The Love by Hypnotic Episode 24 Recap
> The Love by Hypnotic Recap
After the Emperor learned of the stolen disaster relief grain in Qingzhou, he summoned Li Qian to court, but Li Qian arrived late, leading to the Emperor’s furious rebuke. Li Qian calmly explained that his delay was due to his efforts in handling the very issue of the relief grain, which was now completely arranged.
He reported that he and Diwu Cheng had intercepted grain traffickers and traced them to a location where a large number of people lay dead, each killed by a single sword stroke. Despite this, a significant portion of the lost relief grain had been recovered.
Li Xun immediately added fuel to the fire, claiming that even with the grain recovered, the people of Qingzhou had suffered a delay of over half a month, during which many had sold their children due to hunger. Li Qian, however, interrupted him, affirming that the disaster relief supplies were fully arranged and that no time had been lost. He explained that the Xuan River region had an abundant surplus of cotton, a scarce commodity in the south.
Overnight, he had dispatched men to the Dongting Lake area to negotiate with grain merchants, exchanging cotton for the much-needed relief grain. The grain was then transported via waterway with the aid of an east wind, tripling the speed of delivery. As a result, the supplies were expected to arrive in Qingzhou two to three days earlier than originally anticipated. Hearing this, the Emperor’s anger turned to delight, and he praised Li Qian for his resourcefulness.
Li Qian, in turn, humbly stated he was merely fulfilling his duty, reminding the Emperor that the perpetrators of the robbery still needed to be identified and the immediate priority was distributing the food. As Li Qian departed, Li Xun attempted to engage him in a discussion about the robbery, but Li Qian dismissed him, implying that any information he uncovered would disappear if passed through Li Xun, hinting at his brother's involvement in the well-timed theft.
Later, in the imperial harem, Huixin and Li Xun visited Consort Shu, presenting her with a beautiful fan from her hometown. As they were about to leave, the Emperor arrived. The conversation quickly turned into a coordinated act to manipulate the Emperor. Consort Shu initially expressed her wish for Huixin to bear children soon, which Huixin deftly redirected by suggesting Consort Shu focus on Li Qian instead, noting that Li Mingyue, the Princess of Xiyue, had not yet conceived.
Consort Shu then complained that Li Mingyue, despite being married to Li Qian for some time, remained wild and undisciplined, lacking proper etiquette and potentially influencing Li Qian's decorum, thus damaging the reputation of the royal family and court. Li Xun seized the opportunity, proposing that Li Qian take a secondary wife, a virtuous lady, to better manage the household.
Consort Shu supported this, arguing that having only a foreign princess as a wife was inappropriate and could lead to rumors if Li Mingyue remained barren. The Emperor agreed and tasked Consort Shu with selecting a suitable, dignified, and well-behaved woman to become Li Qian’s secondary wife. That evening, Li Qian appeared disheartened. Li Mingyue tried to cheer him up with a magic trick, but he remained dispirited.
He claimed that the Emperor had summoned him to the palace earlier that day, punishing him with three years’ worth of salary for acting arrogantly and dereliction of duty. Li Mingyue immediately grew anxious, insisting she would go to the Emperor to plead for a lesser penalty. Li Qian laughed and pulled her into his embrace, revealing he had merely been teasing her. Li Mingyue playfully hit him, then remembered his back injury and, at his request, kissed him.
Noticing Li Mingyue wasn't truly angry, Li Qian asked her why. She confessed that she was indeed upset – at him for harming himself, for not confiding in her, for ignoring her advice, and for leaving her alone to manage things. She declared that speaking of it only made her want to hit him more. Li Qian asked what he could do to appease her.
Li Mingyue considered this, then lay down to gaze at the stars, with Li Qian joining her. He sincerely apologized, admitting he shouldn't have vented his frustrations while neglecting her or left her to bear burdens alone. Li Mingyue, surprised to hear such an apology from the dignified King Zi, smiled and kissed him.
Later, Li Qian was summoned to the palace, where Consort Shu and the Emperor informed him that they had arranged his marriage to Pei Shutang, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, Pei Ling. Li Qian immediately defied the imperial decree, stating his lifelong desire to marry only Li Mingyue, and pleaded with the Emperor to revoke the order. The Emperor did not directly respond.
Instead, he ordered a palace maid, who had been caught using forbidden witchcraft in the harem, to be dragged out and beaten to death. The Emperor sternly declared that such practices were strictly forbidden and anyone discovered using witchcraft or hypnosis would be killed. Witnessing this brutal display, and fearing for Li Mingyue's safety, Li Qian reluctantly acquiesced to the marriage.
Upon returning to his residence, Li Qian informed Li Mingyue that Pei Shutang would soon be marrying into the household. He instructed her to carefully hide the Zhuxin Bell, ensuring no one would discover it. Initially, Li Mingyue thought he was joking, but upon confirming the truth, she felt as if plunged into an icy abyss. Li Qian softly murmured that he had wronged her.
After this painful conversation, Li Qian left his residence and headed to Sikong Zhen's mansion, ostensibly for a sword-testing appointment, but his demeanor suggested he was preparing for a confrontation. Meanwhile, Sikong Zhen and his companion discussed how Li Qian was burdened by his choice to save the woman he loved, noting that his emotional distress was unusual for someone in his position, while also expressing concern over Li Mingyue's distress. That night was the wedding night.
Li Qian unveiled Pei Shutang, but he did not enter the bridal chamber. Instead, he abandoned his new bride and went directly to Li Mingyue's courtyard. Li Mingyue, inside her room, was furiously cursing Li Qian, unaware he was outside. Upon hearing her angry words, Li Qian turned and left. The next morning, Pei Shutang came to offer tea to Li Mingyue, deliberately mentioning how tired and sore she was, implying intimacy with Li Qian.
Li Mingyue, however, was unfazed and sarcastically suggested that Pei Shutang simply wasn't used to a soft bed, even offering to replace it with a cold, hard iron one. Li Qian then entered the room, his face expressionless, and instructed Pei Shutang to change and accompany him to the palace to begin learning to manage household affairs. He then told Li Mingyue to stop "fooling around" and return to her room to rest.
Li Mingyue, incensed, retreated to her room and angrily ranted, accusing Li Qian of losing his heart after one night. Meanwhile, Pei Shutang’s head maid, Yingting, bullied Tanli in the kitchen, snatching a bowl of tremella snow lotus soup. In the struggle, Tanli’s hand was scalded. Enraged by this injustice, Li Mingyue stormed into Pei Shutang’s room and demanded Yingting apologize to Tanli. Yingting refused, claiming Li Mingyue had no right to interfere with her mistress’s maid.
Li Mingyue retorted that she was punishing the maid for bullying her people and slapped Yingting across the face. As Li Mingyue continued to reprimand the maid and her mistress, Li Qian returned. Yingting, seeing him, immediately knelt and tearfully claimed that the Princess Consort had harassed Pei Shutang and assaulted her when she merely wanted a hot bowl of soup, demanding Li Qian dispense justice.
Li Mingyue, furious at Yingting's false accusations, tried to hit her again, but Li Qian grabbed her hand. Li Mingyue, infuriated, turned and stormed out. After Li Qian left, Pei Shutang, having learned the full story, admonished Yingting to stop taking matters into her own hands. Back in her room, Li Mingyue began packing her belongings, determined to return to Xiyue.
She reasoned that if Li Qian desired a secondary wife, she would relinquish her title and return to being a respected princess, rather than remain somewhere she could be bullied. Tanli, eager to help, quickly and efficiently packed a large bag. Li Mingyue, inwardly exasperated by Tanli's speed, feigned a dry laugh and tried to slow her down, saying there was no rush. Yet, within moments, Tanli had packed everything.
Soon after, Queyan arrived, informing Li Mingyue that Li Qian wanted her to organize the ancient books in the study, and that she was to do it alone. Li Mingyue suspected Li Qian was deliberately trying to vex her. Upon entering the disheveled study, while eating snacks brought by Queyan, she casually flipped through a book and was disgusted to find a passage about seducing men, throwing the book down in contempt.
Her eyes then caught sight of the clay figurine she had given Li Qian, placed inside a cabinet. Seeing that he had kept it, Li Mingyue’s spirits lifted. Within the cabinet, she also found a note: "Youshi (5-7 PM) at Luomei Pavilion, the suburbs of the city. See you there. From Qian." Li Mingyue decided to accept the invitation, not because she had forgiven Li Qian, but to discover what new tricks he intended to play. Outside, Queyan was heard reporting to someone, perhaps Li Qian, that the Princess Consort had spent the entire day packing her bags.
