Glory Episode 23 Recap
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Lu Jianglai visited the Governor, only to witness the high official publicly punishing Yang Yitang and seizing crates of gold intended as bribes. The Governor boasted of his own frugality and legal integrity, claiming that in thirty years of service, he had remained beyond reproach, living simply among books bestowed by the Emperor. Lu Jianglai, however, remained wary.
He petitioned for the release of officials like Fan Wende and Yu Cheng, who were still imprisoned over the old Wei family case, but the Governor dismissed them as incompetent and threatened harsher penalties. Lu was forced to appeal for leniency, citing the upcoming Longevity Festival as a time for mercy. At the tea plantation, the Rong sisters faced a harsh new reality.
Rong Shanbao refused to indulge the youngest sister, Rong Yunwan, ordering her back to her room after she picked the tea buds incorrectly. When a startled ox nearly caused a disaster, Shanbao skillfully subdued the animal herself. She sternly warned Rong Yunyin that the family's survival depended on their mastery of the trade—from identifying quality tea to surviving desert sandstorms.
Shanbao shared the heavy burden she had carried since her youth, recalling the cold reality of the first time she had to defend a caravan with a blade. Meanwhile, at the Rong Residence, Rong Yunshu officially revealed that her sight had been restored, attributing the miracle to the acupuncture and medicinal regimen of Doctor Sun. While the Old Madam was overjoyed, Rong Yunxi grew suspicious of Yunshu’s calculated, pitiable act, sensing she was a "wolf in sheep's clothing."
To ensure the safety of the upcoming tea shipment, the Old Madam sent her long-time personal steward, Ms. Yan, to lead the caravan to the border. This left the internal management of the residence and shops to the seemingly filial Yunshu and the local managers. Lu Jianglai made a secret night visit to Shanbao at the plantation to discuss the suspicious death of Madam Yang. While the official verdict was suicide, Lu doubted the report.
He revealed that Yang Yitang had been in the city attempting to bribe officials when the death occurred, meaning he could not have been the tall man seen at the nunnery. Before leaving, Lu urged Shanbao to keep hating him if it meant she would never forget him, promising to help her reclaim her lost status.
Despite her exile, Shanbao’s thoughts remained with the household; she sent a pair of fur knee pads and a letter to Ms. Yan to protect the elderly steward’s health against the bitter northern winds. As the tea caravan prepared to depart with extra horses to account for the winter weather, Yunshu exploited the busy household. She sent servants away on errands, allowing her to tamper with the Old Madam’s medicinal soup.
She was caught by Bai Yingsheng but quickly put on a pitiable front, claiming she was secretly adding beneficial herbs like Chuanxiong and Kudzu root to prevent the Old Madam from suffering a stroke. Although his friend, Yan, warned him that Yunshu was manipulative, Bai remained steadfast in his devotion to her. Elsewhere, Yang Yitang was released after receiving forty lashes.
He immediately met with a disgruntled Manager He to plot a strike against the Rong Residence, knowing the estate was vulnerable now that its best defenders had left with the caravan.
