The Legend of Mi Yue Episode 80 Recap
> The Legend of Mi Yue Recap
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Zhai Li presented Mi Yue with a stark choice between King Ying Ji and himself, threatening to divide Qin into three separate states. Mi Yue firmly rejected this proposal. He pressed his demands, suggesting that if she wouldn't abandon Ying Ji, she should at least relinquish Xianyang.
Zhai Li outlined his plan: the territory east of Xianyang would go to her son, while he would establish his own state west of Xianyang, including the area west of Dasanguan, leaving the region from Dasanguan to Xianyang for Gongzi Fei. Mi Yue countered, reminding him of her years spent unifying a fragmented Qin into the strongest power among the feudal states, capable of replacing the Zhou Dynasty. She expressed disbelief that he would now want to split it.
Zhai Li dismissed her arguments, declaring that the Yiqu people acted by sword and horse, accountable only to the heavens and their own people. Mi Yue insisted that fracturing a unified Qin was impossible. As Zhai Li prepared to give the signal for his army to attack, Mi Yue passionately confessed her deep affection for him, stating she valued him more than herself and would give him anything within her power.
She pleaded with him to reconsider, emphasizing that the Qin empire was built by both Qin and Yiqu people and neither would want to see it needlessly divided. She also appealed to his love for their son, Gongzi Fei, fearing a fratricidal conflict. Mi Yue then presented him with a brocade robe she had sewn, explaining she had brought it to him since he had not visited the palace.
Softened by her words and gesture, Zhai Li put down his wine cup, halting the planned attack. He agreed to a five-day reprieve, telling her to clarify the situation with Ying Ji. In five days, he declared, he would march on the palace; if the doors of Xuanshi Hall were open, the sheepskin map he provided would signify a peaceful division. If the doors were closed, he would disregard their past affection, lead his men in, and show no mercy.
Upon learning of Zhai Li's intentions to partition Qin, the court ministers expressed concern and suggested mobilizing the army to surround the Yiqu camp and annihilate them if they acted rashly. Mi Yue, however, rejected this approach. She explained that Qin and Yiqu soldiers had fought together for years like brothers. With tens of thousands of Yiqu soldiers near Xianyang and hundreds of thousands in the northwest, a clash would plunge Qin into endless civil war.
Her aim was to resolve the situation with minimal bloodshed. General Bai Qi, who grew up in the Yiqu tribe, offered to use his influence. He recounted how many Yiqu soldiers had settled in Xianyang, intermarried with Qin people, and considered it their home. He promised to contact them and persuade them not to view Qin soldiers as enemies if conflict became inevitable. After this discussion, a decision was made to set up defenses within the Qin palace.
As the five-day deadline neared, Mi Yue watched the sunset from the city wall with Ying Ji. She remarked on the beauty of the setting sun, melancholy that it might be Zhai Li's last. She deeply regretted bringing him from the boundless grasslands into the confines of the palace, believing she had caused him great distress by entangling him in complex political struggles.
Meanwhile, Zhai Li prepared his troops for the assault, confident that a direct confrontation with Mi Yue would be unnecessary. He dismissed a warning from his men about Mi Yue's past threat to his life, believing she couldn't bring herself to do it. Later, Gongzi Fei appeared, recounting a dream where his father, not Zhai Li, advised him to be a man and not cry after falling from a horse. Mi Yue confirmed Zhai Li had given him similar advice.
Her internal turmoil deepened, knowing that after tomorrow, Gongzi Fei might only see his father in dreams. On the fifth day, Zhai Li led his Yiqu army to Xianyang. General Bai Qi bravely confronted the Yiqu soldiers outside Xuanshi Hall, urging them to lay down their arms.
He reminded them of their shared history with Qin, their homes in Xianyang, their Qin wives and foster mothers, and the many favors they had received from the Qin court and Qin people, appealing to their loyalty and common humanity. Zhai Li, enraged by Bai Qi's words, mocked him as an ungrateful wolf cub and rallied his men, ordering them to pick up their fallen weapons.
Bai Qi pleaded with Zhai Li to stand down, stating that Qin and Yiqu bore no hatred for each other. Zhai Li challenged Bai Qi to a fight, but Bai Qi refused to raise a weapon against him, citing Zhai Li's past kindness. Enraged, Zhai Li stabbed Bai Qi with his sword and forced his way into Xuanshi Hall. Inside the heavily guarded hall, Qin soldiers defended the palace.
A Qin officer demanded Zhai Li kneel before the Queen Mother, but Zhai Li proudly declared he knelt only to heaven and earth, not to women. Accused of rebellion, he scoffed at the idea of surrender, stating he knew only how to die honorably. Zhai Li then confronted Mi Yue, challenging her to take his life as she once threatened. A fierce battle erupted between Zhai Li's forces and Qin generals like Wei Ran and Mi Rong.
Mi Yue, witnessing the carnage, cried out in anguish, begging everyone to stop the fighting. Ignoring her pleas, Zhai Li continued his rampage. Seeing the desperate situation, Meng Ao shot Zhai Li with an arrow. Mi Yue rushed to the fatally wounded Zhai Li, cradling him. She desperately asked him why he forced his way in, why he wouldn't concede.
Zhai Li, in his dying breaths, replied that it was because he was an Yiqu man, and reminded her of her promise to take his life, implying he helped her fulfill it. Heartbroken, Mi Yue fainted as Zhai Li died in her arms. Following Zhai Li's death, Qin completed its annexation of Yiqu, gaining numerous skilled cavalry and fine horses, and securing its borders for future expansion.
The court officially declared Zhai Li a rebel but, in recognition of his past service and his "repentance" through death, King Ying Ji granted him a royal funeral and provided generous compensation to his tribal family, a gesture lauded as benevolent by the ministers. However, Mi Yue was deeply affected by Zhai Li's death. She became bedridden in the Pepper Chamber, refusing to eat or drink for days, locking herself away from everyone.
Ying Ji and his ministers, including Yong Rui, Mi Rong, Wei Ran, and Bai Qi, were denied entry. Even her sons, Gongzi Fei and Gongzi Zhu, came to pay their respects, kneeling outside the door. Gongzi Fei explained that they would not rise until their mother opened the door, echoing sentiments of sharing her sorrow.
Mi Yue's personal attendants, Xiang'er, Hui'er, and Mu Xin, also knelt and pleaded with her to open the door for the sake of her children and to take some sustenance. Finally, on the third day, Mi Yue opened the door. Her appearance was haggard, her face pale, and her hair now streaked with white. The sight deeply pained everyone, especially Ying Ji, who was filled with remorse for his mother's suffering.
He tearfully apologized, but Mi Yue assured him that her sorrow was inevitable and not his fault. Ying Ji expressed his willingness to do anything for her, even die, rather than cause her pain. However, he also explained that as the King and a descendant of the Ying clan, he had duties to his ancestors and his people that sometimes conflicted with his personal desires.
Mi Yue acknowledged his words, reflecting that if she were not the Queen Mother, she could have avoided hurting both others and herself. Ying Ji then fondly recalled their difficult but intimate days in Yan, cherishing those times as the closest he had ever been to his mother.
