My Heroic Husband Episode 17 Recap
> My Heroic Husband Recap
Qin Siyuan knelt before the Emperor, confessing his grave crimes of secretly building a gunpowder depot and deceiving the monarch. He declared that these actions warranted execution and the implication of his entire clan. His disciples were distraught and planned to plead on his behalf, but Qin Siyuan, having anticipated this situation, instructed them to instead fully second Grand Tutor He Yuanchang's impeachment against him in court. He believed this daring, indirect move was their only chance for survival.
The Emperor, though acknowledging Qin Siyuan's deception, recognized that the creation of the Lin'an military gunpowder warehouse and the three hundred cannons were ultimately for the benefit and prosperity of the Wu Dynasty. Consequently, the Emperor commuted Qin Siyuan's death sentence, punishing him instead with a three-year salary deduction and a demotion by half a rank. Relieved, Qin Siyuan expressed his gratitude.
Feeling weary, the Emperor then dismissed the court, preventing further discussion on pressing matters such as the northern expedition. Meanwhile, Ning Yi, Su Tan'er, Chan, and Guard Geng arrived in Lin'an, a bustling city that impressed Su Tan'er, especially as it was the first day of the market. They stopped at a portrait stall where Ning Yi and Su Tan'er decided to draw each other.
Ning Yi's modern drawing style amused Su Tan'er, who playfully criticized his depiction of her as looking like a "wanted poster." She then showed off her own drawing of Ning Yi, complimenting his handsomeness, much to his delight. They then looked at Chan’s drawing, which Ning Yi teased was her self-portrait or a depiction of her future husband.
Finally, they saw Guard Geng's drawing of a beautiful woman whom both Su Tan'er and Ning Yi felt they recognized from Jiangning, though they couldn't place her. Guard Geng, blushing, quickly tried to hide his drawing. While wandering, Ning Yi and Guard Geng noticed a crowd gathered around an old man, Qian Xiwen, a renowned and respected figure in Lin'an, known for his regular charitable acts during festivals.
Guard Geng shared that he had read Qian Xiwen's well-known sinology editorials, which were considered enlightening across the Wu Dynasty. After buying some snacks for Su Tan'er, Ning Yi suggested exploring more local sights like Mountain Qingyue and Hui’s Lake. However, Su Tan'er revealed she had arranged to meet an old acquaintance from her childhood in Lin'an, with whom she had maintained correspondence for years. She asked Ning Yi and Guard Geng to explore on their own.
Feeling a pang of jealousy and suspicion, Ning Yi discreetly followed Su Tan'er, who entered the Lou Family Cloth Store after purchasing a book. Guard Geng informed Ning Yi that the Lou Family Cloth Store was the largest in Lin'an, with close ties to the Su Family and a history as royal merchants, supplying tributary cloth to the imperial court. The family was led by Lou Shuheng and Lou Jinlin, with Lou Shuheng managing the cloth store.
Guard Geng speculated that Su Tan'er's old friend might be Lou Shuheng. Ning Yi noticed the Lou Family's store layout, including designated parking spaces, high-priced and low-priced sections, and clothing displays, mirrored the innovations he had introduced to the Su Family Cloth Store. He immediately suspected Su Tan'er of "betraying" their family's business by sharing their designs with the Lou Family. Agitated, Ning Yi confronted a clerk, demanding to know Su Tan'er's whereabouts, his accent betraying his urgency.
The clerk revealed Su Tan'er and the "manager" were in the fitting room. Enraged, Ning Yi rushed upstairs, where he found Su Tan'er emerging from the fitting room in a new dress. Convinced she was with Lou Shuheng, Ning Yi drew his blunderbuss and demanded the "Mr. Lou" inside to come out. To his astonishment, a beautiful woman emerged. Startled, Ning Yi covered his eyes, accidentally discharging the blunderbuss and injuring a customer.
Realizing his colossal mistake, Ning Yi profusely apologized to both Su Tan'er and the injured customer, taking full responsibility for the damages. He learned that Su Tan'er's actual old friend was Lou Shuwan, the young lady who had emerged from the fitting room. Lou Shuwan, understanding Ning Yi's concern for Su Tan'er, forgave him.
Ning Yi was further surprised to discover that all the modern business ideas he'd observed in the Lou Family Cloth Store – the parking spaces, partitioned sales areas, and clothing displays – were entirely Lou Shuwan's own innovations. This led Ning Yi to suspect that Lou Shuwan might also be a transmigrator from a modern era. On the carriage ride to the Lou Mansion, Ning Yi attempted to test Lou Shuwan by asking for her "Wi-Fi code" and "QR code."
Lou Shuwan, completely unfamiliar with these terms, offered to show him her family's horses and later suggested cooking chicken, mistaking "mobile phone" for a type of "chicken." Su Tan'er, embarrassed by Ning Yi's increasingly bizarre behavior, finally slapped him, which brought him to a halt. Upon arriving at the Lou Mansion, Lou Shuwan led Su Tan'er to an old loom.
They fondly reminisced about their childhood, making a pinky swear to one day open the largest cloth store in the Wu Dynasty, big enough to clothe everyone. Su Tan'er expressed how Lou Shuwan had inspired her to pursue the fabric business despite opposition. Meanwhile, outside, Ning Yi continued to tease Guard Geng about the woman in his portrait, guessing various household maids before finally identifying her as Procuress Yang from the Jiangning Xinmen Brothel.
Guard Geng, embarrassed, begged Ning Yi to keep his secret until he had enough money to marry her. As they were playfully bickering, Lou Shuheng, Lou Shuwan's brother, grandly entered, immediately turning his attention to Su Tan'er. He tried to flirt with her, dismissing Lou Shuwan and disrespectfully telling her to "roll back to the cloth store." Lou Shuheng then attempted to force Su Tan'er to a restaurant for drinks.
Seeing Su Tan'er in distress, Ning Yi quickly intervened, confronting Lou Shuheng and ordering him to release Su Tan'er. Lou Shuheng, looking down on Ning Yi as a mere matrilocal husband, arrogantly boasted about his status and threatened to break Ning Yi's legs. Without hesitation, Ning Yi fired his blunderbuss, shooting off Lou Shuheng's topknot, demonstrating his resolve. Terrified, Lou Shuheng backed down.
Lou Shuwan pleaded with Ning Yi to spare her brother, which he did before leading Su Tan'er away. Unbeknownst to them, after their departure, Lou Shuheng, enraged and humiliated, took out his frustration on his sister. He confiscated her right to manage the cloth store and demanded that she arrange a private meeting with Su Tan'er at the Dongli Restaurant.
When Lou Shuwan hesitated, pointing out that Su Tan'er was a married woman, Lou Shuheng slapped her violently to force her compliance. Later, Ning Yi, Su Tan'er, and Guard Geng were enjoying a meal at a restaurant in Lin'an, sampling various regional delicacies. They were surprised when a plate of preserved eggs was sent to their table. Recognizing this as a signal, Ning Yi called out, and his four "brothers" from the Men's Virtue Academy quickly rushed down.
Ning Yi led everyone to a beautiful, elegant mansion in Taiping Alley, which he had secretly purchased for Su Tan'er, intending for it to be their permanent residence in Lin'an. That evening, Ning Yi gathered his friends for a drink, and Su Tan'er, uncharacteristically, didn't object.
Ning Yi revealed he had anticipated their arrival and had already devised a comprehensive plan to dominate Lin'an's market, recognizing it as a crucial commercial hub and "the country's granary," key to capturing half the national market. Their first target was the South Gate. However, that very night, calamity struck as a horde of bandits stormed into Lin'an City through the South Gate, overwhelming the local soldiers and ruthlessly attacking the populace.
