The Princess Wei Young Episode 38 Recap
> The Princess Wei Young Recap
Li Changle celebrated her newfound status as Prince of Gaoyang’s legal wife, believing she had defeated Li Weiyang and that the lowly slave would no longer threaten her. She declared her ambition to serve Prince of Gaoyang wholeheartedly until he ascended the throne, certain that she was the destined empress. Meanwhile, Baizhi was brought to the palace laundry service by Prince of Nan'an, who claimed Li Weiyang was in low spirits and needed company.
Baizhi was heartbroken to see Li Weiyang so thin and injured. Li Weiyang tried to assure her she was fine, but confessed her deep sadness, not only because of Prince of Gaoyang, but also for Crown Princess and Jun Tao, whom she would never see again. She lamented her inability to clear her father’s name or expose the real killer of Crown Princess.
Baizhi affirmed that regardless of Li Weiyang’s true identity, she would always be the most important person to her, deeply touching Li Weiyang, who asked her to simply call her "Weiyoung" in the palace and vowed to be strong. Prince of Nan'an grew agitated upon learning that the Empress was creating opportunities for Prince of Dongping to gain favor with the Emperor.
After Chiyun Nan's death, the Emperor had replaced many of Chiyun Nan’s old staff with Prince of Dongping’s men, a move Prince of Nan'an felt undermined his hard-won opportunities. Li Changru, overhearing, shrewdly analyzed the situation. She explained that with Prince of Gaoyang married to Li Changle from the disgraced Chiyun family, the struggle for the throne was now a two-way contest between Prince of Nan'an and Prince of Dongping.
She pointed out that if Prince of Nan'an were to rise, his mother, Lady Lu of Bright Deportment, would inevitably threaten the Empress's position, explaining why the Empress backed Prince of Dongping, who in turn needed influence from the harem. Li Changru then proposed a solution: with the Southern Song Empire suffering from severe Yangtze River flooding, Prince of Nan'an should propose a southern expedition to unite the country.
She reasoned that this would secure the Emperor's support and military power, making it easy for Prince of Nan'an to install his own loyalists. During a court session, both Prince of Nan'an and Prince of Dongping eagerly volunteered to lead the southern expedition, supported by their respective factions. However, Tuoba Jun spoke out, arguing that any expedition now would end in defeat.
He acknowledged Song's disaster but emphasized Great Wei's own post-war difficulties and an empty treasury, making a large-scale war unsustainable. He suggested Song might still hold an advantage. The Emperor, unable to decide, adjourned the meeting. Later, the Empress and her aide discussed Prince of Nan'an’s unexpected rise in prominence, realizing he could become a future obstacle. They decided to use Li Weiyang, whom Prince of Nan'an was constantly visiting, to counter his growing influence.
Chengde reported to Tuoba Jun that a beggar claimed to have seen Li Weiyang at the temple on the day of the Crown Princess’s assassination, potentially clearing her name. However, the beggar had fled, fearing legal trouble. Tuoba Jun insisted on finding the beggar to uncover the real killer and exonerate Li Weiyang. Meanwhile, Prince of Nan'an learned of the beggar's existence.
Though he initially considered eliminating the beggar, Li Changru suggested a more cunning plan to make Tuoba Jun abandon his investigation. Back in the palace laundry, Li Weiyang discussed the assassination with Baizhi, suspecting someone close to her had swapped the letter and hung the red cloth. They considered various manor residents but couldn't pinpoint the culprit, never suspecting Li Changru. Li Changru visited Li Weiyang, expressing sympathy and offering money and clothes from Seventh Concubine, along with medicinal balms.
Li Weiyang was touched by her mother's continued care. Li Changru subtly probed if there was any way to clear Li Weiyang's name, asking if anyone could testify she wasn't at the Crown Prince’s Manor. Li Weiyang admitted she hadn't paid attention at the time. After leaving, Li Changru revealed to her maid that she was cultivating Li Weiyang's trust to deliver a fatal blow later. Chengde eventually brought the beggar to Tuoba Jun for interrogation.
The beggar, coached beforehand, fabricated details about Li Weiyang’s dress. Tuoba Jun immediately saw through the lie, and under duress, the beggar confessed that about a month prior, a masked woman with a Jin City accent had paid him to give false testimony. Chengde noted that Baizhi was from Jin City, making Tuoba Jun furious. He believed Li Weiyang had been deceiving him all along and was indeed the killer. After leaving Tuoba Jun’s residence, the beggar was ambushed.
Chengde followed the assassin to Prince of Nan'an’s Manor, confirming Tuoba Yu’s involvement. Tuoba Jun then pieced together more clues: he recalled his mother’s dowry jewelry, which she had shown only to the disguised "Li Weiyang." Li Changle later knew it was the Crown Princess’s dowry. Chengde also reported that Li Changle had been out of the manor the entire day of the assassination.
Tuoba Jun deduced that Li Changle was the killer, aided by an accomplice, likely utilizing the Chiyun family's disguise expert. He revealed that he had deliberately orchestrated the beggar's appearance to lure out the true mastermind using Li Changle as a pawn.
Everything connected: Tuoba Yu was the puppet master, controlling Chiyun Nan, orchestrating the ambush at Huatai to force Tuoba Jun’s retreat and seize command, achieving military honors, then murdering the Crown Princess and forcing Tuoba Jun to marry Li Changle, thereby separating him from Li Weiyang. Tuoba Jun, who had always avoided internal strife, now vowed to obtain the throne to protect Li Weiyang and avenge his mother, resolving to endure any hardship to achieve this.
Chengde pledged his unwavering loyalty. Tuoba Jun presented his long-term strategy to the Emperor, arguing against an immediate southern expedition. He asserted that such a war would unite the Song people, overstretch Great Wei’s resources, and leave them vulnerable to attack from a reawakened Rouran in the north. Instead, he proposed a policy of peace with Rouran, holding the line against Song in the south, while focusing on internal reforms and allowing the people to recover.
The Emperor was greatly pleased, recognizing a worthy successor in Tuoba Jun, and ordered him to draft his proposals into a memorial for the ministers to review. In the palace, Li Weiyang had an unfortunate encounter with Li Changle. Li Changle maliciously humiliated Li Weiyang, ordering her to wipe her dirty shoes. Li Weiyang refused. Li Changru, witnessing this, covertly sent her maid to fetch Prince of Gaoyang, eager to see Tuoba Jun's reaction.
When Tuoba Jun arrived, Li Changle falsely accused Li Weiyang of disrespecting her. Tuoba Jun, in a cold display, sternly reprimanded Li Weiyang for disrespecting his wife and ordered her flogged fifty times. Li Weiyang was devastated by his apparent cruelty. Despite protests from Baizhi and others who pleaded her innocence, Tuoba Jun remained unyielding, declaring that she deserved severe punishment for killing his mother and offending his consort.
Princess Ji arrived just in time to stop the flogging and took Li Weiyang away. Li Changru observed the scene, convinced that Tuoba Jun truly believed Li Weiyang was his mother's killer. Unseen by others, Tuoba Jun gripped his hand in silent pain. Later, Princess Ji visited Li Weiyang, who appeared soul-lost, refusing to eat or drink. Princess Ji was furious at Tuoba Jun and Li Changle.
Chengde, however, reassured Tuoba Jun that his harsh actions were necessary to protect Li Weiyang. He explained that Prince of Nan'an was closely watching, and they needed to lower his guard. Chengde revealed that Princess Ji’s timely arrival was part of their arrangement, preventing Li Changle from dragging Li Weiyang to the torture room, which could have cost her life.
Tuoba Jun understood that his actions were for Li Weiyang's future, as a palace slave under Tuoba Yu's close watch faced constant danger. He resolved to become stronger, believing that only through greater power could he legitimately protect Li Weiyang.
