My Heroic Husband Episode 23 Recap
> My Heroic Husband Recap
Li Pin and the other members of the Academy of Male Virtuousness, taking advantage of Chen Fan's unawareness of their alliance, concocted a scheme to portray Ning Yi as a reclusive master. Li Pin approached Ning Yi, claiming he and his wife struggled with infertility and sought guidance.
Ning Yi, in a mystical manner, advised Li Pin to find eighteen cobblestones from the Tongqu River in Watang Town, near Jiangning City, and place them under his bed, promising abundant offspring within a month. Chen Fan, listening from outside the room, expressed skepticism, dismissing Ning Yi's methods as mere gimmicks and Ning Yi himself as a charlatan. Feng Yuan, feigning disbelief, challenged Ning Yi's authenticity, sparking a staged argument with the other Academy members who defended Ning Yi's reputation.
Ning Yi attempted to dismiss the argument, suggesting they rest for the morning's grain count. However, Chen Fan intervened, insisting that Ning Yi's reputation must be cleared. He proposed a test: Ning Yi must accurately recount Feng Yuan's life story. Feng Yuan conveniently provided a written account to verify the claims.
After a deliberate pause to heighten the suspense, Ning Yi began to reveal Feng Yuan's past, starting with his full name, Feng Yuan, courtesy name Wen Quan, and his former occupation as an herb tradesman in Wudu City. Ning Yi recounted how Feng Yuan’s family fortunes collapsed after his father succumbed to drug addiction when Feng Yuan was eight, forcing his mother to take him to Jiangning to find his uncle.
They were pursued by debt collectors, leading Feng Yuan to live in a school library. The most astonishing detail came when Ning Yi accurately described a scar on Feng Yuan’s left chest, left by a debt collector's hot iron, a fact Feng Yuan had never revealed to anyone. Convinced by this accurate account, Feng Yuan and the other Academy members earnestly pleaded for Ning Yi’s guidance. Chen Fan, now thoroughly impressed, asked Ning Yi to predict his own marriage prospects.
Ning Yi foretold that Chen Fan would marry a refined lady from a noble family, accomplished in various arts and of stunning beauty. Chen Fan, while initially pleased, expressed concern that such a delicate lady might not be suitable for a man like him, who lived a dangerous life. He then asked for a way to sever this "karma." Ning Yi, feigning profound wisdom, offered a prepared sleeping medicine, suggesting Chen Fan consume it with wine for better effect.
Chen Fan readily complied and soon fell into a deep, snoring slumber. With Chen Fan incapacitated, Ning Yi and the four men from the Academy of Male Virtuousness swiftly departed, taking with them the weak and elderly commoners they had previously rescued. Ning Yi and his companions led the commoners to a refugee station. As they were about to leave, they encountered a large group of villagers emerging from the wilderness.
These villagers, though carrying some food, revealed that their relatives were trapped and starving in Lin'an City, which was sealed off by bandits. They pleaded with Ning Yi to deliver their meager provisions to their trapped families. Ning Yi initially hesitated, explaining the impossibility of finding specific individuals in the chaotic city and advising them to keep their own food. However, a small child tugged on Ning Yi's hand, tearfully begging him to save her father.
Moved by the child's desperate plea and the plight of the villagers, Ning Yi and his friends decided to help, promising to find a way to feed all the people in Lin'an City. The refugees they had just escorted to the station, witnessing this resolve, chose to return and offer their assistance in this monumental task. Their first stop was a nearby Local Yamen. The Magistrate, disturbed by the commotion, initially assumed they were bandits and prepared to fight.
He was surprised to find only "old, weak, women, and children" at his doorstep. He condescendingly offered a few bags of grain. Ning Yi stepped forward, declaring that such a small amount was insufficient given the widespread suffering. He demanded "five hundred dans of supplies," citing the desperate situation in Lin'an. The Magistrate scoffed, claiming his storehouse did not hold such a vast quantity.
Ning Yi, undeterred, instructed him to collect it from every household or from neighboring towns, insisting on having all five hundred dans delivered to a specified location by dawn. Infuriated by Ning Yi's audacity, the Magistrate questioned his authority. Ning Yi then produced a dagger, which the Magistrate initially mistook for an assassination weapon. However, upon closer inspection, he recognized it as the dagger of Lord Qin Siyuan.
Terrified by the powerful symbol, the Magistrate immediately changed his tune, pledging the full cooperation of the Three Towns of Lin'an to gather the supplies. He swiftly mobilized his officials, managing to collect over three hundred dans. Soon after, news arrived that two adjacent counties, hearing of the urgent need, had sent the remaining two hundred dans, fulfilling Ning Yi's demand. Chen Fan eventually woke up, disoriented, on a grain cart, astonished by the vast amount of supplies gathered overnight.
Ning Yi, not blaming him, even credited Chen Fan with a share of the achievement, vaguely attributing the success to his own "master" abilities and urging Chen Fan to maintain secrecy to avoid "trouble." Chen Fan, completely convinced and grateful, promised to be tight-lipped. Back at the camp, Chen Fan's attitude towards Ning Yi and the four men from the Academy of Male Virtuousness had undergone a complete transformation.
He ordered subordinates to prepare a bath for Ning Yi and ensure comfortable lodging for the others. Chen Fan then went to Liu Xigua, exaggerating his role in acquiring the grain, claiming he bravely fought through "a series of crisis" and was like "a tiger rushing into a flock of sheep," facing near-death experiences to secure the "five hundred dans." Liu Xigua, observing his impeccably tidy appearance, saw through his story and wanted to question Ning Yi directly.
However, Chen Fan interceded, stating that Ning Yi was exhausted from his all-night efforts and needed rest. Liu Xigua was taken aback by Chen Fan's uncharacteristic protectiveness of Ning Yi. Mindful of the risk of Bao Wenhan intercepting publicly distributed food, Liu Xigua devised a plan to have her men secretly deliver food to each household under the cover of night. The grateful citizens received the much-needed supplies.
Ning Yi, having overslept due to exhaustion, woke up well after dark and felt hungry. Heading to the kitchen, he discovered Gao Qiu secretly eating a steamed bun, learning that Chen Fan had only arranged lodging for them, not food. Ning Yi, apologetic, brought them some bird's nest porridge, promising a proper meal the next morning. Eating the warm porridge, Feng Yuan felt a pang of longing for his wife.
Ning Yi admitted to similar feelings, often imagining his wife, Su Tan'er, smiling and calling his name. Li Pin also expressed missing the daily bickering with his wife, though Gao Qiu jokingly suggested their wives might have remarried. Despite their yearning for home, they acknowledged their duty to the people of Lin'an, realizing the current supply would only last for ten days. Ning Yi, looking at a portrait of Su Tan'er, clearly missed her.
Liu Xigua, encountering Ning Yi later, casually took a bite of his cherry ice cream. She confided in him that the current grain supply was insufficient for Lin'an's "too many victims" and pressed him for new solutions to secure more food. She also returned Ning Yi's homemade firearm. Ning Yi admitted that most of the grain from "nearby towns" had already been collected, making further procurement challenging.
Liu Xigua emphasized her responsibility for the city's plight, asking him to understand her concern. Ning Yi promised to find a way. Liu Xigua then told Ning Yi to stop addressing her as "Lord," suggesting he call her "Liu Dabiao," "Dabiao," or even "Xigua," stating that she could tolerate any form of address as long as he was not her enemy, recognizing his exceptional abilities.
Meanwhile, in Bao Wenhan's Xuanwei Camp, a subordinate reported that Bao Wenhan was still searching for the woman in the portrait (Lou Shuwant). The subordinate also reported a drastic decline in grain sales over the past three days, with no sales at all that day. They had discovered that Badao Camp was secretly distributing food for free. Bao Wenhan remained unconcerned, confident that Liu Xigua could not sustain free distribution for long.
Elsewhere, Fang Tianlei visited the armory to inspect a batch of firearms. The old artisan proudly presented "a thousand firearms," completed within seven days, assuring Fang Tianlei that these weapons would make their army "undefeatable." Fang Tianlei expressed eagerness to discuss their next military objective, but Shao Xianying quietly reminded him to focus on the task at hand. Fang Tianlei examined the firearms, praising their re-matched weight for better handling and their improved, faster fuses.
He rewarded the artisan and suggested further modifying the grip to be curved for even better ergonomics. The artisan complimented Fang Tianlei's profound knowledge of "building weapons." The artisan then announced he had "one more weapon" to present to Fang Tianlei, prompting Shao Xianying to warn Fang Tianlei to be cautious of any potential trick.
