The Love Lasts Two Minds Episode 25 Recap
> The Love Lasts Two Minds Recap
Two palace workers drowned, and the Emperor ordered Princess Changle and Yuan Qingli to investigate. Since the deceased were from Lord Ye's residence, Princess Changle and Zhao Yan went to question Lord Ye, while Yuan Qingli went to Lanyue Lake to search for clues. At Lord Ye's residence, Lord Ye explained that the deceased maid, Sese, was clumsy and had spilled deer bone soup he had stewed for four hours. In a fit of anger, he ordered her to kneel.
After only half a day, Sese fainted, her face pale and body burning hot, appearing to be on the verge of death. Fearing her death in his palace would be unlucky and that the Emperor would scold him, Lord Ye instructed eunuch Yin to dispose of Sese's body. Yin never returned, leading Lord Ye to believe both had accidentally fallen into Lanyue Lake.
When Zhao Yan asked if Yin and Sese were close, Lord Ye replied he didn't think so and reluctantly allowed Princess Changle and Zhao Yan to inspect Sese's room. Meanwhile, at Lanyue Lake, Yuan Qingli was examining footprints. Princess Changle and Zhao Yan joined her, relaying Lord Ye's account. Yuan Qingli explained she was looking for the spot where Yin and Sese fell into the water.
She found two distinct rows of footprints, both heading in the same direction, which she found peculiar. Zhao Yan suggested other possibilities. Yuan Qingli then realized that the second row of footprints could have been left by Yin walking backward. This led her to deduce that Yin was not disposing of Sese's body but rather escaping with her to this spot. Princess Changle wondered what Yin could have witnessed that terrified him enough to fall into the lake.
Zhao Yan, having nothing else to do, agreed to continue the investigation with them. Elsewhere, Jing Ci visited Zuo Yanxi, who was recovering from severe injuries. Jing Ci noted that Yanxi had almost died for someone else, and that he should only be sorry for himself. Yanxi admitted his actions but insisted he knew what he was doing, adding that Tan was good-natured and had no choice.
Jing Ci retorted that all murderers claimed they had no choice, questioning the innocence of their victims. Yanxi conceded Tan was terribly wrong but expressed his desire to "pull her back." Jing Ci, questioning the true nature of Yanxi's devotion, only hoped Tan would not disappoint him. Soon after, Mu Beiyan and Princess Changle arrived to see Jing Ci. Princess Changle questioned why Jing Ci hadn't visited Yuan Qingli since returning to the capital.
Jing Ci stated he had his reasons and believed Yuan Qingli would understand. Princess Changle further inquired about Jing Ci's involvement with Zuo Yanxi and Wang Zesheng, asking if he had considered Yuan Qingli's feelings. Jing Ci reiterated that Yuan Qingli would understand. Mu Beiyan interjected, asking Princess Changle why she cared who Jing Ci was close with, just as he was close to Yuan Qingli.
Playfully, Princess Changle told Mu Beiyan she favored him and would ask the Emperor to formalize his engagement to Yuan Qingli. Jing Ci stopped her, reminding her to speak for herself instead of always relaying messages, emphasizing that his actions mattered more than words. Princess Changle then told Jing Ci that if Zhao Yan treated her like that, she would have him beaten with 800 lashes and thrown into Lanyue Lake. Jing Ci thanked her.
After Jing Ci left, Princess Changle, musing over her own harsh words, decided to invite Yuan Qingli to Lanyue Lake for a chat. Yuan Qingli, finding staying home boring, agreed to meet Princess Changle by the lake. Meanwhile, Jing Ci met with the Emperor to play chess. Jing Ci requested the Emperor annul Yuan Qingli's engagement to Mu Beiyan and permit him to marry her.
The Emperor refused, noting that Mrs. Yuan had never expressed a desire to cancel her daughter's engagement, and that Mu Beiyan and Yuan Qingli seemed to be growing closer. The Emperor questioned if he, who had originally bestowed the marriage, should now revoke it. Jing Ci clarified that the current Yuan Qingli was not the one originally betrothed to Mu Beiyan.
The Emperor demanded to know the whereabouts of the real Yuan Qingli and declared that since Jing Ci had given her the identity of Yuan Qingli, he could not simply abandon it unless he found an identical woman or retrieved the original Yuan Qingli from Ji State. Jing Ci affirmed Yuan Qingli's immense importance to him, declaring he would neither let her go nor give up.
The Emperor, however, vehemently forbade Jing Ci from marrying Yuan Qingli, reminding him of her past alleged treachery, such as cutting his foot tendons and abandoning him to wolves. He warned Jing Ci against bringing such an "evil" woman into their family, which could lead to their demise. Jing Ci attempted to explain that Aunt Zhixia was unaware of the full truth about his injury.
The Emperor, convinced Jing Ci was protecting her, declared that he would overlook Yuan Qingli's past transgressions, sympathizing with Mrs. Yuan's long separation from her daughter. However, he adamantly forbade Jing Ci from marrying her, stating no father would allow his son to marry such a "vicious" woman. A eunuch then announced the arrival of Mrs. Yuan and Miss Yuan. The Emperor ordered Yuan Qingli to be sent back to her residence, as he did not wish to see her.
During their chess game, the Emperor also admonished Jing Ci for his distracted play, accusing his mind of being clouded by his feelings for Yuan Qingli. Jing Ci defended himself, asserting the importance of protecting what one cherishes most. The Emperor interpreted this as a veiled accusation about his own failure to protect Jing Ci's mother and sternly warned Jing Ci against continued defiance in defending Yuan Qingli, threatening to "kill her" if he persisted.
Later, Yuan Qingli arrived at the lakeside pavilion, finding Princess Changle not yet there. Her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at a pouch in her hand, lost in thought. Wang Zesheng and Aunt Zhixia approached her, visibly angered. Wang Zesheng declared that she and Jing Ci would certainly marry, as the Emperor had decided to bestow them a marriage, and Jing Ci was in the palace discussing it.
Yuan Qingli dismissed her, stating it was their business and she wouldn't interfere. Wang Zesheng then claimed Jing Ci had mocked Yuan Qingli's "pestering" him, suggesting Yuan Qingli become Jing Ci's concubine. Yuan Qingli retorted that Jing Ci wasn't that kind of person, accusing Wang Zesheng and Aunt Zhixia of spreading rumors. Yuan Qingli stated she would not pursue a man who was not devoted and would certainly not steal another's man.
As Yuan Qingli turned to leave, Wang Zesheng grabbed her clothes, pretended to be pushed, and fell into the lake while dramatically crying out. Aunt Zhixia immediately shouted for help, falsely accusing Yuan Qingli of pushing Wang Zesheng into the water. The Emperor, Jing Ci, Mrs. Yuan, and others rushed to the scene. Once rescued, a soaking wet Wang Zesheng pointed at Yuan Qingli, accusing her of pushing her into the lake to harm her.
Aunt Zhixia corroborated the story, claiming she witnessed Yuan Qingli pushing the princess. Princess Changle spoke up, defending Yuan Qingli, saying she wouldn't do such a thing and that she was merely there to meet her. Jing Ci questioned Yuan Qingli, who explained that Wang Zesheng had intentionally jumped into the lake to frame her, creating a situation where she would be universally condemned and unable to defend herself.
Yuan Qingli then directly asked Jing Ci if he believed her or Wang Zesheng and her "evil aunt." Due to her disrespectful tone in front of the Emperor, Jing Ci harshly told her to "shut up." An aide also reprimanded Yuan Qingli for her outburst. Aunt Zhixia then knelt, urging the Emperor to punish Yuan Qingli.
Mrs. Yuan attempted to intercede for her daughter, but the Emperor, asserting Yuan Qingli's lack of "humanity," ordered her to be dragged away, given fifty lashes, and confined to her residence for three years, forbidden to leave even a step. In despair, Yuan Qingli turned to Jing Ci, asking if he, above all others, believed her.
Jing Ci, fearing that any attempt to defend her would only result in harsher punishment from the enraged Emperor, falsely claimed that "the facts are clear," and he didn't know how to believe her. Deeply heartbroken, Yuan Qingli then turned to Princess Changle, who declared her belief in Yuan Qingli and offered to help her prove her innocence. Together, they returned to the spot where Wang Zesheng fell.
Yuan Qingli instructed Princess Changle to push her, as if re-enacting Aunt Zhixia's false testimony. Though hesitant, Princess Changle complied, pushing Yuan Qingli, who intentionally hit the old, rotting railing. The railing broke, and Yuan Qingli plunged into the lake. She was quickly rescued. As Jing Ci rushed to her side, she pushed him away, then pulled a pouch from his clothes—the one she had made for him.
Yuan Qingli explained to the Emperor that the railing was old and rotten, and anyone pushed forcefully would break it upon impact, unlike Wang Zesheng. Princess Changle noticed an old palace maid watching from a distance and had her summoned. The old maid truthfully recounted that after a quarrel between Yuan Qingli and Wang Zesheng, Wang Zesheng, while pulling Yuan Qingli's clothes, suddenly let go and intentionally jumped over the railing into the lake, then proceeded to cry out falsely.
The truth was now laid bare, and Wang Zesheng, utterly humiliated, ran away. Mrs. Yuan then mocked Wang Zesheng's dramatic act. The Emperor, still somewhat critical, commented on Yuan Qingli's cleverness in planning her defense. He asked why she hadn't revealed the truth sooner when Jing Ci offered to listen.
Yuan Qingli responded that she wanted to see, when both sides had no solid evidence, who would help her, who would harm her, who would believe her, and who would doubt her and push her to ruin. Turning to Jing Ci, she lamented that she had always thought that even if everyone else in the world disbelieved her, he would always trust her, just as she always trusted him.
But now, she declared, she could no longer trust him, saying she must have been blind to believe him again. Jing Ci apologized, but Yuan Qingli rejected his words, stating she no longer believed anything he said. She wished him and Wang Zesheng a long and happy life together, then pulled out the two pouches she had made for him, tossed them into the air, and dramatically cut them into pieces with her sword.
Tears streaming down her face, she declared that their connection, across this life and the previous, was severed forever. A pained Jing Ci clutched his chest, coughing violently, and the Emperor immediately ordered his attendants to take him back to his residence. Mrs. Yuan tried to downplay the scene, calling it a childish tantrum that would pass.
