Resumo do episódio 11 de Eternal Love of the Fox
> Resumos de Eternal Love of the Fox
Bai Yu was summoned to Ningshuang Palace to assess its geomancy, but despite extensive searching with his compass, he found no anomalies. Meanwhile, reports reached the Old Madam that Princess Ningshuang had once again fallen ill, diagnosed as heatstroke, after attempting to visit her. Overcome with tears, the Old Madam resigned herself to foregoing seeing her daughter, believing Ningshuang's health and happiness were paramount, even if it meant a lifetime apart.
Soon after, Ningshuang Palace received a solemn decree from the Old Madam, explicitly forbidding Princess Ningshuang from approaching Kunning Palace. Any transgression would be treated as an act of assassination. Princess Ningshuang was devastated by her mother's decree. Although aware of her childhood abandonment, she yearned for a reunion, only to face continuous rejection. Huo Xiangjiu attempted to explain that the situation was not as Ningshuang perceived, but Ningshuang, desperate for answers, impulsively stormed into Kunning Palace.
Upon seeing her daughter, the Old Madam frantically waved her away. Mistaking this for another rejection, Ningshuang tearfully clutched her mother's hand, questioning her harshness. With tears welling in her own eyes, the Old Madam longed to explain but feared that Ningshuang's prolonged presence would bring calamity. In despair and confusion, Ningshuang produced a pre-prepared dagger from her sleeve, resolved to end her life if her mother truly wished her gone.
Her mother desperately tried to wrest the dagger away, inadvertently stabbing herself in the chest. Horrified by the sight of blood, Ningshuang watched as her mother, now strangely relieved, held her hand and smiled, affirming that a mother's greatest wish is her child's safety and well-being, even if it costs her own life. Overwhelmed with guilt for nearly killing her mother, Ningshuang found solace only in her nurse, Madam Chen. Elsewhere, Huo Xiangjiu and Feng Mochen had been diligently investigating.
During an earlier search of Ningshuang Palace for clues about the mysterious incidents (including Princess Ningshuang's previous sudden headache and red bathwater), Bai Yu, using his compass, found no evidence of an evil spirit. However, Feng Mochen, also present, sensed a highly cultivated entity that could deceive them. Bai Yu had initially joked that Princess Ningshuang might just be suffering from ordinary heatstroke.
The Old Madam, reflecting on Ningshuang's repeated illnesses and the latest heatstroke incident, had expressed resignation, stating that fate was predetermined and could not be changed. Yet, she still wished for Ningshuang to live a happy life, even if she could never see her again. This conversation occurred before the decree was issued. Huo Xiangjiu vehemently disagreed with the idea of fate, insisting that destiny could be rewritten and that great stories were born from struggles against unhappy destinies.
Feng Mochen surprisingly agreed, stating that destiny could be rewritten, to Bai Yu's bewilderment. Their investigation led them to old palace records detailing Princess Ningshuang's health. After Ningshuang's fourth illness post-birth, the Old Madam, having exhausted other options, had invited a sorcerer named Sorcerer Yu to perform rituals. There were no further records of his activities, but Bai Yu discovered his entry and exit in the palace gate guards' register, showing he stayed for two days.
It was after this visit that the Old Madam had expelled Princess Ningshuang from Kunning Palace. Feng Mochen deduced that Sorcerer Yu must have been the one who told the Old Madam about their supposedly clashing destinies, making him the key to the mystery. Despite Bai Yu's concerns about finding a man from twenty years ago whom they didn't know, Feng Mochen suggested seeking out Chief Steward Sun, who had served His Majesty since childhood and would surely know.
Feng Mochen dispatched Bai Yu and Mao Jin immediately, instructing Mao Jin to invoke Feng Mochen's name if Chief Steward Sun proved difficult. While they were gone, Huo Xiangjiu wanted to join, but Feng Mochen urged her to rest. Bai Yu later returned, confirming that Chief Steward Sun had verified Sorcerer Yu's visit and his pronouncement about the clashing destinies. Chief Steward Sun also mentioned that Sorcerer Yu was recommended by an old nanny.
He had even received a talisman of protection from Sorcerer Yu, which he had worn for years. Feng Mochen identified a second scent on the talisman, different from Chief Steward Sun's, indicating another person's involvement. Bai Yu confidently asserted he could track the sorcerer down using this scent. With the evidence in hand, Huo Xiangjiu and Feng Mochen confronted Ningshuang and her nurse, Madam Chen. Huo Xiangjiu introduced Sorcerer Yu as the "accomplice" responsible for the mother-daughter separation.
Sorcerer Yu, kneeling, confessed that Ningshuang's mother had not abandoned her due to an inauspicious birth omen. Instead, Ningshuang's frequent illnesses after birth had prompted her mother to seek his magical rites. He admitted to telling the Old Madam that she and Ningshuang were fated to clash, and that her proximity would bring continuous misfortunes and endanger Ningshuang's life. He desperately begged for mercy.
Huo Xiangjiu declared that while Sorcerer Yu was culpable, the true orchestrator, Madam Chen, was even more so. Madam Chen vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but Huo Xiangjiu presented palace records confirming that Madam Chen, then a senior maid, had recommended her own cousin, Sorcerer Yu, a known good-for-nothing, to perform the rituals. It was Madam Chen who instructed her cousin to fabricate the story of clashing destinies.
Feng Mochen then presented medicinal herbs found in Madam Chen's room, which imperial physicians confirmed could cause symptoms identical to Ningshuang's sudden illnesses. Huo Xiangjiu then produced a bottle of red liquid, explaining it was used to turn Ningshuang's bathwater bloody, a deception only Madam Chen could have carried out.
When Madam Chen continued to deny the accusations and claimed Sorcerer Yu was framing her due to gambling debts, Feng Mochen revealed a letter written by Madam Chen to her cousin. In the letter, Madam Chen, who had been childless while serving the Old Madam for years, explicitly detailed her plan to "seize the princess" and share in the resulting glory and riches. Caught red-handed, Madam Chen exclaimed that she had told her cousin to burn all the letters.
Feng Mochen calmly presented the letter, confirming Madam Chen's guilt. Madam Chen, in a last desperate attempt, pleaded with Ningshuang, reminding her of their close bond, but Huo Xiangjiu countered that Madam Chen's affection was a "thief's love," while Ningshuang's birth mother's love was true—a love that prioritized the child's well-being above all else, even if it meant hiding in the shadows and being viewed as an evil spirit, echoing the Old Madam's decree.
Ningshuang, now understanding the full extent of the manipulation, sadly told Madam Chen that they were both "accomplices in misery" and must atone. She declared her atonement would be to honor her birth mother for the rest of her life, while Madam Chen's atonement would be to experience her mother's pain for the rest of hers.
Madam Chen desperately begged for forgiveness as guards took her away, reminding Ningshuang of their past tender moments, but Ningshuang stated she had no right to forgive her. After Madam Chen was imprisoned, Ningshuang visited her recovering mother. Her mother, still in pain, initially tried to push Ningshuang away, fearing danger would befall her. But Ningshuang reassured her.
With tears of joy, the Old Madam said it was the first time in twenty years she had been able to look at her daughter so closely, and Ningshuang promised she could do so every day. They shared a peaceful moment, with the Old Madam offering Ningshuang her favorite fruit and Ningshuang lamenting her own lack of knowledge about her mother. The Old Madam reassured her that they had plenty of time.
Playfully, the Old Madam teased Ningshuang about not being as beautiful as her. Ningshuang, boasting of her beauty, wondered why Heaven placed her in the palace, claiming her looks would cause chaos in the common world, to which her mother playfully chided her for men's lack of discernment. When her mother then suggested arranging a marriage, Ningshuang objected, wishing to stay by her mother's side every day, a sentiment her mother happily accepted.
Ningshuang reflected on how parents feel their children's emotions doubly. Huo Xiangjiu, listening to this, expressed sadness over her own mother, whose face she could barely recall. Ningshuang comforted her, saying her mother must have been intelligent, lovely, beautiful, kind, brave, and righteous, as mothers leave their mark on their children, and Ningshuang saw her in Huo Xiangjiu. As Ningshuang had promised, she then acknowledged Feng Mochen as her Mentor.
Huo Xiangjiu reminded Ningshuang of the other promise: the content of the two torn pages from the Ganquan Register. Huo Xiangjiu revealed her urgent need to know, explaining that her father, Huo Zhongren, the Registrar of Bronze County, had mysteriously vanished in the palace two years prior after entering to lodge an imperial complaint. She had confirmed that the missing pages from the register corresponded precisely to the time her father secretly sought an audience with His Majesty.
Ningshuang asked why Huo Xiangjiu believed these pages related to her. Huo Xiangjiu pressed her for the truth. Ningshuang, after a pause, asked Huo Xiangjiu to promise to remain calm, regardless of what she was about to disclose.
