The King's Woman Episode 8 Recap
> The King's Woman Recap
The Royal Physician reported to Ying Zheng that Gongsun Li was more than a month pregnant. An enraged Ying Zheng demanded the fetus be killed, but Gongsun Li defiantly shielded her abdomen, declaring he must kill her first. She refused to beg for mercy, telling him that her life was in his hands if he wished her dead. When he called the child a "bastard," she fiercely asserted, "He is my child!"
Ying Zheng, unable to harm her, threw his sword away and left, but not before instructing Li Zhong to monitor Gongsun Li closely and threatening the Royal Physician with death if the pregnancy was revealed. Later, the royal concubines gathered for a rare feast, never having been invited by Ying Zheng before. Madame Chu, leveraging her connection to the Grand Queen Dowager, held court among the other consorts.
Ying Zheng arrived, accompanied by Gongsun Li, and announced her title as "Fourth Rank "liangren"," bestowing upon her the name Consort Li. Internally, Gongsun Li felt deep humiliation and shame at becoming a Qin concubine. To challenge her, Madame Chu suggested Consort Li recite a poem to entertain everyone. Consort Li recited a poem by Xi Gui, the Queen of Chu, a lament of loyalty to her first husband despite being forcibly taken by another king.
Ying Zheng listened with a frown, understanding the profound and defiant message within the poem. Madame Chu, noticing Ying Zheng's lack of immediate protection for Consort Li, then suggested that Consort Li, being from a military family and skilled in martial arts, should entertain them with a demonstration. Ying Zheng agreed, seeming to wish to test Gongsun Li.
Despite a concubine's protest that weapons were inappropriate in the harem, Madame Chu insisted that Qin valued military spirit and the King would not mind. Madame Chu, after Ying Zheng agreed, further suggested that Consort Li face Qin's top martial arts expert, General Meng Wu, rather than performing alone. Gongsun Li glared at him, realizing his cruel intent: to force her to fight and potentially cause a miscarriage due to her pregnancy. The party moved to the martial arts field.
Consort Li, now clad in shining silver armor with her hair tied up, appeared formidable. Concerned for her safety, Madame Min subtly urged General Meng Wu to exercise restraint during the match. However, Madame Chu openly exhorted him to take the competition seriously, emphasizing that losing to a concubine would be a blow to his reputation. Ying Zheng then declared that the winner would receive 500 "liang" of gold and ten horses, instructing Meng Wu to fight without holding back.
Consort Li then boldly requested that if she won, her heirloom bronze dagger be returned to her. Ying Zheng, noncommittal, simply told her to win first. During the intense combat, Consort Li, mindful of her pregnancy, cautiously maneuvered to protect her abdomen. Despite this, she moved swiftly, cornering General Meng Wu and placing her sword at his throat, winning the match. General Meng Wu conceded, acknowledging her impressive skill. Consort Li then asked Ying Zheng to honor his word.
As Ying Zheng began to instruct Li Zhong regarding her prize, Madame Chu interrupted, arguing that it was inappropriate for a concubine to possess a weapon, especially one so skilled, as it could pose a danger to the King. Ying Zheng concurred, stating he never intended to return the dagger and was merely ordering Li Zhong to escort Consort Li to rest.
Infuriated, Consort Li accused him of going back on his word, while Ying Zheng coolly countered that he had never explicitly promised her the dagger. Ying Zheng then stepped closer to Consort Li, asserting that allowing her to keep the child was his greatest act of benevolence. Later that night, Ying Zheng visited Consort Li's palace. While others knelt in deference, she remained standing, refusing to acknowledge him as her king. She directly told him, "You were never my king."
Ying Zheng, dismissing their attendants, reminded her that he was the one who permitted her to keep what he called her "bastard child." She vehemently corrected him, stating the child belonged to her and her senior brother, but he cut her off, fiercely warning her to never mention that man again.
He then declared that if she wished to keep the child, she must ensure everyone believed it was his, and she must swear to remain in Qin forever and acknowledge him as her king, as the price for the child's life. Consort Li reluctantly swore, "In this lifetime, I will not leave Qin." Ying Zheng then concluded by declaring he was her "sole king."
Unable to punish Consort Li despite his anger, Ying Zheng abruptly left her palace and went to Jing "liangren"'s chambers. Jing "liangren", a noblewoman from the State of Wei, had long lamented her lack of royal favor since entering the Qin palace. She was utterly surprised and delighted by Ying Zheng's unexpected visit.
The following morning, Madame Chu was informed that Ying Zheng had first visited Consort Li's palace, but left in a fit of anger shortly thereafter, only to spend the latter half of the night at Jing "liangren"'s chambers. Enraged, Madame Chu summoned Jing "liangren" and other concubines, subtly admonishing them to "share the burden" and "share the blessings" of the King's favor, implying Jing "liangren" should not monopolize his attention.
Over the next few days, Ying Zheng continued to visit Consort Li's palace, though he consistently left before midnight. Madame Chu, convinced that Consort Li, whom she considered common and crude, was merely a passing interest for the King, instructed her trusted maid, Shang Yi, to closely monitor Consort Li's activities. Shang Yi, skilled in discerning palace intrigues, suggested sneaking into Consort Li's room at night to listen.
However, Madame Chu deemed it too risky for Shang Yi herself to go, fearing it would reveal her involvement, and instead ordered her to send a trusted subordinate to gather information. That night, Consort Li continued to read and write, pointedly ignoring Ying Zheng. He, undeterred, approached her, and using the child to threaten her, he pulled her onto the bed.
He then reminded her of their previous encounter in Luoyang, asking if she had not already "slept with him" then. Consort Li recalled the night, realizing the man she knew as "Young Sir Zhao" had indeed been the King of Qin all along, exclaiming that she should have known he was a liar.
Ying Zheng clarified that he never shares a bed with anyone, and the person who slept with her that day was truly "Young Sir Zhao," not the King of Qin. Meanwhile, Jing Ke, having ridden a fast horse to Xianyang, sought to infiltrate the royal palace. By chance, he overheard two palace maids, Qing'er and another, discussing Consort Li, noting her newfound favor with the King and his frequent visits to her chambers.
Jing Ke, desperate for news, immediately stopped them and demanded to know Consort Li's whereabouts. Qing'er, wary of the unfamiliar man, suspected him to be an assassin and quickly called for guards. Despite his exceptional martial skills, Jing Ke was surrounded and captured by the numerous palace guards. He was then subjected to several days of harsh torture in prison. During his captivity, he overheard jailers making crude remarks about Consort Li, further fueling his anger. Unexpectedly, an order arrived for Jing Ke to be sent to Mount Li as a "chengdan," a form of forced labor.
