Resumo do episódio 23 de Eternal Love of the Fox
> Resumos de Eternal Love of the Fox
Bai Yu, having previously confronted Gongsun Hao and recognized his own inferiority, ventured into Feng Mochen’s illusion realm. He urged Feng Mochen to swiftly depart with Huo Xiangjiu, reminding him that Huo Xiangjiu was his designated ferryman, and failure to ascend would result in endless torment. However, observing Huo Xiangjiu’s distress, Feng Mochen decided it was not the moment to flee. He asserted his determination to eliminate Gongsun Hao, who he deemed a menace.
Bai Yu cautioned Feng Mochen about Gongsun Hao's formidable power, which surpassed even his own father's, and the existing warrant for Huo Xiangjiu's arrest, but Feng Mochen remained resolute, believing the outcome of a struggle was unknown until attempted. Simultaneously, Bai Yu met with Gongsun Hao, relaying information about Feng Mochen’s impending tribulation, a time when Feng Mochen would be at his weakest.
Skeptical of Bai Yu's intentions, Gongsun Hao demanded Feng Mochen's barrier incantation as a token of allegiance, which Bai Yu provided, hoping it would safeguard Huo Xiangjiu. Meanwhile, Mao Jin discovered that Le Ning was his fated ferryman. He had long pondered when he would encounter the person destined to help him ascend to immortality, and their serendipitous meeting filled him with joy, as his own first tribulation was fast approaching.
Le Ning, after Mao Jin revealed Feng Mochen's imminent and painful tribulation, initially agreed to ferry Feng Mochen. However, Feng Mochen interrupted, insisting that Mao Jin should prioritize his own ascent. Feng Mochen explained that his own ability to concentrate would be hindered by having more people he cared about remaining in the mortal realm.
He then delivered his final command as Mao Jin’s master, expressing gratitude for centuries of loyal companionship and urging Mao Jin to fulfill his dream of guarding the South Heavenly Gate. Before his rescue attempt, Feng Mochen also visited the City Lord, a sagacious ruler who had preemptively drafted an abdication edict due to the escalating power of Prince Fuying and Gongsun Hao. The City Lord confirmed his intention to publicly disavow the edict when it was proclaimed.
Recognizing Feng Mochen’s monumental task, the City Lord encouraged him to proceed, assuring him that if Feng Mochen could purge the court of evil influences, he would reclaim his throne. The City Lord also expressed his deep appreciation for Feng Mochen's unwavering support through countless hardships. As Feng Mochen ventured to rescue Huo Xiangjiu, Gongsun Hao sprung his trap. Using the barrier incantation he had obtained, Gongsun Hao infiltrated Feng Mochen's illusion realm and abducted Huo Xiangjiu.
When Feng Mochen confronted him, Gongsun Hao, using Huo Xiangjiu as a hostage, cruelly forced Feng Mochen to crawl into a formidable black iron cage—a place Feng Mochen had once feared. To spare Huo Xiangjiu from further harm, Feng Mochen endured the humiliation, entering the cage. With Le Ning's assistance, Mao Jin successfully completed his ascension. As they parted ways, both were overcome with emotion, their eyes welling with tears.
At the morning court, Prince Fuying, encouraged by Gongsun Hao, attempted to compel the City Lord to publicly read the abdication edict. To legitimize his takeover, Gongsun Hao presented Feng Mochen in the black iron cage, falsely claiming he had captured a Nine-Tailed Fox demon destined to undergo its tribulation that very day. When the covering was removed, the ministers were bewildered to see Lord Feng confined within.
Gongsun Hao then expounded on the nature of tribulations, describing them as Heaven's punishment for demons who cultivate human emotions and defy the natural order, enduring relentless lightning strikes and scorching flames. He asserted that this particular Nine-Tailed Fox's tribulation cycle had become a daily ordeal, a rare event occurring only "once in a thousand years." As thunder boomed overhead, Feng Mochen in the cage writhed in excruciating pain with each strike, appearing as if pierced by a thousand arrows.
The startled ministers, recognizing their Lord but intimidated by Gongsun Hao's authority, dared not speak out. Huo Xiangjiu, witnessing Feng Mochen's agony, finally understood that his suffering was due to his emotional attachment to the mortal world, and that he had silently borne immense burdens to protect her. Gongsun Hao, enjoying his cruel spectacle, ordered Feng Mochen's cage to be hoisted atop the city gate, ensuring the daily torment was visible to all.
As he mockingly placed his hand on the cage, gloating over Feng Mochen’s lightning-scarred body, Bai Yu seized the opportune moment. Working as part of a secret plan with Feng Mochen to "set things right," Bai Yu performed a powerful soul-exchange technique, swapping Feng Mochen's and Gongsun Hao's physical bodies and spirits. Now trapped in the cage, the real Gongsun Hao, in Feng Mochen's body, furiously condemned Bai Yu's perceived betrayal.
Bai Yu retorted that he chose to live differently from his father, refusing to be defined by his past. Now inhabiting Gongsun Hao's body, Feng Mochen dramatically announced his presence to the bewildered court. He confiscated the edict Prince Fuying intended to use for abdication, and instead proclaimed an "Edict to Depose the Prince."
The edict condemned Prince Fuying as a man of hidden cruelty, unfilial to his gravely ill father, abusive towards his wife (the late Princess Consort Song Lian), and guilty of treasonous plotting. It declared him unfit for leadership and, out of a merciful consideration for their father-son bond, sentenced him to end his own life. As Prince Fuying was apprehended, he desperately tried to blame Gongsun Hao (now in the cage).
The City Lord, having observed the unfolding events and finally seeing the truth, gravely reminded his son of his earlier advice on knowing one's place and self-governance, regretting that Prince Fuying had squandered his chances. Next, Feng Mochen (in Gongsun Hao's body) stunned the court by confessing to Gongsun Hao's true crimes: the murder of his own father, Gongsun Wugui, and the Princess Consort Song Lian, as well as misleading Prince Fuying and sowing chaos in the court.
He offered to atone with his life. Amidst the pandemonium of the horrified ministers, Feng Mochen (in Gongsun Hao's body) calmly proceeded to release Huo Xiangjiu from the cage. The court erupted in chaos, with officials making various excuses to flee the scene, while Gongsun Hao (in Feng Mochen's body), still trapped, furiously declared that he and Feng Mochen would die together.
