Overlord Episode 1 Recap
> Overlord Recap
The city of Silver, located in Jiannan Dao, thrived as a silk trade hub in the politically turbulent post-An Shi Rebellion era. It was distinctly divided into Northern City, home to the upper echelons of society—officials, dignitaries, and wealthy merchants—with Xinsilu, the most powerful silk establishment, dictating the local economy.
In contrast, Southern City was the domain of the lower classes, a melting pot of commoners and rogue elements, where the formidable Longzhu Gang and Snake Gang had long vied for supremacy. To settle their long-standing feuds and redefine their territories, the two gangs agreed to a high-stakes gamble on the annual Dragon Headraising Day at Wanhua.
As the day of the gamble arrived, Second Master Lyu, accompanied by Fatty and Monkey, made their way to Wanhua, eager for the showdown. Longzhu Gang members were confident in their new leader, Long Aoyi, who, despite her recent ascension from a small branch leader, had quickly garnered the loyalty of the gang, even earning the respect of the proud Second Master Lyu.
Meanwhile, Qiyan, the Snake Gang leader, publicly mocked Second Master Lyu, questioning the new leader's absence and insinuating she had fled in cowardice. Second Master Lyu simply promised that the real spectacle was yet to unfold. Unbeknownst to Qiyan, Long Aoyi was still deeply intoxicated from the previous night's drinking bout with Third Master Qiao, having outdrunk him after ten jars. Her maid, Xiaoqin, and other Longzhu Gang members were carefully transporting her in a sedan to Wanhua.
Meanwhile, in Northern City, Li Qingliu, the esteemed Master of Xinsilu, was preparing for the annual Gold Thread Fashion Show, a prestigious event determining his continued reign as the champion of silk stores. As he departed in his sedan, accompanied by his steward Yan Bin, Long Aoyi's sedan, rushing through the busy streets, suddenly halted. Long Aoyi, still draped in a crimson cloth, stumbled out, overwhelmed by nausea. A heated argument erupted between Xiaoqin and Yan Bin over right-of-way.
Seizing the opportunity amid the commotion, Li Qingliu stepped out of his sedan to buy pastries. In her disoriented state, Long Aoyi, shrouded in red, mistakenly staggered into Li Qingliu's empty sedan. Upon returning, Li Qingliu discovered the drunken Long Aoyi sprawled inside his sedan. Muddled by alcohol, she mistook him for Third Master Qiao, attempting to engage him in more drinking and even becoming physically familiar.
Disturbed by her unruly behavior and the potent smell of liquor, Li Qingliu firmly kicked her out of his sedan. Long Aoyi, now on the ground, cried out in indignation, convinced that Third Master Qiao had attacked her. Xiaoqin quickly rushed to her mistress's side, reassuring her that her rival was already passed out from drinking, but Long Aoyi, still simmering, vowed to make her assailant pay.
The Wanhua Building served as the grand stage for both city’s main events: the outer pavilion hosted the high-stakes gang gamble, while the inner pavilion showcased the elegant silk exhibition for the upper class. The proprietor of Wanhua was delighted, as this setup ensured a peaceful coexistence between the two disparate groups and, more importantly, a double income. At the Gold Thread Fashion Show, Yan Bin eloquently introduced Xinsilu's unique Gold Thread, highlighting its exquisite craftsmanship and immense value.
Li Qingliu then made a dramatic entrance from above, descending gracefully to personally unveil a magnificent gold-thread garment. Modeled after imperial clothing, it featured an intricate "carp and pearl" embroidery pattern that took forty-nine days to complete. His breathtaking presentation captivated the audience, drawing numerous admiring glances, particularly from Manager Du Xiaoxian. Concurrently, at the gamble, the first round commenced.
Long Aoyi, with a simple shake of the dice, declared a "Baozi, the take-it-all," securing an immediate victory for the Longzhu Gang. Undeterred, Qiyan quickly raised the stakes, dismissing the conventional dice cup as childish and demanding a liquor jar for the next round. He imposed a new rule: if any dice fell out of the jar, regardless of the score, the throw would be counted as a loss.
Despite her gang's protests that Qiyan was unfairly targeting their master with a strength-based challenge, Long Aoyi, finding the idea "interesting," boldly accepted the new terms. As Long Aoyi prepared to make her throw in the liquor jar, Qiyan subtly tripped her. Losing her balance, she tumbled into the inner pavilion, crashing directly onto the meticulously displayed gold-thread clothing. The accident caused a stir and considerable damage.
Thinking on his feet, Li Qingliu swiftly bound Long Aoyi to a wooden stake. Instead of lamenting the damage, he seized the opportunity to explain that the dragon pattern on Long Aoyi's back was part of a larger theme—"Fish with Pearl. Pearl in Dragon," representing a red carp that brought fortune to the Tang Dynasty. He ingeniously used the incident to demonstrate how Xinsilu's gold thread could complement any fabric, even a "common" dragon motif.
His quick wit turned disaster into triumph, earning widespread applause and a substantial order for three thousand limited-edition gold-thread apparels from an impressed Western Regions merchant. Long Aoyi, still tied to the stake, continued her protests, railing against Li Qingliu as a "profiteer" and threatening him. After the successful exhibition, Li Qingliu untied Long Aoyi.
Noticing a wound on her wrist, he proceeded to bandage it, though he quickly clarified his motive: to prevent her blood from staining the expensive Persian carpet below, lest his staff's monthly wages be docked. Long Aoyi, enraged by his callousness, retorted that her blood was far more valuable than his "crappy carpet" and vowed revenge. Meanwhile, Du Xiaoxian, observing the chaos, instructed Yan Bin to offer Long Aoyi some silver to "dismiss this drunkard."
As Long Aoyi fumed, she overheard Li Qingliu and Du Xiaoxian discussing the gangs. Du Xiaoxian voiced her disdain for the lower-class gangs entering Wanhua but noted that a setback for the Snake Gang, who controlled the silkworm supply, could drive down prices—a beneficial outcome for Xinsilu. Long Aoyi's ears perked up at the mention of silkworm supply. Back at the gamble, the previous round was declared a draw, making the final game the decider.
Long Aoyi, seizing the moment, proposed an even bigger wager: Longzhu Gang's entire fortune, including all their wine, meat, magic, opera, and flower businesses. In return, if Qiyan lost, she demanded not his five businesses, but the precious local silkworm supply. She exposed Qiyan's long-standing monopoly over the Silver City's indigenous silkworms, which, being superior to those distributed by the government, were a lifeline for local farmers.
She accused Qiyan of betraying the very people he governed by controlling and exploiting this vital trade. Despite his subordinate's warning about the connection to upper-class silk supply, Qiyan, provoked by Long Aoyi's challenge, accepted the wager. Word quickly spread among the populace about Longzhu Gang's selfless gamble to reclaim the silkworm supply for the common people. Amidst the unfolding drama, the Sixth Prince, Li Zhao, made his entrance into Silver City with his royal guard, Wu Lin.
Hearing the fervent discussions about the "Dragon-Snake gamble," Li Zhao, who preferred to be called "Mr. Zhao" outside the capital, grew curious and decided to observe the events at Wanhua. Qiyan, eager to gain an insurmountable lead, raised the stakes by adding forty thousand taels of silver to the wager, a sum that left Long Aoyi without any means to match.
At this critical juncture, Li Qingliu intervened, offering Long Aoyi his assistance to win the gamble, but on the condition of a fifty-fifty split of the winnings. Long Aoyi, suspicious of his motives, initially rejected his offer, calling him a "profiteer" attempting to "blackmail" her, and declared she would face the consequences of her gamble alone.
However, as Qiyan's victory loomed, Long Aoyi reconsidered and reluctantly accepted Li Qingliu's terms, though she firmly stipulated that she would retain ultimate control over the silkworm business. Li Qingliu then confidently placed five valuable Xinsilu title deeds, representing hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, onto the table as collateral.
Together, Li Qingliu and Long Aoyi publicly denounced Qiyan, accusing him of operating illegal private brothels, casinos, and opium dens, and of illicitly exporting silkworm eggs abroad, activities that brought immense suffering to the city's diligent farmers. Qiyan, infuriated by their accusations and alliance, retorted with a rare "Silk Token" of his own, a powerful emblem equivalent to three years' silk tax and of comparable value to Li Qingliu’s title deeds.
For the final, deciding round, Long Aoyi proposed a novel game: she acquired a child's broken lotus bowl, offering a silver ingot in exchange and advising the child to use the money for new clothes and haircuts for the Dragon Headraising Day. She then challenged Qiyan to smash the bowl, wrapped in cloth, and bet on whether the resulting number of fragments would be odd or even.
Realizing her strategy, Li Qingliu tried to intervene by calling out "even," but Qiyan objected to the interference. Long Aoyi then declared she would choose "odd." She cleverly highlighted that Qiyan, by dismissing the bowl as worthless, had forgotten his humble origins, referencing a severe drought over a decade ago when such lotus bowls were common for begging.
She then revealed her strategy: all such lotus bowls had nine petals, making the likelihood of an odd number of fragments significantly higher when broken. The gamble proceeded, and upon smashing the bowl, nine fragments were counted, securing Long Aoyi's victory. Watching the spectacle, Li Zhao found Long Aoyi "very interesting" and instructed Wu Lin to investigate both her and Li Qingliu.
In the chaotic aftermath of the gamble, Li Qingliu subtly swapped the valuable Silk Token with a fake property deed and attempted to slip away. Long Aoyi, quick to realize his deception, pursued him relentlessly, demanding the return of her silver and the silkworm eggs. During their struggle, both tumbled into a hidden wine cellar. Meanwhile, Qiyan, discovering the "ghostly scribbles" of the fake deed, erupted in fury and ordered his men to attack the Longzhu Gang.
Xiaoqin and Yan Bin, surprisingly, joined forces to fend off Qiyan's attacking gang members. As Qiyan searched the premises for Li Qingliu and Long Aoyi, the wine cellar owner, desperate to protect his precious liquor from further damage, artfully diverted Qiyan's attention by promising him several jars of his finest wine, allowing Li Qingliu and Long Aoyi to remain hidden and ultimately escape. Back at his mansion, Commissioner Du of Jiannan Dao formally welcomed Prince Li Zhao.
Li Zhao revealed his true purpose in Silver City: he was acting as the Envoy of the Salt and Iron Bureau, dispatched by the imperial court to investigate the burgeoning tax corruption within Jiannan Dao. Commissioner Du, pledging his full loyalty and cooperation, offered his daughter, Du Xiaoxian, a meticulous and gentle woman, to assist Li Zhao during his stay.
Meanwhile, still in the wine cellar, Long Aoyi vehemently argued with Li Qingliu, asserting her right to the winnings as the victor of the gamble. She launched into a tearful and heartfelt account of her arduous life: a young gang master burdened with supporting numerous younger siblings, toiling since childhood without parents, frequently hungry, and even selling tofu to survive. She spoke of the immense hardship of a young girl navigating a male-dominated gang world.
Then, unexpectedly, Long Aoyi confessed her feelings to Li Qingliu, stating, "I have a crush on you." Moved by her emotional plea and sudden confession, Li Qingliu relented and handed her a bag filled with gold and silver.
