Episode 13 recap: Ling Zhi poisoned the drink of Qing Yan at the feast.
In fact, Mu Xuan Jue had an ulterior motive in making Ling Zhi the concubine - he wanted to see if she would betray him. Ling Zhi wanted to give up her current position for Qing Yan, as Qing Yan was still in Huan Fei's hands. Everyone tried to dissuade Ling Zhi, and she ultimately decided to give it up. This position was not even what she wanted in the first place, but the maids felt they had gone through too much difficulty to get to this point and couldn't let it all be ruined for a maid.
Ling Zhi was very angry when she heard this, feeling that they were all inhumane. But the maids also had their own thoughts - if Ling Zhi could not become the concubine, their future would not be good either, as they had families to take care of. Seeing the maids kneeling, Ling Zhi felt they had a point - since they had chosen to survive in the palace, they had to follow all the rules of the palace.
Ling Zhi deliberately went to find Mu Xuan Jue and told him the situation - that Huan Fei was threatening Qing Yan's life, so she had missed the grand ceremony. Ling Zhi was even willing to use her own body as an exchange, just to protect Qing Yan. She started to undress, but Mu Xuan Jue quickly stopped her.
Mu Xuan Jue said he had no real military power, so Ling Zhi could not do anything. Qing Yan was completely devastated. Ling Zhi felt what she had said was ridiculous - she could only watch her beloved one die, even with all the power she had gained, it was meaningless. Mu Xuan Jue recalled how he had been forced to kill all the ministers years ago, and he too had so much helplessness.
Ling Zhi felt that since the emperor could not help her, she would go rescue Huan Fei herself. She was willing to give up everything, but Mu Xuan Jue still could not do it, as he did not have enough leverage yet. Qing Yan had been tortured to the point of brokenness, and Huan Fei was still saying that Ling Zhi had not appeared because she did not want to give up her position as the concubine.
At this moment, Ling Zhi arrived. She said she was not here to rescue anyone, but to collect the body. Qing Yan was already at the point of death, so Ling Zhi came to see her off. Ling Zhi forcibly made Qing Yan drink the poison, and Qing Yan vomited blood and struggled in agony, eventually collapsing on the ground. The bottle of poison fell from her hand, and Qing Yan's breathing slowly stopped. This was the law of survival in the palace - if you were not ruthless, you would end up as a pawn in someone else's hands.
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