Ashes to Crown

After the Wei Village accusation, a crowd attempts to punish Xie Yan Lai as the supposed murderer. The younger Chu Zhao intervenes and prevents his unlawful killing. He remembers the act as the moment she pulled him out of despair and becomes fiercely loyal to her.

In the first timeline, Chu Zhao leaves the frontier for the Capital and becomes attached to Xiao Xun, the hostage heir of Xiaonan. She defies Chu Ling's distrust and believes Xiao Xun is willing to sacrifice his regional inheritance for their future together.

Chu Zhao marries Xiao Xun and supports him during the rebellion that destroys the heirs ahead of him. Her connection to Chu Ling and the frontier army helps Xiao Xun secure the throne. She becomes empress without realizing that he views the marriage as a route to military power.

During Xiao Xun's reign, Chu Zhao advises the court while remaining estranged from her father. She continues sending Chu Ling his favorite jujube cakes, unaware that Xiao Xun is using the deliveries to poison him over time. The apparent stability conceals Xiao Xun's plan to eliminate the Chu family after it has served its purpose.

Xiao Xun fabricates treason charges against Chu Ling and orders the destruction of the Chu clan. He admits that he married Chu Zhao to gain access to her family's frontier army and that Chu Ling had already been slowly poisoned. Xiao Xun kills Chu Zhao after revealing that her trust helped create the regime that destroyed her.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Victim · Xiao Xun — Emperor and Perpetrator · Chu Ling — Condemned Family Head

Chu Zhao awakens before the wedding with her memories of Xiao Xun's reign and her family's destruction intact. She decides that escaping the marriage alone will not be enough and begins changing the political succession before Xiao Xun can seize power. The main timeline diverges from the first life at this point.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Reborn Protagonist · Xiao Xun — Former Fiancé and Future Threat · A Le — Trusted Attendant

Chu Zhao's changed behavior convinces Xiao Xun that his original plans are no longer secure. He launches his rebellion earlier than he did in the first timeline and moves against the Imperial Palace. The accelerated crisis forces Chu Zhao to improvise rather than rely completely on her memories.

Involved: Xiao Xun — Rebel Leader · Chu Zhao — Opposing Strategist · Tie Ying — Rebel Operative

Chu Zhao protects Xiao A Yu and brings him before the dying emperor as the surviving legitimate heir. She swears that she will remain unmarried and will not create a competing dynasty, persuading the emperor to grant her authority as Grand Princess. Xiao A Yu receives the throne, and Chu Zhao's engagement to Xiao Xun is dissolved.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Protector and Kingmaker · Xiao A Yu — Imperial Heir · Xiao Xun — Blocked Claimant · Qi Chang Shi — Palace Attendant

At approximately eight years old, Xie Yan Lai is brought back to the Xie household by his mother and left waiting for her return. As an illegitimate child born outside the main household, he receives little protection or acceptance. The abandonment shapes his lifelong distrust of family recognition.

Members of the Xie clan humiliate and physically abuse Xie Yan Lai because of his birth. He rejects the identity of an obedient Xie son and begins calling himself Fu Jiu, preserving his wounds as reminders of what the family did to him. Xie Yan Fang presents himself as the one brother willing to acknowledge him, creating a bond that later becomes a means of control.

Now acting as regent, Chu Zhao appoints Xie Yan Lai to command the Imperial Guard. Deng Yi exposes that Fu Jiu is actually the Xie family's illegitimate ninth son, but Chu Zhao confirms that she already knows. The appointment begins Xie Yan Lai's rise within the new government.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Regent and Appointing Authority · Xie Yan Lai — New Commander · Xiao A Yu — Young Emperor

Xiao Xun accuses Chu Zhao of attempting to poison Xiao A Yu. Chu Zhao anticipates the accusation and turns the available evidence against him, preserving her position as regent. The failure confirms that Xiao Xun can no longer predict her actions from their previous relationship.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Accused Regent · Xiao Xun — Accuser and Conspirator · Xiao A Yu — Alleged Poisoning Target

Chu Zhao prepares evidence and circumstances intended to brand Xiao Xun as a defector. Deng Yi preserves Xiao Xun as an alternative claimant and assists his escape, placing Xie Yan Lai in danger. The failure reveals that Deng Yi intends to keep several routes to power available.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Trap Organizer · Xiao Xun — Target and Escaping Claimant · Deng Yi — Secret Rescuer · Xie Yan Lai — Endangered Pursuer

A manipulated frontier attack becomes a real Shuomo invasion while Chu Ling's health is deteriorating. Xie Yan Fang and other court factions begin maneuvering over the command of Yunzhong's large army. Chu Zhao refuses to remain in the Capital while her father and the frontier are endangered.

Involved: Xie Yan Fang — Hidden Architect · Chu Zhao — Frontier Defender · Chu Ling — Critically Ill Commander · Shuomo King — Foreign Ruler

Chu Zhao travels among dispatch riders to evade Xiao Xun's ambush and reach Yunzhong. Xie Yan Lai risks his command and political standing to follow her. Their shared journey turns a calculated alliance into a deeper personal commitment.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Disguised Traveler · Xie Yan Lai — Pursuing Protector · Xiao Xun — Ambush Organizer

At Cangmu Stronghold, Chu Zhao explains that she remembers a previous life in which Xiao Xun became emperor and destroyed her family. Xie Yan Lai accepts the truth rather than treating it as madness or manipulation. He promises to help her defy the fate she remembers.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Secret Revealer · Xie Yan Lai — Confidant

Chu Zhao and the Cangmu fighters prepare a terrain-based ambush for Tie Ying and Xiao Xun's pursuing force. The operation protects Chu Zhao's route toward Yunzhong and demonstrates the stronghold's military discipline. Cangmu becomes an active part of her covert alliance network.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Ambush Planner · Tie Ying — Target · Xie Yan Lai — Defender · Ge Lao San — Stronghold Ally · Xiao Man — Stronghold Operative

Xiao Xun arranges for Shuomo troops to enter Chu disguised as caravans and combine with Xiaonan forces. In exchange for military assistance, he is prepared to divide territory with the foreign ruler. His pursuit of the throne becomes an open threat to the survival of the kingdom.

Involved: Xiao Xun — Chu Conspirator · Shuomo King — Foreign Ally · Tie Ying — Operative

Wangcheng is surrounded by a much larger Shuomo force, but Chu Zhao refuses to abandon the city. She uses a genuine defense map as deceptive bait, shifts supplies, and sends Xie Yan Lai and Ge Lao San to burn the enemy granary. Zhong Chang Rong's forces strike as the siege formation collapses.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Defensive Strategist · Xie Yan Lai — Military Defender · Shuomo King — Enemy Ruler

Before Chu Zhao's birth, Xiao Jing entrusts Chu Ling with the defense of Yunzhong during the early years of his reign. Chu Ling accepts the frontier responsibility and becomes one of the State of Chu's leading generals. The appointment binds the Chu family's future to the region rather than representing a conquest of Yunzhong.

Chu Ling encounters the Shuomo general Alan Rou Ying while their armies are enemies. Recognizing that she grieves for soldiers on both sides, he offers her a peace pendant and encourages her to seek an end to the war.

The Shuomo ruler orders Alan Rou Ying executed after she argues for peace. Chu Ling rescues her, brings her into the State of Chu, and gives her the name Mu Mian Hong. Their relationship develops into a hidden marriage.

Mu Mian Hong gives birth to Chu Zhao and wishes for her daughter to live without war. Xiao Jing orders Chu Ling to execute the Shuomo woman while sparing the child, so Chu Ling stages his wife's death and hides her at Cangmu Stronghold. Chu Zhao grows up believing that her mother was a refined woman from the Capital who died long ago.

Chu Ling is critically wounded by a poisoned arrow during an earlier frontier battle. Xie Yan Lai gives him a Xie family Bloodburn Pill after being told that it can revive a dying person. The medicine extends Chu Ling's life but gradually damages his heart when the required later treatment is not supplied.

Chu Ling tells Chu Zhao that her mother was the Shuomo general Alan Rou Ying, later known as Mu Mian Hong. Chu Zhao also discovers that the Bloodburn Pill given by Xie Yan Lai prolonged Chu Ling's life while contributing to his decline. Grief causes her to treat Xie Yan Lai as partly responsible before the full deception is understood.

Involved: Chu Ling — Truth Revealer · Chu Zhao — Daughter and Truth Recipient · Mu Mian Hong — Hidden Mother · Xie Yan Lai — Unknowing Medicine Bearer

Mu Mian Hong publicly reclaims her identity as Alan Rou Ying and enters the battlefield against Shuomo. She uses explosives and her knowledge of the enemy to open a path for Chu's forces. Her death protects Chu Zhao and helps secure the Yunzhong victory.

Involved: Mu Mian Hong — Sacrificing Defender · Chu Zhao — Daughter and Witness · Xie Yan Lai — Vanguard Commander · Shuomo King — Enemy Power

Chu Ling uses his remaining strength to rally the frontier soldiers during the decisive defense. He dies as the army secures the region, leaving Chu Zhao to announce his death and preserve military morale. His final letter asks her to build a peace that does not continually consume parents and children.

Involved: Chu Ling — Dying Commander · Chu Zhao — Daughter and Successor · Zhong Chang Rong — Deputy General · Xie Yan Lai — Frontier Officer

Zhong Chang Rong explains that Xie Yan Lai used the Bloodburn medicine because Chu Ling was already dying from a poisoned wound. Chu Zhao accepts that Xie Yan Lai believed he was saving her father and rejects the accusation of deliberate poisoning. Their emotional alliance begins to recover even though Xie Yan Fang's full role remains hidden.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Truth Recipient and Defender · Xie Yan Lai — Wrongly Suspected Medicine Bearer · Zhong Chang Rong — Truth Revealer · Chu Ling — Deceased Medicine Recipient

Xiao Xun intercepts the frontier victory dispatches and replaces them with reports suggesting Yunzhong is collapsing. He destroys the imperial edict intended to restrain Xiaonan and advances troops toward the Capital. The concealed succession struggle becomes open rebellion once again.

Involved: Xiao Xun — Rebel Claimant · Chu Zhao — Opposing Regent · Xiao A Yu — Reigning Emperor

Chu Zhao and Xie Yan Lai reveal the hidden Longwei Army and use its presence to pressure Prince Xiao Nan. The Xiaonan ruler withdraws rather than allow his movement to be formally declared rebellion. Chu Zhao prevents another large battle by combining military threat with political legitimacy.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Political Commander · Xie Yan Lai — Military Commander · Prince Xiao Nan — Withdrawing Prince · Lao Bai — Longwei Leader

Xiao Xun captures Chu Tang and offers to make her Crown Princess if she cooperates. Chu Tang reverses his trap, takes his private seal, and turns him into a hostage. Chu Zhao uses the capture and an imperial campaign led by Xiao A Yu to force Xiaonan to surrender without another major war.

Involved: Chu Tang — Plan Organizer · Xiao Xun — Captured Rebel · Chu Zhao — Political Beneficiary · Deng Yi — Amnesty Issuer

After the Xiaonan conflict is contained, Chu Zhao and Xie Yan Lai affirm that their bond extends beyond immediate political necessity. They then separate so Chu Zhao can return to court and Xie Yan Lai can continue frontier duties. The vow becomes an emotional anchor during their later periods of danger and presumed death.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Life Partner · Xie Yan Lai — Life Partner

Jing Ke challenges Chu Tang and the women gathered at Chu Garden. Chu Tang defeats him through strategy and calligraphy, transforming the confrontation into public support for the gathering. The victory advances her educational and social ambitions.

Involved: Chu Tang — Victorious Organizer · Jing Ke — Defeated Challenger · Chu Zhao — Political Sponsor

Deng Yi argues that Xie Yan Lai should be punished for abandoning his Imperial Guard command rather than rewarded. Xie Yan Lai enters court and personally requests authority over Yunzhong, promising to defeat the Shuomo ruler within six months. Xiao A Yu grants him the frontier command and seal.

Involved: Xie Yan Lai — Command Candidate · Chu Zhao — Political Sponsor · Deng Yi — Opponent · Xiao A Yu — Appointing Emperor

Xie Yan Fang offers to place Xie Yan Lai and his mother's names within the Xie genealogy and ancestral hall. Xie Yan Lai refuses the recognition he once wanted, declaring that neither he nor his mother needs validation from the clan. Chu Zhao sends him north wearing Chu Ling's armor rather than Xie family honors.

Involved: Xie Yan Lai — Estranged Son · Xie Yan Fang — Clan Representative · Chu Zhao — Confidante

Evidence from Wei Family Village links the incendiary containers used in the fire to Xiaonan cargo records. Chu Zhao questions Xiao Xun and establishes stricter control over the transport of fire oil. The investigation narrows the conspiracy toward Xiaonan, Shuomo, and an insider capable of framing Cangmu Stronghold.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Investigator · Xiao Xun — Suspected Conspirator · Xie Yan Lai — Evidence Supplier

Chu Zhao gives Zhu Yong and the Imperial Guard Office broader authority to investigate regional corruption and official misconduct. The investigations increase public support for her government while threatening officials protected by Deng Yi and Xie Yan Fang. Xie Yan Fang hides his next move behind a claim of illness.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Reform Sponsor · Zhu Yong — Lead Investigator · Xiao Man — Imperial Guard Officer · Xie Yan Fang — Hidden Opponent

Xie Yan Fang exploits Liang Qiang's ambition by promising him Zhong Chang Rong's command. Liang Qiang allows Shuomo forces through Xinggu Pass and helps expose Zhong Chang Rong's patrol to an ambush. Xie Yan Lai arrives in time to save the veteran commander and begins tracing the betrayal back toward the court.

Involved: Liang Qiang — Traitor · Xie Yan Fang — Hidden Sponsor · Zhong Chang Rong — Ambush Target · Xie Yan Lai — Rescuer and Investigator · Shuomo King — Foreign Beneficiary

Xie Yan Lai leads a small force into the Shuomo Royal Camp after recognizing the invasion as part of a larger trap. He kills the royal heir and captures the Shuomo king, reversing the frontier crisis. The victory establishes him as the commander capable of fulfilling Chu Ling's defensive legacy.

Involved: Xie Yan Lai — Assault Commander · Shuomo King — Captured King · Zhong Chang Rong — Rescued Commander

Shuo Mo tells Xie Yan Lai that Xiaonan disclosed Alan Rou Ying's survival and Cangmu Stronghold to Shuomo. The village fire and Xie Yan Lai's accusation were used to build a treason case against Chu Ling. The disclosure places the old disaster inside the larger succession and frontier conspiracy.

Involved: Shuomo King — Truth Revealer · Xie Yan Lai — Truth Recipient and Scapegoat · Chu Ling — Intended Treason Target

After losing his position in the Capital, Deng Yi stages his death and joins Xiao Xun. Deng Yi hopes the Xiaonan claim can restore his authority, while Xiao Xun gains an experienced court strategist. Their alliance remains unstable because each is prepared to sacrifice the other.

Involved: Deng Yi — Fugitive Strategist · Xiao Xun — Rebel Ally · Xie Yan Fang — Political Enemy

Prince Xiao Nan attempts to preserve Xiaonan even if that means abandoning his son. Xiao Xun poisons his father, takes control of the commandery, and declares a new imperial claim. He raises Xiaonan's army for a final campaign against Xiao A Yu and Chu Zhao.

Involved: Xiao Xun — Patricide and Rebel Leader · Prince Xiao Nan — Poisoned Father · Deng Yi — Rebel Strategist · Tie Ying — Xiaonan Operative

Attackers disguised as Shuomo soldiers ambush Xie Yan Lai while he is traveling with the captured Shuomo king. Both men disappear at the cliff and are reported dead in Episode 23 because no bodies are recovered. Xie Yan Lai is later shown recovering, while the Northern King never returns.

Involved: Xie Yan Lai — Ambush Target and Survivor · Xie Yan Fang — Hidden Architect · Chu Zhao — Misled Partner · Xiao Xun — Framed Suspect · Shuomo King — Captured King and Fatality

Chu Zhao storms Xiaonan and defeats Xiao Xun's final rebellion. She kills him by strangling him with cloth, mirroring the death he inflicted upon her in the first timeline. His death completes her revenge against her former husband but leaves the hidden architect of the later conspiracies untouched.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Victor and Executioner · Xiao Xun — Defeated Rebel · Deng Yi — Defeated Ally

Deng Yi's final alliance collapses with Xiao Xun's defeat. Chu Zhao spares his life but removes his rank and sends him to the frontier, ending his influence over the young emperor. His punishment closes a career built on preserving several contradictory paths to power.

Involved: Deng Yi — Condemned Official · Chu Zhao — Sentencing Authority

Liang Qiang admits that Xie Yan Fang used his ambition to open Xinggu Pass and remove Zhong Chang Rong. After confronting the deaths caused by the betrayal, he hangs himself in custody. His confession gives Chu Zhao another link between the frontier disaster and Xie Yan Fang.

Involved: Liang Qiang — Confessor and Fatality · Xie Yan Fang — Named Manipulator · Chu Zhao — Authority Receiving the Confession

Zhu Yong's evidence connects Yu Shang, Liang Qiang, and Xie Yan Fang to the frontier betrayal. Xie Yan Fang admits that he manipulated the military crisis, used Xiao Xun as a scapegoat, and arranged the attack on Xie Yan Lai. He demands control of Chu Zhao's frontier army and imprisons her when she refuses.

Involved: Xie Yan Fang — Exposed Mastermind · Chu Zhao — Confronting Regent · Zhu Yong — Evidence Provider · Yu Shang — Conspiracy Link · Liang Qiang — Manipulated Traitor

Xie Yan Fang reveals that he has identified and killed the members of Chu Zhao's secret Longwei Army. He threatens Cangmu Stronghold and Xiao A Yu to force Chu Zhao to surrender her military authority. Chu Zhao wounds him with a poisoned blade and attempts to escape.

Involved: Xie Yan Fang — Perpetrator · Chu Zhao — Coerced Commander · Lao Bai — Longwei Victim · Xiao A Yu — Threatened Emperor

Fire destroys Wei Family Village and kills dozens of residents. Xie Yan Lai is blamed for the disaster, while evidence connecting Xiaonan fire oil, Shuomo interests, Cangmu Stronghold, and the Xie family is concealed. The accusation drives him away from the clan and remains a weapon used to control him.

Xie Yan Lai is shown alive and recovering at the beginning of Episode 24. His survival reveals that the cliff ambush failed to kill him and restores Chu Zhao's partner for the final plan against Xie Yan Fang.

Involved: Xie Yan Lai — Returning Rescuer · Chu Zhao — Rescued Partner · Xie Yan Fang — Opposing Mastermind

Episode 24 resolves the uncertain report from the cliff. Xie Yan Lai is shown recovering, while the Northern King never returns and is said to have left nothing to bury. Shuo Mo is therefore confirmed dead despite the absence of a recovered body.

Involved: Shuomo King — Confirmed Fatality · Xie Yan Lai — Survivor and Information Holder

Chu Zhao appears to submit to Xie Yan Fang and allows him to believe that he controls her, the emperor, and the frontier army. In secret, she coordinates with Xie Yan Lai and teaches Xiao A Yu how to exercise independent imperial authority. The deception encourages Xie Yan Fang to expose the full extent of his ambitions.

Involved: Chu Zhao — False Subordinate and Secret Mentor · Xiao A Yu — Secret Student · Xie Yan Fang — Deceived Power Holder · Xie Yan Lai — Hidden Co-Conspirator

Xiao A Yu acts on Chu Zhao's secret instruction and refuses to remain dependent on his maternal relatives. His decision removes the imperial legitimacy Xie Yan Fang expected to use to control the court. The young ruler demonstrates that the regency has prepared him to govern rather than merely obey.

Involved: Xiao A Yu — Independent Emperor · Xie Yan Fang — Rejected Power Broker · Chu Zhao — Hidden Mentor

Xie Yan Fang admits that the Bloodburn medicine was intended to make Xie Yan Lai dependent on him, that Chu Ling became the unintended victim, and that Xie Yan Lai was manipulated into becoming the Wei Village scapegoat. He also confirms that A Xiang was killed when the surviving witness threatened the lie. The confession ends the brothers' remaining emotional bond before the ancestral hall burns.

Involved: Xie Yan Fang — Confessor and Perpetrator · Xie Yan Lai — Brother and Truth Recipient · Chu Ling — Deceased Bloodburn Victim · A Xiang — Murdered Witness

Xie Yan Lai rejects his brother's offer of the Xie family leadership and refuses to preserve the clan's system of inherited control. With his political plans defeated and his brother beyond his reach, Xie Yan Fang sets fire to the ancestral hall. He dies with the family legacy he can no longer command.

Involved: Xie Yan Fang — Defeated Family Head · Xie Yan Lai — Estranged Brother · Chu Zhao — Political Opponent

After the rival claimants and controlling regents are removed, Xiao A Yu begins ruling in his own name. He reduces taxes and strengthens punishment for officials who collaborate with foreign enemies. Chu Zhao withdraws from daily government rather than converting the regency into permanent personal rule.

Involved: Xiao A Yu — Reforming Emperor · Chu Zhao — Retiring Regent · Zhu Yong — Reform-Era Official

With the court stabilized, Chu Zhao returns to Yunzhong and reunites with Xie Yan Lai. They establish a shared frontier home, continue protecting the region, and raise a family that includes Chu Qi Qi. Their ending replaces the dynastic marriage and destruction of the first timeline with a future chosen by both partners.

Involved: Chu Zhao — Returning Frontier Guardian · Xie Yan Lai — Reunited Partner · Chu Qi Qi — Future Daughter