The First Jasmine Episode 7 Recap
> The First Jasmine Recaps
Ye Li is surprised when she hears that Mo Xiuyao has accepted the role of Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture despite his leg ailment and years of inactivity. He explains he is doing this because of her advice to not live merely as a show for others. Later, Ye Li notices Mo Wuyou acting suspiciously. He reveals his mother, Wen Ran, has been scammed by a fraudulent "Immortal Master Wang" (whose real name is Zhao Desheng, a former thug).
Consumed by grief over her late husband, Wen Ran has been drinking deep well water, eating raw food, bathing in black dog's blood, and writing scriptures in blood, believing she can see her deceased husband after forty-nine days. Recognizing the danger, Ye Li has Wuyou report this to the authorities.
Zhao Desheng is arrested, and Ye Li exposes the truth to Wen Ran: her own maid, Ms. Zhou, had accepted bribes from Zhao Desheng to sell Wen Ran's secrets and split her donations. Ms. Zhou is caught attempting to flee, and Ye Li leaves her punishment to Wen Ran. On his first day of office at the Jingzhao Prefecture, Mo Xiuyao is insolently stopped by a gatekeeper demanding his credentials.
Unbothered, Mo Xiuyao shows his imperial decree and coolly commands the official to carry his wheelchair as his new daily duty. In the court hall, Deputy Prefect Zheng Zuoshi reports that the treasury is empty, leading to unpopular temporary levies that threaten to cause a merchant strike. Mo Xiuyao sternly orders Zheng Zuoshi to resolve the issue or face charges of misgovernment and dereliction of duty.
Soon after, Military Secretary Wang Suwu confronts Mo Xiuyao with intense hostility, mentioning the twenty-seven wronged souls of his family and the deceased citizens of Xiaoshui County. Mo Xiuyao remains remarkably composed, simply stating that he has received the grim regards. Upon returning to the mansion, Mo Xiuyao learns that Ye Li took Mo Wuyou to his academy to confront his bullying classmates, forcing them to apologize in front of their parents.
Later, during dinner, Mo Xiuyao shows genuine care for Wuyou, offering to transfer him to the Chongwen Institute or assign him guards. Observing Mo Xiuyao struggle to eat due to painful mouth sores, Ye Li applies a self-made, non-bitter medicine to his sores. She then proposes to treat his injured legs, mentioning she studied bone-healing on Lishan Mountain under the renowned physician Master Helai, and notes that her senior, Wei Zhuang, has experienced great pain relief under her care.
Though Mo Xiuyao hesitates and tells her to eat first, Ye Li remains patient. The next day, Ye Li's uncle, Ye Wenshen, seeks shelter at Prince Ding's Mansion after being chased by a knife-wielding husband who falsely suspects him of an affair. Mo Xiuyao agrees to let him stay. However, as they prepare to leave, a street performer's monkey escapes and severely startles Ye Li. That night, Ye Li is woken by a terrible nightmare and rushes outside.
She is soon cornered in the courtyard by several vicious monkeys. Though a search of the mansion by Mo Xiuyao and his guards yields no trace of the monkeys, Ye Li remains deeply terrified due to a childhood trauma from being bitten by monkeys on Lishan Mountain. Mo Xiuyao stays by her side to comfort her until she safely falls asleep and orders the mansion secured.
A few days later, Qingshuang informs Ye Li that she won't have to worry about being startled again; Mo Xiuyao personally compensated all the monkey trainers in the capital out of his own pocket to ensure they would peacefully take their shows elsewhere.
