The Long Ballad Episode 29 Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
After the brawl, Asher Sun picked up a jar of wine and drank heartily. He admired Gongsun Heng as a hero and envied Xu Feng for having a band of brothers willing to risk their lives for him. Everyone drank together in high spirits. Through this fight, Xu Feng and Asher Sun completely let go of their grudges and accepted each other.
Meanwhile, the curfew in Luoyang had ended, but the Crown Prince was still burning candles through the night in the Ziwei Palace. Wei Shuyu tried to dissuade him, but the pampered Crown Prince refused to listen. Wei Shuyu could do nothing about such an arrogant and spoiled prince. Li Leyan was preparing to go to the marketplace to meet Li Changge, but her maid didn’t dare let her go alone.
The maid informed Hao Dou, who then accompanied Li Leyan all the way. Leyan had arranged to meet Changge and found an excuse to send Hao Dou away so she could meet with Changge alone. Changge saw how much Leyan had changed and was genuinely happy for her. Leyan had come to understand what she truly wanted—to be a real princess of the Tang Dynasty and help alleviate the people’s suffering.
Changge supported Leyan unconditionally and told her where she lived. After their conversation, Leyan remembered Hao Dou and worried he might not be able to find her. After a hug with Changge, she said goodbye. Hao Dou had bought Leyan’s favorite pastries but couldn’t find her, which made him panic and search frantically. As he turned around, he saw Leyan standing on the street with a sugar figurine waiting for him.
Leyan knew he was worried and apologized, offering him the sugar figurine. Hao Dou couldn’t control himself and pulled Leyan into his arms, afraid he had lost her. After letting go, he looked slightly embarrassed, took the sugar figurine from her, and escorted her back to the government office. At the gate, they ran into Du Ruhui, who was relieved to see Leyan.
Du Ruhui originally wanted Hao Dou to escort Leyan back to Chang’an, but Hao Dou hoped Leyan could stay in Luoyang to do what she wanted. Du Ruhui saw through Hao Dou’s true feelings and intentions for Leyan. He didn’t interfere with the affairs of the young and allowed Leyan to temporarily remain in Luoyang. The Crown Prince encountered Sheng Xin again in Ziwei Palace.
Before he could talk much with Sheng Xin, Wei Shuyu came to see him, prompting Sheng Xin to leave in a hurry. The Crown Prince blamed Wei Shuyu harshly. Meanwhile, the woman who had arranged for Sheng Xin to get close to the Crown Prince decided it was time to act. With Luoyang dry and parched recently, they planned to take advantage of the palace’s all-night candlelight to stir up chaos.
Li Changge and Li Leyan were distributing aid to refugees on Nanshan. People saw them as living bodhisattvas, while the never-seen Crown Prince became the target of much criticism. The two later ran into Quan Niang, who was preparing a water supply. Rumors were spreading that a massive fire would hit Luoyang within three days, so everyone remained on high alert. At that moment, Wei Shuyu arrived to see Leyan and met Changge, wishing to speak with her alone.
But Changge refused. The old Li Changge was already dead; she now went by the name Ali. The Crown Prince indulged himself in Ziwei Palace, keeping Sheng Xin and several boys with him for company. Wei Shuyu reported this to Du Ruhui, who came to see the Crown Prince and advised him to behave. Though the Crown Prince feared Du Ruhui, he still kept Sheng Xin close, who had approached him with ulterior motives. Asher Sun searched everywhere for Changge.
At Liuyun Temple, he saw her back but didn’t approach, thinking she was someone else after hearing a woman call her “Ali. ” He returned to the inn empty-handed and disappointed. From Xu Feng, he learned that Sun Simiao had once rescued a girl and brought her to Luoyang and that Sun Simiao had recently been treating many refugees. Knowing that Liuyun Temple was sheltering refugees, Asher Sun rushed back to search for Changge again.
