Episode Summary
Fan Qingchen kidnaps Luo Lingyu and traps her in a cage, intending to keep her as his prize. Lu Yun rescues her, falling into a trap set by Fan Qingchen. Luo Lingyu frees herself, stabs Fan Qingchen, and attempts to rescue Lu Yun. Fan Qingchen tries to kill them all in a final act of revenge, but Lu Yun sends the unconscious Luo Lingyu to safety and confronts Fan Qingchen.
Spoiler Alert
The tension ratchets up in episode 25 of "Les Belles." Fan Qingchen, enraged by Luo Lingyu's decision to donate her family fortune to the war effort, drastically changes his battle strategy. He's going all-in, planning a fiery assault on Lu Yun using all available saltpeter (a key ingredient in gunpowder).
Meanwhile, in Jingzhou, the situation is ever-changing. Lu Yun is completely consumed with military matters, spending all his time in the army camp. He's so focused that he's neglecting his appearance. When Luo Lingyu visits, she's taken aback by his scruffy beard and takes it upon herself to give him a shave. This tender moment allows Lu Yun to refocus his energy on the impending battle. There's no time for romance, though, as news of a surprise attack by Beichu forces Lu Yun to immediately don his armor and ride into battle.
Fan Qingchen, ever the opportunist, uses Lu Yun's absence to launch a sneak attack of his own. He sends a squad to infiltrate the camp and kidnap Luo Lingyu. She's drugged and wakes up to a horrifying sight: she's trapped in an ornate cage, face-to-face with the man she thought was dead. Fan Qingchen's reappearance shocks Luo Lingyu, who had been told by Lu Yun that he had been killed. His obsessive and cruel behavior resurfaces, and he reveals his twisted plan to keep Luo Lingyu as his prized possession, caged like a bird.
Lu Yun, however, isn't about to let that happen. He figures out that Fan Qingchen is behind the abduction and, leaving Prince Hengyang in charge of the army, rides alone into the Beichu camp. He cuts down anyone in his path, a one-man army driven by fury. In Fan Qingchen's tent, he finds a wedding invitation and a portrait of Luo Lingyu, which he destroys in a rage. Seeing the address on the invitation, Lu Yun races to the location.
He arrives at a desolate, snow-covered landscape. In the center stands a large cage draped in red wedding cloth – Luo Lingyu is inside. Lu Yun, desperate to free her, pulls back the cloth and finds her alive but chained and bloodied. He attacks the cage's locks, but the vibrations trigger a trap, sending him plummeting into a pit.
Fan Qingchen, reveling in his apparent victory, ties Lu Yun to a post. He blames Lu Yun for all his suffering and forces Luo Lingyu to choose: light the gunpowder on Lu Yun's body or risk his life by refusing. Luo Lingyu is torn, but Lu Yun notices her struggling with her shackles. He keeps Fan Qingchen talking, buying her precious time. Finally, with her feet bloodied, Luo Lingyu breaks free. She seizes the opportunity, stabbing Fan Qingchen in the chest while he's distracted.
With Fan Qingchen wounded, Luo Lingyu rushes to free Lu Yun. But just as she's untying him, Fan Qingchen grabs a match, intending to take them all down with him. In a desperate move, Lu Yun knocks Luo Lingyu unconscious, puts her on his horse, and sends her towards the safety of the army camp. He then turns his attention to extinguishing the burning fuse, with Fan Qingchen desperately trying to stop him.
