Resumo do episódio 3 de Ashes to Crown
> Resumos de Ashes to Crown
With the passing of the Emperor, the Anping Rebellion finally came to a tense end. Chu Zhao stood in the quiet aftermath, reflecting on how she had successfully dismantled Xiao Xun's path to the throne in this lifetime. Yet, she knew that their deadly game of survival and vengeance was only just beginning. Deng Yi, newly appointed as the Grand Mentor, offered his congratulations to the young princess on securing her desires.
Chu Zhao returned the sentiment, noting that he, too, had obtained the wealth and status he had long coveted. With the former Imperial Guard Commander executed for treason, Deng Yi questioned who would be entrusted with the vital task of safeguarding the palace. Without hesitation, Chu Zhao handed the commander's tally to her loyal retainer, Fu Jiu, urging him not to make her regret this choice.
Meanwhile, on the distant frontier, General Chu Cen received an urgent dispatch from the capital. He was stunned to learn of the Emperor's death and his daughter's sudden elevation to the position of Grand Princess of the State. Though relieved that she was safe for the moment, he worried deeply about the treacherous court dynamics, knowing that the subtle backstabbing of the capital was far more perilous than open warfare on the border.
Before he could dwell on his worries, an enemy raid forced him to rally his troops and ride out. Back in the capital, the day of Xiao Yu's coronation arrived. Terrified by the heavy atmosphere and the icy glare of Xiao Xun, the young boy wept and refused to board the imperial carriage unless Chu Zhao accompanied him. Several ministers protested, claiming that allowing a woman to interfere with the court would bring ruin to the state.
However, Xie Yanlai stepped forward to silence the dissent, reminding the Chamberlain of how Dowager Empress Xie had once ruled behind the curtain. Defeated, the court watched as Chu Zhao walked alongside the young Emperor to receive the kneeling homage of the state. Following the ceremony, Xie Yanfang met with Chu Zhao to offer his gratitude on behalf of the Xie clan for saving Xiao Yu and preserving his throne.
Recognizing their shared interests, Chu Zhao suggested they discard rigid formalities in private, offering to refer to him simply as the Third Young Master. She subtly probed into the nature of the illness that had forced him to retreat to his ancestral home in Gaoyang for so long. Xie Yanfang politely brushed her query aside, attributing it to a lingering chronic ailment.
Chu Zhao did not push further, knowing from her past life that the Third Young Master was a master of disguise. He had feigned weakness to disarm Xiao Xun while quietly amassing a formidable private army outside the capital. Turning to current matters, she asked for his guidance regarding Xiao Xun, who had insolently refused to mourn the late Emperor or pay respects to the new ruler.
Xie Yanfang explained that while they could not strike first without a just cause, he harbored a mortal hatred for Xiao Xun, who had orchestrated the murder of his eldest sister, the former Crown Princess. He vowed to execute Xiao Xun with his own hands one day, a sentiment Chu Zhao realized she could exploit to her own advantage. Shortly after, Xie Yanfang met with his brother, Xie Yanlai.
Commenting on the guard commander's tally, the Third Young Master warned Yanlai that the Grand Princess was far more cunning than she appeared. Yanlai, however, pointed out that Xiao Xun's original target was never Chu Zhao herself, but her father's control of the two hundred thousand frontier troops.
Observing his brother's protective stance, Yanfang compared Chu Zhao to a wild wolf cub raised in the desert, warning Yanlai that she would bite through his neck if he let his guard down. Yanlai calmly retorted that a dangerous wolf was far more interesting than a fawning dog. He then warned his brother not to play with fire before walking away. Left with his thoughts, Xie Yanlai could not help but recall his painful childhood.
He remembered when he had burned down the ancestral hall and was whipped mercilessly by the clan elders. Back then, it was Xie Yanfang who had stepped in to save his life. While everyone else in the Xie family despised him and his mother for her lowly status, Yanfang had treated him like real family. This memory left Yanlai deeply conflicted, unable to truly fathom his brother's current intentions. This encounter did not escape Deng Yi's notice.
The Grand Mentor warned Chu Zhao of the immense danger of giving the imperial guard tally to Xie Yanlai, revealing his true identity as the ninth son of the Xie family. Chu Zhao calmly replied that she had always known who he was, noting that his five years of service under her father had not been without exposure.
To secure Deng Yi's loyalty, she promised him even greater rewards, transferring several lucrative shops in Yongfeng Alley to his name and sending rare treasures to his estate. Knowing Deng Yi's deep filial piety, she had also arranged for fine millet from his hometown to be delivered to his mother, effectively binding the greedy mentor to her will. That night, Chu Zhao visited Xie Yanlai's quarters to personally deliver a velvet cloak.
Still recovering from his injuries, Xie Yanlai tried to reject the gift, claiming he was only comfortable in simple cloth. Chu Zhao countered that simple cloth was far too soft to protect him from the covert daggers of the court, addressing him by his real name.
When he questioned why she believed he would choose her over his own influential clan, she promised to prove that she was far more worthy of his loyalty than Xie Yanfang, leaving the cloak behind as an invitation. On her way back to her chambers, Chu Zhao was haunted by a vision of her past self—the version of her that had been strangled to death.
The apparition mocked her current status, reminding her that she was a Grand Princess in name only, powerless against the entrenched influence of Xiao Xun, Deng Yi, and the Xie family. Chu Zhao fiercely rejected the vision's taunts. She resolved that her goal was not merely a bloody revenge, but the acquisition of true power to ensure that she and her father would survive this lifetime, steering their destinies away from tragedy.
The next morning, Chu Zhao took her place behind the curtain to oversee state affairs, instantly provoking murmurs of discontent from the assembly. Commander Qin spoke out, accusing her of overstepping her bounds and comparing her actions to the controversial rule of Dowager Empress Xie. Chu Zhao quickly silenced his protests by reminding the court of Commander Qin's own recent military failures, which had only been pardoned through her leniency.
When other ministers continued to grumble, Chu Zhao summoned Xie Yanlai, whose cold, imposing presence immediately silenced the room. Xiao Xun's son, the Heir of Xianan, then stepped forward to report that the late Emperor had appeared in his dream, weeping blood and demanding a grand sacrifice at the ancestral temple. The young Emperor innocently chimed in, claiming his grandfather had also visited him, but Chu Zhao quietly instructed the boy to remain silent.
When the Heir asked for her decree, Chu Zhao directed Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang to jointly oversee the preparations for the temple sacrifice, choosing to play along with the obvious trap. After court, Xie Yanfang visited Xiao Yu in his private quarters. Seeking to bond with his nephew, he identified himself as the boy's uncle, but the terrified child ignored him and ran straight to Xie Yanlai's side. The cold rejection left Xie Yanfang deeply embarrassed.
Chu Zhao stepped in, formally introducing the Third Young Master and explaining that the young Emperor was simply overwhelmed by recent losses. Once they were alone, Xie Yanlai accused Chu Zhao of intentionally showing him favor in front of his suspicious brother to force him to take her side. He warned her that Xiao Xun's sudden demand for a temple sacrifice was undoubtedly a setup. Chu Zhao agreed, but maintained her composure, stating that panic would change nothing and that it was better to wait and see how their adversary intended to play his hand.
