In Blossom Episode 1 Recap, Plot

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Today, Princess Liu Qing of Changle hosted a painting gathering to celebrate the festival. Liu Qing sat gracefully in a pavilion while the gathered young men painted her portrait. Among them, the most lifelike was painted by Pan Hui, the legitimate second son of Lord Pan, who earned widespread praise for his extraordinary talent. Just as it was about to be announced that Pan Hui was the winner of the day, a carriage slowly arrived.

Driving the carriage was Shangguan Lan, the wealthiest man in the capital. Everyone was curious about the person inside—turns out, it was Pan Yue, the eldest son born of a concubine in Lord Pan’s family and Pan Hui’s older brother. Just last month, Pan Yue was promoted to Censor and was now one of the most admired gentlemen in the capital.

Pan Yue respectfully greeted Liu Qing and apologized for being late but expressed his willingness to join the painting despite the limited time. Liu Qing was full of praise after seeing Pan Yue’s painting, and he rightfully became the day’s painting winner.

The Pan family had planned to arrange a marriage between Pan Hui and Liu Qing, but Pan Yue’s interference that day disrupted the plan, angering Pan Hui so much that he went home and complained to his father, Pan Jin. Pan Yue, however, remained composed—he was merely after the whereabouts of one person. Pan Jin decided to tell Pan Yue that person’s location, but from that day on, Pan Yue would sever ties with the Pan family.

The woman Pan Yue had longed for over the past ten years was named Yang Caiwei, a corpse collector at a charity mortuary. Yang Caiwei specialized in arranging final resting places for the deceased with no one to claim them. In life, however, people avoided her, fearing bad luck. She was shunned for the long scar on her face, even cursed as a freak by children.

Yang Caiwei’s master was Old Jiang, formerly a coroner at the county office, obsessed for years with uncovering causes of death and finding murderers. One day, Yang Caiwei was summoned to collect corpses at the Li residence in the east of the city. She rushed there only to find the mansion bleak and filled with a dozen corpses in the courtyard.

Yang Caiwei initially believed it to be a case of massacre, but to her surprise, they had all died by suicide. She could see from their expressions how painfully they died—what could have caused such anguish? There had long been rumors in Heyang about ghostly hauntings involving a traveling merchant’s rattle drum.

The county office intended to label it a ghost case, but since the owner of the house was also the head of Yin Yu Tower, even if ghosts were involved, they had to find the ghost responsible. Yang Caiwei, hiding in a corner, suddenly heard the sound of a rattle drum, which frightened the county officials.

She insisted they died by suicide, but the officials, eager to close the case, tried to force her to sign a confession, using torture when she refused. She was just a madman’s apprentice—nobody cared whether she lived or died. Just then, Pan Yue appeared like a deity, saving Yang Caiwei and taking her to his home. Yang Caiwei recognized Pan Yue as her childhood playmate but dared not acknowledge him, even discarding the jade pendant he presented to her.

Denying her identity, she left behind money for medicine and departed. However, Yang Caiwei couldn’t ignore the tragedy at the Li residence, and that night, she secretly returned to the scene. Yang Caiwei discovered they had indeed been poisoned. But what kind of poison could drive them all to simultaneous suicide? She examined the food and found no toxins. As someone approached, she hid. It was Pan Yue, who had come to help with the investigation.

But when she cut open a corpse’s stomach, Pan Yue couldn’t bear the sight and ran out. Yang Caiwei found beef in the stomach that wasn’t on the dining table. The rattle drum sounded again—there was a local legend that the sound of the merchant’s drum foretold death. But Pan Yue split open a beam and discovered only a hamster causing the noise. Clearly, the setup was deliberate. Soon after, black-clad men broke in to kill them.

Pan Yue protected Yang Caiwei and fled the Li residence. He urged her to leave quickly, but she refused to bear the false charge of murder. Pan Yue agreed to protect her on one condition—she must retrieve the jade pendant she threw away. Yang Caiwei searched the pond all night and finally found it. Only then did Pan Yue take her along to continue the investigation.

Pan Yue’s arrival in Heyang caused quite a stir, and Yang Caiwei, seated beside him, became the subject of gossip. Feeling unworthy, she said someone like her shouldn't sit beside someone like him. But Pan Yue replied that beauty and status are not judged by appearance—that was what Yang Caiwei herself once said as a child.

Episode 2 Recap

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