Episode 31 recap: Li Yi was heartbroken over the death of his brother.
As Li Yi raised a glass of wine, he couldn't help but think of Lao Bao. After taking a sip, he coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground. Cui Lin rushed over to comfort Li Yi, telling him that she understood his immense grief. However, she emphasized that they needed to stay alive to understand why Lao Bao and the others had died, and to save more people.
With Lao Bao dead before his eyes, Li Yi found himself alone on the battlefield. Two enemy warriors approached him and launched an attack, but they were no match for Li Yi. He defeated both of them. Li Yi and Li Lai stood face-to-face, the latter watching the heavily injured Li Yi and feeling certain of his victory.
As Li Lai slowly approached the fallen Li Yi with his sword, Cui Lin and Cui Yi arrived just in time with the Cui family's troops. They killed Li Lai and saved Li Yi. Cui Lin looked at the arrows embedded in Li Yi's body, feeling immense pain. General Xiao Pei and Chang'er wept bitterly as they saw the lifeless bodies of Lao Bao and the others, consumed by grief and sorrow.
In a dream, Li Yi saw Lao Bao and his deceased brothers. He suddenly coughed up blood. Cui Lin, deeply concerned for Li Yi, expressed her sympathy. Li Yi said he was overwhelmed with sadness. They had made a promise—to return to Sanlichong Village, Zhao Family Village, once peace was restored. But now, they were all gone. Li Yi reminisced about the countless battles he had fought alongside Lao Bao, filled with perilous moments. Lao Bao used to say that soldiers like them were never claimed by heaven. Li Yi's tears flowed as he spoke, and Cui Lin cried with him, understanding his words.
As Li Yi recalled every detail of his time with Lao Bao, he became more and more grief-stricken, unable to speak. Cui Lin urged him to stop talking, assuring him that she understood everything he wanted to say. She was grateful that she had arrived in time to see Li Yi. Holding the bloodied Li Yi in her arms, she desperately tried to stop his bleeding, asking him what she should do if something happened to him.
Tao Zi helped tend to Chang'er's wounds, thinking it was fortunate that his injuries weren't severe. Otherwise, she would be as worried as Cui Lin every day. Chang'er blamed himself, wishing he had run faster at that crucial moment so that he could have saved them. He berated himself and pounded his chest in frustration.
Tao Zi quickly embraced him, telling Chang'er that it wasn't his fault and that he had done his best.
In the middle of the night, Li Yi couldn't sleep. He got up and walked over to Cui Lin. He held her injured hand, kissed it silently, and gently let go. The next morning, Tao Zi woke Cui Lin up early and informed her that Li Yi was missing. Cui Lin quickly got up and went to search for Li Yi.
Li Yi sat down on a step and took out a jar of wine to pay tribute to his fallen brothers who had fought alongside him. Just as he was about to drink from the cup, he coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Cui Lin found him and told Li Yi that she had never believed in gods or Buddhas, but this time his injuries were too severe. She wanted to kneel before all the deities in the world.
Li Yi had previously told Cui Lin that if she had any wishes, she should fold a bamboo dragonfly. She looked at the bamboo dragonfly on the ground and told Li Yi that she had folded them all while he was unconscious. She told Li Yi that despite his sadness, he must stay alive. Only by living well could they understand why their comrades had died and save more people.
The Emperor lay in bed, feeling pain all over his body. Whenever he closed his eyes, he felt as if assassins would emerge. He was even afraid to turn off the lights. Prime Minister Gu told him that he was already doing well and that anyone else would have been scared to death. Taking advantage of the situation, Prime Minister Gu and General Pei proposed making Li Yi the Crown Prince, but the Emperor refused to relent.
Unable to resist the arguments of the two ministers, the Emperor reluctantly agreed. Prime Minister Gu said he would go and issue the decree on behalf of the Emperor. General Pei asked the Emperor about rewarding Cui Yi for saving him. However, the Emperor replied that Cui Lin was about to be appointed as the Crown Princess, so what more rewards did they need? Prime Minister Gu disagreed with this and obstructed the decision, as he wanted his own daughter to become the Crown Princess.
Cui Lin wanted to personally make a piece of clothing for Li Yi. She took out a measuring tape and began measuring Li Yi's size. She noticed that Li Yi had become thinner recently. When Li Yi asked how she knew he had lost weight since she had never measured him before, Cui Lin said she had hugged him before. Li Yi denied it, but Cui Lin hugged him from behind.
In just 30 episodes, the plot twists were too extreme. The rebellion was such a major event, yet the entire army was defeated. The Cui family's army discovered Ni Duan, but failed to provide timely feedback.
Meanwhile, Prince Zhen and Cui Lin were busy with their romantic entanglements, completely oblivious to the situation. It's completely different from their previous intelligence and keen insight.
The emotional manipulation was excessive.
They focused so much on the struggle for the position in the Eastern Palace that they neglected other aspects. It feels like there was a complete change in the production team for this part of the rebellion plot.
The filming effects for Prince Zhen, who is the male lead and holds a "get out of death free" card, were extremely subpar.