The Love by Hypnotic Episode 22 Recap
> The Love by Hypnotic Recap
Li Mingyue's hypnosis of Li Qian unexpectedly triggered a deeper memory, causing him to recall his mother's appearance and even the scent of her hair. He described seeing his mother, vibrant and well, during a moment where she comforted him about setbacks at Chongwen Hall and taught him Li Bai's 'Wine Poem'. This contradicted the long-held belief, told to him by Hu, that his mother had been bedridden for years with a serious illness before her death.
Now, with a vivid memory of her healthy appearance, Li Qian suspected his mother did not die from illness and felt an urgent need to confront Hu. Li Mingyue, though surprised the hypnosis went beyond her intent to make him forget a trivial matter, offered to assist with the investigation. They decided to enter the palace separately to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, Li Xun's informant from King Zi's residence reported that Li Qian was beginning to question his mother's death, and that Li Mingyue had aided him in recovering these memories. Li Xun, noting that he wasn't responsible for Zheng's original punishment, instructed his subordinate to relay this information to Zhou, the Emperor's chief eunuch. Soon after, the Emperor summoned Li Mingyue. He first inquired about her studies of Beixuan culture, then directly questioned her visit to the embroidery workshop.
When Li Mingyue attempted to hide her true intentions, claiming she was merely admiring the silks, the Emperor sharply rebuked her. He stated that she hadn't learned proper court etiquette but had grown bold enough to deceive him. He revealed he knew she was there to investigate the cause of Zheng's death, driven by a desire to spare Li Qian from living in uncertainty.
The Emperor then confronted her, pointing out that Li Qian's recovered memories of Zheng were entirely her doing, surprising Li Mingyue with his extensive knowledge of palace affairs. The Emperor then offered to reveal the truth about Zheng's death, but warned that Li Mingyue would have to pay a significant price. When she readily agreed to any terms, he declared that the price was for Li Qian to completely forget his birth mother.
Li Mingyue initially questioned the filial impiety of such an act, but the Emperor argued that if Zheng was unworthy, it would spare Li Qian a lifetime of pain, making ignorance a preferable state. After hesitation, Li Mingyue consented to this demand. The Emperor then recounted that thirteen years prior, Zheng had committed a grave error, causing the death of another person. Out of consideration for Li Qian, the Emperor spared her life, instead confining her to Yongtai Temple.
However, less than a month later, a large fire tragically claimed Zheng's life within the temple. This event deeply traumatized Li Qian, leading to a serious illness, after which he not only suffered complete amnesia but also underwent a significant change in personality. The Emperor concluded that Li Qian's total loss of memory was not a detrimental outcome, and thus, he wished for no further mention of this unfortunate past or of his "unbearable" mother, Zheng.
He instructed Li Mingyue to keep her promise, warning her of severe consequences should she breach her word. Following Qiao Xuan's passing, Qiao Huixin made the difficult decision to sell the family estate and dismiss her servants. When the servants grumbled about their meager severance pay, Qiao Huixin firmly declared that despite her own financial hardship, she would never permit anyone to insult the Qiao family, even if she became utterly destitute.
She then generously offered her own golden hairpins and other jewelry as additional compensation. However, one disrespectful servant mocked her offerings, scoffing at the "woman's item." At that moment, Li Xun arrived. Witnessing the servant's insolence, he swiftly kicked the man, condemning his lack of respect for social hierarchy, and ordered his capture. The display of force quickly intimidated the remaining servants, who scattered and fled after Li Xun's sharp command to take their money and leave.
Li Xun looked at Qiao Huixin with deep concern, questioning why she was inflicting such hardship upon herself. He offered to provide her with more servants and financial assistance, expressing confusion as to why she would sell her home and give away her precious jewelry rather than accept his genuine affection. Qiao Huixin acknowledged his kindness, stating that his help to the fallen Qiao family was a profound favor.
She then led him to her bedroom and began to disrobe, intending to offer herself as repayment. Li Xun immediately stopped her, stating that his desires were far from such a transactional exchange. He declared his wish for her to become his Princess Consort, proclaiming his desire for the entire world to know that she was his wife. Holding her hand, he asked Qiao Huixin if she would marry him.
With tears streaming down her face, Qiao Huixin gazed into his eyes and confirmed that it was her sole wish for the remainder of her life. Overwhelmed with joy and surprise, Li Xun passionately kissed her. Li Qian angrily confronted Hu regarding his mother's death, dismissing Hu's claims of mere hearsay, especially given his mother's high status. He threatened to verify the medical records, if they still existed. Just then, the Emperor arrived.
Li Qian quickly masked his anger and true purpose, bowing respectfully to his father. The Emperor questioned his furious demeanor, to which Li Qian vaguely replied that he was merely addressing palace rumors. The Emperor then chastised Li Qian for neglecting his duties to investigate "old affairs." Li Qian humbly sought forgiveness. The Emperor then spoke of the severe situation in Qingzhou, where continuous rainfall had destroyed farmlands and left the populace in desperate need of grain.
As a form of atonement for his perceived dereliction of duty, the Emperor tasked Li Qian with the crucial responsibility of procuring and delivering grain for disaster relief. Li Qian immediately accepted the imperial decree. Li Mingyue found herself in a moral quandary: whether to obey the Emperor and erase Li Qian's memory of his mother, which she considered disloyal, or defy the imperial command.
After pondering the possibility of liberating someone from their most painful memories, she decided to proceed. She recalled that Kaierbi had once brought a box of Ruilin incense, and her Second Brother had used this very incense to make her forget Yunsi. Concluding that this powerful incense could similarly make Li Qian forget his mother, she dispatched a servant to retrieve it from the warehouse.
That evening, Li Qian returned and earnestly requested Li Mingyue to hypnotize him once more, hoping to uncover more truths about his mother. Li Mingyue complied, lighting the Ruilin Incense, which Li Qian assumed was merely an aid to the hypnotic process due to its unique aroma. As Li Mingyue began the hypnosis, Li Qian delved into his memories.
This time, he recalled a traumatic scene: himself as a young child, tearfully searching for his mother, only to be confronted by Shu Fei who sternly told him, "You have no mother!" Li Qian abruptly awoke, visibly disturbed. He immediately noticed that this memory was starkly different from his previous recollection, and his mother's presence was entirely absent. He confronted Li Mingyue, suspecting she had tampered with his memory.
Seeing her obvious distress, Li Qian's gaze fell upon the burning incense. He quickly deduced its role, swiftly destroyed the Ruilin Incense, and stormed out in a rage. Sikong Zhen arrived to find Li Mingyue distraught. She admitted her mistake in unilaterally hypnotizing Li Qian but defended her actions by questioning if erasing miserable memories was truly harmful.
Sikong Zhen took a cup of tea and added a drop of ink, demonstrating how the ink, like painful memories, becomes inextricably intertwined with the rest of the tea, or other memories. He explained that her actions not only erased Li Qian's painful recollections but also damaged the memories he cherished. Li Mingyue worried that knowing the painful truth would taint his other memories.
However, Sikong Zhen argued that true suffering does not stem from knowing the truth itself, but from the eternal unknowability of it. He further questioned the fairness of erasing a mother's existence just to conceal uncomfortable truths, even if that mother had committed a grave error. Later, Li Mingyue found Li Qian by the pond, feeding fish, deep in thought.
He recounted a childhood memory of almost falling into the pond at six or seven, and how his mother was the first to rescue him, even as other children laughed. He expressed his confusion and pain over her attempts to prevent him from remembering his mother, stating his desire to understand what kind of person his mother was and the time they shared.
Li Mingyue tried to explain that some memories could be painful or alter his perception of his mother. But Li Qian firmly stated that regardless of his mother's character, their blood connection remained. He argued that true suffering came from not knowing those connected by blood. When Li Mingyue finally posed the question, "What if this person your blood is connected to. . . was a sinner who made a big mistake?"
, Li Qian declared that if the crime was proven, he would atone for her, and if she was unjustly accused, he would clear her name. Li Mingyue then revealed that during her investigation in the palace, everyone had remained silent about Zheng's death. Ultimately, she was summoned to the royal study by the Emperor, who ordered her to cease her inquiry and, furthermore, divulged the cause of Zheng's demise.
The price for this knowledge, she explained, was her promise to use hypnosis to make Li Qian completely forget his mother. Learning that the Emperor already knew about hypnosis, Li Qian reassured her that he would bear the full blame if their father sought to punish them. He then pressed her to reveal the truth about his mother's death.
Li Mingyue recounted the Emperor's words: thirteen years ago, Zheng had taken another person's life and was consequently confined to Yongtai Temple, only to tragically perish in a large fire within a month. Li Qian vehemently refused to believe his mother was a murderer. Seeing his resolve, Li Mingyue pledged to investigate the matter with him. She promised to help clear his mother's name if she was innocent and to jointly bear any consequences should the Emperor fault them.
