The Legendary Life of Queen Lau Episode 7 Recap
> The Legendary Life of Queen Lau Recap
After being struck by an arrow during an attack, Liu Xie was confronted by Duan Yunzhang, who rushed forward with a dagger. Though Duan Yunzhang intended to kill him, Liu Xie quickly subdued him. Liu Xie asked if Duan Yunzhang admitted defeat, to which the Emperor defiantly replied that Liu Xie should kill him if he could. Meanwhile, Chai Tiezhou whistled for Su Jingtang.
Soon after, Liu Jinfeng and her mother, Yongfu, arrived at Qingchi Palace for a hot spring bath, unaware of the exact nature of the chaos. Duan Yunzhang, desperate, commanded the archers to kill Liu Xie, but Liu Xie calmly stated he had already dealt with Duan Yunzhang's men. Yongfu, feigning ignorance of the conflict, quickly intervened, ordering guards to take “these two” (Liu Xie and Duan Yunzhang) away and clean up the scene, humorously chiding them for their childish behavior.
She then firmly led Liu Jinfeng away for their hot spring bath. Inside the palace hall, Liu Xie attended to Duan Yunzhang, skillfully resetting his dislocated shoulder. When Duan Yunzhang attempted to call for an imperial physician, Liu Xie stopped him, warning that such an act would expose Duan Yunzhang's attempt to assassinate a meritorious official, potentially inciting rebellion among his loyal subordinates.
He then taunted the Emperor, pointing out that if he had applied poison to the arrow, Liu Xie might be dead, but Duan Yunzhang had lost his chance. Liu Xie advised Duan Yunzhang that if he couldn't kill someone he detested, it was wiser to learn to coexist peacefully, for the sake of his own life.
During their hot spring bath, Liu Jinfeng suddenly realized that Duan Yunzhang had used her as an excuse to trick her father, Liu Xie, into coming to the palace for an assassination attempt. She lamented that her husband tried to murder her father and, more specifically, used her to do so. Yongfu tried to soothe her, suggesting that sometimes one must turn a blind eye to such matters.
She proposed an alternative perspective, like a storybook where the handsome Xuan falls in love with his enemy's daughter, Heipang, grappling with the conflict between love and enmity. Later, at the evening banquet with the Empress Dowager, Liu Jinfeng, still fuming, discreetly prevented Duan Yunzhang from taking any food. Duan Yunzhang quickly covered for her, telling the Empress Dowager that Liu Jinfeng felt the dishes were insufficient and desired more.
When Liu Jinfeng tried to excuse herself to the washroom to further discuss the day's events, Duan Yunzhang insisted on accompanying her, physically pulling her away from the table. In a secluded area, Liu Jinfeng confronted Duan Yunzhang, demanding to know if the assassination attempt was his long-planned scheme. Duan Yunzhang admitted that his actions were necessary and that if it hadn't happened today, it would have occurred eventually.
Liu Jinfeng expressed her indifference to his long-standing feud with her father; her true anger stemmed from his repeated deceptions. She enumerated his lies, including the hot spring visit, the acrobatics performance, and his feigned weakness. She had hoped he loved her, which was why he kept lying, and offered him a chance to come clean and apologize, promising eventual forgiveness after some emotional struggle.
Duan Yunzhang scoffed, stating he cared nothing for her forgiveness and bluntly announced their pretense was over. Liu Jinfeng indignantly asserted that a wife as understanding as her would be hard to find in Donghao, questioning why he wouldn't apologize even though she was willing to overlook his attempt to kill her father. Duan Yunzhang retorted that he had done nothing wrong and owed no apology, recounting his years of enduring Liu Xie's oppression.
Liu Jinfeng then accused him of being a "useless ruler" if he continued down this path. Duan Yunzhang, further angered, revealed that Liu Xie had been deceiving and using her all along, fabricating the letters she thought were from "Xuan" and sending them to his secondary residence. He confessed that he had never written to her nor known her before their wedding, and his feigned illness and amnesia were merely ploys to protect his plan to eliminate Liu Xie.
Since his true intentions were now exposed, there was no longer a need for pretense. When Liu Jinfeng asked if he had fallen for someone else, Duan Yunzhang coldly replied that his heart remained unchanged, his preference always being for a gentle and graceful woman, not a "country shrew" like her. He then gave her a palace exit pass, challenging her to go to her father's residence for confirmation.
Duan Yunzhang returned to the banquet, falsely informing the Empress Dowager that Liu Jinfeng was feeling unwell and had gone to rest after catching a cold from the hot spring. Shortly after, Liu Xie and Yongfu excused themselves. Upon reaching the palace gate, Liu Xie discovered that his carriage had been taken by the Empress. He requested his horse, intending to ride home.
Yongfu firmly refused to return with him, reminding him of their agreement to part ways after the banquet, with her returning to Xianpa Village and him resuming his role as Grand Chancellor. Liu Xie, feigning discomfort from his earlier injury and pretending fear of riding the horse, persuaded her it was too late and dangerous to travel alone at night.
Despite her initial suspicion of his acting, Yongfu, softened by his apparent pain, helped him onto the horse, and they rode back to Liu Xie's residence. At the same time, Duan Yunzhang remained perplexed. Since Liu Xie's men had already dealt with the archers, it meant Liu Xie had been aware of the ambush all along. Duan Yunzhang couldn't fathom why Liu Xie would still come to Qingchi Palace despite knowing the danger.
Determined to unravel this mystery, he ordered Chai Tiezhou and Su Jingtang to accompany him on an investigation. Back at his residence, a servant informed Liu Xie that Liu Jinfeng had forcefully entered and ransacked his study. Liu Xie, instructing his servants to treat Yongfu as the official Madam of his residence, hurried to the study. There, Liu Jinfeng confronted him with old love letters Yongfu had written to Liu Xie, accusing him of deceiving her mother and now her.
Liu Xie, realizing Duan Yunzhang had exposed his lies, confessed that the "Xuan" letters she received were ghostwritten by him and that she had sent her letters to his secondary residence. He claimed he genuinely believed Liu Jinfeng and Duan Yunzhang were a perfect match and had only used minor manipulations to bring about their marriage. Enraged, Liu Jinfeng threatened to return to Xianpa Village.
Liu Xie countered with a powerful threat: if she refused to be the Empress, he would hide Yongfu in his various residences across the country, ensuring Liu Jinfeng would never see her mother again. Under duress, Liu Jinfeng conceded but dramatically tore up Yongfu's letters to Liu Xie before storming out, vowing to cause him embarrassment in the palace. As Liu Xie returned to his room, he found Yongfu packing a bag, intending to leave.
She told him that Liu Jinfeng's actions in his study indicated he had done something wicked, and she wanted no part of it. Liu Xie blocked her path, declaring her "grounded" in his residence. He theatrically challenged her to physically overcome him if she truly wished to leave, using his injuries as a pretense of weakness.
Yongfu, unable to bring herself to harm him despite her frustration, agreed to stay until his wounds healed, but sternly ordered him out of her room, calling him a "rotten scum." Meanwhile, Liu Baiyu's mother attempted to flee with her daughter, fearing that the new Madam (Yongfu) would mistreat them. Liu Xie received a report of substantial gifts from Xie Jun, a warlord he protected as leverage against Xiyue, and ordered them stored away as usual.
He then encountered Liu Baiyu and her mother. Dismissing the mother's pretense of wanting to meet Yongfu, Liu Xie took Baiyu to his disheveled study. Baiyu was surprised by the mess, assuming a burglar caused it. Liu Xie explained it was Liu Jinfeng's doing, but refrained from chastising her. He then informed Baiyu to prepare for a long stay in the palace starting tomorrow.
He revealed that a misunderstanding had arisen between the Emperor and Empress, and he needed Baiyu, known for her obedience and sensible nature, to enter the palace to keep an eye on Liu Jinfeng and prevent her from causing further trouble.
After Baiyu left, Liu Xie picked up the Late Emperor's posthumous edict from the floor, reflecting on the irony of his daughter treating such a revered document like a rag, and musing about how the Late Emperor could never have foreseen the intense conflict between himself and Duan Yunzhang. In Xiangluo Hall, Liu Jinfeng sobbed heartbrokenly to her maid, Sufang, convinced she was experiencing the pain of a breakup.
She asked for liquor to drown her sorrows and pondered where in the palace she could see the stars. Across the palace, Duan Yunzhang reread a note from Liu Jinfeng, reflecting on whether he had been too harsh earlier. Upon hearing that Liu Jinfeng had gone to the Astronomical Observatory, he rushed there, concerned she might do something rash. He found her heavily inebriated, her face flushed, hallucinating his presence.
She angrily told the "imaginary" Duan Yunzhang to disappear, proclaiming her love for "Xuan." Duan Yunzhang tried to console her, reminding her they were both victims of Liu Xie's deceit. He attempted to persuade her to return to her palace, but she refused, collapsing onto the ground and falling asleep in her clothes. Just then, Duan Longyue, the imperial uncle, appeared, curious about their late-night presence at the observatory.
Seeing Duan Yunzhang about to leave, he insisted the Emperor take Liu Jinfeng with him, warning that it would soon rain. Duan Yunzhang grumbled about the two hundred steps back to the palace but ultimately carried the deeply intoxicated Liu Jinfeng back, his heart a mix of conflicting emotions.
