Overlord Episode 30 Recap
> Overlord Recap
In the quiet of a Chang'an evening, Long Aoyi, disguised as a man, sought solace in a brothel. She felt a profound loneliness and a growing ache for her late Master, Feng, who had taught her to lead a gang. Li Zhao, delighted to stumble upon her there, joined her at the table, though his presence did little to alleviate her sadness.
As they drank, a tipsy Li Zhao confessed his enduring affection for Long Aoyi, recalling their first encounter in Silver City where she fearlessly charged forward like a wild deer, unconstrained by danger. He wished to stand by her side for life. However, Long Aoyi's heart was elsewhere; she was drinking away her sorrows, consumed by thoughts of Li Qingliu and his potential marriage to Du Xiaoxian.
Meanwhile, Yan Bin arrived at Long Aoyi's room with medicine to foster her pregnancy, only to find her absent. Xiaoqin, dressed in male attire, intercepted him, instructing him to guard the room from Prince Jun while she went to search for Long Aoyi. Just as Xiaoqin departed, Li Qingliu unexpectedly arrived at the mansion. He proceeded to the brothel and found a heavily intoxicated Long Aoyi staggering through the streets.
Li Qingliu carried her back to Prince Jun's Mansion, and despite her drunken protests, he asserted himself as her husband. Upon waking later, Li Zhao, finding Long Aoyi gone, was furious. He lashed out at Wu Lin, slapping him for referring to Long Aoyi as "Prince Jun's wife" and warning him never to utter that title again. Long Aoyi awoke in her room to find Li Qingliu watching over her.
However, the memory of Li Qingliu and Du Xiaoxian's recent interaction still weighed heavily on her. Li Qingliu attempted to explain the situation, then unexpectedly leaned in and kissed her. Long Aoyi, initially stunned, soon reacted with anger, accusing the royal family of self-importance and Li Qingliu of being a philanderer with many wives and concubines. In her agitated state, Li Qingliu accidentally knocked over a teacup, spilling water onto a map.
Recognizing it as a water transport map she had acquired, Long Aoyi explained its significance. Li Qingliu, intrigued, began to analyze the map. They discussed the current inefficiencies of water transport and Li Qingliu proposed a phased approach, utilizing specialized boats for different river sections and integrating civilian waterways with official ones to drastically improve efficiency. Long Aoyi, despite her earlier jabs about his "branching out," agreed that his solution was indeed feasible.
Unbeknownst to them, Du Xiaoxian, passing by, overheard their entire conversation, including the detailed deployment of Li Qingliu's plan. Later, Li Qingliu presented Long Aoyi with a wooden comb he had personally carved from a piece of bamboo she had discarded during the Shangsi Festival. As he gently combed her hair, he reflected on his past focus on Shu embroidery and family business.
He confessed that he now realized he possessed the capability to achieve much more, aligning with their shared aspirations for the greater good. Witnessing this tender moment, Du Xiaoxian was consumed by rage. She immediately instructed her maid, Yue'er, to inform Li Zhao of Li Qingliu's plan and then surreptitiously replaced Li Qingliu's memorial with a blank one.
The next day in court, when the Emperor requested solutions for the water transport issue, Li Zhao was the first to present, unveiling the very plan Li Qingliu and Long Aoyi had devised. The Emperor and other officials were greatly impressed. Li Qingliu then stepped forward, affirming his agreement with Li Zhao’s strategy and attempting to submit his own memorial. To the Emperor's fury, Li Qingliu's document was completely blank.
Pang Shizhong quickly suggested that Li Qingliu had accidentally submitted the wrong paper in his eagerness, while Li Zhao subtly reinforced the idea that Li Qingliu, being new, lacked proper diligence. Enraged by this apparent lack of respect and discipline, the Emperor punished Li Qingliu by sending him to the Imperial Academy to study family history, effectively demoting him. Subsequently, the Emperor entrusted Li Zhao with the entire water transport project.
Back at his mansion, Li Qingliu frantically searched for his missing memorial. His meticulous habits led him to suspect that only Long Aoyi could have known his plan and potentially been involved. Meanwhile, Long Aoyi, learning of Li Qingliu's disgrace from Yan Bin, promptly sent Xiaoqin to request Li Qingliu's help in finding her "lost" comb in the backyard, implying that her well-being and that of their unborn child depended on it.
Recognizing this as a veiled threat, Li Qingliu, despite his lingering anger, went to the backyard. Long Aoyi had instructed for all the lanterns to be removed, but as Li Qingliu entered, a myriad of fireflies illuminated the area, and he easily spotted the comb. Xiaoqin then relayed Long Aoyi's message: "The world is colorful, but the more one values things, the easier one gets confused. Only when the splendor fades can one see clearly their original intent."
Long Aoyi had pondered these words all day but was too shy to say them herself. Li Qingliu, understanding her underlying message, smiled with a newfound sense of clarity. Later, Long Aoyi visited the Empress Dowager, who was trying to coax an exotic bird named 'Eggplant' to sing. Long Aoyi suggested taking the bird to the back garden, confident she could make it sing.
Du Xiaoxian, however, dismissed Long Aoyi's idea, claiming birds only sing when a mate is present or during a territorial dispute. She then presented a female bird, an expensive acquisition from Arabia, to try her method. When the two birds failed to sing, Long Aoyi, disregarding Du Xiaoxian's protests, opened Eggplant's cage and released it. The bird immediately flew to a tree and began to sing joyfully. The Empress Dowager was delighted, wholeheartedly agreeing with Long Aoyi’s philosophy of freedom.
She mused that the glamorous imperial city, despite its allure, was ultimately a gilded cage where everyone eventually became trapped, losing control of their own destiny. The Empress Dowager then noted that Long Aoyi’s pregnancy belly had not visibly grown and urged her to eat more. Du Xiaoxian, observing this, remembered Li Zhao’s earlier suspicions about Long Aoyi's fake pregnancy. To expose her, Du Xiaoxian discreetly instructed a maid to "accidentally" tear Long Aoyi's skirt, revealing the cotton stuffing beneath.
Li Qingliu was aghast at the sight of the cotton. He confronted Long Aoyi, his heart breaking as he realized she had faked her pregnancy. He accused her of never trusting him, despite all they had endured together, even though he had never doubted her. Long Aoyi, weary of the constant machinations, decided against further explanations.
She confessed that her Master had been murdered by someone in Chang'an, possibly within the palace, and faking her pregnancy was the only way she could gain entry to investigate. Li Qingliu, in a fit of anger and feeling deeply betrayed, cruelly called her "lower class." Wounded by his harsh words, Long Aoyi declared her intention to leave Prince Jun’s Mansion immediately and divorce him, stating her disdain for the endless petty conflicts and formalities of court life.
Meanwhile, Pang Shizhong advised the Emperor that Empress Dugu’s coffin, having been in the forbidden inner hall for three years, should be moved. He expressed concern that the palace’s strong vital energy might disturb her peace. While initially reluctant to part with his late Empress, the Emperor eventually agreed to Pang Shizhong’s suggestion that they choose an auspicious burial site nearby, such as Qinglong Temple’s back mountain, allowing him to visit frequently. He then ordered the Astronomical Bureau to select a propitious day for the relocation and arrange for prayers.
