Shadow Love Episode 37 Recap
> Shadow Love Recap
The imperial court was in an uproar, with ministers vehemently demanding severe punishment for Li Shuang. They claimed she had been captured on the battlefield, which disgraced the state, and asserted she had colluded with the enemy. Su Muyang stepped forward to defend her, arguing that victory and defeat were common in war, and if defeat or capture were crimes, no one would dare to fight for their nation.
However, a minister retorted that it was Li Shuang who had allowed the enemy to escape, leading to the previous military disaster and the death of Grand General Li Wei in a foreign land, while she returned unharmed. The minister concluded that Li Shuang must have colluded with the Duan family of Yao State, a capital offense, and asked how Grand General Li Wei could rest in peace if such ill-intentioned people shattered the hard-won peace.
Su Muyang countered, reminding them that Duan Aodeng had aided him several times in Lucheng, and Li Shuang's campaign against Yao State was by his own order, subtly implying that their accusations of collusion could extend to him as well. Unfazed, a minister pointed out Su Muyang's childhood intimacy with General Li and his past desire to make her empress, suggesting he was now showing personal favoritism. Su Muyang sternly dismissed this as insolence.
Another minister then argued that Li Shuang was merely an orphan adopted by the Li family, and to prevent shame to the loyal Li family, she should not only be executed but also stripped of her surname and removed from the Li family genealogy. Li Shuang then entered the court, her eyes filled with sorrow.
She declared that since the day she entered the General's Residence, she had been a daughter of the Li family, a truth that would not change even in death. She chastised the ministers for daring to meddle in her family’s affairs. She had heard how, after her capture, these "rabble" had urged His Majesty to restart the war with Yao State, yet none had dared to answer the call to arms themselves.
She questioned if war, life, and death were such trivial matters to them, as long as they didn't personally concern them. Facing Su Muyang, she acknowledged her own mistake in letting Duan Aodeng go, admitting she had no defense and that her crimes were unforgivable. She offered her life to appease the public's anger and restore the Li family's honor, asking only that they remember the peace of that day was hard-won and should be cherished.
With these words, Li Shuang, daughter of Li Wei, requested death from His Majesty. Li Shuang was once again confined to prison. Her brother, Li Ting, pleaded at the palace gates until he was granted a brief visit. He immediately presented her with their father's command token, planning to mobilize Li Wei's troops to rescue her.
Li Shuang was furious, striking him and threatening to take her own life in prison if he dared to cause trouble, reminding him such an act would dishonor their father’s spirit and make both her and their father die with regrets. Li Ting broke down, pleading with her not to abandon him, just as their father had.
Li Shuang sternly forbade him from crying, reminding him of the Li family motto: "Loyalty, courage, and selflessness," explaining that these words were a guiding principle for making difficult choices. She praised his upright character, telling him that entrusting him with the Changfeng Army and the Li family was not an act of desperation, but an inevitable future.
She assured him he was not alone, with her, their father, the entire Li family, and the Changfeng Army as his strength and responsibility. Li Ting, understanding, promised to uphold the family's honor. Li Shuang, with tears in her eyes, entrusted the Li family to his care. Meanwhile, Jin'an, formerly Prince Annan, came to Duan Aoze to atone for his past actions.
He confessed to mistakenly killing his own soldiers during the war and releasing an enemy prisoner, considering these unforgivable crimes against the state and the crown. He requested to resign as Grand General of Cavalry, be stripped of his royal title, and removed from the imperial clan. Duan Aoze acknowledged that Jin'an had been controlled by treacherous people and that the soldiers he killed were conspirators. He also revealed that Li Shuang’s release had been with his tacit approval.
However, Jin'an insisted his hands were stained with the blood of his own people and that with peace restored between Taijin and Yao State, and Duan Aoze ruling wisely, there was no longer a need for Prince Annan. Duan Aoze expressed his deep relief at Jin'an's growth, though he wondered what Jin'an had endured in the past year. Jin'an recounted his time stranded in Taijin, experiencing both the separations of life and death and tasting bitter and sweet sorrows.
He revealed that Li Shuang had been his constant support, yet he had also briefly forgotten and deeply hurt her. Now that everything had settled and peace, Li Shuang’s wish, was achieved, he sought to shed his military uniform and all titles stained with his grievous sins, dedicating this act to her and to the world.
Seeing his brother’s resolve, Duan Aoze, though heavy-hearted, granted his wish, stripping Duan Aodeng of his princely title, removing him from the imperial clan, and demoting him to commoner status. Despite Jin'an's demotion, the ministers' anger was far from appeased. Su Muyang received a barrage of memorials demanding Li Shuang’s execution. He reluctantly decided it was time for General Li to embark on her final journey.
He took Li Shuang from prison to a quiet hall, where he had prepared her favorite dishes. Li Shuang gently declined, noting that with famine widespread from the Xiangshui flood and poor harvests, food should not be wasted on someone about to die. Su Muyang reminisced about their childhood, recalling their first meeting when he defended her from bullies, and how she taught him that only by always standing firm would he avoid being bullied.
He lamented that while all who had once slighted him had fallen, she, who could have stood by his side, was now facing death. He questioned her choice to seek death in court, arguing it had cut off her path to survival and was now forcing his hand amidst the public outcry. Li Shuang, however, declared she had no more attachments in this world after leading the army to defeat, losing her father, and Jin'an leaving her.
She believed only her death could preserve the Li family's honor and quell public anger. She urged Su Muyang, as a wise ruler, not to show favoritism, and asked only that he care for Li Ting after her death, reminding him that in Ting's heart, he remained the gentle and righteous Muyang. Su Muyang then asked if, in an ordinary life, without Jin'an, she would have stayed by his side.
Li Shuang replied that living life with "what ifs" was not enough, and what was missed was simply missed. After drinking the poison, Li Shuang reflected on her eventful life, acknowledging she had drawn mighty bows and slain formidable enemies. She died without regret or complaint, her last words a prayer for Taijin's enduring prosperity and a farewell to Su Muyang.
Su Muyang subsequently issued an imperial decree, publicly announcing Li Shuang's sudden death from illness and posthumously conferring upon her the title of Empress Wude, with her burial in the imperial mausoleum ten days later, to be proclaimed throughout the realm as a mark of his remembrance. After his demotion, Jin'an dismissed his royal staff and moved to a small, secluded house, finding contentment in a peaceful, if austere, life.
Duan Aoze visited him, relaying the news of Li Shuang's death in the palace, where she had proven her innocence, and her impending burial in the imperial mausoleum. Jin'an was devastated, unable to comprehend how she could die after he had believed he was protecting her by letting her go. Duan Aoze explained that rulers often faced impossible choices, and Li Shuang’s decision must have been a carefully weighed one.
Jin'an, however, was resolute, recognizing that Taijin's haste to announce her death was a trap designed to lure him. He declared that Li Shuang was his wife, to whom he had sworn to be together in life and death, and he could not abandon her a second time to remain in a cold underground palace.
Duan Aoze warned him that a royal burial would be heavily guarded, making any attempt to retrieve her futile and risking another war, which would betray the hard-won peace. Jin'an revealed his plan to go to Wuling Mountain to retrieve Jade Linglong, believing it would enable him to bring Li Shuang back. He then vowed to atone with his life upon her return, ensuring no new war would erupt.
Jin'an further reminded Duan Aoze of his own grief when his wife passed, and how he had envied Jin'an's freedom to choose death over the throne. Duan Aoze, seeing Jin'an’s unwavering determination, could only grant his wish, despite his own reluctance to see his only brother pursue such a perilous path. Jin'an swiftly journeyed to Wuling Mountain. Mo Yin, having anticipated his arrival, welcomed him. Jin'an immediately expressed his need for Jade Linglong to bring Li Shuang back.
Mo Yin replied that matters of life and death were beyond human control and could not be forced, as all things arose and perished by the law of cause and effect. Lu Xin then angrily confronted Jin'an, calling him insane.
She reminded him of the pain he had endured to retrieve Jade Linglong in the past and accused him of hypocrisy, questioning why he hadn't told Li Shuang of his recovered memories when he had the chance, and how his neglect had led to her tragic end. She declared she could not help him. Jin'an acknowledged his guilt towards Li Shuang but asserted that for her sake, he did not care about the risks.
He then knelt, swearing with his blood that if he could bring Li Shuang back, he would sacrifice his own life to ensure Jade Linglong was returned intact. Lu Xin, still skeptical, questioned his right to demand Wuling Mountain's most precious treasure. At that moment, Jin'an’s blood caused Jade Linglong to awaken, and he merged with it. Mo Yin, observing this, instructed to let Jin'an go, explaining to Lu Xin that Jin'an’s resolute determination was unstoppable. He admitted his surprise, having always believed Jade Linglong recognized its master by blood, but realizing now that it truly recognized the shadow puppet, concluding it must be fate.
