(Copyright Sina Weibo Lu Zhen)
Lu Zhen is like crack. It has some great moments and then terrible ones, you get a hit of the good stuff and it can last you until the next one, most of the time. Dear show, don’t make people wait too long. But in other news – this is the cutest picture ever.
Lu Zhen talks with Shen Jia Min, whose father is a general who has troops in the region where Gao Zhan is kidnapped. Lu Zhen says that if Shen Jia Min wants to save Gao Zhan then she needs to write a letter to her father and tell him the exact location, which Lu Zhen and Shen Bi had found out. Shen Jia Min first agrees and then reneges her promises, saying that if she rescues Gao Zhan then Lu Zhen will be with him and she won’t get anything. Lu Zhen says that she will promise not to be with him anymore. Shen Jia Min tells her to make a promise to the heavens; if Lu Zhen gets back together with Gao Zhan once he is safe then Lu Zhen will die a horrible death. Lu Zhen makes the promise.
But Shen Jia Min is not satisfied and tells Lu Zhen to burn marks into her face so that she will no longer be pretty. That way Gao Zhan won’t look at her anymore. Lu Zhen hesitates briefly before grabbing the incense in Shen Jia Min’s hands. Shen Jia Min tells her that Lu Zhen has chosen to do this voluntarily. Lu Zhen has the incense up to her face when it gets knocked out of her hands. Shen Jia Yan appears and yells at his sister for being horrible and devious.
Lu Zhen cuts in, saving Shen Jia Min by saying that Shen Jia Min was only trying to verify that Lu Zhen was not a spy from the dowager. Shen Jia Yan tells his sister to get out; he has to speak to Ling Long (Lu Zhen had lied about her name to him). Shen Jia Min leaves, confused.
Lu Zhen explains everything to Shen Jia Min, who agrees to help Gao Zhan. When Lu Zhen is leaving Shen Jia Min asks why her name is Ling Long, and Lu Zhen tells her that she gave Shen Jia Yan a fake name.
Lu Zhen returns to the palace and Shen Bi is praying for Gao Zhan’s safe return. In ten days time the emperor gets news that Gao Zhan has died.
The Emperor tears up and says that its all his fault. His eunuch whispers urgently for the Emperor to faint.
The Emperor looks at him confused, until he realizes that it might all be for a show. He does what he is told
The Dowager comes to look in on the Emperor. Yuan Fu, the emperor’s eunuch adivses that Lu Zhen come to visit the emperor to make him recover from the shock of losing Gao Zhan faster. The Dowager agrees.
Lu Zhen comes to visit and the Emperor asks in wonder how she could think up this scheme. Lu Zhen was able to get Shen Jia Yan to mobilize the troops to go rescue the kidnapped Gao Zhan and have him brought back to the palace in secret for safety reasons. Lu Zhen replies that Gao Zhan will be back in the capital in a few days, all they have to do now is convince the dowager that Gao Zhan has died.
They go out for a walk while Lou Qing Qiang and her maid La Mei observes the happy couple. La Mei says that the Emperor was just crying the other day for Gao Zhan and now look how happy he is with Lu Zhen. Lou Qing Qiang replies that Brothers are like your hands and feet, while women are like clothes. People can live without a hand or foot, but has anyone left their house without any clothes? (Wow. I think that might be my favorite evil quote of the day) However, something still makes Lou Qing Qiang uneasy.
Lu Zhen convinces the Emperor to go and visit the Royal Concubine, saying that sometimes you never know what’s going to happen, look at her and Gao Zhan.
That night the emperor goes to see the Royal Concubine. He tells her that he knows what his mother did to her and he can’t blame her for being like this to him. He knows that she still loves Gao Zhan but he can wait. Even if she does choose Gao Zhan, he will let her go. He brings her new robes with his nickname (Zhu Que) a bird embroidered on it. He goes on his knees to pray to the Guan Yin goddess that in this life he won’t care who the Royal Concubine chooses, but that he will love her.
He says, I’m Sorry and I Love You, even though he believes he doesn’t deserve her forgiveness.
The Royal Concubine says many things which basically can be summarized as: I don’t love you, don’t you like Lu Zhen now? You are the all powerful emperor; I’m just a concubine. Then she asks who he wants her to choose.
He tells her that he wants her to choose him. She scoffs that he is just like his mother, so selfish and fake to say all those sweet things to her(that he doesn’t consider her feelings for Gao Zhan) . But no matter how fake he is, he is her emperor and she has to choose him. She tells the Emperor that she went to beg Gao Zhan and he had rejected her love. She is the Eternal Princess of Liang and she’d rather choose respect over love. She gives her hand to him; he happily kisses it and embraces her.
The Empress asks after the Emperor to learn that he had visited the Royal Concubine.
She is enraged until she hears the news that Gao Zhan is alive and is returning to the Capital.
Gao Zhan is at court and the Emperor happily recieves him. He had completed his task. Gao Zhan is asked what happened and he tells the Emperor that he doesn’t believe the assassination attempt on his life was so simple. The Dowager jumps as she listens behind the silk screen. The Emperor sees that Gao Zhan seems tired and tells him to go rest. Someone will come for him soon.
Gao Zhan is putting on medicine by himself and in his daze from pain he sees a figure approaching; he grabs the figure and says, “A Zhen (his nickname for Lu Zhen) You finally came.”
Thoughts: So here we are. Episode 33, the emperor finally realizes that his mom is evil, something we all knew from episode 1. There’s a lot of repitition in this show and seriously, the royal concubine needs to stop being a 12 year old emotionally stunted child who refuses to let go of her favorite teddy bear. That being said, I like that Gao Zhan is finally back.
Oh, and there was an unintentionally funny bit where the Emperor kisses the Royal Concubine’s hand and it looks like that he’s about to eat it.
dramatictealeaves 
Gao Zhan is putting on medicine by himself and in his daze from pain he sees a figure approaching; he grabs the figure and says, “A Zhen (his nickname for Lu Zhen) You finally came.”
Ohhh… Don’t tell me that it’s the Royal Concubine Xiao….
Just don’ttt….
because she totally wears golden and white robes and there is totally nothing attached to her headpiece… and of course there is nobody loyal enough to put the medicine onto his wound and make sure he is undisturbed while in pain (poor puppy ;))… and of course because Lu Zhen has been coming into his palace unannounced and standing in his bedroom like she was totally belonging there. I do not think they are on this level yet and was it not for pain that actually blurrs his marbles he could see what we are seeing but the show is all about the drama now so we have to live it through, still… Gao Zhan? You are so screwed now.
Ohh…… I am now officially depressed…….
don’t be… it goes worse than this 😉
And eventually, it gets better. Otherwise I would have stopped recapping at episode 1.
Oh mother… I watched up to episode 34 or 35 last night… I am stopping to watch it and next for the next episode recap first.. 🙂
Lu Zhen is addicting at the beginning but got a bit “unpleasant” during the middle part… Now, I am watching Once Upon A Time Season 2 temporarily..
On what episode LZ will get better eventually?
Sorry about my poor grammar.. What I meant was:
I stopped to watch it and decided to wait for the next episode recap from you first..
🙂
well… I think it gets better after the emperor’s order for Gao Zhan to take his shir off, right dramatictealeaves? 😉 there are also few other scenes where you actually think the protagonists will either die or go bald (I almost died there!!!) and some where you would consider running yourself into a very thick wall… but still it is a good ride… and it does speed up again with awakening of the venom spitting dowager empress… so keep watching/reading and we will all get there…. in a due time.
*shirt…. apologies for the mistake…
Thank you for the heads up serenite. I just want Abi to be killed sooner…. Why is she doing alive even until ep 39??? When the Emperor told GZ to take the shirt off, I was singing the hallelujah chorus.. 🙂
Btw, what is the URL of your blog?
Hi Dramatictealeaves, I hope that you are going to update the recap soon because I am addicting more on reading your recap rather than seeing the actual movie.. 🙂