The Love by Hypnotic Episode 27 Recap
> The Love by Hypnotic Recap
Li Qian stormed into the restaurant where Yunsi was, demanding to know Li Mingyue’s whereabouts. Yunsi calmly confirmed that she had returned to her manor and then offered Li Qian two choices: first, to return Aimaila (Li Mingyue) to him, which would ensure the safety of both Li Qian and Beixuan. Before Yunsi could state the second option, Li Qian furiously cut him off, declaring that no matter the choice, he would protect both Li Mingyue and Beixuan.
Yunsi questioned if Li Qian was being overly arrogant or simply underestimating him. Li Qian acknowledged Yunsi's capabilities but affirmed that for Li Mingyue's sake, he had to embrace that arrogance. He warned Yunsi that if he harbored any further ill intentions, Li Qian would confront him to the very end. As Li Qian turned to leave, Yunsi cautioned him to remember that everything that happened was a result of his choice and not to blame others.
Upon returning to his manor, Li Qian was relieved to find Li Mingyue and embraced her tightly. He confessed his deep worry and fear of losing her, explaining that while he was confident in her loyalty, he was concerned Yunsi might harm her. Li Qian recounted seeing Yunsi at the restaurant, noting his deliberate presence and unwillingness to give up on Li Mingyue. He urged her not to venture out alone, unsettled by Yunsi’s air of control.
Li Mingyue reassured him that she would obey. She then inquired about her second brother, Prince Kaierbi, who had not returned. Li Qian immediately dispatched Diwu Cheng to search for him, asking him to inform Kaierbi that Li Mingyue was safe and to have him return swiftly. Later that evening, Diwu Cheng urgently reported that he could not locate Prince Kaierbi or his attendants anywhere in the city.
Instead, he had discovered Kaierbi’s horse and blood-stained saber outside an abandoned house in the eastern suburbs. Deeply concerned, Li Mingyue watched as Li Qian recognized the saber and promised to bring Kaierbi back safely. He instructed Diwu Cheng to guard Li Mingyue’s room and forbade her from leaving the manor until his return. Li Qian rushed to the abandoned house and found numerous bodies but no sign of Kaierbi.
Puzzled, he examined the corpses and discovered the wounds were inflicted by Kaierbi’s own saber. As he contemplated this, Yunsi and his men appeared and surrounded him. They were brought before the Emperor, where Yunsi accused Li Qian of assassinating Xiyue warriors and kidnapping Prince Kaierbi, claiming to have irrefutable proof.
Li Qian recounted that he and Kaierbi had separated after entering the city and he was unaware of the prince's whereabouts until his guard found the saber, which prompted him to investigate. The Emperor chastised Li Qian for not reporting the discovery to the Dali Temple, and Li Qian admitted his fault, explaining he acted rashly out of a desire to save Kaierbi. Yunsi then accused the Emperor of protecting Li Qian.
The Emperor countered that Yunsi had only witnessed Li Qian at the scene, not committing a crime, and that all witnesses were Yunsi’s own men, making their testimony subject to verification. Li Qian offered to let Yunsi search his manor, but Yunsi dismissed it as futile. When the Emperor proposed a joint search, Yunsi refused, accusing Beixuan of a larger plot.
He claimed that with the Xiyue King aging, controlling Prince Kaierbi would destabilize Xiyue and force it to become dependent on Beixuan, calling it a blatant attempt at annexation. He threatened war if Kaierbi was not handed over. Li Qian retorted that Yunsi’s coincidental appearance, refusal to search, and belligerence proved he was the one who truly intended to start a war and likely knew Kaierbi's location.
Yunsi ignored the counter-accusation and issued a one-day ultimatum: if Kaierbi was not returned, the armies of Xiyue and Beixuan would meet on the battlefield. After Yunsi departed, the Emperor sternly warned Li Qian to handle the grave matter appropriately and not plunge Beixuan into a deadlock. Alone, Li Qian deduced that Yunsi had an accomplice in the capital and recalled Yunsi’s repeated phrase about "choice and blame," realizing it echoed words previously spoken by Qiao Huixin.
Meanwhile, Li Xun witnessed Yunsi taking an unconscious Kaierbi from Qiao Huixin's presence. He confronted her, aghast at her treasonous act. Qiao Huixin calmly stated that Yunsi's true goal was not war, but to kill Li Qian. When Li Xun expressed his unwillingness to see her become a traitor, she blackmailed him, threatening to expose his past crimes, including framing a consort and orchestrating the fire Li Qian believed killed his mother.
She reminded him that since she had helped keep his secrets, he now had no choice but to cooperate with her. Though Li Xun was willing to sacrifice himself for her, he questioned the cost to Beixuan's innocent people. Qiao Huixin remained resolute, declaring, "The arrow has left the bowstring." Anxious in the manor, Li Mingyue was met by a defeated-looking Li Qian. He apologized, admitting only that Kaierbi’s servants were dead and he had been taken, concealing the frame-up.
She readily affirmed her trust in him but questioned why the search had stopped. Li Qian promised to bring him back, claiming to have no clear leads. However, Li Mingyue suspected Yunsi’s involvement and Li Qian's concealment, recalling Yunsi’s words: "Everything that happened today is because of your choice. Do not blame others." Driven by his own suspicions, Li Qian confronted Qiao Huixin, directly asking if she was connected to Kaierbi’s disappearance.
Filled with resentment, she mocked his hypocrisy in seeking her help after his past coldness and the murder of her father. Qiao Huixin then confirmed she knew Kaierbi’s location, insinuating that Li Qian also knew where he was and, more importantly, what Yunsi truly desired. She declared that the choice, and thus the future of Beixuan and Xiyue, now rested solely with him. Li Qian departed in anger, leaving a tearful Qiao Huixin behind.
Having deduced Yunsi was responsible, Li Mingyue went to confront him. Yunsi falsely claimed Li Qian had framed him, but she saw through the lie, stating she had figured it out herself. She accused him of using the Shifei horse as a lure to kidnap her brother and frame her husband. Yunsi admitted his goal was to get her back, promising that if she returned to him, Kaierbi, Li Qian, and both their nations would be safe.
Appalled, Li Mingyue asked how he could use his brother so cruelly. Yunsi bitterly retorted that Kaierbi had betrayed him first by taking her away. He lamented that while she and Kaierbi had forgiven each other, no one considered his pain. Shocked by his transformation into a stubborn and cruel man, Li Mingyue mourned the bold Yunsi she once knew. Yunsi philosophized that love had made him despicable and declared, "You are mine. You were, and you’ll continue to be."
He gave an ultimatum: if Li Qian failed to hand over Kaierbi by day's end, a declaration of war would be sent. When Li Mingyue asked if he was truly determined to sever their last bond, she vowed that if anything happened to Kaierbi, she would personally take his life. Wounded by her words, Yunsi flew into a rage and violently slashed all the flower arrangements in the room. The following day, Yunsi sent a declaration of war.
The Emperor was furious, chastising Li Qian for allowing the situation to escalate and risking the loss of Xiyue as a vital buffer state. Taking full responsibility, Li Qian requested permission to personally negotiate with Yunsi. Though skeptical, the Emperor reluctantly agreed. Li Qian explained that he understood Yunsi’s true objective was personal, and his presence alone would satisfy it, denying Xiyue a casus belli. Furthermore, with the treasury drained by recent civic projects, Beixuan could not afford a war.
The Emperor granted his request, urging him to return unharmed. Seizing the moment, Li Xun suggested placing Li Mingyue under house arrest in his own manor as leverage. Li Qian vehemently rejected this, refusing to allow his wife to be insulted. The Emperor ultimately ordered Li Mingyue to be confined within the palace, where she was to be treated with the respect due to her rank. Before departing, Li Qian’s final plea to his father was to treat Li Mingyue kindly, which the Emperor promised to do.
