Ni Chang Episode 19 Recap
> Ni Chang Recap
Ye Rong, when questioned by Ouyang Ziyu about who paid her, admitted she did not know the person's identity. She was simply instructed to testify in court and not concern herself with anything else. Meanwhile, Yan Wenxiu discovered that Su Wenyu had disappeared from his room after she brought him chicken soup. Su Wenyu, in a state of agitation, went to the jail and encountered Ouyang Ziyu.
He pleaded with Ouyang Ziyu to help clear Xie Xiaoni's name, insisting on her innocence and her inability to kill anyone. Ouyang Ziyu, promising to do his best to find a solution, grew suspicious of Su Wenyu's frantic behavior and asked if he knew any hidden truths. Su Wenyu quickly denied any knowledge and hastily departed. Ouyang Ziyu then visited Xie Xiaoni in prison with Xiao Lu.
He was visibly angry and heartbroken to see her hands were severely reddened from torture. Xie Xiaoni, however, appeared composed and asked him to convey a message to her uncle, aunt, Yuan Xiang, and Cheng Tian: that life and death are destined, and she was already content to have such loving relatives, even if she were to die. Ouyang Ziyu, vowing to rescue her, urged her to wait until she was free to tell them herself.
She then urged him to leave, not wanting him to linger in such a dangerous place. Despite her reluctance to let him stay, Ouyang Ziyu insisted he would save her. In court, Ye Rong retracted her previous testimony, claiming she suffered from hallucinations. She stated that while she saw Xie Xiaoni follow Shen Lan, she did not actually witness the murder; everything else was a product of her imagination.
She presented Dr. Hu, who confirmed that she had been his patient for two years for this condition, validating her retraction. The prefect, confused, asked Xie Xiaoni where she was on the night of the murder, as she returned home late. At this moment, Ouyang Ziyu intervened, announcing that Xie Xiaoni had been with him all night, and he had personally escorted her home.
Recognizing Ouyang Ziyu as Prince Luo, the prefect immediately knelt and, acknowledging the Prince's testimony, declared Xie Xiaoni innocent and ordered her immediate release. Ouyang Ziyu promptly picked up a surprised Xie Xiaoni, intent on taking her to a medical clinic, ignoring her protests about the impropriety of his actions. Su Wenyu, observing the scene from a distance, looked on with sadness.
Back at home, Xie Xiaoni was greeted by a celebratory meal prepared by her uncle, aunt, Cheng Tian, and Yuan Xiang. Ouyang Ziyu was also present, requesting to be addressed simply as "Mr. Ouyang" as he valued freedom over titles. He urged Xie Xiaoni to prioritize her recovery and to focus on rebuilding Fang's, reminding her that she was the "backbone" of the family, and without her, Cheng Tian and Yuan Xiang would lose hope.
Xie Xiaoni, understanding his words, realized she shouldn't dwell in self-pity. Later, Xiaoqin informed Ouyang Ziyu that the entire capital was abuzz with the news of him testifying for Xie Xiaoni, anticipating political repercussions. However, Ouyang Ziyu dismissed these concerns, stating he had no real political power. He remained convinced that Su Wenyu had hidden information regarding the case.
Meanwhile, Su Gongming and Yan Wenxiu discussed their worries; Su Gongming feared Xie Xiaoni might investigate who framed her, and Yan Wenxiu expressed concern about the evidence, particularly the scissors. Xie Xiaoni later sought out Ye Rong, thanking her for her help but pressing for the identity of the person who bribed her. Ye Rong, however, denied being bribed, reiterating her claim of suffering from hallucinations.
Xie Xiaoni found this hard to believe, noting that Dr. Hu had previously treated her for abnormal menstruation, not hallucinations. Tearfully, Ye Rong explained that she was already in immense danger for helping Xie Xiaoni and could not reveal anything further, politely asking her to leave. The Chamber of Commerce, led by Su Gongming, arrived at Fang's, demanding they close down, citing past misconduct. Xie Xiaoni defiantly refused, asserting Fang's innocence.
Yuan Xiang, distressed, pointed out that the Chamber controlled their raw material supply, making it impossible to fulfill new orders, especially with Xie Xiaoni's injured hands. Many existing orders had already been canceled. Su Wenyu, upon hearing of his uncle's actions, confronted Su Gongming, urging him not to be so ruthless, especially since Xie Xiaoni was innocent.
Su Gongming silenced him, insisting that he was acting for the Su family's future and that Xie Xiaoni should no longer be a part of Su Wenyu's life. He then confined Su Wenyu to his room, reminding him of his responsibility to the family's hundreds of lives. Ouyang Ziyu found Xie Xiaoni in her workshop, despite her still-stiff hands, diligently grinding blue madder to make natural dyes for their own cloth, since the Chamber had cut off their supply.
Xie Xiaoni confessed she was still baffled by who wanted to harm her. Ouyang Ziyu, concerned for her safety, suggested she leave the capital to avoid danger. However, Xie Xiaoni steadfastly refused, declaring she had done nothing wrong and would not hide like a "mouse." She stated that Fang's was her home and her family, and she would not abandon them.
Respecting her determination, Ouyang Ziyu made her promise not to investigate the matter alone and to inform him of any actions she planned to take. Later that night, as Ouyang Ziyu played his flute, Cheng Tian, drawn by the melody, found Yuan Xiang and gently held her hand. Ouyang Ziyu then gifted his flute to Xie Xiaoni, playfully remarking that he would have to ask her for it whenever he wished to play.
He reached out as if to touch her face but instead placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. Xie Xiaoni, wiping away her tears, revealed she had another important request for him. Yan Wenxiu, hearing that Xie Xiaoni was attempting to make her own cloth, scoffed, convinced Fang's would fail without a stable supply. Meanwhile, Xie Xiaoni, Cheng Tian, and Yuan Xiang toiled through the night to dye the fabrics.
Cheng Tian urged Xie Xiaoni and Yuan Xiang to rest, promising to oversee the dyeing himself. In the dead of night, as Cheng Tian dozed, a girl knocked, pretending to be a runaway servant trying to sell stolen valuables to fund her return home. As Cheng Tian was distracted by her tale of hardship, Yan Wenxiu slipped into Fang's and poured green alum oil into the dye vat.
The next morning, Cheng Tian's horrified shouts woke everyone as he discovered the entire batch of cloth was ruined and corroded. Xie Xiaoni immediately recognized the corrosive agent as green alum oil and realized the girl's distraction had been a setup. With the delivery date fast approaching, they desperately tried to buy more raw fabric, only to find that the Su family had bought out the entire market, leaving no cloth for Fang's.
Despite her inner despair, Xie Xiaoni tried to reassure her family, asserting that "there is always a way out." Just when Yan Wenxiu and Su Gongming were celebrating their perceived victory, Ouyang Ziyu arrived at Fang's. He informed Xie Xiaoni that he had rescued the old woman from prison whom Xie Xiaoni had previously wanted to help. Thanks to Xie Xiaoni's earlier insights, he had found the true perpetrator, cleared the woman's name, and helped her reclaim her seized land.
The grateful old woman thanked Xie Xiaoni profusely, but Xie Xiaoni redirected her gratitude to Ouyang Ziyu. Ouyang Ziyu modestly stated he was merely fulfilling Xie Xiaoni's request, and then arranged for Xiao Lu to escort the woman home.
