Episode 20 recap: Cui Lin accompanied Li Yi to drink together.
Li Yi told Cui Lin that he knew his father, the king, didn't like him. He thought it was because his father blamed him for the death of his mother. But now it seems that his father doesn't care about his mother's death at all. While drunk, Li Yi told Cui Lin that he only wanted her. Cui Lin said that he didn't want the world, but those who wanted the world wouldn't spare him.
Gu Wanniang felt that although Prince Zhen was constantly engaged in warfare, he was actually very soft-hearted. She believed that persuading him nicely would work. She wanted Prince Zhen to apologize to the emperor proactively and show submission, or else it would affect his career. Gu Wanniang gave Prince Zhen a portrait of Empress Liu, his biological mother, which she had personally embroidered. She told Prince Zhen that Empress Liu definitely wouldn't want him to create a rift with the emperor because of his status.
Li Yi was very satisfied with the artwork and happily accepted it. Gu Wanniang believed that someone like Prince Zhen could only be temporarily trapped by petty individuals and wouldn't be trapped for a lifetime. General Xiao Pei returned after delivering the letter and told Li Yi that there was no reply. Li Yi said he didn't expect a reply either. General Xiao Pei told him that Cui Lin's words were very reasonable.
She said that although Li Yi was currently under house arrest, it might not be entirely a bad thing, and Li Yi would surely understand the content of the letter. Surprisingly, Sun Jing was not poisoned. Consort Xiao asked Jin Niang to write a letter to General Han, suggesting that it would be better for the Crown Prince not to reveal his whereabouts. The Crown Prince was excited when he heard the news from Consort Xiao. General Han told him that Consort Xiao was safe and well-settled.
After hearing this, the Crown Prince asked General Han if they could return. General Han told him that Consort Xiao had sent a letter asking them to stay hidden because Sun Jing was still alive and could harm him. Prince Li Jun, known as the Trustworthy Prince, wanted to lead the Zhenxi Army to achieve a victory in Chongzhou to establish his own prestige. Li Yi felt that not only would he fail to win the battle, but he would also suffer losses in troops and horses.
Li Yi wrote a memorial to the emperor. When the emperor heard that it was from Li Yi, he didn't want to read it at all. Li Jun suggested that the emperor should take a look, just in case Li Yi made some excessive requests, so that the emperor could reject them. Finally, the emperor read the memorial. In the memorial, Li Yi stated that he didn't want to trouble the emperor, so he agreed to posthumously honor his birth mother as the Zhao Empress.
After reading it, the emperor felt that it was indeed inappropriate to confer the title of Zhao Empress to Empress Liu. He believed that conferring the title of Virtuous Concubine would be more appropriate. Li Jun whispered to the emperor that Li Yi's intention in submitting the memorial was to lead troops to Chongzhou. The emperor thought that self-reflection would be useful, so he continued to have Li Yi reflect on his actions behind closed doors. Cui Lin knew that Li Yi had been reflecting for a long time, so she came to Prince Zhen's residence to visit him.
Li Yi was surprised to see Cui Lin and asked how she had come. Cui Lin jokingly said she came to see if Li Yi was living a luxurious life surrounded by pleasures and with a beautiful woman by his side. Li Yi told her that he didn't have a luxurious life, but the beautiful woman was indeed by his side. Li Yi told her that his mother died giving birth to him, and when she was alive, she was treated like a weed in the Prince Liang's residence.
That day, he had made up his mind to seek a title for his mother, even if it meant giving up his position as the Zhen Prince. But he discovered that in the Emperor's heart, his mother was never important. Cui Lin comforted him, saying that Empress Liu definitely wouldn't want to see him in such a state, and she would surely hope that Li Yi could live freely.
Li Yi felt that back then, he thought that reclaiming the Western Changjing would be enough, but now that he had achieved it, nothing had really changed. In the palace, it was full of intrigue and power struggles, and he couldn't even secure a title for his own mother. He felt useless. Cui Lin stood up and hugged Li Yi, and Li Yi said he was envious of Cui Lin.
Cui Lin asked why, and Li Yi said it was because Cui Lin could always be with her. Cui Lin reminded him that she came to see him, but Li Yi said she would leave soon. Cui Lin promised not to leave for a while and not to leave at night either. Chang'er brought a lot of medicinal herbs for Tao Zi and told her that he would go gathering herbs every time he thought of her.
Tao Zi looked at the thirty or more bags of herbs that Chang'er had gathered and told him that if he missed her, he could also write her a letter. Cui Lin accompanied Li Yi to drink together. Li Yi told her that he didn't want the world, and Cui Lin said that many people were fighting over the things he didn't want. As they spoke, Li Yi leaned on Cui Lin's shoulder and fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, Li Yi realized that Cui Lin had come the previous night.
Due to his drunkenness, he didn't remember anything. Chongzhou fell into Cui Yi's hands, and Li Jun blamed General Xiao Pei for everything. Li Liang felt that it was Li Jun who had pressured him into going to battle, and now he probably wouldn't accept the blame. He recommended Li Yi to reclaim Chongzhou, and the Emperor agreed.
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