The Long Ballad Episode 41 Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
Gao Du took Leyan away, and when Leyan saw Shuyu, her emotional defenses collapsed. She wept as she threw herself into Shuyu’s arms, wanting to feign her death to break off the arranged marriage. Faking her death was the last resort, and Shuyu disagreed with Leyan’s plan. He believed there had to be another way to save her. Seeing Shuyu’s reaction, Leyan began to have doubts—whether she married into the grasslands or not, it seemed Shuyu wouldn’t care.
Shuyu confessed frankly that he had always regarded Leyan as his own younger sister. Hearing his thoughts, Leyan was deeply saddened. She asked Shuyu to leave first. Just as Shuyu stepped out, he ran into Gao Du. Gao Du, angered by Shuyu’s attitude, started a heated argument. Leyan, upset, simply drove both of them out. Changge told Mimi that Yicheng and others had come to the Tang Dynasty. Mimi had come to her senses and no longer feared threats.
Asher Sun also brought news that Mu Jin had successfully infiltrated the royal tent, but now that Yicheng knew Asher Sun was alive, Mimi became even more worried about Mu Jin’s safety. That night, Gao Du came to drape a cloak over Leyan. He knew she didn’t want the arranged marriage and that she had feelings for Shuyu. He offered to kidnap Shuyu and let him take Leyan away to live in seclusion.
Gao Du would even raise money and prepare horses for them, willing to bear everything. But Leyan was no longer the little girl she once was. She now understood her identity as Princess Yong’an. She chose to stay—not because she wanted the marriage, but because she would fight for herself. She only asked Gao Du to stand behind her as her strongest support.
Asher Sun came to meet Yicheng, wanting to know why she had come to Chang’an and why she was managing the internal affairs of Asher's Tribe. Yicheng claimed she had come on behalf of the Great Khan and that if Asher Sun were willing to lead the Eagle Division back to the grasslands, he could return to the royal tent. Asher Sun didn’t believe a word she said.
Yicheng then tried to provoke him using Li Changge’s name, but Asher Sun simply walked out of her room. Outside, he ran into Sheer. He knew Sheer would not do such things, and none of this was his fault. He just hoped Sheer would stop living like a fool. It was the arrow Yicheng shot in Mobei that nearly cost him his life.
With help from an old acquaintance in the royal tent, Mu Jin learned that the Great Khan had been poisoned and that there were no children in Dingxiang Palace—the only place with children was the Sui King’s residence. After testing Yicheng, Asher Sun came to tell Changge that Yicheng had taken power. Changge wasn’t afraid. If soldiers came, they would fight; if floods came, they would build dikes.
But she hadn’t seen any sign of Mimi and feared she might be in danger. Mimi went to see Yicheng, who broke one of Buzhen’s fingers as a threat and gave Mimi a bottle of poison to do her bidding. Mimi buried Buzhen’s finger in tears. When Sheer saw Mimi, he was overjoyed and confessed his feelings. But Mimi didn’t like Sheer.
She recalled the fear of being a slave in her childhood, trembling every day just to play with Sheer—something he could never understand. She could never go back to the royal court with him. Shuyu wanted to save Leyan. He couldn’t bear to see her married off, so he sought help from Wei Zheng. Wei Zheng laid out the current political situation plainly: only by becoming the imperial consort could Leyan avoid the arranged marriage.
He told Shuyu to consider his own feelings—if he liked her, he needed to fight for her. Shuyu began to waver. But he had no romantic feelings for Leyan, so he didn’t go to Taiji Palace. Instead, he went to see Changge. He didn’t love Leyan and didn’t want to give her false hope or push her into another pit of fire. Changge understood Shuyu’s position and believed a turning point would come.
Li Shimin couldn’t possibly just watch Leyan be married off; they just needed to wait for the right time. At Taiji Palace, the officials discussed Princess Yong’an’s marriage. Most supported the alliance, and Minister Chen was especially in favor. Leyan arrived as Princess Yong’an and spoke about duty to country and people. She argued that the Tang Dynasty need not keep compromising with Asher’s Tribe. The Tang’s prosperity existed to protect its people.
Minister Chen opposed her speech, but Leyan stood firm against the majority. Gao Du and Du Ruhui arrived, and Du Ruhui supported her view. He declared the Tang was a great nation and had no need to fear one word from Asher’s Tribe. If the tribe could take a princess away with a single demand, they would never respect the Tang again. With Du Ruhui’s support, Li Shimin could now justly refuse the marriage.
He declared the Tang would never sacrifice its women for temporary peace. Three days later, he would take Leyan to the Sifang Pavilion, where she would personally tell the tribe that the old agreement was void and the marriage refused. Three days later, at a banquet, Yicheng once again raised the issue of the marriage. Leyan rejected the alliance with Asher’s Tribe on the spot.
Yicheng and Sheer tried to stir up the tribes, saying that if the Tang refused this marriage, they would also break other alliance treaties. The crowd grew restless. To stabilize the situation, Changge directly suggested an alliance competition: only the brave were worthy of Leyan. Li Shimin should hold a martial contest to choose the best consort. Sheer, full of pride, refused to back down and immediately accepted the challenge, eager to win.
