Love and Crown 凤凰台上 (2025) Episode 17
Welcome to the Ep 17 discussion, I'll be cover this weekends episodes
Links to discussion: Masterpost & Ep 1–3 | Ep 4–7 | Ep 8-9 | Ep 10-11 | Ep 12-13 | Ep 14 | Ep 15-16
⚠️ Spoilers: If you’d like to discuss anything past Ep 17, please tag your spoiler. Anything up to Ep 17 is fair game.
Ep 17
I think today's episode was my favorite so far, what about you?
Xijiang Camp
Ku Mo Er is getting updates from his men. They worry that their inaction is causing morale to drop, he looks to the sky and says soon. Another soldier advises they searched the whole hunting ground and found nothing. He is still suspicious of Bai Chi Fan, he feels he is not simple even though the others says he is just here for Cangcang
KME recognizes Bai Chifan is no ordinary man, he can sense his cunningness.
Bai Chifan goes to the Princess MJ for help with Cangcang. She is all for playing matchmaker but thinks CC is stubborn so they strategize and he has already tried her tricks and eventually steers the discussion to going out of camp to a lake. She takes over and says CC will have to lean on him as they slip on the ice and he can play hero if CC falls in. He really just wants out of camp.
BCF is impressed with MJ matchmaking
BCF and CC see everyone celebrating snow and realize there is something up. BCF realizes they were waiting for the cold so the river / moat will freeze and they can cross it to attack. KME is still suspicious of them and removes there yard passes.
We are celebrating cause it wasn't cold enough already?
KME spends the day planning the battle with his men in the command tent. MJ arrives in search of special wine as a prize since BC beat her in Tiger-taming chess on his first try. This game tests strategy and command of warfare and a swordsman be able to beat MJ, she tells KME that she used his moves and still lost, he is now on red alert, decides to join them drinking. KME tells the legend from Xijiang about lovers whose families are enemies. This story is like a warning for XH but only he knows it. KME wants CC to feed it to BCF while MJ is still playing matchmaker and says CC doesn't want to forget yet. In the end CC asks BCF to drink it but he says he doesn't want to forget or sever their love. BCF says as long as one of them drink it will sever their love. At the same time BCF and CC realize that to sever love it means parting in death and so the wine must be poisoned. They now fight over who should drink it.
CC are you sure he owes you and not the other way around?
Poor MJ is celebrating that they obviously still like each other not realizing that BCF is poisoned.
BCF may be parting from CC even sooner than he realized
CC is worried but BCF is awake. He is glad to see her true feelings. She is upset with him for coming to her again and he asks if she has forgotten that normal poison doesn't affect him since he has the cold poison.
CC is upset that BCF drank the wine knowingly.
He couldn't let his Empress drink the wine. He has promised to protect her and he will do it!
Farewell
MJ is mad at KME but he is convinced that BCF is more than he seems and knows all about military strategy and is a threat that cannot be kept alive.
When you are right you are right!
BCF tells CC and MJ he has always had cold poison and it is not their fault. It is his fate.
This is not looking good, BCF are you sure you are pretending?
CC swears to save his life and MJ feels guilty. He hints that their is a physician in Jiangzhou who could help. MJ goes to steal her brothers token so CC can leave. Meanwhile BCF tells CC, Imperial Physician Li is there and if she tells him the symptoms he will make medicine so she has to go to save his life. He sends a decree for General Ling. Question: do decrees work without seals? I guess General Ling will take it from CC.
CC is now showing her love again and begs XH to wait for her and swears she will never forgive him if anything happens to him. They have a heartfelt goodbye.
The Chase
MJ has made all the arrangements. Giving CC her horse, armor, veil, and brothers token.
KME sees her and gives chase, but CC has a head start and rides to Jiangzhou while ducking arrows. General Ling lowers the bridge and opens the gates for her while a rain of arrows forces KME and pursuit to stop.
Confrontations and Revelations
CC tells Preceptor Du and General Lin that XH is having a relapse while they say Physician Li is not in the city. The message to General Ling is to protect the city, beware of the freezing of the moat, wait for orders, and keep the Empress in the city.
Preceptor Du unloads on CC telling her that there is no life-saving medicine left that XH used it to save CC
XH has risked everything and sacrificed himself for her over and over and is now beyond hope and it is CC fault. She asks why CC can't see the tenderness he shows her is not false. CC is heartbroken remembering what he has done for her. General Ling has also heard it all.
CC is finally realizing that the world doesn't revolve around herself and that XH has problems too.
Preceptor Du finally gets this off her chest!
KME comes back to camp and goes looking for BCF
He is ready and was expecting them. He offers to tell KME who he really is.
KME is strike is stopped and BCF sends him across the ring. MCE is surprised but attacks again only to have his sword cut in half and BCFs at his throat.
BCF asks why KME tried to coerce him with CC if he doesn't like being threatened.
Yes let him know he was right to be suspicious, you are no ordinary man!
BCF is Emperor of Great Qi Xiao Huan. Ling with a "g" is Ling Cangcang his Empress. He is also not risking death. His plan is not to rely on his own strength to escape.
XH plan is:
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Send out the military deployment map - check it was copied and sent during the hunt
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Send away the Empress - check she was fooled into going for a doctor
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Let the Western Garrison attack.
KME says XH will die, XH doubts it and sets of firework signals.
Enter Xiaoxing guards, flying across tents and soldiers heads from every direction to surround XH. While everyone looks on he introduces his personal elite guards for whom taking the Generals head wouldn't even be a challenge.
Meanwhile, CC and another group of soldiers are also on the way.
KME threatens that he was 100,000 soldiers while XH replies he has 1 Million.
Enter Empress who is now stating she will stand by the Emperor.
Promises
XH says he has gotten to know KME after staying with him and says he can give KME and Xijiang a chance and suggests they negotiate peace. XH knows they only have 60,000 troops, he also knows they plan to cross the moat when it is frozen but he ordered it salted to prevent freezing. He also knows that the General cares for his soldiers and people and that it was the early winter that caused a snow calamity that is 1 in 100 years occurrence causing the people to be in trouble and the status verification system just compounded it.
For peace he will make 3 promises:
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Great Qi will provide grain to the people to get them through the crisis
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they will send agricultural experts to improve farming
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Within 3 years he will abolish the status verification system
KME is shocked MJ is hopeful. KME worries about his past actions but XH says he will not pursue the past. KME is about to cry and is in awe of how Magnanimous XH is.
KME and MJ swear fealty to XH and will follow him for life if he can do what he said. XH tells him not to worry he stands by every word.
Back in front of the army KME give XH the command token and swears to come when called. XH promises to cherish the people and soldiers of Xijiang. KME leads the whole Black Tiger Army to pledge allegiance to Qi.
Now XH has some reliable allies and they are actually good people!
Random Comments:
Best Entrance: Xiaoxing guards
Oddest wardrobe items:
- General Lings helmet: It seems super tall and not flattering at all, makes him look like an egg head to me. What do you think?
- CC purple dress: She is going to war and takes off the stylish armor that MJ gave her and instead puts on a pastel purple dress? She would not blend into the forest with that nor match XH outfit so what was the point.
Best scene: Ending scene
Posted Nov 23, 2025, 4:33 AM UTC