Resumo do episódio 13 de Love & Crown
> Resumos de Love & Crown
As enemy reinforcements arrived, Kumor's subordinate informed him of the "darn emperor's" army. Recognizing it was not the time to pursue, Kumor commanded his soldiers to retreat ten li. Meanwhile, Ling Jueding, still nursing a battlefield injury, was startled by Ling Cangcang's arrival. He quickly dismissed his attendants and confronted her, criticizing her recklessness as the Empress, questioning how she could come to such a dangerous place and if her father and His Majesty were aware.
Ling Cangcang calmly replied that she had come without her father's knowledge, and the opinions of others were irrelevant. She expressed immense relief at seeing her brother safe. Ling Jueding, observing her demeanor, sensed her deep sorrow and accused His Majesty of bullying her, asserting that the Emperor was calculating and only using her for his own political gain, caring nothing for her safety. Ling Jueding regretted not intervening during her forced marriage, recalling her long-held desire for freedom.
He lamented that if he had known her life would turn out this way, he would have risked his own life to free her from her "cage." Ling Cangcang, however, dismissed his regrets, reminding him that some things were beyond their control. When Ling Jueding insisted on sending her back to the capital for her safety, she adamantly refused, declaring she was no longer a helpless woman.
She argued that Jiangzhou desperately needed manpower and, having some military knowledge, she was determined to stay and assist him. Back in the capital, an agitated Ling Xuefeng was informed that Ling Cangcang had arrived in Jiangzhou with the westbound army and was currently in General Ling Jueding's camp. He was furious that he, her father, had been kept in the dark, breaking his brush in anger.
Meanwhile, a report reached Xiao Huan that Jiangzhou had achieved a great victory with the arrival of reinforcements, forcing Kumor to retreat ten li. Intelligence also indicated Kumor was reassembling his troops for a counterattack. Xiao Huan decided it was time to advance his own plans. In Jiangzhou, Ling Cangcang and Ling Jueding discussed strategy. Ling Cangcang pointed out that while reinforcements provided temporary relief, more lasting solutions were needed.
Considering the severe snow disaster in Xijiang, which also left Kumor's army short on supplies, she proposed striking Kumor's supply lines to force a retreat. She analyzed the terrain, noting Kumor's Black Tiger Army had charged smoothly into Jiangzhou but had a swamp to their east and Qianlai Valley, a known bottleneck, to their rear. She deduced that Kumor likely transported supplies via water to Sand City, making it a key military supply point.
She suggested a night raid not to conquer Sand City, but to seize their grain, which would relieve Jiangzhou's civilians and soldiers and hasten the war's end. She volunteered to lead the raid. Ling Cangcang led a small team to infiltrate Sand City. They quickly secured the main house. Inside, they found a woman named Minmin, who claimed to be an abducted refugee and offered to reveal the grain's location in exchange for safe passage. Ling Cangcang agreed.
However, as Ling Cangcang and her soldiers began loading the grain, she grew suspicious, finding the ease of the operation and Minmin's story too convenient. She ordered her troops to erase their cart tracks as they withdrew. After the Qi forces left, Minmin revealed her true identity as the Sand City Lord, scoffing at her own soldiers' incompetence and ordering the release of captured refugees, informing them there was now food. Kumor's pursuing troops found no clear tracks.
Minmin eventually caught up to Ling Cangcang alone. Ling Cangcang confronted her, revealing she had seen through Minmin's deception due to her fresh whip marks, too-feminine room decor, and the suspiciously erased tracks. Minmin admitted her trickery, and the two engaged in a fierce fight. During the struggle, Minmin threatened to kill a refugee to make Ling Cangcang surrender. Faced with the choice of killing innocents or giving up, Ling Cangcang yielded.
Ling Cangcang was brought before Kumor, who immediately recognized her as the person who had shot him during the initial siege. Ling Cangcang defiantly stated that if her life could bring an end to Kumor's supplies, it would be a worthwhile sacrifice. Kumor ordered her executed as a sacrifice to the war flag, along with other captured Qi soldiers.
But just as the execution was about to commence, Ling Cangcang intervened, asserting that she alone was responsible for stealing the grain. She challenged Kumor's reputation, calling him a "coward who slaughters innocents." Kumor, enraged, personally engaged her in combat. During their fight, Ling Cangcang's Phoenix Seal accidentally fell from her person. Startled by its appearance, she was momentarily distracted and captured.
Kumor, seeing the Phoenix Seal and realizing Ling Cangcang was a woman and the Empress, rescinded the order for sacrifice, recognizing her as a valuable bargaining chip. Minmin questioned what to do about the grain, but Kumor, holding the Empress, declared that with such a "generous gift from the Emperor of Great Qi," they would soon have all the grain they needed, and the war might even conclude swiftly.
Ling Cangcang insisted the Phoenix Seal was not hers, but Kumor ignored her and ordered her taken away. Far away in the capital, Xiao Huan awoke from a nightmare, deeply disturbed, sensing Ling Cangcang was in danger. Soon after, he received the battle report and a letter from Kumor, which included the Empress's Phoenix Seal. He acknowledged that Kumor perceived this as an opportunity, but Xiao Huan viewed it as a potential turning point for Xijiang.
Xiao Huan then met with Du Tingxin. She noted his distracted state and the urgency of Ling Xuefeng's presence outside while he chose to play chess with her. Xiao Huan revealed that Kumor had captured his empress. Du Tingxin expressed concern about the precarious war situation. Xiao Huan proposed personally going to Xijiang to negotiate with Kumor.
Du Tingxin vehemently opposed this, emphasizing that the empire's fate rested on him and such a dangerous solo journey could lead to unthinkable consequences. When asked who would be a suitable envoy, Du Tingxin dismissed Ling Xuefeng and Xiao Qianqing as having conflicting interests that could harm Great Qi. Instead, she courageously volunteered herself to serve as the imperial envoy to Xijiang. Touched by her dedication, Xiao Huan asked for the Yushu Pill, a potent medicine.
Du Tingxin warned him that it could suppress his cold poison only temporarily and might even accelerate his death. Xiao Huan acknowledged the risk but insisted he needed to endure this critical period of internal and external crises. He then rebuked Du Tingxin for questioning why he had given the life-saving medicine to the Empress. Du Tingxin knelt and apologized for overstepping. Xiao Huan, acknowledging her loyalty, reiterated his request for the Yushu Pill.
She complied, providing the pill with a warning not to use inner force and vowing to find a cure for him, but expressed fear if the poison reached his heart. Xiao Huan assured her he was fine and stressed the importance of her mission to Xijiang. Later, Ling Xuefeng, who had been made to wait for three hours, finally gained an audience with Xiao Huan.
Ling Xuefeng feigned concern for the Empress, claiming she was recuperating at the outer palace and asking to visit her. Xiao Huan coldly informed him that the Empress's condition had worsened and she was unable to see visitors.
Ling Xuefeng then shifted tactics, subtly trying to guilt-trip Xiao Huan by recounting a childhood memory: how Ling Cangcang had once secretly entered the palace, found a feverish Xiao Huan, and comforted him, calling him "the chosen one" destined to be the Emperor. Ling Xuefeng claimed this incident solidified his belief in their "match made in heaven" and his decision to support Xiao Huan's ascension.
Xiao Huan, seeing through the facade, sarcastically commented on Ling Xuefeng's "fatherly love," hinting that the pear blossom honey Ling Xuefeng sent was the source of the Empress's poison. He accused Ling Xuefeng of valuing the Jiangzhou military command more than Ling Cangcang's life, pointing out that Ling Jueding, if he learned of his sister's capture, might act recklessly, jeopardizing his general position and allowing Ling Xuefeng to seize control.
Ling Xuefeng, surprised, asked if Xiao Huan had no genuine feelings for the Empress. Xiao Huan revealed his plan to inform Kumor that the Phoenix Seal had been stolen, demonstrating that he could not be threatened. Ling Xuefeng worried this would lead Kumor to kill Ling Cangcang.
Xiao Huan then presented Ling Xuefeng with a choice: if Ling Jueding, acting on a desperate impulse, won against Kumor, the Xijiang crisis would be averted; if he lost, Ling Xuefeng could reclaim military control over Jiangzhou. Displeased with this, Ling Xuefeng implicitly accepted Xiao Huan's final proposition to name Xiao Qianqing as regent during his absence.
Xiao Huan then met with Xiao Qianqing, telling him that the Empress had been captured and he would personally retrieve her, appointing Xiao Qianqing as regent during his absence. Xiao Qianqing understood that Xiao Huan was strategically using him to counter Ling Xuefeng's influence. He questioned Xiao Huan's true motives, expressing skepticism about his concern for Ling Cangcang and believing all his plans revolved around consolidating imperial power.
Xiao Huan acknowledged that his throne was hard-won and had to be protected, but he also emphasized that this was Xiao Qianqing's closest opportunity to the throne, urging him to cherish it. Xiao Qianqing accepted the regency. Xiao Huan presented him with a silk pouch, instructing him to open it when the "time was right." After Xiao Qianqing left, Xiao Huan's attendant expressed concern about entrusting the regency to Xiao Qianqing.
Xiao Huan reassured him, explaining that Xiao Qianqing's intelligence would ensure a fierce power struggle with Ling Xuefeng, ultimately benefiting Xiao Huan. He also expressed a deeper trust in Xiao Qianqing, believing that his "conscience had not yet faded" and that he would never abandon the people of Xuzhou.
