The Song of Glory Episode 37 Recap
> The Song of Glory Recap
Black Armored troops entered Jiankang and surrounded the palace, while Lu Yuan privately mobilized the central army and detained officials. He then cornered Grand Consort Sun and Prince Jing Ling, demanding the Tiger Tally. Grand Consort Sun, fearing for her life, attempted to prove her innocence by threatening to use death, but Lu Yuan dismissed her dramatic display. He held a blade to her throat, ordering Prince Jing Ling to hand over the Tiger Tally or she would die.
Despite Grand Consort Sun's desperate pleas for Prince Jing Ling not to comply, Prince Jing Ling, heartbroken, accused Lu Yuan of wickedness and capital crimes. Lu Yuan, however, was undeterred, giving Prince Jing Ling an ultimatum. Prince Jing Ling eventually yielded and handed over the Tiger Tally. Afterwards, Lu Yuan ordered guards to watch over Prince Jing Ling and Grand Consort Sun, ensuring no one entered or left, effectively imprisoning them.
Grand Consort Sun was left in distress, pounding on her door. Inside, Grand Consort Sun lamented Prince Jing Ling giving the Tiger Tally to Lu Yuan. She suggested that with only ten thousand troops, Lu Yuan could still be controlled if Prince Jing Ling gathered the army and waited for Prince Peng Cheng to return. This statement immediately exposed her deceit to Prince Jing Ling.
He questioned her knowledge of Lu Yuan's troop numbers and how she knew Prince Peng Cheng was still alive, if she hadn't conspired with Lu Yuan. Prince Jing Ling angrily condemned Lu Yuan's actions, calling them high treason punishable by extermination of three generations, and pointed out that Lu Yuan had confessed everything, including her involvement.
He then accused her of valuing herself and him only when they had no use for Lu Yuan, wondering why Lu Yuan would bother to sow discord if they truly had no value. He reminded her of Prince Peng Cheng's profound filial piety, how he rescued her from palace hostilities and brought her back to Peng Cheng Manor despite public criticism, treating her like his biological mother.
Grand Consort Sun tearfully denied her involvement, but Prince Jing Ling, deeply pained by her betrayal, concluded she had made a terrible mistake. Lu Yuan consolidated his power, replacing the central troops at the city gate with his own men and placing spies in every official's residence to prevent anyone from leaving Jiankang. He then attempted to secure control of the court by ordering Director Xie Hao of the Central Secretariat to draft an obituary edict for Prince Peng Cheng.
When the officials expressed disbelief and outrage, accusing Lu Yuan of plotting against Prince Peng Cheng, Lu Yuan insisted Prince Peng Cheng was dead. Prince Jing Ling, however, had already exposed the corpse as fake earlier, causing confusion among the officials who refused to believe Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan's subordinate, Yue Fang, then threatened the defiant officials.
Xie Hao initially stalled for time, asking for a night to persuade the officials, which Lu Yuan granted, reiterating that their choice was a matter of their own lives and the lives of their families. The next day, when forced to write the edict, Xie Hao declared his integrity, refusing to be a traitor, and denounced Lu Yuan.
Yue Fang, following Lu Yuan's orders, explicitly threatened the officials with harm to their families if they refused to comply, prompting him to order their execution when they still refused. Lu Yuan's machinations, however, were part of a larger trap set by Shen Lige. She had received intelligence that Lu Yuan had secured the Tiger Tally and was preparing his next move.
Lu Yuan's subordinate, Xue Qiu, reported that the central troops at the city gate had been replaced, the Black Armored Brigade was entering the city to surround Jiankang Palace, and his men had infiltrated officials' residences. Lu Yuan, learning that the Danyang soldiers, led by Ji Shu, were approaching Jiankang, immediately ordered Xue Qiu to intercept them, falsely claiming Prince Jing Ling was rebelling and to execute anyone who resisted.
Simultaneously, Shen Lige, aware of Lu Yuan's acquisition of the Tiger Tally, initiated the next phase of her plan. She entrusted Shen Feng, Huo Yun, and Zhu Rong with protecting Prince Jing Ling and the officials, while ensuring that false military reports about Ji Shu's movements were spread to buy crucial time for Prince Peng Cheng to return with his troops.
As Yue Fang pressed the officials to sign the death edict, urging Director Xie Hao to lead the way, Xie Hao suddenly paused. He subtly noticed figures lurking on the roof, his expression shifting from resignation to defiance. He then boldly condemned Lu Yuan as a traitor, declaring his refusal to be complicit. Immediately following his declaration, Shen Lige, accompanied by Huo Yun and her loyalists, descended from the roof, swiftly overpowering Yue Fang's men and killing Yue Fang himself.
Shen Lige publicly declared that Lu Yuan's unauthorized mobilization of central troops, detention of officials, and siege of the Prince's manor constituted heinous crimes punishable by death. She warned that all who had conspired with him would face immediate execution without mercy. Witnessing this dramatic turn of events, Xue Qiu, who was present, quickly fled the scene as Shen Feng pursued him. At Xuan Yang Gate, Lu Yuan, confident of his triumph, led his Black Armored Brigade to the palace.
To his shock, Prince Peng Cheng himself appeared, pushing open the gates to confront him. Lu Yuan realized he had walked into a meticulously planned trap. Prince Jing Ling then revealed that Shen Lige had returned to Jiankang earlier, and he himself had deliberately exposed the false corpse to force Lu Yuan to reveal his true, treasonous ambitions, thereby buying time for Prince Peng Cheng to return with his soldiers.
Prince Peng Cheng accused Lu Yuan of assembling former subordinates, undermining military strength, making false military reports, holding officials hostage, and besieging Jiankang. With the city guards and even his own men now turned against him, and Xie Hao leading the officials in denouncing him and detailing his crimes, Lu Yuan, recognizing his total defeat, resigned himself to his fate, acknowledging that "losers are always in the wrong."
Prince Peng Cheng then ordered Lu Yuan's arrest, declaring that his crimes and wicked conduct would be made public to serve as a warning to officials and to calm the populace. The officials hailed Prince Peng Cheng's triumphant return. Meanwhile, Xue Qiu, having escaped Shen Feng's pursuit, raced back to the Lu mansion. He urgently informed Lu Wan'er that her brother, Lu Yuan, had been captured, the mansion was about to be raided, and they had to flee immediately.
He then led her to a secret room for concealment. Later, Shen Lige went to meet Princess Consort Xie Yunzhi, who was overwhelmed with joy and relief to see her alive. Shen Lige assured her that Prince Peng Cheng was safe, and the body in the coffin had been a mere deception. Recognizing that the situation was still unstable, Shen Lige quickly led Princess Consort away from the dangerous area.
After returning to Prince Peng Cheng's manor, Shen Lige excitedly recounted the intricate details of their plan and how she, Shen Feng, and the others, including the initially reluctant Danyang soldiers, had navigated the dangers, ensured the officials' safety, and brought Lu Yuan to justice. Prince Peng Cheng affectionately called her his "heroine," but expressed his desire for her to leave the world of fighting and killing behind.
He wished for her to settle into the role of his Side Consort Li, embracing domestic life, bearing and raising children, and learning skills like sewing and cooking. Shen Lige playfully threatened him with her cooking, to which he conceded that he preferred her in battle. In a tender moment, he applied ointment to her wound, promising to protect her from all harm, ensuring she would never again shed a drop of blood or even lose a hair.
Shen Lige accepted, looking forward to a carefree life, and made him promise to uphold his word. Just then, Prince Jing Ling arrived, relieved to see them both safe. Prince Peng Cheng asked about San Bao, unintentionally revealing to Shen Lige that Shen Leqing was still alive and had informed him via Xiao Xin about San Bao's confinement to hard labor by Lu Yuan. Meanwhile, Grand Consort Sun, upon learning of Lu Yuan's capture, experienced a brief panic.
She clung to the hope that Prince Peng Cheng's past filial piety and her kindness towards him would spare her from severe punishment. However, her maid, Chun Fang, worried about the potential repercussions for Prince Jing Ling. Grand Consort Sun, realizing the danger, decided to burn her incriminating letters to Lu Yuan, but discovered the key to her box was missing, and the letters were gone. Chun Fang then recalled Shen Leqing's peculiar behavior earlier.
Acting on Grand Consort Sun's orders, Chun Fang and other servants searched Shen Leqing's room in the embroidery quarters, only to find that Shen Leqing had already packed her belongings and fled that very morning. Shen Lige, passing by, witnessed the frantic search, her suspicion piqued. Shen Lige then proceeded to the labor quarters to retrieve Xiao Xin and Hong Dan.
There, she witnessed a supervisor abusing Xiao Xin and immediately intervened, asserting her authority as Side Consort Li and having the supervisor removed. Xiao Xin and Hong Dan, overjoyed and tearful, reunited with Shen Lige. Xiao Xin, still holding onto guilt from a past mistake, tearfully recounted how she had spent every day since her punishment tirelessly practicing carrying trays, demonstrating her newfound skill with multiple bowls.
Shen Lige, deeply moved, apologized for leaving them, explaining she did so to protect them. She promised never to abandon them again and, in the future, would give them a hint if danger ever arose, a promise that brought smiles and comfort to her two loyal maids.
