A Love Never Lost Episode 16 Recap
> A Love Never Lost Recap
At the graduation ceremony for the Chinese military students studying in Japan, Crown Prince Yoshihito conducted an inspection of them. With the founding of the Tongmenghui imminent, Yang Yifan came to bid farewell to Xie Shuhong. Wu Tianbai had recently been sulking because his opinions were not being taken seriously and would lash out at Xie Shuhong at any time. Yang Yifan hoped Xie Shuhong could be more understanding of Wu Tianbai and take good care of him.
For someone like Wu Tianbai, having Xie Shuhong by his side was an immense blessing. After the ceremony, there was also a celebration. At the celebration, Miss Yoshiko took the initiative to talk with Liang Xiang. Yang Kaizhi thought Yoshiko was the "golden straw" Liang Xiang had mentioned earlier, but Liang Xiang didn’t explain much. He simply introduced Miss Yoshiko to Li Renjun and Yang Kaizhi, saying she was Instructor Hirata’s fiancée.
The Russo-Japanese War was not going well, with heavy Japanese casualties. Yoshiko felt sad about Liang Xiang’s decision to return to China at such a time. Liang Xiang decided to return to China, while Li Renjun and Yang Kaizhi would remain in Tokyo for a while longer.
Duke Ayakura summoned Liang Xiang and spoke at length, telling him that if a person never has the opportunity to view their country, land, and civilization from beyond its borders, they will never gain a more precise perspective on the world and on life. The underlying message was that Liang Xiang should reassess his view of China and work to revitalize the country after returning home.
Before returning, Liang Xiang wanted to visit Xie Shuhong, but as soon as he stepped out of the carriage, an angry Xie Shuhong started throwing sausages at him and called him a beast. Liang Xiang couldn’t understand why Xie Shuhong was treating him this way. On January 2, 1905, the Russian army occupying Lushun surrendered, and the Japanese army took the city. Yang Kaizhi, still in Tokyo, met with Wu Tianbai and brought up Liang Xiang.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Xie Shuhong paused during cleaning and found the copper coin pendant that Liang Xiang had left behind under the cabinet. Beijing. Liang Xiang returned in glory. The imperial court arranged a residence for the Liang family in Guangmingdian Hutong. Liang’s mother brought Duo Mei, the prefect of Jingzhou, with her to Beijing. Everyone was busy preparing for Liang Xiang’s return.
When Liang Xiang came back, he bowed before his mother and mentioned Duo Mei beside him, saying that their marriage had already been arranged. Liang Xiang quickly explained that King Qing had helped him negotiate a marriage with the daughter of the Imperial Bodyguard Minister from the Fuca family. His mother told him to find a way to refuse the Fuca marriage, and if he couldn’t, then marry both women.
Liang Xiang met Prince Chun in the armory of the Imperial Guards' Jianrui Battalion. When Liang Xiang asked if he would serve under him, Prince Chun said nothing. Liang Xiang was puzzled, but his mother hit the nail on the head—Zai Feng clearly couldn’t manage Liang Xiang’s affairs. After returning from Germany, the first thing the Empress Dowager did for Zai Feng was to arrange his marriage to the daughter of Ronglu.
A prince of the highest rank marrying such a fiery woman left many unsure whether that connection was a blessing or a burden. This made Liang Xiang think about himself. Not wanting to be bound by King Qing’s matchmaking either, he decided to find an excuse to refuse. Later, Liang Xiang indeed declined the marriage with the Fuca family.
King Qing may have been displeased and only assigned Liang Xiang an empty title as an officer in the Military Training Division. It wasn’t just about the marriage—Liang Xiang had also cut off his queue. Beile Zai Zhen reminded Liang Xiang that the imperial court was nothing like Japan; even the gutters here held hidden dangers. Liang Xiang reported to the Military Training Division.
The deputy commissioner, Li Shousheng, was a very elderly man who asked him to start by familiarizing himself with the documents. The archive room was filled with files, cobwebs, and dust—Liang Xiang could only sigh. Not long after, Yang Kaizhi also returned to Shanghai. The first person he went to see was Song Baoquan.
