A Dream of Splendor Episode 5 Recap
> A Dream of Splendor Recap
The power of the Capital Security Office was immense, not under the jurisdiction of the Three Offices, not subordinate to the Censorate, obeying only the Emperor's orders. Below the Emperor, Commander Lei Jing held the highest status. Now, the Commander had issued a strict kill order, and even if Wan Qi had a close relationship with Gu Qianfan, he absolutely dared not shield him rashly, otherwise his entire family would face total destruction.
Despite his conscience suffering from betraying a dear friend, Wan Qi still decided to reveal his whereabouts to the Capital Security Office. He stood outside the door for a long time until the sound of clashing swords inside ceased, then he walked in. However, bodies were strewn everywhere, a horrific sight, yet only Gu Qianfan was unharmed. He was extremely disappointed with Wan Qi and finally struck him down and killed him.
Boss Xu rushed to Xiangyun Tower upon hearing the news to collect the debt, publicly humiliating him. Without a word, Zhao Pan'er took out over a dozen strings of cash from a box, resolving the current trouble. It was precisely because of Zhao Pan'er's generosity that Zhou She continued to curry favor and please her, even deciding to divorce Song Yinzhang and marry Zhao Pan'er into his home.
Sun Sanniang seized the opportunity to fan the flames, deliberately cooperating with Zhao Pan'er's act, openly mocking men as liars who are not worth entrusting one's true feelings to. Zhao Pan'er cried profusely, and in order to make Zhou She divorce his wife quickly, she opened three large boxes on the spot, filled with gold, silver, jewelry, silk, and satin, which made Zhou She's heart flutter. He immediately left Xiangyun Tower and rushed to his residence.
Seeing that the fish was on the hook, it was then Song Yinzhang's turn to appear. Sun Sanniang passed a secret signal to Yinping, asking her to relay the message, demanding that Song Yinzhang must cry, make a fuss, and feign suicide to attract the attention of the neighbors. This way, Zhou She was physically and mentally exhausted, falling right into Zhao Pan'er's trap. Tomorrow would be the grand show of closing the net.
Gu Qianfan was preparing to leave Jiaxing County. Before leaving, he made a special trip to Xiangyun Tower, seeing Zhao Pan'er flirting and laughing with Zhou She, and also seeing Zhao Pan'er's look of disgust after Zhou She left. In the past few decades, Zhao Pan'er had never been so flirtatious and frivolous as she was today.
She felt inexplicably disgusted and repeatedly washed her hands in a copper basin, unwilling to have even a trace of Zhou She's smell on her. This scene deeply touched Gu Qianfan. He personally washed Zhao Pan'er's hands for her, stating that in his eyes, he never found her base or vulgar. On the contrary, he found it precious that Zhao Pan'er, as a woman, was so upright, kind, and courageous.
Also, due to what happened tonight, he warned Zhao Pan'er to be vigilant about whether Song Yinzhang might betray her again in the future. However, in Zhao Pan'er's view, she always acted according to her heart and didn't care about the future outcome. Gu Qianfan was inspired by this, and his heart was instantly relieved.
After Zhao Pan'er finished treating Gu Qianfan's wound, the two drank and talked happily throughout the night, comforting each other, until Gu Qianfan was about to leave, when a casual remark made both their hearts flutter, and they pretended to be calm. Gu Qianfan left by boat with Chen Lian. He couldn't help but look up at the second floor and coincidentally met Zhao Pan'er's eyes, adding to their reluctance to part.
An unexpected visitor suddenly arrived at the Xiao residence in Suzhou. The servants seemed to be used to it and did not announce him at all, letting him walk through the corridors and enter the courtyard as if familiar with the way. Seeing Governor Xiao Qinyan come out of the main hall, he was first stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy.
The visitor was none other than Gu Qianfan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He had an important matter to request on this visit as well. Xiao Qinyan quickly invited him into the hall to discuss it in detail. After the commotion last night, the romantic affair between Zhou She and the courtesan had caused a sensation, and the neighbors and surrounding area were all talking about it with great relish.
Because Song Yinzhang was making a fuss about dying, Zhou She, to prevent her from taking her own life, only asked Zhao Pan'er for a little more time. Unexpectedly, Zhao Pan'er acted as if she was about to leave, which made Zhou She so anxious that he wrote the divorce papers in front of everyone.
Song Yinzhang forced Zhou She to return the dowry, but Zhou She really had no money, so after getting Zhao Pan'er's assurance, he reluctantly mortgaged the land deed. Zhao Pan'er agreed to hold the wedding banquet at Xiangyun Tower with Zhou She, but in reality, she took the opportunity when he wasn't prepared, and left the city by carriage with Sun Sanniang, Song Yinzhang, and others.
Zhou She realized that he had been tricked and immediately took people to intercept the carriage. He then beat the drum at the yamen to file a complaint, accusing Zhao Pan'er of marriage fraud in court. Unexpectedly, Zhao Pan'er had a clever tongue and was eloquent, leaving Zhou She speechless. She counter-sued him for abducting and marrying a musician woman and brutally beating her because she resisted.
The onlookers applauded Zhao Pan'er one after another and sympathized with Song Yinzhang's plight. Zhao Pan'er presented Song Yinzhang's registration to the official to prove her identity, and then took out the divorce papers written by Zhou She himself. Seeing this, Zhou She reached out to snatch the divorce papers, and despite others' attempts to stop him, he forcibly swallowed them, thinking that there would be no evidence.
