The Princess Wei Young Episode 44 Recap
> The Princess Wei Young Recap
A decree was issued for Li Weiyoung to be beheaded in three days for the crime of killing Princess Anle. Tuoba Jun arrived at the prison, demanding to know what had happened, asking why she had become involved with Princess Anle despite his previous warnings to be careful. Li Weiyoung responded with disdain, claiming her life was insignificant and that she had no need for his feigned concern.
She suggested he would be happier with her gone, free to live happily with Li Changle. Tuoba Jun, unable to contain his emotions, embraced her tightly, refusing to let go. He confessed that he had once let her go and knew the profound pain of it.
He declared that he would never release her again, assuring her that she was the most precious person in his heart and that he had always known she was innocent, having never stopped loving her. He revealed that Tuoba Yu and Li Changle were the true murderers of his mother, and he had been forced to marry Li Changle.
He explained that he needed to appear weak and distrustful of Weiyoung to avoid alerting the cunning Tuoba Yu, who would otherwise risk everything, endangering the lives of hundreds in the House of the Crown Prince and Li Weiyoung herself. He had believed that keeping his distance was the best way to protect her until he was powerful enough.
Li Weiyoung realized he had been secretly protecting her all along, recalling strange incidents like the swift discovery of evidence against Decent Maid Lin and his timely appearance when she was almost killed by the well. She also realized he was the one who played the zither for her all night after Baizhi's death. She apologized for resenting him, and he called her an idiot, saying that hate in this context indicated love.
He affirmed that he had never loved Li Changle and nothing had happened between them, vowing to expose Li Changle once he found the evidence. Tuoba Jun then urged Weiyoung to carefully recall the details of her meeting with Li Changru, hoping to find a crucial clue there. Meanwhile, Li Changle expressed her admiration for Li Changru's increasingly clever tactics and openly questioned how Li Changru had managed to kill Princess Anle.
Though Li Changru initially tried to deny it, Li Changle dismissed her denial, pointing out how perfectly the timing of events had aligned to make Li Changru Weiyoung's alibi. Separately, Tuoba Yu visited Li Weiyoung in prison, offering to arrange for a prisoner swap to save her. Li Weiyoung, however, confidently assured him that nothing would happen to her, stating she still had many things left undone.
The Emperor summoned Li Weiyoung for questioning on the night before her scheduled execution. He pressed Li Changru, who was also present, to confirm her previous testimony that she had not seen Li Weiyoung at noon on the day of the murder and had instead been with Li Changle. Li Changru maintained her account. The Emperor then announced that he had found a witness. Li Minde then brought in Princess Anle, who was disguised as a palace maid.
A stunned Li Changru watched as Princess Anle revealed that she had faked her death to elope with a lover, having swapped clothes with a deceased palace maid and thrown the body into a well. She then hid in the Cold Palace, pretending to be sick.
Princess Anle pleaded with the Emperor not to force her into the marriage alliance, arguing that a Wei princess would similarly not wish to marry into Rouran, and that international relations should not sacrifice a woman's lifelong happiness. She also stated that she had seen Li Changru talking to Li Weiyoung in the east passageway. The Emperor, enraged by Li Changru's deception, questioned her audacity.
He then summoned Li Changle, who admitted that while she had chatted with Li Changru that day, she could not confirm it was noon, accusing Li Changru's maid of misleading her about the time. Li Changle apologized for almost causing harm to Li Weiyoung. The Emperor, convinced of Li Changru's deceit, ordered her execution. Facing death, Li Changru desperately revealed that she was pregnant with Prince of Nan'an's child.
After confirmation from a palace doctor, the Emperor spared her life for the time being, ordering her to be confined in the palace until the child's birth, but declared he would never accept such an immoral daughter-in-law. It was then revealed that the entire sequence of events was part of a daring plan orchestrated by Li Weiyoung.
She had anticipated Li Changru's treachery, and Li Minde, who had been secretly protecting Princess Anle, rescued her immediately after she was thrown into the well, replacing her with a deceased palace maid dressed in identical clothes. This elaborate scheme successfully averted the marriage alliance. As everyone rejoiced over the outcome, Li Weiyoung felt a sharp sting on her neck.
Li Minde confronted the Rouran agent responsible, who reminded him of his promise to the Rouran Khan: to steal Wei's "Six Garrisons Military Defense Map." The agent warned that if Minde failed, Li Weiyoung's life would be forfeit, stating that the sting was merely a warning and the next attack would be fatal. Torn between his Rouran heritage and his upbringing in Great Wei, Li Minde expressed his reluctance to betray the people who raised him.
The agent countered that the Khan intended for Minde to inherit his throne, and securing the map would prove his merit and earn ministerial support. Li Minde, however, felt Rouran was an alien place where his half-brothers were wary of him, preferring to remain in Great Wei with those he cared about.
The agent reiterated the threat to Li Weiyoung's life, implying that any attempt to warn the Wei Emperor would result in war and a massacre of the Rouran people. Li Changru was confined to the Snow Courtyard within the palace, forbidden from leaving. Despite her pregnancy, Prince of Nan'an never visited her, causing her to fear he would forget both her and their child.
She meticulously sewed a box of baby clothes and sent them to him via her maid, hoping to make him acknowledge the child's existence. The maid returned with a cold message from Prince of Nan'an, conveyed by his aide: Li Changru was to "take care of yourself and give birth to the child in your womb so that both mother and child will be safe.
If you cause any trouble again, do not blame His Highness for not considering your past relationship." Li Changru, defiant, declared that if he did not even want his own child, she and her child would never live ignobly.
