Love Like The Galaxy Episode 2 Recap
> Love Like The Galaxy Recap
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Ling Buyi and his deputies quickly moved through the palace alleys. Outside Marquis Chengyang's Residence, his subordinate Liangqiu Qi mentioned the circulating rumors that painted Ling Buyi as unfilial towards the Marquis. Ling Buyi dismissed these, accustomed to such gossip. However, he was concerned that the Emperor wished to temporarily halt the investigation into the armament case, which suggested its widespread implications.
Liangqiu Qi questioned if a special pass for their investigation had been granted, but Ling Buyi silenced him, stating they were no longer on the battlefield where violence was the only recourse. He revealed that while the Emperor saw their recent military merits as outweighing any transgressions, the armament case was to be paused.
Ling Buyi quickly clarified to his surprised subordinates that he had no intention of stopping, as the theft of military armaments had been a thorn in his side for years. His subordinates recalled the suspicious behavior of Housemaid Li, who had repeatedly obstructed their search earlier. They had already been monitoring the Cheng Family, noting a lot of internal squabbles among the womenfolk. A servant then delivered a package to Ling Buyi, sent by Cheng Shaoshang.
His subordinates initially suspected a bribe, but upon opening it, found only a collection of seemingly useless items. Shaoshang’s package contained dried straw and a piece of torn fabric. Ling Buyi interpreted these as clues: the dried straw hinting at Head Armorer Dong’s hiding place in the haystack, and the fabric pointing to Ge's Fabric Store. He found her ingenuity intriguing.
Following Shaoshang's subtle hints, Ling Buyi's men investigated Ge's Fabric Store and discovered a ledger revealing Head Armorer Dong's investment of 80,000 coins. Given Dong’s low salary, this confirmed the funds were embezzled. Meanwhile, Head Armorer Dong was being held in prison. The guards graphically described various tortures, causing him immense fear. Ling Buyi appeared, informing Dong that General Cheng Shi had requested an impartial enforcement of the law, rendering all of Dong’s schemes futile.
Ling Buyi, who despised liars and punished them severely, confronted Dong with the ledger from Ge's Fabric Store. Faced with undeniable proof, Head Armorer Dong confessed everything. Back at the Cheng residence, Old Madam Cheng was frantic about her brother, Head Armorer Dong's, arrest. Madam Ge, Cheng Shi's sister-in-law, blamed Cheng Shaoshang, accusing her of ruthless revenge due to past punishments.
Xiao Yuanyi, Cheng Shi's wife, retorted by highlighting the severe implications of harboring a criminal, asserting that Shaoshang's actions were justified as Head Armorer Dong had embezzled military armaments. Madam Ge, unfazed, accused Xiao Yuanyi of using the government office to scare her, insisting on family loyalty over official matters and urging them to save Head Armorer Dong to spare Old Madam Cheng more suffering. Cheng Shi, however, explained that military law was absolute, and he was powerless to intercede.
Old Madam Cheng, now in tears, lashed out at Cheng Shi, accusing him of caring more for his wife's family than his own uncle or mother, recalling how he readily funded Xiao Yuanyi's brother's studies but was reluctant to provide for her own family. Xiao Yuanyi defended herself, explaining that the money for her family was hard-earned by her and Cheng Shi on the battlefield.
The argument escalated, with Madam Ge accusing Xiao Yuanyi of despising Old Madam Cheng for supporting her relatives. Overwhelmed, Old Madam Cheng finally ordered everyone to leave. Madam Ge then slyly arranged for Cheng Shi and Xiao Yuanyi to stay in the less prestigious side house, ostensibly for "family unity" after so many years apart. Xiao Yuanyi calmly agreed, her composure hiding a perceptive understanding that unnerved Madam Ge, who privately boasted she would never vacate the main house.
Cheng Shi was deeply pained by Shaoshang’s pale appearance, attributing it to the hardships she endured. Xiao Yuanyi, noticing a strange stickiness near Shaoshang's mouth, covered her with a blanket and called Lianfang outside for a private conversation. Lianfang tearfully recounted how Madam Ge never sought medical help for Shaoshang, claiming children recover on their own.
She revealed that Shaoshang was frequently sent to the village, enduring hunger, lack of clothing, and neglect, all while her parents risked their lives on the battlefield. This mistreatment began after Madam Ge, unable to bear children, adopted her ten-year-old nephew, Yao. Shaoshang, in a misguided act of kindness, opened a gourd of honey for Yao, attracting wild bees that stung him. Madam Ge used this incident to punish Shaoshang by sending her to the freezing village to "reflect."
Xiao Yuanyi, however, pressed Lianfang on the details, specifically asking if Shaoshang or Yao opened the honey gourd. Lianfang admitted Shaoshang did, and Xiao Yuanyi subtly implied Shaoshang shared some blame for not being more circumspect, questioning why they ate honey in a garden full of flowers.
Lianfang also reported that Shaoshang's recent fainting spell was due to a damaged spleen and stomach from "stuffing herself with too much food," explaining Shaoshang had eaten ravenously out of fear of future starvation. Cheng Shi was devastated upon hearing how poorly his daughter had been treated, but Xiao Yuanyi vowed that such mistreatment would never happen again.
Shaoshang, eavesdropping from her room, realized her mother's acute intelligence, seeing through her feigned illness and orchestrating events to create conflict between Cheng Shi and Old Madam Cheng. She felt her mother was ruthless for using her in such a way, deciding she could only rely on herself. Xiao Yuanyi, on her part, regretted leaving Shaoshang for so long and resolved to strictly discipline her, fearing that her character had become difficult to shape.
Shaoshang, still pretending to be unwell, refused the bitter medicine brought by Lianfang. Upon hearing her parents approaching, she quickly resumed her weak facade. Cheng Shi and Xiao Yuanyi entered, accompanied by Qingcong. Cheng Shi doted on Shaoshang, remarking on her pallor and suggesting malt sugar for the bitter medicine. Xiao Yuanyi, however, insisted on the medicine’s necessity, citing the adage "good medicine tastes bitter," forcing Shaoshang to swallow some.
Cheng Shi then lightened the mood by praising Shaoshang's beauty and promising to take her to the Lantern Festival, but Xiao Yuanyi quickly countered that inner virtues were more important than outward beauty. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by loud, exaggerated wails from Old Madam Cheng in the front yard. Exasperated, Cheng Shi promised Shaoshang he would add sugar to her medicine later and left with Xiao Yuanyi.
From a hidden vantage point, Shaoshang and Lianfang watched as Old Madam Cheng threw herself into a dramatic fit, threatening to drown herself in a well, then to bash her head against a wall. Shaoshang cynically observed her grandmother's theatrics, remarking that Old Madam Cheng alone could staff an entire opera troupe. Cheng Shi joined the spectacle, kneeling and lamenting his inability to save Head Armorer Dong.
Madam Dong tried to intervene but was swiftly blocked by Cheng Shi's guards and Xiao Yuanyi's sharp words. Shaoshang noted her father's impressive acting skills, comparing his performance to her grandmother's long-practiced tricks, and predicted he would not lose this battle of wits. Old Madam Cheng continued to express her suffering, blaming Head Armorer Dong’s greed on a hard life, and suggested that all the family's money be given to him.
Cheng Shi initially agreed but then claimed he couldn't save Dong from Ling Buyi, who would have arrested him too, had it not been for his recent military merits. Old Madam Cheng escalated her threats, vowing to report Cheng Shi to the Emperor for filial impiety. Cheng Shi calmly countered that refusing to abet a corrupt official was not disloyal, warning her that such a report could lead to his execution and the entire family's ruin.
Old Madam Cheng, now desperate, declared she would stop eating and drinking. Shaoshang scoffed, betting she wouldn't last half a month. Suddenly, Xiao Yuanyi appeared behind Shaoshang, surprising her. Xiao Yuanyi sternly rebuked Shaoshang for eavesdropping and judging her elders. With the family drama subsiding, Shaoshang was confined to her room. She reflected on Xiao Yuanyi, realizing her mother was far from the soft-spoken woman she sometimes appeared to be.
Shaoshang thought her mother had brought a ruler to measure her for new clothes, but after hearing Shaoshang’s cynical comments about her family, Xiao Yuanyi, in a fit of anger, used it to administer a punishment. She ordered Shaoshang to remain in her room, copying "The Book of Rites" until finished, thereby missing the upcoming Lantern Festival which Shaoshang had always longed to attend. Qingcong attempted to comfort Shaoshang, assuring her of Xiao Yuanyi’s care, but Shaoshang coldly dismissed it.
She claimed not to care about her mother’s opinion, stating that never having experienced maternal love, she would not grieve its absence. Later, Cheng Shi returned to their room to find Xiao Yuanyi sighing. She accused him of encouraging Old Madam Cheng to remarry, leading to his own beating and then her (Xiao Yuanyi's) frustration.
Xiao Yuanyi explained her past belief that while sons needed strict discipline to prevent bringing ruin upon the clan, daughters could be protected even if they were willful. She now deeply regretted leaving Shaoshang in Madam Ge’s care, lamenting that her daughter had learned all of Madam Ge's bad habits: eavesdropping, trickery, and mocking elders, behaviors unfit for a proper lady.
Cheng Shi, while trying to soothe her, even showed a hint of pride that Shaoshang was intelligent enough to have secretly rerouted the chimney flue, a trick used to manipulate Old Madam Cheng’s superstitious beliefs. Xiao Yuanyi was furious, declaring she would have given a soldier a military rod for such insubordination. Cheng Shi attempted to distract her by suggesting they measure Shaoshang for new clothes, but Xiao Yuanyi remained resolute.
She declared that she could not afford to be lenient, acknowledging her past mistake in entrusting Shaoshang to Madam Ge had led to her current disposition. She believed that any further leniency would irrevocably harm Shaoshang’s future, and she was determined to discipline her daughter, no matter what it took.
