Resumo do episódio 18 de Eternal Love of the Fox
> Resumos de Eternal Love of the Fox
Prince Fuying privately instructed Gongsun Hao to assassinate Huo Xiangjiu, making it clear that the safety of Gongsun Hao's own father was dependent on the task. Caught in an agonizing dilemma, Gongsun Hao felt Prince Fuying was forcing him to stain his hands with blood, a burden his weak nature resisted.
He contemplated begging Prince Fuying to assign someone else, yet the paramount importance of his parents’ well-being left him no choice but to devise a plan to execute the order. Meanwhile, Prince Fuying had ordered his maid, Yuan Xiang, to closely monitor Song Lian. However, Princess Ningshuang had preemptively instructed her own attendants to bar Yuan Xiang from eavesdropping. Princess Ningshuang’s clever maids successfully kept Yuan Xiang away from the princess’s room, despite Yuan Xiang’s persistent pleas.
Thwarted, Yuan Xiang secretly went to the back door, where Feng Mochen and Mao Jin were also present in Ningshuang Palace. Observing Yuan Xiang's relentless meddling, Feng Mochen subtly employed a "ghost wall" trick. Yuan Xiang, desperately needing to use the latrine, found herself trapped in an endless loop, repeatedly emerging from one latrine only to find herself in another, always returning to her starting point, much to her bewildered frustration.
Mao Jin remarked that Feng Mochen was teaching Yuan Xiang a much-needed lesson. As Feng Mochen watched Yuan Xiang’s futile attempts to escape, Mao Jin reminded him that his own tribulation was approaching, with its cycle soon shortening to a mere 15 days, rapidly nearing a daily tribulation. Mao Jin urged Feng Mochen to ascend to immortality. Feng Mochen then inquired about Mao Jin's impending first tribulation in 1,000 years, due in about ten days.
Mao Jin admitted his fear but vowed not to disgrace Lord Howling Celestial Dog, who had endured similar trials. Feng Mochen offered to dissolve Mao Jin's tribulation if the pain became unbearable, but Mao Jin refused, unwilling to let his millennium of cultivation dissipate. Mao Jin then pressed Feng Mochen about his own ascent, noting his ferryman, Huo Xiangjiu, was right before him, and asking if their few lifetimes together weren't enough.
Feng Mochen asserted his own plans and playfully compared their long companionship. He tested Mao Jin by asking him to choose between himself and Le Ning, and then between himself and Huo Xiangjiu, to which Mao Jin unhesitatingly chose Huo Xiangjiu, much to Feng Mochen's feigned dismay.
Ultimately, Feng Mochen instructed Mao Jin to stay close to Huo Xiangjiu during her tribulation the following day to ensure her safety, a task Mao Jin readily promised to fulfill, vowing to protect "Master's precious one." Inside Princess Ningshuang's room, Huo Xiangjiu was already waiting. Song Lian greeted her, expressing relief that she was safe. Huo Xiangjiu inquired if Prince Fuying was connected to her father's disappearance.
Song Lian wasn't certain but recalled hearing Prince Fuying and Gongsun Hao mention Huo Xiangjiu's father, suggesting his entry into the palace was related to them. Huo Xiangjiu explained that her father, serving as the registrar in Bronze County, had repeatedly attempted to apprehend Young Master Gao for abducting women and acting like a tyrant. However, the county magistrate always ordered his release.
This prompted her father to go to the palace to file an accusation, and it was during that visit that he vanished. Song Lian clarified that Prince Fuying and Gongsun Hao seemed only concerned with stopping Huo Xiangjiu's investigation, and appeared unaware of the actual disappearance. Princess Ningshuang speculated that Prince Fuying was the more suspicious one, given his greater freedom of movement within the palace compared to Gongsun Hao, an outside official.
Princess Ningshuang found Song Lian to be a refined and sensible woman and couldn't understand why she would be involved with a rogue like Prince Fuying. Song Lian then revealed the shameful acts Prince Fuying had committed against her, leading both Princess Ningshuang and Huo Xiangjiu to sympathize deeply with her. Princess Ningshuang declared that only a beast would protect a man who abused women, clearly condemning Prince Fuying. She then asked why Song Lian married him.
Song Lian explained that she had once rescued His Majesty from a riverbank, and it was through His Majesty that she met her beloved. However, her father and brother later confined her, and to prevent news of his disgraceful actions from reaching His Majesty, Prince Fuying agreed to marry her. Soon after, Song Lian discovered she was pregnant.
She expressed her current regret, stating she didn't want her child to be born into such an environment or to have a father like Prince Fuying. She now desperately wished to escape, not just for herself but for her unborn child. She revealed that her true beloved was Gongsun Hao, who had recently sought Princess Ningshuang's help to protect Song Lian from Prince Fuying.
Princess Ningshuang, seeing Song Lian's plight, supported her decision to leave and suggested they pursue a divorce, emphasizing that a blameless person should leave openly and honorably, not in hiding. Song Lian, however, was concerned that Yuan Xiang, Prince Fuying's personal maid, was constantly monitoring her every move. Princess Ningshuang reassured her that she would handle Yuan Xiang. After much struggle, Yuan Xiang finally managed to escape the "ghost wall" illusion.
Huo Xiangjiu, having anticipated her path, was waiting and gave Yuan Xiang a luminous pearl hairpin. Yuan Xiang, a mere maid who had never seen such a magnificent luminous pearl, was ecstatic and immediately put it on. When Song Lian returned, she informed Prince Fuying that Princess Ningshuang had subjected her to menial tasks as a form of humiliation, and she had not seen Yuan Xiang after Princess Ningshuang's anger subsided.
Yuan Xiang arrived much later, and Prince Fuying questioned her activities at Ningshuang Palace. Yuan Xiang truthfully reported that she was delayed in the latrine. However, Prince Fuying noticed the luminous pearl hairpin conspicuously placed on her head, realizing it was not the one she wore earlier. Yuan Xiang explained that she had encountered Huo Xiangjiu, who had given it to her as a greeting gift for the Princess Consort.
Infuriated by this obvious sign that Yuan Xiang had accepted favors from others, Prince Fuying angrily commanded her to swallow the luminous pearl. Having been forced to consume the luminous pearl, Yuan Xiang appeared before Song Lian with blood at the corners of her mouth, yet remarkably unrepentant. Song Lian, seeing her distress and recognizing her unyielding greed, gave her several pieces of her own jewelry.
She advised Yuan Xiang to offer these as a return gift to the Fucang Palace, suggesting that the Fucang Palace, known for its valuable treasures and generous master, would surely send an even more precious gift in return, especially since they valued dignity. Yuan Xiang, still lamenting the loss of her luminous pearl, was thrilled at the prospect of receiving a more extravagant gift. She eagerly took many items from Song Lian and set off for the Fucang Palace.
Feng Mochen, fully prepared, reclined alluringly on a daybed, his toned physique on display, as he leisurely drank from a glowing jade pot. Yuan Xiang, utterly unaccustomed to such a sight, trembled with excitement as Feng Mochen gazed at her with sleepy, inviting eyes.
She presented the jewelry she had brought from Song Lian as a return gift to him, acknowledging it was far less valuable than the luminous pearl hairpin given by Huo Xiangjiu, but merely a token of her gratitude and respect. Feng Mochen, pleased with her display of etiquette, praised her understanding of propriety. He then produced an even larger luminous pearl, asking if she liked it. Overjoyed, Yuan Xiang eagerly accepted.
This colossal luminous pearl, larger than half of Yuan Xiang's head, was unlike any treasure she had ever seen. Tears welled up in her eyes from sheer excitement, and she scrambled to Feng Mochen's side, eagerly allowing him to adorn her with the precious hairpin. Feng Mochen declared it "a precious hairpin for a beautiful lady," despite Huo Xiangjiu's disgusted remarks from her hidden vantage point about his theatrics and Yuan Xiang's appearance.
Feng Mochen lavished Yuan Xiang with compliments, praising her intelligence, her fair skin, her bright eyes and white teeth, and her graceful demeanor, making Yuan Xiang feel as though she were floating on clouds. When Feng Mochen feigned regret that the Fucang Palace lacked such a beautiful maid, Yuan Xiang immediately pledged her loyalty, offering to stay and serve him.
Seeing that Yuan Xiang had taken the bait, Feng Mochen revealed his "quirk": he desired her undivided service and disliked the lingering presence of former masters, comparing them to ex-lovers who were "better dead than alive." He clarified that he didn't wish her to harm Song Lian, but rather to find a way to drive her out of the palace, ensuring Yuan Xiang would not be tempted to reminisce about her old master.
He promised that once Song Lian was gone, he would transfer Yuan Xiang to the Fucang Palace. Yuan Xiang, accustomed to Prince Fuying's ruthless methods, readily agreed, even suggesting that killing Song Lian would be a quicker solution. Feng Mochen, however, quickly forbade such an act, stating he didn't want her fair hands stained with blood. He assured her he would reveal the next steps when the time was right, sending Yuan Xiang away with a renewed sense of purpose.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Huo Xiangjiu observed Feng Mochen's overly charming and alluring "seduction" of Yuan Xiang. Her heart simmered with jealousy, feeling as though it had been steeped in a vat of vinegar. Despite having orchestrated this "beauty trap" herself, she could only glare and silently caution him against "overacting."
She later confronted him, sarcastically questioning if his exaggerated performance was truly necessary, accusing him of being a "soul-snatching envoy," particularly annoyed by his act of personally adorning Yuan Xiang with the hairpin and praising her appearance. When Feng Mochen challenged her to teach him how to properly seduce, she retorted that she had no experience, never having seduced anyone herself.
