The revelation echoes through the military camp: He Yan (禾晏) is the legendary Feihong General. For Xiao Jue, the discovery cracks open a past buried in betrayal and reshapes his understanding of the woman standing before him. Their shared history, marred by the tragic annihilation of the Xiao family army, is suddenly illuminated by the sinister truth – a web spun by He Rufei (何如非) and the powerful Xu Jingfu (徐敬甫). As this long-hidden conspiracy unravels, it forces confrontations, ignites forbidden feelings, and pushes the conflicted Chu Zhao (楚昭) towards a desperate edge, his carefully laid plans crumbling alongside his unrequited love for He Yan.
Blood and Betrayal
The truth of the Xiao army's destruction is a wound ripped open. He Rufei, driven by a poisonous ambition to reclaim the Feihong title, conspired with the scheming minister Xu Jingfu. He deliberately suppressed critical pleas for help, ensuring He Yan arrived too late to save the doomed troops at Jinyang. This calculated treachery made him Xu Jingfu's pawn. He Rufei believed he had eliminated all threats, never imagining He Yan would survive the river after her desperate ploy against enemy forces, nor foreseeing that his coveted title would become his own death warrant, marking him as expendable to his ally.
The Jinyang (晋阳) battle exacted a heavy toll. He Yan sacrificed herself to divert armored cavalry, a gamble that ended with her tumbling into the river's icy grip. The water, once her near-tomb, left an indelible scar of terror. Amidst this chaos, her revered mentor, Master Liu, fell defending the Jinyang princess – a secret love he carried to his grave. Simultaneously, Xiao Jue uncovered another painful thread: the fate of Chai Anxi's (柴安喜) son. Xu Jingfu sought Chai's silence because the young man died leading a charge meant for Xiao Jue at Yanshan.
Chai Anxi, blinded by grief, believed his son was a sacrificial substitute chosen by the Xiao family. This bitterness made him susceptible when He Rufei demanded the delayed dispatch of Xiao Jue's crucial message. Learning He Yan unknowingly triggered He Rufei's involvement added another layer of anguish. Chai Anxi, finally grasping that his son volunteered to save Xiao Jue from impossible odds, begged Xiao to beware He Rufei. Yet, before he could truly atone, Chai Anxi was silenced forever.
Whispers and Shadows
Chai Anxi's murder ignited suspicion in Chu Zhao. He knew Xu Jingfu orchestrated Jinyang's turmoil; now, the minister's shadow stretched back to the Xiao army's massacre. This revelation fractured Chu Zhao's loyalty. His focus shifted, plotting a path separate from his mentor. Meanwhile, in Jinyang, Xie Zhi's feelings for He Yan, unveiled when she wore gowns instead of armor, grew impossible to ignore. He sought moments alone – crossing the Lovers' Bridge, stealing a mystical mask during a festival ritual where secrets were demanded.
During that ritual, He Yan confessed a hidden longing: "She loves the moon, but the moon doesn't know." Chu Zhao, misinterpreting this as a sign for him, felt a surge of hope. He encouraged her freedom, implying she could choose any path, even one beside him. Later, believing victory near, he held her through a night on a boat, mistaking exhaustion for affection. This fragile hope was shattered by Xiao Jue's arrival. Xiao noted Chu Zhao treasuring He Yan's gift of a sugar figurine with bitter sarcasm, warning it was easily broken, a hollow prize. His words proved prophetic.
Returning home, Chu Zhao's delicate sugar figure was discovered and smashed by Xu Jingfu's jealous daughter, Xu Pingting (徐娉婷). The destruction mirrored the fragility of his dreams and violently recalled his mother's loss. This pain crystallized his resolve: He Yan must be his, regardless of the cost. Yet, blinded by obsession, he couldn't see the immutable truth – his role as the secondary player destined him to walk a solitary path. He Yan's heart belonged elsewhere, anchored by shared trauma and a love forged in fire and revelation.
Love's Bitter Aftermath
The aftermath of revelations and confessions leaves deep scars. He Yan and Xiao Jue, bound by their traumatic past and the exposure of He Rufei and Xu Jingfu's grand betrayal, find solace only in each other. Their connection, forged through shared loss and vindication, deepens into a profound commitment. This union, however, is a blade twisting in Chu Zhao's heart. Witnessing their closeness, especially after his own tender moment with He Yan was so cruelly interrupted and his symbolic gift destroyed, fuels a dangerous descent into obsession and resentment.
Xu Jingfu's machinations continue to cast long shadows. Chu Zhao, now fully aware of his mentor's role in both the Jinyang conflict and the earlier Xiao family tragedy, walks a treacherous line. His outward allegiance masks an inner turmoil and a burgeoning plan for retribution or personal gain. The destruction of the sugar figurine by Xu Pingting wasn't merely an act of petty jealousy; it symbolized the crushing of Chu Zhao's fragile hope and became the catalyst for his reckless determination to possess He Yan, no matter the consequences.
The stage is set for escalating conflict. Xu Jingfu, ever the puppet master, will not tolerate Chu Zhao's wavering loyalty or independent schemes. He Yan and Xiao Jue's hard-won peace is fragile, constantly threatened by Chu Zhao's growing desperation and the ever-present specter of Xu Jingfu's power. The battlefield may have quieted, but the war for hearts, vengeance, and survival within the intricate web of court politics and personal vendettas has only just entered its most perilous phase. Chu Zhao, tragically, cannot accept that his path diverges irrevocably from He Yan's; his refusal sets him on a collision course with destiny.
