The Wolf Episode 35 Recap
> The Wolf Recap
Following the King of Jin's elaborate test to gauge her leadership, Ma Zhaixing realized his true intentions. After learning that Li Juyao (Ji Chong) had supposedly "escaped" during escort, she sought out the King to discuss his fate. The King revealed his plan was not to punish Li Juyao severely but to make him feel ashamed, and he requested Ma Zhaixing to maintain the pretense. Ma Zhaixing refused, unwilling to deepen the father-son estrangement.
The King then openly shared his deep, hidden love for Li Juyao, reminiscing about his son's mischievous childhood and numerous accomplishments. Overhearing this conversation, Li Juyao was moved to tears, finally understanding his father's profound, protective love. The princess's coronation ceremony was about to begin when Li Juyao, now with a newfound understanding of his father, suddenly appeared. He declared himself a sinful soldier who went missing in action for seven years and sought punishment from the King of Jin.
He confessed to speaking brashly, being uncontrollable, suspecting his general, creating dissent, and spreading harmful rumors, acknowledging his inexhaustible list of wrongdoings. Li Juyao expressed his deep longing to return to Taiyuan City, his home, and reunite with his family, begging the King of Jin for leniency and a chance to redeem himself. Ma Zhaixing pleaded with the King of Jin to forgive Li Juyao, and the gathered crowd echoed her pleas.
The King of Jin, however, accused Li Juyao of threatening him by kneeling during the coronation, but ultimately relented, telling the "brat" to get up. Li Juyao gratefully accepted the forgiveness, promising to obey his father and never rebel again. Their reconciliation was hailed as a blessing for the Kingdom of Jin.
Li Juyao attributed his reconciliation with the king and the unity of the troops to the former princess, Ma Zhaixing, stating that Jin would be victorious under her leadership. Following this, everyone paid their respects to Princess Ma Zhaixing. Meanwhile, in the Yang Kingdom, King Chu Kui did not summon the marquises to the main hall for the morning court.
Instead, he met them at the Bo Army's training grounds, using the drill as an excuse to avoid their questions regarding the Prince of Bo's condition. Marquis Han and Minister Cui were granted an audience with Chu Kui. They praised the soldiers' training and their strength, but inquired about the Prince of Bo, suggesting that to unleash the soldiers' full potential, the Prince of Bo should demonstrate his majestic presence.
Minister Cui openly speculated that the Prince of Bo had been harmed by the Princess of Jin, urging them to share Chu Kui's burdens. He then presented Jin prisoners of war, advising Chu Kui to release them as a gesture of sincerity to the King of Jin, proposing a peaceful division of lands.
However, just as he finished speaking, Chu Youwen, the Prince of Bo, arrived, appearing much recovered and having transformed into a cold-blooded Wolf King to pacify the rebellious officials. Chu Kui, with Chu Youwen by his side, asserted that the prisoners could only be released if they could defeat the Prince of Bo in battle. Later, Li Juyao, the Prince of Chuan, celebrated his reconciliation with his father and elder brother, enjoying a rare moment of relaxed drinking.
Though his father playfully chided him for putting Ma Zhaixing before him and for his apparent lack of success in winning her heart, Li Juyao's brother remarked on his newfound seriousness about a woman. The King of Jin, acknowledging Ma Zhaixing's exceptional strengths and determination, expressed his support for Li Juyao's pursuit of her, stating that winning a woman's heart was like winning a war – swift, decisive, and precise.
Li Juyao reaffirmed his commitment to protecting Ma Zhaixing from all harm and declared his lifelong love for her. His father encouraged him to pursue her openly, dismissing fears of rumors if his intentions were sincere, and set a condition: he must succeed. The King of Jin then reinstated Li Juyao as the leader of the Chuanlong Army, ordering Ye Han and the Ma Family Army to serve under the Prince of Chuan.
Ma Jing and Ye Han discussed gifts for Li Juyao, with Ma Jing initially believing that giving him command of the Ma Family Army was an unexciting gift. Ye Han, however, argued that Ma Zhaixing's true gift to Li Juyao should be her heart, as he was clearly deeply in love with her.
Ma Zhaixing, feeling indebted to Li Juyao for his help since their arrival in Jin, decided to prepare a blank promissory note for him, allowing him to choose what "good memory" she could give him, since she felt she could no longer give him pleasant memories. Li Juyao, emboldened by drink, came to Ma Zhaixing's chambers.
He confessed his strong feelings for her, expressing how he had tried to keep his distance when he learned the Prince of Bo was Wolf Boy, but that fate had brought her back to him. Before she could respond, he leaned in and kissed her. Stunned and confused, Ma Zhaixing pushed him away. As she raised her hand to strike him, Li Juyao suddenly fainted, falling unconscious.
The next morning, Li Juyao awoke to soreness and no memory of his audacious actions from the previous night, only noticing the blank promissory note on the table. He wrote on it, detailing his desired "condition": for Ma Zhaixing to travel around the world with him. Just as he was about to put it away, Ma Zhaixing, furious and wielding a short sword, burst into the room with Ye Han and Ma Jing, threatening to kill him.
Li Juyao, initially confused, then recalled the kiss from the night before and smirked, realizing the cause of her rage. He calmly presented the promissory note, explaining his condition. Ma Zhaixing, after a moment of consideration, surprisingly agreed, much to Li Juyao's delight. He was overjoyed, repeating "She said yes!" as he was ushered away by Ma Jing and Ye Han, who were equally thrilled by the development, believing Li Juyao to be far better than the Prince of Bo.
Ma Zhaixing confirmed her promise was sincere but clarified it could only be fulfilled after they defeated the Prince of Bo and won the war. As the war approached, Chu Kui intensified his efforts, ordering all households in Yang to surrender their grain and all able-bodied men to be conscripted into the army, threatening execution for non-compliance. This harsh policy caused widespread suffering among the populace.
In contrast, the Jin lands enjoyed peace, and Ma Zhaixing diligently practiced sword fighting under Li Juyao's guidance, showing significant improvement. With the battle imminent, Chu Youwen visited his Fourth Prince, Youzhen, bringing persimmons, which symbolized their four brothers. A persimmon fell from Youzhen's hand, echoing a painful memory for Chu Youwen. Chu Kui entered, noting that Youzhen's illness seemed to motivate Chu Youwen.
Chu Kui reminisced about Youzhen's love for persimmons as a child and how he had stopped eating them after their elder brother Youyu's death. He lamented that among his four sons, only Chu Youwen remained. Chu Youwen vowed to avenge his brothers and their suffering.
Chu Kui sensed Chu Youwen's powerful killing intent and desire for revenge, urging him to unleash it upon the Ma Family Army and Jin troops, reminding him of his debt to his elder brother and Youzhen's current state, stating that only by winning this war and killing the former princess could he truly honor his brothers. Youzhen's hand trembled, and Chu Youwen suggested Youzhen might be showing signs of recovery.
Yao Ji examined Youzhen, confirming his pulse had stabilized and recommended that Chu Kui continue to talk to Youzhen and show him favorite items to aid his recovery. However, Yao Ji secretly concealed the true, more unstable condition of Youzhen's pulse, fabricating a more positive report to placate Chu Kui and suppress his doubts. An urgent report arrived, announcing that the rebel general Wang Rong had captured Boxiang City.
Chu Kui saw this as the enemy taking the bait, and declared it was time to eliminate them. Chu Youwen revealed that he had already sent hundreds of elite soldiers, disguised as civilians, into Boxiang City, who would act as an internal force to disrupt the enemy once the main Bo Army attacked.
Chu Kui gave Chu Youwen the official seal, empowering him to lead the main army to Boxiang City, while he himself would follow to Weizhou City with Yao Ji, who would also be solely responsible for Youzhen's treatment. Chu Youwen prepared to depart for Boxiang City the next morning.
It was reported that Ma Zhaixing and her forces had already arrived in Boxiang City to defend it, a development that precisely aligned with the King of Jin's predictions: striking first would enrage Chu Kui and provoke a full-scale attack from Yang.
