An Oriental Odyssey Episode 6 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
Ye Yuanning, upset that Mu Le did not obey him, orchestrated a plan to frame him. He personally lured Mu Le to an area where maids were bathing, instructing him to watch for thieves through a hole while he supposedly went for help. In reality, it was a setup to make Mu Le appear as a pervert. Soon, maids came chasing Mu Le, shouting about a peeper and calling him a "rascal."
Mu Le, denying any wrongdoing, quickly hid behind Ye Yuanan, who had just arrived. Ye Yuanan's stepmother then appeared, questioning why Ye Yuanan's "horse slave" was causing trouble. She implied Mu Le was a thief, noting that valuable items like calligraphy scrolls, paintings, and porcelain objects had gone missing since his arrival. She declared he couldn't stay and should be punished and thrown out.
Ye Yuanan tried to defend Mu Le, asking for evidence, but her stepmother dismissed it, citing the missing items and the maids' accusations as proof. Ye Yuanan, with no other choice to calm the public's anger, had to punish Mu Le publicly. She insisted that since she brought Mu Le into the household, she would be the one to punish him. She ordered Mu Le to kneel, hesitant to strike him.
Her stepmother, however, forcefully grabbed Ye Yuanan's hand to hit Mu Le. After the punishment, Ye Yuanan attempted to settle the matter, but her stepmother remained unyielding, arguing that house rules must be maintained and couldn't be broken for a servant. She declared that if Mu Le were let off, all other servants would become unruly, making it impossible to manage the household. Ultimately, she ordered Mu Le to be thrown out.
Heartbroken, Mu Le murmured, "You hit me," as he was forcibly escorted out by other servants. Seeing Mu Le expelled, Ye Yuanning was pleased and rewarded his subordinate for a job well done. Later, Ye Yuanan felt despondent about Mu Le's departure, questioning why he would steal calligraphy and paintings.
Meanwhile, Huo Yang, acting as a middleman who covertly presided over all exotic item transactions in the ghost market, escorted Ming Hui to Luotian Cave to search for a Nine Divine Bead. At the market, a man identified as Master Xue presented a Nine Divine Bead for sale, demanding a thousand taels of gold. The exorbitant price was met with ridicule from the crowd, who deemed a single bead worthless.
However, Master Xue stated that the Divine Bead was a holy article, served to Buddha, and could not be forcibly taken without his willingness to sell. Ming Hui, recognizing the bead's significance, approached Master Xue privately. She expressed her desire to purchase it, but Xue, confused as to why she hadn't bid earlier, refused to sell it outright. He instead proposed that if she completed a favor for him, he would give her the bead for free.
Having been cast out, Mu Le wandered the streets. During a moment of exhaustion, he dreamt of a woman who resembled Ye Yuanan. He then displayed extraordinary strength by accidentally breaking a vendor's handcart. A man named Ni Gu, witnessing Mu Le's power, approached him and offered him a place to stay, suggesting they become "carefree brothers." Ni Gu then tricked Mu Le into stealing a roasted chicken from a vendor, claiming the owner owed him wages.
As the vendor chased Mu Le through the streets, Ni Gu seized the opportunity to steal the vendor's money. When Mu Le realized Ni Gu had stolen money, he insisted on returning it. Ni Gu, however, cunningly manipulated Mu Le, convincing him that the vendor was an evil man who owed money to many laborers, and therefore, stealing from him was an act of "helping others vent their anger." Mu Le, being naive, believed Ni Gu's deception.
Ni Gu then took Mu Le to a brothel, where Zhao Lanzhi was coincidentally investigating a case. Zhao Lanzhi was pursuing a lead on a man selling stolen goods from tomb raiders. He confronted the seller, identified as Master Zhou, demanding a "violet gold tripod." Realizing he was exposed, Master Zhou attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended by Zhao Lanzhi, who revealed that the tripod was disguised as an "earthen gourd."
As Zhao Lanzhi was making the arrest, Mu Le, visibly flustered, dashed out of one of the brothel rooms, surprising Zhao Lanzhi. Elsewhere, Lord Ye attempted to present a memorial seeking a reduction in forced labor taxes for citizens of thirteen counties. However, Lord Sima promptly sidetracked him, prioritizing discussions on extravagant gifts and celebrations for the Empress's upcoming birthday, advising Lord Ye to postpone his memorial. Later, while Ye Yuanan was out, a young boy stole her wallet.
She pursued him, accidentally pushing him down. Master Xue intervened, making the child return the wallet to Ye Yuanan, but then demanded that Ye Yuanan apologize for hurting the defenseless boy. The situation was diffused by Zhao Lanzhi, who gave the child money for his sick mother, but also warned the boy against stealing again.
Zhao Lanzhi explained to Ye Yuanan that Master Xue was the manager for refugees who had fled forced labor in the south and were struggling to survive, prompting Ye Yuanan to reflect on her own behavior. Zhao Lanzhi then informed Ye Yuanan that he had seen Mu Le at the brothel, suggesting Mu Le seemed more terrified than malicious, implying he was scared by the women and eager to leave.
This conversation made Ye Yuanan begin to doubt whether she had truly wronged Mu Le. Further clarity came when Tianshu inadvertently revealed to Ye Yuanan that he had given Mu Le a "kidney-tonifying formula" for a drug test, which made living beings "lustful." Enraged by this revelation, Ye Yuanan confronted Ye Yuanning, accusing him of orchestrating the frame-up against Mu Le.
Her father intervened, reprimanding Ye Yuanan for bullying her brother, but she retorted that Ye Yuanning was far more capable in employing evil schemes. Upset, Ye Yuanan stormed off. Ye Yuanan eventually found Mu Le being chased and beaten by the roasted chicken vendor and others on the street. She intervened, protecting him and earnestly apologizing, explaining that she had punished those who had wronged him.
She tried to convince him to return home, but Mu Le, still hurt by her striking him, simply stated, "You beat me," and refused to go back with her. Ni Gu, finding Mu Le again, attempted to trick him into helping collect more "debts," but Mu Le, now wary, accused him of lying. Meanwhile, a severe rainstorm caused flooding in the Imperial Library. While most books and paintings were salvaged, a critical painting was discovered missing during inventory.
Eunuch Li, fearing severe repercussions from the palace, ordered the news to be kept strictly confidential. He then privately sought out Zhao Lanzhi, revealing that the Empress's most beloved painting, "Beneath the Shade of the Banana Tree," had vanished just four days before her birthday, imploring Zhao Lanzhi to investigate.
