The Long Ballad Episode 49 (Ending) Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
On the eve of the storm, Li Changge and Asher Sun sat together in a forest outside the city. Li Changge brought up the marriage proposal letter Asher Sun had left behind—she accepted him, saying that having him in this life was enough. Then, Li Changge asked about the connection between Asher Sun and Li Jing. Asher Sun said he had met Li Jing before leaving Chang'an.
They had reached an agreement: he would take back command of the Eagle Division and help Li Jing break the situation in Dingxiang, while Li Jing would assist him in rescuing the Great Khan. The two shared a tender moment before the great battle. Asher Sun mentioned the three things Li Changge had promised him earlier. The second was that she must never again say things like "sorry" or "thank you" to him.
As for the third, he believed there would be plenty of time to talk about it in the future. Asher Sun and Li Changge returned to the camp, and Hao Dou had also arrived to join the main force. One of Li Jing’s scout teams had discovered Yicheng’s military strength, and he sent men for a surprise attack. However, another scout unit had not returned, so Asher Sun decided to lead a group of the Eagle Division to investigate.
Li Changge and Hao Dou remained at the command tent to handle emergency situations. Raymond led an elite force to escort Sheer away. Learning that there were pursuers behind them, he had Tuluk take Sheer and flee ahead. Sheer hoped Raymond would give up the fight, but Raymond was furious at Sheer’s incompetence and ordered Tuluk to forcibly take Sheer away. Mu Jin and Asher Sun arrived with the Eagle Division.
Mu Jin stayed behind with a squad to fight Raymond, while Asher Sun led the rest to chase after Sheer. Raymond killed Mimi Guli, and Mu Jin personally killed Raymond to avenge her. Mu Jin believed Raymond lived his whole life blindly obeying orders, never understanding what feelings truly meant. Before his death, Raymond denied Mu Jin’s words. He said he wasn’t obeying orders—he was keeping a promise, one that would take a lifetime to fulfill.
Asher Sun and the Eagle Division intercepted Sheer and the Bear Division. Sheer ordered the Bear soldiers to lay down their weapons and challenged Asher Sun to a duel. The two drew their swords, but Sheer dropped his blade, wanting to die at Asher Sun’s hands. He believed that only Asher Sun's blade was worthy of being stained with his blood. Asher Sun stopped in time and told Sheer not to punish himself for others' mistakes.
Since Sheer had brought the Bear soldiers out, he returned the sword to Sheer and asked him to lead them to live a free life. The two were always brothers, and Asher Sun believed that once the battle on the grasslands was over and new grass had sprouted, they would meet again and drink mare’s milk wine together, facing off in a real fight.
They parted ways, and Asher Sun ordered the Eagle Division to let the Bear Division pass, telling Sheer to head west—far away, never to get involved in these conflicts again. Li Jing moved swiftly and decisively, defeating the enemy forces at Dingxiang. Hao Dou then led troops to capture Yicheng, but she wasn’t in the carriage. Instead, all the tribal leaders had already been persuaded to surrender by Hao Dou. Yicheng hadn’t planned to flee with the army.
Li Changge realized this and suspected that Yicheng never intended to escape at all. The main force advanced toward the royal palace of Dingxiang, where Yicheng was already waiting in the grand hall. Li Changge went to meet her alone. Yicheng spoke of her difficult life. She was merely a woman of the royal family, and the greatest honor of her life had been being named Princess of Great Sui. Thus, she had dedicated her entire life to Great Sui.
Thirty years had passed—her body trapped on the grasslands, but her heart had never left Great Sui. Even though the land of Great Sui still existed, the Great Sui she knew was already gone. Li Changge wanted her to return to Chang’an, assuring her that Li Shimin would protect her. But Yicheng, who had endured a life of humiliation, no longer sought redemption or forgiveness. Still, she thanked Li Changge for accompanying her on this final journey.
With those words, Yicheng pushed over a candlestick, attempting to die together with Li Changge. Just then, Asher Sun arrived outside the palace and rushed in—because Li Changge was still trapped inside. Following the great victory at Dingxiang, Hao Dou hurried back to the mansion and delivered the good news to Du Ruhui, who was gravely ill. With his final breath, Du Ruhui met with Hao Dou and Leyan one last time, hoping they could spend their lives together.
He had given his entire life to Great Tang and had no regrets. Elsewhere, Li Shimin believed that Li Changge had perished in the fire and wept bitterly, wanting to know if she left any final words. Li Jing, unfamiliar with Li Changge, made up a few things, but Li Shimin immediately saw through it. Li Jing had no choice but to reveal that Li Changge and Asher Sun intended to live in seclusion.
She didn’t want her whereabouts known and only asked Li Shimin to erase her name from the historical records—so that there would be no more Li Changge in this world. Although she was unwilling to return to Chang’an, as long as she was alive and safe, Li Shimin was content. He also hoped that the prosperous Tang Dynasty he built would be everything Li Changge wished for. In the end, Li Changge and Asher Sun truly embraced a peaceful and happy life in the countryside, after the nation had found peace and prosperity.
