Episode 25 recap: Cui Lin chose the prince as her husband.
Cui Yi wants Cui Lin to marry the prince. Cui Lin tells him that it's not impossible for her to marry the prince, but it must be according to her own will. She will choose from the princes herself. Cui Yi feels that Li Yi is not suitable, but Cui Lin says whether she will marry him is still uncertain.
Prince Cui learns that Cui Lin only wants to marry Li Yi, but Cui Lin is unwilling to marry Li Yi. Li Yi believes that some people desire power, but he just wants to keep his promises. When peace is restored in the world, he wants to go to the border of Laoslan Pass with Cui Lin. Cui Lin asks him what if she doesn't want to go back to Laoslan Pass with him. Li Yi falls into silence for a long time upon hearing this.
He tells Cui Lin that he knows he cannot force her, but he still hopes that Cui Lin will be with him. Cui Lin asks him to go back, as she has said everything she needed to say. She knows that they cannot convince each other, so it's better to calm down for a few days. Li Yi apologizes to Cui Lin, knowing that he shouldn't have said those things to her that day. If their positions were reversed, he would have done the same.
Cui Lin feels that there is no point in saying these things now. She asks Li Yi to go back quickly and not to delay his duties in the military. Li Yi has no choice but to leave. After Li Yi leaves, Cui Lin can't hold back her tears and bursts into tears. On his way back, Li Yi is ambushed by Liu Cheng Feng. He immediately senses it and becomes alert.
Lao Bao knows that Li Yi has returned today, so he brings the soldiers of Zhenxi Army to meet Li Yi. Li Yi quietly tells him about the ambush nearby and asks them to leave first. Chang'er brings dried fruits to Tao Zi, but Tao Zi is not happy. Chang'er asks her what's wrong, and Tao Zi tells him that she will leave with the Cui family army tomorrow because Cui Yi found out that Cui Lin is sick and asked them to return.
Chang'er plans to accompany Tao Zi tomorrow, but Tao Zi doesn't want him to. She is afraid that it will make Cui Lin sad to see the soldiers of Zhenxi Army. However, Chang'er says he doesn't want to be separated from Tao Zi. Tao Zi says that after a long separation, one will no longer feel sad, but Chang'er insists that he will be very sad if he can't see Tao Zi for a long time.
Lao Bao wonders why Li Yi doesn't go to see off Cui Lin. Li Yi thinks that Cui Lin has a large army to protect her, so he doesn't need to go himself. Lao Bao says he is just stubborn, and he will regret it if he doesn't go after her now.
Gu Xiang asked Gu Wanniang when she was planning to meet Prince Qin. Gu Wanniang told him that she was waiting for someone, and when that person arrived, she would go to meet Li Yi.
General Xiao Pei called Li Yi to drink, but Li Yi was gloomy and said he wouldn't go. General Xiao Pei didn't know what was wrong with Li Yi, and he remained like that on the way back. Lao Bao made sarcastic remarks on the side, saying that one thing leads to another. General Xiao Pei asked him not to speak in riddles and to quickly say what was going on. Li Yi told him that there was nothing wrong and not to listen to Lao Bao's nonsense.
Gu Wanniang brought Li Yi's wet nurse to visit him. Li Yi was very happy to see his wet nurse, and he quickly ran over and squatted next to her to talk. He asked the wet nurse to stay since she had come. The prince's mansion was very big, and she could stay wherever she wanted. Li Yi was very grateful to Gu Wanniang and thought she was a kind-hearted person.
Gu Wanniang told him that she had never received her father's love since she was young, so she was very grateful whenever someone treated her nicely. Li Lai told the emperor that Cui Yi only had one daughter, and he could marry her so that the soldiers of the Cui family army could be used by them. The emperor wondered if Cui Lin, who grew up in the military, would be rude and ugly in appearance.
Li Lai told the emperor that regardless of Cui Lin's appearance, he could accept her in order to win over the Cui family army, and he would treat her well. Cui Lin and Cui Yi learned about this news. Cui Yi felt that they were like toads wanting to eat swan meat. She told Cui Lin that they could turn the tables and defeat them instead, so they would be in a desperate situation. It would also give her a chance to see Li Yi's reaction.
Li Lai and Li Jun were discussing together, and they felt that they must not let Cui Lin marry Li Yi. The people in the Zhenxi Army all thought that Cui Lin's actions were because she wanted to marry Li Yi. Lao Bao and the others were saying that Li Yi should quickly prepare the betrothal gifts. Liu Cheng Feng felt that if Cui Lin didn't want to marry Li Lai, it must be because she wanted to marry Li Yi. He planned to take Cui Lin away and believed that as long as he talked to her every day, she would fall in love with him.
Cui Lin made an appointment with Li Yi to meet outside the city. Li Yi asked Cui Lin if she was willing to marry him, and Cui Lin told him that she was willing in her heart. However, for the sake of peace in the world, she couldn't marry him.
In the later episodes, Shiqiulang's reluctance to fight for the throne is a great tragedy. Although I think he should have fought, I can understand his feelings. He has suffered grievances since childhood, with his birth mother losing her life, which naturally made him detest the power struggles and desire to stay away from the court.
That's why he planned to go to Laoslan Pass. He didn't aspire to such ambitions, but was forced into this situation by the circumstances and his loved ones, which truly feels suffocating.
The male and female leads have different desires—one yearns for freedom and spontaneity, while the other believes the other should shoulder the responsibility of family and country.
Actually, neither side is wrong. However, as Cui Lin said, the best way would be for both of them to compromise. Shiqiulang believes that he can achieve success and retire without fighting, but his two elder brothers won't let him off, especially the Crown Prince.
Only by contending for the throne can he have the possibility of establishing the Crown Prince as his heir.
This is not a matter of fighting or not. The Crown Prince is still alive, and there is a legitimate heir above him. Li Yi's pursuit of power would be nothing but usurping the throne. He is merely upholding what he believes to be the righteous path in his heart.
Shiqiulang, truly, even though he was hurt and treated unfairly since childhood, still believes in affection and sincerity... I think it's because he left his twisted family at a young and naive age and grew up with the brothers at Laoslan Pass and the Zhenxi Army.
In his world, people prioritize emotions, and no one would abandon their feelings for the sake of personal gain.
Even after many years, he believed that his father didn't like him because of his love for his mother, and his brothers didn't like him because of his longing for paternal love.
However, the truth proved him wrong.
So, when he discovered that the identity of the crown prince brought only conspiracies and suspicions, he only wanted to return to Laoslan Pass, where everyone valued loyalty and camaraderie.
That was his comfort zone. He couldn't adapt to the environment of the imperial city, nor could he allow himself to become the person he despised under the clashes of power.
When Cui Lin analyzed the situation for him and told him that the Eastern Palace was the only path, he would question why people couldn't be seen in a better light.
When Cui Lin told him that both the Eastern Palace and she were necessary, his concerns were not about his own safety, but rather about his future family and children. Would they also have to struggle in such an environment?
He understood the pain all too well. At this point, he still couldn't comprehend why Cui Lin, who clearly loved him, refused to marry him... His guiding principles were about trust and commitment, not blind loyalty or filial piety.
It was about firmly believing in what he considered the right path and pursuing it without hesitation, even if it meant sacrificing his life.
In fact, their differences in approach were already exposed when the old couple of hunters was killed.
From Li Yi's perspective, he believed that if he received a favor, he should repay it. However, Cui Lin, after careful consideration, stopped him, and in the end, the old couple was still killed, unable to prove whether Li Yi's path was correct.
Similarly, Li Yi feels responsible for supporting the Crown Prince, but Cui Lin's consideration leads to Li Yi ascending the throne. This time, Cui Lin cannot directly stop Li Yi, so they are destined to walk separate paths.
However, their common goal is a peaceful world, so let's leave everything to time. As long as they collectively discover the right path, they can once again hold hands and embark on the journey together!
We are outsiders, so we understand that what Ayin said is right, and we also understand that they are trapped by their royal status.
However, the male lead has never experienced the love of parents or the bond between siblings since birth, so Laoslan Pass is the only place he wants to go.
He wants to make his own choice, but the cost of growing up is immense. If everything had always gone in the right direction from the beginning, how could there be so many tragedies in history?
So I think being in the midst of it all, their empathy and longing may influence their choices.
Li Yi's persistence in returning to Laoslan Pass may be influenced by his experiences from childhood.
He has seen too many people go mad for power, so he doesn't want power. Because once you reach the pinnacle of power, as the preview says, your children will become sacrifices to power.
The struggle for power will lead his brothers and friends to lose themselves for the sake of their families, just like Sun Jing and Pei Xian Cui Yi, who were comrades of his grandfather's generation.
They fought together against external enemies, but things changed, and Sun Jing eventually fell into the struggle for power, killing the former emperor and declaring himself the Grand Commander.
His initial intentions were lost. That's why Li Yi values emotions and stubbornness. He just doesn't want to be tainted by power, to prevent his friends like Pei Yuan from losing themselves due to power and status, losing their lives, or losing the friendship between ruler and subject.
That's why he is determined to bring them back to Laoslan Pass. He doesn't want to lose any of them or the bond they share because of that position. However, in the end, he underestimated the treacherous nature of human hearts and still couldn't protect them.
Cui Lin saw through this, which is why she said that even if he doesn't fight, others won't let go of him as a hidden danger. She's afraid that Li Yi will die.
Tragedy, a word familiar in our lives. It is an artistic form that destroys the beauty before people's eyes, often making us lament the capriciousness of fate and the fragility of human nature.
In this work, the young hero, as pure and white as a white crane, and the hope of peace and freedom, shatters amidst the sword and bloodshed, leaving an everlasting scar in our hearts.
This young hero's name is Li Yi.
He was born in a turbulent era of war, destined to face a life filled with challenges and hardships.
However, he always maintains a heart of kindness and idealism, hoping to bring peace and tranquility to the world.
His presence is like a beam of light illuminating this world, allowing people to see a future of hope.
However, reality is cruel. From the moment Li Yi steps out of Lan Guan, his fate is already predetermined.
In this world full of power struggles and life-or-death tests, he must constantly fight, strive, and seize opportunities for survival.
And in all of this, whether in victory or defeat, it will become a pain in his heart.
If he fails, the great mountains and rivers of Dayu will crumble, and the Western Garrison Marshal and his subordinates will all die on the battlefield.
Such an outcome undoubtedly tortures him greatly.
His efforts and sacrifices will all be in vain, and his beliefs and ideals will be utterly destroyed.
And all of this is because of the era he finds himself in, trapping him unavoidably in this quagmire.
If he succeeds, he will face even more severe tests. If he doesn't contend, he will be treated as a sacrifice, and history has shown that renowned generals rarely see old age.
Such a result means that his victory did not bring true peace and tranquility.
Instead, he becomes a victim of power struggles.
Such a fate also fills one with helplessness and sorrow. If he contends, conflicts and internal strife among brothers are inevitable.
Such an ending is even more heart-wrenching.
His efforts and struggles ultimately lead to hatred and discord among brothers.
Such a result undoubtedly betrays him greatly. And all of this is because of the era he finds himself in, trapping him unavoidably in this dilemma.
The tragic deaths of the brothers were not because he refused to become the emperor, but rather the price he paid for being caught in the midst of the struggle. Where there is conflict, there will always be sacrifices.
He didn't want to be the emperor, but he would support a morally upright person to ascend the throne.
This was also a struggle for the succession. Whether he returned to the prison of Lan Guan or not, whether he fought or not, they would never let him and those around him go. This was his inevitable fate. He could no longer be the carefree and unrestrained Seventeenth Young Master.
And those who blamed him for causing the deaths of those around him, I truly don't understand them. His father accused him of killing his mother and feared that he would kill him in the future. Others also blamed him for the deaths of Lao Bao and the others...
Perhaps this character is enveloped in tragedy both in the drama and in real life.
If Lao Bao and the others knew that others would blame their deaths on Li Yi, they might come back to life and angrily rebuke them. Everyone is pressuring him, both in the drama and in reality.
From a god's-eye view, the audience accuses him of doing wrong, putting him in chains and locking him in a cage, watching him no longer be the carefree and happy Seventeenth Young Master. How could a person who didn't want to be emperor be happy to become one?
No one cares about what he has suffered in this cage because the concept of "I'm doing this for your own good" is deeply ingrained in people's minds. Everyone believes that the capable should bear more burdens, without considering what this "capable" person wants to do.
It's like ordinary people not understanding the rich; they will never know that kind of pain unless they are in that environment and truly empathize. It's very sad that when there is a clash of values, most people still stand in a god's-eye view and point fingers.
The male protagonist actually possesses a pleasing personality trait. Born into the royal family, he has been despised by his father since childhood and has not received much love or kindness, which has deeply influenced his character development.
As a result, he treasures his friendships greatly. A common flaw of a pleasing personality is the pursuit of approval, fear of conflict, and the desire to please everyone, which is also why he is unwilling to compete for the position of crown prince.
It's not that he lacks the ability, but rather due to subconscious retreat, lack of confidence, and unspoken struggles.
We can imagine being in a family that values sons over daughters, and as a female college student who is powerless to break free from the constraints of the family, it becomes even more pronounced.
A pleasing personality is not about pleasing others, but about gaining a sense of social acceptance. First and foremost, if he avoids conflict, he can become one of those heroic figures in history who devoted themselves to saving the country from crisis and turning the tide.
However, if he chooses to fight, all his previous efforts will be erased, and his achievements will be diminished to those who betray their loved ones for power and personal gain. Failure would bring him infamy, just like Sun Jing, enduring condemnation for generations.
Secondly, a pleasing personality trait involves enduring and compromising when faced with problems, stemming from past experiences of constant rejection.
Because even when fighting for rightful rights, they find it difficult to attain satisfaction.
For example, in real life, gaining equal opportunities for education.
Li Yi doesn't want to compete for the crown prince position, but in this world of power struggles, who can completely refrain from pursuing power?
There are things that, even if you don't snatch them, others will still snatch them, and they won't hesitate to harm you for those things!
The relinquishment of the military power of the Western Garrison was precisely because he wanted to secure a sense of vanity for his mother. If the position of the empress truly belonged to his mother, then he would become the legitimate heir.
However, he still needs to wait for the right moment until his own position is consolidated. Currently, he is not the true heir, and he doesn't want to intentionally oppose his brother and father.
The deliberate relinquishment of the military power of the Western Garrison by Li Yi allows him to retreat in order to advance.
It not only avoids the troubles that may arise from being too prominent, but also tests the loyalty of the Western Garrison.
If anyone poses a threat to him, he will be able to swiftly regain control of the Western Garrison without needing imperial orders.
For those who dare to offend him, he only needs to temporarily confine them, allowing his father to save face and provide a way out.
We can see the cruelty and complexity of power struggles. Li Yi's wisdom and strategies have given him a certain advantage in this battle, but he still needs to remain vigilant at all times, just in case.
In real life, we should also learn how to maintain our own position and dignity in power struggles while avoiding harming the interests and emotions of others.
Does having power ensure happiness and safety? Reflecting on the downfall of the Li royal family, the disastrous defeat of the Grand Marshal's army, and the reasons behind Prince Liang's struggle for survival.
Throughout history, countless rises and falls, the streets filled with the bones of officials, that position is not easily secured, is it?
If Li Yi ascends to power, how should the Crown Prince respond? Sun Jing has already provided an answer: if the Crown Prince doesn't die, the ongoing drama of vying for the world will continue.
Does "legitimacy" merely amount to two words?
In fact, adhering to the principle of returning power to the Crown Prince is the most secure approach.
However, Li Yi's foolish parents and brother have become stumbling blocks for him. Cui Lin has a sense of responsibility and cannot tolerate Li Yi's decision that goes against the interests of Gu Xiang and others who have invested in him.
At present, it seems that Li Yi is indeed trapped in a dead end. However, those who view him as foolish or loyal are likely only seeing the surface.
Although Cui Lin doesn't fully realize the cost of vying for the heir, her intentions are kind.
However, she may not yet comprehend the extent of the cruelty involved in this process. Having power in one's hands does not guarantee happiness and safety.
Historical examples tell us that power often brings endless conflicts and disasters.
Therefore, as we pursue power, we must also learn to cherish peace and happiness.
Only in this way can we truly achieve personal and social harmony and development.
Li Yi, as the commander of the Western Garrison and the Crown Prince of Qin, enjoys high prestige among the people.
However, based on the current situation, he has only two possible outcomes: death, which would result in the female protagonist and her followers being buried with him, or competing for the throne, which regardless of success or failure, may lead to the issue of succession.
In this world, power struggles never cease. Although Li Yi possesses high popularity, it doesn't mean he can smoothly weather this storm.
In fact, his enemies have been plotting in the shadows, scheming to undermine him and seize his power.
Li Yi himself is not without worries. He knows that if he were to die, the entire country would descend into chaos.
Therefore, he must remain vigilant at all times, just in case.
In the portrayal of the story, we can see that the protagonist's attitude towards the throne seems somewhat idealized, which to a certain extent weakens his image as a member of the royal family.
Does he truly believe that he can lead a self-contained life, unaffected by worldly matters? This setup, to some extent, emphasizes the clash of values between the male and female protagonists but appears somewhat lacking in rationality.
In this power-driven world, no one can truly lead a self-contained life. Even someone like Li Yi cannot avoid being entangled in it.
He has to face not only threats from his enemies but also struggles within his own heart.
When he discovers a strong desire for the throne, can he still hold onto his original intentions?
Li Yi always believed that his second brother was a simple-minded and kind person, until one day, he would surely discover the secret.
Li Yi's second brother has been lurking in the shadows, and in reality, he has been manipulating their father and elder brother.
The scenes of Li Yi being bullied never appeared before his second brother, which made him hold a glimmer of hope for his second brother deep inside.
However, this hope didn't last long. Over time, Li Yi gradually discovers a shocking truth: his second brother is actually his most ruthless enemy.
And all of this stems from his jealousy towards Li Yi. Despite this, Li Yi doesn't harbor strong resentment towards his second brother.
Perhaps it's because of their blood relation that he feels his second brother's actions are only playful interactions between siblings.
However, as they grow older and events unfold, Li Yi will slowly come to understand a lesson: some people may seem kind on the surface, but in reality, they are cunning, treacherous individuals.
Especially when Li Yi encounters difficulties and setbacks, he realizes how naive and childish he has been.
And that second brother who once seemed simple and honest will ultimately reveal his true nature—a cold-hearted, ruthless, despicable person.
You can't hide the truth forever, and eventually, the villain will reveal themselves to everyone.