A Dream of Splendor Episode 21 Recap
> A Dream of Splendor Recap
The day Xiao Qinyan returned to Tokyo, he ordered someone to invite Gu Qianfan to his residence for a chat about old times, but Gu Qianfan kept a cold face the entire time, stating that he did not want to have any connection with the Xiao household. Moreover, Gu Qianfan's marriage was imminent, and his perfect match was Zhao Pan'er.
Although in Xiao Qinyan's eyes she was a lowly merchant woman, in his own heart she was a peerless treasure, the only hope and light he could see in his past decade-plus of dark life. Therefore, Gu Qianfan warned Xiao Qinyan not to dream of using underhanded tricks to break them up, otherwise he would swear by his mother's soul in heaven that he would definitely make him regret it immensely.
Hearing these words, Xiao Qinyan paused for a moment, but when Gu Qianfan revealed that he would bring his wife and child to pay respects to their ancestors in the future, he felt a little comforted.
And now that he had regained his position as prime minister and the emperor's favor, Gu Qianfan made it clear that they would not interfere with each other; although he would not help him deal with the upright officials, he would not stand by and do nothing either. As for the 'hat demon' case, it was very likely deliberate human action.
It just so happened that Xiao Qinyan returned to the capital to take office as chief minister, and rumors were rampant both inside and outside the court. Furthermore, the emperor had always believed in ghosts and deities, hinting that he should be more vigilant.
Meanwhile, two servants from the Gao family rushed to Qiantang overnight and finally learned through Fu Zifang that Ouyang Xu had been engaged to Miss Zhao, but later broke his promise, becoming a heartless and faithless man. Early the next morning, accompanied by Gu Qianfan, Zhao Pan'er personally went to seek an audience with Gao Hui and presented Ouyang Xu's handwritten letter to prove that what she said was true.
Zhao Pan'er hoped Gao Hui could understand that since ancient times, oaths of eternal love were the least trustworthy. Even Emperor Tang Minghuang could fail others, let alone a mere scholar, so she should heed her father's advice and break off the engagement with Ouyang Xu as soon as possible. As soon as she finished speaking, Gao Gu walked over from the side to comfort Gao Hui.
Zhao Pan'er subconsciously hid behind Gu Qianfan, trying her best to avoid the other party's gaze. Because of Gu Qianfan, Gao Gu did not dare to act disrespectfully towards Zhao Pan'er again, but Gu Qianfan could still sense that his wicked intentions had not disappeared. On the contrary, through their conversation, Zhao Pan'er concluded that Gao Hui was not the vicious woman Du Changfeng described, but rather a willful young lady naive about the ways of the world.
Presumably, Ouyang Xu must have told her many sweet lies to gain her trust. Since Sun Sanniang mentioned Shen Ruzuo last time, Song Yinzhang had been distracted all day. Even when practicing the pipa, she couldn't help but constantly lose focus. Zhang Haohao saw through Song Yinzhang's thoughts and warned her not to trust Shen Ruzuo too much.
After the two finished playing a duet, Song Yinzhang, holding her pipa, was about to leave when she was almost scared to death by Chi Yanei. Zhang Haohao felt indignant for Song Yinzhang, thinking that if Chi Yanei wanted revenge, he could go find Zhao Pan'er entirely. She truly couldn't bear to see Song Yinzhang fall into the tiger's mouth and benefit Shen Ruzuo.
Chi Yanei shrugged it off and casually praised Song Yinzhang's pipa playing as better than her singing, which angered Zhang Haohao so much she turned and left. Considering that Du Changfeng had spoken up for Half-Covered Face before, Sun Sanniang specially made some snacks and asked Chen Lian to deliver them on her behalf, as a way of repaying his kindness. Ge Zhaodi and Chen Lian detested each other at first sight and would argue whenever they met.
Sun Sanniang watched the scene get more and more chaotic and couldn't help but scold Ge Zhaodi. However, Ge Zhaodi felt wronged and refused to pay attention to Sun Sanniang. Although Sun Sanniang explained the reason, she still didn't understand the meaning. She even retorted Sun Sanniang's sore spot impulsively, but immediately apologized when she realized what she had done.
Sun Sanniang suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said that she didn't understand worldly affairs before, which caused her to suffer immensely and break her heart. But it was precisely because of this that Sun Sanniang gradually understood some principles. She didn't want Ge Zhaodi to repeat her mistakes. One must learn to be patient in everything and look at people and matters from different perspectives, which might lead to different outcomes.
Ge Zhaodi blamed herself for being too impulsive just now and gradually understood Sun Sanniang's thoughtful intentions. Chen Lian went to deliver the fruits to Du Changfeng. Unexpectedly, Du Changfeng thought Sun Sanniang would not be so kind and hesitated for a long time before daring to accept them. At this moment, two students came over from the side. Not only did they insult Du Changfeng, but they even snatched the fruits from the table.
Du Changfeng seemed used to it; he was bullied because his eyesight was poor. Chen Lian couldn't stand it and privately taught the students a lesson for Du Changfeng. As evening approached, Chen Lian returned to Half-Covered Face and shared what he had seen and heard with Sun Sanniang. As for Du Changfeng, being a newly successful candidate in the imperial exam, he had not obtained any real power.
This was entirely because when he was granted an audience with the emperor, his poor eyesight caused him to lose composure in front of the palace, resulting in no official position. He could only honestly return to the academy to be a teacher. Du Changfeng's eye problem was not congenital, but it became increasingly blurry later, especially when it was dark. Listening to Chen Lian's words, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Song Yinzhang went to meet Shen Ruzuo as agreed. Unexpectedly, he spent a lot of money to buy her a hair accessory and indirectly hinted at his wealth and power, which could help Song Yinzhang escape her musician status. Sure enough, Song Yinzhang changed her cold attitude and repeatedly pondered Shen Ruzuo's intentions in her heart. But she thought of Gu Qianfan and couldn't make up her mind for a moment.
Coincidentally, Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan passed by in a boat and saw the two talking cheerfully, thinking they were quite a match. Gu Qianfan took Zhao Pan'er to pay respects to his deceased mother. Before the tomb, he introduced their relationship, stating that they did not seek great wealth and status in the future, only wishing to accompany each other hand in hand and spend their lives together until old age.
Gu Qianfan promised the traditional wedding rituals (three letters and six rites) and also prepared to choose an auspicious day to hold a Water and Land Dharma Assembly for Zhao Pan'er's parents, so that he could propose marriage and offer betrothal gifts before the spirits of the two elders. Zhao Pan'er was moved by this. She had never imagined Gu Qianfan would be so thoughtful. When mentioning the rituals, Gu Qianfan stated that Qi Mu had already been chosen as the matchmaker, so it would definitely be grand and splendid.
