The Sleepless Princess Episode 31 Recap
> The Sleepless Princess Recap
Infanta Naxi was preparing for her wedding when Prince Ning arrived, expressing his lingering feelings. He accused her of being a traitor for using his medicinal herbs to recover only to marry someone else, and he warned her not to provoke him. Shortly after, Su Nannan confronted Naxi, having learned from Luo Ji about Naxi's deceitful use of a feigned illness to force Xue Yao into marriage. Nannan called Naxi shameless, and when Naxi threatened her, Nannan drew her sword.
Their conflict was halted by Chu Yue's timely arrival. As promised, Chu Yue took on the role of Infanta Naxi's dowry attendant, prepared to witness the entire wedding, including the bowing ceremony, crossing the brazier, and drinking wedding wine. A distraught Su Nannan urged Chu Yue not to aid her rival, but Chu Yue calmly dissuaded her, unwilling to see her friend get hurt.
Asserting her triumph, Infanta Naxi mockingly had Chu Yue style her hair and ordered her to happily preside over the wedding as a testament to Naxi's happiness with Xue Yao. She even suggested they could still be friends if Chu Yue remained obedient. After Nannan was sent away, she cried, frustrated by Chu Yue's perceived foolishness. Chu Yue later confided in Nannan that she needed to witness the wedding herself to finally give up on Xue Yao.
The wedding ceremony commenced grandly. Though the Emperor appeared pleased, both Xue Yao and Chu Yue carried heavy hearts. Xue Yao was startled to see Chu Yue presiding and urged her to leave, but Chu Yue, steeling herself, continued the ceremony. She personally handed Xue Yao the bridal bouquet, determined to see the marriage through so she could let go. Aware of the Emperor's gaze, Infanta Naxi subtly cautioned Xue Yao to maintain appearances.
After the ceremony, Naxi informed the Emperor that the alliance between Nansang and Xizhao, solidified by their marriage, would ensure cooperation in mining Dark Steel Ore and enduring peace. The Emperor expressed his satisfaction, instructing Xue Yao to treat Naxi well and noting that Xingchen had arranged for Chu Yue to leave the palace, ensuring she would no longer trouble the newlywed couple. As Xue Yao rode off with Infanta Naxi, Chu Yue watched them go, overcome with loneliness.
Xingchen arrived to escort Chu Yue to his mansion. Tao Yao tearfully declared she would no longer serve the princess, feeling she had failed in her promise to the late General Xue to care for Chu Yue and had no right to remain by her side. Xingchen comforted Chu Yue, promising to stay with her.
He recounted his late mother's wisdom, distinguishing between the childish tears of self-pity and the mature tears of pure sorrow, assuring Chu Yue she would overcome her pain. Later that night, Xue Yao abandoned Infanta Naxi in their bridal chamber. When she had him brought to her, he reiterated that their marriage was merely a transaction; she had received the title she desired, but there could be no other connection between them.
Enraged, Naxi produced a knife, demanding his heart and his presence. When Xue Yao refused to yield, she threatened that if he were to harm her, Xizhao and Nansang would go to war, making them both criminals despised by their nations. Unwilling to prolong the confrontation, Xue Yao rode away. As he departed, he spotted a carriage carrying Chu Yue, who was resting her feverish head on Xingchen's shoulder, a sight that visibly troubled him.
Shortly thereafter, a confidential letter from a spy confirmed Xue Yao's suspicions: Infanta Naxi was indeed plotting something. He resolved to seek an audience with the Emperor in the morning. Meanwhile, Dong Shi's long-term conspiracy neared fruition. He revealed to his apprentice that the Emperor had already ingested a prepared thirty-two-herb concoction, allowing Dong Shi to control him with the Zhuyoushu spell. Under Dong Shi's influence, the Emperor's behavior became erratic.
Xue Yao arrived to present his evidence that Xizhao's surrender was a stratagem and that Naxi and her brother intended to use Nansang's military to eliminate the Xizhao King and seize power. However, the Emperor, controlled by Dong Shi, dismissed Xue Yao, claiming he needed more time to consider it. Xue Yao found the Emperor's indifference unsettling, given his usual anxiety over Xizhao. Following Xue Yao's departure, the controlled Emperor summoned Chu Yue and Xingchen.
He offered to make Chu Yue the new National Division to replace Dong Shi. Seizing the opportunity to block this, Xingchen fabricated a shocking lie: he claimed that he and Chu Yue had already consummated their relationship and that she was likely pregnant with his child, a royal heir. He pleaded with the Emperor to allow them to marry, arguing they were not blood relatives and Chu Yue, now divorced, was free to wed.
Xue Yao, who had lingered outside, overheard everything. Enraged by the scandal, the Emperor coughed up blood and collapsed, the shock causing Dong Shi to lose his magical hold on him. In the ensuing chaos, Chu Yue spotted one of Dong Shi's hidden subordinates and screamed for the assassin to be apprehended. The subordinate threw a cloud of poisonous powder, but Xue Yao intervened, covering Chu Yue's mouth and nose.
While he saved her from inhaling the toxin, some of the poison entered her eyes. The imperial physician, Mr. Bai, assured them her vision would recover in half a month with proper care but stipulated that she must not stay up late or cry, as tears could cause the wounds to ulcerate, leading to irreversible damage. Resolute, Xue Yao declared he would make anyone who caused Chu Yue to cry bleed.
As the physician left, Xingchen challenged Xue Yao, stating Chu Yue did not want to see him and that he should be the one to stay by her side. Xue Yao mocked Xingchen's fabricated story of intimacy, but Xingchen defiantly insisted it was true. He taunted Xue Yao about abandoning his new wife, suggesting Infanta Naxi might whip him for it.
Xue Yao firmly stated that Chu Yue was his family affair and told Xingchen to "wake up from his dream." In response, Xingchen pointed to a mark on Chu Yue's neck, claiming it was "the mark of their consensual love" and urged Xue Yao to look closely so he could finally give up.
