Arc 7Chapters 190–215
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Baozhu’s party became trapped in Zhongqiu by a military standoff, where Baozhu heard a popular play falsely pairing the late Princess Wanhua with Han Zhu. She ordered an investigation and learned the tale had been inspired by real rumors about Han Yun, who was stationed nearby.
Yang Xingjian learned from Han Yun’s old servant that Han Yun had loved Baozhu from afar and mourned her presumed death. Wei Xun visited Han Yun but spared him, and Baozhu decided she would meet Han Yun to secure passage north.
Baozhu and Wei Xun secretly entered the County Yamen, where Baozhu confronted Han Yun over her calligraphy and obtained travel permits for their party. Han Yun realized Baozhu was alive, while Wei Xun carried her away with growing jealousy and wished their journey would never end.
After learning that an epidemic had begun in Zhongqiu, Zhou Qingyang entered Dunye Ward to find its source while Baozhu stayed at the inn. Han Yun joined her investigation and helped contain the outbreak after she traced it to a contaminated well.
Zhou Qingyang helped stop the plague in Zhongqiu County before traveling with Baozhu’s party toward Youzhou. At Jingxing Pass, the party discovered a mound of enemy heads, and Zhou Qingyang agreed to take Wei Xun farther into the mountains to teach him the gunpowder formula.
Zhou Qingyang recounted how her fellow disciples’ attempts to find a happy land ended in tragedy, then revealed that Chen Shigu’s Phoenix Embryo was made from a living member of the Li Tang imperial family. She told Wei Xun that the medicine required him to keep killing imperial relatives and that Chen Shigu had intended him to destroy the Tang dynasty.
Zhou Qingyang revealed that Xuanying had planned to use the Phoenix Embryo and Wei Xun to revive a rebellion against the Great Tang, and explained that her own resolve had broken after her family was punished. Wei Xun accepted the recipe and continued toward Youzhou with Baozhu, leaving the story with their party traveling through the Taihang Mountains.
Baozhu tried to buy a horse for Wei Xun in Chengde, but she could not afford the one she wanted and refused to trade away her beloved donkey. Yang Xingjian warned Wei Xun about his relationship with the Princess, and Wei Xun resolved not to linger after they reached Youzhou; after refusing a horse dealer’s gift, the group decided to take a longer route.
Baozhu, Wei Xun, Yang Xingjian, and Thirteenth Son were ambushed by Chengde troops seeking the treasure that could overturn the world. The soldiers killed Yang Xingjian, struck down Thirteenth Son, and captured Baozhu, while a disguised siege crossbow pierced Wei Xun and the false commander.
Imprisoned after their capture, Baozhu watched the jailers torment her and the dying Wei Xun while demanding the whereabouts of a mysterious treasure. Wei Xun died in her arms, and Baozhu turned her grief into a chilling threat against the jailers.
Baozhu was rescued from Fenglong Temple, where she had clung to Wei Xun’s body, by Yuan Shaobo and Lady Yu’s party. She refused to leave for Youzhou until she found a way to kill Wang Chengwu during the seven days of mourning she demanded for Wei Xun.
Baozhu devised a plan to bring down Wang Chengwu by coordinating an uprising within Chengde with a military feint from Zhaoyi, but both Liang Shiji and Han Yun refused to act without outside support. After returning to Wei Xun's body, Baozhu resolved to continue her campaign rather than accept defeat.
Baozhu recovered Lord Lushan and used the donkey to lead a daring raid that scattered Chengde’s warhorses and captured Jingxing Pass. As Baozhu’s forces held the pass, Liang Shiji killed Wang Chengwu, and Han Yun’s intervention helped bring down the Chengde Army.
After destroying Chengde’s cavalry, Li Baozhu secured Liang Shiji’s submission and rejected Han Yun’s late offer to serve her. She returned to Wei Xun’s body and, exhausted by the cost of vengeance, finally told Lady Yu to prepare him for burial.
Li Baozhu built the Jade Comb Army, recovered most of the warhorses at Jingxing Pass, and set out for Youzhou with the boy’s coffin. At the Yingzhou border, she reunited in the snow with her ailing brother, Prince Shao.
Li Baozhu reunited with Li Yuanying in Youzhou, but discovered that Wei Xun’s body had vanished and realized he had concealed his impending death from her. As she grieved, Li Yuanying revealed his poisoning and urged her to take charge of his forces, leaving Baozhu to begin preparing for the responsibilities ahead.
Baozhu learned to manage Youzhou’s military and civil affairs while Li Yuanying kept her occupied, then joined him in uncovering how their mother died and why Baozhu had been buried alive. The siblings ended the chapter grieving together and affirming that they were each other’s closest family.
Li Yuanying showed Baozhu a shrine to An Lushan and Shi Siming, prompting them to confront how the people’s loyalty depended on their rulers’ results. They agreed to return to Chang'an and pursue a dangerous coup rather than plunge the realm into another war, and Li Yuanying promised they would share the realm.
Li Yuanying and Baozhu prepared to secretly fight for the throne, but five assassins were found dead in their Bedchamber after the siblings drank together. Baozhu recognized a red plum blossom left by the mysterious killer and realized Xu Two had been secretly protecting them, leaving Li Yuanying to restrain her furious outburst.
During Wei Xun’s seven-day wake, Thirteenth Son discovered that he was alive and helped him recover through Prajna Repentance and Zhou Qingyang’s treatment. Two months later, Wei Xun and Thirteenth Son left the mountain for Youzhou, while Wei Xun struggled with the desire to take Baozhu away again.
After an assassination attempt, Li Yuanying prepared to return to Chang'an and contest the succession, leaving Huo Qilang to impersonate him in Youzhou. As the dying emperor stamped an edict naming Li Yuanying crown prince and a final edict, the spirit of his daughter confronted him about burying her while she was still alive.
Baozhu and Li Yuanying began a palace coup, taking control of the emperor and securing the imperial seal before moving against rival claimants. After Baozhu killed Li Yuanchai and Xiahou Jin, the Divine Strategy Army surrounded Xuanwu Gate, leaving the succession in doubt.
Baozhu appeared alive atop Xuanwu Gate and used her identity, archery, and promise of burial treasure to make Liu Shouqian abandon his challenge and recognize Li Yuanying as crown prince. She then led the Forbidden Army to open her intact tomb, where its contents appeared to confirm her account of returning from the dead.
Li Yuanying and Li Baozhu seized control of the court, and Li Yuanying became emperor after his father died. He elevated Li Baozhu to the highest offices and placed her beside him as his successor, while Wei Xun watched her ceremony and decided to leave.
Li Yuanying and Baozhu learned that their mother had died from an unavoidable childbirth hemorrhage, not from the late emperor withholding medicine, though his guilt and fear had shaped the palace’s ghost rumors. Li Yuanying confessed that he had been the Blood-Smeared Ghost and begged Baozhu not to risk dying in childbirth; the siblings ended the chapter weeping together in Penglai Hall.