputation, promising to "honor the betrothal and make her feel safe." However, he explicitly stated there was "no love" between them. Du Xiaoxian, in tears, then asked about Long Aoyi, though she quickly stated she already knew the answer.
She pleaded with him to commit to their engagement, saying she would accept "the rest," implying any other arrangements. The Stewardess Office then officially announced Du Xiaoxian's investiture as Princess Jun-to-be, according to Tang Dynasty tradition, with the wedding ceremony scheduled for the first day after the Winter Solstice in the 12th year of Dali. Long Aoyi was designated as Lady Long.
Long Aoyi later accompanied Du Xiaoxian to meet the Empress Dowager in the palace, internally noting that this was her first time in the harem and she "must find something." She observed other concubines fawning over the Empress Dowager and praising her wisdom. Long Aoyi attempted to inquire about a unique pattern she had seen, but the concubines, including Concubine Feng, focused their attention on Du Xiaoxian, praising her for fabrics she had brought from Arabia.
Concubine Feng then subtly insulted Long Aoyi by calling her "humble" and implying she didn't deserve such fine things before walking away with Du Xiaoxian, leaving Long Aoyi feeling ignored and unable to find clues. As Long Aoyi stood dejected, Concubine De arrived and sarcastically asked if she was a new maid, reprimanding her for not bowing.
Concubine De then recalled Long Aoyi as the woman who had previously "dressed up as a foreign dancer in an attempt to seduce Prince Jun" and "played the same trick on my son, Zhao," but failed. She warned Long Aoyi to "always follow the rules in the palace" and "not try anything funny," threatening "consequences" if she did. Long Aoyi simply acknowledged the warning.
During a subsequent palace banquet, Long Aoyi felt alienated as none of the concubines wished to engage with her. When she overheard the Empress Dowager mentioning various fruit wines that were "especially good for women," Long Aoyi seized the opportunity to interject, commenting on the preparation of a dish and then pivoting to a captivating tale about the remote land of Jia’ermu. She described a society where "women are superior to men," with grandmothers heading households and managing finances.
Women lived in boudoirs with their lovers, and their children were raised by grandmothers, meaning "they don't need to worry about being abandoned." She further explained that Jia'ermu's streets were filled with female soldiers and shopkeepers, while men stayed home to raise children, highlighting how their customs were "opposite to ours."
A servant attempted to remind Long Aoyi of the rule "to eat in silence" and suggested she should be beaten, but the Empress Dowager found Long Aoyi's stories amusing, inviting her to speak closer, which greatly amused the concubines and the Empress Dowager. Simultaneously, Li Qingliu had acquired a unique chess set from Funan merchants, which he was playing with the Emperor.
During their game, Li Qingliu politely reminded the Emperor that an emperor should "never cheat" by taking back a move, to which the Emperor retorted that as his father and a beginner, Li Qingliu should be "easy on him." Just then, Li Zhao arrived to pay his respects, observing Li Qingliu and the Emperor playing. The Emperor explained that the chess set was a gift from Funan merchants.
Li Zhao mentioned he "knows a thing or two" about the game, having learned from Minister Yuan. Delighted, the Emperor invited Li Zhao to play with him more often. Li Zhao, now ambitious, promised to spend more time with his father. The Emperor then advised both his sons to "work together to assist Crown Prince." Afterward, Li Zhao cast a hostile look at Li Qingliu.
While Long Aoyi and Xiaoqin were out, they noticed they were being followed by Menghan, Gengzi’s second sister. Menghan explained that she had a nasty fight with Gengzi a year ago and came to Chang'an, eventually entering the palace. However, due to strict palace rules, she hadn't been able to leave or send messages to her family since. Long Aoyi reassured Menghan that Gengzi was doing well and offered to deliver a message for her.
Menghan then revealed that many other palace maids and eunuchs were in similar situations, having lost contact with their families. Long Aoyi readily agreed to help, remarking on Menghan's impressive "gang-leading" ability, a trait she attributed to Menghan's past with the Longzhu Gang. Long Aoyi asked everyone to write down their names and family addresses, promising to reply to them.
She also showed Menghan a drawing of the white jade carp pattern and requested her to keep an eye out for it in the palace, a task Menghan agreed to. Back in Prince Jun's mansion, Long Aoyi found herself bored, her only entertainment being playful arguments with Li Qingliu. During one such argument, he asserted his right to be involved in her affairs, reminding her they had been intimate and she was now part of his household.
When she asked if he was speaking as her husband, he told her she had "better think so." After he left, Long Aoyi confided in Xiaoqin, complaining that Li Qingliu was "acting like the baby's father" and was a "control freak." She reaffirmed to Xiaoqin that she had to maintain the ruse, remembering that the bed sheet after their night together was clean, proving the "baby" was a fake.
When she went to the palace for etiquette lessons, Stewardess Zhai questioned her on "Principles for Women." Long Aoyi gave humorous and unconventional interpretations of the text, suggesting that "spruce up" meant being "too sleepy to dress up" after waking at dawn, and that eating "three meals properly" was important so "no one will cook for you" if you didn't.
Stewardess Zhai deemed her answers disrespectful and prepared to punish her with a beating, but the Empress Dowager intervened, finding Long Aoyi "smart and delightful." Instead of beating her, the Empress Dowager ordered Long Aoyi to remain in the palace for "detention" to "review" her lessons. Later, a hungry Long Aoyi struggled with her copying punishment when Menghan came to her aid, bringing both food and letters from the families of the palace staff.
Long Aoyi took the opportunity to ask Menghan again about the white jade carp pattern, but Menghan reported that while carp patterns were common in the palace, she hadn't found the specific one Long Aoyi described, leading Long Aoyi to conclude she needed to offer more "benefits" to secure help.
To further her investigation, Long Aoyi decided to offer "bonuses" like "sweet raisins" and "rose perfume" to the palace staff, winning over many, including a eunuch named Xiao Zhuozi, who was responsible for preparing bathwater for consorts. With Zhuozi’s help, Long Aoyi managed to sneak into Concubine De’s palace, hoping to find the "biggest piece of jade in the palace" on Concubine De, who was known to be "most fond of jades."
However, the jade pendant Concubine De was wearing had a different pattern from the white jade carp Long Aoyi was looking for. Later, Concubine Han, intrigued by the spices Long Aoyi had been distributing, approached her, expressing interest in obtaining a legendary "sea mud from Arabia" for beauty purposes.
Long Aoyi learned she sought the mud to remove a birthmark on her forehead and instead offered a unique remedy from Silver City: marinating lemons in honeycombs and applying the slices to the face for skin-lightening. Their conversation was interrupted by a servant sent by Prince Jun, instructing Long Aoyi to return home to drink her medicine. Back at the mansion, Long Aoyi was cooking "black hocks," a specialty from Silver City, when Li Qingliu suddenly appeared.
He inquired if she had taken her medicine and stated he would "supervise" her daily. Long Aoyi complained that he already had people watching her every move, comparing her pregnancy to imprisonment. During another conversation, Li Qingliu bluntly told her not to "chat freely with others," especially "Prince Zhao," because "he'll get jealous." His confession surprised Long Aoyi.
As he massaged her "swollen ankles," which she attributed to "pregnancy," he subtly questioned how the pork hocks from Silver City arrived so quickly, hinting he knew of a "secret channel by water" that avoided major rivers. Simultaneously, Li Qingliu observed a grim scene at Xishi Market, where disaster victims from surrounding famine-stricken areas had flocked to Chang'an.
A man complained that despite arriving at dawn, he couldn't get any grain, speculating that the government reserves were being hoarded despite numerous carts having entered and exited the previous night. He lamented that government hand-outs were insufficient, and his family might not survive the year. In the imperial court, the Emperor questioned the Ministry of Revenue about the severe famine.
Minister Pang explained that they had already "diverted grains from the south," but the river transport was experiencing "delay" due to dry riverbeds. The Emperor angrily asked if the people's need for food could be delayed. Li Qingliu proposed opening "private reserves to bring down the price jacked up by hoarding" and to "strike at illegal merchants." However, Minister Pang dismissed Li Qingliu's suggestion as "impractical," arguing there wasn't enough grain to open any reserves.
Li Zhao concurred with Minister Pang's stance. Minister Yuan then spoke in favor of Li Qingliu's plan, asserting that "doing something" was "still better than doing nothing." After the court session, Li Qingliu thanked Minister Yuan for his support. Minister Yuan then offered a lesson on political strategy, using the analogy of withered bamboos protecting a forest from wind.
He explained that different voices, whether good or bad, were essential in court because a ruler "always wants something new," and diverse opinions "can set ours off to advantage," advising Li Qingliu to "just let them bark."
