Glory Episode 5 Recap
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The revelation of Yan Bailou’s identity creates a sense of crisis within the Rong Residence. As a member of a prestigious family with generations of marriage ties to the Rongs, he is immediately recognized as a formidable rival for Rong Shanbao’s hand. This development forces the other opportunistic suitors, particularly He Xingming and Yang Dingchen, to form an uneasy alliance.
While He Xingming covets the family’s precious tea seeds, Yang Dingchen is driven by a desire for the wealth generated by the maritime tea routes and deep-water harbors. Their immediate goal, however, is to eliminate Lu Jianglai (known in the manor as Fusheng), whom they view as a meddlesome obstacle after he substituted for Wen Can in the martial contest.
To initiate their scheme, Yang Dingchen stages a theft, loudly proclaiming in the courtyard that two gold ingots worth over a thousand taels have vanished from his room. Lu Jianglai quickly senses a trap and warns Wen Can to stay behind closed doors and focus on his studies for the upcoming examinations rather than getting involved in the commotion. That night, the plot escalates when a poisonous green bamboo viper is released into Yang’s quarters, biting his page boy, Jifa.
Amidst the confusion, an unknown person knocks on Lu’s window, falsely claiming Wen Can has been attacked. When Lu rushes out in concern, he is ambushed and restrained by servants who accuse him of planting the snake. Lu is dragged to the central hall to face the gathered suitors. Yang and his allies produce the "stolen" gold, claiming it was found hidden under Lu’s bed, and demand he be flogged or executed according to the law.
They even attempt to implicate Wen Can as an accomplice. Despite the aggressive accusations, Lu remains composed, pointing out the logical inconsistencies in their story. The situation is defused when Rong Shanbao arrives with Yan Bailou. Expressing total confidence in her judgment of Lu’s character, she grants him the chance to prove his innocence.
Lu leads the group to his room, where he reveals a layer of medicinal cinnabar scattered on the floor—material he had previously requested to make a calming sachet for Wen Can. The red powder has captured footprints that do not match his own. By inspecting the servants’ footwear, Rong Shanbao identifies a pavilion servant with red-stained soles. Caught red-handed, the servant’s involvement exposes the scheme, forcing Yang to dismiss the entire affair as a "misunderstanding."
Disgusted by the suitors' behavior, Rong Shanbao directs her anger at Steward Cheng for his failure to manage the guests. In private, it is revealed that Cheng had intentionally allowed the chaos to escalate to expose the suitors' true nature to Rong Shanbao. However, the Head Steward warns Cheng to suppress any secret feelings he may harbor for the lady.
Reminding Cheng that he is merely an orphan taken in by the family, the Head Steward emphasizes that the boundary between master and servant is one he can never cross. Seeking to uncover the truth about the man she is protecting, Rong Shanbao tasks Steward Zhang with investigating Lu Jianglai’s past. She learns a tragic history: Lu was born into a lowly position as a companion to the cruel Luo Chuance.
Despite his status, Lu was a brilliant student who eventually became a top-ranking scholar and a high-ranking imperial official. His father had died years earlier due to a malicious "prank" by the Luo family, yet Lu eventually showed mercy to his former tormentor. Most shockingly, official records state that Lu Jianglai died earlier that year in a shipwreck. Realizing he is a "dead man" hiding from powerful enemies, Shanbao decides the Rong Residence is the only safe haven for him.
The next day, Rong Shanbao invites the suitors to the family’s tea plantations to observe the arduous harvesting of the "First Spring Tea." While the suitors complain about the mud and the physical discomfort of the hills, Lu Jianglai takes a keen interest in the work.
He notices the local laborers treating a particular tea-picking girl with extraordinary reverence, leading him to suspect that the girl is actually Rong Shanbao in disguise and that the family’s operations are far more complex than they appear.
