Rebirth Episode 38 Recap
> Rebirth Recaps
The grand ceremony to crown the Queen of Yanbei was held in a heavy atmosphere. Standing atop the platform, Yan Xun watched the daughters of various tribal leaders receive their new titles. He named Helian Ling the Queen of Yanbei, while the daughters of the Baichuan and Pale tribes were appointed as side consorts, granted the fiefs of Linchuan, Shazhou, and Jiuhe to secure their families' loyalty. Despite the royal splendor, Yan Xun’s heart remained with Chu Qiao.
He viewed these political marriages as a necessary sacrifice to gather the military strength needed to protect Yanbei and eventually rescue the woman he truly loved, promising to one day take her to ride the horses of Huihui Mountain. On the wedding night, Yan Xun sat with Helian Ling. She spoke candidly, admitting she had long dreamed of becoming his consort not for love, but to bring glory to the Helian tribe and escape the mistreatment of her brother.
Seeking to be a useful ally, she presented Yan Xun with the sword of the fallen General Cheng Yuan, urging him to carry it into battle to protect Yanbei. Yan Xun accepted the weapon, vowing to return safely. With the combined forces of the tribal armies and his own Black Eagle units, a total of 52,000 troops were mobilized to move toward the borders of Yong.
Meanwhile, at the ancestral temple in the Yong capital, Chu Qiao arrived to surrender her military authority. As she formally presented the West Alliance’s imperial seal and tally to the Emperor, the ritual banners suddenly burst into flames. Zhao Che immediately denounced Chu Qiao as a sorceress whose presence had incited "heavenly fire" from the Faceless God to anger the ancestors. He ordered his guards to seize her at once, but Chu Qiao was prepared.
She drew a concealed dagger and took the Emperor hostage to hold the guards at bay. In front of the assembled ministers, Chu Qiao exposed Zhao Che’s treachery. She explained that the fire was not divine but the result of flint powder—a self-igniting substance—placed on the banners by Zhao Che’s orders.
She revealed that the same trick had been used during the tragedy at Jiuyou Terrace and that Zhao Che was using the Faceless God cult to eliminate rivals like Mu He Lie, Wei Guang, and General Meng. When the Emperor ordered a search, General Xing Le confirmed that the temple’s hidden tunnels were filled with flint powder. As the standoff intensified, an urgent report arrived: Yanbei and West Alliance forces were advancing on the borders.
Zhao Che pressured the Emperor, asking him to choose between a "slave girl" and his own heir during a national crisis. Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced the Emperor’s throat. The shot came from Zhuge Yue of the Qing Shan Court. With the Emperor dead, Zhao Che was immediately proclaimed the new ruler of Yong. In the ensuing chaos, General Huan intervened to save Chu Qiao.
She took Zhao Che hostage at knifepoint, forcing him to allow Chu Qiao and General Xing Le to escape the palace. Once they were safe, Huan appealed to Zhao Che’s better nature, reminding him of their shared past in Yanbei and begging him to stop the war. Zhao Che feigned agreement, but as soon as Huan lowered her guard, he ruthlessly stabbed her.
As she died, he coldly remarked that she was far too naive for the world they lived in. Regrouping at Shili Slope, Chu Qiao and Xing Le assessed the dire situation. Yanbei forces had breached the southwest border, and the Biantang army, led by General Sun Di with 50,000 men, had joined the invasion. The Yong army was forced to retreat toward the Yuan River, leaving their northwestern defenses thin.
Amidst the panic, it was revealed that a princess had been stabbed in the abdomen; while she survived, her unborn child was lost. In the wake of this tragedy, Princess Zhao Chun'er proposed a desperate solution: a marriage alliance with the Quanrong tribe. She offered to marry their chief in exchange for 100,000 fierce warriors to stabilize the empire. Zhuge Yue later confronted Zhao Che, warning him that the Quanrong were bloodthirsty savages who could not be trusted.
Zhao Che, however, remained suspicious of Zhuge Yue’s motives, questioning if he was trying to protect Chu Qiao or his own position. He also demanded to know why Zhuge Yue had killed the late Emperor. Zhuge Yue maintained that he had acted to save Zhao Che, claiming the Emperor had only feigned trust and was planning a counter-move to eliminate the Prince. Unswayed by the risks, Zhao Che ordered the Quanrong alliance to proceed, preparing for a final war.
