The Autumn Ballad Episode 33 Recap
> The Autumn Ballad Recap
Imperial Commander Yan and Liang Yi burst into the Hongzhen Holy Palace. Imperial Commander Yan declared he had come to save His Majesty and would show no mercy to those who stood in his way. Inside, the Grand Preceptor presented the newly refined heavenly pill to the Emperor, assuring him of its effectiveness despite its pungent smell, which he claimed was due to its unique ingredients. Eunuch Liu also vouched for the pill's safety.
Convinced, the Emperor consumed half a pill and then offered the other half to the Grand Preceptor, wishing for shared longevity. At that moment, Liang Yi rushed in, warning the Emperor that the pill was poisonous and that the Grand Preceptor was a Northern Liang spy. The Grand Preceptor, protesting his innocence and crying "I am innocent, Your Majesty!" , immediately died with a look of disbelief on his face.
Liang Yi explained to Official Yuan that he had come to surrender information about Northern Liang's plot to assassinate the Emperor. The Emperor was quickly escorted back to the palace for a physician. Once back in the palace, he complained of dizziness, sore shoulders, and aching legs, feeling uncomfortable all over.
While Imperial Physicians reported no abnormalities in his pulse, he worried that the half-pill he had consumed would lead to a tragic death like the Grand Preceptor's, especially after the Noble Consort warned him about Northern Liang poisons that could remain symptomless for days before taking full effect. Panicked, the Emperor demanded an emetic soup immediately. Meanwhile, Qiu Yan, analyzing the situation, felt something was off.
She reasoned that Official Yuan's meticulously planned three memorials could only have been uncovered if there were two spies comparing lists, leading her to suspect Eunuch Liu. She also noted the disparity between the Grand Preceptor's immediate death and the Emperor's delayed symptoms. The Emperor eventually consumed the emetic soup, which Eunuch Liu brought to him. He was immediately seized by agonizing stomach pains.
Others initially believed the soup was working, but to their horror, the Emperor suddenly gasped and died. Eunuch Liu, feigning deep sorrow, quickly blamed the "Northern Liang old thief" (referring to the Grand Preceptor) for using varying doses of poison, claiming it was too late even with the soup. The Noble Consort, despite her grief, remained composed. She ordered Imperial Commander Yan to immediately seal all palace gates, contain the news, and maintain order.
She then dispatched Liu Quan to inform the Crown Prince to prepare for his ascension. Upon arriving at the palace gates, Liang Yi, Qiu Yan, and Qin Xuan learned of the Emperor's death. They were permitted entry and immediately informed the Noble Consort that Liu Quan was also a Northern Liang spy, much to her shock, as she had just sent him to the Crown Prince.
Qiu Yan explained that the Grand Preceptor was merely a pawn, and the pill given to the Emperor was harmless. The true poison, she asserted, was in the emetic soup, added by Liu Quan during its delivery, bypassing all testing procedures. A subsequent examination by physicians confirmed Qiu Yan's theory.
Realizing the full extent of Liu Quan's cunning, the Noble Consort furiously ordered Imperial Commander Yan to dispatch guards to all major roads in the capital and seize Liu Quan, fearing he would escape with the indenture contract to a feudal lord and ignite chaos across Dashuo. Despite extensive efforts to search all major roads leading out of the capital and additional barriers set up by the Main Administrative Office, Liu Quan remained elusive.
The Noble Consort grew increasingly frustrated, giving Imperial Commander Yan three days to find him or face removal from office. Official Yuan tried to appease her, explaining that while Liu Quan's exact whereabouts were unknown, they had successfully contained him within the capital, preventing any immediate feudal rebellion. The Noble Consort, however, remained deeply uneasy, especially with the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony approaching, as Liu Quan's continued freedom posed a significant threat to national stability.
Liang Yi reminded the Noble Consort of her promise to return his mother and clear his name, and the Noble Consort confirmed his mother was safe with her. Qiu Yan, meanwhile, mused on Liu Quan's seemingly impatient escape. She deduced that he must have escaped the city and then secretly snuck back into the capital. His confident disappearance suggested he was certain his hiding place was somewhere they would never suspect.
She concluded he aimed to wait until everyone had given up on the fruitless outer search, then strike when their guard was down, instigating feudal lords to revolt only after the Crown Prince had officially solidified his power. Liang Yi resolved to arrange a comprehensive search of the entire capital.
Concerned about Qin Xuan, who had not returned home for days due to his work at the Ministry of War in coordinating the city-wide search for Liu Quan, Qiu Min went to find him. Qin Xuan explained the revised theory that Liu Quan had snuck back into the capital. Qiu Min, wanting to help, claimed she knew a potential hiding place for Liu Quan and led Qin Xuan to a former Northern Liang spy stronghold.
Beixue, who accompanied them, immediately noticed the seal on the door had been tampered with. Inside, they found Liang Yi and Qiu Yan, who had also considered the same location. Qiu Min admired Qiu Yan's foresight. After searching the premises and finding nothing, Qiu Yan suggested they leave. However, Qiu Min noticed suspicious crates that hadn't been there before. Upon closer inspection, Qiu Min discovered a secret door behind the crates leading to a cellar.
Liang Yi descended first, followed by Qiu Yan, while Beixue remained above. In the cellar, they finally found Liu Quan, who appeared remarkably calm, drinking Northern Liang wine. He acknowledged their success in finding him but asked to finish his wine and share his story, promising not to speak in court otherwise. They agreed. Liu Quan revealed he had been a spy for Northern Liang since the age of twelve, infiltrating the Dashuo palace as a eunuch.
He meticulously rose through the ranks, even orchestrating the rise of a low-grade fortune teller into the Grand Preceptor, using him to gain proximity to the Emperor. He denied involvement in the Wei clan's demise but confessed to his role in the death of Liang Yi's father. He explained that Liang Yi's father had discovered the Noble Consort's Northern Liang heritage and submitted her indenture contract in a secret memorial.
Liu Quan intercepted the memorial, hid the contract, and purposely allowed the Noble Consort to discover the memorial's existence, leading her to destroy it and assassinate Liang Yi's father. He further admitted to arranging for Duke Lu to shoot Liang Yi's father to facilitate the Noble Consort's actions. Liu Quan also confessed to his attempts on Liang Yi's life, driven by Liang Yi's efforts to reform the military, which he viewed as a significant threat to Northern Liang's southward expansion.
He admitted his "only failing" was Liang Yi escaping his initial assassination plot, forcing him to deploy hidden Northern Liang assassins. He acknowledged the death of Liang Yi's guard, Song Jin. Liu Quan then boasted about successfully killing the Emperor, explaining that he had immediately seen through Liang Yi's group's "three memorials" ploy when the Grand Preceptor came to him with his own list.
He had never informed the Grand Preceptor of the true assassination plan, knowing he wouldn't dare participate. Instead, he simply added a small, non-lethal dose of Anling poison to the Grand Preceptor's tea, designed to kill him if agitated, making it appear as though the pill had caused his death. After finishing his story and his wine, Liu Quan, with a wry smile, triggered a hidden mechanism, sending a volley of arrows flying.
Liang Yi and Qin Xuan scrambled to defend themselves. In a selfless act, Qiu Min threw herself in front of Qiu Yan, taking an arrow to shield her, and immediately fell unconscious. Qin Xuan swiftly carried the gravely wounded Qiu Min back to his residence. The physician managed to stop the bleeding, but Qiu Min's survival hinged on her ability to endure the night. Meanwhile, Liang Yi delivered the recovered indenture contract, taken from Liu Quan, to the Noble Consort.
He confirmed that Liu Quan had been handed over to Official Yuan and reminded her that he had fulfilled his part of their agreement. The Noble Consort, in turn, informed him that his mother had been safely returned to the Marquis Weiyuan's residence and reassured him that his name would be officially cleared of regicide and treason after the Crown Prince's enthronement. She pledged to uphold her promise.
Later, in a private moment, the Noble Consort identified herself as "Que Qing," a subject of "Great Liang." She then burned the indenture contract to ashes, before taking her own life by hanging, having left a note indicating her desire to join the Emperor in death. Qin Xuan remained diligently by Qiu Min's side throughout the night, deeply affected by her importance to him. To his immense relief, Qiu Min finally awoke.
Seeing Qin Xuan holding her hand, she instinctively squeezed it back, bringing a look of joyous surprise to Qin Xuan's face. He immediately called for the physician, who confirmed Qiu Min's recovery. Qin Xuan arranged for Qiu Min to recuperate at his residence. As the major crises seemed to resolve, Liang Yi assumed Qiu Yan would once again leave the capital.
However, Qiu Yan expressed her intention to stay longer, noting it was a rare return and she wished to remain with Madam Jin, who had been quite shaken by the recent events. As Liang Yi prepared to speak to Qiu Yan about something important, they were interrupted by Official Yuan, who, acknowledging his changed perception of Liang Yi after their recent shared struggles, requested a private conversation.
