Resumo do episódio 5 de Eternal Love of the Fox
> Resumos de Eternal Love of the Fox
Having been forcibly brought to the Prince's residence, Huo Xiangjiu paid her respects to the Prince. Recognizing his high status and her inability to defy him, she tried to stall, but to no avail. The Prince inquired about her tenure serving His Grace, Feng Mochen, noting Feng Mochen's strictness and offering his protection should she ever suffer grievances. Huo Xiangjiu, in turn, praised the Prince's renowned kindness and benevolence.
The Prince then mused that girls are meant to be cherished and asked if she desired happiness, implying he could provide it. Huo Xiangjiu tried to deflect by suggesting the Princess Consort must be living a blissful life, but the Prince, stating he wanted to ease his longing since first seeing her at a family banquet, revealed he had specifically summoned her to him. Huo Xiangjiu attempted to leave, citing her duties to Feng Mochen.
The Prince, however, asked if she would be willing to move to the Eastern Palace. She replied that she would, provided Feng Mochen permitted it. This enraged the Prince, who felt she was implying Feng Mochen held a higher authority than him. He declared he would keep her there, challenging Feng Mochen to stop him, and began to forcefully pull her towards the bed.
At that moment, the Princess Consort Song Lian arrived and pleaded with the Prince to cease his unseemly behavior in the Eastern Palace, warning of the Emperor's displeasure should the rumors reach his ears. The Prince, who never took Song Lian seriously, dismissed her concerns and mercilessly whipped her on the spot, insisting that nothing within the Eastern Palace would reach the Emperor. When she pressed the issue, he harshly commanded her to leave.
Huo Xiangjiu quickly intervened, ostensibly pulling the Princess Consort away to "teach her a lesson" for her insolence, thus saving her from further abuse. Once they were alone, Huo Xiangjiu apologized for her rude intervention. The Princess Consort reassured her, explaining that she understood Huo Xiangjiu, as a respectable maiden, would face a difficult future if the Prince continued to pursue her. She urged Huo Xiangjiu to escape the palace immediately and offered her a valuable bracelet for travel expenses.
Despite Huo Xiangjiu's initial reluctance to accept such a precious gift, the Princess Consort insisted, telling her to use the back gate to leave the Eastern Palace and then formulate her plans. Deeply moved, Huo Xiangjiu thanked her, promising to repay her kindness if the opportunity arose, before making her escape. However, the Prince intercepted Huo Xiangjiu just as she was about to leave the Eastern Palace.
He mockingly questioned why she was so quick to discard the "blessing" of his favor. Huo Xiangjiu tried to offer an excuse to return later, but the Prince demanded her service immediately. As the Prince attempted to force her back, Feng Mochen, sensing Huo Xiangjiu's danger, remotely channeled his powers to her. Empowered, Huo Xiangjiu fought back fiercely, stunning the Prince and his guard. The Prince, now even more intrigued, vowed to possess her.
Huo Xiangjiu, channeling Feng Mochen's power, scorned his supposed benevolence and ordered him to be dealt with. The ensuing altercation resulted in the Prince being thoroughly beaten. Soon, rumors spread throughout the palace that the Prince had been thrashed by a woman and was now "completely useless" for the rest of his life. Hearing these whispers, Huo Xiangjiu realized she needed to find a safe place to hide.
Meanwhile, the injured Prince, who was being humorously referred to as 'Third Uncle' by his nephew, continued his search. He and his nephew even attempted to infiltrate the Emperor's sleeping quarters in Ganquan Palace, only to be caught by an elder official, referred to as the 'Old Ancestor'. The Old Ancestor, angered by their late-night intrusion and their weak excuse of searching for an 'assassin', forced them to repeatedly 'jump' (as if searching for the said assassin).
Later that night, as Huo Xiangjiu cautiously emerged from her hiding place, famished, she spotted a small dog with an assortment of fruits nearby and decided to take some. Suddenly, a figure wearing a terrifying mask attacked her. Just as she was in peril, Feng Mochen appeared, quickly dispatching the masked assailant. He then took Huo Xiangjiu to his own mansion, Fucang Palace.
Inside, Huo Xiangjiu questioned Feng Mochen about the masked figure and her earlier "hallucinations" of a talking dog. Feng Mochen confirmed the presence of other evil entities in the palace, noting the attacker's strength. He also revealed his non-human nature to Huo Xiangjiu. Discovering that Feng Mochen was headed back to Fucang Palace, Huo Xiangjiu expressed relief, realizing she could accompany him.
She mentioned her pressing concern for Qiaoru, the flower spirit, and voiced apprehension about the Prince coming after her for having beaten him. Feng Mochen dismissed the Prince as insignificant. Back at Fucang Palace, Huo Xiangjiu reminded Feng Mochen of her promise to the flower spirit to help uncover her past, which required finding her former identity as "Qiaoru" from the palace rosters.
Feng Mochen, hearing her readily agree to help the flower spirit despite not knowing the specifics, let out a sigh. They began sifting through hundreds of names in the vast palace staff register, looking for any containing "Ru." Huo Xiangjiu, overwhelmed by the task, complained about having to search alone, to which Feng Mochen retorted that she was the one who promised. During their search, they found names like Han Yuru and Xiao Rusi.
Huo Xiangjiu, finding herself inexplicably thinking of Feng Mochen's face, wondered about the reason. Feng Mochen, observing her efforts, commented that the flower spirit would soon fade away, making their task pointless. Huo Xiangjiu, however, countered that no good deed is truly trivial, as "trivial matters" are often just others' difficulties that one hasn't personally experienced. Meanwhile, two maids, Le Ning and Mao Jin, discussed Huo Xiangjiu.
Le Ning spoke of how Huo Xiangjiu had saved her from being sold into a brothel in Muxi City, praising her loyalty. Mao Jin revealed that Huo Xiangjiu was destined to help Feng Mochen "transcend and ascend." Mao Jin, loyal to Feng Mochen, was given a list by him to cross-reference and find any missing maids with "Ru" in their names.
Nursing his wounds, the Prince plotted with the Princess Consort, suggesting they frame Huo Xiangjiu as an assassin to mitigate the scandal. He dismissed the Princess Consort's attempts to defend Huo Xiangjiu. Suddenly, the Princess Consort's brother, Song Yicheng, from a humble background, burst in under the guise of reporting their father's passing on his wedding night.
Song Yicheng then pleaded with the Prince to grant him an official post, claiming it was their father's dying wish and professing his undying loyalty. Impressed by Song Yicheng's fervent declaration, the Prince agreed to keep him by his side. Feng Mochen later learned from Mao Jin that only Xin Qiaoru from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau was unaccounted for on the palace roster, suggesting a possible connection between Qiaoru's death and that department.
As night fell, the Prince, fueled by revenge, issued a "Prince's order" to capture Huo Xiangjiu as an assassin, threatening death to anyone who disobeyed. With Song Yicheng and a large contingent of guards, he marched towards Feng Mochen's residence to demand Huo Xiangjiu's handover. Feng Mochen, hearing the approaching soldiers, quickly covered Huo Xiangjiu's mouth to silence her growing fear as the Prince arrived at his gates.
