General's Lady Episode 1 Recap
> General's Lady Recap
In the bustling long street, a slender figure in male disguise, known as Master Jin, was surrounded by townsfolk who sought her out. Despite her masculine attire and a small mustache, her features were delicate. Master Jin engaged in lively games with the locals, always outwitting them with her abacus skills. Those who lost received her pragmatic life advice, while the winners earned her unique assistance.
An old man, Zhang, having finally won a round, asked Master Jin to open his family heirloom, a treasure chest. With ease, she borrowed a hairpin from a lady and instantly unlocked the chest, only to find it empty. Master Jin, whose real name is Shen Jin, is the third daughter of Prince Rui, but her mother's low status has led to her being ostracized.
Fearing the infamous Demon General might mistake her lock-picking skills for theft, she warned the crowd not to reveal her presence. Just then, Prince Rui's Mansion guards appeared, forcing Shen Jin to quickly return the hairpin and flee, until she was finally caught in a dye shop's backyard. Back at Prince Rui's Mansion, Shen Jin was subjected to a forceful makeover.
She sat for a portrait with a sword held to her back and servants standing by with sticks, ensuring her compliance. Prince Rui intended to send the portrait to the imperial palace, hoping to secure his daughter a position as a consort. However, no sooner had the painting left the mansion than an imperial decree arrived, commanding Prince Rui's second daughter, Shen Zi, to marry Chu Xiuming, Count Yongning.
The Count is widely known as the ruthless "Demon General" whose previous three wives all met untimely deaths. Horrified, the usually proud Shen Zi remembered her low-born half-sister, Shen Jin, who wasn't even listed in the family tree. Shen Zi, with the support of Prince Rui's principal wife, manipulated the situation.
She argued that due to the chaotic circumstances of their births, Shen Jin might actually be the "second daughter," and pointed out that the portrait sent to the palace was of Shen Jin anyway. To force compliance, they threatened Shen Jin's mother, Side Concubine Chen, trying to make her falsify the family records. Unwilling to see her mother suffer further humiliation, Shen Jin fiercely intervened, stopping the tormentors with a sword.
She then agreed to the marriage on the condition that her mother would be granted the honorary title of a court lady and never be bullied again. Shen Jin, who cherished freedom, found solace in the thought that the frontier might offer a new life, hoping her sacrifice would ensure her mother's peace. The bridal procession set out for the border.
Shen Jin's maid, Meaty, fretted about the Demon General's reputation, but Shen Jin remained resolute, declaring she would kill him if he dared to harm her. Suddenly, the procession was ambushed. Shen Jin and Meaty fled into the dense forest, terrified by the sounds of battle. A masked general on horseback, the real Chu Xiuming, swiftly cut through the attackers, whose leader cried out that they had fallen into a trap before retreating.
When silence fell, Shen Jin and Meaty emerged to find a field of corpses and realized the bridal party had abandoned them. Incensed, Shen Jin resolved to find the General's Mansion herself by following the horse tracks. After an exhausting walk, they reached what Shen Jin believed to be the General's Mansion. She banged on the gate, yelling for Chu Xiuming to come out.
When no one answered, she found a low wall and, leaving Meaty at the gate, climbed over it, boasting that no wall could stop her. Inside, she navigated the dark mansion until she found a room. Using a tinderbox she had brought, she lit a candle, only to be startled by a tall figure in the shadows. As she stumbled backward, she was caught and steadied by the man.
Mistaking his refined appearance for that of a "reading attendant," she proudly declared herself the General's Lady. Shen Jin recounted her ordeal and attempted to bribe him for information about the "devil" Chu Xiuming, whom she intended to confront. Finding him uncommunicative, she simply asked for directions to the main gate to let Meaty in. Upon reaching the main gate, Shen Jin found guards about to harm Meaty, whom they suspected of being a spy.
Shen Jin boldly intervened, asserting her identity as the General's Lady, which caused the guards to kneel. Seeing a burly, black-bearded man in charge, she immediately assumed he was the "Demon General" Chu Xiuming. She launched into a furious tirade, lambasting him for abandoning her and for being an "unparalleled ugly monster," unaware that the true Chu Xiuming—the "reading attendant"—stood silently behind her.
Meaty tried to warn her, but Shen Jin brushed her off, only realizing her mistake when the "attendant" calmly introduced himself as Chu Xiuming. His subordinates then explained the strategy: Chu Xiuming had suspected Shen Jin might be a spy from the Eagle clan, like his previous three wives, and had intentionally used her as bait to lure and destroy a formidable enemy squad. This plan offered a perfect justification to the imperial court if she were "accidentally killed." In their victorious celebration, however, they admitted they had completely forgotten to retrieve her.
