Lady Revenger Returns From the Fire Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Lady Revenger Returns From the Fire Synopsis
The gentle and serene Miss Luo Ailian of the Luo family, due to an unexpected disaster, lost everything overnight. After enduring numerous hardships, Luo Ailian, who had experienced a near-death experience, underwent a phoenix-like transformation, becoming Shen Danqing, a lady of both literary and martial prowess in the escort agency.
From then on, she was reborn from the ashes, embarking on a thorny path of seeking vengeance against her enemies, thus beginning her extraordinary journey. During her quest for revenge, Shen Danqing inadvertently caught the attention of General Xu, who was searching for a lost treasure, arousing his suspicion. This added even more twists and turns to Shen Danqing's journey of vengeance, making it unique and tumultuous.
Through a series of thrilling battles of wits and courage, the two gradually developed mutual understanding and respect, intertwining their destinies and giving rise to a string of captivating stories.
Lady Revenger Returns From the Fire Recap
Episode 1 Recap
Truth can be buried by darkness, flesh and blood can be swallowed by flames, but belief will not. The wind will bury the seeds of truth underground, and time will make them sprout. Luo Ailian will be reborn like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon, swearing that one day she will stand before her enemy and reclaim everything that belongs to her.
A month ago, Luo Ailian, the eldest daughter of the Luo family from Ganlutang, along with her younger sisters Luo Xueer and Luo Shuangshuang from the manor, went to a temple to seek a divination. The divination indicated that the fate of the Luo sisters would undergo drastic changes because of a man. Luo Ailian did not take this divination seriously. She only thought the fortune teller was deceiving them sisters.
Luo Shuangshuang believed it and bought a marriage charm at a high price, hoping for a smooth marriage. The Luo family's master, Luo Jida, speculated that Du Yuanwai's son intended to form a marriage alliance with the Luo family. He instructed the manor's Zhou Yiniang to handle things well and also reminded her, while doting on Luo Shuangshuang, not to forget Luo Ailian and Luo Xueer.
Zhou Yiniang notified Luo Shuangshuang in advance to return to the manor and told her to dress up nicely to leave a good impression on Master Du, so that she could help her daughter facilitate this marriage. Du Yuanwai's son, Du Ruoshan, tested Luo Shuangshuang on the name of Ganlutang's newly released wine.
Luo Shuangshuang did not know about her family's business, but Luo Ailian, who happened to return, immediately stated that the wine was named "Chunbuliao" and also identified that the wine Du Ruoshan brought was personally blended by him. Du Ruoshan greatly admired Luo Ailian. Luo Ailian did not hog the spotlight and also frankly stated that the name of the family's wine was chosen by Luo Xueer, which made Luo Shuangshuang, who had lost the spotlight, feel quite contemptuous.
Luo Shuangshuang was quite annoyed by what happened today. Zhou Yiniang knew that Luo Jida favored Luo Ailian and intended for her to take over Ganlutang. As Zhou Yiniang had not been officially elevated all these years, she intended to make separate plans for their mother and daughter. Luo Ailian saw that Luo Xueer was fond of Du Ruoshan and instructed a maid to return the gift sent by Du Ruoshan.
Luo Ailian knew that Xueer had been disliked by her birth mother, Zhou Yiniang, for many years because of her closeness to herself, so she intended to help Xueer and Du Ruoshan. Luo Jida saw his younger daughter pacing outside the South Guest Room in the evening and reprimanded her severely, also instructing Luo Shuangshuang to go to Ganlutang to learn winemaking starting from the next day.
Zhou Yiniang came to find Luo Xueer, asking her to help Luo Shuangshuang marry into the Du family. At that time, she would also find a wealthy family for Luo Xueer to marry into. Xueer felt wronged because her mother favored Luo Shuangshuang, believing that the other person was unfit to be a mother. Zhou Yiniang, in her anger, hit Luo Xueer and warned her to quickly stand on her side.
Luo Xueer, having been warned by Zhou Yiniang, sought out Luo Ailian for comfort, but instead found Du Ruoshan dead in Luo Ailian's room. Luo Ailian explained that after Du Ruoshan came here to propose marriage and was rejected, he tried to force himself upon her. Du Ruoshan suddenly fell to the ground and died during their struggle. Luo Ailian speculated that Du Ruoshan died from an old illness triggered by drinking.
To prevent Du Ruoshan's death from implicating Luo Ailian, Luo Xueer suggested moving Du Ruoshan's body back to his room. The next day, Du Yuanwai came seeking an explanation for his son's death. Although the coroner's report stated that Du Ruoshan died from a heart obstruction, Du Yuanwai refused to give up, ordering his men to kill people in the Luo manor to avenge his son.
At this critical moment, General Xu Chengfeng, the commander of Dafeng, saved the Luo family members. After examining the body, Xu Chengfeng confirmed that Du Ruoshan died from a heart obstruction, but also pointed out that his body had been moved after death and speculated that the person who moved him was a woman. To compensate Du Yuanwai, Luo Jida compensated the Du family with the manor's land deeds and Ganlutang's revenue for the next three years.
Du Yuanwai could not swallow the pain of losing his son and demanded that Luo Jida sacrifice a daughter the next day to be buried with his son and have a冥婚(ghost marriage). Luo Jida was naturally unwilling to let his daughter die and learned the cause and effect of Du Ruoshan's death from Luo Ailian's mouth, assuring Luo Ailian to leave the matter to him.
Luo Shuangshuang overheard her father saying he would not let Luo Ailian be buried in a ghost marriage and worried that she herself would be chosen. Luo Ailian found a note left by Du Ruoshan in her room. Although she had not communicated with Du Ruoshan through letters, she guessed that someone was deliberately framing her.
Luo Ailian privately went to Luo Shuangshuang's room and found ink marks, realizing that everything originated from Luo Shuangshuang, who was infatuated with Du Ruoshan. Luo Ailian wanted to tell Luo Jida about this but found her father dead from an asthma attack. Xu Chengfeng came to the Luo manor late at night to investigate the cause of Du Ruoshan's death and happened to discover this matter.
Seeing that Luo Jida was dead, Luo Shuangshuang blamed her father's death on Luo Ailian. Xu Chengfeng questioned Luo Ailian about whether she had moved Du Ruoshan's body. Facing the interrogation, Luo Ailian honestly recounted the events leading to Du Ruoshan's death and exposed Luo Shuangshuang for framing her with the note. Xu Chengfeng ordered his men to temporarily detain suspect Luo Ailian. Luo Ailian pleaded with Xu Chengfeng to investigate the cause of her father Luo Jida's death.
Episode 2 Recap
Luo Ailian was detained in the woodshed. Luo Xueer sent the guards away, hoping Luo Ailian could take the opportunity to escape, but Luo Ailian wanted to stay to investigate the cause of her father's death. Luo Xueer wanted Luo Ailian to first ensure her own safety and investigate the truth later, and that she would stay in the manor to look for clues.
With Luo Xueer's help, Luo Ailian left the Luo manor, but she worried that Luo Xueer would be implicated due to her escape. She wanted to return to the Luo manor but unexpectedly found that the carriage driver was Xu Chengfeng in disguise. Luo Ailian revealed that she had gotten some agarwood powder on her when she held her father's body and speculated that a familiar person had used agarwood powder to trigger her father's asthma and cause his death.
Luo Ailian gave the jade pendant her mother left her to Xu Chengfeng as a token, wishing only that Xu Chengfeng would believe her and help her investigate the truth. Xu Chengfeng chose to believe Luo Ailian this once, accepted the jade pendant as a token, and left Luo Ailian a flare signal for future contact.
Luo Ailian returned to the Luo manor and indeed found agarwood powder in Luo Shuangshuang's room, unable to understand why she would harm their father. Luo Ailian used Xu Chengfeng's name to arrange a meeting with Luo Shuangshuang at the family's ancestral hall in the manor. Luo Ailian pointed out Luo Shuangshuang's actions, forcing her to admit her crime. Seeing the truth exposed, Luo Shuangshuang panicked and knocked Luo Ailian unconscious.
When Zhou Yiniang found out, she wanted to kill Luo Ailian to eliminate future trouble, but was fortunately discovered by Luo family's second uncle Luo Jizhou. Seeing that the situation was bad, Zhou Yiniang revealed the truth that Luo Shuangshuang was Luo Jizhou's daughter. Although Luo Jizhou felt pity for his niece, in order to protect his own daughter, he allowed Zhou Yiniang to set the ancestral hall on fire, wanting to burn Luo Ailian to death there.
Luo Ailian pleaded with her second uncle in vain and was heartbroken by his abandonment. Xu Chengfeng's main purpose for this trip was to investigate the treasure map of the imperial escort being transported by the Shen's Escort Agency. He deeply understood the character of the Shen family's young master and knew that the Shen family would not embezzle the goods.
The young master of Shen's Escort Agency, Shen Zishan, single-handedly retrieved the goods from the Longmen Escort Agency from the bandits. He handed the goods to Escort Master Luo, hoping he could use it to obtain the life-saving Divine Dragon Grass for his sister. On the way back, Shen Zishan accidentally rescued the unconscious Luo Ailian from the river and brought her back to a medical clinic for treatment.
Although Shen Zishan's subordinate brought back the Divine Dragon Grass, Divine Doctor Miao frankly stated that it was too late now and the Divine Dragon Grass was useless for Shen Danqing. The only way now to save her life was to replace Shen Danqing's heart. Now that Luo Ailian was rescued by Shen Zishan and her face was disfigured, she was currently the best candidate.
Shen Danqing was unwilling for others to die because of her and made a decision for her brother Shen Zishan; she chose to die to resolve her brother's burden. Divine Doctor Miao suggested putting Danqing's face onto the disfigured Luo Ailian's face, so that Old Master Shen would not worsen his condition due to the loss of his daughter. Even as a substitute, Shen Danqing's life might be able to continue in this way.
Luo Ailian, who woke up from her coma, overheard their conversation. She was willing to accept the face change and endure the pain to survive. After a process of changing her face and rebirth, Luo Ailian saw her new face and realized that she had met Shen Danqing once at the temple. Shen Zishan learned that the woman he rescued was the eldest daughter of the Luo family from Ganlutang, Luo Ailian.
When she was tied up in the Luo family ancestral hall and struggled to escape, she was subjected to further harm. It was her maid Bin Er who desperately rescued Luo Ailian, but Bin Er accidentally fell into the ancestral hall and died in the Luo manor in place of Luo Ailian.
Zhou Yiniang, on the grounds that a person who murdered their father was not worthy of being buried in the Luo family, threw the body of "Luo Ailian" from the fire into a mass grave. Luo Xueer found her mother Zhou Yiniang's network pouch in the fire ruins and didn't understand why Zhou Yiniang had been to the ancestral hall. Zhou Yiniang instructed Luo Jizhou to have the authorities close the case as soon as possible.
Zhou Yiniang ordered people to spread rumors, saying that the Luo family's legitimate daughter, angered that her father had married her off to the Du family for a ghost marriage, murdered her father and then set herself on fire in the ancestral hall. In order to make Luo Ailian become Shen Danqing, Shen Zishan compiled the growth experiences he shared with his sister.
Luo Ailian learned that Shen Danqing liked painting birds and had excellent martial skills, and she also promised Shen Zishan that she would fulfill Shen Danqing's duties, but she was unwilling to give up revenge. Shen Zishan, however, hoped that Luo Ailian would forget her past and become Shen Danqing in the future. In the following days, Luo Ailian practiced her painting and martial arts diligently, not only wanting to quickly become Shen Danqing but also wanting to avenge her father and herself one day.
Episode 3 Recap
Luo Jizhou discovered that Luo Ailian's maid Bin Er was missing and was worried that this person knew the truth about their murder of Luo Ailian. Xu Chengfeng knew that Luo Ailian's death was suspicious and came to the Luo manor to question everyone. That day, Xu Chengfeng had given Luo Ailian a flare signal. Even if she was in a sea of fire, the flare signal would ignite.
He guessed that the flare signal had been destroyed by someone, and also believed that the murderer had deliberately used the fire to destroy the body and evidence, covering up the truth. Xu Chengfeng originally wanted to find Bin Er to clarify the inside story of that day, but learned from Zhou Yiniang that Bin Er was already missing.
Xu Chengfeng privately sought out Luo Xueer to ask if she had any clues, but Luo Xueer concealed the clue of the network pouch found in the ancestral hall and did not tell Xu Chengfeng. It turned out that Zhou Yiniang had discovered the network pouch in Luo Xueer's hand before this, personally burned it, and warned Luo Xueer.
Xu Chengfeng found the pleasure-seeking Prefect Bai of Liaocheng at a restaurant and, through conversation, discovered that Prefect Bai knew he was preparing to close the murder cases of the Luo and Du families. He pointed out the suspicious points of both murder cases one by one and ordered Prefect Bai to investigate thoroughly before closing the case. Zhou Yiniang searched hard but could not find any trace of Bin Er.
To prevent the authorities from finding Bin Er, she asked Luo Jizhou to find someone from the martial arts world he knew to search for Bin Er. Xu Chengfeng learned from the coroner that the height of "Luo Ailian's" body was slightly shorter, but no other clues were found besides that. Xu Chengfeng could only ask his subordinate Tian Hao to properly bury Luo Ailian's body. Luo Ailian was attacked at the medical clinic.
She and Shen Zishan were overwhelmed and captured. Because of the burn scars on her body, the assassins also suspected that she was not the Shen family's young lady, Shen Danqing. Seeing Shen Zishan injured, Luo Ailian had no choice but to admit her true identity. To avoid implicating the Shen family, Luo Ailian intended to commit suicide but was stopped by Shen Zishan.
It turned out that all of this was arranged by Shen Zishan, just to test Luo Ailian. After this incident, Shen Zishan warned Luo Ailian that even if he were to die here today, Luo Ailian could only be Shen Danqing and not Luo Ailian. Shen Zishan pointed out that Luo Ailian was previously deceived and used because she was soft-hearted. He hoped that Luo Ailian would completely give up revenge and not implicate the Shen family because of it.
Divine Doctor Miao knew that Shen Zishan's action was to train Luo Ailian's mind. Shen Zishan also hoped to use this to help Luo Ailian grow and prevent her from implicating the Shen family in the future. Luo Ailian knew that Shen Zishan was reminding her that the path she had chosen was extremely difficult, but thinking of her tragically deceased father and Bin Er, she was even more determined to avenge them.
Thinking of the fabric of the clothes worn by the person who attacked her in the fire, the next day Luo Ailian went to the cloth shop to buy fabric and took the opportunity to find the sales list for the fabric of the clothes in her hand from the cloth shop owner. Xu Chengfeng came to mourn Luo Ailian.
Now that there was no chance for Luo Ailian to prove her innocence, Xu Chengfeng felt he had failed Luo Ailian. On her way back from the cloth shop, Luo Ailian unexpectedly discovered Xu Chengfeng mourning her and felt grateful that he still remembered her.
Luo Ailian saw in the cloth shop's ledger that Luo Shuangshuang had purchased snowflake gauze before, believing that everything that happened to her today was because of Luo Shuangshuang, and was determined to get everything back someday. Luo Ailian unexpectedly found agarwood powder on the fabric, speculating that the person who harmed her was also the person who harmed her father. Luo Ailian practiced martial arts diligently for many days and finally gained Shen Zishan's approval.
Shen Zishan personally handed Shen Danqing's personal sword to Luo Ailian. Luo Ailian remembered that around Guyu (Grain Rain), the Luo family would transport birthday wine for Lord Zeng. She planned to take the opportunity to teach the Luo family a lesson. Luo Ailian, under the identity of Shen Danqing, brought her servants and took on the Luo family's escort mission to transport koji (starter for brewing).
Luo Ailian, as the eldest young lady of the Shen family, arrived at the Luo manor and just happened to hear Luo Shuangshuang mocking the Shen family's status. She took the opportunity to ask for a higher price. Although Zhou Yiniang and Luo Jizhou were unhappy with her price increase, they could only agree to cooperate due to concerns about the koji spoiling.
Shen Danqing, claiming that she had received a favor from Luo Jida in her childhood, wanted to go to the ancestral hall. Although Luo Jizhou was unwilling for the Shen family to go there, he could only reluctantly agree to quell external rumors. Luo Ailian, as Shen Danqing, came to the Luo family ancestral hall to mourn her father and then used methods related to gods and ghosts to frighten Zhou Yiniang and Luo Jizhou in the ancestral hall. Afterwards, a maid came to report that there was a problem with the koji being transported by the Luo family.
Episode 4 Recap
Zhou Yiniang and Luo Jizhou came to the storehouse and found that all the koji had been damaged. Shen Danqing took the opportunity to suggest that perhaps Mr. Luo and Luo Ailian had suffered a great injustice. Luo Jizhou was startled, but Zhou Yiniang firmly believed that the dead could not cause trouble, and ordered someone to take Luo Jizhou back to comfort him.
Now that the escorted goods were damaged, the Shen Family Security Service was unwilling to return the deposit, but Zhou Yiniang ordered her servants to stop Shen Danqing and force her to return the deposit. Seeing Luo Shuangshuang speak disrespectfully, Shen Danqing even slapped her. Meanwhile, Zhou Yiniang also learned that Shen Danqing had left guards outside the Luo manor, and if any unusual activity occurred, they would fire a signal flare to notify Xu Chengfeng.
Zhou Yiniang was apprehensive of Xu Chengfeng and could only let Shen Danqing and her people leave. Shen Zishan found Luo Ailian and knew that she had stolen the token using Shen Danqing's identity, issued false orders, and did not go to the Shen family for business. Luo Ailian admitted everything she had arranged at the Luo family and also confessed that it was not for the security service's business.
Shen Zishan accused Luo Ailian of being too dangerous in her actions today, and that not being discovered was just luck. And by bringing the Shen family guards to play tricks on the Luo family, how could she guarantee that she would not bring trouble to the Shen family? Facing the accusation, Luo Ailian confessed that she lived only for revenge, but also guaranteed that even if she paid with her life, she would not implicate the Shen family.
Divine Doctor Miao saw Shen Zishan and Luo Ailian arguing. He found Luo Ailian and said that the safety of the Shen family had always been Shen Zishan's knot. A year ago, Shen Zishan was escorting the Royal Escort. Hearing that his sister had an accident, he returned halfway, which resulted in the loss of the Royal Escort. Shen Zishan felt guilty and from then on made restoring the Shen family's glory his mission.
The Luo family lost the deposit from the Shen Family Security Service, and the penalty for damaging the koji was also not low. Zhou Yiniang and Luo Jizhou discussed buying grain quickly to brew wine and cover the losses. Zhou Yiniang had people investigate Shen Danqing and learned that she had no private relationship with Xu Chengfeng, guessing that she just knew some news about the General's manor and took advantage of the chaos to benefit from the Luo family.
Xu Chengfeng and his subordinate Tian Hao disguised themselves and went to nearby mountain strongholds to gather information, hoping to find the female bandit who had intercepted the Royal Escort. As a result, they heard that this person might be one of the Three Tyrants of the Green Forest. The two analyzed the possible routes where the bandits might appear and decided to lure the snake out of its hole to draw out the female bandit.
Luo Ailian planned to start with Luo Shuangshuang. As long as something happened to Luo Shuangshuang, Zhou Yiniang and Luo Jizhou would definitely be thrown into disarray. Luo Ailian unexpectedly saw Luo Shuangshuang in a cosmetic powder shop. She deliberately provoked Luo Shuangshuang into paying a high price to buy the powder, which angered Luo Shuangshuang.
Through Luo Shuangshuang, Luo Ailian perceived that Luo Jizhou was preparing to go north to purchase grain and guessed that he would go to Shacheng, Lanling County to purchase it. Shen Zishan discovered that Luo Ailian had not given up on revenge and asked about her plans. He learned that Luo Ailian intended to hijack the rice used by the Luo family to brew wine to cut off their financial resources.
Nothing is foolproof, and Shen Zishan did not want to risk the safety of the Shen family. To prevent Luo Ailian from taking risks stubbornly, Shen Zishan agreed to give her one chance, but also demanded to know the entire plan. Luo Ailian led the security service personnel to hijack the Luo family's grain according to the plan. Although she successfully seized the grain, she also disrupted Xu Chengfeng's plan to lure the snake out of its hole.
To allow the guards to take the grain away, Luo Ailian had to personally lead Xu Chengfeng away. The female bandit who originally wanted to hijack the merchant convoy noticed that Xu Chengfeng was skilled in martial arts and quickly led her people away. Xu Chengfeng quickly caught up with Luo Ailian. Luo Ailian was accidentally injured and could only secretly escape back to the Shen Family Security Service via the waterway.
Shen Zishan learned that although Luo Ailian's plan was successful, her actions were discovered by Xu Chengfeng en route. Soon, Xu Chengfeng came to visit the Shen Family Security Service. Xu Chengfeng stated that he had tracked the female bandit to the Shen Family Security Service and suspected that the female bandit was hidden in the Shen family. Xu Chengfeng asked Shen Zishan to summon the female members of the Shen family.
Tian Hao inspected the female members and found nothing unusual. Although Shen Zishan said that his sister did not know how to swim, Xu Chengfeng insisted on Shen Danqing showing up. Shen Danqing appeared having just finished bathing, but Xu Chengfeng still doubted her identity and deliberately asked her to help add tea. After this incident, Xu Chengfeng discovered that Shen Danqing had no external injuries on her arm.
Episode 5 Recap
Shen Danqing intentionally dropped the teacup to warn Xu Chengfeng that he shouldn't be bossy towards a woman he just met for the first time, and even accused the other party of being utterly reckless and wild. Xu Chengfeng had to apologize on the spot, but their exchange of words made Xu Chengfeng pay even more attention to Shen Danqing.
Although Xu Chengfeng trusted Shen Zishan's character, he did not let go of his suspicion towards Shen Danqing and asked Tian Hao to arrange people to keep a close watch on Shen Danqing's every move. Shen Zishan knew that Xu Chengfeng wouldn't easily drop his suspicion. Shen Danqing asked Shen Zishan to help spread some news.
Soon, women in the city learned that Xu Chengfeng was infatuated with women's body fragrance, especially flower powder from the Western regions, and flocked to the General's manor. After Luo Shuangshuang learned about this, she specially applied the Western region incense powder she snatched from Shen Danqing and rushed to the General's manor.
Xu Chengfeng originally asked Tian Hao to divert the women at the entrance, but unexpectedly smelled the fragrance of the female bandit's flower powder on the passing Luo Shuangshuang. Because of this, he specially invited Luo Shuangshuang into the mansion for a chat. Xu Chengfeng probed the source of the flower powder on Luo Shuangshuang. Luo Shuangshuang mistakenly thought Xu Chengfeng truly liked women's body fragrance as rumored and specifically stated that this flower powder was her unique blend.
Xu Chengfeng learned that this flower powder was unique to Luo Shuangshuang and ordered his men to arrest Luo Shuangshuang on the charge of robbing grain. Shen Danqing told Shen Zishan that transferring the suspicion to Luo Shuangshuang was just a delaying tactic. Xu Chengfeng would soon discover that Luo Shuangshuang was not the female bandit, and she would find an opportunity to clear her name.
Shen Danqing unexpectedly found the Luo family's carriage on the street, followed it to a pawn shop, and discovered that someone from the Luo family had pawned 'snow flake gauze'. What surprised Shen Danqing even more was that this person was Luo Xueer. To investigate the truth, Shen Danqing disguised herself and sneaked into the prison where Luo Shuangshuang was held. She threatened Luo Shuangshuang to tell her where the 'snow flake gauze' went.
Luo Shuangshuang, in fright, said that the clothes she threw away were all given to Luo Xueer. It was only then that Shen Danqing realized that the person who ultimately wanted to kill her might be Luo Xueer. Shen Danqing couldn't understand why her sister, whom she treated with genuine affection, wanted to kill her. She was extremely heartbroken. Shen Zishan rushed to find Shen Danqing in the rain. Shen Danqing regretted being blind and misjudging people.
Shen Zishan comforted Shen Danqing, telling her that he and the Shen family members would be her family in the future, and that Shen Danqing, as his sister, could choose to rely on him. On the other side, Luo Xueer came to mourn Luo Ailian on her birthday. It turned out that Luo Xueer was not the biological daughter of Luo Jida, but the posthumous child of Zhou Yiniang and her ex-husband.
It was also for this reason that Luo Jida eventually arranged a ghost marriage for Luo Xueer, which caused Luo Xueer to harbor resentment in secret. After Luo Jida accidentally suffered an asthma attack triggered by agarwood powder, she not only did not provide rescue but directly killed him. She envied the good fortune of Luo Ailian and Luo Shuangshuang and understood that to live well, one must be unscrupulous.
Therefore, she planted clues on Luo Shuangshuang and even wanted to kill Luo Ailian in the fire. Luo Xueer originally intended to use Zhou Yiniang's knot, using Xu Chengfeng's hand to drive away Zhou Yiniang and Luo Shuangshuang, but in the end, Zhou Yiniang discovered it, leading to failure.
Luo Xueer was arrogant, believing only Luo Ailian was worthy of competing with her, and she would make Luo Ailian watch her become the new mistress of the Luo family step by step. Zhou Yiniang and Luo Jizhou were extremely worried because their beloved daughter Luo Shuangshuang was imprisoned, but neither of them could rescue Luo Shuangshuang from Xu Chengfeng.
Later, they learned from a maid that Luo Shuangshuang was stung by bees in prison, which caused Zhou Yiniang to faint immediately. Xu Chengfeng knew that Luo Shuangshuang could not be the female bandit. He imprisoned Luo Shuangshuang merely to lure out the female bandit. Hearing from his subordinate that female bandit footprints had been found, he immediately ordered people to investigate. Shen Zishan was leading a security escort team.
Before leaving, he instructed Shen Danqing to act cautiously and was worried that Xu Chengfeng would continue the investigation, urging Shen Danqing not to act impulsively. Shen Danqing learned that Shen Zishan had taken care of her after her terrifying dream last night and specifically embroidered a sachet to thank him, which greatly pleased Shen Zishan. When Zhou Yiniang woke up and saw Luo Xueer next to her, she was very annoyed.
Looking at the medicinal soup Luo Xueer brought, she even thought it was poison. She learned from a maid that Luo Xueer had followed the doctor's prescription and cut her blood to save her mother, but Zhou Yiniang was not grateful for Luo Xueer's filial piety. Luo Xueer told Zhou Yiniang that her previous attempts to appease Luo Ailian were just to leave a way out for the three of them (Zhou Yiniang and her two daughters).
She also kept the knot just to leave a guarantee for herself. Zhou Yiniang knew that Luo Xueer saw that she was now in charge of the Luo family and was simply being opportunistic. She comforted Luo Xueer and asked her to first figure out how to rescue Luo Shuangshuang. Xu Chengfeng's subordinate investigated the footprints and unexpectedly discovered that Shen Danqing had bought similar shoes, increasing his suspicion towards her.
Episode 6 Recap
Shen Zishan discovered that he was being tracked by Xu Chengfeng's deputy, Tian Hao, while escorting the goods. Seeing that Xu Chengfeng did not follow, he guessed that Xu Chengfeng had gone to find trouble with Shen Danqing again. He handed the goods over to escort Qin to manage, and he quickly returned to the Shen family. On the other side, Shen Danqing was painting by the lake alone.
Xu Chengfeng came specifically to find her and asked Shen Danqing if she had the shoes in his hand. Shen Danqing did not deny having these shoes but did not admit to going out last night. Xu Chengfeng guessed that Shen Danqing was the female bandit he was looking for. Shen Danqing naturally would not admit it. Shen Danqing sensed that Xu Chengfeng wanted to test her ability to swim.
She took the opportunity to fall into the lake, pretending not to be able to swim and sinking to the bottom. Xu Chengfeng watched for the right time, wanting to verify if Shen Danqing truly couldn't swim. Shen Zishan hurried over. Upon learning that his sister had fallen into the lake, he rescued Shen Danqing, who had sunk to the bottom, together with Xu Chengfeng.
Seeing that Shen Danqing almost drowned, Shen Zishan warned Xu Chengfeng not to test Shen Danqing as the female bandit again. If something happens to his sister next time, he will not spare Xu Chengfeng. After this incident, Shen Zishan was worried that if Luo Ailian continued to seek revenge, she would lose her life. But Luo Ailian, now Shen Danqing, said that if she wasn't supported by revenge, she would have already died.
Shen Zishan, however, believed that Luo Ailian had become Shen Danqing. Now that she had family companionship, revenge was not important. But Shen Danqing said that if it weren't for her enemies, she would still have family by her side now. This heart-wrenching pain, she cannot forget. Although this life was given by Shen Zishan, if he did not want her to seek revenge, it would be better to just take her life directly.
Shen Zishan empathized and understood Luo Ailian's determination for revenge. He was willing to choose to believe her. Luo Xueer asked Luo Jizhou and learned that the female bandit who robbed the grain that day wore a sky-facing bun. However, Luo Shuangshuang's scalp at the back of her head was burned when she was a child, so she cannot wear a sky-facing bun. With this evidence, they can prove that Luo Shuangshuang is not the female bandit.
Luo Xueer compiled the relevant testimonies and evidence and handed them to Xu Chengfeng, hoping he could investigate and clarify this matter. Xu Chengfeng matched the woman with a sky-facing bun and no hair accessories and found that Shen Danqing again matched the characteristics of the female bandit. Xu Chengfeng asked Tian Hao to invite Shen Danqing to the northeast outskirts of the city to assist in the investigation.
To completely clear the suspicion, Shen Danqing had no choice but to agree to the appointment. Xu Chengfeng came to the northeast outskirts of the city to investigate the traces left by the bandits that day. He unexpectedly stepped into an ambush set by the real female bandit. Although Xu Chengfeng successfully avoided the ambush mechanisms, he also attracted the real Three Jianghu Villains. Xu Chengfeng fought against the Three Jianghu Villains alone, one against three.
Shen Danqing and Tian Hao hurried to the northeast outskirts, discovered the situation, and decisively joined in to help. While fighting the female bandit, Shen Danqing was accidentally caught by her to threaten Xu Chengfeng. To successfully catch the female bandit, Shen Danqing deliberately pretended to be unfamiliar with Xu Chengfeng, successfully using this to distract the female bandit. Xu Chengfeng also killed the female bandit with Shen Danqing's help.
Although Xu Chengfeng followed the traces of the bandits and found the imperial escort treasure map box lost by the Shen family, he unexpectedly found that the treasure map inside had disappeared. Now that Shen Danqing has completely cleared her suspicion as the female bandit, Xu Chengfeng saw she was injured and voluntarily sent her back to the Shen residence. Shen Zishan was very worried after discovering that Shen Danqing had been called away by Xu Chengfeng.
Later, upon discovering Shen Danqing was injured, he was even more angry at Xu Chengfeng. Shen Danqing explained that today by chance Xu Chengfeng had found the real female bandit. Thinking that the real Shen Danqing had also been poisoned by the female bandit that year, Shen Zishan decided to also investigate this matter. Shen Danqing learned that Luo Shuangshuang had been released home.
She decided to let the Luo family members turn against each other first, then defeat them one by one. Finally, she wants to reclaim the Luo family's wine business from their hands. Because Luo Xueer helped rescue Luo Shuangshuang, Zhou Yiniang gained some recognition for her. Luo Jizhou also handed over the daily affairs of Ganlutang to Luo Xueer to manage, which made Luo Shuangshuang scoff at Luo Xueer.
To buy cosmetic powders for beautifying her appearance, Luo Xueer actually snatched the money from a maid's hand that was meant for her younger brother's medical treatment and even wanted to drive this maid away, which made the maid secretly resented her. Luo Xueer connected the incident of Luo Shuangshuang being framed and the recent damage to the Luo family's wine yeast, guessing that Shen Danqing was deliberately targeting the Luo family.
Xu Chengfeng spared the life of one of the Three Jianghu Villains. He interrogated this person about the whereabouts of the item in the escort box, but the bandit said that after they robbed the escort that day, they found the escort box was intact and undamaged, but the item inside had disappeared. Xu Chengfeng saw that the lock cylinder of the escort box was damaged and guessed that both the bandits and the Shen family were framed and made scapegoats.
Episode 7 Recap
Shui Xian, Luo Shuangshuang's maid, pleaded with the doctor at the pharmacy on the street to credit her for medicine money to treat her seriously ill younger brother, but because Shui Xian already owed dozens of taels in medical expenses, the doctor was unwilling to continue helping. Shen Danqing saw this and voluntarily helped Shui Xian pay for the medicine. To thank Shen Danqing, Shui Xian was willing to follow Shen Danqing in the future.
Shen Zishan was worried that Shui Xian, who betrayed the Luo family today, might one day betray the Shen family and harm Shen Danqing. To ensure Shen Danqing's safety, Shen Zishan asked Shui Xian to take poison. If she was loyal, he would provide an antidote every month. Shui Xian wanted to take the poison to prove her loyalty, but Shen Danqing did not want Shui Xian to become that kind of loyal servant with no choice or retreat.
She was willing to vouch for Shui Xian and give her a chance to prove her loyalty. Xu Chengfeng was concerned about Shen Danqing's foot injury and specifically sent her the imperial golden sore medicine bestowed by the Emperor. Shen Danqing originally thought Xu Chengfeng no longer suspected her of being the female bandit, but Xu Chengfeng said that he learned from the surviving bandit of the Three Jianghu Villains that they did not rob the Luo family's grain.
Thus, Shen Danqing was not completely cleared of suspicion. Xu Chengfeng asked Shen Danqing to draw the appearance of the female bandit based on his description. Shen Danqing drew the appearance of the female bandit that day based on the description. Xu Chengfeng said whether this portrait looked very similar to Shen Danqing. Seeing Xu Chengfeng's suspicion, Shen Danqing asked Shui Xian to directly see him out and also returned the golden sore medicine Xu Chengfeng brought.
Shui Xian had served by Zhou Yiniang's side since she was young. Shen Danqing took the opportunity to ask if there was anything unusual about Zhou Yiniang and her daughter. Shui Xian recalled that the Luo family servants were all spreading rumors that Luo Shuangshuang was Luo Jizhou's daughter, but Shui Xian had once heard Zhou Yiniang say that Luo Shuangshuang was born prematurely in July.
However, corresponding to the time Zhou Yiniang was pregnant, Luo Jizhou was not at the Luo family at all that year. Shen Danqing guessed that Luo Shuangshuang was not Luo Jizhou's daughter at all and that it was just a lie Zhou Yiniang fabricated that day to make Luo Jizhou harden his heart and kill Luo Ailian.
The next day, Shen Danqing took Shui Xian to find Granny Li, who delivered Luo Shuangshuang, but the two encountered scammers in the black market and were almost caught. At the critical moment, Xu Chengfeng brought Tian Hao to drive away the scammers and rescue Shen Danqing and her maid. Although Shen Danqing was grateful for Xu Chengfeng's help, she refused to tell him the purpose of her visit.
Xu Chengfeng was concerned about Shen Danqing's foot injury and gave the golden sore medicine he carried with him to Shen Danqing again. Tian Hao captured the old woman who was directing the beggars. This person was the scammer who had just deceived Shen Danqing and was also the "Jack of all trades" that Xu Chengfeng was looking for. Shen Danqing found a clue about Granny Li but learned that she had already been taken away by her previous employer.
Shen Danqing guessed that the Luo family had taken Granny Li away first. Indeed, Granny Li was ordered to be taken away by Luo Xueer to prevent the Luo family's private affairs from being revealed. Zhou Yiniang instructed Luo Xueer to settle Granny Li properly, specifically telling her not to let her see Luo Jizhou.
Zhou Yiniang specifically entertained Granny Li at Luo Shuangshuang's birthday banquet and instructed Granny Li to specifically mention to Luo Jizhou that Luo Shuangshuang was born at full term. Luo Jizhou now dotes on Luo Shuangshuang as his biological daughter, showing her every kind of affection. Previously, the fortune teller from the ruined temple outside the city came to the Luo family to wish Luo Shuangshuang a happy birthday. The Luo family did not guard against this person.
When the fortune teller arrived at the Luo family, he directly stated that Luo Jizhou would suffer a blood-related disaster today and that Luo Jizhou and Luo Shuangshuang were incompatible in fate. Luo Jizhou learned from the fortune teller that Luo Shuangshuang was actually born prematurely in July, which made Luo Jizhou suspicious. Zhou Yiniang worried that Luo Jizhou would suspect Luo Shuangshuang's identity and quickly ordered someone to drive the fortune teller out of the Luo family.
It turned out that the fortune teller was someone Shen Danqing had paid to act at the Luo family. Shen Danqing's move was to make Luo Jizhou suspect that Luo Shuangshuang was not his biological daughter. Indeed, Luo Jizhou took the opportunity to cut Luo Shuangshuang's finger and collected her blood for a blood-dropping paternity test.
Episode 8 Recap
Luo Xueer noticed the abnormality of second master Luo Jizhou, prepared in advance, and also successfully made Luo Jizhou's blood and Luo Shuangshuang's blood fuse. To prevent future trouble, Luo Xueer also suggested killing Granny Li. On the other side, Shen Danqing learned that the Luo family had no abnormalities, and sent people to track the Luo family along the clues to find Granny Li. Xu Chengfeng found the black market old woman "Jack of all trades".
He sent all the beggars around the "Jack of all trades" to the charity hall for resettlement. The "Jack of all trades" was grateful for his kindness and confessed when he asked about the treasure map that she could not tell him because of black market rules, but she told Xu Chengfeng that Shen Danqing went to the black market that day to inquire about Granny Li.
Shen Danqing tracked the Luo family members and indeed found Granny Li's hiding place, and also knew that the Luo family had sent people to kill her to silence her. Unexpectedly, Xu Chengfeng also came here with Tian Hao, and the two appeared and rescued Granny Li, who was almost killed.
Shen Danqing arranged to meet Luo Jizhou and had Granny Li tell him personally that Luo Shuangshuang was a premature baby born in July and that Zhou Yiniang deliberately asked her to conceal this matter.
Although Luo Jizhou said that he had already verified Luo Shuangshuang's identity through the blood-dropping paternity test, Shen Danqing said that Zhou Yiniang, with her power and influence, could definitely change the water for the blood-dropping paternity test, and reminded Luo Jizhou to verify it again. Luo Jizhou had his servants bring Luo Shuangshuang to Drunken Cloud Building for a meeting.
After Zhou Yiniang and Luo Xueer learned of this, they worried that the secret of her identity would be exposed and quickly rushed to Drunken Cloud Building as well. Luo Jizhou forcibly took Luo Shuangshuang's blood and found that their blood did not fuse. Only then did he realize that Zhou Yiniang had deceived him. In anger, Luo Jizhou wanted Luo Shuangshuang to pay the price. In her panic, Luo Shuangshuang used an incense stand to knock down Luo Jizhou.
Zhou Yiniang and Luo Xueer rushed to Drunken Cloud Building and found Luo Jizhou had fallen to the ground. To help Luo Shuangshuang get out of trouble, Luo Xueer suggested that the three of them should maintain a unified story when the officials arrive later.
Shen Danqing sensed that Shen Zishan had something on his mind and discovered from his actions with Miao Divine Doctor that the two were investigating why the real Shen Danqing was poisoned in the first place. Shen Danqing proactively asked about this matter and also expressed that no matter the difficulties, she, as a family member now, would share the burden with Shen Zishan. Magistrate Bai led a group from the Luo family to surround the Shen residence.
Only then did Shen Zishan and Shen Danqing learn that the Luo family had accused Shen Danqing of murdering the Luo family's second master, Luo Jizhou. It turned out that before this, Zhou Yiniang and her daughter had bribed Magistrate Bai with a large sum of money and framed Shen Danqing, who had met with Luo Jizhou earlier, for Luo Jizhou's death. Shen Danqing knew she was innocent.
Although she admitted to meeting Luo Jizhou, she also stated that Zhou Yiniang and her daughter, who entered the private room afterward, were also suspects. Magistrate Bai took both Shen Danqing and Zhou Yiniang and her daughter to the yamen for a public trial. Shen Danqing told Shen Zishan that she noticed Luo Shuangshuang was a bit guilty today, and her bracelet seemed to have been scratched by a hard object.
To prove her innocence, Shen Danqing requested Magistrate Bai to perform an autopsy on Luo Jizhou. However, when the group arrived at the morgue, they unexpectedly discovered that Luo Jizhou's body had disappeared. Now that the body was missing, Zhou Yiniang and her daughter persuaded Magistrate Bai to close the case quickly, which would also exempt him from the crime of dereliction of duty.
Soon, the yamen runners dug up the incense stand from Drunken Cloud Building in the Shen residence's garden. Magistrate Bai used this as evidence and ordered people to take Shen Danqing away. Shen Danqing knew that finding Luo Jizhou's body was the key at this moment and advised Shen Zishan not to act impulsively. Prince Yi of the Dafeng Dynasty came to the General's mansion and reprimanded Xu Chengfeng for not yet completing the task of recovering the imperial cargo.
Shen Zishan came to the morgue and guessed from the traces left at the scene that Luo Jizhou was not dead. He followed the clues and found the departing Luo Jizhou. Xu Chengfeng stated that although he had signed a military pledge regarding this matter, it was signed with Grand Academician Lin, and credit or punishment should all be determined by Grand Academician Lin.
Prince Yi came to Liaocheng this time by imperial decree, and also to assist Xu Chengfeng in investigating the case of the missing imperial cargo. Prince Yi and Xu Chengfeng had many conflicts before. The two did not yield to each other in their words. Because of the imperial decree, Xu Chengfeng could only inform him of the clues found in the case one by one.
Episode 9 Recap
Luo Xueer brought Luo Shuangshuang to the prison to see Shen Danqing. She didn't understand why Shen Danqing repeatedly opposed the Luo family. Shen Danqing stated that she had simply uncovered the Luo family's secret and therefore wanted to use this matter to negotiate a deal with Luo Jizhou. Luo Xueer had malicious intentions and placed a Western Regions poisonous spider in the prison cell, wanting to kill Shen Danqing.
Shen Danqing did not want to die from poisoning in the prison. She threatened the jailer to have him send a letter to Xu Chengfeng and at the same time go to the Shen residence to invite Divine Doctor Miao here.
The jailer went to the General's mansion to invite Xu Chengfeng, but Xu Chengfeng couldn't get away from Prince Yu's entanglement for a while, and because the Shen residence was surrounded by people sent by Magistrate Bai, Divine Doctor Miao also could not come here.
Shen Danqing originally thought she would die here today, but unexpectedly, Xu Chengfeng falsely claimed he was searching for treasure map clues and, using this as an excuse, left in front of Prince Yu and rushed to the prison. Xu Chengfeng brought Divine Doctor Miao to the prison. Divine Doctor Miao had Shen Danqing take an antidote pill first, saying he would prepare the final antidote later. Shen Danqing refused Xu Chengfeng's offer to take her out of prison.
Instead, she asked him to help find Luo Jizhou to clear her name. When Concubine Zhou and her daughter learned that Shen Danqing had been rescued by Xu Chengfeng, they immediately ordered people to quickly go and find Luo Jizhou, wanting to find him before Xu Chengfeng, so that at least their safety could be ensured. Xu Chengfeng found the hiding Luo Jizhou one step ahead of Concubine Zhou.
Luo Jizhou directly stated that Concubine Zhou and her daughter had wolfish ambitions, not only deceiving him into believing that Luo Shuangshuang was his daughter, but also wanting to kill him to silence him after the truth was exposed. While unconscious, Luo Jizhou heard how Concubine Zhou and her daughter framed Shen Danqing and colluded with Magistrate Bai to conceal the truth.
To save his life, Luo Jizhou first feigned death and was carried to the mortuary, then found an opportunity to leave. Luo Jizhou proved Shen Danqing's innocence and also knelt, begging Xu Chengfeng to uphold justice for him. Xu Chengfeng ordered Tian Hao to take Concubine Zhou and her daughter to the yamen for interrogation. Concubine Zhou worried that this trip would be perilous, so she instructed Luo Shuangshuang to insist that she did not kill Luo Jizhou.
At the yamen, Concubine Zhou saw that Luo Jizhou was indeed not dead. She admitted to attempted murder but also accused Luo Jizhou of having committed the crime of defilement against her. The two mutually accused each other. Concubine Zhou was convinced that Luo Jizhou had ruined her, and even openly shoved Luo Jizhou in the court, causing Luo Jizhou's head to hit the wooden table, ultimately making him fall unconscious.
Concubine Zhou insisted that she was the one who framed Shen Danqing and Luo Jizhou, only wanting to die to protect her two daughters. Finally, Magistrate Bai sentenced Concubine Zhou to execution after review in the autumn, based on her attempted murder of a relative. Shen Danqing was released in court because she was innocent. Xu Chengfeng listed Magistrate Bai's dereliction of duty one by one and punished him with a year's salary deduction plus twenty heavy blows.
To thank Xu Chengfeng for his help, Shen Danqing specially brought Shen Zishan to Drunken Cloud Building to host a banquet for Xu Chengfeng. Shen Danqing recalled how Xu Chengfeng had repeatedly tested whether she was the female mountain bandit, even going so far as to throw her into the water, nearly drowning her. Shen Danqing guessed that Xu Chengfeng's actions might be related to his purpose in coming to Liaocheng.
She stated directly that Xu Chengfeng's investigation was related to the imperial cargo lost by the Shen clan. Shen Danqing called Shen Zishan today also because she wanted her brother to cooperate with Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng wanted to investigate the disappearance of the imperial cargo, while Shen Zishan wanted to find the person who poisoned his sister. The timing of these two matters was so coincidental that she believed the goals of their investigations were the same.
Shen Zishan was willing to trust Xu Chengfeng once, and the two thus reached a cooperation agreement. After Xu Chengfeng returned to his mansion, he was troubled by Prince Yu. Prince Yu wanted to get the clues in Xu Chengfeng's hands, but Xu Chengfeng directly had Tian Hao send the clue records obtained from Shen Zishan to the Grand Academician for review. Prince Yu, in order to reward Xu Chengfeng for obtaining clues, specially bestowed a maid upon him.
To prevent the conflict between the two of them from harming the maid Lv Zhu, Xu Chengfeng had to agree to keep Lv Zhu. Tian Hao arranged Lv Zhu in a remote part of the mansion, worried that this woman might harm Xu Chengfeng. However, Xu Chengfeng stated directly that Lv Zhu should serve as usual, as this would satisfy Prince Yu.
Episode 10 Recap
Lv Zhu used the opportunity of bringing pastries to Xu Chengfeng to enter his study today. She secretly overheard Tian Hao reporting that the target person would appear at the ruined temple on the city outskirts tonight, and they decided to catch them all in one swoop. Lv Zhu secretly went to the ruined temple at night, but she watched all night and didn't detect any abnormalities.
Lv Zhu returned to the General's mansion and again overheard Tian Hao reporting the informant's message: they would continue to go to the ruined temple tonight to wait for the operation. Lv Zhu decided to go stakeout again. Seeing Lv Zhu leave, Tian Hao and Xu Chengfeng exchanged a smile. It turned out the two of them had planned this mainly to release false information to Prince Yu through Lv Zhu.
Prince Yu knew that what Lv Zhu brought was false information, but he had dispatched Lv Zhu to Xu Chengfeng's side precisely to make Xu Chengfeng lower his guard. He knew Lv Zhu could not obtain real information, only hoping she could gather some information from Xu Chengfeng's words and phrases, such as how Xu Chengfeng was feeling or who he met. These pieces of information, if used with a little effort, could be used to gain an advantage.
Shen Danqing came to the General's mansion to find Xu Chengfeng. Lv Zhu personally made pastries and sent them for Xu Chengfeng to taste, and she also deliberately acted intimately with Xu Chengfeng in front of outsiders. Xu Chengfeng did not want people to misunderstand, so he quickly had Tian Hao take Lv Zhu away. Xu Chengfeng explained that Lv Zhu was a mole brought by his enemy Prince Yu, and he had no personal relationship with her.
Shen Danqing did not care about their relationship. Instead, she suggested Xu Chengfeng use a honey trap to make Lv Zhu fall in love with him, as only then would Lv Zhu expose Prince Yu's secrets. Although Xu Chengfeng considered himself exceptionally charming, he disdained using a honey trap. Shen Danqing came to the General's mansion to discuss the next step in the investigation plan with Xu Chengfeng.
Xu Chengfeng commented that although Shen Danqing was not gentle and virtuous like ordinary women, her style was resolute and spirited, she acted decisively, and her vision and perspective surpassed that of ordinary men. Xu Chengfeng did not understand what kind of trials Shen Danqing, as an escort agency daughter, had gone through to become so different today.
Shen Danqing was surprised that Xu Chengfeng, clearly not knowing her past, could see through her experiences, but she was also unwilling to frankly tell him about her past. In Xu Chengfeng's study, Shen Danqing saw that he had actually always kept the jade pendant left by Luo Ailian at that time.
Grateful that there was still someone in the world who remembered Luo Ailian, Shen Danqing felt grief in her heart upon remembering the past, and could only use physical discomfort as an excuse to say goodbye and leave the General's mansion. Shen Zishan asked Shen Danqing about her worries and frankly said that Shen Danqing could become anyone by his side, and he would always accompany her.
Shen Danqing expressed that although she was grateful to Xu Chengfeng, she promised she would never reveal her identity secret. Luo Shuangshuang was afraid of thunder and came late at night to seek Luo Xueer's company. She missed Concubine Zhou and hoped Luo Xueer could quickly find a way to rescue her.
Luo Xueer comforted Luo Shuangshuang well and decided to first send Luo Shuangshuang to the outskirts to recuperate the next day, while she would quickly find a way to rescue Concubine Zhou. Luo Xueer came to the prison to visit Concubine Zhou. Concubine Zhou learned the verbal message from Magistrate Bai from Luo Xueer: after the situation calms down, with two hundred thousand taels she could regain her freedom.
Concubine Zhou thought that using the Luo family's fortune could still get her freedom. She told Luo Xueer the location of the Luo family's ancestral tomb where the gold and silver treasures were buried, and asked her to take that gold and silver treasures to redeem herself. Luo Xueer wanted to let the deceased Luo Jida see with his own eyes how the foster daughter he once looked down upon step by step took possession of the Luo family.
She came alone to the Luo family's ancestral tomb and personally dug up the gold and silver treasures Concubine Zhou mentioned. And Luo Xueer also unexpectedly discovered mountain spring water at the Luo family ancestral tomb area, which made her exceptionally happy. Lv Zhu came late at night to bring food to Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng was extremely annoyed, so he simply knocked her unconscious and ordered Tian Hao to guard his door for him.
Shen Zishan rented the shop opposite Ganlutang and gave it to Shen Danqing as a gift. He knew Shen Danqing liked brewing wine and also supported her opening a wine shop to do business. Now the Luo family wine shop has fallen into Luo Xueer's hands, and Shen Danqing wants to take it back. Luo Xueer saw that a new Danqing Wine Shop had opened opposite Ganlutang. She privately found the landlord.
The landlord deliberately used the excuse that Shen Danqing's renovation damaged the feng shui to make Shen Danqing pay compensation. Shui Xian saw Xu Chengfeng on the street and deliberately had the landlord go to the General's mansion to get the money, also falsely claiming that Shen Danqing was Xu Chengfeng's beloved. Shen Danqing didn't expect Xu Chengfeng to appear behind her, and he even cooperated with Shui Xian's words to admit admiration for Shen Danqing.
The landlord, seeing that Shen Danqing was indeed Xu Chengfeng's beloved, immediately gave up the compensation money. Shen Danqing learned from the landlord that Luo Xueer was meddling in this matter, so she naturally would not make things difficult for the landlord. Shen Danqing thanked Xu Chengfeng for his cooperation. Between their playful words and teasing, it was not without revealing some genuine feelings. Afterwards, Xu Chengfeng specifically stayed to help Shen Danqing renovate together.
Episode 11 Recap
Shen Danqing, to thank Xu Chengfeng, specially brought the wine from her newly opened winery for Xu Chengfeng to taste. Xu Chengfeng found that this wine was comparable to Ganlutang's 'Meeting Under the Moon'. Shen Danqing did not expect Xu Chengfeng to appreciate her previous winemaking efforts, regarding him as a confidant. Xu Chengfeng didn't understand why Shen Danqing wanted to open her winery opposite Ganlutang.
Shen Danqing stated that the Luo family had framed her, and she had loved brewing wine since she was young, so she wanted to defeat them in her own way. Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing drank together under the moon, feeling that they were kindred spirits and understood each other. Luo Xueer checked the accounts of Ganlutang and learned that due to various incidents, the Luo family's accounts were already in deficit.
Instead, Luo Xueer had the accountant convert all the money in the accounts into gold ingots, confident that she could turn Ganlutang from crisis to safety within half a month. Shen Zishan discovered through investigation that the poison Shen Danqing had been poisoned with back then was called "Blood Epiphyllum". Xu Chengfeng stated that the lock core of the treasure map was corroded by "Pure Dissolving Powder". They could investigate experts who were skilled in using both poisons simultaneously.
Tian Hao intercepted the information released by Lv Zhu. Xu Chengfeng saw that Lv Zhu had released the information about him seeking the Omniscient and warned Tian Hao not to relax his vigilance towards Lv Zhu. Luo Xueer found President Xia of Liaocheng Wine Industry, hoping that the other party would allow the Luo family to exclusively use the discovered mountain spring water for brewing wine.
For this, Luo Xueer took out a batch of gold ingots to bribe President Xia and stated that she had already come up with a foolproof plan. Soon, the wine merchants received a notice from President Xia to hold a Wine God Sacrifice Ceremony seven days later and to select the winery that would have exclusive use of the mountain spring water through a divine oracle during the ceremony.
Shen Danqing guessed that Luo Xueer had another intention behind this move and dispatched Escort Lin to keep a close eye on Luo Xueer. Shen Danqing, to invite Xu Chengfeng for assistance, asked him to meet at the Luo family's ancestral tomb area tomorrow at the辰时 (辰时 refers to 7-9 AM). The next day, President Xia and Luo Xueer together unveiled the true form of the Wine God Spring.
They also publicly prayed for a divine oracle to reveal the ownership of the sacred spring. Luo Xueer was initially confident that she would secure the ownership, but unexpectedly, the divine oracle showed that it belonged to Danqing Wine Shop. Luo Xueer accused Shen Danqing of manipulating it, but Shen Danqing asked Xu Chengfeng to testify that she had been by his side and made no unusual movements.
Luo Xueer refused to let Danqing Wine Shop become the user of the sacred spring, citing that the ownership must be chosen from among the members of the merchant association, and asked President Xia to choose another date. Shen Danqing applied to let the wine merchants present in the association vote on whether Danqing Wine Shop could become a member of the association.
Shen Danqing publicly expressed her willingness to share the right to use the mountain spring water with everyone. Therefore, various wineries agreed to Danqing Wine Shop joining the association. President Xia finally agreed to Danqing Wine Shop joining the Liaocheng Wine Merchant Association. Luo Xueer, seeing that she could not stop it, left in anger.
Shen Danqing specially held a banquet for Xu Chengfeng to thank him for seeing through things today and not exposing them, allowing Danqing Wine Shop to become a member of the association. Xu Chengfeng said that Shen Danqing was willing to share the mountain spring water with all the wineries, which also meant he had not misjudged Shen Danqing.
Shen Danqing told Xu Chengfeng how she saw through the divine oracle scheme designed by Luo Xueer, which made Xu Chengfeng highly praise her resourcefulness and also wished her winery a smooth opening. Danqing Wine Shop opened smoothly. Shen Zishan specially collected dew as a gift for Shen Danqing, and Shen Danqing was very grateful.
Luo Xueer, under the guise of congratulating, brought white flowers as a gift to Shen Danqing and mocked Shen Danqing for being an amateur in opening a winery, warning her to be careful not to lose the Shen family's fortune. Xu Chengfeng ordered Tian Hao to send a congratulatory gift. Seeing that Shen Danqing's winery was greatly favored because of Xu Chengfeng, Luo Xueer became even more annoyed.
Xu Chengfeng specially learned to make chess piece pastry and delivered it to Shen Danqing that evening as a congratulatory gift. Shen Danqing greatly praised it as the best gift she received that day. Shen Zishan learned from the Omniscient that Pure Dissolving Powder and Blood Epiphyllum came from the Tang Sect and the Five Venoms Sect respectively. These two sects once had a disciple who fled to the Western Regions and was skilled in the poisons of both schools.
Shen Zishan suspected that this matter was widely implicated and warned the Omniscient to be extra careful during the investigation. Lv Zhu came to Danqing Wine Shop to warn Shen Danqing because Xu Chengfeng personally made qizi su for Shen Danqing. Shen Danqing was not afraid of her provocation; instead, she reminded Lv Zhu that she should not only learn to be close to Xu Chengfeng but also to be considerate of him.
Lv Zhu could not out-argue Shen Danqing and had to leave in a huff. Prince Yi learned from Lv Zhu's secret letter that Xu Chengfeng was in close contact with Shen Danqing. Prince Yi judged that Shen Danqing held a significant position in Xu Chengfeng's heart. Prince Yi sent people to keep a close eye on the Shen family's movements, deciding to start with the Shen family to find Xu Chengfeng's weakness.
After Danqing Wine Shop opened, its business became increasingly prosperous, while Ganlutang's business gradually became bleak. Soon, a customer at Danqing Wine Shop falsely accused the Rose Dew from Danqing Wine Shop of having a problem, but Shen Danqing called in Miracle Doctor Miao to examine the customer and found that there was nothing abnormal with his body.
With the cooperation of Miracle Doctor Miao, Shen Danqing successfully made the customer admit that the wine from Danqing Wine Shop was fine. Shen Danqing publicly declared that someone was deliberately framing Danqing Wine Shop, and since the wine was fine, everyone could buy it with confidence. Shen Danqing guessed that Luo Xueer was behind this incident and instructed her subordinates to be more vigilant in the future.
Although Luo Xueer failed to cause trouble, she also took the opportunity to arrange for someone to steal the recipe for making Rose Dew from Danqing Wine Shop. She ordered Ganlutang to brew wine using this recipe to compete with Danqing Wine Shop.
Episode 12 Recap
Ganlutang launched a new product, "Rose Intoxication". After discovering this, Shen Danqing asked Escort Lin to buy a jar of Ganlutang's new product to taste, and found that the flavor of this wine was the same as Danqing Wine Shop's Rose Dew. Connecting it to the farce a few days ago, Shen Danqing guessed that Luo Xueer's real intention was the brewing recipe of Danqing Wine Shop.
Due to Ganlutang's new product, Danqing Wine Shop hadn't made a single sale for several days. Shen Danqing was unwilling to sell the wine at a reduced price, as the more she sold, the more she would lose. Shen Danqing had no choice but to send a message to Shen Zishan, asking him to help contact some large customers. Xu Chengfeng regarded Shen Danqing as a confidante.
As a festival approached, he specifically came to Danqing Wine Shop and ordered two hundred jin of Rose Dew to reward the guards of the General's Mansion. Xu Chengfeng was willing to buy wine from Danqing Wine Shop at a high price because he trusted Shen Danqing's character and ability more. To thank Xu Chengfeng for his patronage, Shen Danqing specifically gave him another kind of wine, brewed separately, to taste.
Ganlutang became profitable again because of the new product "Rose Intoxication". In fact, the profits of just a few days caught up with the total profit of January last year. Luo Xueer was very pleased, and seeing that Danqing Wine Shop's business was bleak, she became even more smug. Luo Xueer went to Danqing Wine Shop to show off, and even asked Shen Danqing to sell her own wine yeast and ingredients, since Ganlutang was now in short supply.
To humiliate Shen Danqing, Luo Xueer even suggested that Ganlutang buy Danqing Wine Shop and have Shen Danqing work at Ganlutang as a wine seller. Shen Danqing could no longer bear it and slapped Luo Xueer. The two exchanged sharp words, neither giving way. Luo Xueer declared that Shen Danqing should wait to be ruined. Luo Xueer resented Shen Danqing even more because she was slapped.
She instructed someone to notify President Xia to prohibit all wine merchants from purchasing wine yeast and ingredients from Danqing Wine Shop. She wanted to make Shen Danqing suffer a total loss. Luo Shuangshuang was unwilling to stay in the manor to recover from her illness. She wanted to return to the Luo family, but was stopped by the servants sent by Luo Xueer, who even locked her directly in the room.
Shen Zishan returned from an escort mission and also brought a large order from Squire Meng from a neighboring county for Danqing Wine Shop. Upon learning of this, Luo Xueer quickly sent people to buy back all the nearby wine yeast and ingredients. She didn't want to give Shen Danqing any chance to recover.
For this, she also arranged for her subordinate to personally take "Rose Intoxication" to see Squire Meng, telling him that Shen Danqing was unable to deliver the goods and that the Luo family was the leading winery in all of Liaocheng. Not only was Luo Xueer willing to sell the wine at a low price, but she was also willing to compensate Squire Meng for the deposit he paid to Danqing Wine Shop.
Soon, Squire Meng's order was snatched away by Luo Xueer. Although Shen Danqing was disappointed, she didn't show any abnormality. The plum rain season arrived, and Xu Chengfeng specifically sent Shen Danqing, who didn't have an umbrella, back to her residence. Although their initial impressions of each other were not good when they first met, they appreciated each other more and more through their daily interactions.
Shen Zishan saw Xu Chengfeng personally escorting his sister home, and seeing how intimate they were, he felt a little jealous. Shen Zishan inquired about his sister's impression of Xu Chengfeng. Only upon hearing Shen Danqing evaluate Xu Chengfeng as a trustworthy close friend did Shen Zishan feel relieved. Xu Chengfeng learned from Tian Hao that Lv Zhu was reporting only irrelevant daily trivial matters to Prince Yi.
He didn't care about these messages and instructed Tian Hao to get along well with Lv Zhu. And Lv Zhu also, at Xu Chengfeng's instruction, specifically came to take care of Tian Hao, who had caught a cold. Although Tian Hao was wary of Lv Zhu's identity as a spy, he also quite enjoyed the feeling of being cared for.
To not give Shen Danqing any chance to catch her breath, Luo Xueer took all the money in the accounts to purchase wine yeast and ingredients. But what she didn't expect was that many customers came for refunds. It turned out that Shen Danqing had seen through Luo Xueer's intentions earlier and deliberately let her steal the Rose Dew recipe. However, Shen Danqing deliberately omitted some steps in the recipe.
The most crucial part of Rose Dew was the storage time. The current plum rain season greatly shortened the wine's storage time, which is why the wine Luo Xueer sold spoiled and customers came knocking. Meanwhile, Luo Xueer also realized that she had been fooled by Shen Danqing. To stabilize the situation, she promised to refund customers for the spoiled wine money three days later.
When Shen Danqing learned that Luo Xueer had promised to refund the customers the wine money, she didn't understand where Luo Xueer would get the money. She instructed Shui Xian to keep a close eye on Luo Xueer's every move. The Omniscient arranged to meet with Shen Zishan and Xu Chengfeng. She wanted to tell them some clues she had found through her investigation.
Shen Zishan and Xu Chengfeng hurried to the inn, only to find that the Omniscient had been assassinated in the room by a poisonous dart. Shen Zishan found that the silver needles that struck the Omniscient were exactly the same as the silver needles that poisoned Shen Danqing back then. He speculated that the person who killed the Omniscient was the same murderer from the Imperial Escort case.
Episode 13 Recap
The accountant of Ganlutang found Luo Jida's archive receipt from the bank in the ledger. Luo Xueer took the receipt to the bank to inquire and learned that it was the dowry Luo Jida left for his three daughters. Luo Xueer wanted to withdraw all the dowry, but the bank manager said that Luo Jida's seal was needed for withdrawal.
On the other side, Shen Danqing also learned about this and was informed that Luo Xueer had not found the seal to withdraw the dowry. She arranged for Shui Xian to keep a close eye on Luo Xueer and tell her immediately if Luo Xueer went to prison to visit Zhou Yi Niang. Luo Xueer came to check Zhou Yi Niang's personal belongings before she went to prison, but did not find the seal.
Now that the seal was neither at home nor among Zhou's personal belongings, she could only go to prison to ask Zhou Yi Niang. Zhou Yi Niang had long seen through Luo Xueer's intentions and knew that she had never sincerely wanted to rescue her from prison. With a little probing, Luo Xueer learned that Zhou Yi Niang had given the seal to Luo Shuangshuang.
Luo Xueer was angry that Zhou Yi Niang favored Luo Shuangshuang and even pretended that she was Luo Jida's daughter. Zhou Yi Niang did not expect Luo Xueer to know about her background.
It turned out that Luo Xueer accidentally overheard a conversation between Zhou Yi Niang and a Xiao family servant that year and learned that she was the daughter of the Xiao family master whose business Luo Jida had taken over, and that Luo Jida was her father's murderer. Zhou Yi Niang pleaded with Luo Xueer to treat Luo Shuangshuang kindly, as Luo Shuangshuang was related to her by blood.
But Luo Xueer was vicious and even wanted to take Luo Shuangshuang to watch Zhou Yi Niang's execution, so that Luo Shuangshuang would understand that she could only rely on herself to live this life. Shen Danqing came to prison wanting to cooperate with Zhou Yi Niang. If Zhou Yi Niang could tell her where the seal was, she would also rescue Luo Shuangshuang. Shen Danqing frankly stated that she only wanted wealth and not life.
After much consideration, for Luo Shuangshuang's safety, Zhou Yi Niang agreed to cooperate with Shen Danqing. Luo Xueer came to find Luo Shuangshuang late at night and deliberately deceived her, saying that Shen Danqing was plotting to get the dowry Luo Jida left for them and wanted to find someone to kidnap the two sisters. The reason she had locked Luo Shuangshuang in the manor was also for Luo Shuangshuang's safety.
For this, Luo Xueer even specifically arranged for a servant to stage a scene in front of Luo Shuangshuang where kidnappers came to capture people. Luo Xueer took the opportunity to escape with Luo Shuangshuang, which also made the simple-minded Luo Shuangshuang believe Luo Xueer's words. Luo Xueer took the opportunity to demand the seal Luo Jida had left behind, but Luo Shuangshuang swore that Zhou Yi Niang had not given her the seal.
Luo Xueer probed and found out that Zhou Yi Niang had once given Luo Shuangshuang a box. After learning the location of the box, Luo Xueer came to the tree outside the manor late at night alone, dug out the box, and prepared to take it away directly without Luo Shuangshuang knowing. Shen Danqing brought people to the outer manor and happened to see Luo Xueer leaving with people. She guessed that Luo Xueer had already obtained the seal.
She brought people to directly snatch the box, but did not know that Luo Xueer had already secretly hidden the seal. Xu Chengfeng went to the scene of the Omniscient's death again. He found that there were some oil stains on the floor of the restaurant, but the floor where the Omniscient died was particularly dry. He asked Shen Zishan how to make the floor dry. Shen Zishan thought that washing the floor with borax would have this effect.
Xu Chengfeng speculated that the murderer was also poisoned and injured, and washing the floor was to remove the traces of his injury. Shen Zishan decided to have Doctor Miao investigate the antidote for the poison used on the Omniscient. They could go to pharmacies to investigate who had recently gone to prepare the antidote.
Luo Xueer took the seal to the bank for the dowry, but found that what Luo Jida had deposited at the bank was just a painting. Shen Danqing had gone to the bank once before. She obtained the letter Luo Jida left for his three daughters from the bank.
In the letter, Luo Jida had prepared a homemade Luo family brewing recipe for each of his daughters, stating that with this recipe, no matter what situation they were in, it could ensure their safety and prosperity. Shen Danqing thought of her father's painstaking efforts for his daughters, and her heart was filled with grief. Xu Chengfeng originally wanted to find Shen Danqing for another jar of Chengfeng wine.
Shen Zishan refused, saying his sister was in a bad mood, and personally found some wine to give to Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng came with the wine to thank Shen Danqing and accidentally heard Shen Danqing sobbing. So, he silently left the Chengfeng wine, hoping to comfort Shen Danqing. Shen Zishan asked Shen Danqing if she had gained anything from going to the bank today.
Shen Danqing said that Zhou Yi Niang had told her that the real seal was hidden in a compartment of the box, and the seal in the box was fake. She also successfully retrieved the dowry Luo Jida had deposited at the bank. At the same time, Luo Xueer also learned that Shen Danqing had been to the bank with the real seal. Because of this, she was very angry.
After Luo Xueer returned to the mansion, she encountered creditors demanding repayment. At this time, Shen Danqing arrived with people and stated that she had already purchased Ganlutang and the Luo family's properties, and she would bear all the debts. She took out the bill of sale signed between Zhou Yi Niang and herself, leaving Luo Xueer speechless. Shen Danqing ordered people to take Luo Xueer to the Luo family ancestral hall.
She made Luo Xueer kneel in front of the ancestral hall and forced her to confess if she had killed Luo Ailian and Luo Jida. Facing the interrogation, Luo Xueer instead said that everything she had done was to take back what belonged to her, and her biological father was the founder of the Xiao family winery in the neighboring county. It was Luo Jida who took away the Xiao family winery and caused her father's tragic death.
Shen Danqing did not believe what Luo Xueer said and instead told her that Luo Jida not only left them a painting but also left three priceless wine recipes. Luo Jida had never done anything wrong to Luo Xueer, but Luo Xueer's mind had long been blinded by selfishness. She hated Luo Jida for making her marry into the underworld. Shen Danqing slapped Luo Xueer, scolding her for disregarding human relations, being ungrateful, harming others and not repenting. Seeing that Luo Xueer showed no sign of repentance, Shen Danqing ordered people to throw Luo Xueer out of the Luo mansion to fend for herself.
Episode 14 Recap
Shen Danqing took charge of the Luo family again. In front of her father's memorial tablet, she promised that she would make Luo Xueer pay the price, confess her guilt and face justice, and clear Luo Ailian's name. She would promote the Luo family's wine business and also ensure that Luo Shuangshuang's remaining life got back on track.
Shen Danqing ordered people to investigate the beginning and end of the Xiao family's decline twenty years ago, as well as the relationship between the Xiao family and Luo Xueer. Luo Shuangshuang escaped from the manor. She took out the only jewelry she had on her to bribe the jailer, hoping to visit her mother, Zhou Yi Niang, in prison. However, the jailer was greedy and demanded fifty taels of silver from her.
Luo Shuangshuang had no money, so naturally she could not produce the silver and could not see Zhou Yi Niang. Because today was the birthday of the real Shen Danqing, Shen Danqing knew Shen Zishan missed his sister and asked him to tell her what he wanted to say to his sister. Shen Zishan told Shen Danqing that he would personally kill the murderer who harmed his sister.
Shen Danqing hoped Shen Zishan would live a free and carefree life and also said she would take good care of Shen Zishan on behalf of the real Shen Danqing. Doctor Miao found that the antidote for the poison on the Omniscient's hidden weapon was Apricot Licorice, which was sold in very few pharmacies in Liaocheng. Shen Zishan ordered his men to investigate the people who bought Apricot Licorice.
Among the buyers, Xu Chengfeng discovered Xiao Wei, Zong Wei's subordinate, and both of them were related to Prince Yi. Shen Zishan also speculated that Xiao Wei bought the antidote for Zong Wei and concluded that Zong Wei was the one who harmed his sister. Xu Chengfeng believed that Zong Wei was the one who acted, but the mastermind must be Prince Yi.
He also guessed that Prince Yi came to Liaocheng this time to cover up the fact of murder and robbery of the drawing from that year. Xu Chengfeng wanted to lure Zong Wei out. They could use the launcher for the poisonous needles to draw the opponent out and catch him red-handed with the stolen goods.
Xu Chengfeng planned to use Lv Zhu to send a false message to Prince Yi, telling him that the Omniscient had left a secret letter behind the plaque in the charity hall. After Zong Wei learned of this news, he worried that the matter of stealing the drawing from that year would resurface and led his men to the charity hall.
Xu Chengfeng and Tian Hao had set up an ambush in the charity hall and indeed found Zong Wei appearing. the two wanted to capture Zong Wei alive. After Zong Wei used hidden weapons to get rid of Xu Chengfeng, he originally wanted to discuss things here, but he was intercepted by Shen Zishan again.
Xu Chengfeng and Shen Zishan working together had already captured the men Zong Wei brought, but Zong Wei injured Shen Zishan with hidden weapons, killed the two men he brought with him, and finally escaped. Doctor Miao diagnosed Shen Zishan and found that he was poisoned with the same poison as Shen Danqing from back then. He could only make him last one more day at most.
Shen Danqing originally wanted to save Shen Zishan by blood transfusion, but Doctor Miao said that Shen Danqing now had no blood relationship with Shen Zishan and could not save him by blood transfusion. Their conversation was accidentally overheard by Xu Chengfeng. Doctor Miao had no choice but to explain that Shen Danqing was the adopted daughter of Master Shen.
Zong Wei misunderstood that Lv Zhu had betrayed Prince Yi and secretly sneaked into the General's Mansion to kill Lv Zhu. Although Tian Hao arrived in time, Lv Zhu was also stabbed by Zong Wei. Lv Zhu knew that the sword wound she sustained was poisoned. She told Tian Hao not to blame himself.
She knew Shen Zishan was poisoned and revealed that Prince Yi had a pharmacy on West Fourth Street specifically for preparing poison and medicine for Zong Wei. Xu Chengfeng immediately took Shen Danqing to find the antidote. Tian Hao knew that Lv Zhu dared not betray Prince Yi only to keep her mother safe and alive, and they had never blamed Lv Zhu.
Lv Zhu had lived a life walking on thin ice with Prince Yi for five years, and now it was a kind of liberation. Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing came to the pharmacy. Although Xu Chengfeng found clues about the antidote, Prince Yi and Zong Wei had left a trap. Shen Danqing accidentally triggered the trap, causing the antidote clues to be lost. On the way, Xu Chengfeng was also accidentally injured by explosives while protecting Shen Danqing.
Shen Danqing bandaged Xu Chengfeng's wound. Now that time was slowly passing, Shen Danqing was worried that she would not be able to save Shen Zishan. Zong Wei's identity was exposed, and he also lost the xiùnǔ in Xu Chengfeng's hand. He asked for the death penalty, but Prince Yi had other uses for him and spared Zong Wei's life for future service. Xu Chengfeng brought Shen Danqing to find Prince Yi.
Xu Chengfeng stated that Prince Yi was the real mastermind behind the robbery of the escort and the treasure map, and the xiùnǔ in his hand was proof. Now Xu Chengfeng was willing to exchange the xiùnǔ for the antidote. Prince Yi said he would only give the antidote to Xu Chengfeng after Xu Chengfeng handed over all clues regarding the treasure map case. Shen Danqing fed the antidote to Shen Zishan.
Shen Zishan, who had taken the antidote, successfully woke up. But soon, Doctor Miao discovered that although the antidote Xu Chengfeng brought back was real, Prince Yi had only given half of it. Although it could barely keep him alive, the person could not act normally. If the other half of the antidote was not obtained within a day, Shen Zishan's remaining life would only be like this.
Episode 15 Recap
Shen Danqing could not bear to see Shen Zishan in a half-dead state. She decided to go find Prince Yi to demand the other half of the antidote. Xu Chengfeng stopped Shen Danqing in time, saying that Prince Yi's cunning and strategy were beyond ordinary people, and now that it involved human life, every step they took must be carefully planned.
The reason Prince Yi acted this way was because the Shen family and Xu Chengfeng both knew the treasure map was in his hands. Now that Shen Zishan was half-dead, the other party would have some reservations. Although Prince Yi had obtained the treasure map, he had not fully deciphered its secrets, which was why he acted cautiously. After this incident, Prince Yi was even more certain that Xu Chengfeng cared deeply about Shen Danqing.
In his opinion, the other half of the antidote might be of great use. Shen Danqing thought of how kind Shen Zishan had been to her, knowing that meeting him was her good fortune and that he had given her a second life. She hoped that Shen Zishan would live healthily. Shen Danqing came alone to find Prince Yi. She was willing to exchange any condition for the other half of the antidote for Shen Zishan.
Prince Yi demanded that Shen Danqing marry him as a concubine and gave her one day to think about it. Xu Chengfeng ran around for half a day but found no clues about the other half of the antidote. He blamed himself for being powerless. Xu Chengfeng drowned his sorrows in alcohol. He had thought that although he couldn't protect everyone on the battlefield, off the battlefield he was confident he could protect those around him.
But now that Omniscient, Lv Zhu, and Shen Zishan had all met with misfortune, Xu Chengfeng felt extremely discouraged. Shen Danqing's eyes reminded Xu Chengfeng of Luo Ailian. Luo Ailian had also been killed because he hadn't rescued her in time, and he felt very guilty about this. Shen Danqing looked at the drunk Xu Chengfeng and didn't want to involve him further in the Shen family's affairs. She also knew that Xu Chengfeng had done his best to help.
As the real Luo Ailian, she had never blamed Xu Chengfeng. Looking at the drunk Xu Chengfeng, Shen Danqing could not hide her feelings and took the initiative to kiss him. Prince Yi personally went to the Shen family to marry Shen Danqing.
Meanwhile, Shen Danqing also decided to kill Prince Yi at the wedding, believing that as long as Prince Yi was dead, no one could stop Xu Chengfeng from finding the treasure map, and Shen Zishan could also avenge his sister. Shen Danqing appeared as promised, wearing a wedding dress. She asked Prince Yi to send the antidote to Shen Zishan as promised.
Shen Danqing had no joy in her heart, but she also frankly stated that she was not someone who would commit suicide and would only take her enemy down with her. Prince Yi was not afraid of Shen Danqing's attitude at all; instead, he directly said that he liked taming such a strong-willed Shen Danqing. Just as Shen Danqing was about to marry into Prince Yi's family as a concubine, Xu Chengfeng rushed there after hearing the news.
He blocked the marriage, citing that Shen Danqing was not willing. Xu Chengfeng pointed his sword at Prince Yi, openly defying him, and publicly snatched Shen Danqing away. Zong Wei led people to chase Xu Chengfeng. After Xu Chengfeng repelled Zong Wei and his men, he quickly took Shen Danqing and left. Shen Danqing's shoulder was injured along the way.
Xu Chengfeng took advantage of a break to help her apply ointment to the wound and unexpectedly discovered a lotus tattoo on Shen Danqing's back. Shen Danqing explained that it was where she had been injured before. Xu Chengfeng was angry because Shen Danqing had decided on her own to marry Prince Yi, thinking that Shen Danqing didn't trust him at all. Shen Danqing was angered by Xu Chengfeng's misunderstanding but also stated that she would not marry Prince Yi.
What she was waiting for was to take her enemy down with her after Prince Yi handed over the antidote. She didn't want to involve Xu Chengfeng, and she certainly didn't expect him to come and snatch her away from the wedding. Xu Chengfeng blamed himself for not telling Shen Danqing his prediction earlier. He was just too afraid that something might happen to Shen Danqing.
It turned out that Xu Chengfeng had previously guessed that Zong Wei still kept the antidote in the pharmacy. He and Tian Hao returned to the pharmacy just in time to see Zong Wei sending people to move the antidote, and that's how he successfully obtained the antidote.
But at that time, Xu Chengfeng was worried that his deduction was incorrect, so he did not inform Shen Danqing in advance, which led to Shen Danqing being willing to marry Prince Yi in exchange for the antidote today. Xu Chengfeng confessed that he cared very much about Shen Danqing. Now, between the two of them, Shen Danqing was injured and bleeding for Xu Chengfeng, and he was undressing and bandaging Shen Danqing. Xu Chengfeng joked that Shen Danqing should promise herself to him in return.
Episode 16 Recap
After Xu Chengfeng finished speaking about repaying with his own person, he realized that his words were somewhat offensive to Shen Danqing, and could only say that he was joking. Shen Danqing was also extremely embarrassed, and the two quickly ended the conversation. Xu Chengfeng sent Shen Danqing back to the Shen residence.
Thinking of some impressions from the night he was drunk, he originally wanted to ask Shen Danqing some questions, but Shen Danqing didn't want Xu Chengfeng to know that she was Luo Ailian, so she said that she wasn't present when Xu Chengfeng was drunk.
After Shen Zishan woke up, he was very grateful to Shen Danqing for saving his life, but Shen Danqing said that the final antidote was found by Xu Chengfeng, and that everything she did was what she should have done, after all, her life was also saved by Shen Zishan. Shen Zishan regretted that he hadn't left any evidence of the poisoning of his sister this time.
Shen Danqing said that although the evidence was gone, they could still look for it again. Now that they knew who the real culprit was, they would always find a chance to take revenge. Xu Chengfeng asked Tian Hao for his opinion on his personality, family background, appearance, etc. Tian Hao naturally thought Xu Chengfeng was from a high family background, had a good appearance, and an amazing personality.
Tian Hao said that the follow-up of Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing getting along would not make the other party feel comfortable, after all, Xu Chengfeng tested her at their first meeting, threw Shen Danqing into the water at their second meeting, and Shen Danqing was involved in a bandit fight and injured at their third meeting. Tian Hao believed that Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing's personalities were completely different, and the two could not be together at all.
Xu Chengfeng didn't believe Tian Hao's judgment, and believed that he would definitely be able to be with Shen Danqing. Luo Xueer was unwilling to confess her guilt, so she would rather wander the streets as a beggar. Under Shen Danqing's care, Shen Zishan gradually recovered. He learned from Divine Doctor Miao that his relationship with Shen Danqing was exposed. Divine Doctor Miao explained that Shen Danqing was an adopted daughter of the Shen family.
Shen Zishan was happy to hear this news. He had already noticed his feelings for Shen Danqing and wanted to take the opportunity to express his feelings to Shen Danqing at the temple fair. Xu Chengfeng discovered that although Prince Yi had obtained the treasure map, he had been staying in Liaocheng, staring at them. He guessed that there might be some mystery in the treasure map.
Shen Zishan guessed that Prince Yi wanted to find clues to crack the treasure map through Xu Chengfeng's investigation. Now, if they could discover the mystery in advance, they might still have a chance to deal with Prince Yi. Luo Xueer had no way out and came to Zuiyun Tower to apply as a hostess. The manager of Zuiyun Tower was unwilling to cause trouble and didn't want to hire Luo Xueer.
Luo Xueer accidentally saw Prince Yi in the restaurant. She deliberately bumped into Prince Yi. Prince Yi didn't blame her, but just disliked being touched and threw the handkerchief for wiping his clothes to Luo Xueer. Seeing that Prince Yi actually praised Luo Xueer, the manager of Zuiyun Tower agreed to let Luo Xueer work as a sweeper in the restaurant. Xu Chengfeng reported Prince Yi's forced marriage of a woman to the court.
Soon, Prince Yi was summoned back to the capital by imperial decree. Luo Shuangshuang had been working everywhere since she escaped, and she wanted to save money to rescue Aunt Zhou. Luo Xueer was entangled by diners in the restaurant. Du Yinger saw this and rescued Luo Xueer. Seeing Luo Xueer was pitiful, she also gave the Hetian jade bracelet on her hand to Luo Xueer, hoping that she could find another place to make a living.
Tian Hao sent the handkerchief that Shen Danqing used to bandage Xu Chengfeng's wound to Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng thought that the kiss he received from Shen Danqing was real, and he was very happy about it. And in order to verify the authenticity of this matter, he asked Tian Hao to send a post to invite Shen Danqing to gather tonight.
Shen Danqing had no choice but to accept the invitation, but unexpectedly, the drunk Xu Chengfeng asked her to confirm whether the beauty who drank with him that day was Shen Danqing. Although Shen Danqing denied it, Xu Chengfeng took her handkerchief and wanted to kiss Shen Danqing to reproduce the scene of that day. This forced Shen Danqing to admit that she was indeed the one who drank with Xu Chengfeng that day.
Xu Chengfeng asked Shen Danqing why she mentioned Luo Ailian that day. Shen Danqing had to explain that she knew Luo Ailian and knew that Luo Ailian was a person who had clear grudges and gratitude. If she knew that Xu Chengfeng missed her, she would definitely be very grateful. The next morning, Xu Chengfeng came to Danqing Winery early. He apologized for his abrupt behavior yesterday. For this reason, he specially invited Shen Danqing to enjoy the flowers together.
Shen Danqing refused on the grounds that she had an appointment. Then Xu Chengfeng learned that Shen Zishan had already asked Shen Danqing to go to the temple fair together. Shen Zishan also used this as an excuse to send Xu Chengfeng away.
Xu Chengfeng originally wanted Shen Zishan to help him pursue Shen Danqing, but unexpectedly Shen Zishan clearly stated that he did not agree with Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing being together, and also made it clear that he, as a brother, had feelings for Danqing. The two agreed to compete fairly. Xu Chengfeng wanted to go to the temple fair with Shen Zishan and Shen Danqing, but was directly rejected by Shen Zishan for some reason.
Shen Danqing and Shen Zishan went to the temple fair together. Shen Zishan left temporarily to buy candied haws for Danqing, but he didn't expect Xu Chengfeng to disguise himself as this year's flower god and present flowers to Shen Danqing. After his identity was discovered, he quickly pulled Shen Danqing away. Xu Chengfeng was celebrating that he could be alone with Shen Danqing, but he didn't expect Shen Zishan, who had bought candied haws, to suddenly appear in front of them.
Episode 17 Recap
The temple fair quickly turned into a three-person outing. Xu Chengfeng and Shen Zishan both knew the other's intentions and naturally tried every means to prevent the other from getting close to Shen Danqing. At the temple fair, Shen Danqing saw a rabbit lantern that was very similar to the one her mother made for her when she was a child.
Shen Zishan and Xu Chengfeng both wanted to win this lantern for Shen Danqing, so the two competed in archery skills. In the end, Xu Chengfeng proved more skilled and won the rabbit lantern. To prevent her brother from being too embarrassed, Shen Danqing pulled Shen Zishan to go hang wish plaques. Xu Chengfeng found Shen Danqing wanting an answer. Shen Danqing found an excuse to send Shen Zishan away.
Shen Danqing told Xu Chengfeng that some memories are only suitable to be kept in one's heart, and placing them in front of one's eyes loses their meaning. Shen Danqing clearly stated that she could not bear Xu Chengfeng's feelings. Xu Chengfeng knew that he was in Shen Danqing's heart, and although he did not know why she refused him, he still promised to stay by Shen Danqing's side.
He hoped Shen Danqing could trust him, but Shen Danqing still refused Xu Chengfeng. Shen Zishan asked Shen Danqing why she refused Xu Chengfeng's rabbit lantern. Shen Danqing said that she did not want to give Xu Chengfeng hope, as Xu Chengfeng was currently blaming himself for failing to save Luo Ailian.
Shen Danqing only wanted to find out the full story of the Xiao family's downfall, to make Luo Xueer admit her mistakes, and to let everyone in Liaocheng know that Luo Ailian was not a murderer. Shen Zishan said that things would end soon, and he would also stay by Shen Danqing's side. Tian Hao's investigation revealed that Prince Yi had been looking for a decryption tool to decipher the treasure map.
Xu Chengfeng asked Tian Hao to report this news to the Grand Secretary, and ask the Grand Secretary to help investigate this decryption tool, so that they might be able to seize the initiative. Tian Hao learned that Xu Chengfeng had been frustrated in his pursuit of Shen Danqing and proactively offered to help, telling Xu Chengfeng to wait for his good news. Du Yinger returned from Guizi with Tie Li.
Shen Danqing was completely unfamiliar with her good sister Yinger. Fortunately, Shen Zishan appeared in time to help her successfully get through this ordeal. Afterward, Shen Zishan privately told Shen Danqing that Du Yinger was a friend Shen Danqing had known since childhood and grown up with. However, Shen Zishan was not very clear about the details of his sister's interactions with Yinger, and could only tell Shen Danqing to adapt as needed.
Xu Chengfeng came to the Shen residence to find Shen Danqing, but unexpectedly, Shen Danqing had just gone out. Du Yinger learned that Xu Chengfeng was Shen Danqing's friend and invited him to stay for the welcoming banquet Shen Danqing was hosting for her. After Shen Zishan and Shen Danqing returned to the residence, they happened to see Xu Chengfeng and Du Yinger talking happily.
To make Shen Danqing jealous, Xu Chengfeng deliberately acted as if he had instantly connected with Du Yinger and intentionally questioned Du Yinger about past events with Shen Danqing during the welcoming banquet. Du Yinger mentioned falling into the water when she was seven or eight years old and being saved by Shen Danqing. Xu Chengfeng realized that Shen Danqing could actually swim.
Shen Zishan explained that his sister indeed knew how to swim when she was young, but became afraid of water after saving Yinger from drowning, and has never dared to swim again since. Xu Chengfeng received a letter from the Grand Secretary, learning that the treasure map required a special developing liquid to be sprayed on it to reveal the route. This developing liquid was related to a collector surnamed Ouyang, who turned out to be friends with Luo Jida.
Shen Danqing's investigation revealed that Old Master Xiao had gambled away his family fortune, and the Luo family's acquisition of the Xiao family's winery later was a reasonable transaction. Old Master Xiao later even used the property acquired by the Luo family as gambling money. Old Master Luo, being kind-hearted, helped him pay off his debts and even offered him a job at the winery.
Shen Danqing asked Escort Luo to continue searching for the former steward of the Xiao family from that year, so that he could testify in the future. Shen Zishan compiled Du Yinger's preferences and habits into notes and gave them to Shen Danqing, asking her to read them when she had time. Shen Zishan saw Shen Danqing's feelings for Xu Chengfeng. He said that given Xu Chengfeng's intelligence, Shen Danqing would definitely not be able to hide her background secret.
Shen Danqing also said that if her background was seen through, she would choose to be honest with Xu Chengfeng about everything. Du Yinger learned from a servant that Shen Danqing had been seriously injured before and consequently couldn't remember many things. That night, she came to find Shen Danqing and told her that she would always remember everything from their childhood to the present, and also reminded Shen Danqing that they were the best of sisters.
Du Yinger felt heartbroken seeing the burn scars on Shen Danqing's body and told Shen Danqing not to hide anything from her in the future, no matter what happened. To provoke Shen Danqing, Tian Hao deliberately spread the news that Xu Chengfeng would choose a date to get married. Now, marriage proposal letters were piled up in front of Xu Chengfeng, which made Xu Chengfeng very angry.
Shen Danqing accompanied Du Yinger to a fabric store to buy cloth and unexpectedly learned the news that Xu Chengfeng was about to get married, feeling extremely complicated inside. Xu Chengfeng escaped from the residence after getting rid of the numerous people pleading and acting as matchmakers. Du Yinger saw Xu Chengfeng on the street and accused him of being a scoundrel who deceived Shen Danqing's feelings.
Xu Chengfeng could only explain that he spread the news of getting married just to provoke Shen Danqing. Du Yinger deliberately exaggerated that Shen Danqing was in a daze and even shed tears after hearing the news that Xu Chengfeng was getting married. Xu Chengfeng was very happy, thinking that Shen Danqing was jealous because of this. He rushed to the Shen residence to find her and personally told Shen Danqing that he cared about her very much.
Xu Chengfeng told Shen Zishan and Shen Danqing the news he received from the Grand Secretary, suspecting that Luo Jida's death was not a result of internal strife but might be related to the treasure map. The most pressing task now was to find the collector with the double surname Ouyang who was friends with Luo Jida. Shen Zishan immediately arranged for people to go and investigate this person. Shen Danqing asked Xu Chengfeng why he would believe Luo Ailian.
Xu Chengfeng said that although he had only met Luo Ailian a few times, he remembered her eyes were open and clear, so he was willing to choose to believe Luo Ailian. Shen Danqing told Xu Chengfeng that she knew where the collector with the double surname Ouyang was and arranged to go together with Xu Chengfeng to find this person tomorrow.
Episode 18 Recap
Xu Chengfeng specially bought pastries for Shen Danqing to eat on the road. He thought he would go alone with Shen Danqing to find Mr. Ouyang, but unexpectedly Shen Zishan also went along, which made Xu Chengfeng instantly unhappy. Du Yinger learned that Du Ruoshan's death was related to the Luo family's daughters, and also knew that one of the Luo family's daughters had died, one was missing, and one had become a courtesan.
Du Yinger realized that the woman she had once helped was Luo Xueer, and understood that this person was the Luo family's daughter. Du Yinger was robbed of her purse on the street, and Luo Xueer appeared in time to help her get it back. Du Yinger told Luo Xueer that Du Ruoshan was her distant cousin and the person she admired in her heart. She asked Luo Xueer about Du Ruoshan's real cause of death.
Luo Xueer lied that Du Ruoshan was fond of Luo Shuangshuang, and Luo Ailian became jealous. She met Du Ruoshan late at night, and during their quarrel, Du Ruoshan's heart palpitations acted up, causing his death. Later, Luo Jida made her arrange a posthumous marriage to apologize to the Du family. Luo Ailian was vicious and killed Luo Jida.
Later, the ancestral hall caught fire and Luo Ailian was buried in the flames, and all witnesses and evidence were completely destroyed. Upon learning this "truth," Du Yinger felt that Luo Ailian's death was well-deserved. Now, Du Yinger did not blame Luo Xueer because of Luo Ailian and was willing to be friends with her. Shen Danqing brought the clothes delivered by the fabric store to Du Yinger.
Du Yinger told Shen Danqing about meeting the courtesan Luo Xueer today and said that this new friend Luo Xueer was quite pitiful now. Since Shen Danqing happened to open a winery, she could help her if there was an opportunity. To prevent Du Yinger from becoming suspicious, Shen Danqing readily agreed to help her.
Shen Danqing guessed that Luo Xueer must know about the relationship between Du Yinger and herself, and now attaching herself to Du Yinger definitely had ulterior motives. Shen Danqing knew that Du Yinger was simple-minded and did not want her to be used by Luo Xueer. Shen Zishan knew that Du Yinger came to Liaocheng to sell jade and decided to find someone to buy Du Yinger's jade, hoping she could leave Liaocheng soon.
Xu Chengfeng invited Shen Zishan for a drink, and both admitted their feelings for Shen Danqing, but also promised fair competition. After a round of drinking, Shen Zishan quickly got drunk and was tied up by Xu Chengfeng at the General's Mansion. He also instructed Tian Hao to send Shen Zishan back to the Shen residence after dawn.
After sobering up, Shen Zishan discovered he had been tricked and drunk by Xu Chengfeng and cursed Xu Chengfeng as insidious and cunning. Meanwhile, Xu Chengfeng had already met up with Shen Danqing and headed to Mr. Ouyang's residence. On the way, Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing temporarily stayed at an inn. Because the inn only had one guest room, the two could only temporarily stay in the same room.
That night, Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng talked about the past. She learned that Xu Chengfeng had lived with his father in the military camp since he was a child. After his father died in battle at the age of seventeen, he also became a military commander.
Only after becoming a commander did he realize that some people joined the army simply out of necessity due to life, while he fought on the battlefield and repelled the enemy merely for the peace of the world and the well-being of the people. Shen Danqing sighed that it was because of generals like Xu Chengfeng that the common people could live in peace and prosperity.
Shen Danqing saw a notice on the street about an imperial official who was implicated and died because of a female prisoner. She worried that if Xu Chengfeng were with her, he would also be implicated by her. Therefore, Shen Danqing wanted to deliberately keep her distance from Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng discovered they were being followed and guessed that Prince Yi had sent people to track them to find clues about the developing liquid.
Shen Danqing did not want to reveal Mr. Ouyang's location, so the two found an opportunity to shake off their pursuers. Shen Zishan returned to the residence from the General's Mansion after dawn. He instructed his subordinates to find someone to buy the jade from Du Yinger and specifically told them not to let Du Yinger find out. Shen Danqing brought Xu Chengfeng to Mr. Ouyang's small courtyard. Mr.
Ouyang was inevitably saddened to learn that his friend Luo Jida had passed away. Xu Chengfeng inquired with Mr. Ouyang about the developing liquid, but Mr. Ouyang denied knowing about it and rudely asked them to leave. By observing, Shen Danqing guessed that Mr. Ouyang was collecting fruits to make wine. Xu Chengfeng also knew from the letter from the 阁老 that Mr. Ouyang was a person who greatly loved wine.
Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng secretly sneaked into the cellar and found that Mr. Ouyang was indeed brewing "Moonlight Meeting. " After tasting it, Shen Danqing found that this wine was only five-tenths similar to the real "Moonlight Meeting. " Mr. Ouyang subsequently discovered their whereabouts. Although Shen Danqing stated that she could brew the "Moonlight Meeting" that Luo Ailian knew how to make, Mr. Ouyang was unwilling to believe her. Shen Danqing made an agreement with Mr.
Ouyang: if she could brew the real "Moonlight Meeting," then Mr. Ouyang would agree to tell them the clue about the developing liquid. Afterward, Xu Chengfeng accompanied Mr. Ouyang in playing chess, while Shen Danqing brewed the "Moonlight Meeting" wine alone. Shen Danqing adjusted the taste of "Moonlight Meeting" based on Mr. Ouyang's brewing, which made Mr. Ouyang quite happy.
Xu Chengfeng did not understand why Shen Danqing knew how to brew the wine that Luo Ailian knew, nor did he understand why she knew so much about Luo Ailian. The jade brought by Du Yinger sold very well. She prepared gifts for everyone she knew. Shen Zishan originally wanted to hint for Du Yinger to go home as soon as possible, but almost had his intentions discovered by Du Yinger. Du Yinger bought flowers that Shen Danqing liked and brought them to her room, but unexpectedly found memorial tablets for Luo Jida and Bin Er enshrined there.
Episode 19 Recap
Shen Danqing told Mr. Ouyang the method for brewing pure "Moonlight Meeting" wine. As a token of gratitude, Mr. Ouyang gifted them the painting by Zhou You that he had treasured for many years, stating that this painting might contain a clue about the developing liquid. Mr. Ouyang also saw Shen Danqing as pure-hearted because she was willing to teach him the wine recipe, so he felt comfortable entrusting the painting to her.
Du Yinger discovered that Shen Danqing was enshrining memorial tablets for members of the Luo family, while Shen Zishan had been trying to get her to leave, as if he was afraid she would discover something. Du Yinger sensed that there was something fishy going on. She told Luo Xueer about Shen Danqing enshrining the memorial tablets for Luo Jida and Bin Er.
Luo Xueer then guessed that Luo Ailian might still be alive, and the person who burned in the ancestral hall fire that day might have been Bin Er. Luo Xueer asked Du Yinger if she had ever seen a burn patient at the Shen residence. Du Yinger recalled the burn scar she had seen on the back of Shen Danqing's neck.
Luo Xueer therefore guessed that the real Shen Danqing had fallen gravely ill and passed away long ago, and the person now before Du Yinger might be Luo Ailian. Luo Xueer told Du Yinger not to trust the Shen family from this moment on and to find an opportunity to verify their guess. Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing said goodbye to Mr. Ouyang and left.
Along the way, Xu Chengfeng asked Shen Danqing again why she knew how to brew "Moonlight Meeting. " Afterwards, Xu Chengfeng returned Luo Ailian's jade pendant to her, claiming it was "returning the item to its original owner. " Xu Chengfeng discovered the burn scar on the back of Shen Danqing's neck and became even more certain that she was Luo Ailian.
Faced with his questions, Shen Danqing could not deny it, but Xu Chengfeng felt pained by Luo Ailian's past experiences and told Shen Danqing that she didn't need to pretend to be someone else in front of him anymore. Shen Danqing didn't want her background to implicate Xu Chengfeng, but Xu Chengfeng wanted to protect Shen Danqing better, and no matter whether she was Shen Danqing or Luo Ailian, he would not let go.
Xu Chengfeng expressed that he had long held deep feelings for Shen Danqing and would stand before her no matter what happened in the future. Shen Zishan was inevitably jealous when he saw Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng return together. Xu Chengfeng told Shen Zishan that they had obtained a clue about the developing liquid and then showed the painting to Shen Zishan.
Both the treasure map and this painting were created by Zhou You, a skilled craftsman from the Southern Dynasty. Shen Danqing wanted to try and find out where Zhou You had traveled before, perhaps there were landscapes depicted in the painting. After discussing the search for the developing liquid, Shen Zishan told Shen Danqing to return to her room to rest. Afterwards, he punched Xu Chengfeng hard.
Shen Zishan felt even more resentful knowing that Xu Chengfeng had discovered Luo Ailian's secret. He was the one who had accompanied Shen Danqing through the long nights, so why was the person Shen Danqing liked precisely Xu Chengfeng? Xu Chengfeng said that feelings have no fairness, and there was no reason for Shen Danqing to like him.
He hoped Shen Zishan could let go of this matter after hitting him to vent and that they could continue to be good brothers. Shen Danqing went to see Yinger, who was feeling unwell, but was refused entry by Yinger. Shen Danqing told Shen Zishan that Xu Chengfeng had discovered her identity and had promised to marry her after everything was resolved. Now that Shen Zishan was her brother, she wanted to seek his consent.
Shen Zishan told Shen Danqing to do what she wanted to do, and he would always support his sister. Prince Yi returned to Liaocheng from the capital. He learned from Zong Wei that Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing had traveled alone to find the developing liquid. He ordered his men to quickly search for clues about the developing liquid.
Upon learning that Shen Zishan had spread the news that Shen Danqing was the adopted daughter of the Shen family, Prince Yi was curious about the relationship between Shen Zishan, Shen Danqing, and Xu Chengfeng, and ordered Zong Wei to investigate Shen Zishan thoroughly. Shen Zishan drank to drown his sorrows over love. Prince Yi saw the drunken Shen Zishan in a restaurant and used the shop owner to obtain Shen Zishan's seal.
He wanted to exploit the relationship between Shen Zishan, Shen Danqing, and Xu Chengfeng, and take the opportunity to plot Xu Chengfeng's death. Xu Chengfeng received secret news that the Emperor had learned Xu Chengfeng lost important evidence in Liaocheng, and someone had impeached Xu Chengfeng for dereliction of duty. The Emperor ordered Xu Chengfeng to find important clues in the treasure map case within ten days.
Xu Chengfeng learned that someone close to him had impeached him and guessed that someone had betrayed him. Prince Yi found Shen Zishan and stated that he had written a complaint against Xu Chengfeng on an unsigned paper stamped with Shen Zishan's seal and submitted this paper to the Emperor. Now, Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng would surely no longer trust Shen Zishan.
Prince Yi persuaded Shen Zishan to cooperate with him, guaranteeing that he would restore the Shen family's glory. Shen Zishan disdained such vile actions and righteously refused Prince Yi's cooperation. Shen Zishan returned to the residence just in time to hear Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing discussing this matter. He proactively admitted that he was the "traitor," having been designed by the cunning Prince Yi who forged the false testimony and submitted it to the Emperor.
Xu Chengfeng stated that they all believed Shen Zishan and that there would be no betrayal or suspicion between them. Shen Danqing specifically bought candied hawthorn for Du Yinger to eat. To prevent Shen Danqing from detecting anything unusual, Du Yinger had to act as usual in front of her. Afterwards, Du Yinger said she wanted to see how Shen Danqing brewed wine before leaving and went with her to Danqing Winery. From Shen Danqing's wine tasting habits, Du Yinger saw that they were indeed consistent with Luo Ailian's habits as described by Luo Xueer.
Episode 20 Recap
Shen Danqing noticed that Du Yinger was somewhat distant from her. She worried that Luo Xueer might be instigating Yinger and affecting their relationship. Shen Zishan, Shen Danqing, and Xu Chengfeng studied Zhou You's poetry and painting again, guessing that the developing liquid was related to the woman mentioned in the poem. Shen Danqing suggested going to the library pavilion to look for clues related to the woman Zhou You loved.
The few of them came to the library pavilion, but discovered that Prince Yi had already ordered Zong Wei to block people here, not allowing anyone to enter the library pavilion. Shen Zishan stated that he had been very cautious this time and had not leaked any information. Xu Chengfeng naturally would not suspect Shen Zishan.
It turned out that this matter was leaked by a Shen family bodyguard who was threatened by Prince Yi with the lives of his family. Xu Chengfeng told Shen Danqing that he knew Shen Zishan had not leaked the news intentionally, but after all, he was already being watched by Prince Yi, so it was unavoidable that Prince Yi would obtain some clues through indirect means.
To prevent information leakage, Xu Chengfeng suggested that future actions would not be told to Shen Zishan first. Shen Zishan accidentally overheard the conversation between Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed. --- Because of Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing's distrust, Shen Zishan inevitably felt melancholic and drowned his sorrows in wine. Prince Yi appeared and provoked the relationship between Shen Zishan and Xu Chengfeng.
He also advised Shen Zishan to actively strive for Shen Danqing's affection. Prince Yi believed that a woman like Shen Danqing would definitely like a man stronger than her, and would absolutely not like a man who clearly liked her but didn't even dare to fight for her. Prince Yi promised that as long as Shen Zishan helped him, he would not only get a royal plaque, but also Shen Danqing.
Prince Yi believed that as long as Xu Chengfeng was still around, Shen Danqing would not see any other men in her eyes. As long as Xu Chengfeng was gone, all problems would be easily solved. Shen Zishan asked Prince Yi to ensure Xu Chengfeng's life, and he was willing to cooperate with Prince Yi. Shen Zishan gave Prince Yi an idea, deliberately leaving a loophole for them.
As expected, he saw Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing secretly sneaking into the library pavilion. As long as the two of them found the clue to the developing liquid, they could naturally reap the benefits. In the library pavilion, Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng discovered that Zhou You's beloved cousin from the Southern Dynasty had been forced apart from him by her parents. Zhou You's cousin was a brewer.
Afterwards, Shen Danqing looked up records and found that a female brewer from the Southern Dynasty around Zhou You's age might be Miss Fang, who was skilled at brewing plum wine. When Shen Danqing was a child, she had heard that a female brewer was constantly looking for a thousand-year-old plum tree to store wine. Xu Chengfeng had previously investigated that Licheng was a land of plum trees, and there was a thousand-year-old plum tree at the border.
Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng told Shen Zishan the news that the developing liquid was plum wine. At the same time, they handed the found plum wine to Shen Zishan. Shen Zishan happened to be going to a neighboring county to deliver escorted goods. Xu Chengfeng asked Shen Zishan to make a detour to the capital and hand this wine to the Elder.
As for him, he and Tian Hao would pretend to send the plum wine to the capital as a diversion to attract Prince Yi's attention. Shen Zishan handed the developing liquid to bodyguard Luo. In an instant, this item was given by bodyguard Luo to Prince Yi. At the same time, Shen Zishan also appeared before Prince Yi, asking him to keep his promise.
Prince Yi believed that after this incident, Xu Chengfeng would definitely be transferred back to the capital for questioning and punishment. As long as Shen Zishan was loyal to him in the future, he guaranteed that Shen Danqing would belong to Shen Zishan. After Shen Zishan left, Prince Yi instructed Zong Wei to quickly retrieve the treasure map so they could identify the authenticity of the developing liquid.
Zong Wei went alone to retrieve the treasure map, but was intercepted by Xu Chengfeng and Shen Zishan. Only then did Zong Wei realize that Shen Zishan was not truly loyal to Prince Yi. It turned out that before this, Xu Chengfeng had planned to use a trick. He knew that Prince Yi had coerced bodyguard Luo by threatening his younger brother, causing bodyguard Luo to reluctantly betray Shen Zishan.
At that time, Xu Chengfeng had already told Shen Zishan to pretend to pledge allegiance to Prince Yi, which then lured Prince Yi into taking out the treasure map. Zong Wei was unwilling to hand over the treasure map in his hand, even willing to destroy it rather than compromise. Xu Chengfeng gave Zong Wei time to consider.
At the same time, he ordered the guards to bring Prince Yi here, hoping Zong Wei could recognize Prince Yi's true face and thus abandon evil for good and hand over the treasure map. Prince Yi reluctantly followed the guards to Zong Wei's hiding place. Xu Chengfeng directly accused Prince Yi of instructing Zong Wei to kill Baisitong to cover up evidence, and later using an antidote to coerce them and take away the evidence in their hands.
Facing Xu Chengfeng's accusation, Prince Yi completely denied it and stated that he had never seen the treasure map at all. He even completely disregarded Zong Wei's life, stating that anything Zong Wei did had nothing to do with him. Prince Yi ordered Zong Wei to hand over the treasure map. Zong Wei handed over the treasure map and took all the responsibility for stealing the treasure map upon himself.
Zong Wei stated that he lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his adoptive father. Now, his adoptive father was seriously ill and had no money for treatment, which was why he risked danger to steal the treasure map. Seeing Prince Yi distance himself from the treasure map case, Xu Chengfeng had no choice but to let the guards temporarily take Zong Wei away for detention.
Xu Chengfeng earnestly urged Prince Yi to confess his guilt and accept the law early, saying that the Emperor would also give a lighter punishment out of consideration for their blood ties. However, Prince Yi insisted that everything about the treasure map theft was Zong Wei's personal doing. Zong Wei was single-mindedly loyal to Prince Yi. To protect Prince Yi's life, he took the poison he carried with him and died.
Xu Chengfeng didn't expect Prince Yi to be so ruthless, turning around and leaving without hesitation after learning of Zong Wei's death. Having lost such a loyal subordinate, Prince Yi harbored resentment in his heart and was determined to make Xu Chengfeng and Shen Zishan pay the price. Xu Chengfeng handed the plum wine and the treasure map to the captain of the guards, asking him to take them back to the capital and give them to the Elder.
He also reminded him to use the plum wine as developing liquid, noting that its effectiveness after opening was only half a month. Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing admired the moon together, agreeing that once Luo Xueer's matter was resolved, Xu Chengfeng would accompany Shen Danqing to explore the vast landscapes and brilliant starry skies. Along the way, Shen Danqing was very grateful that Xu Chengfeng had always believed in her.
He was like the light in her life, allowing her to still believe in the beauty of the world despite experiencing hardships. Xu Chengfeng, however, stated that whether she was Shen Danqing or Luo Ailian, she was the person he wanted to protect. Under the moonlight, the two expressed their feelings for each other, embraced, and kissed.
Episode 21 Recap
Luo Xueer sent people to look for Luo Shuangshuang, who was nearly discovered. At the last moment, she was found and taken away by people sent by Shen Danqing. Luo Shuangshuang initially thought Shen Danqing wanted to harm her, but Shen Danqing explained that she was there to save her, and that she was helping Luo Shuangshuang because she had promised Madam Zhou. Luo Shuangshuang always wondered why her mother would ask Shen Danqing to save her.
Du Yinger found Luo Xueer and told her that Shen Danqing's wine-tasting movements were exactly as Luo Xueer had described. Luo Xueer asked Du Yinger to invite Shen Danqing to the opera house, where she would test Shen Danqing again. The next day, Du Yinger invited Shen Danqing and Shen Zishan to the opera house to watch acrobatics. Shen Danqing felt a sense of fear upon seeing the fire, recalling everything from the fire sea.
Her heart palpitated and she fainted. Shen Zishan quickly took Shen Danqing away from the opera house. Luo Xueer, who was hiding behind the room, heard Shen Danqing calling out "Bin Er" in her unconscious state and confirmed that Shen Danqing was Luo Ailian. Xu Chengfeng learned that Shen Danqing was sick and unconscious and rushed to the Shen family to visit her. Seeing Xu Chengfeng arrive, Shen Zishan specifically asked him to help take care of Shen Danqing.
Du Yinger confirmed Luo Ailian's identity and intended to report her to the authorities and have her arrested. She even suspected that the real Shen Danqing had been killed by Luo Ailian. Luo Xueer stopped Du Yinger from reporting her, believing they had no solid evidence and must proceed slowly. She said she would continue to search for evidence.
Luo Xueer also instructed Du Yinger to continue pretending in front of Shen Danqing and cautioned her not to tell anyone about this matter. Qin the bodyguard found the old man of the Xiao family. Shen Danqing learned about the Xiao family's past from him. It was now enough to prove that Mr. Xiao had lost his family fortune himself due to addiction, and Luo Jida was even the Xiao family's benefactor.
Shen Danqing wanted Luo Xueer to confess her guilt to the authorities to clear Luo Ailian's name. On the other side, Luo Xueer also wanted revenge on Shen Danqing. She gave a packet of powder to Du Yinger, stating that while the medicine was harmful, it was not fatal, and instructed Du Yinger to add it to the medicine Shen Danqing took daily. Luo Xueer intended to use this to coerce Luo Ailian into confessing.
Only when Luo Ailian was in unbearable pain would she be forced to confess. Du Yinger, wanting to avenge Du Ruoshan, finally agreed to Luo Xueer's proposal. Luo Xueer learned that Shen Danqing's condition had worsened and that the Shen family was in chaos. She also heard that Du Yinger had invited her to meet at the wine estate that evening.
Luo Xueer did not suspect anything and came to the Danqing Wine Estate in the evening, but unexpectedly, Shen Danqing appeared before her. Shen Danqing stated that she had known all along that Luo Xueer would use Du Yinger to harm her. Earlier, she had exposed Luo Xueer's malicious intentions in front of Du Yinger. The medicine Luo Xueer gave Du Yinger was actually poison; she just wanted to use Du Yinger to kill Shen Danqing.
Shen Danqing exposed Luo Xueer's intention to kill with a borrowed knife, but unexpectedly, Luo Xueer only saw Du Yinger as a pawn she could manipulate. Du Yinger, realizing at this moment that the person she had treated with sincerity was using her in such a way, appeared and accused Luo Xueer of being malicious, then slapped her across the face. Shen Danqing questioned herself, feeling she had not treated Luo Xueer poorly, yet Luo Xueer repaid kindness with enmity.
Shen Danqing revealed that back then, Mr. Xiao of the Xiao family became addicted to drugs and squandered the family fortune. It was Luo Jida who bought the wine estate at a high price to protect the Xiao family's elderly and young. Facing the Xiao family's account book and the old servant's testimony, Luo Xueer still refused to believe the facts.
Shen Danqing said that she would send someone tomorrow to take Luo Xueer to the government office to confess her guilt, considering it the last bit of luck she, as an older sister, left for Luo Xueer. Du Yinger cried out of guilt. Now knowing the truth, she sincerely apologized to Shen Danqing. The Xiao family servant took Luo Xueer away from the Shen family late at night. Luo Xueer knew Shen Danqing would not let her go.
She decided to seek out Prince Yi and offer advice for protection. Perhaps she could not only make a comeback but also eliminate Shen Danqing. Luo Xueer went to the Prince's mansion to request an audience with Prince Yi, and specifically told Prince Yi that the current Shen Danqing was impersonated by Luo Ailian. If it could be proven that Luo Ailian and Xu Chengfeng were in cahoots, it might help Prince Yi turn the tide.
Prince Yi saw through Luo Xueer's attempt to use him to kill Shen Danqing. In a fit of anger, he ordered his men to drown Luo Xueer in the lake. Bodyguard Luo saw Luo Xueer drown in the lake and reported this news to Shen Danqing. Shen Danqing had always treated Luo Xueer as a close sister, but Luo Xueer herself had destroyed their sisterhood. Now that Luo Xueer had died silently, Shen Danqing felt quite complex emotions.
With Luo Xueer drowned, Shen Danqing could be considered to have achieved her goal. Although becoming Shen Danqing allowed her to make Aunt Zhou and Luo Jizhou pay the price and also made Luo Shuangshuang realize the truth, she hadn't expected everything to end this way. Xu Chengfeng stated that no matter how difficult it was to restore Luo Ailian's reputation, he would not give up.
Shen Danqing said perhaps this was fate's arrangement, and she would no longer force the issue of Luo Ailian's reputation. When Xu Chengfeng thought Luo Ailian had died, he had hung a wish plaque for her. He took Shen Danqing to find the wish plaque. Shen Danqing saw that it was written, "May Luo Ailian have a clear and worry-free life in the next life, and be safe and happy.
" Now, Xu Chengfeng had the chance to weather the storm with Shen Danqing, allowing her to be clear and worry-free, safe and happy. Xu Chengfeng stated that whether she was Shen Danqing or Luo Ailian, he would treat her as genuinely as he did initially, because she was his only love. Xu Chengfeng proposed to Shen Danqing. The two expressed their expectations for the future, envisioned their future happy life together, and Shen Danqing accepted Xu Chengfeng's proposal, also grateful to have met him in this life.
Episode 22 Recap
Shen Danqing told Shen Zishan she decided to marry Xu Chengfeng. Shen Zishan expressed that he would support all of Shen Danqing's decisions. He had long regarded Shen Danqing as family and would also prepare a dowry for her to have a grand wedding. The Shen family was Shen Danqing's backing and support, and he would always stand behind Shen Danqing. Shen Danqing was very grateful to Shen Zishan.
Shen Danqing came to bid farewell to Yinger, who was quietly leaving. She hoped Du Yinger would also regard her as Danqing in the future, Du Yinger's best friend. Du Yinger and Shen Danqing hugged, letting go of past grievances and remaining best friends. Xu Chengfeng personally wrote the betrothal gifts list. He also wrote a letter inviting Ge Lao to Liaocheng to be the officiant for his marriage to Shen Danqing.
Shen Danqing knew Xu Chengfeng was working hard preparing for the wedding ceremony and specially made Qizi Su by hand to reward Xu Chengfeng. Shen Danqing personally embroidered a belt to give to Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng also transferred all his land deeds and property to Shen Danqing. Both wanted to give each other the best things in the world and looked forward to a beautiful future life. Xu Chengfeng came to the Shen family to propose.
Shen Zishan warned Xu Chengfeng, stating that if he dared to treat his sister poorly, the entire Shen family would not let him off. Xu Chengfeng stated that he had transferred his entire fortune to Shen Danqing, had invited Ge Lao to officiate his wedding ceremony, and would publicly promise to be devoted to Shen Danqing. Lin Ge Lao came to Liaocheng to preside over the wedding ceremony as Xu Chengfeng's elder.
Lin Ge Lao had another important matter for this trip. It turned out that the plum wine Xu Chengfeng found had always failed to reveal the treasure map. Now that the developing liquid had been opened, the top priority was to confirm if there was an issue with the developing liquid or the treasure map.
After Shen Danqing learned of this, she decided to postpone the wedding ceremony and resolve the matter of the treasure map within the next half month. Shen Danqing examined the plum wine and confirmed that it was well-preserved and had no issues. Prince Yi came to the General's Mansion, bringing a gift of a qin and se (musical instruments) for the couple by order of the Emperor.
Prince Yi said that today was just a proxy gift, and he would bring a bigger surprise for them on the day of Xu Chengfeng's wedding ceremony. Shen Danqing worried that Prince Yi might tamper with the imperial gift, but she did not detect any abnormality. Shen Danqing ordered Tian Hao to find a musician to practice the qin and se music for the wedding day. Shen Danqing personally verified and found that the developing liquid had no problem.
Shen Zishan guessed the treasure map was fake. Xu Chengfeng guessed the real treasure map was still in Prince Yi's possession. Lin Ge Lao summoned Prince Yi and Xu Chengfeng and others, and publicly stated that the treasure map obtained from Zong Wei was fake. However, Prince Yi claimed that the treasure map had been swapped many years ago, and the person who swapped it was precisely someone from the Luo family.
Prince Yi stated that he discovered from Zong Wei's notes that Luo Jida had saved Zong Wei when he fainted, and he guessed that Luo Jida had replaced the treasure map during this period. Subsequently, Prince Yi further slandered Luo Ailian, accusing her of not hesitating to murder her father to snatch the treasure map. Xu Chengfeng stated that Luo Ailian had perished in the sea of fire and now there was no one to testify.
Prince Yi publicly accused Shen Danqing in court of being Luo Ailian. Subsequently, Luo Xueer unexpectedly appeared in court to identify Luo Ailian. It turned out that before this, Prince Yi had not ordered Luo Xueer killed, but had designed a plan for her to feign death. Luo Xueer accused Luo Ailian of killing her father Luo Jida and then colluding with Shen Zishan to change her appearance and become Shen Danqing.
To provoke Shen Danqing, Luo Xueer actually held a torch to stimulate Shen Danqing. Shen Danqing cut herself to endure the fear. Seeing that this plan failed, Luo Xueer proposed examining Shen Danqing's back for burn scars. But to Luo Xueer's surprise, there were no burn scars or tattoo marks on Shen Danqing's back. It turned out that before this, Shen Danqing had asked Doctor Miao for help to remove the tattoo and burn scars on her upper back.
This was also to prevent others from using them to harm the Shen family and Xu Chengfeng. Now, Luo Xueer's testimony could not stand. However, Prince Yi produced a restaurant transportation order that Luo Ailian had personally put her secret handprint on. Facing such evidence, Shen Danqing could only personally admit that she was Luo Ailian. However, Shen Danqing also stated that her father did not know Zong Wei at all, let alone steal the treasure map.
Shen Zishan also stated that he had changed her face out of selfishness when Luo Ailian was unconscious, and that matter was his responsibility. Xu Chengfeng also guaranteed on the spot that Luo Ailian would not steal the treasure map. But Prince Yi stated that Xu Chengfeng had already confirmed the wedding date with Shen Danqing, so his guarantee was useless. Prince Yi slandered that the treasure map was either in the Shen family or the General's Mansion.
Lin Ge Lao sent people to search, but unexpectedly found half of a treasure map in the General's Mansion side hall. It turned out that Prince Yi had secretly arranged for a musician to place half of the treasure map in the General's Mansion, thus successfully framing Xu Chengfeng. Lin Ge Lao verified that the searched treasure map was the real treasure map.
Although Xu Chengfeng explained that Prince Yi had bribed the musician to frame him, Prince Yi stated that the evidence was conclusive and asked Lin Ge Lao to handle the case as soon as possible. Lin Ge Lao, citing Xu Chengfeng, Shen Danqing, and Shen Zishan's involvement with the treasure map, ordered the imperial guards to arrest the three and imprison them for strict interrogation.
To protect the Shen siblings, Xu Chengfeng voluntarily admitted to stealing the treasure map and knowing the location of the other half. He pleaded with Ge Lao to spare the Shen siblings, stating that he would hand over the other half of the treasure map before the developing liquid expired. Xu Chengfeng also took the opportunity to tell Prince Yi that the developing liquid was only effective for half a month after opening and would be invalid after it expired. As the matter concerned the treasure map, for prudence, Lin Ge Lao imprisoned Xu Chengfeng, Shen Zishan, and Shen Danqing.
Episode 23 Recap
Although Prince Yi narrowly won a round today, the developing liquid is about to expire, making the other half of the treasure map useless even if he has it. Luo Xueer suggested that the Luo family is a family of brewers, and she would seek advice from the brewing masters at Ganlutang, perhaps finding out the brewing method for plum wine.
Now that Zong Wei was killed by Xu Chengfeng and Shen Zishan, Prince Yi hoped Luo Xueer could become the person he trusted and appreciated most after Zong Wei. Seeing Luo Xueer was so understanding, Prince Yi even took her as a concubine. The masters at Ganlutang were unable to replicate the plum wine. Luo Xueer asked the masters and learned that if Luo Ailian had tasted this wine, they might have a ninety percent chance of replicating it.
Luo Xueer came to the prison to see Shen Danqing. Having become Prince Yi's person, she further mocked Shen Danqing, and then said that as long as Shen Danqing could brew the new plum wine, she could atone for her mistakes and leave prison. Shen Danqing knew the remaining half of the treasure map was in Prince Yi's hands; she said she would rather die than brew the plum wine.
After Luo Xueer left, Shen Danqing recalled that Xu Chengfeng had deliberately mentioned the developing liquid in court, guessing that brewing the plum wine might be their only chance. Tian Hao pleaded with Lin Ge Lao to rescue Xu Chengfeng. Although Lin Ge Lao believed in Xu Chengfeng's loyalty, currently, only finding new evidence to prove Prince Yi's false accusation, or finding the other half of the treasure map, would provide an opportunity to reverse the situation.
Luo Xueer told Prince Yi that Luo Ailian was a brewing genius who knew the proportions of any wine she tasted, so replicating it was not difficult. Although Luo Xueer couldn't get Luo Ailian to cooperate in brewing the wine, Prince Yi said he had his own way to make Luo Ailian agree. Prince Yi came to the prison to find Xu Chengfeng.
Xu Chengfeng knew he couldn't leave alive, but he stated that only Shen Danqing could brew the plum wine, and she had value to Prince Yi. Xu Chengfeng didn't want Shen Danqing and Shen Zishan to be implicated by him. Prince Yi asked Xu Chengfeng to persuade Shen Danqing to brew the plum wine and also promised to spare the lives of the Shen siblings.
For Shen Danqing, Xu Chengfeng was willing to confess all his crimes before his death, so that Prince Yi would have no further worries. Prince Yi appreciated Xu Chengfeng's talent and was willing to spare his life, but he hoped Xu Chengfeng would be loyal to him in the future. However, Xu Chengfeng would rather die than betray his sovereign and live. Prince Yi arranged for Xu Chengfeng to see Shen Danqing one last time.
Shen Danqing felt guilty because her identity had caused them to be framed by Prince Yi. Xu Chengfeng did not regret being with Shen Danqing. The two poured out their hearts to each other. Xu Chengfeng told Shen Danqing that her ability to produce the developing liquid was their bargaining chip for survival. He instructed Shen Danqing to make good use of this chip.
Xu Chengfeng reluctantly kissed Shen Danqing one last time, while Shen Danqing did not know that Xu Chengfeng was saying his final farewell to her. Prince Yi took the poison with which Zong Wei had committed suicide and gave it to Xu Chengfeng. Xu Chengfeng asked Prince Yi to keep his promise and release the Shen siblings, then resolutely took the poison and died by suicide. Prince Yi witnessed Xu Chengfeng die by suicide and laughed heartily.
Lin Ge Lao learned of Xu Chengfeng's suicide out of fear of punishment and also received the confession letter left by Xu Chengfeng. In the letter, Xu Chengfeng stated that the other half of the treasure map had long been lost. Now that things had come to this, Lin Ge Lao could only return to the capital to report.
Before leaving, he hoped Prince Yi would allow Tian Hao to take away Xu Chengfeng's body and bury him on the spot. Prince Yi came wanting to take Shen Danqing away. It was at this moment that Shen Danqing learned the news of Xu Chengfeng's suicide out of fear of punishment. Shen Danqing realized that Xu Chengfeng had sacrificed himself to protect her.
She hoped to go and pay respects to Xu Chengfeng, and only then could she brew the developing liquid for Prince Yi. The next day, Shen Danqing was brought to pay respects to Xu Chengfeng. She did not expect that their reunion would be between the living and the dead. Tian Hao left Xu Chengfeng's belt for Shen Danqing as a memento. Now that the person was gone and the item remained, Shen Danqing was filled with grief.
Shen Danqing stated that although they were not married, in her heart, Xu Chengfeng was already her husband, and she vowed to avenge Xu Chengfeng. Prince Yi threatened Shen Danqing with the lives of Shen Zishan and dozens of people in the Shen family escort agency. Shen Danqing asked Prince Yi to release Shen Zishan, and she promised to brew the developing liquid for him. After Shen Danqing's research and development, she successfully produced the developing liquid for Prince Yi.
Shen Danqing handed the identity papers found in her father's room to Luo Xueer. It turned out that Luo Jida had long ago made plans for Luo Xueer, finding a death row inmate similar in build and appearance to her to accompany her in a ghost marriage ritual as a substitute, and then secretly sending Luo Xueer to an outer manor to change her identity.
Only now did Luo Xueer realize her father's painstaking efforts back then, yet she had killed her father with her own hands. Shen Danqing advised Luo Xueer to turn back from her misguided path and confess her guilt and submit to the law soon. Luo Xueer knew she could not turn back and was unwilling to admit her mistakes.
Episode 24 (Ending) Recap
Prince Yi planned to use the guise of commemorating Zong Wei to go and retrieve the other half of the treasure map. Now that Shen Danqing had produced the developing liquid, and it would take several days for Shen Zishan and Shen Danqing to send word to the capital about obtaining the developing liquid, the present moment was the best time for him to retrieve the map.
Shen Danqing handed the winery ledgers, and the recipes for Rose Dew and Chengfeng Wine to Escort Qin, asking him and Shui Xian to take over the winery business. Shen Danqing wanted to focus on monitoring Prince Yi, watching when he would go for the map. She was determined to catch Prince Yi red-handed and avenge Xu Chengfeng. Shen Zishan also stepped forward to help. The two decided to risk their lives to obtain the treasure map.
Prince Yi took Luo Xueer to commemorate Zong Wei. After commemorating Zong Wei, Prince Yi took out the other half of the treasure map from under his tombstone. Piecing the two treasure maps together, he successfully obtained the true route of the treasure map. Prince Yi and Luo Xueer were intercepted on their way back. What surprised him was that the person leading the interception was Xu Chengfeng.
Xu Chengfeng told Prince Yi that all the expert assassins he had ambushed had been wiped out by him. The personal guard captain also advised Prince Yi to surrender, but seeing that he had already obtained the treasure map, Prince Yi was naturally unwilling to accept defeat and ordered his soldiers to fight their way out. Xu Chengfeng led people to intercept Prince Yi. Afterwards, Tian Hao brought Shen Danqing and Shen Zishan to assist.
It turned out that Tian Hao had specially gone to the Shen family earlier to tell the Shen siblings that Xu Chengfeng had not died, but was capturing Prince Yi in Baili Gorge. Luo Xueer picked up the treasure map that Prince Yi had accidentally dropped. She wanted to leave with Prince Yi, taking the treasure map with her.
Shen Zishan stepped forward to stop Luo Xueer, but unexpectedly, Prince Yi took Shen Danqing hostage at this moment, using Shen Danqing to exchange for Luo Xueer, who held the treasure map. Luo Xueer originally wanted to leave with Prince Yi, but she did not expect that after Prince Yi got the treasure map, he personally stabbed Luo Xueer with his sword. Only at this moment did Luo Xueer understand Shen Danqing's words.
Blinded by desire, she had mistakenly trusted a heartless person. Now, although she knew her mistake, she had no face left to live. Shen Danqing always remembered her father's words: no matter what happened, they were sisters after all. Luo Xueer finally admitted that she had misunderstood and accidentally killed her father. If there was an afterlife, she would be willing to be sisters with Shen Danqing again. Afterwards, Luo Xueer jumped off the cliff, ending her tragic life.
Xu Chengfeng rode his horse in pursuit of the fleeing Prince Yi. After a fierce battle, Xu Chengfeng finally killed Prince Yi with his own hands and successfully retrieved the treasure map. Xu Chengfeng met Shen Danqing again and told her about his experience in prison. He had discussed faking his death due to fear of punishment with Ge Lao to quickly conclude the case and also to expose Prince Yi sooner.
Zong Wei's poison was potent; fortunately, Xu Chengfeng had the Divine Doctor Mu's antidote to protect him. He had been in a coma for a few days before successfully waking up. Now that Xu Chengfeng was safe and sound, Shen Danqing thanked Heaven for allowing them to meet again. Luo Shuangshuang came to the winery to learn brewing. She was very grateful to Shen Danqing for saving her and for being willing to teach her brewing.
Shen Danqing told Luo Shuangshuang that she was actually Luo Ailian. Luo Shuangshuang had long since repented, and Shen Danqing was naturally willing to forgive her sister. Their father, Luo Jida, had hoped that his several daughters would support each other in managing the winery. Now that Luo Shuangshuang was starting to learn brewing, it could be considered fulfilling their father's wish.
Shen Danqing gave Luo Shuangshuang the letter and dowry her father had left for her and hoped that the two sisters would work together in the future to promote the Luo family's wine business. Shen Zishan accompanied Shen Danqing to commemorate Luo Jida. Shen Zishan asked Shen Danqing if she wanted to use the name Luo Ailian again. Shen Danqing said that she had become Shen Danqing and should start her life with a new identity and name.
Shen Zishan said that he would support all of Danqing's decisions. The Shen family regained the plaque of the Imperial Escort Agency. Shen Zishan was very happy to have his wish fulfilled and also congratulated Shen Danqing on merging Danqing Winery and Ganlutang to become the top winery in the industry. Xu Chengfeng escorted Prince Yi back to the capital to report. Upon returning to Liaocheng, he immediately came to the winery to find Shen Danqing.
Having performed meritorious service this time, Xu Chengfeng requested an imperial marriage decree from the Emperor. Now, hearing Shen Danqing willingly agree to marry him, he was even more overjoyed. On an auspicious day, Xu Chengfeng and Shen Danqing held their wedding ceremony and became husband and wife, witnessed by many relatives and friends. Shen Danqing had traversed a thorny path and successfully married the person she loved, a destined couple finally becoming family.
On the wedding night, the fortune teller who had read Luo Ailian's fortune years ago sent a letter. It said that the eldest daughter of the Luo family had sailed through hardships and happily married her fated man, but the fortune teller also stated that fortune and misfortune are intertwined in all things, and wished that she could still brave the thorns and her path forward would be boundless. Although Shen Danqing and Xu Chengfeng did not understand the full meaning of the fortune teller's words, they did not fear the road ahead.
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