The Long Ballad Episode 31 Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
Asher Sun and Li Jing captured a death warrior in the Ziwei Palace. The warrior attempted to take poison and end his life, but Li Jing stopped him. Now that the fire at Ziwei Palace had been extinguished, Asher Sun and Li Jing decided to take the death warrior away first. Upon learning of the fire at Ziwei Palace, Du Ruhui hurried to the scene with Gao Du.
Traces of fire oil were found in the palace, suggesting the fire was deliberately set. While questioning the palace maids, Du Ruhui learned that a Taoist nun with a mole at the corner of her eye had entered the palace—features that matched Li Changge's perfectly. Du Ruhui immediately suspected her. Overwhelmed and powerless, he coughed up blood, and Gao Du quickly escorted him to Liuyun Temple.
Meanwhile, Li Leyan, deeply worried about Changge, prepared to go to Liuyun Temple to assist her. At Liuyun Temple, Du Ruhui and Gao Du ran into Changge. Changge quickly tried to avoid them, and Gao Du was ordered to capture her, but was stopped by Situ. Unafraid of a fight, Situ blocked Gao Du, who also didn’t want a direct confrontation, deciding instead to search for Changge outside the temple.
At the temple entrance, Gao Du encountered Leyan, who claimed to be there for Du Ruhui. She pretended to be lost and asked Gao Du to escort her into the temple, delaying him to buy time for Changge to escape. Li Jing brought the death warrior back to his residence. Lady Li interrogated the man and found out he was from former Sui's Dingxiang. Meanwhile, Du Ruhui was still deeply worried about Li Changge.
Knowing Leyan was determined to protect Changge, he devised a plan with Gao Du to capture her. Leyan, still concerned, learned about the danger Changge faced from Gao Du. She swapped identities with her maid and snuck out to find Changge, leaving a letter behind. After reading the letter, Changge decided to risk going out to find Leyan. Asher Sun and Li Jing played chess at a teahouse.
Asher Sun kept using Gongsun Heng’s tactics, trying to conceal his identity, but Li Jing still noticed. Li Jing didn’t know Asher Sun’s true identity but remarked that his playing style resembled that of a steppe warrior. Asher Sun firmly denied it, claiming to be from the Central Plains. He had come to find Changge.
Li Jing had assumed he was looking for a man, but upon learning it was someone he loved, he laughed heartily and offered to help him. At that moment, Asher Sun saw Gao Du hurrying by on the street and, sensing something was wrong, quickly excused himself to follow. Wei Shuyu and Leyan had planned to help Changge leave the city in secret, but Gao Du had already anticipated it.
He exposed and captured them at the inn, waiting for Changge to show up. As expected, Changge arrived, but when Gao Du opened the room door, it was a waiter standing there. Realizing something was off, he immediately led his men in pursuit. From upstairs, Shuyu and Leyan saw Changge, and realized Asher Sun had rescued her. Asher Sun held Changge's hand as they ran through the streets.
Leyan had once seen Asher Sun in Shuozhou and knew he meant no harm to Changge, so she was relieved. As Asher Sun pulled Changge along, she recalled his words and realized he didn’t hate her. Her lips curled into a smile—despite being on the run, she was happy. To evade pursuit, Asher Sun took her to the largest distillery in Luoyang—where the most dangerous place could also be the safest. Asher Sun tightly embraced Changge.
He had come all the way from the steppe just to find her. Aware that his previous words had been too harsh, he apologized and offered her a drink. Since he had saved her just now, Changge also wanted to toast him. But Asher Sun, following Central Plains customs, proposed a cross-cupped toast. Changge hadn’t intended to pledge herself to him, and Asher Sun didn’t force her. They clinked cups lightly, and he drank with a soft laugh.
They suddenly heard commotion outside and grew alert—only to discover it was the Crown Prince. It turned out he hadn’t been kidnapped but had sneaked out to play at the distillery. Chaos erupted outside due to the Crown Prince’s absence, yet he was oblivious to the trouble he had caused. Changge, stepping into her role as the elder sister, sent him off to a school for discipline.
She also learned from Asher Sun that Elder Qin and others were in Luoyang. She missed them dearly but didn’t know how to face them. Failing to capture Changge, Gao Du returned with his troops. Leyan was already waiting at the yamen. Upon seeing him, she slapped him.
