Rekap Episod 33 The First Jasmine
> Rekap The First Jasmine
To keep Ye Li calm and stable, Mo Xiuyao continued to play along with her illusion, pretending to interact with her invisible family. However, the words of Physician Guan echoed in his mind—that severe psychological trauma, such as the sudden loss of close family members, could trigger deep hallucinations, making a person believe their loved ones were still alive. That night, after Ye Li fell fast asleep, Mo Xiuyao made his way to the back of the bamboo forest.
There, his worst fears were realized. He found the silent graves of Headmaster Xu, Master Zhu, and the other members of Lishan Academy. Among them was an empty grave pit with a wooden marker bearing Ye Li's own name. Overwhelmed with grief, Mo Xiuyao stood before the tombstones and introduced himself as Ye Li's husband, tearfully thanking them for taking care of her and promising to cherish her with his life so she would never be lonely again.
When Mo Xiuyao returned to their room, Ye Li stirred from her sleep, softly asking where he had been. He gently lied, telling her he had just gone out for a walk. When she warned him about the monkeys outside, he reassured her that he was not afraid and pulled her into his warm embrace.
Holding her close, Mo Xiuyao opened up about his deepest vulnerabilities, confessing how terrified of death he had actually been when he first joined the army with his father and brother. He described the horror of being buried in the dark, cold earth. Ye Li, despite her fragile state, comforted him, explaining that she was no longer afraid of death because they had each other.
She found solace in the thought of them being buried together and holding one another forever. Feeling the effects of the wine, Ye Li slurred that she had many chores to do the next day, such as chopping wood, carrying water, and digging bamboo shoots. Mo Xiuyao kissed her forehead and promised to take care of everything, urging her to just get some peaceful rest.
The next morning, Ye Li woke up to find Mo Xiuyao already gone from their bed. He had been up early, chopping a neat pile of firewood and brewing a pot of congee. He also repaired the broken doors, windows, and the unstable bed so she could sleep without fear of it collapsing. After breakfast, the two enjoyed a rare moment of domestic bliss, venturing out to pick wild mushrooms together.
Later, Mo Xiuyao constructed a wooden chair so they could sit and watch the moon, promising to stand by her side through every rising and setting moon to erase her years of loneliness. Meanwhile, far to the north at Suixue Pass, Feng Zhiyao stopped at a local eatery, reminiscing about his late love, Princess Lingyun. There, he happened to cross paths with Han Mingxi, who was traveling with his family.
When Feng Zhiyao asked if Su Zuidie had been executed after being sent back to Cangbei, Han Mingxi avoided his gaze, hesitantly claiming he had not heard the details but assumed she must have met a miserable end. Back in the capital, Empress Dowager Guo Jin received a report from Shunxi, who claimed that Lishan Mountain was completely deserted, suggesting the academy's residents had fled years ago.
Gongshu Yang, however, found it hard to believe, asserting that Headmaster Xu was not the type of person to secretly abandon his post. Soon after, the young Emperor arrived with an urgent letter from Mo Xiuyao, informing them of the tragic truth: everyone on Lishan Mountain, except for Princess Consort Ding, had succumbed to an illness years prior.
Shocked by the news, Guo Jin immediately appointed Gongshu Yang as the Secret Investigator of Lishan, ordering him to depart at once to uncover the truth. Unaware of the impending imperial inspection, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li continued their quiet life on the mountain. When Mo Xiuyao mentioned that Gongshu Yang was coming with an honor guard, Ye Li was surprised, but he assured her he had postponed their arrival for two days.
Since all the chores were finished, Mo Xiuyao suggested they watch the sunrise together at a special spot where the sun felt close enough to touch. They set out early while it was still pitch black. As they waited, Mo Xiuyao pointed out the subtle beauty of the night sky, comparing life's hardships to the darkness. He stressed that whether good or bad, one must face and overcome obstacles to see new scenery and start a new life.
He knew Ye Li had to face her reality. When the heavy clouds blocked the sunrise, Mo Xiuyao gently guided her toward the back mountain. As they neared the monkey statues at the entrance of the back mountain, Ye Li hesitated, her body trembling with a deep-seated fear. She recalled her grandfather's warning that fierce wild monkeys roamed the back mountain and she must never go there.
Holding her tightly, Mo Xiuyao kept whispering words of comfort, assuring her that there were no monkeys and that she was safe with him. He carried her deeper into the forest until they stood before the cluster of graves. The sight shattered Ye Li's fragile illusion, and her suppressed, agonizing memories came rushing back in a torrent of grief. Eight years ago, a devastating epidemic had swept through Lishan Academy, leaving everyone bedridden except for her.
Desperate to save them, Ye Li had tried to run down the mountain to find a physician and medicine, but her senior disciples caught her and locked her inside a room. Behind locked doors, Ye Li's senior explained that Lishan’s sealing was not out of selfishness, but to resist Guo Jin’s usurpation. To seek help from the outside world would mean bowing to a traitor, ruining the headmaster's lifelong reputation, and shaming the academy.
Ye Li screamed that she did not care about reputation; she only wanted her grandfather and the others to live. Through the window, her maid Qingshuang wept, telling her that the sickness was spreading rapidly and more people were dying. Desperate, Ye Li urged Qingshuang to run down the mountain to get help, but Qingshuang collapsed and died right outside the window.
One by one, the masters, seniors, and physicians succumbed to the plague, leaving her grandfather to pass away alone. Bound by her senior's stubborn resolve and left with no medicine, Ye Li was forced to watch everyone die. Left entirely alone, she dragged the bodies of her beloved grandfather, masters, and companions to the back mountain, burying them one by one.
The crushing weight of this trauma, borne entirely on her young shoulders for eight years, had slowly shattered her mind, forcing her to construct a comforting illusion to escape the unbearable reality.
