The Long Ballad Episode 44 Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
Yicheng sent someone to approach Mimi again, warning her to remember her mission and not to act recklessly just because Asher Sheer had her back. There was a hidden meaning in the messenger’s words. Unable to find Li Changge and full of fear, Mimi became flustered. Asher Sun was also looking for Li Changge. Though Mimi feared Yicheng, she still hadn't revealed what she knew.
When night came and Li Changge had not returned, she told Asher Sun in a panic that she suspected Yicheng was behind it. Asher Sun planned to search for Li Changge, and Mimi wanted to ask Asher Sheer for help. But Asher Sun believed that only if Mimi staged an assassination attempt on him could she gain Asher Sheer’s trust and get him to reveal Li Changge’s whereabouts. Mimi and Asher Sun staged the act.
She pretended to try to assassinate him in front of Yicheng to gain her trust, then went back to Asher Sheer’s quarters with him. Asher Sheer had already seen through their act. From Mimi, he learned that the poison given to Zhixi came from Yicheng and that Li Changge had also been captured by her. To save Li Changge, Mimi was willing to return to Asher Sheer’s side.
Seeing her deep concern for Li Changge, Asher Sheer agreed to help her find out where Li Changge was. He was curious how someone who seemed so delicate could come to control the royal court and what her true goal was. Asher Sheer sneaked into Yicheng’s room and learned from her that Li Changge was being held in a remote cabin by Sheng Xin.
Yicheng planned to use her to threaten Li Shimin and destroy the alliance between the Tang and the Northern Desert. Yicheng also intended to kill Sheng Xin. Upon hearing this, Mimi immediately informed Asher Sun of Li Changge’s location. Asher Sun rushed to the outskirts and rescued her, killing everyone who had tied her up. He wanted to kill Sheng Xin too, but Li Changge stopped him—Sheng Xin was officially registered under the Eastern Palace.
Killing him now would jeopardize the alliance. Just then, Wei Shuyu also arrived. Sheng Xin loudly accused the Northern Desert envoy of murder, and in a fit of rage, Asher Sun killed him with an arrow, leaving no witnesses. Asher Sun carried the injured Li Changge back to her room. Looking at her wounds, he felt heartache and guilt. Li Changge told him he shouldn’t have killed Sheng Xin out of impulse, but Asher Sun only worried about her safety.
If he hadn’t found her in time, he would have killed Yicheng too. Now that everything was tied to politics, even if he wanted to kill Yicheng, he had to be cautious. But he swore not to let her off easily. In a moment of tenderness, he kissed Li Changge’s forehead, but just then, Zhenzhu entered with medicine, interrupting the scene. Yicheng learned that Sheng Xin was dead and Li Changge had been rescued.
She was furious and questioning her servants when Asher Sheer came to confess—it was he who had leaked the information. He wanted to know Yicheng’s true goal: was it for the Asher's Tribe or for the former Sui Dynasty? Yicheng said it didn’t matter—her only goal was for her son to become king and rule over everything. Seeing this ambitious and unfamiliar side of her, Asher Sheer instinctively stepped back.
Sheng Xin’s death enraged the Crown Prince, who demanded Wei Shuyu find the murderer within an hour or everyone would be punished. To answer the Crown Prince, Wei Shuyu led a search of the Sifang Pavilion. Asher Sun stepped forward and admitted he was the killer, claiming he had acted under Yicheng and Asher Sheer’s orders. Since the matter involved the Asher’s Tribe, Wei Shuyu demanded that Asher Sheer come with him for questioning.
Yicheng refused to hand him over, but Asher Sheer volunteered to go to prove his innocence. Li Changge woke up and found that Asher Sun had been arrested. She realized that the medicine Zhenzhu brought last night had sleeping ingredients—Asher Sun hadn’t wanted her involved and tried to protect her. But Li Changge knew Asher Sun wanted to use his life as leverage to secure the alliance. She, too, would not give up any chance to rescue him.
Sheng Xin’s death deeply upset the Crown Prince. Despite Li Shimin’s fury, he insisted that the emperor investigate the cause. After calming down, Li Shimin sought the opinions of his advisors. Du Ruhui suggested they use Sheng Xin’s death as an opportunity to harshly punish the Asher’s Tribe and prevent their resurgence. Fang Xuanling agreed. Meanwhile, Yicheng escalated her scheme by spreading rumors in the city that the Asher’s Tribe had already mobilized troops against the desert.
This shocked the other tribes, sending them into panic and making them want to abandon the alliance. Li Changge, worried about the alliance, was visited by Li Leyan. She asked her to join in taking a risk to deal with the crisis. Then, Li Changge and Hao Dou brought Zhixi to meet Chihe of the Tiele Tribe. It turned out that Chihe had long been bought by the Asher’s Tribe, and Zhixi was not actually dead.
A fight broke out, and Zhixi exposed the Asher’s Tribe’s conspiracy. They had no intention of attacking the desert, and the letters in Chihe’s hand were all fake. The next day, Li Changge brought Zhixi before the envoys and revealed the full truth. She had noticed Mimi’s strange behavior early on and uncovered Yicheng’s plot. She arranged Zhixi’s fake death to protect Mimi and to see what kind of trick Yicheng was playing.
