Debit Queen Episode 5 Recap
> Debit Queen Recap
Xu Zilu, finding that Ling Se was not in her room, discovered the jars he had confiscated on her table. He had taken them because she had colluded with a shopkeeper to cheat Tao Meili. As punishment, he ordered Ling Se to copy "The Encyclopedia of Fragrance" and "Business Strategies", declaring she would not be allowed to leave the mansion until she finished.
Ling Se, who detested writing, was frustrated by this "underhanded trick" and sought help from the Old Madam. Despite bringing a bracelet as a gift and saying many kind words, the Old Madam, who Xu Zilu had already spoken to and gotten approval from, remained unmoved. Later, Liu Yeniang came to find Ling Se, needing help in the kitchen because her cook had quit. Liu Yeniang offered to split the profits if Ling Se could cover the next day.
Hearing she could earn money, Ling Se's interest was immediately piqued. She declared that nothing would stop her from making money and vowed to finish the copying overnight so she could help Liu Yeniang the next day. Ling Se stayed up all night copying the books, exhausted but finished.
She presented her completed work to Xu Zilu, who, without even glancing at it, told her to rewrite it, saying she hadn't understood the content and was just going through the motions. Furious, Ling Se accused him of not keeping his word and insisted she would leave the mansion. Xu Zilu ordered Fu Ding to have servants watch her and prevent her from leaving.
Ling Se, feeling her legs could be broken but she would still leave, declared she would never return if she walked out that day. Fu Ding tried to explain to Ling Se that Xu Zilu was not being unreasonable; he was stressed about the upcoming Imperial Merchants Conference and was actually trying to protect her from potential retaliation by the vindictive Tao family.
However, Ling Se, upset that Xu Zilu's concern wasn't being conveyed properly, remained resolute in her decision to leave. Meanwhile, Xu Zilu faced a significant problem with the pepper needed for an order from Prince Xian's Mansion. Tao had bought up the entire supply. The only alternative was a black market dealer, but the cost was twenty times the potential penalty fee for failing to deliver on time.
Xu Zilu told his subordinate not to inform his mother, but the Old Madam overheard the conversation. She approached Xu Zilu, emphasizing the importance of integrity in business. She advised him to inform Prince Xian's Mansion immediately if they couldn't deliver and pay the required penalty. She also stressed the need to handle this discreetly because the Imperial Merchants Conference was approaching, and they couldn't afford any negative publicity.
Xu Zilu asked if she wished he had married Tao Meili, implying it would have avoided these issues. His mother dismissed the thought, saying while Tao Meili was nice, she much preferred Ling Se. She proudly showed off a red pearl bracelet Ling Se had given her, admiring how well it paired with her green bangle, and said she looked forward to showing it off when playing cards.
Xu Zilu was touched and told her not to worry about the business, assuring her he had a plan. Unable to leave through the front, Ling Se secretly climbed the mansion wall with the help of Ping'er. Ping'er remarked that she could use the back door, but Ling Se was determined to let "that darn fox" Xu Zilu see what regret looked like.
She went to Xu's Perfume Shop, cleared out the customers, closed the doors, and gathered all the staff. She told them she wanted to understand Young Master Xu better to be a good wife and asked them to share embarrassing or little-known stories about him from his childhood. Ping'er was instructed to write everything down.
The staff, eager to share, revealed stories about Xu Zilu's physical weakness as a child, his bedwetting problem that lasted until he was twelve, and an incident where he was badly stung by wasps after trying to raid a nest for sweets. Ling Se noted these details, promising to use them to get back at Xu Zilu.
She gave some money to Baodatting, a "Nosy Parker," instructing him to spread the stories widely and add more details to make sure everyone knew. She was confident this would force Xu Zilu to beg her. On the street, Tao Meili was annoyed to see vendors selling various items promoted as "the same as Young Madam Xu's," including little tigers and umbrellas.
She was confronted by a vendor trying to sell her a hairpin also supposedly bought by Young Madam Xu. While frustrated, she saw Ling Se arranging to spread scandalous information about Xu Zilu. Tao Meili decided this was her chance to settle both old and new scores. She instructed her guard, Sibing, to find two capable men and return to the mansion to prevent her father from interfering.
Confronting Ling Se, Tao Meili had her tied up and taken to a secluded forest. She declared she had been waiting for this day since Ling Se first crossed her. Ling Se tried to explain her relationship with Xu Zilu was purely a financial transaction, but Tao Meili accused her of showing off and decided to make her pay. She challenged Ling Se to a competition and had her untied.
They began fighting physically, pulling hair, pinching noses, and butting heads. As they fought, a group of bandits appeared. They quickly killed Tao Meili's two guards. The bandit leader decided the girls were valuable and planned to capture them to sell in a brothel for money. As the bandits prepared to take them away, Ling Se came up with a plan.
She told Tao Meili that only one of them could escape and that she would hold off the bandits while Tao Meili went to find Xu Zilu for help. She then asked a bandit to untie her hands so she could use the toilet, which he reluctantly did. Ling Se quickly untied Tao Meili's hands as well.
She urged Tao Meili to hide nearby and then escape back to the city to report their location after she had created a distraction. Tao Meili hesitated, reminding Ling Se they hadn't settled their score, but Ling Se told her to just go, adding she would look down on her if she didn't. Ling Se then ran out, shouting for help, attracting the bandits' attention and causing them to give chase, believing she was the one trying to escape.
Tao Meili, seeing the bandits occupied with Ling Se, ran in the opposite direction into the forest. When a bandit returned after failing to catch Ling Se, the leader realized the other girl had escaped. Ling Se, still with the remaining bandits, shrewdly pointed out that if the other girl reached the city and reported them, their location would be revealed.
Convinced, the bandit leader sent two men to chase after Tao Meili, leaving the rest to guard Ling Se and another captive. Back at the Xu Mansion, Xu Zilu felt regretful about his earlier harshness towards Ling Se. He asked Fu Ding to find her so he could invite her to dinner with his mother, claiming it was just to prevent her from causing trouble the next day.
Fu Ding searched the entire mansion but reported Ling Se was nowhere to be found. Xu Zilu realized she must have snuck out, not using the main gate, and told Fu Ding to stop searching and focus on the Imperial Merchants Conference preparations. Meanwhile, Tao Meili was desperately running through the forest, chased by the bandits, her clothes dirty and torn.
She muttered to herself that if she got away, she wouldn't come back for Ling Se, but then remembered Ling Se telling her to find Xu Zilu to save her life. She hoped Ling Se wasn't dead. That evening, when the Old Madam asked about Ling Se's absence at dinner, Xu Zilu made an excuse that she wasn't feeling well. His mother spoke about her hopes for him to become an Imperial Merchant and fulfill his late father's wish. Later, Xu Zilu heard a sound and went to investigate.
