Resumo do episódio 21 de Eternal Love of the Fox
> Resumos de Eternal Love of the Fox
Feng Mochen confronted Gongsun Hao to settle a past grievance where Gongsun Hao had tried to harm Xiangjiu. Feng Mochen kicked Gongsun Hao to the ground. Gongsun Hao knelt and pleaded for forgiveness, acknowledging his foolishness and admitting he was led astray by Prince Fuying. He revealed that Prince Fuying's schemes were often carried out by a trusted aide named Gao Wei. Feng Mochen warned Gongsun Hao that if Xiangjiu were ever harmed again, he would destroy him completely.
Gongsun Hao then asked Feng Mochen if he could truly help Song Lian escape her suffering. Feng Mochen promised that Xiangjiu's pledge was his own, clarifying that Xiangjiu's help was for Song Lian and had nothing to do with Gongsun Hao. Meanwhile, Yuan Xiang, a palace servant, was in a panic after hearing that Princess Consort Song Lian was pregnant, fearing she would no longer be able to leave the Eastern Palace for Fucang Palace.
Xiangjiu, through Mao Jin, delivered a package of powder to Yuan Xiang, instructing her to find an opportunity to put its contents into Song Lian's tea. Mao Jin also implied that this was Feng Mochen's way of helping Yuan Xiang after her previous mistreatment of Song Lian and the potential consequences of Song Lian giving birth.
Prince Fuying, now aware of Song Lian's pregnancy, began to show a rare moment of restraint, urging her to take care of herself for the sake of their child. However, Song Lian, feeling trapped and miserable, retorted that her life would have been happy with her beloved if not for him. Angered by her defiance, Prince Fuying began to choke her. At that critical moment, the Emperor arrived.
Song Lian, seizing the opportunity, dramatically claimed that Prince Fuying was forcing her to drink the stabilizing ginseng soup, and when she refused, he beat her. She then deliberately spilled the soup, which immediately began bubbling, revealing a toxic reaction that suggested it was poisoned. Prince Fuying tried to deflect blame onto Yuan Xiang, who fearfully denied any involvement.
The Emperor, furious at his son's cruelty and alleged attempt to harm his own unborn child, had Prince Fuying confined to the Cold Palace to reflect on his actions, explicitly forbidding him from returning to the Eastern Palace without his permission. Alone with the Emperor, Song Lian reiterated her desire for a divorce. The Emperor initially resisted, citing the shame of a divorce and now the presence of an heir.
Song Lian challenged his hypocrisy, pointing out that he had castrated her brother, Song Yicheng, for merely harassing Princess Ningshuang, a punishment he vowed would have been much worse if Ningshuang had been defiled. Yet, when his own son raped her, he forced her into marriage.
She argued that her virtues had become the "source of her misfortune" and demanded her freedom, stating she would leave the palace openly and righteously the next day, challenging him to stop her if he believed he was in the right. Later, Yuan Xiang, fearing for her own life after the poisoned tea incident, sought help from Feng Mochen.
Feng Mochen questioned her on two matters: the disappearance of Xiangjiu's father, and the theft of datura from Ningshuang Palace, linking the latter to Song Lian's past miscarriage, as datura can induce miscarriage and its disappearance from Ningshuang Palace (the only place it's grown) coincided with the timing. Yuan Xiang denied any knowledge of the father's whereabouts, claiming Prince Fuying suspected Lord Gongsun, and feigned ignorance about datura.
Feng Mochen, however, revealed to Xiangjiu that he was merely testing Yuan Xiang, implying he didn't necessarily believe her or disbelieve her completely. Yuan Xiang then awkwardly offered herself to Feng Mochen, but he instead sent her off with Mao Jin to bathe a dog named Xiaofu. Separately, Le Ning expressed her fear of Feng Mochen and Mao Jin after learning they were demons.
Princess Ningshuang and Xiangjiu tried to reassure her, explaining that not all demons are harmful and some humans are far more terrifying. Ningshuang humorously tried to set up Le Ning with Mao Jin, but Le Ning confessed her affection for Attendant Bai Yu instead. Reflecting on her own relationship with Feng Mochen, Xiangjiu felt his sudden coldness, which Feng Mochen explained was his usual demeanor.
However, in an earlier conversation with Bai Yu, Feng Mochen had admitted to deliberately distancing himself from Xiangjiu to spare her the pain of his impending disappearance due to a shortened life cycle, despite her unwavering kindness. The next day, as Song Lian, Xiangjiu, and Princess Ningshuang attempted to leave the palace in Ningshuang's palanquin, they were stopped by guards who demanded the Emperor's token.
Princess Ningshuang was ready to force her way out, but the Emperor, after a conversation with Feng Mochen where Feng Mochen reminded him of his past righteousness, decided to let Song Lian go. He sent a message to Song Lian through his chief steward, conveying simply, "May the rest of your life be well." Outside the palace, Song Lian was reunited with Gongsun Hao, who expressed gratitude to Xiangjiu for her help and vowed not to repeat past mistakes.
However, their joy was short-lived when Gongsun Hao's father, Lord Gongsun Weigui, appeared. Enraged that his son was abandoning a promising marriage to Princess Ningshuang and their family's hard-won status, Lord Gongsun confronted them. He recounted how their family had risen from humble beginnings to their current position and accused Song Lian of seducing his son.
He then chillingly revealed that he was the one who drugged Prince Fuying, orchestrating Song Lian's rape to sever her ties with Gongsun Hao and prevent their union, also revealing that Song Lian's brother had brought Prince Fuying to her door. Upon hearing his father's confession, Gongsun Hao, wounded and despairing, unexpectedly plunged a dagger into his own abdomen. As he lay bleeding, Le Ning rushed to get a doctor.
Song Lian, distressed by the situation and unwilling to further implicate Gongsun Hao, decided to return to the palace. Observing these events, Feng Mochen remarked on the strangeness of Song Lian always ending up back in the palace, suggesting that someone was manipulating events to keep her there. Shortly after, Mao Jin, after a thorough search of the Eastern Palace garden at Feng Mochen's instruction, discovered a withered datura plant.
They determined it was not a transplanted mature flower but had grown naturally from a dropped seed, indicating accidental planting and lack of care. Mao Jin then sensed a strange smell beneath the soil and dug, uncovering clothes belonging to Xiangjiu's father. Feng Mochen then smelled another scent on the clothes, identifying it as Gongsun Hao's. Later that night, Gongsun Hao, injured but with a sinister grin, confronted his father, Gongsun Weigui.
He revealed his true ambition: the child Song Lian was carrying was his, not Prince Fuying's. He meticulously detailed his plan to exploit the situation, ensuring his child, a supposed royal heir, would eventually ascend the position of City Lord, thus elevating the Gongsun family to ultimate power in his generation.
He proudly stated that his planned "failed suicide attempt" and his father's anticipated "self-sacrifice" (implied through the father's actions and Gongsun Hao's manipulation) would ensure Song Lian, out of guilt, would raise their child to become the City Lord. He declared that he had learned the lesson of ruthlessness, "each generation must be more ruthless than the last," perfectly, having been taught by his father.
