Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty Episode 5 Recap
> Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty Recap
Wei woke up confused, hearing distant cries of "Lady." She found herself in an antique room, dressed in unfamiliar attire. Her reflection in the mirror showed the face of the girl who had tragically died. Suddenly, her new mother, Wen, rushed in, overjoyed and concerned, checking on her. Wei remembered the dying girl’s plea to live on her behalf.
Relieved, Wen affirmed Wei as her only daughter and cautioned her against doing anything reckless again, then instructed her maid, Xiaotao, to attend to Wei and inform her father. Xiaotao, also relieved, noticed a pendant Wei was wearing and inquired about her strange former clothes, which she had burned, much to Wei's internal chagrin about her "salary."
Wei soon learned that it was the 45th year of the Kangxi Era, a realization that filled her with excitement as it meant she was finally in Yinxiang's time. She inwardly wondered if Yinxiang would be as surprised to see her as she was when they first met. She also discovered her new identity: Yalaerta Mingwei, the legitimate daughter of Yinglu, a Minister of Revenue from the Bordered Yellow Banner, and Wen, who hailed from a scholarly family.
Mingwei also had two concubine mothers, an older sister, and a younger brother. The original Mingwei, a lady-in-waiting, had fallen off a cliff while attempting to elope with her cousin to avoid imperial selection. Using her supposed amnesia as an excuse, Wei subtly probed for information. Xiaotao recounted that only Wei was found after the fall, and her parents had forbidden further mention of her cousin, implying he was a "bad guy."
Wei, however, was pleased at the prospect of the imperial selection, as it presented an opportunity to meet Yinxiang. Her older sister, Minghui, who bore a striking resemblance to Wei’s former colleague, Hui, then entered, offering her well wishes. Wei, sensing Minghui’s insincerity and recalling her unpleasant past with Hui, remained wary. Minghui tearfully confessed to having persuaded the original Mingwei to elope, believing it was out of love and a desire to avoid the imperial selection.
She desperately begged Wei not to inform their father, Yinglu, fearing his severe punishment. Wei, maintaining her amnesia charade, assured Minghui she remembered nothing of the past. Wei's mother, Wen, expressed to Yinglu her wish for Wei to be spared the imperial selection due to her recent ordeal. Yinglu confirmed he had already notified the palace of Mingwei's illness, rendering her unable to participate.
He then instructed Minghui, who was slated to go alone, to be cautious and uphold the family's honor. However, Wei, realizing this plan would prevent her from finding Yinxiang, interrupted the conversation, declaring her full recovery and renewed desire to join the selection for the family's prestige. Wen tried to dissuade her, emphasizing the irreversible nature of entering the palace, but Wei remained steadfast in her decision.
Minghui, feigning concern, subtly attempted to undermine Wei, citing the complications of altering the palace’s records and questioning Wei's true recovery. Wen, who harbored a long-standing disdain for Minghui, a concubine's daughter, harshly reminded her of her inferior status and rebuked her for speaking out of turn. Seeking to prevent further discord, Yinglu decreed that both daughters would participate in the selection, allowing them to support each other.
Wen then warned Wei to be cautious in the treacherous palace, while Yinglu instructed Minghui to look after her sister, a command Wen silently doubted Minghui would heed. Wei privately noted the complex family dynamics, realizing she needed to be exceptionally careful. Later, Minghui presented Wei with two identical pairs of exquisitely embroidered shoes, explaining they symbolized unity and good fortune for their journey to the palace, and urged Wei to try one pair.
Sensing a trap, Wei cleverly feigned seeing an insect on Minghui’s back. While Minghui was distracted, Wei suggested Minghui try on a pair first. As Minghui took a step, she tripped over something hidden within the shoe and sprained her ankle. Soon after, Minghui, now injured, received news that Wei had already departed for the palace. A flashback revealed Wen's past cruelty towards a young Minghui, beating her until she confessed to a misdeed she denied.
Bandaged and alone, Minghui vowed to Wei, now gone, that she would eventually join her in the palace. Upon her arrival, Wei observed the throngs of ladies-in-waiting and saw Nalan Rongyue, the haughty niece of Noble Consort Nalan, make a grand entrance in her carriage. Wei's maid, Xiaotao, who was accompanying her to the palace gates, advised her to befriend Rongyue due to her powerful connections, but Wei dismissed the idea, questioning Rongyue's arrogance.
Xiaotao then bid Wei farewell, leaving her to enter the palace proper alone. Wei then encountered Zheng Chunhua, who strikingly resembled her friend Xiaoqiu from her past life. Despite Chunhua's initial unfamiliarity, Wei immediately declared them friends, or "sisters," and Chunhua asked to be called Xiaochun. Eunuch Qin Zhu'er assigned them adjacent, auspicious rooms, and they generously tipped him for his favor.
An elderly palace instructress (momo) then strictly lectured the ladies on palace rules, emphasizing that no one was permitted to leave the Palace of Accumulated Elegance without authorization, warning that trespassing in forbidden areas like the North Garden could lead to severe punishment or even execution. Wei, frustrated by this restriction, pondered how she would find Yinxiang. She soon witnessed Nalan Rongyue bullying a timid lady-in-waiting named Xiaoyu, demanding her room.
When Qin Zhu'er tried to intervene, Rongyue brazenly asserted her aunt's influence. Wei stepped in, deliberately "accidentally" stepping on Rongyue's expensive clothes and chastising her for her rude behavior, emphasizing that even imperial relatives should not bully others. She grabbed Rongyue’s hand, warning her against pointing, and forced her maids to retrieve Xiaoyu's belongings, vowing to repeat the lesson if Rongyue continued her bullying. Rongyue, enraged, retreated with threats.
Xiaoyu, though grateful, remained frightened, and Chunhua cautioned Wei about making an enemy of Rongyue, whose aunt held immense power in the palace, second only to the Empress. Wei, however, remained unfazed, reiterating that her sole purpose in the palace was to find Yinxiang, after which she intended to leave, making allies irrelevant. She also noticed that Xiaoyu resembled another one of her former colleagues.
Meanwhile, within the palace, Emperor Kangxi, joined by Consort De, Noble Consort Nalan, and his sons, deliberated over an upcoming, rare astronomical spectacle, "stars fall like rain." Noble Consort Nalan proposed a lavish "star watching banquet" on the observation platform, a suggestion enthusiastically supported by Consort De and other princes, including Yinsi and Yinti, who deemed it an auspicious event. The Crown Prince also agreed that the banquet should be splendid.
Noble Consort Nalan then suggested that the princes organize the banquet to demonstrate their capabilities. Yinxiang promptly recommended Yinzhen, highlighting his excellent and efficient management of the Department of Internal Affairs. Kangxi, acknowledging Yinzhen's proven experience, entrusted him with the responsibility, which Yinzhen humbly accepted. Later, at the Crown Prince’s mansion, the princes gathered. Their conversation turned to Yinxiang's ongoing investigation into the corruption case of the Jiangsu Administrative Commissioner, who had been jailed for embezzling relief funds.
Yinxiang, doubting the commissioner's guilt given his reputable character and efforts in flood relief, suspected a deeper conspiracy. Yintang, the Ninth Prince, openly mocked Yinxiang's progress, warning him of the case's complexities and the powerful figures potentially involved. Yinxiang subtly turned the tables by mentioning Yintang’s recent lavish efforts to win over officials and then questioned Yintang and Yinsi’s own past involvement in handling disaster relief funds, which provoked an angry reaction from Yin'e.
The Eighth Prince, Yinsi, attempted to calm the rising tension. Yinzhen intervened, suggesting Yintang, if truly concerned, should volunteer to go to Jiangnan himself to aid in disaster relief rather than bicker with his brothers. The Crown Prince then urged unity, stressing the importance of the banquet to Kangxi, and asked the brothers to set aside their differences and cooperate with Yinzhen. Yinsi, putting on a show of cooperation, offered his assistance, which Yinzhen accepted.
Unaware of these court intrigues, Wei, still confined to the Palace of Accumulated Elegance, lamented her inability to freely search for Yinxiang. Defying palace rules, she daringly slipped out, wandering lost in the sprawling palace grounds, wishing for modern navigation. Clutching Yinxiang's pendant, she reminisced about his gift and her longing to see him. As she sat by an apricot tree, lost in thought, a miraculous sight unfolded before her: Yinxiang’s reflection appeared in the water, and they finally saw each other.
