Legend of the Magnate Episode 17 Recap
> Legend of the Magnate Recap
With Shanjian Village's tea gardens finally ready for harvest, Gu Pingyuan was tasked by Mr. Bai to invite Mr. Liao, a renowned tea processing expert. Gu Pingyuan found Mr. Liao hiding in a toilet pit, terrified that Gu Pingyuan was a debt collector. Mr. Liao's daughter, Miss Liao, coaxed her father out, assuring him their visitor meant no harm.
Mr. Liao, who had pawned his tea-making tools due to gambling debts, jokingly asked if Gu Pingyuan was there to give him money. Gu Pingyuan introduced himself as being from Shanjian Village and explained Mr. Bai's invitation to process their newly grown tea seedlings before the Qingming Festival. Mr. Liao was hesitant, citing the previously burned tea mountains, but Gu Pingyuan assured him of the new crop. Mr. Liao then demanded payment upfront to redeem his tools.
Miss Liao quickly intervened, warning Gu Pingyuan that her father would gamble any money away. She handed Gu Pingyuan the pawn tickets, asking him to redeem the tools himself and merely send a carriage for them. Gu Pingyuan, pitying the family, discreetly left five taels of silver with Miss Liao for their daily expenses, stating it was a junior's respect for an elder.
Shortly after Gu Pingyuan departed, debt collectors arrived, prompting Mr. Liao to desperately beg his daughter for money, but she firmly refused. Meanwhile, Mr. Hou Er, a major tea merchant from the Tea Merchants' Association, arrived in Shanjian Village with an air of superiority to collect tea. The villagers, led by Gu Pingwen, complained about his low prices and last year's unpaid debts.
Mr. Hou Er arrogantly dismissed their concerns, disparaging the Gu family's tea as substandard and warning everyone that he would withhold all payments if anyone dared to sell tea to other buyers. Mr. Liao and his daughter arrived in Shanjian Village to begin processing. The village sprang into action, with women picking tea leaves and young men assisting Mr. Liao with the intricate work. Exhausted from his efforts, Gu Pingwen even fell asleep mid-meal.
Gu Pingyuan observed Mr. Liao's unique technique, noticing a distinct pine needle aroma in the newly processed tea. Mr. Liao explained that his centuries-old cast-iron wok, a Ming Dynasty heirloom, had been seasoned with pine needles over generations, subtly infusing the tea with its essence. He added that his precise control of the heat imparted a fresh taste and lingering aftertaste.
Gu Pingyuan’s mother, a true tea connoisseur, confirmed the unusual pine and orchid fragrance, attributing it to the "fire energy" of the burnt soil combined with the "yin energy" from the Qingming rains, calling it the "aroma of providence." Impressed by her insight, Mr. Liao vowed to process tea for their family without charge.
Gu Pingyuan then asked Mr. Liao to name this exceptional tea, and he named it "Orchid Snow," drawing inspiration from an ancient tea book that described its fragrance as "like orchids" and its buds as "whiter than snow." Recognizing a unique opportunity and seeking to challenge Mr. Hou Er's exploitation, Gu Pingyuan declared his intention to purchase all the village's tea to sell as "Orchid Snow" at a higher price, ensuring a better livelihood for the villagers.
Mr. Liao cautioned him against offending Mr. Hou Er, but Gu Pingyuan was resolute. Observing the growing affection between Gu Pingwen and Miss Liao, she suggested leaving the tea processing tools at the Gu family home to prevent her father from pawning them again. Mr. Liao, amused, teased Gu Pingwen about becoming a live-in son-in-law. Gu Pingyuan and Mr. Liao then visited Mr. Bai, finding him gravely ill.
Mr. Liao, discussing the different stages of boiling water for tea brewing, noticed Mr. Bai's lingering attachment to worldly matters, particularly his adopted daughter, Bai Yimei. Gu Pingyuan confirmed that Mr. Bai’s pulse was fading, sustained only by a deep-seated resentment. Deciding to help his old friend find peace, Mr. Liao poured cold water on Mr. Bai and deliberately smashed a teacup, declaring that "this cup is already old. It's okay to replace it. Each generation has its own blessings.
Holding onto it is pointless." At that very moment, Mr. Bai passed away peacefully. Gu Pingyuan arranged Mr. Bai’s funeral. Standing before the tomb, he vowed to protect Bai Yimei. Still troubled by the seemingly symbolic death, Gu Pingyuan asked Mr. Liao why Mr. Bai passed when the cup was broken. Mr. Liao explained that life and death are like replacing an old body with a new one; obsessing over "an old cup and cold tea leaves" is foolish.
This profound explanation deeply moved Gu Pingyuan, helping him release his own lingering feelings for Bai Yimei. Mr. Liao then poured out a gourd of wine on the tomb, bidding his old friend farewell to the underworld. Soon after, the village head frantically informed Gu Pingyuan that Mr. Hou Er was furious about Gu Pingyuan purchasing the village's tea.
Gu Pingyuan, determined to stand his ground against Mr. Hou Er's bullying, instructed the village head to tell Mr. Hou Er he would only meet him after his own breakfast and tea, adding that if Mr. Hou Er was displeased, he could "go back where he came from." This message enraged Mr. Hou Er.
In Huizhou, Gu Pingyuan learned from a tea shop owner that all the best tea was being collected for a "Grand Tea Competition" in the capital, organized by the prominent merchant Li Wantang to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday. At the Tea Merchants' Association, Old Master Hu elaborated on the competition, describing it as a strategic move to facilitate the transport of southern tea to the north, to rank teas, and ultimately crown the "Top Tea Under Heaven."
Mr. Hou Er, a distant cousin of Old Master Hu who managed tea collection, then accused Gu Pingyuan of insulting Old Master Hu and the association. He dramatically declared that any merchant buying tea from Gu Pingyuan or Shanjian Village would face severe repercussions. Despite the warnings, Gu Pingyuan and Gu Pingwen attempted to sell "Orchid Snow" to various tea shops in Huizhou, but every door was shut to them due to Mr. Hou Er's influence.
Gu Pingwen, discouraged, suggested they give up and apologize. However, Gu Pingyuan remained steadfast, believing there must be "a place in this world where reason prevails." He resolved to take "Orchid Snow" directly to the capital for the Grand Tea Competition. Returning to the village, Gu Pingyuan learned that the Tea Merchants' Association had officially refused their tea, jeopardizing the villagers' livelihoods.
The village head, producing several bundles of briers, then instructed Gu Pingyuan and Gu Pingwen to carry them and go to the Tea Merchants' Association to formally "plead for punishment." Gu Pingyuan, carrying a sample of "Orchid Snow," visited Old Master Hu again, intending to apologize for any offense and present his new tea.
Old Master Hu, while acknowledging Mr. Hou Er as a distant cousin and the association’s reputation for fairness, asked Gu Pingyuan to simply instruct the villagers to deliver their tea to the association. When Gu Pingyuan presented "Orchid Snow," Old Master Hu identified it as Silver Bud and questioned the new name. Gu Pingyuan explained the tea’s unique orchid and pine needle fragrance, arguing it was a new variety deserving its own name.
Old Master Hu, however, was displeased, insisting that ancestral tea names could not be changed arbitrarily, as it would disrupt tradition. He ordered Gu Pingyuan to revert to "Silver Bud." Gu Pingyuan respectfully refused, and Old Master Hu promptly dismissed him, having him escorted out by force.
