The Love Lasts Two Minds Episode 26 Recap
> The Love Lasts Two Minds Recap
After severing ties with Jing Ci by cutting the pouch she had given him, Yuan was brought to Princess Changle’s residence. Princess Changle noticed Yuan looked pale in the plain dress she wore and suggested she accessorize with gold jewelry. She offered Yuan some warming soup and encouraged her to cry if she felt horrible, assuring her she was broad-minded enough to lean on.
Yuan, however, stated there was nothing to cry about after dumping a man who didn't trust her, adding that Jing Ci was likely the one crying now, though she admitted she had never seen him do so. Princess Changle then relayed Jing Ci's explanation from their last meeting during a hunt. He had told her that since his return to the capital, he had been under constant surveillance.
His coldness towards Yuan and his frequent visits to Wang Zesheng, the sole daughter of his foster father, were necessary to protect Yuan from danger. He had asked Princess Changle to explain this to Yuan, so she wouldn't misunderstand. Jing Ci confided that he suspected Lord Ye was behind the surveillance, but Princess Changle found this impossible to believe, dismissing it as "absolutely impossible."
Yuan, however, remained resolute, stating that no matter what Jing Ci's relationship with Wang Zesheng was, she could no longer trust him. She recounted his repeated avoidance, his disregard for her feelings, and asked if Princess Changle would trust him after witnessing his actions. Princess Changle agreed, saying if Zhao Yan treated her that way, she wouldn't tolerate it either. Just then, Mrs. Yuan arrived to take Yuan home.
Back at the Palace of Duke Duan, Jing Ci stumbled and coughed, clutching his chest before spitting out blood and collapsing into Zhao Yan's arms. Zhao Yan quickly caught him. Meanwhile, Jiang Tan visited Zuo Yanxi, who was recovering from a serious injury. Jiang Tan expressed deep remorse for having implicated him. Zuo Yanxi urged her to stop serving Lord Ye, revealing that he had found clues and would soon rescue her father from captivity.
Relieved and grateful, Jiang Tan agreed to his request to stall Lord Ye and cease any killing for him during this time. Zuo Yanxi wiped away her tears, and their hands intertwined. Their conversation was cut short by A'heng's urgent calls from outside. Zuo Yanxi quickly told Jiang Tan to leave, promising to find her later. A'heng burst in, announcing Jing Ci had fainted. Zuo Yanxi, shocked, rushed to the Palace of Duke Duan.
Zuo Yanxi examined Jing Ci, finding his pulse disordered and his mind agitated. He heard Jing Ci muttering "Yuan" and "Mianwan" in his sleep, realizing Jing Ci was again suffering on her account. Zhao Yan informed him about Yuan's public breakup with Jing Ci at Lanyue Lake, questioning why Jing Ci, who cared so much for Yuan, would treat her so coldly while appearing close to Wang Zesheng.
Zuo Yanxi explained that Jing Ci's attentiveness to Wang Zesheng was partly out of respect for his foster father, but also a ruse to uncover the person secretly trying to harm him. When Zuo Yanxi indicated the culprit by holding up two fingers, Zhao Yan instantly understood he meant Lord Ye, the mastermind behind the Qinhe murder cases, and was stunned. Zuo Yanxi lamented their lack of concrete evidence to present to the Emperor.
Zhao Yan asked why Jing Ci didn't simply explain his true intentions to Yuan, now that he had completely broken her heart. Zuo Yanxi clarified that Jing Ci deliberately distanced himself from Yuan to protect her, fearing that Lord Ye, despite his harmless facade, was ruthlessly cruel, and Yuan's strong sense of justice would lead her into danger if she knew the truth.
At the Yuan residence, Yuan, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep, reliving fragmented memories of being bullied by Wang Zesheng and Aunt Zhixia, forced into marriage, and drugged. She cried out in her sleep. Mrs. Yuan and Mu Beiyan entered her room. Seeing her distress, Mrs. Yuan rushed to her side, gently stroking her head and reassuring her. Yuan woke up and embraced her mother, expressing her profound suffering.
Mrs. Yuan, heartbroken and in tears, silently vowed to avenge her daughter. Yuan then asked her mother if she wasn't the real Yuan Qingli. Recognizing that Yuan was recalling her past, Mrs. Yuan confirmed it. Yuan recounted her dreams of Jing Ci in an unfamiliar place, often feeling like a maid, and how hearing the name "Feng Mianwan" resonated deeply, confirming it as her true identity for eighteen years.
Mu Beiyan added that Zhao Yan had also long suspected Yuan wasn't Qingli, and he himself had later come to the same conclusion. Mrs. Yuan revealed that Yuan was her elder twin daughter, stolen at birth. She had later given birth to her second daughter, Qingli, and had searched for her lost child for years until Yuan was returned to the family, mistakenly identified as Qingli after losing her memory. Mu Beiyan questioned how Qingli had seemingly transformed into Yuan.
Mrs. Yuan explained that the entire elaborate scheme was a joint effort between Qingli and Jing Ci. Lord Zhao had intended to marry Feng Mianwan to General Li Yuan of Ji State, who was Qingli's beloved. The two states had become enemies, and ministers called for Li Yuan's execution. Mrs. Yuan had tried to prevent Qingli from seeing Li Yuan, fearing she would become entangled in political turmoil.
Qingli, however, defied her, protecting Li Yuan and helping him escape, which caused a deep rift between them. It was after this incident that Qingli and Mu Beiyan became engaged. Mrs. Yuan continued, explaining that for reasons unknown, Jing Ci didn't want Feng Mianwan to marry Li Yuan. He secretly met with Qingli and devised a plan to swap them, allowing Qingli to marry into Ji State in Feng Mianwan's place.
Jing Ci drugged the guards who were to accompany Qingli on this journey, leaving them incapacitated. He then arranged for thugs to take Qingli away for the marriage. After Qingli's departure, another group of skilled fighters, sent by Emperor Yong, appeared and brutally murdered the drugged guards. Feng Mianwan was then placed in the Yuan household, replacing Qingli. Yuan was shocked to learn Emperor Yong was behind the deaths of the Yuan mansion guards.
Mrs. Yuan further explained that Jing Ci was the secret son of Emperor Yong and Concubine Jing, the Emperor's beloved. Concubine Jing, in a fit of rage due to Mrs. Yuan's closeness with the Emperor, tragically died during her return to Zhaozhou while eight months pregnant. While the official story was a bandit attack, her child survived and was adopted by Lord Zhao, becoming Jing Ci.
She also revealed that it was Aunt Zhixia who had abducted newborn Yuan from her side, blaming the Yuan family for Concubine Jing's death and intending to sacrifice Yuan. Jing Ci, unable to bear it, saved Yuan and raised her as his maidservant in Lord Zhao’s palace. Overwhelmed by this revelation of her true identity, her eighteen years away from her family, and the loss of her memories, Yuan clutched her chest in agony.
Mrs. Yuan quickly summoned a doctor, who diagnosed Yuan with severe emotional distress causing stagnation of qi and blood flow. He prescribed medicine and advised her to rest and avoid further emotional turmoil. Witnessing Yuan's silent tears, Mu Beiyan felt immense sorrow. Determined to prevent Jing Ci from ever harming her again, he turned to Mrs. Yuan, expressing his desire to marry Yuan as soon as possible. Mrs. Yuan agreed, and they stepped out to discuss their future.
In another part of the capital, Xiaohan visited her parents' grave. She tearfully vowed to avenge their deaths, revealing that she now knew Lord Ye was the murderer, having admitted it himself. Back at the Yuan residence, Mrs. Yuan learned that Jing Ci had recovered from his illness. Feeling that Jing Ci was too easily let off, especially while her daughter still suffered, she decided to "poison" him, not with actual poison, but with emotionally devastating news.
She instructed her servant to spread rumors that would "scatter poison directly into his heart." At the Palace of Duke Duan, Jing Ci sat, regretting his actions and wondering how Yuan could ever trust him again after he "hurt her again and again." Xiaohan approached him, informing him she had personal business to attend to and could no longer protect him. She confessed that joining the Shadow Guardians was always about finding her parents' killer.
Lord Ye had admitted his guilt. Jing Ci tried to dissuade her, reminding her of their previous failed attempt to bring down Lord Ye. Xiaohan, however, was resolute, explaining she knew Lord Ye's habits intimately while he knew nothing of her, which she believed was her opportunity for revenge. Despite Jing Ci's pleas, she insisted on her path, saying she could not rest while her parents' killer was free.
Later, A'heng visited the Yuan mansion to explain Jing Ci's difficult situation to Xiao Lu. However, Xiao Lu was furious, believing Jing Ci had callously abandoned Yuan. She challenged A'heng about a letter Jing Ci supposedly left, which he claimed explained his identity. A'heng confirmed Jing Ci had indeed written a letter for Yuan in Qinhe before leaving, intended to be delivered by Aunt Zhixia. But Xiao Lu vehemently denied Yuan had ever received it.
She recounted how Yuan had followed Jing Ci back to the capital, tirelessly inquiring about his identity, only to be turned away from the Palace of Duke Duan by Aunt Zhixia, who claimed Jing Ci wouldn't see her. Back at the Palace of Duke Duan, Zuo Yanxi advised Jing Ci to recover before attempting to reconcile with Yuan. Jing Ci expressed his despair, lamenting that he had never seen Yuan so resolute in her decision to leave.
He wondered if his past assumption that she would never leave him, no matter what he did, was merely a self-deceiving illusion. As he spoke, two palace eunuchs could be overheard discussing Mu Beiyan and Yuan's growing closeness, their public displays of affection, and the imminent marriage plans, which Mrs. Yuan had reportedly approved. They also disparaged Jing Ci, criticizing his perceived fickle heart and his current illness. Overhearing these words, Jing Ci was visibly devastated.
He also learned from A'heng that Aunt Zhixia had indeed intercepted his letter to Yuan in Qinhe and that she had turned Yuan away from the Palace of Duke Duan when Yuan first came seeking him.
Jing Ci was filled with remorse, realizing how his efforts to protect Yuan, coupled with Zhixia's interference and his own later coldness towards her to protect her from observers, had only caused her immense pain, transforming him into "a shameless and despicable person" in her eyes.
