Jun Jiu Ling Episode 24 Recap
> Jun Jiu Ling Recap
Following Jun Jiuling's previous rejection and return of his betrothal gifts, Lu Yunqi's obsession with her deepened. Despite Chu Jiuli having heard about Jiuling Drugstore's refusal of the betrothal, Lu Yunqi, utterly infatuated, used the pretense of Jiurong suffering from a high fever to send for Miss Jun to visit his mansion for a consultation, intending to confine her there indefinitely.
Upon her arrival, Lu Yunqi admitted that Prince Huai was merely fishing and that his invitation was a pretext to keep her confined. Prince Huai's younger sister, Jiurong, then confronted Miss Jun, accusing her of seducing her brother-in-law and bullying her elder sister, Jiuli. Jiurong vehemently told Miss Jun to leave. However, Miss Jun embraced Jiurong, who, in that moment, felt as if she were in the arms of her deceased second sister, Chu Jiuling, leaving her stunned.
Miss Jun clarified that while she was not Jiurong's second sister, she and Princess Jiuling had been good friends, and Princess Jiuling had asked her to take good care of Jiurong. She swore to Jiurong that she would never harm her or her sister, Jiuli, in this lifetime. This sincerity led Jiurong to trust Miss Jun and not press her further.
Soon after, rumors spread throughout the capital that Miss Jun had safely left Prince Huai's Mansion because Lu Yunqi had not troubled her, with some even claiming he truly loved her. Fueling the gossip, Lu Yunqi once again dispatched betrothal presents to Jiuling Drugstore, deliberately creating a stir in the capital. This angered Zhu Zan.
When Lu Yunqi dispatched betrothal presents to Jiuling Drugstore once more, Zhu Zan intercepted them, kicking over the gifts and confronting Lu Yunqi at the gate of Arm Moral Department. Their brawl quickly drew a large crowd and even caught the attention of the palace, prompting Yuan Bao to arrive and intervene. Zhu Zan publicly chastised Lu Yunqi for his shamelessness, accusing him of attempting a forced marriage by sending presents without Miss Jun's consent.
Lu Yunqi retorted, asserting that Zhu Zan, as an outsider, had no right to interfere in his marriage proposal to Miss Jun. As Zhu Zan struggled for a response, Ning Yunzhao, the new No. 1 Scholar, unexpectedly appeared. Without hesitation, he boldly declared that Jun Jiuling was his fiancée, with whom he had been engaged since childhood in Zezhou.
He publicly affirmed their engagement was still valid and announced his intention to marry her soon, also thanking Zhu Zan for his assistance. The spectacle of three prominent men of the capital city brawling over the female doctor from Jiuling Drugstore quickly became the talk of the town, leading many to believe that Jun Jiuling's reputation was ruined, regardless of her achievements. Ning Yunzhao later visited Miss Jun to explain the day's events.
He admitted he had no other recourse in the urgent situation but to use their past engagement as a shield, without expecting her to fulfill it. He offered to clarify the situation if it caused her any inconvenience. Miss Jun understood his kind intentions, but expressed concern that she had implicated him, especially as the new No. 1 Scholar. Ning Yunzhao brushed aside her concerns, viewing his actions as a repayment of the Ning family's past debt to her.
Meanwhile, deeply disheartened by the day's events, Zhu Zan, accompanied by Zhang Baotang and Li Sanbing, drowned his sorrows in drink. Zhang Baotang wondered aloud what Zhu Zan would have said if Ning Yunzhao hadn't intervened, but both he and Li Sanbing exchanged knowing glances, implying they already knew the answer. That night, a drunken Zhu Zan sought out Miss Jun, demanding to know how many husbands she had.
Miss Jun patiently listed Fang Chengyu as the first, then Ning Yunzhao as the second, and alluded to a third whom he had already seen (implicitly Lu Yunqi). Misunderstanding, Zhu Zan assumed she meant him and jokingly warned her not to entertain such thoughts, claiming he already had a sweetheart and listing his own admirable qualities.
Amused and exasperated by his drunken behavior, Miss Jun tried to get him some tea to sober him up and urge him to leave, but he refused, insisted on staying if she didn't reveal the third name, took off his outer clothes, and fell asleep on the bed. The next morning, Miss Jun remained by his bedside.
When Zhu Zan awoke, clearly disoriented, she playfully teased him about being in her room after his unannounced visit in the middle of the night. He, having no memory of his drunken antics, even suggested if she expected him to take responsibility, while she playfully recounted his questions about her "husbands" and his claim of having a sweetheart.
Soon after, Zhang Baotang and Li Sanbing arrived, mocking Zhu Zan for his astonishing drinking capacity that led him to Miss Jun's bedroom. After their playful banter, they turned to serious matters, discussing Wan Qing, an orphan of the Wan family. Recent inquiries revealed Wan Qing had been seen in Nanyuan Town, about 20 miles from the capital, but then disappeared.
Zhu Zan speculated she was either captured by the Arm Moral Department or had risked coming to the capital to avenge her family. He dispatched Zhang Baotang to discreetly investigate the imperial prison, noting that Lu Yunqi might keep her in a hidden prison or execute her on the spot if captured.
Li Sanbing was tasked with using Yunxiao Pavilion's resources to search for her throughout the capital, specifically around Huang Cheng and his son, to intercept her before she could act on her own and risk her life. The news of the new No. 1 Scholar's engagement caused a stir within the Ning family.
Ning Yunzhao's servant cautioned him about the potential for future conflict between Miss Jun and his mother, Mrs. Ning, explaining that Mrs. Ning already disliked Miss Jun and would undoubtedly blame her for the current situation, not Ning Yunzhao. Ning Yunzhao's uncle, Ning Yan, acknowledged that while Ning Yunzhao's actions were well-intentioned, the public now assumed Miss Jun was the Ning family's daughter-in-law, making it impossible to deny the engagement without severe consequences.
He advised not only accepting the engagement as real but also to first announce Ning Yunzhao's success as the No. 1 Scholar, and then keep the engagement matter secret from Mrs. Ning, who was eagerly awaiting to arrange a marriage for him, for as long as possible, citing the sensitive nature of the information and the potential for the Arm Moral Department's interference. In Zezhou, the Fang family also received the news.
Fang Chengyu’s grandmother worried about Mrs. Ning's reaction if she learned the truth, while Fang Chengyu believed Ning Yunzhao's announcement was a mere formality and not a genuine commitment. However, Fang Chengyu's second sister argued that Ning Yunzhao's help was sincere and a clever, reasonable way to resolve Miss Jun's predicament.
In response, the grandmother and mother still harbored deep resentment from previous incidents, such as the broken engagement, the public ridicule of Ning Yunzhao's "price," and the Jinyun Tower affair, asserting that Mrs. Ning would never accept Miss Jun. They concluded that Miss Jun, being clever and resourceful, must have orchestrated the entire plan with Ning Yunzhao.
