Resumo do episódio 2 de Ashes to Crown
> Resumos de Ashes to Crown
Determined to alter her tragic destiny, Chu Zhao wandered the bustling streets of the Capital, her mind consumed by the impending disaster. She calculated that in her previous life, the Anping Rebellion had broken out on her wedding day, twenty-five days from now. If she could somehow stop the grand ceremony, the tragic deaths of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, Xiao Zhu, might be prevented, and the devastating rebellion could be averted entirely.
As she pondered her next move, Chu Zhao spotted Fu Jiu among the crowd. Knowing his true identity as Xie Yanlai, she approached him and asked why he had not yet returned to Yunzhong Prefecture. Fu Jiu explained that he was acting under General Chu Ling’s orders to escort her bridal dowry and would depart only after the wedding. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Zhao pleaded with him to take her away immediately.
However, Fu Jiu strictly adhered to his military duty, stating he only obeyed her father's commands. Sensing the watchful eyes of Xiao Xun’s spies stationed all around them, Chu Zhao realized that any reckless attempt to flee would only arouse suspicion. When Fu Jiu asked if she was in trouble, she quietly deflected his concern, and he informed her that he was staying at the local guesthouse if she ever needed him.
Returning to her residence, Chu Zhao was questioned by her maid, A'Le, who could not comprehend why she wanted to call off the wedding with the seemingly devoted Xiao Xun. Chu Zhao, however, remained resolute, knowing she had to find a way to escape the Capital and prevent the impending slaughter of her family. At the Prime Minister's residence, Xie Yanfang received word that his younger brother, Xie Yanlai, had infiltrated the Capital under the alias of Fu Jiu.
Xie Yanfang’s subordinate dismissed General Chu Ling as a mere frontier commander compared to their prestigious Gaoyang Xie clan, earning a sharp rebuke from Xie Yanfang for speaking so carelessly. Xie Yanfang explained that his own retreat to Gaoyang five years ago on the pretext of illness was a calculated move to soothe the Emperor's suspicions while biding his time. Knowing his brother had spent too much time away, Xie Yanfang resolved to tame him upon his return.
Intrigued by the brewing political storm, he decided to attend Xiao Xun's upcoming wedding to witness the events unfold. Meanwhile, Xiao Xun was kept well-informed of Xie Yanfang's movements. He recognized that Xie Yanfang was merely waiting nearby, hoping to exploit the rivalry between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to seize power for himself. Xiao Xun's thoughts then drifted back to Chu Zhao’s sudden coldness toward him.
Suspecting that someone had leaked his secrets to her, he decided he could no longer afford to wait. He ordered his trusted lieutenant, Tie Ying, to execute their plan the very next day, using the Third Prince to assassinate the Crown Prince and then staging a counter-coup to paint himself as the savior of the empire. The conflict erupted exactly as it had in the past, but much sooner than expected.
Chu Zhao found herself confined to her courtyard under the guise of protection, with guards strictly forbidding her from leaving. A'Le rushed in with the news that the Third Prince had rebelled and assassinated the Crown Prince. Realizing the timeline had shifted, Chu Zhao quickly composed herself.
She ordered A'Le to slip away to the guesthouse to fetch Fu Jiu, while she set off to rescue the young imperial grandson, Xiao Yu, before her uncle, Chu Lan, could carry out Xiao Xun's orders to poison him. Chu Zhao intercepted her uncle Chu Lan on his way to murder the young prince and knocked him unconscious from behind. This confirmed her deepest fears: Chu Lan had indeed been bought off by Xiao Xun.
With the Crown Prince dead and the imperial grandson targeted, Chu Zhao realized that Xiao Xun was the true mastermind behind the entire Anping Rebellion. At the same time, Xiao Xun sent death-sworn assassins to slaughter everyone in the Eastern Palace. However, upon inspecting the bodies, Xiao Xun realized that the child they had killed was a decoy, and he immediately ordered a city-wide manhunt for the real imperial grandson.
Chu Zhao located Xiao Yu hiding inside the ancestral temple, fiercely guarded by Grand Attendant Qi. Though the eunuch was initially suspicious of Chu Zhao due to her betrothal to Xiao Xun, she convinced him of her family’s unwavering loyalty to the crown. Pointing out that staying in the temple meant certain death, Chu Zhao urged them to flee with her toward Yunzhong Prefecture to seek her father's protection.
As they fled, they were cornered by Tie Ying and his guards. Chu Zhao attempted to stall by claiming she was merely trying to find Xiao Xun amidst the chaos, but Tie Ying demanded she hand over the imperial grandson immediately. Just as danger escalated, Fu Jiu arrived, having been alerted by A'Le. He swiftly dispatched the attackers.
Adhering strictly to his orders, Fu Jiu insisted on taking only Chu Zhao back to Yunzhong Prefecture, refusing to protect the young prince. To force his hand, Chu Zhao held a blade to her own throat, declaring that she would die if the imperial grandson was abandoned. Faced with the threat of failing his military command, Fu Jiu reluctantly turned back to save the boy.
Heavily outnumbered by the advancing rebel forces, Fu Jiu decided to mobilize the Longwei Army using the Flame Decree, a secret force entrusted to him by General Chu Ling before he entered the Capital. As the formidable reinforcements arrived, Chu Zhao realized the depth of her father's secret power. Armed with this new advantage, she insisted on returning to the imperial palace to stop Xiao Xun from seizing the throne.
Fu Jiu ordered his soldiers to hold the palace gates to the death, allowing Chu Zhao and Xiao Yu to press forward. Meanwhile, Xie Yanfang, disgusted by Xiao Xun’s ruthless massacre of the Eastern Palace, rallied his private army, along with Du Qi, to march on the Capital, determined to prevent Xiao Xun from claiming the throne.
At the inner palace gates, the imperial guard commander, Deng Yi, who had already been bribed by Xiao Xun, blocked Chu Zhao and the young prince from entering. Recognizing him, Chu Zhao reminded Deng Yi of his future role as a historian. She warned him that a tyrant like Xiao Xun would never allow an accomplice to live and record his treacherous deeds. Instead, she urged him to align with the legitimate heir, securing his legacy as a founding minister.
Swayed by her reasoning, Deng Yi escorted them into the imperial chamber. Inside, the Emperor, who had already consumed poison and knew he would not survive the night, had prepared a decree to yield the throne to Xiao Xun, believing the young imperial grandson was too weak to rule. He even intended to execute Chu Zhao to eliminate the potential threat of her father’s two-hundred-thousand-strong border army. Fu Jiu drew his sword to protect her, defying the Emperor’s guards.
Chu Zhao quickly intervened to prevent bloodshed. She knelt before the Emperor and proposed a compromise: if she were named the Grand Princess of the State, her father, General Chu Ling—who was already the Emperor's sworn brother—would become imperial kin rather than a threatening subject. This alliance would secure the loyalty of both the border troops and the Longwei Army to protect the young heir.
To ease the Emperor's remaining doubts, Chu Zhao swore a solemn oath to never marry, never bear children, and never allow her power to be passed down, promising to devote her life entirely to defending the realm. Deeply moved, the dying Emperor accepted her terms. Xiao Xun eventually entered the palace, fully expecting to receive the decree of succession.
To his utter shock, the imperial decree declared that the rebellious Third Prince, Xiao Zhu, had been stripped of his titles, while praising Xiao Xun only for his defense of the capital. The throne was passed to the imperial grandson, Xiao Yu, and Chu Zhao was appointed as the Grand Princess of the State, officially dissolving her betrothal to Xiao Xun. Xiao Xun was forced to suppress his fury and accept the decree. Outside, Xie Yanfang arrived with his troops, witnessing the total collapse of his rival's grand ambitions.
