Legend of the Magnate Episode 12 Recap
> Legend of the Magnate Recap
Chang Yu'er accompanied Gu Pingyuan to the outskirts of the city, her heart heavy with unspoken words. She gave him the jade pendant bestowed upon her by the Horqin prince, wishing him peace and safety and expressing her hopes for his happiness with Bai Yimei. She then tearfully rode away, leaving him behind. That night, Gu Pingyuan gazed at the jade pendant, and memories of their shared hardships and life-or-death experiences flooded his mind.
He had developed feelings for Chang Yu'er, but bound by his engagement to Bai Yimei, he suppressed his emotions. Gu Pingyuan rode tirelessly, making his way back to Anhui and finally reaching Shanjian Village. The Horqin warriors, who had faithfully escorted him, bid him farewell, affirming their mission was complete. They promised to serve him drinks again when he and the Princess returned to Horqin. Gu Pingyuan gratefully offered them a meal, but they politely declined, citing military orders.
Upon arriving at his long-abandoned home, Gu Pingyuan found his mother weaving in the courtyard. He immediately knelt, deeply moved, as his mother, whose eyesight had suffered from years of crying, recognized her eldest son. They embraced, weeping tears of joy for their unexpected reunion. He then went to the fields to find his younger brother, Gu Pingwen, who was equally shocked and overjoyed to see him, having presumed him dead for years.
During dinner, as his mother's eyes seemed to improve with his return, Gu Pingyuan casually inquired about Mr. Bai and Bai Yimei. His brother and mother, no longer able to conceal the truth, revealed that a month prior, a battle had ravaged the tea plantations. All able-bodied women in the village, including Bai Yimei, had been taken by the southern Resistance Army to care for wounded soldiers and do laundry, despite promises of their swift return.
Villagers had tried to retrieve them but were turned away by armed guards. Gu Pingyuan learned that the leader of this Resistance Army was a formidable General Li Cheng. Heartbroken by the news of Bai Yimei’s plight and Mr. Bai’s distress, Gu Pingyuan vowed to rescue her. He reassured his mother that once the war was over, he and Pingwen would restore their tea business and rebuild their lives.
The next morning, Gu Pingyuan and Pingwen went to visit Mr. Bai, delivering water and firewood. Pingwen playfully noted Gu Pingyuan's newfound strength, contrasting it with his past as a scholar. Gu Pingyuan explained that his time in Ningguta, where he hunted tigers and panned for gold, had made carrying a shoulder pole "a piece of cake." Mr. Bai, ever the stickler for precision, gently chided Pingwen for his imprecise language.
Upon seeing Gu Pingyuan, Mr. Bai was overcome with emotion, pulling him up from his bow and expressing his profound worry. Gu Pingyuan, now experienced from his time in exile, asserted his transformation from a mere scholar and offered to act as the village's representative to the military camp. He promised Mr. Bai that he would bring Bai Yimei back and marry her immediately, vowing to care for his future father-in-law.
Overjoyed, Mr. Bai felt blessed in his old age to have such a student and son-in-law. Gu Pingyuan then instructed Pingwen to gather large quantities of thick hemp ropes, around 400 or 500 taels worth, an amount Pingwen found astounding. Gu Pingyuan offered to mentor Pingwen in business, emphasizing the importance of observation, discretion, and unwavering support for his decisions.
They loaded a cart with hemp ropes, and Gu Pingyuan, after acquiring a pair of glasses, declared their mission to sell the ropes. Arriving at General Li Cheng's Resistance Army camp, Gu Pingyuan and Pingwen were initially blocked by guards. Gu Pingyuan, using his newfound cunning, asked the guard for his name, implying he would report the refusal to General Li Cheng.
He then asserted that their cartload of hemp ropes was urgent supplies for the naval forces, which were difficult to procure. When the guard still hesitated, Gu Pingyuan feigned departure, prompting the guard to relent. Once inside, they followed the rule of dismounting from their cart. As they approached Li Cheng's main tent, another soldier tried to redirect them. Gu Pingyuan, adopting a more aggressive stance, insisted on seeing General Li Cheng, claiming to be his cousin.
The soldier, surprised, allowed them to proceed. Pingwen observed Li Cheng's disciplined troops, and Gu Pingyuan, drawing on his experience with soldiers in Ningguta, agreed. Pingwen, however, questioned Gu Pingyuan's audacious "cousin" bluff, to which Gu Pingyuan replied it was a necessary tactic to gain entry. Gu Pingyuan then loudly demanded an audience with General Li Cheng, stating his name.
This drew the attention of Li Cheng’s officers, who promptly had him seized, knocked unconscious, and tied up inside the tent. Gu Pingyuan soon regained consciousness, overhearing Li Cheng’s war council. Officers expressed grave concerns about besieging Hefei, citing the imperial army’s resurgence, the navy's strategic position, and the risks of prolonged engagement. They lamented their deteriorating situation, insufficient forces, extended defense lines, and low morale due to frequent night raids in Anhui.
Li Cheng sternly reminded his old comrades from Guangxi of their oath to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, emphasizing that they were in a war to the death with no retreat. He ordered them to return to their camps, stabilize morale, and warned of severe, unmerciful punishment for anyone caught plundering villages. After the meeting, Li Cheng confronted Gu Pingyuan, deriding his audacity in infiltrating the camp.
Gu Pingyuan maintained his guise as a small merchant who had merely "tricked" his way in. He then inquired about Pingwen, and a subordinate coldly suggested Pingwen was dead. Gu Pingyuan challenged Li Cheng's reputation for discipline, proposing a deal to supply hemp ropes for the navy, knowing the local villagers wouldn't trade with them. He then revealed his origin from Shanjian Village, asking about Bai Yimei and suggesting Li Cheng confirm his identity with her.
Li Cheng brushed aside the personal inquiry, focusing on the rope deal. Gu Pingyuan pressed, arguing that releasing the women, who could twist ropes, would benefit the Resistance Army. Li Cheng countered that he needed the women to care for his numerous wounded soldiers. Gu Pingyuan then boldly predicted Li Cheng's imminent defeat in Anhui due to the prolonged siege of Hefei and the approaching imperial troops.
He demanded to know, plainly, if the captured women had been "disposed of," stating he needed an answer to give the villagers. Li Cheng ordered Gu Pingyuan’s feet untied and had him brought outside. He then led Gu Pingyuan to a separate area, revealing the women's camp. He explained that his Resistance Army maintained strict segregation, with separate camps for men and women, where even married couples slept apart.
He asserted that they treated all poor men as brothers and women as sisters and would never mistreat them. Having shown him, Li Cheng ordered Gu Pingyuan and Pingwen to be expelled from the camp. Suddenly, chaos erupted with shouts of "Night raid!" and "Form ranks for battle!" Amidst explosions and gunfire, Gu Pingyuan frantically called for Bai Yimei. She heard him and called back, and they eventually found each other, momentarily stunned by their reunion.
Bai Yimei was tending to two arrow-wounded soldiers, insisting they needed water. Gu Pingyuan urged her to leave, but she was reluctant to abandon the injured. He then rushed to free Pingwen, instructing him to untie the other women while he searched for those from Shanjian Village, shouting for them to follow him. He found Pingwen again, who told him Yimei was still in a hut.
They raced back to find her, and Yimei reiterated there was no time to lose. As they attempted to escape the burning, embattled camp, Gu Pingyuan was struck by a stray bullet and fell unconscious. Pingwen desperately called out his name. Simultaneously, Li Cheng was gravely wounded in the attack. Soldiers from the Resistance Army, believing there was a traitor who had leaked information, rounded up Bai Yimei and the other villagers. As an officer called for a medic, Bai Yimei stepped forward, courageously announcing that she had studied medicine since childhood and could treat patients, begging them not to harm anyone.
