My Heroic Husband Episode 22 Recap
> My Heroic Husband Recap
Linan City’s affluent merchants found themselves under renewed pressure from Bao Wenhan’s forces. After an initial plundering, they were now mandated to pay 10,000 taels of silver monthly. When the Lou family could not meet this exorbitant demand, the bandits seized all the cloths from their store, declaring it closed and giving them only five days to gather the money or face severe consequences.
Lou Shuheng, the family’s eldest son, cruelly suggested his sister, Lou Shuwan, should resort to begging to raise the funds. Lou Shuwan, heartbroken and betrayed by her brother’s shamelessness, wandered the streets in despair. Her striking beauty caught the eye of Bao Wenhan, who was inspecting women for his pleasure, finding all previous candidates common and dull. He immediately ordered his men to apprehend her. However, Lou Shuwan, deeply familiar with every corner of Linan, managed to evade capture.
Meanwhile, Ning Yi, eager to escape the Badao Camp, strategically complained to Liu Xigua about the overwhelming requests for fortune-telling he received from her aunt, who was fixated on finding her a "wind-sign" match. Liu Xigua, exasperated by the persistent blind dates, firmly declared she would personally handle her aunt and reject any more "disgusting men."
Following Ning Yi's advice to be more "thoughtful," Chen Fan made clumsy attempts to impress Liu Xigua, first by offering a brush and then holding an oil-paper umbrella for her on a sunny day. Liu Xigua found his behavior strange, though she did accept the shredded ice he later offered. Chen Fan, frustrated by his lack of success, confronted Ning Yi, who explained that Chen Fan had overdone the "thoughtfulness" and ended up acting like a fawning sycophant.
Later that evening, with the city's granaries under the control of Bao Wenhan’s Xuanwei Camp and food supplies dwindling, Liu Xigua decided to lead her men to raid the Xuanwei Camp for grain to feed the suffering populace. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Ning Yi tried to slip away, but Chen Fan and the others quickly caught him. To prevent his escape, Chen Fan bound Ning Yi securely to a pillar and gagged him.
Liu Xigua's attempt to seize grain from Xuanwei Camp proved futile; Bao Wenhan, having anticipated their move, had his archers ready and ambushed them. He offered Liu Xigua a choice: surrender her military power to him, and her men would be well-fed, or face the Holy Master’s wrath. With no other option, Liu Xigua and her forces were forced to retreat empty-handed. Unbeknownst to Chen Fan, Ning Yi had concealed a small dagger in his shoe.
With great effort, he managed to retrieve it and cut through his ropes, freeing himself. He immediately made his way to the prison where the four brothers from the Academy of Male Virtuousness were being held. The brothers, sharing a meager meal and lamenting their misfortune, blamed Ning Yi for their predicament, calling him a traitor and a disgrace for siding with the bandits. One of the brothers suggested they focus on escaping by digging through the prison wall.
When Ning Yi arrived, he convinced the skeptical brothers that his surrender was merely a ruse to save himself, and urged them to seize the opportunity to escape while the camp was empty. Though still distrustful, they agreed to follow him one last time. However, as they exited the prison, they encountered "Sha Ren Chang Ming," a group of Badao Camp guards. Ning Yi, thinking quickly to save himself, immediately accused the Academy brothers of attempting to escape. "
Sha Ren Chang Ming" then beat the four brothers and threw them back into their cell, with Ning Yi even instructing the guards to reinforce the prison to prevent future escapes. The brothers, enraged by Ning Yi’s renewed betrayal, screamed insults at him from their cell as they were beaten. Back in the main camp, Chen Fan tied Ning Yi up again, accusing him of attempting to flee to the prison.
Ning Yi, employing his silver tongue, cleverly spun the narrative, claiming he had foreseen Liu Xigua’s failed grain raid and had only gone to the prison to apprehend four escaped convicts, thus preventing a major security breach. He even had "Sha Ren Chang Ming" confirm his story, including his instructions to reinforce the prison. Liu Xigua, convinced by Ning Yi’s elaborate lie, untied him.
Expressing her distress over the impending famine, Liu Xigua asked if anyone had a plan to acquire food. Ning Yi confidently stepped forward, proposing he lead a small team out of the city to "collect" grain, promising that Linan's citizens would have enough food within ten days. Impressed, Liu Xigua agreed, offering him full command of the Badao Camp if he succeeded.
Ning Yi then mockingly asked Chen Fan if he wanted to tie him up again, to which Liu Xigua sternly warned Chen Fan not to dare touch her Counsellor. Chen Fan, seething with anger but unable to act, stormed off, threatening future retribution against Ning Yi. Meanwhile, the Second Master’s family, stubbornly following the wheel tracks of their stolen carriage rather than a map, convinced themselves they were not heading towards Linan City, which they believed to be dangerous.
They continued their pursuit of Ning Yi, unaware of the actual peril ahead. Inside Linan, Lou Shuheng, upon seeing a public notice for Lou Shuwan's capture, perversely suggested to his father that they should offer Lou Shuwan to Bao Wenhan in exchange for the family’s future peace and the reopening of their Cloth Store.
Lou Shuwan returned with only two bowls of hot rice she had begged, but her brother cruelly presented her with the wanted poster and demanded she sacrifice herself for the family's survival. Her father, enraged by Lou Shuheng’s monstrous suggestion, drove him away, vowing to protect Lou Shuwan even if it cost him his life.
Preparing for the grain collection, Ning Yi rejected the robust Badao Camp fighters, arguing that their appearance would only scare away potential donors and attract unwanted attention from government troops. Instead, he selected a group of elderly, weak, and ailing refugees, believing their pitiable state would evoke sympathy and ensure successful donations. He also included the four brothers from the Academy of Male Virtuousness from the prison, deeming them suitable for the task.
Chen Fan insisted on accompanying them, ostensibly to protect Ning Yi, much to Ning Yi's annoyance. As they prepared to leave Linan, Ning Yi gathered the Academy brothers, who were still muttering curses at him, and revealed his true plan: to use this trip as an opportunity to escape. He showed them a sleeping drug, explaining he would use it to incapacitate the large-built Chen Fan, allowing them to flee.
Despite their lingering distrust and continued name-calling, the four brothers reluctantly agreed to trust Ning Yi one last time, with Ning Yi insisting they call him "Expert Ning" henceforth. Outside the city, Ning Yi led the group to a remote village temple, showing no urgency in gathering grain. Chen Fan grew increasingly impatient, reminding Ning Yi it was already 9:00 p. m. and they needed to find grain by 3:00 a. m. or their plan would fail.
Ning Yi calmly assured him the grain would be neatly stacked by morning. Suddenly, a ragged figure, who was Li Pin in disguise, rushed into the temple, theatrically praising Ning Yi as "Expert Ning of Mount Dianzu," a legendary hermit "highly intelligent and knowledgeable," capable of telling fortunes, and known across the land for his wisdom. Chen Fan listened, completely bewildered by the extravagant praise.
