Episode Summary
Du Tingxin attempts to seize the throne and kill her enemies, but her plan fails when Xiao Qianqing breaks her mind control. Xiao Huan sacrifices himself to save the people from Du Tingxin's poison array. In the aftermath, Du Tingxin learns the tragic truth about her mother. Ling Cangcang gives birth to Xiao Huan's son but eventually dies from her injuries, leaving Xiao Qianqing to raise the child alone.
Spoiler Alert
Love and Crown Episode 35 Recap: The Empress Goes Mad
The Queen of Delusion
Du Tingxin has finally snapped. We knew she was ambitious, but now she is full-on delusional. She hears the Lingbi Sect is destroyed. She admits the "Ghost King" has skills. Then she finds out the Ghost King is actually Xiao Huan. This news breaks her brain a little bit. She hates him, but she loves him. It’s a mess.
She mocks Xiao Qianqing for thinking he can save Xiao Huan. She doesn't care. She pulls out a Dragon Robe. She puts it on right in front of the Prince. She declares herself the first female emperor. She says her coronation will be everyone else's funeral.
Ice Cold Confrontation
Du Tingxin tries to break Ling Cangcang next. She reveals Xiao Huan is the Ghost King. She expects tears. She wants to see Cangcang suffer. She gets sass instead. Cangcang basically says, "Old news, sister. You're the last to know." That stings. Du Tingxin throws a tantrum and freezes Cangcang into a literal block of ice. Xiao Huan decides it is time to end this. He summons his people.
The Coronation from Hell
An antidote arrives just in time for Cangcang. She reads Xiao Huan's letters. He plans to die. She refuses to let him go alone. She ignores advice to leave. She stays to fight.
Meanwhile, the court scene is a disaster. Du Tingxin wears the robe. She forces the terrified ministers to kneel. She forces Xiao Qianqing to speak for her. When the crowd looks unimpressed, she slashes the Prince with a sword. The State Preceptor is terrifying everyone.
Brotherly Bond
Xiao Qianqing is about to crown her. Xiao Huan crashes the party with an arrow. Du Tingxin tries to play her trump card. She rings her bell to control the Prince. She wants the brothers to kill each other. It fails.
The Prince wakes up. Zhong Lin used his own toxic blood to cure the Prince earlier. The brothers team up. Du Tingxin realizes she is losing. She activates a massive poison formation. She wants to take everyone down with her. She admits the revelation about her sibling bond with Xiao Huan drove her crazy.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
The "Heart-Eating Gu" bugs swarm out. Xiao Huan does the unthinkable. He cuts his wrist. He has the Moon Eclipse Worm in his blood. It cures poison. He lets the bugs devour him to save the city. The toxicity overwhelms him. He begs Cangcang to kill him before he turns into a monster. Even Du Tingxin looks sad at this. Xiao Huan collapses. Cangcang screams.
The Tragic Aftermath
The dust settles. The Prince is groggy from poison. Zhong Lin lost his hearing. Du Tingxin ends up in a cell. The Saintess visits her. She drops a truth bomb. The late Emperor was a monster who raped Du Tingxin's mother. Her mother didn't run away with a lover. She committed suicide to protect her daughter. Du Tingxin weeps.
We get a bittersweet epilogue. Cangcang survived the battle. She took heavy damage, but she manages to give birth to Xiao Huan's son. She holds on until the boy grows up a bit. Then she dies. Zhong Lin vomits blood and follows her in death. Xiao Qianqing is the last man standing. He is left alone to raise his brother's son.
