The Legendary Life of Queen Lau Episode 34 Recap
> The Legendary Life of Queen Lau Recap
After drinking tea offered by Shuanzi, Duan Yunzhang suddenly collapsed. Meanwhile, in Xianpa Village, Jinfeng was tied up by her mother, Yongfu. Jinfeng expressed anger at Liu Xie for supposedly forcing abdication, but Yongfu clarified that her husband was not that kind of man.
Yongfu told Jinfeng that she was the one person in the world who knew her father best, and that tonight, he would enter the imperial capital, just as he did years ago, to fulfill his true mission. Earlier, Duan Yunchong had tried to block Liu Xie's approaching forces at the palace gates using slingshots, but his efforts proved futile against Liu Xie's advance.
Inside the palace, several eunuchs expressed dissatisfaction with Shuanzi for having used knockout drops instead of direct poison on His Majesty earlier that morning, complicating their task now. They reconsidered their actions, reflecting on how handsome the Emperor was and how well he had treated them over the years, even promising not to attack the Xiyue Empire. They questioned whether rebelling against such a ruler would make them inhumane.
Just then, Li Yuan stormed into the sleeping quarters, chastising the eunuchs as useless cowards for not rebelling. Duan Yunzhang, who had been unconscious, rose to confront Li Yuan, and the two engaged in a fierce fight. Outside, Su Jingtang had set up a trap and successfully captured Liu Xie. Liu Xie expressed his annoyance at Su Jingtang for ruining his plans, asserting that if he were truly plotting rebellion, he wouldn't endanger himself in such a manner.
Su Jingtang acknowledged the logic of this statement. At this point, Jinfeng, still tied up, finally understood from Yongfu that her father was not staging a rebellion but was actually going to save Duan Yunzhang. Jinfeng asked if this meant members of the palace were rebelling. Yongfu explained that while someone might instruct them to rebel, they wouldn't necessarily comply, much like Jinfeng herself often didn't heed her mother's advice to study diligently.
As Duan Yunzhang and Li Yuan fought to a stalemate, Liu Xie arrived and joined the fray, helping Duan Yunzhang defeat Li Yuan. Li Yuan, wounded, confronted Liu Xie, demanding to know why he had betrayed their earlier agreement. Li Yuan reminded Liu Xie of their pact: he would help Liu Xie depose the young emperor and ascend to the throne of Donghao, in exchange for ten cities for Xiyue.
Liu Xie scoffed at Li Yuan's words, claiming he had no interest in being an emperor or ruling the world. He then challenged Li Yuan to call upon his numerous spies within the palace, saying none would obey him. Liu Xie further revealed that Li Yuan's nephew, Yu Changya, had already passed the valley checkpoint, accompanied by 20,000 elite soldiers from the Jingji Battalion, provided by Liu Xie.
He advised Li Yuan that dying in Donghao with some dignity would be preferable to returning to Xiyue, where his own nephews might inflict a far worse fate upon him. Liu Xie then asked Duan Yunzhang if it was appropriate to deal with Li Yuan this way, to which Duan Yunzhang agreed. Liu Xie then ordered his guards to kill Li Yuan.
Duan Yunzhang instructed Su Jingtang to obey Liu Xie's command, and Liu Xie reminded Su Jingtang of some prior instructions. Meanwhile, a group of Xiyue palace maids discussed how to deal with the sleeping Empress Dowager. She suddenly woke, feeling her heart beating erratically and sensing that the night would be anything but peaceful. The maids quickly led her outside, where she found the palace seemingly calm. To further distract her, they offered to perform conjuring tricks.
Elsewhere, Consort Dowager Xu found the night to be agonizingly long. Her maid returned, reporting that events had unfolded exactly as Consort Dowager Xu had predicted. Consort Dowager Xu mused on Li Yuan's ordinary yet overly confident nature, then declared she would go to see him off, stating that she would not act unrighteously, even if Li Yuan had been unkind to her.
On her way, Su Jingtang intercepted Consort Dowager Xu, informing her that Liu Xie had instructed him to allow her to bid farewell to Li Yuan. He also mentioned that the "thing" Liu Xie had mentioned was in his possession, implying she had the power to decide Li Yuan's fate. After Su Jingtang and his men departed, Li Yuan angrily accused Consort Dowager Xu of being a traitor.
Consort Dowager Xu retorted, expressing her disappointment that Li Yuan had changed so much from the man who promised to take her home once he achieved success. She questioned if perhaps she had been wrong about him all along.
She then produced a dagger, revealing it to be the very weapon Li Yuan had used years ago to stab his own elder brother in the chest, noting that she should have realized he was capable of killing even his closest family members, let alone her. Li Yuan, resigned, asked her to end his suffering quickly. Unable to bring herself to do so, Consort Dowager Xu instead cut his ropes, telling him to leave.
Unexpectedly, Li Yuan snatched the dagger and took Consort Dowager Xu hostage, intending to use her to bargain with Duan Yunzhang for military power. He declared that from the moment he killed his elder brother, there had been no turning back. As he spoke, an arrow struck him from behind, and the dagger slipped from his grasp. Consort Dowager Xu turned to see Li Yuan collapsing.
Su Jingtang then announced an imperial decree: Consort Dowager Xu was to be absolved of all past crimes for her meritorious act of capturing the traitor. In Xianpa Village, Jinfeng grew impatient, wondering why Duan Yunzhang had not yet come for her. Yongfu explained that pride was paramount for men and opined that His Majesty would be the one to yield first. At that moment, Duan Yunzhang and Liu Xie were playing chess.
Liu Xie reminded Duan Yunzhang of the Late Emperor's dying instruction to always listen to him, then suggested that Duan Yunzhang should apologize. Duan Yunzhang countered that Liu Xie owed him an explanation for his seemingly fickle actions, particularly regarding his earlier pact with Li Yuan to usurp the throne, and his sudden disinterest in becoming emperor and swift elimination of Li Yuan.
Duan Yunzhang recalled overhearing Liu Xie's private talks with the Xiyue emissary when he had run away from the palace. Liu Xie then recounted Duan Yunzhang's childhood antics: playing with court memorials like poker cards during morning assemblies, drawing self-portraits instead of studying political discourse, hiding in the Imperial Garden to play with crickets to avoid exams, and climbing onto a rooftop after being disciplined, declaring that being emperor was tiresome and boring.
Liu Xie expressed his frustration at Duan Yunzhang's willfulness regarding matters of state and the livelihood of the people. Duan Yunzhang, in a fit of pique, offered the throne to Liu Xie, who then had the ladder removed, leaving the young prince stranded. Liu Xie revealed that it was only when Duan Yunzhang confronted him about the "conspiracy" with the Xiyue emissary that he heard a truly ambitious statement from the young prince, vowing to diligently guard his father's empire.
Before that, Liu Xie had been utterly disappointed and had considered giving up. Duan Yunzhang finally understood that Liu Xie had deliberately feigned being a treacherous minister all these years to motivate him to become a good emperor. Liu Xie clarified that this was not the sole reason. Li Yuan's initial offer to exchange assistance for Donghao cities had exposed his ambition to invade Donghao.
Liu Xie had merely played along, but when Duan Yunzhang stumbled upon their conversation, mistaking it for a genuine treasonous plot, Liu Xie decided to use the misunderstanding to his advantage. Since the Xiyue spies within Donghao had not yet been fully uncovered, Liu Xie maintained his "treacherous" facade, keeping Li Yuan preoccupied and buying time to root out the spies.
Duan Yunzhang realized that all the "spies" Liu Xie had previously captured, including Elder General Ling and Grand Tutor Wei, were, in fact, Xiyue agents. Liu Xie explained that he was now being honest because Li Yuan had been executed, and all the Xiyue spies had either been eliminated or had pledged allegiance to Donghao. With these matters resolved, Liu Xie reiterated his demand for an apology from Duan Yunzhang.
Duan Yunzhang hesitated, citing the ancient tradition that only officials apologize to the emperor, never the reverse. Liu Xie reminded him that Jinfeng would have taught him to apologize when he was in the wrong, regardless of his status. Duan Yunzhang, gathering his courage, sincerely apologized. He then asked why Liu Xie had taken such a roundabout approach and hadn't explained things earlier. Liu Xie stated that if one believes, there's no need for explanation.
He then revealed that he had arranged for Jinfeng to marry into the palace because she possessed the qualities Duan Yunzhang lacked, qualities essential for both an emperor and a man. Duan Yunzhang thanked Liu Xie for Jinfeng, marveling that Liu Xie had known her character without ever meeting her. Liu Xie confidently replied, "Like mother, like daughter," expressing his trust in Yongfu. Duan Yunzhang then announced his intention to bring Jinfeng back to the palace immediately.
Liu Xie warned him that it wouldn't be so simple, as Duan Yunzhang had gone "a bit too far" earlier. He advised Duan Yunzhang to figure out how to coax the Queen himself, as such matters were beyond his interference, and then promptly departed. The next morning, during the court session, a minister reported an urgent message from the valley checkpoint: a coup had occurred in the Xiyue Empire, Emperor Li Yuan had been assassinated, and his military power seized.
The coup, he stated, was planned by Li Ya, the son of the Late Emperor of Xiyue and the former crown prince. Duan Yunzhang calmly acknowledged the report, stating that it was not their concern and there was no need for alarm. The Minister of War then presented a secret message, alleging that Consort Dowager Xu had caused trouble in the harem and that Prince Qi was not the Late Emperor's son.
Duan Yunzhang remarked that he received even more secret messages, such as one accusing the Minister of War himself of being a spy for the Cangwu Empire. The terrified minister immediately knelt, offering to die to prove his innocence. Duan Yunzhang chuckled, also mentioning a message that claimed the Minister of Rites' wife was the daughter of a former dynasty traitor, prompting the Minister of Rites to frantically clarify his wife's loyal lineage.
Duan Yunzhang explained that most secret messages were fabricated and proposed abolishing the practice entirely. He advocated for open communication between ruler and subjects, fostering mutual trust and eliminating suspicion. The ministers, convinced, had no further objections. Duan Yunzhang then unexpectedly asked them how they managed to coax their wives back home.
