The Eternal Love Episode 4 Recap
> The Eternal Love Recap
In her bedchamber, Qu Tan'er’s back was covered in bloodstains and needle marks inflicted by the Grand Lady. As Jing Xin tended to the wounds, her heart ached for her mistress. Qu Tan'er winced, joking that she hoped the injuries wouldn't leave scars as she lacked money for cosmetic surgery. She complained that her "poor beautiful back" would now prevent her from wearing revealing tops to flirt with handsome men.
When asked for medicine, Jing Xin regretfully explained that the Grand Lady had confiscated all their remedies before the wedding, deeming them bad luck. Jing Xin then offered to ask Mo Liancheng for help, but Tan'er vehemently refused, certain he would rather see her suffer. Accepting her mistress's decision, Jing Xin went to the kitchen to get boiled eggs for a hot compress.
Left alone, Qu Tan'er recalled the day's unexpected kiss and grew agitated, cursing Mo Liancheng as a "pervert" and a "jerk" for stealing her first kiss. She lamented that he was a cunning man, unlike the gentle princes in TV dramas. As she vented, the person wiping her back suddenly pressed harder, causing her to cry out. Believing it was Jing Xin, she advised her never to marry a man like Mo Liancheng.
When she turned, she was shocked to find Mo Liancheng himself. He coolly stated that since he was such a "pervert," he saw no reason to leave and intended to act like one. He then threatened her, reminding her that insulting the Royal Family was a crime punishable by at least ten years in prison. Terrified that imprisonment would prevent her from returning to her own time, Tan'er immediately changed her demeanor.
She sweetly apologized, claiming her outburst was due to pain, and showered him with compliments, calling him "charming, handsome, and lovable." Seemingly unmoved, Mo Liancheng agreed not to be angry on the condition that she truthfully answer all his questions. Mo Liancheng asked if the Grand Lady had always tortured her. Qu Tan'er confirmed she had many old wounds that hadn't healed. Skeptical, Mo Liancheng demanded proof.
Tan'er pulled back her blanket to expose her back and asked if he could see. Claiming he couldn't see clearly, he prompted her to shift closer. As she did, she unintentionally turned, bringing her face just inches from his in a tense, intimate moment. The spell was broken by Jing Xin's return with the eggs. Mo Liancheng composedly instructed Jing Xin to care for the princess before departing.
Once he was gone, Tan'er asked Jing Xin about the law threatening ten years in prison, only to learn that no such law existed, realizing Mo Liancheng had been toying with her. The next morning, Qu Tan'er's sister, Qu Pan'er, emerged from the bedchamber. Jing Xin, mistaking her for Tan'er, reported that she had searched the entire palace for the ancient bed, with only Mo Liancheng's inaccessible bedroom remaining.
Feigning ignorance, Pan'er had Jing Xin recount the story of Tan'er's obsessive search. Internally, Pan'er, who was on a mission from Mo Yihuai to find the Royal Command token, realized she could use the search for the bed as a perfect cover for her own activities. She then instructed Jing Xin to prepare tea and snacks for Mo Liancheng's study. Meanwhile, Yu Hao reported to Mo Liancheng that Jing Xin was searching for something.
Mo Liancheng, already aware of the deception, remarked that the "prey" was finally revealing itself. Just then, Pan'er, still posing as Tan'er, entered his study. She urged him to rest, but he curtly dismissed her. He then bluntly told her, "people get tired after pretending for a long time."
When she feigned confusion, he turned his attention to Jing Xin, threateningly asking if his "dear wife" would give the maid to him as a gift, which caused Jing Xin to faint from shock. Pan'er then deliberately spilled tea on Mo Liancheng, hoping for an excuse to follow him to his bedroom. He stopped her, warning that his bedroom was off-limits and any theft would have severe consequences. Defeated, she departed.
Later that night, a woman was seen hiding a note inside a loose brick in the backyard wall. The Emperor summoned Mo Yihuai and Mo Liancheng to discuss the escalating border conflict and the misconduct of General Guo Yu. Mo Yihuai suggested a lenient approach, proposing that the general atone for his actions on the battlefield. Mo Liancheng, however, offered a more insightful solution, identifying that the general's arrogance stemmed from over-centralized authority.
He proposed implementing a system of checks and balances by sending supervisors and strengthening the soldiers' individual power, thus solving the root problem. The Emperor praised Mo Liancheng for pinpointing the "crux of the problem" and urged Mo Yihuai to improve his own judgment. Bored and hungry, Qu Tan'er was doing yoga when Jing Xin returned with snacks. Jing Xin also brought news that Mo Liancheng had been urgently summoned to the Emperor's palace.
Seizing the opportunity, Tan'er declared her intention to search his bedroom for the ancient bed that night. Jing Xin, confused by the impostor's visit to the study earlier, nervously warned her against taking more risks, but Tan'er was resolute, desperate to find the bed and return home. Elsewhere, Mo Yihuai was ambushed by two cloaked figures. After being swiftly defeated, he learned they were practitioners of witchcraft.
They offered to help him ascend the throne in exchange for the Soul Bead, a sacred treasure they believed was hidden in the Imperial Study. Eager for power, Mo Yihuai readily agreed to their terms. Qu Tan'er snuck into Mo Liancheng's luxurious bedroom and was overjoyed to find the ancient bed. Convinced she could finally go home, she decided to take one of his expensive vases as compensation for her suffering.
She lay on the bed and counted down, but nothing happened. As she tried again, she was startled by Mo Liancheng's voice right beside her. Panicked, she claimed to be a "nightwalker" who had wandered into the wrong room, then changed her story to having followed a "special smell." Mo Liancheng sternly reminded her that she had violated his rules.
He then terrifyingly offered her three ways to die: a certificate of divorce followed by suicide, slitting her own throat with his sword, or taking a quick-acting poison. Qu Tan'er frantically pleaded for her life, arguing that as Minister Qu's daughter, her death would be problematic. Mo Liancheng coldly retorted that he would simply claim she died protecting him from an ambush.
He then revealed his true anger was that she had "touched his belongings," specifically a "secret compartment at the back of the cabinet." As he pressed her, an assassin appeared, seizing Tan'er and demanding the Royal Command token. Feigning indifference, Mo Liancheng declared that Tan'er meant nothing to him. As the assassin was momentarily distracted, Mo Liancheng killed him with a swift dart. Still in shock, Tan'er was escorted back to her room.
Yu Hao searched the dead assassin and found a note stating the Royal Command token was in Mo Liancheng's room. Examining the note, Mo Liancheng observed that it was written in a woman's hand and mused that every woman in the palace was now a suspect, anticipating a "good show."
