Resumo do episódio 17 de Who Rules The World
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Hei Fengxi visited his late mother's memorial. He shared his deep loneliness since her passing and his unwavering resolve to fight for his position, refusing to be swayed by fate. He spoke of meeting a woman who reminds him of his mother, someone who brings warmth to his heart and gives him confidence, much like his mother once did. He admitted he was initially afraid she might distract him, but he found he couldn't let go.
The next morning, Queen Baili sent a wedding gown to Feng Chang, but he refused to try it on. He lamented that while a gown can be altered to fit, a mismatched heart cannot. He found it ironic that on the eve of his late mother’s memorial, Queen Baili was still scheming for him, deeming her truly heartless. Feeling stifled, Feng Chang went to the market to clear his head.
There, he encountered Bai Fengxi and expressed his admiration for the free and unrestrained life of martial artists, a world he had long yearned for. Bai Fengxi cautioned him about the inherent dangers of the martial arts world, advising him against pursuing it. When she learned of his impending arranged marriage, she offered a profound perspective: life is fleeting, and some things, especially marriage, should never be compromised, for unhappiness would plague both parties.
Her words resonated deeply with Feng Chang. On the day of the late queen’s memorial ceremony, as King Yong and his court performed the rites, Queen Baili approached to offer wine. Memories of the past flooded her mind, causing her to feel a sudden surge of guilt and fear. At that moment, a violent thunderstorm erupted, with flashes of lightning. Startled, Queen Baili dropped her wine cup and collapsed, trembling.
Feng Chang quickly rushed to her side to help her up. Later, King Yong privately berated Queen Baili for her disgraceful display at the memorial. He reminded her of her humble origins, emphasizing the immense effort he put into making her his queen against the objections of his officials. He accused her of becoming arrogant and ungrateful, constantly overstepping her bounds.
He revealed he had tolerated her interference in court affairs and disruptions to his rule for two decades out of pity for her past hardships. However, he declared her ambition had grown too vast, particularly her relentless plotting for Feng Ju to usurp the position of heir. He questioned if she eagerly awaited his death to become queen dowager and revealed his knowledge of her masterminding the imperial examination scandal and the missing funds from the military horse trading.
King Yong asserted that he could both bestow and revoke anything in the realm, then swiftly issued a decree grounding Queen Baili in her palace for thirty days, ostensibly for religious fasting to pray for the late queen. Meanwhile, Hei Fengxi spoke with Miss Huan, who had served him and his late mother since childhood. Acknowledging her devotion, he offered her freedom if she wished to find a husband.
Miss Huan, however, knelt and tearfully pledged her unwavering loyalty, stating her desire to serve him for the rest of her life and her inability to adapt to life outside the palace. Hei Fengxi accepted her plea. Later that evening, Bai Fengxi took her junior martial siblings for a stroll through the bustling capital. Her martial sister, Bai Langhua, playfully teased her about Hei Fengxi, noticing his ambiguous gaze towards Bai Fengxi and asking if she liked him.
Bai Fengxi adamantly denied any romantic feelings, insisting that she and the "Black Foxy" were merely friends. She explained her unique interactions with him were due to an instinct to challenge him, much like she treated each of her martial siblings differently. However, Bai Langhua remained unconvinced. As they continued, Bai Fengxi briefly spotted Yu Wuyuan in the crowd but didn't engage him, as her martial siblings were present.
Unseen, Yu Wuyuan conversed with the leader of the Soultaker Sect, confirming he had obtained the key items from the four great sects: the Han family's medicines, the Xuanyuan Sect's formations, the Tie family's cast iron, and the Ma family's secret manual. He dismissed the heavy losses suffered by the Soultaker Sect, stating its existence was merely a shell for Cricket and that their true objective lay elsewhere.
He noted that the Sacred Jade Moon had fallen into the hands of Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi, necessitating an extended stay in the capital. Confined to her chambers, Queen Baili was unrepentant. She bitterly resented her humble background as a fabric merchant's daughter, especially now that her past had been publicly exposed again after the memorial. Vowing never to be a laughingstock, she intentionally cut her wrist, proclaiming she would "copy scriptures with my blood" during her fast.
She then secretly instructed her chamberlain to inform her brother, urging him to finalize the marriage between Duke Qi's daughter and Feng Chang before the New Year. Hei Fengxi sent a letter to Feng Chang, advising him to follow his true feelings regarding marriage and offering intelligence about the Qi family that could be used as leverage if he chose to marry Qi Cheng. Remembering Bai Fengxi's words from the market, Feng Chang went to visit Queen Baili.
Witnessing her feigned vulnerability with her self-inflicted wound, his resentment grew. He bluntly stated his decision: he would not marry Duke Qi's daughter, nor any woman arranged by Queen Baili, declaring he would no longer lie to himself. He also pointed out that her true son was Feng Ju alone. Queen Baili dropped her act. She viciously tried to sow discord between Feng Chang and Feng Lanxi, insinuating their brotherhood was fragile.
She then delivered a chilling threat: if Feng Chang refused the marriage, she would expose his epilepsy to the world, ensuring his complete ruin and disgrace in court. She offered him an assurance of a trouble-free future if he complied, cynically adding that pretending to be his loving mother was "just as revolting" to her. Furious but cornered, Feng Chang returned to his residence and drowned his sorrows in drink, observed with profound sadness by Uncle De.
Meanwhile, Bai Jiande met with Hei Fengxi, revealing his knowledge of Hei Fengxi’s true identity and his desire for the Fountain Abode's assistance. He explained that there was more than one fake Empyrean Token in circulation and that he, as one of the "Token Keepers," was responsible not only for protecting the true token but also for limiting imperial power.
He implored Hei Fengxi to investigate the identity of the mastermind behind these fake tokens, who sought to destabilize the world, and specifically asked him to keep this information from Bai Fengxi, to spare her worry. Hei Fengxi agreed.
Hei Fengxi later took Bai Fengxi to his secret practice spot, reflecting on his past loneliness and the evolution of his ambitions: from self-preservation to seizing the position of heir, and then to conquering the world, which he admitted was "endless greed." Bai Fengxi gently reminded him that he had a choice and questioned why he couldn't give up on conquering the world. Hei Fengxi then articulated his deeper motivation: the world, he felt, was not as it should be.
He desired to create a better life for the "helpless, the living, and those who make me feel alive"—people whose genuine warmth connected him to the world. He then mused to Bai Fengxi that from their first meeting, he had an inexplicable feeling their fates were intertwined, humorously adding that she was quite "a nuisance."
Back at the Fountain Abode, Zhong Li reported to Hei Fengxi that Yu Wuyuan was in the capital, a fact that surprised Hei Fengxi, as the Fountain Abode had no intelligence on it. He ordered Zhong Li to track Yu Wuyuan’s every move. Zhong Li also informed him that Feng Chang had submitted a betrothal proposal to King Yong, seeking to marry Duke Qi’s daughter.
Hei Fengxi, unaware of Queen Baili’s coercion, felt a pang of sadness, believing Feng Chang had chosen this path out of disappointment in him. In Youzhou, Princess Hua Chunran was informed by her father, the Lord of Youzhou, that he intended to arrange a husband for her. With calm composure, she suggested a public spouse selection contest instead, declaring she desired only the most exceptional man in the realm.
Immediately afterward, she secretly ordered an investigation to discover who had advised her father on the matter of her marriage. Back in Yongzhou, Feng Chang presented his betrothal proposal to King Yong, declaring his sincere love for Qi Cheng, likening it to King Yong’s initial affection for the late queen. King Yong was pleased, deeming the match suitable for his eldest son, given Duke Qi's noble standing in Yongzhou, and subtly acknowledged Queen Baili's "well-done" role in the matter.
He instructed the Astronomy Officer to divine their horoscopes, and if compatible, a small betrothal ceremony would follow. The official betrothal decree, he announced, would be issued on New Year’s Day, marking a "new beginning for a new year" and coinciding with the end of Queen Baili's fasting period. King Yong then bestowed upon Feng Chang the title of Prince Yongxin and granted him a fief of 3,000 households.
