Resumo do episódio 18 de A LOVER IN THE MORTAL WORLD
> Resumos de A LOVER IN THE MORTAL WORLD
That night, Liu Chu visited Jiang Wanyu, his suspicion lingering over the string of Zhuyao beads she had given him. Jiang Wanyu defended herself, arguing that if the fruit had been poisoned, she would have fallen ill first. She insisted that she had washed them thoroughly and followed the customs of Changmo with no ill intent. Liu Chu feigned affection, telling her he could never truly suspect his own consort and urging her to rest.
However, when an attendant arrived with a secret report, Liu Chu immediately withdrew. The investigation confirmed that Huo Ran was indeed a spy planted by the late Emperor to monitor Fei Zheng. Huo Ran reported that while Fei Zheng had been reliable in the past, his behavior had become increasingly suspicious since his return from Tianlang Pass.
Troubled by the growing web of deceit, Liu Chu decided to sleep alone, admitting he could no longer trust anyone enough to sleep by their side. Meanwhile, Jin Xi was in the throes of agony, her body wracked with pain as the poison within her went untreated. Fei Zheng confronted the Hall Master of the Changmo organization, demanding the antidote before Jin Xi succumbed.
The Hall Master remained cold, mocking Fei Zheng’s attachment and reminding him that he was merely a pawn of Changmo. Fei Zheng pointed out that he had suffered for years undercover and had risen to a high ministerial rank for their cause, yet the organization had never truly supported him. He bargained with the Hall Master, stating that if he was to complete his mission, he needed Jin Xi’s assistance.
Relenting slightly, the Hall Master granted a single antidote but warned Fei Zheng that his own fate would be just as agonizing when his poison eventually took hold. At the same time, Zhang Ruizhong sat under house arrest, waiting for the inevitable. Xiao Chi arrived to find the old official prepared to drink a final pot of wine.
Zhang Ruizhong lamented that while he was accused of treason, the Emperor already knew that the dragon robe found in his home was a plant by Li Shichang. He realized that Liu Chu had grown up and no longer needed his guidance, making these false charges a convenient excuse to discard an old servant. When Xiao Chi questioned him about the massacre in Huangpi Village, Zhang Ruizhong admitted his guilt.
He confessed that eight years ago, a strange plague had turned the capital into a living hell. His only son had died after taking a prescription from the Han family, and in his grief-driven hatred, he had used his power to annihilate them. He also revealed that he was the one who recommended Xiao Chi to Tianlang Pass, fearing that Fei Zheng harbored dangerous secrets.
After warning Xiao Chi that an emperor is a man one can share hardship with but never prosperity, Zhang Ruizhong drank the poison and died. Following the turmoil, Liu Chu held court to distribute rewards and reassign his officials. He honored Han Yunling with gold and brocade for her medical service but moved Fei Zheng from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Rites.
Though presented as an honor to uphold the dignity of the state, the move effectively stripped Fei Zheng of his practical power by placing him in a sinecure. Later, Liu Chu met with the Eldest Princess, Liu Xie, to discuss new policies regarding the taxes from border fiefs. His sudden interest in the treasury ledgers alarmed her, as he had never cared for such administrative details before.
Liu Chu reminded her that their father, the late Emperor, had never allowed others to control the accounts and had even executed his own brothers to secure his throne. Liu Xie realized that Liu Chu was no longer the controllable brother she once knew. Seeing the same ruthlessness in his eyes that their father once possessed, she feared he would soon demand the keys to the treasury.
Deciding that she could not afford to wait for him to move against her, she instructed her guards to prepare for a banquet at the Princess's Mansion the following night. She intended to strike first before Liu Chu could fully consolidate his power. Xiao Chi, meanwhile, was desperate to help Han Yunling recover her lost memories. He brought in physicians and even resorted to spiritual rituals, chanting for the spirits to manifest, but his efforts yielded no results.
Han Yunling eventually told him to stop, suggesting that perhaps things were fine the way they were and that she didn't need to look back at the past. Fei Zheng later met with the Emperor, accidentally addressing him as "Big Brother" before quickly correcting himself to a formal greeting. Liu Chu brought up Fei Zheng’s past as a mountain hunter, suggesting a future hunting trip with Xiao Chi.
Fei Zheng claimed his father had died too early for him to learn the trade, and that he had been sold into the manor after being abducted by traffickers. Liu Chu spoke of how their shared history as commoners who rose to high ranks would be celebrated in the chronicles of the realm.
He invited Fei Zheng to the upcoming banquet at the Princess's Mansion, but Fei Zheng declined, citing the heavy workload of his new position at the Ministry of Rites. As Fei Zheng left the palace, he spotted the Eldest Princess’s personal attendants leaving secretly. He followed them to a remote courtyard where he witnessed Liu Xie giving serious instructions to a group of masked men, filling him with a sense of dread.
