Glory Episode 29 Recap
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For years, Rong Yunxi had kept the father of her child, An Cha, as a "secret concubine" outside the main household to protect the Rong family’s reputation. However, after An Cha risked his life to rescue their daughter, Li’er, from the governor’s office and return her safely, Yunxi decided she could no longer live a lie. She brought him before her grandmother, who looked down upon the penniless man with disdain.
The matriarch threatened to disown Yunxi and strip her of every tea field and asset if she persisted in the union. Standing her ground for the first time, Yunxi declared she would no longer be a mere "whetstone" for her sister, Shanbao. She chose a simple life of family reunion over wealth.
As the couple walked away, the grandmother watched them with a hint of secret pride; Yunxi had proven herself a true daughter of the Rong family—bold in love and courageous in her choices. Meanwhile, Jun Dai, a former servant of the Rong household, discovered that the residence was being decorated for a grand wedding. He reported this to Lu Jianglai, who immediately rode to the tea plantation to confront Rong Shanbao.
Lu demanded the "explanation" she had promised him once their legal cases were settled. Shanbao, however, maintained a cold front, stating that the Rong family required a husband who was gentle and obedient—qualities Lu, with his calculating mind and defiant nature, did not possess. She argued that an ambitious man would be a threat to the family’s legacy, much like a queen who once lost her state to a man’s influence.
Stung by her words, Lu threatened to use his official power to crush her tea business, vowing that her caravans would never leave Linji. Amidst their heated exchange, their suppressed feelings boiled over into a passionate night together. The following morning, Lu Jianglai woke up to find himself locked in the room. Outside, a maid explained that Shanbao had already left for her wedding to Yan Bailou and had taken this precaution to prevent him from interfering.
Meanwhile, at Lu’s residence, the beggar rescued by Lady Xu finally regained consciousness. Though his limbs were crippled and his tongue had been cut out, he managed to write with a brush held in his teeth. Lady Xu was horrified to read his message: the man claimed to be the real Yan Bailou and identified his attacker as a man named Wei Yao.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Jun Dai and Lady Xu rushed to rescue Lu Jianglai, who then headed straight for the Rong ancestral hall with the evidence. At the hall, the wedding ceremony was underway. Despite having been recently stabbed by Rong Junshu, the groom—who everyone believed was Yan Bailou—insisted on proceeding with the rites. The grandmother required the couple to stand before the sacred "Male and Female Pillars" to vow eternal devotion.
She warned that any lack of sincerity would result in a spiritual backfire. A bad omen occurred when the ceremonial incense snapped, but the groom insisted his heart was clear. Just as they were about to conclude the vows, Lu Jianglai stormed into the hall, declaring the groom was actually a heinous criminal named Wei Yao. Lu presented the mutilated beggar as the true Yan Bailou.
He explained how Wei Yao, a scholar from the Wei family, had befriended the real heir on the road from the Shu region. Wei Yao had lured the party into a forest near Guzhou where bandits slaughtered the servants. Wei Yao then brutally maimed the real Yan Bailou and left him for dead to steal his identity.
Shanbao added that she had already grown suspicious because the groom's servant, Shixin, was ignorant of basic tea-planting techniques like "cuttings," which was impossible for a servant from a renowned tea family. The final blow came when the old steward, Yan Xiang, recognized his true master in the beggar’s form. Exposed, Wei Yao dropped his humble facade. He admitted to using Lu Jianglai to eliminate other suitors like Wen Can and He Xingming.
He confessed to poisoning Yang Dingchen’s incense to trigger a fatal asthma attack and driving the innocent Yang Yun to her death. Wei Yao revealed his true motive was revenge for the ruin of the Wei family a decade ago. He had planned to wait until Shanbao bore his child, securing his bloodline within the Rong legacy. Overwhelmed by the truth, the grandmother suffered a sharp pain in her chest and withdrew from the hall, leaving the guards to take the villain away.
