Love and Crown 凤凰台上 (2025) Episode 20
I hope everybody had a great weekend and welcome to ep 20 discussion, and I am again your co-host.
Links to discussion: Masterpost & Ep 1–3 | Ep 4–7 | Ep 8-9 | Ep 10-11 | Ep 12-13 | Ep 14 | Ep 15-16 | Ep 17 | Ep 18-19
Spoilers: If you'd like to discuss anything past ep 20, please tag your spoiler. Anything up to ep 20 is fair game.
On with the show…
🌸 The Frost Blossom Mission: Success!
We start with the Prince and Zhong Lin back from flower hunting. They're stopped at the door by Xiao Huan's protective guards, but Li Hongqing comes around a few seconds later with the doc, and they all enter the premises.
Our genius doc saves the Emperor!! 🎉
While Cangcang is happy to know that XH was cured, she still has a lot on her mind to fully commit to XH. I get this since I think she's feeling like there are still things unanswered and she'd like to find out. Going back to the palace would mean she wouldn't have this freedom/chance to investigate.
👑 Xiao Brothers: The Best Sibling Dynamic
I LOVE the relationship between the Xiao brothers!
Xiao Qian Qing is disappointed that the first person XH asked for after waking up was CC!
https://i.redd.it/yhhgjyre8a3g1.gif
And he acts like he doesn't care about helping XH be cured, claiming he was "forced" by the doc to find and get the Frost Blossom. And that even after finding the flower, he didn't want to hand it over but it was due to ZL begging that he relented.
The truth though? Little brother does care. He was the one who forced the doc, and he willingly handed over the flower to help cure his big brother. 😭❤️
Them Two Gift Bickering
Another fave part: Their bickering over gifts! XH asking his little brother to return the Divination Chart that he gifted if XQ doesn't like it, and XQ asking his big brother to spit the Frost Blossom flower out.
https://i.redd.it/llgh6j4j8a3g1.gif
These two! 😂😂😂
💭 Where's CC?
Somewhere in the house thinking about XH's selfless acts towards her AND also her Shifu and Luo's deaths, which were caused by XH — even though CC knows that Shifu was the Ghost King and it was necessary, and Luo burnt himself. But Luo's death was still due to XH.
PS: If you’re confused reading the above, that’s more less how confused CC felt in that scene.
CC is emotionally conflicted. 💔
I totally understand her struggle. How do you reconcile someone saving your life while also being responsible for the deaths of people you loved? Even if those deaths were justified or self-inflicted, the emotional weight is there.
For me, I can accept this writer’s take on this. How about you?
🩺 Doc Li: Professional Knee-Bender
Besides the Xiao siblings' relationship, I love Doc Li's relationship with his patient! How he'd quickly kneel to beg the Emperor/XH to do what he's told, like go back to bed because he JUST got cured.
The poor man's knees may need some PT or a big vacation after this. 😅
Someone get this man a cushion cause kneeling down has become his go-to at this point 😅
👫 CC & Her Little Brother
CC and her little brother, Ling Jueding, also have a great relationship. I think the comment he made about how XH isn't how their dad described how Emperors are heartless planted something in CC's mind. Maybe this comment will be another small piece of the puzzle that will one day lead her to realize that her dad's a douchebag of a dad and traitor to the country. 🚩
Cangcang, you got yourself a good man! A good man!!
LJD also senses that the relationship between his sister and XH is a little off, and they have a chat about it. But she won't explain to him, and he replies with something practical:
There's nothing a good drink can't fix.
Ganbei! (干杯 - cheers/bottoms up!) True wisdom right there.
🕵🏻♀️ CC Leaves to Investigate
CC decides to leave to finish her investigation and find the truth. She tells her brother she's leaving but not XH.
Of course, XH goes after her.
Another doc moment… doc running in… about to kneel AGAIN to beg XH to stay home and rest instead of running around looking for CC and…
XH is quick to save the man's knees! . Golden!! 🤣
🙀 Preceptor Du & General Lu: What Just Happened?!
Somewhere else, General Lu comes to see Preceptor Du to share XH's verbal edict that more or less reminds her of what they talked about in the previous episode: That he doesn't need her anymore to help heal him.
What are all the cuts on her?
And what exactly were her mother's last words?
I wasn’t expecting this!!! ⬇️
That kiss from General Lu came QUICK!
Du & General Lu — What’s her game here?
🔥 LUO IS ALIVE!!! (We Called It!)
AND HERE WE HAVE IT! A VERY ALIVE LUO!
He didn't die in that fire. He DID have an escape plan, and here he is, alive and well in some peaceful village somewhere in the Great Qi.
WE KNEW IT, DIDN’T WE?! We discussed this some episodes ago and our general premise was that Luo could not have been dead! Well done us 🎉
So Luo is now a Lingbi Protector and using the same old mask as CC's Shifu when he was Ghost King.
And the verification system was created by the back-then Ling Regent.
Daddy Ling: Master Manipulator
In this scene we see how daddy Ling can be such a manipulator. He knows that Luo has a super soft spot for CC and uses the "CC will have a hard time to survive in the imperial city" line to manipulate him into acting on his behalf.
https://i.redd.it/mtay0h94aa3g1.gif
Other truths were also twisted which is making Luo really believe that what he's doing is for CC's protection.
What a douche of a dad!
Question: Is Luo going to figure out he's being used sooner than later? Will he turn against Daddy Ling? What’s your guess on this one?
🍜 Restaurant Scene: Truth Almost Told
We're then taken back to CC and ZL at a restaurant. ZL keeps wanting to tell CC the truth about her identity, but ZL's struggling, even after a few swig of wine.
But before she gets to share with CC, XH with XQ shows up.
XH tries to convince CC to go back, but CC says she needs to get things sort out in her head. Here, I am clear if they’re going to take the boat back to the city or XH is accompanying CC to wherever she wants to go to clear up her mind but together they travel.
Some cute bickering between our 🐢🐢 along the way.
https://i.redd.it/u7z0q4ueaa3g1.gif
But mid-way ZL is captured by a Lingbi Sect person and they're all brought to the "headquarters."
💊 Lingbi Sect: Pill, Truth, and Devotion
With ZL in the Sect's hands, the trio are forced to take a pill that takes away their inner force.
Here CC also learns the truth about ZL, but CC says she had an inkling that ZL was planted by her Shifu. CC's okay with that because she knows that ZL would never hurt her and they're still friends.
Yay! Friendship survives! 🎉
The Prince's Devotion
We see in this scene how much the Prince really cares about ZL. He doesn't think twice about taking the pill, and also when the Sect leader asks one of them to stab themselves to save ZL, he did what was asked.
https://i.redd.it/y5k5x8olaa3g1.gif
Even XH was really surprised by this whole scene, that maybe his brother and him are more similar than he thought.
How will the foursome get out of this? How will the Prince stop bleeding since the pill they took slows blood from clotting and there's a chance he'll die from bleeding?
🦋 CC's Growth: No Longer Black and White
As ZL says, CC has changed and grown up because she doesn't see things as black and white anymore.
https://i.redd.it/p8yvzypuaa3g1.gif
I think this is a HUGE character development for CC. She's learning nuance, understanding that people can be flawed and still worthy of trust.
And these two brothers, even in a cage, they’re still bickering.
https://i.redd.it/3wknyd2xaa3g1.gif
🎭 Luo's Plan
It looks like Luo has approached the Sect leader of the Shuyang chapter, Zhu Sha, to capture these four. The goal is to kill XH and get the Moon Eclipse.
Besides ZL, the Prince is very much dedicated to protecting his big brother and ZL and once again offers himself.
https://i.redd.it/1wtclms0ba3g1.gif
I think even XH is surprised with the words that just came out of his brother’s mouth 😂. This man deserves a medal! 🏅
My random thought: We see the significant distinction between the siblings and the father/children relationship in this episode.
🦋 Cliffhanger Ending
ZS puts CC under some sort of spell/illusion, the Illusion Butterfly Powder. Unlike the Puppet poison created by Princess Ying, CC can't get out of this one and she stabs XH.
We’re Only Mid-Way
The show is far from the end, so we know that XH can't be dead, but looking at the stab, CC stabbed him in the heart. ❤️🩹🗡️
I am really wondering how are they getting out of this one?! BUT, I have to wait until tomorrow…
Question
Before I log off…
Lead’s growth: What do you think of everybody's character growth so far? I know that misunderstanding and angst isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but does it make sense here and how the show is progressing?
Drop your thoughts below! 下次见！(Xià cì jiàn! - See you next time!) ✨
PS... Reddit Posting
I write my draft in an app called Bear. But it doesn't copy and paste well to Reddit. Instead of bold it'll do **bold**. So I need to spend extra time editing my post in Reddit, removing the ** and bolding. I just discovered that I can copy and paste from Bear to Word and then Reddit and my formatting stays in tact!
Is this how you all do it when posting with images and text formatting? Or is there a better/faster way? Outside of co-hosting this and a couple episodes of Fated Hearts, I mostly just comment. Any tips will be appreciated!
Posted Nov 24, 2025, 11:05 PM UTC