Moonlit Order Episode 18 Recap
> Moonlit Order Recap
Feng Zuoren accompanied Xue Hexu to the old villa where she had lived as a child. Upon arriving, they found the villa overgrown with weeds, a sight that filled Feng Zuoren with a sense of melancholy as she recalled the happy times she shared there, which now felt like a lifetime ago. Xue Hexu had hoped that seeing the familiar surroundings would trigger his memories, but he still couldn't recall anything.
He expressed a desire to visit the place to understand "how he lost" to the Young Master. Feng Zuoren agreed to take him, telling him to refrain from making embarrassing remarks. As they explored, Feng Zuoren pushed him on a swing set. Xue Hexu questioned if she and her Young Master had lived there and even spent Mid-Autumn Festivals there.
He confessed to feeling like an outsider, standing in a place of his supposed past, hearing her recount their memories, yet unable to remember a single detail himself. He wondered why his memories were so thoroughly erased and why he was being forced to learn the truth this way. Feng Zuoren comforted him, assuring him they would get through it.
Later, on their way back, they encountered a beggar who Xue Hexu immediately recognized as Gu Qianfu due to his suspicious demeanor and familiar "wacky vibe." Feng Zuoren, as an agent, confirmed the identification, having a knack for memorizing people's features. Xue Hexu decided to test him, approaching him and directly asking if he was Gu Qianfu and if he remembered him. Gu Qianfu initially denied it, claiming Xue Hexu was mistaken.
However, after Xue Hexu offered him a pancake, which Gu Qianfu ravenously devoured, admitting he hadn't eaten in three days, he finally confessed his true identity. Xue Hexu and Feng Zuoren, however, playfully pretended not to believe him, teasing him about his supposed fighting skills and his initial denial. Exasperated, Gu Qianfu complained about being ignored. Suddenly, assassins attacked, and Gu Qianfu pleaded for his life.
During the struggle, Gu Qianfu lamented his years of service to the Jing'an Bureau, only to be abandoned and have his pension withheld. He revealed that he had uncovered Grand Tutor Zhou's secret involvement in hiring assassins. A flashback showed Gu Qianfu sneaking into a secret passage within the Jing'an Bureau, where he found evidence of the plot and deduced that Grand Tutor Zhou had ordered a hit on Xue Hexu.
He then stole something, saying it would make up for his lost wages. The assassins, upon realizing Gu Qianfu had deduced their employer, speculated that Xue Hexu was targeted due to an affair with the Grand Tutor's concubine. While fighting, Gu Qianfu cleverly sowed discord between the two assassins by questioning their payment split, causing them to argue and allowing him to escape. After he was safe, he continued to cry out about his lost 3,000 liang pension.
Feng Zuoren noted that this was likely why Grand Tutor Zhou wanted him silenced. Gu Qianfu criticized Xue Hexu and Feng Zuoren for lacking "protagonist-worthy virtues." Despite his earlier antagonism, Xue Hexu promised to look after Gu Qianfu, referencing their past rivalry, and Feng Zuoren also offered her care, jokingly referring to them as "back-scrubbing partners forever."
Xue Hexu suggested Gu Qianfu find refuge with the Xue family, but Gu Qianfu vehemently refused, stating he would rather die than be humiliated and blaming the Xue family for his misfortunes. He accurately surmised that Xue Hexu's offer was merely a ploy to extract Grand Tutor Zhou's secrets.
Feng Zuoren then tried to convince him to reveal the secrets to her, as a Xueyi Guard who opposes the Jing'an Bureau, offering to help him exact revenge, but Gu Qianfu dismissed them as "birds of a feather." Gu Qianfu then managed to escape again. Feng Zuoren and Xue Hexu agreed to split up to find him, turning it into a competition where the winner would kiss the loser, a proposal Feng Zuoren found "filthy" and "despicable."
After locating Gu Qianfu, Feng Zuoren instructed him to hide safely. She then informed Xue Hexu that she had to return to the palace to meet the Emperor the next morning. The following day, Feng Zuoren returned to the palace. She noticed Xue Youshou secretly presenting three "Crimson Pills" to the Emperor, along with a special congee, claiming they would regulate digestion, nourish vitality, and prolong life.
Feng Zuoren was puzzled, as she had not authorized any such presentation of pills. She discreetly swapped the pills, unaware that Xue Youshou was observing her actions. She later tested the pills, confirming they were just ordinary medicine. Xue Youshou then appeared, feigning benevolence, and asked what she had suspected the pills to be. He explained the Crimson Pills were made from rare herbs and gold foil to strengthen the body and prolong life, used by many nobles.
He questioned if she suspected him of poisoning them or if someone had whispered doubts to her. Feng Zuoren denied any suspicion, stating she was merely curious why the "Young Master" was presenting the pills. Xue Youshou explained that as a "charlatan," he had to use unconventional methods to gain Emperor Jia's trust, and the pills were simply meant to provide the Emperor with peace of mind.
He expressed disappointment that she didn't discuss her concerns with him directly, reminding her of her past trust in his remedies. He then mused that "time changes everything" and that their separation had caused her to become the Emperor's "pawn," while the Emperor saw him as a major threat. He added that he felt the same animosity towards the Emperor, suggesting that even if he harbored ill intentions, there would be just cause.
Feng Zuoren, trying to provoke him, retorted that the true Young Master was a noble person who would never commit such "base acts." Xue Youshou then posed a hypothetical question: if he truly had poisoned the Emperor, would she expose him? He claimed he wouldn't blame her if she did, as Emperor Jia would promote her, and he would even prefer to "die by her hand." Feng Zuoren firmly stated that she would "never do that." Xue Youshou concluded by saying what he missed most was her standing by his side.
