Glory Episode 26 Recap
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Following the conflicting testimonies of Yang Yitang and Rong Shanbao, Governor Luo Deze decided to preside over the investigation personally. Fearing the fire would reach him, Jiang Yiqian manipulated his subordinate, Zhang Zhong, into becoming a scapegoat. In open court, Zhang Zhong took full responsibility, claiming he had accepted bribes from Yang Yitang behind Jiang’s back to exploit the wealthy Rong family. After begging for a shred of dignity, Zhang Zhong committed suicide, effectively severing the link to his master.
With the primary witness dead, Luo Deze was forced to declare Jiang Yiqian innocent. While Lu Jianglai was unsurprised by the official's mastery of bureaucratic survival, he remained focused on the lingering mysteries of the Wei family case, even as he offered himself as a personal guard to Shanbao. Meanwhile, Jiang Yiqian moved to crush the Rong family from another angle. He had rescued Bai Yingsheng, who had been pushed into a lake by Rong Yunshu and left for dead.
Fueled by a cold rage at being discarded by the woman he loved, Bai Yingsheng agreed to help Jiang dismantle the family by exploiting the sisters' internal rivalries. As the Empress Dowager’s birthday approached, the pressure shifted to the imperial tribute. Tradition required the Rong family to present tea from the ancient Tea King Tree.
Rong Yunshu, currently managing the estate but ignorant of the secret tea-making techniques passed down through generations, had no choice but to invite Rong Shanbao back. However, the homecoming was a cold one; Yunshu immediately stationed guards around Shanbao’s courtyard, placing her under house arrest and forbidding her from seeing their bedridden grandmother.
Despite the restrictions, Yan Bailou managed to visit Shanbao with news that the Old Madam was recovering her speech, and Lu Jianglai made a clandestine appearance by scaling the walls to offer his help. Tragedy struck through the family's youngest member. An Cha, the father of Rong Yunxi’s daughter Li, had been lurking near the mansion, desperate to see his child. Although Yunxi had harshly rejected him, his desperation made him an easy target for Bai Yingsheng.
Using An Cha as a pawn, the conspirators kidnapped Li. A chilling note soon reached Rong Yunxi, demanding that she withdraw the guards from the Tea King Tree if she wanted her daughter back. To save Li, Yunxi complied, leaving the sacred tree defenseless. That night, the century-old Tea King Tree was set ablaze and reduced to ashes. In the wake of the disaster, the sisters turned on each other.
When Yunshu tried to deflect blame, Rong Shanbao silenced her with a sharp slap, rebuking her for being so obsessed with their internal rivalry that she ignored the "hungry wolves" circling the family. The loss of the tribute brought Governor Luo Deze to the mansion with orders to arrest the entire family. In a bold gamble, Rong Shanbao produced the family’s Imperial Jade Seal and entrusted it to Luo Deze as a guarantee.
She promised that within five days, she would find a tribute even more valuable than the tea. Lu Jianglai stepped forward to support her, boldly declaring himself as Shanbao's admirer to justify his involvement. While Bai Yingsheng gloated to Jiang Yiqian, he personally confronted Rong Yunshu to reveal he was responsible for the fire. Yunshu, no longer playing the victim, warned him that he was no match for Rong Shanbao.
Meanwhile, Shanbao and Lu Jianglai began their search for a new tribute: the "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku," a rare Song Dynasty book collection once owned by the Wei family. Knowing the Empress Dowager prized rare books over tea, Shanbao planned to offer the collection to appease the royal wrath.
Believing the books might have been stolen by servants before the Wei family library burned years ago, she prepared to offer a massive reward for their return, hoping this gamble would provide the Rong family a path to survival.
