Ni Chang Episode 1 Recap
> Ni Chang Recap
A carriage carried Prince Ouyang Ziyu through the silent night. As he rested, the carriage suddenly broke apart, and assassins attacked. His personal guard, Xiao Lu, urgently cried, "Jump, prince!" Ouyang Ziyu managed to push Xiao Lu to safety, but he himself plunged into a deep cliff with the wreckage. Half a month earlier, the Palace Bazaar was a lively scene.
An imperial notice had been posted, announcing a brocade contest where the winning merchant would be granted the prestigious title of "imperial merchant," supplying the palace and providing national gifts—a pathway to immense glory. Xie Xiaoni, a daughter of Xie's Silk and Cloth Shop, excitedly tore down the notice, declaring her family's intent to participate. As she hurried home, she accidentally bumped into Ouyang Ziyu, who remarked on her rudeness, though neither paid much mind to the encounter.
Back at Xie's Silk and Cloth Shop, Xie Xiaoni searched for her brother, Xie Feng. He immediately scolded her for running around the city, deeming it improper for a girl. Their father, Master Xie, joined in the reprimand for her unauthorized outing. Xie Xiaoni then presented the imperial notice, explaining the contest. Master Xie, however, was wary of such grand endeavors, preferring their humble, honest business.
Xie Xiaoni voiced her desire to help the family, questioning why Xie Feng, also a girl, could manage the business but she could not. Master Xie sternly silenced her, revealing the family secret: the Xie line had no male heirs in their generation, so Xie Feng had been raised as a boy to prevent outsiders from inheriting their vast enterprise.
Xie Feng, however, persuaded their father, emphasizing that the contest offered a fair opportunity to compete and elevate their shop, especially against rivals like Su's cloth shop, who benefited from the bureau's favor. Master Xie, recognizing Xie Feng's ambition, ultimately agreed to let him gain experience through the contest. At the Palace Bureau, Deputy Commander Yuan Daocheng convened his officials.
Mr. Gao announced the emperor's order to hold the brocade contest to showcase national strength during the upcoming visit of Western Zhou envoys, promising rewards for its success. He lauded Lord Yuan's administrative prowess and effective management. It was further revealed that Prince Ouyang Ziyu would supervise the contest. While others spoke of the Prince's renowned impartiality, Lord Yuan scoffed, viewing Ouyang Ziyu as a mere "idle prince" with no real power.
He feared Ouyang Ziyu might choose "low-end merchants," which would "discredit our bureau," and decided they merely needed to cooperate with him. At Prince Luo's Residence, maid Sister Xiaoqin was momentarily entranced by Prince Ouyang Ziyu, who was deep in thought while reading. Xiao Lu, the Prince's personal guard, teasingly warned her, "If you keep looking this way, you won't get married," citing the saying, "You will miss your marriage if you see Prince Luo."
Xiaoqin dismissed him, affirming her admiration for the Prince. Xiao Lu then complained to Ouyang Ziyu about being underutilized as a "personal guard" and constantly sent on errands like an "idler." Ouyang Ziyu, however, remained focused on his task, questioning Xiao Lu about the differing silk prices in the city's north and south. When Xiao Lu couldn't explain the 0. 1 liang discrepancy, Ouyang Ziyu simply instructed him to investigate further.
A crisis soon struck Xie's Silk and Cloth Shop: the new fabric prepared for the brocade contest developed stubborn dark spots in the dye pond. Xie Feng suggested tripling the dye, but Master Xie, advocating frugality, rejected the costly solution. They settled on trying to use alum to clean the dye. Observing the problem, Xie Xiaoni secretly slipped out of the house. As night fell and she remained absent, her mother grew frantic, fearing kidnapping.
Xie Feng eventually found her near the city gate and brought her back. Master Xie was furious, demanding to know her whereabouts. When Xie Xiaoni refused to answer, he threatened her with a ruler. Her mother and Xie Feng shielded her, with Xie Feng offering to take the punishment. Xie Xiaoni then bravely stepped forward, declaring her innocence and daring her father to strike her. Master Xie, unable to do so, relented.
Later, Xie Feng questioned Xie Xiaoni again about her outing, but she remained tight-lipped, leading him to assume she was merely mischievous. The next morning, the dye pond's dark spots had miraculously vanished. Xie Feng was puzzled, but Master Xie, noticing Xie Xiaoni's knowing smiles, called her aside. Under his persistent questioning, Xie Xiaoni confessed that she had added charcoal to the pond.
She explained she had learned of charcoal's strong adsorption properties and had gone outside the city to a kiln to find it when city shops had none. She also noted widespread water contamination in villagers' tanks, likely due to abnormal weather. Master Xie, though impressed by her initiative, reprimanded her for acting secretly. After she sincerely apologized, he chose not to punish her. Seizing the moment, Xie Xiaoni asked to learn business from Xie Feng.
With her brother's enthusiastic support, Master Xie agreed, hoping she would help expand Xie's brand. Excited, Xie Xiaoni immediately asked Xie Feng to take her hunting the next day. Despite his initial reluctance, citing their father's rules for girls, Xie Feng relented to her persistent pleas. At Yuan Daocheng's mansion, he hosted Ouyang Ziyu to discuss the brocade contest.
Mr. Gao strongly advocated for Su's cloth shop, citing their long-standing reliability and their shrewd second master, Su Gongming, claiming that choosing them would "save a lot of troubles." Ouyang Ziyu, however, firmly declared that as the emperor's supervisor, he would prioritize "fairness" above all else, asserting that the most skilled would win and that he had observed many talented, cost-effective weavers during his city visits. He concluded that they should "just let them compete fairly."
After the dinner, Ouyang Ziyu's attendant suddenly suffered from an upset stomach. Xiao Lu, the personal guard, took his place to drive the carriage back to Prince Luo's Residence. Unbeknownst to them, Yuan Daocheng and Mr. Gao had tampered with the carriage, intending for Ouyang Ziyu to sustain an injury that would prevent him from supervising the contest. However, their scheme backfired. The carriage broke on the stagecoach road, careening toward a cliff.
Ouyang Ziyu, to save Xiao Lu, pushed him to safety but plunged with the carriage into the chasm. The next day, Mr. Gao reported the prince's fall to Yuan Daocheng, feigning surprise at his "unlucky" fate. Yuan Daocheng was enraged, fearing imperial scrutiny. Mr. Gao attempted to calm him, suggesting the incident was a secret with no evidence to link them, and chillingly speculated that with "many wild wolves in that mountain," Ouyang Ziyu's body might never be found.
The next day, Xie Feng and Xie Xiaoni were hunting in the forest. While chasing a rabbit, Xie Xiaoni accidentally shot an arrow. To her shock, she discovered a man—the fallen Ouyang Ziyu—and feared her arrow had killed him. Xie Feng quickly determined Ouyang Ziyu was alive but injured from the fall, noting that Xie Xiaoni's arrow had caused only a superficial wound. He suggested they report it to local officials, adhering to their father's advice against meddling.
Xie Xiaoni, however, pleaded with her brother to rescue him, feeling a deep responsibility as her arrow had still struck him. She insisted that she would be "guilty for a lifetime" if they left him to die. Yielding to her earnest pleas, Xie Feng agreed to take Ouyang Ziyu back, promising to accept any punishment from their father.
