Unchained Love Episode 33 Recap
> Unchained Love Recap
During a play, as the emperor character prepared to execute a consort for her forbidden relationship with a eunuch, Murong Gaogong suddenly stood, shouting that it was wrong and not how it should be acted. He then called over the actor portraying the eunuch and asked Yinlou if she found the play enjoyable. When Yinlou replied negatively, Murong Gaogong angrily struck the actor with his staff. Yinlou quickly intervened, attempting to stop him.
Murong Gaogong then removed Yinlou's thumb ring, allowing the performance to continue, but with the stipulation that Consort Duan, the character, could not die. He declared that Yinlou and the eunuch character were the true protagonists, sharing fates, and bitterly stated his own role was that of a eunuch. Meanwhile, Xiao Duo, upon returning to the Zhaoding Bureau, was surrounded by Yu Zun's men and taken to prison.
Hearing of this, Yinlou rushed to find Murong Gaogong but was informed by Baozhu that Murong Gaogong had ordered her to remain in Yongze Palace, unable to leave without escort. Yinlou persisted in trying to see Murong Gaogong, and during her attempts, encountered Bu Yinge. Yinlou expressed surprise that Bu Yinge was still in the palace, given her imprisonment with the Prince of Nanyuan.
Bu Yinge smugly claimed that Murong Gaogong loved her so much that he kept her, doting on her and sleeping with her nightly. Bu Yinge then told Yinlou that Murong Gaogong was not in Shangqiong Palace and would not see her.
Bu Yinge then confronted Yinlou, accusing her of ruining her life and blaming her for all her misfortunes: being married to West Shu, being used as a plaything due to her resemblance to Yinlou, and ultimately losing everything and her family. Bu Yinge asserted that had Yinlou married in her place or died in the imperial mausoleum, none of this would have happened.
Yinlou retorted, pointing out that Bu Yinge's father had abandoned and manipulated her, and the Prince of Nanyuan and Murong Gaogong were the ones who truly humiliated her. Yinlou highlighted Bu Yinge's cowardice in confronting the true culprits, instead taking her anger out on Yinlou. Bu Yinge, enraged, scoffed at Yinlou for abandoning imperial favor to entangle herself with a mere servant, calling her self-degrading.
Yinlou countered that while Bu Yinge chose to be a manipulated plaything, she herself wished to love whom she desired and live on her own terms, questioning who was truly self-degrading. Yinlou noticed injuries on Bu Yinge's hand, sustained from Murong Gaogong's orders when she was trapped in a temporary palace, and urged her to leave the palace while she still could. Bu Yinge, seemingly deluded, declared that she would soon become the Empress of Great Ye.
In the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, Murong Gaogong announced his intention to appoint Bu Yinge as empress, which met with strong opposition from the ministers. Murong Gaogong called Bu Yinge to his side, asking her to perform a dance to demonstrate her suitability as the mother of the nation. The ministers whispered in disapproval, unable to openly voice their objections. After the dance, Eunuch Sun reluctantly advised Murong Gaogong that his actions were inappropriate.
However, Murong Gaogong escalated his behavior, publicly embracing Bu Yinge in the hall. The Empress Dowager arrived, immediately ordering Bu Yinge's removal and demanding that Murong Gaogong select a more suitable empress from the other virtuous concubines. The ministers echoed her sentiment, agreeing that any other consort would be preferable to Bu Yinge. Murong Gaogong then, with a sigh, produced a new decree, appointing Yinlou as empress.
It then became clear to everyone that his outrageous display with Bu Yinge was a calculated charade to manipulate them into accepting Yinlou as empress. After the decree, Murong Gaogong confronted Bu Yinge, who begged for mercy. He angrily stated that while she was worthless, he didn't want her to die comfortably. He ordered her banished to the Laundry Bureau, "never to leave," intending for her to suffer a painful existence.
Bu Yinge, in return, cursed Murong Gaogong, predicting he would face retribution and that her sister would not let him off lightly. Murong Gaogong then went to see Yinlou in Fengyi Palace, where a pear tree had been transplanted. He commented on how hard she was to please, explaining he had punished Bu Yinge for her.
He then chillingly told Yinlou that once she stood at the pinnacle of power, the entire Imperial City would watch her, and all of Great Ye would imprison her. He prophesied that as empress, she would be unable to move freely, destined to endure profound loneliness. He stated that since she had caused him pain, it was only fair that she should share in his suffering. Murong Gaogong then led Yinlou to the prison where Xiao Duo was held.
Yinlou gasped in horror upon seeing Xiao Duo, who was severely wounded and bleeding. She rushed to shield him, then knelt, begging Murong Gaogong to spare him. Her pleas, however, only enraged Murong Gaogong, who grabbed a heated fire tong and moved towards Xiao Duo, threatening to subject him to all 72 tortures of the Zhaoding Bureau. Panicked, Yinlou again positioned herself in front of Xiao Duo, begging Murong Gaogong to inflict the tortures on her instead.
Murong Gaogong cruelly responded that for every extra word she spoke or tear she shed, he would add another torture to Xiao Duo, until he became a "pile of rotten flesh." Princess Hede, also known as Wanwan, then arrived, attempting to intercede and plead for both Yinlou and Xiao Duo. Murong Gaogong, however, seemed deaf to her pleas, instead accusing her of betrayal. It was then that Wanwan seemed to understand Murong Gaogong's true nature.
She angrily questioned his professed love for Yinlou, pointing out that he never cared for Yinlou's own desires and treated her as an object, not a person. Murong Gaogong coldly smirked and dragged Wanwan outside, where Yuwen Liangxu lay injured on the ground. Murong Gaogong forced Wanwan to choose between saving Yuwen Liangxu or Yinlou and Xiao Duo. Distraught, Wanwan chose to save Yuwen Liangxu.
Murong Gaogong sighed, declaring that love was inherently selfish, and then lightly patted Wanwan's face, warning her to remember her place from now on. Later, Wanwan decided to escape the Imperial City with Yuwen Liangxu. Near the outskirts, they were intercepted by Yu Zun. Wanwan, without hesitation, spurred Yuwen Liangxu's horse to flee while she stayed behind to confront Yu Zun. To her shock, Murong Gaogong was also present.
Feeling trapped and suffocated, Wanwan realized she was ensnared, unable to escape his control. Murong Gaogong expressed his displeasure at her betrayal and suggested he might sever Yuwen Liangxu's limbs and confine them in a jar to ensure he remained by Wanwan's side forever. He then ordered Eunuch Sun to arrest Yuwen Liangxu, dead or alive.
Later, Murong Gaogong, showing signs of paranoia, questioned Eunuch Sun about the Zhaoding Bureau's loyalty to Xiao Duo, expressing disbelief that they remained quiet after Xiao Duo's arrest. Despite Eunuch Sun's reminder of their past loyalty and contributions in suppressing rebellions, Murong Gaogong, seemingly fabricating a pretext, declared that the Zhaoding Bureau had colluded with Yuwen Liangxu and intended to rebel.
He then ordered the immediate disbandment of the Zhaoding Bureau and the execution of all its members, leaving no one alive. He then demanded more potent herbal soup, silencing Eunuch Sun's concerns about his excessive consumption.
