The Legend of Mi Yue Episode 72 Recap
> The Legend of Mi Yue Recap
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Ying Ji, while acknowledging his mother's upright character, questioned her association with Yiqu Jun, concerned about the gossip it generated. Mi Yue confronted his query directly, explaining that Yiqu Jun had saved her life multiple times, earning her gratitude, and that they also shared a profound affection. She cited historical precedents where widowed rulers remarried without public outcry, asserting that her relationship with Yiqu Jun, both being widowed and compatible, conformed to natural law.
When Ying Ji brought up his deceased father, Mi Yue assured him that King Ying Si was not alone in his tomb, surrounded by his former consorts. Ying Ji, still worried about public criticism, was met with Mi Yue's fierce declaration that she would cut off the hands of those who pointed fingers. To his challenge about severing everyone's hands, Mi Yue laughed, stating that most people were too impoverished to concern themselves with others' private lives.
She then affectionately drew Ying Ji closer, reflecting on her own tumultuous life with few loved ones, and solemnly promised never to abandon him or Qin. Mi Yue then informed him that she had arranged a marriage for him with a virtuous and beautiful Chu princess. Ying Ji humbly left his marriage entirely to his mother's discretion. Soon after, Xiang'er announced a heavy snowfall.
Mi Yue reminisced about the harsh winters in Yan and the warmth provided by Yiqu Jun's furs, which Aunt Kui had made into robes for Ying Ji. Yiqu Jun, entering the hall, pledged to hunt daily to ensure Mi Yue and Ying Ji always had new clothes. Mi Yue accepted, instructing him to hunt for beasts while she prepared to win over the hearts of the old officials.
Yiqu Jun suggested waiting for better weather, but Mi Yue insisted on the urgency of her mission, remarking that unfavorable weather could sometimes lead to unexpected gains. Meanwhile, Chu Li Zi was drinking alone in his residence, refusing Mi Yue entry. Mi Yue, accompanied by Xiang'er and Hui child, was determined.
When his attendant urged her to return to the palace due to the late hour, Mi Yue declared that the nation’s pressing internal and external troubles left no room for delay. She refused his resignation, stating that while he might consider himself useless to her, he was indispensable to Great Qin and the Ying family. She envisioned him as a stabilizing patriarch for the Ying clan.
Despite Chu Li Zi’s protests of old age and detachment from current affairs, Mi Yue remained firm. She reaffirmed her intent to execute the rebellious princes and explained that Qin's laws, established by Shang Jun, required all, including royalty, to earn their status, and sought to diminish the power of old nobles annually. The Ying family, she argued, needed a respected elder to guide its members toward responsible conduct and secure Qin’s foundation.
As Chu Li Zi reiterated his plea for her to leave the bitter cold, Mi Yue recounted enduring even harsher conditions in Yan. She vowed to wait for him indefinitely—a moment, a night, or even a lifetime—until he agreed to discuss state affairs. Chu Li Zi, acknowledging her stubbornness, simply stated he needed to rest and retired, leaving Mi Yue and her retinue to wait in the snow.
As the snow fell, Mi Yue played a Chu song on her pan flute. She explained to her attendants that this music reminded her of Chu's decline due to its old nobles clinging to outdated systems, reinforcing her belief in the unyielding importance of national laws to prevent Qin from suffering a similar fate. The next morning, Chu Li Zi, surprised to find Mi Yue and her attendants still waiting outside, ushered her in.
After she warmed herself, Mi Yue acknowledged his lingering resentment but asserted his powerlessness against her. While conceding his widely recognized intelligence, she emphasized her own advantage: a willingness to risk her life, endure hardship, and her freedom from prejudice. She criticized his excessive caution, which she believed hindered him, leading him to envision defeat before victory and loss before gain.
She accused him of being disheartened by the execution of rebellious princes, fearing repercussions from old nobles, and worrying about military instability due to her reforms. She stated he had frightened himself with his own wariness, reaffirming her life and Qin’s were bound together. Chu Li Zi countered that while Mi Yue might escape chaos, he and the King could not.
Mi Yue urged him to actively serve the court, opposing anyone who harmed the nation, regardless of their royal or noble status. She then presented a grand vision: a unified Qin where all citizens were equal, ruling an empire where Qin law superseded Zhou rites, wars ceased, and the world honored Qin, leading to peace and prosperity. She asked if he dared to dream of such a future.
Chu Li Zi found her ambition daunting, reminding her of Qin’s recent territorial losses, some explicitly attributed to her own decisions. Mi Yue defiantly declared her intent to reclaim all lost land and double it. She proposed a bet: if, within ten years, Qin did not recover to the prosperity of King Huiwen’s era, she would retire from politics.
Chu Li Zi accepted, pledging his loyalty but stipulating that if she failed, she must withdraw to the inner palace and cease political involvement. Mi Yue agreed, and they sealed their pact by striking the table three times. In 305 BC, the rebellion led by the seven princes was finally suppressed with their execution in Xianyang. Mi Yue then visited King Ying Si's tomb.
She reflected on King Ying Si's complex relationship with Shang Jun, whose principles, despite Ying Si's past actions, had unknowingly become her guiding beliefs. Raising a cup of wine, she honored Shang Jun for this transformation. She then raised a second cup to King Ying Si, honoring him as the first man in her life and crediting him with fostering her self-respect and confidence, which led to her becoming the Queen Mother.
She then poured a third cup, grappling with the difficult question of whether he would have sanctioned the execution of his own sons for Qin's stability and the re-establishment of Shang Jun's laws. She declared that her grand imperial vision was precisely what he had once dreamed of, asserting that one day in the afterlife, she would stand before him, the Ying ancestors, and Qin’s pioneers without shame.
Amidst a peaceful palace, Mi Yue decided to visit Mi Shu in Qingliang Hall. Upon her arrival, Mi Shu, still defiant, refused to acknowledge Mi Yue's authority, insisting on her own position as King Huiwen's legitimate queen and referring to Mi Yue as a mere dowry girl. When an attendant mentioned Mi Shu's title had been revoked, Mi Shu angrily retorted that only the former King could strip her of her status in the underworld.
Mi Yue dismissed the formalities, acknowledging Mi Shu as her sister and sending her own attendants out for a private conversation. Mi Yue attempted to ease the tension with an unexpected and informal gesture, which Mi Shu met with disdain, clinging to her perceived superiority. Mi Yue then bowed to Mi Shu as requested, reminding her that "courtesy demands reciprocity," but Mi Shu refused to reciprocate.
Mi Yue fondly recalled their innocent past, but Mi Shu dismissed it, stating that the impermanence of life and changing hearts made a return impossible. Mi Shu questioned if Mi Yue could reverse time, restore her husband’s affection, revive her son, or return the state to her hands. She reiterated that their paths diverged from the start, with her as the legitimate princess and Mi Yue as the concubine.
Mi Shu believed Mi Yue's refusal to kill her stemmed from a desire to maintain the master-slave dynamic between them. Mi Yue corrected her, explaining that Great Qin only eliminated powerful enemies, and since Mi Shu was now powerless, there was no reason to kill or torment her. Mi Yue reaffirmed her enduring sisterly bond, promising Mi Shu a peaceful life, well-provided for in Qingliang Hall.
Mi Shu remained unconvinced, asserting that Mi Yue dared not kill her due to their differing statuses, but Mi Yue concluded by stating that the world had changed, and everything between them was now completely over.
