Queen Dugu Episode 55 Recap, Plot

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Emperor Yang Jian hosted a banquet for his ministers, where two graceful singing girls, the 14th and 24th daughters of the former Chen Emperor, Princesses Ningyuan and Linchuan, caught his attention. A minister explained that after the fall of Chen, these former princesses had become maids in the Sui palace. Yang Jian found their situation pitiful and initially ordered them to be sent back to their families.

However, the princesses revealed they had no families left and pleaded to be sent elsewhere. Another minister then suggested that Yang Jian marry them, citing the historical precedent of a Wei Emperor marrying Han princesses to create a legend. Yang Jian, however, rebuked the suggestion, stating he did not wish to cause chaos. Instead, he allowed the princesses to remain in the palace as female historiographers, acknowledging they had nowhere else to go.

Dugu Mantuo, present at the banquet, observed these events, and a new scheme began to form in her mind. Back at her residence, Mantuo produced a portrait of herself from her youth and instructed a servant to give it to her sister, who worked as Shangyi in the palace, to find a maid with a similar appearance. When Li Yuan entered and saw this, he immediately confronted his mother, accusing her of plotting new intrigues in the palace.

Mantuo attempted to dismiss his concerns, but Li Yuan revealed he knew about her past schemes, specifically how she had instigated Princess Ashina against Yuwen Chan. He recounted that he was on duty the night of the former Emperor's death and had quickly killed him, thus preventing Princess Ashina from exposing Mantuo's involvement. Instead of being ashamed, Mantuo laughed, pleased that her son was perceptive.

She then tried to incite him to ambition, reminding him that while Yang Yong, whose mother was her sister and whose father was a prime minister like Li Yuan's, was now a prince, Li Yuan was still a "nobody." Li Yuan, however, stated he didn't dwell on "useless things." Mantuo then spoke of the Dugu prophecy, which first seemed to apply to her eldest sister, then to the Empress (Jialuo), and suggested it could apply to her in thirty years.

When Li Yuan claimed not to understand, Mantuo declared she would act herself, asserting that even a hard embankment could be broken by tiny ants over time. She confidently stated that she had known Yang Jian since he was seven and understood he would not remain content as a "pure-hearted Emperor" for long, believing all men have desires and eventually tire of the same woman. She decided to "help him" in her own way.

While offering incense, Yang Jian suddenly felt dizzy. A palace maid, Fanye, quickly steadied him, and he was struck by her resemblance to Mantuo when she was young. Fanye led him to a back hall to rest. He asked her identity, and she introduced herself as Fanye, new to palace cleaning.

After their intimacy, a distraught Fanye expressed fear of the Empress, noting that Yang Jian had not taken any concubines for years and the whole palace knew he was "afraid of the Queen." Yang Jian, asserting his authority as Emperor, reassured her, stating it was acceptable for him to have a concubine. He bestowed upon her the title of Cairen, instructing her to reside in Luoyang Palace, and ordered her not to disclose what had transpired.

While Jialuo was advising her daughter-in-law about the proper conduct of a princess compared to a concubine, Shanggong Xiao arrived with distressing news: Yang Jian had been intimate with a palace maid. Jialuo’s face tightened as she silently acknowledged that what she had feared had finally come to pass. She calmly requested the maid's file and, after reviewing it, made a decision.

Unbeknownst to Yang Jian, he had previously instructed Shanggong Xiao to discreetly handle a matter concerning the maid, specifically asking that the Queen not be informed. Shanggong Xiao later reported to Yang Jian that the maid had been forced to hang herself by the Empress. Enraged, Yang Jian confronted Jialuo, accusing her of intolerance and demanding to know why she killed the maid, especially after he had kept his vow not to have children with other women for her sake.

Jialuo retorted that if the maid had truly been "little," Yang Jian wouldn't be so upset. Yang Jian, exasperated, declared that he had satisfied her by not marrying other women and asked if she was still not content, pointing out that she had treated him coldly since the former Emperor's death. Jialuo, in turn, offered to have her title as Queen withdrawn if he thought she was guilty. Infuriated, Yang Jian left.

Following his departure, Jialuo suffered a painful coughing fit, and a trace of blood appeared on her white handkerchief. Distraught and feeling confined despite being Emperor, Yang Jian questioned why Jialuo couldn't accommodate his small request, wondering if she still recognized him as her husband. His accompanying ministers intervened, revealing critical information about the maid, Fanye.

They informed him that her full name was Yuchi Fanye and that her father, Yuchi Dun, had been killed by Yang Jian in the second year of Daxiang. Furthermore, unburned fragrance had been discovered in her residence. The ministers suggested that while the Queen could be jealous, she was also reasonable, implying Yuchi Fanye had a clear motive for revenge and was likely a malevolent individual. This revelation shocked Yang Jian, and he understood he had gravely misjudged Jialuo.

Yang Jian rushed back to the palace, but a servant informed him that Jialuo, feeling ashamed for having angered him, had returned to her old residence. He followed, only to be met by Lihua, who told him that her mother did not wish to see him.

Yang Jian, perplexed, asked why Jialuo treated him so, and Lihua countered by asking when he had stopped referring to himself as "I" and started using "Emperor" when speaking to Jialuo, hinting at the change in their relationship. Later, Lihua tried to persuade her mother, Jialuo, to talk to Yang Jian, offering her ginseng soup since she had vomited blood that morning, and addressing a lingering misunderstanding between her parents.

Jialuo confessed she wasn't angry, just tired, and didn't wish to speak with Yang Jian yet. She finally understood the wisdom of Yuwen Yong's words: that power and desire are "terrible monsters" that corrupt anyone who gets too close. Lihua then asked Jialuo whether she loved Yuwen Yong or Yang Jian more. Jialuo explained that in youth, she loved Yuwen Yong, and later, she also loved Yang Jian.

She reflected that over many years, she and Yang Jian had become more like family than lovers. Though she felt sadness, she harbored no hatred. She also confessed a long-held secret: she had always tried to emulate Banruo's free spirit but lacked the talent to truly be like her. Outside, Yang Jian had arrived. He dropped to his knees, silently seeking forgiveness. Jialuo helped him up, and with tears in their eyes, they embraced.

Yang Jian began to address the matter of the former Emperor's death, but Jialuo stopped him, reaffirming that despite his flaws—being "stupid, cruel, arrogant, and even he cheated"—she still loved him. Yang Jian promised never to hurt her again and revealed his plan to discuss succession with the court the next day, once Yang Yong was able to manage state affairs.

He proposed that once they became the Emperor's parents, they could travel the world, visiting places like Taishan and Jiangnan, and find a special flower Jialuo had only heard about from her mother. He even suggested taking a large, stable boat, like those of the Chen dynasty, to the sea, which Jialuo had never seen. The following day, as Jialuo was preparing, she complained that her headdress felt too heavy and she couldn't breathe.

Although a maid offered to change it, Jialuo simply stated she felt some palpitation before suddenly collapsing. Her long-standing illnesses overwhelmed her, and she tragically passed away. Two years later, Yang Jian, looking considerably aged, stood grieving at her memorial. He reflected on the meaning of "Dugu's country," stating that he had not understood it before, but now he finally did, implying his profound solitude. Meanwhile, Dugu Mantuo was on her deathbed.

She told Li Yuan that she had fought her entire life and it was time for her to go. She then urged him not to give up his ambition, noting that it took Yang Jian 40 years to become Emperor and that Li Yuan, though not as clever, should be patient and wait until he was fifty. Li Yuan, still uncertain, asked if she truly believed he could be Emperor.

Mantuo then instructed a servant to open a box containing an item, which she revealed was left to her by her eldest sister, the Queen of Emperor Zhouming, and which she had carefully hidden and carried even when fleeing. She told Li Yuan that everyone in the palace had their own "Dugu's country," and while Yang Jian's was almost over, Li Yuan's had just begun.

Her final wish was to wear this item quietly before her funeral, demanding that Li Yuan make her proud, or she, Dugu Mantuo, would not rest in peace. Li Yuan affirmed his understanding. The narrative concludes with historical notes: In the 4th year of Renshou, Yang Jian died in Renshou Palace. In the 2nd year of Yining, Li Yuan accepted the throne in Chang'an, establishing the Tang Dynasty.

In the 1st year of Wude, Li Yuan's mother, Dugu Mantuo, was posthumously honored as Queen of Yuanzhen. In the 9th year of Wude, after the Coup of Xuanwu Gate, Li Yuan's son, Li Shimin, usurped his father's throne, and Li Yuan later died in Chuigong Hall. Thus, the prophecy of "Dugu's country," which saw three Dugu sisters become empresses of three different dynasties, reached its conclusion.

Episode 54 Recap