Resumo do episódio 7 de Ashes to Crown
> Resumos de Ashes to Crown
Xie Yanlai returned to the Xie clan residence, where several clan members grumbled about having to wait for him. Resentful of his sudden rise to power as the newly appointed Imperial Guard Commander, they mocked his background as the son of a courtesan. Xie Yanlai quickly silenced them with his blade and aggressive demeanor. Fearing he might use his new authority to avenge childhood grievances, the relatives backed down.
A servant then arrived to lead Xie Yanlai to a separate courtyard that Xie Yanfang had prepared for him. Meanwhile, Chu Zhao was plagued by nightmares of her father, Chu Cen, covered in blood. Worried about his true condition in Yunzhong Prefecture, she felt she must have missed some crucial detail, as her father had not fallen ill this early in her past life.
To ease her worries, Le performed a divination, interpreting a crack in the oracle bone pointing east as a sign of turning misfortune into fortune. Determined to see her father and resolve her regrets, Chu Zhao decided to sneak back to Yunzhong Prefecture. She sent Le to deliver a letter to Chu Tang and summon Xie Yanlai to the palace. When Xie Yanlai arrived, Chu Zhao revealed her plan to leave the capital under the guise of falling gravely ill.
Taking a Taoist prescription to mimic a high fever, she intended to have the young Emperor, Xiao Yu, forbid any visitors. This move would also appease the court officials who were critical of her regency. Xie Yanlai warned her of the extreme danger, noting that both Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang would be highly suspicious, and that Xiao Xun would never let her reach the border alive.
However, Chu Zhao insisted she could not live with the regret of not knowing her father's condition, prompting Xie Yanlai to agree to help her. Xie Yanlai escorted Chu Zhao out of the capital. After they had traveled over thirty li, Chu Zhao teased him for being overprotective. Their journey was suddenly interrupted when a frantic brothel madam blocked their carriage, mistaking it for the one her runaway courtesan had used to elope with a scholar.
Xie Yanlai threatened her, demanding to know who sent her, but Chu Zhao realized the woman was telling the truth and urged him to let her go. Before parting ways, Chu Zhao entrusted Xie Yanlai with the Grand Princess Token, asking him to guard Xiao Yu and watch over the capital in her absence. Two days later, Xiao Xun received word of Chu Zhao's sudden illness.
Connecting it to the reports of Chu Cen's failing health in Yunzhong Prefecture, he deduced that she was secretly heading home. Knowing she would have to pass through Wuyang Town, Xiao Xun ordered Tie Ying to ambush her there. Anticipating Xiao Xun's move, Chu Zhao left her carriage ten li outside of Wuyang Town, instructing her driver to continue along the northwest road to draw attention away. Walking into the town, she observed Tie Ying's guards thoroughly searching travelers.
Back in the capital, Deng Yi attempted to force his way into Chu Zhao's chambers under the guise of royal duty, but Xie Yanlai drew his sword and blocked him. Xie Yanfang arrived shortly after, warning Xie Yanlai that Xiao Xun had already dispatched Tie Ying to Wuyang Town. He added that even if Chu Zhao somehow survived the ambush, the road ahead was plagued by lethal bandits, leaving her with little chance of reaching the border alive.
In Wuyang Town, Tie Ying divided his forces into three paths after finding conflicting clues, including a discarded cloth embroidered with Chu Zhao's name. Seizing an opportunity, Chu Zhao paid the brothel madam a hefty sum of silver to help her slip into the Beicao Post House. There, they encountered dispatch riders from the Wangcheng Camp. Pretending to be a poor girl named Fu, Chu Zhao claimed her father was Yang Dachun from the Saishang Outpost in Daqing Mountain Camp.
Thanks to her familiar knowledge of the military camp and the madam’s convincing performance as her dying mother, the soldiers agreed to let Chu Zhao travel with them. Before they set off, Chu Zhao also mentioned to the madam that she had discovered a secret about these dispatch riders. Desperate to protect Chu Zhao, Xie Yanlai approached Xie Yanfang for help leaving the capital.
Xie Yanfang agreed to assist on the condition that Xie Yanlai temporarily hand over the Grand Princess Token, and Xie Yanlai promised to owe him a major favor in return. The next day, Xie Yanlai staged a confrontation in the Imperial Study, catching Xiao Yu playing with crickets instead of studying. During the scuffle, Xie Yanlai pushed the Emperor, resulting in his immediate suspension for disrespect.
In court, Xie Yanfang feigned a defense for his brother, prompting Deng Yi to eagerly step in and demand control over the Imperial Guards. Deng Yi later realized he had been manipulated by Xie Yanfang to facilitate Xie Yanlai's departure. Meanwhile, Xie Yanfang's associate reported that Xie Yanlai had left the city riding the Wu Zhui horse, which Xie Yanfang had intentionally sabotaged. Xie Yanfang mused that Xie Yanlai's growing affection for Chu Zhao made him difficult to control.
Comparing his brother to a wolf cub, Xie Yanfang believed that letting him think he had broken free of his collar would only make the gold thread bind him tighter, exposing his ultimate weakness. He finally acknowledged Chu Zhao's cleverness in capturing his brother's heart.
