Shadow Love Episode 35 Recap
> Shadow Love Recap
Mo Yin confirmed that he had traveled to Wuling Mountain and back in just two days, creating rubbings of some paintings and delivering them to Prince Annan's Mansion. Lu Xin questioned why he didn't simply kill Prince Annan since he could enter and exit the mansion so easily. Mo Yin explained that if Prince Annan died, Li Shuang would be heartbroken, and then Lu Xin would be upset too.
He also believed that his death would not necessarily bring lasting peace between the two countries. Lu Xin was skeptical, asking what good those "flimsy sheets of paper" would do. Mo Yin insisted on trying this method since Li Shuang refused to leave. He hoped that if Jin'an could recall even a fragment of his past, Li Shuang's noble intentions might still have a chance.
He believed that everything experienced leaves a mark on the heart, and even though Jade Linglong controlled Jin'an's body, it never truly changed his heart. Mo Yin reassured Lu Xin that if this plan failed, he would personally rescue Li Shuang, telling her not to worry. Lu Xin then questioned his newfound compassion, noting he used to stay out of worldly affairs. Mo Yin confessed he was doing all of this for her.
He explained that having lived in isolation on Wuling Mountain for years, he hadn't understood human suffering until Jin Wujian attacked Wuling Mountain, causing numerous deaths and a bloodbath, which made him realize that war and slaughter only bring perpetual hatred and grief. Lu Xin then remembered something important: Li Shuang had specifically asked her to relay that while in captivity, someone had given her a bottle of a drug called Brain-Devouring Powder.
Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager learned from her spy that Li Shuang had not used the Brain-Devouring Powder. Furious, she called Li Shuang a "hopeless fool." When her subordinate expressed concern that Prince Annan would investigate the drug, the Empress Dowager declared that he would not live long enough to do so. With Li Wei's army at the city gate, she anticipated Duan Aodeng would confront them.
She immediately ordered archers to be set up, vowing that whether it was a battle or a truce, Prince Annan would die on the battlefield. Following the lead of the Brain-Devouring Powder, Mo Yin and Lu Xin infiltrated Yao State's imperial palace. Lu Xin, prioritizing her hunger, ended up in the imperial kitchen, to Mo Yin's exasperation.
She complained about the food and the lack of clues, while Mo Yin reiterated the importance of finding the mastermind behind the rare drug for Wuling Mountain's safety. When a guard discovered Lu Xin pilfering food, Mo Yin criticized her recklessness, while she confidently dismissed the guards as having "lousy martial skills." They evaded the guards, finding refuge in a surprisingly magnificent and golden chamber within the palace.
Lu Xin continued to critique the food, claiming it was worse than common restaurants, despite having eaten and stolen a good amount, which she justified by saying she gets hungry easily. They then stumbled upon a hidden, dark room that suddenly illuminated, revealing a tortured man chained within. Mo Yin cautiously approached, introducing themselves and asking the man's name and if he knew about the Brain-Devouring Powder.
Lu Xin was ready to dismiss him as a mute, but Mo Yin pressed on, asking if Duan Aodeng was responsible for his suffering. At the mention of Duan Aodeng's name, the man, who was Duan Aoze, finally spoke. The Empress Dowager went to the courtyard where Li Shuang was held. She expressed deep disappointment in Li Shuang for not following her orders, claiming she had thought Li Shuang was a "true heroine."
Li Shuang saw through her, stating that the Empress Dowager merely wanted to use her as a "knife to kill" Prince Annan, and her own death would still follow. The Empress Dowager then revealed that Li Shuang's father, Li Wei, had led an army and was currently engaged in "mortal combat" with Jin'an.
She declared that neither Jin'an nor Li Wei would leave the battlefield alive, and she wanted Li Shuang to "see the devastating outcome of your own merciful acts" before she personally ended Li Shuang's life. Li Wei led his army to the city gate, intending to negotiate peace and return the captured Yao State soldiers.
Jin'an rode out to meet him, surrounded by his own captured soldiers, and immediately demanded that Li Wei face the "blood feud" for his brother's death. Li Wei, refusing to draw his sword, argued that after decades of war, the past year's peace had brought much-needed rest to the people, and renewing conflict would plunge them into suffering. He offered his own life to secure peace and the return of the Yao State captives.
However, the Empress Dowager, who had brought Li Shuang to the city gate to witness the events, ordered her archers to fire at Li Wei. Jin'an intervened, blocking the arrows and declaring that envoys should not be harmed during wartime. The Empress Dowager, accusing Jin'an of treason and colluding with Taijin, ignored the protocol and the presence of her own captured soldiers, ordering a renewed volley of arrows.
Li Wei, seeing Jin'an in danger, sacrificed himself by taking an arrow for him, proclaiming that his death was for the people of Taijin and Yao State and served as repayment for the blood feud with Jin'an. Li Shuang watched in horror as her father died at the city gate. With his dying breath, Li Wei pleaded with Jin'an to ensure Li Shuang's safe departure.
Enraged by the Empress Dowager's actions, Jin'an flew to the city wall, seized her, and ordered her imprisonment in the military prison for military law punishment, accusing her of disregarding military discipline and killing her own soldiers. The Empress Dowager protested, asserting her authority as the Empress Dowager and the true sovereign of Yao State, and tried to justify her actions by referencing Li Wei's "blood debt" and Jin'an's alleged treason.
Jin'an retaliated by accusing her of orchestrating his other brother's assassination by luring him out of the palace, highlighting that Li Wei came seeking peace and that the Yao soldiers killed were their own. He then presented the Brain-Devouring Powder she gave to Li Shuang as further proof of her schemes, leading her to accuse Jin'an of colluding with Li Shuang, citing his numerous visits and overnight stays in her abode.
Li Shuang, observing the escalating accusations, laughed and called it a "dog-eat-dog" show. The Empress Dowager, desperate, then revealed Jin'an's true identity, proclaiming him to be the feared "man in black" who had caused such terror. The court officials were stunned. Jin'an, though admitting to being the man in black, explained that he had lost control of his body and forgotten his identity as Prince Annan at the time.
He declared he would take full responsibility for his actions, but vowed to eliminate the Empress Dowager, whom he called a "vile woman" for harming the emperor and killing countrymen, before his own death. Just as the Empress Dowager demanded proof of his accusations, Duan Aoze, Jin'an's elder brother, suddenly appeared in the imperial court, announcing, "I am living proof."
Duan Aoze's sudden appearance, facilitated by Mo Yin and Lu Xin, brought immense joy to Jin'an, who was relieved to see his elder brother alive. Duan Aoze immediately confronted the Empress Dowager, exposing her scheme to lure him out of the palace under false pretenses and attempt to control him with dark magic, resulting in Duan Aodeng (Jin'an) falling victim to it while trying to save him.
He questioned her continued persecution of Jin'an even after she had usurped the throne. The Empress Dowager, fueled by her long-standing hatred, confessed that ever since her marriage, Duan Aoze had only recognized her sister as his true wife. Even after she killed her sister, used a "Love-Binding Curse" on Duan Aoze, and bore him a son, Yu, she overheard him planning to pass the throne to Duan Aodeng instead of their own son.
Jin'an clarified that Duan Aoze's true disdain was for "her", not their son. The Empress Dowager then chillingly declared, "He who stands in my way must die." Following this intense exchange, Li Shuang, driven by grief and anger, attempted to kill the Empress Dowager with a knife, but both women were quickly apprehended. Li Wei's body was respectfully returned to the city.
Jin'an, deeply remorseful, accompanied Li Shuang to bid her father farewell, stating that her father had saved his life and that he would not flee if she sought "blood for blood." Li Shuang, however, acknowledged that her father had used his own life to bring an end to the long-standing feud between the two countries, and further bloodshed was not what he would have wanted. Overwhelmed with grief, Li Shuang mourned her father.
She confessed that for many years she had only called him "Grand General," rarely "Father," and had envied her brother, Ting, for their open father-child bond. She had always feared she wasn't truly qualified to be his daughter due to not being related by blood, and mistakenly believed that fighting valiantly on the battlefield would repay his kindness. She regretted keeping a "meaningless distance" due to her "opinionated" mindset, allowing precious moments to slip away.
While she never regretted becoming a female general and fighting on the battlefield, she now deeply regretted "not being a good enough daughter" to him. She solemnly wished him a peaceful and joyful next life. Jin'an then comforted her, reminding her that she had dedicated herself to the Li family's mission and Taijin's people, and now it was time for her to pursue her own desires.
