Practice Daughter Episode 14 Recap
> Practice Daughter Recap
Mei Yushan's mother arrived at the Guixiu Pavilion insisting on seeing her daughter. Mei Yushan, weakened and unable to explain the situation, introduced Douzi as herself, asking her mother to help conceal the truth from the Queen. The Queen stormed into the room, went directly to the bed, and pulled back the covers. She found Mei Yushan lying there, seemingly ill. Mei Yushan, despite her weakness, forced herself to bow in greeting to the Queen.
Douzi and Mei Yushan exchanged a look of relief as the Queen, seeing Mei Yushan was indeed unwell, decided not to stay long and left, urging her to rest. After the Queen departed, Mei Yushan's mother, still believing Douzi was her daughter, expressed concern about her changed demeanor. She presented a box of specially prepared food, including a dish she called "Stewed Melon with Longjing Tea" made with premature melon, stating it used to be Mei Yushan's favorite.
Douzi tasted it but immediately spat it out, calling it bitter gourd. The mother, noting the Queen's indifferent attitude towards her daughter, worried Mei Yushan was not favored and blamed her for failing her father's expectations and not considering her brothers' future prospects. Mei Yushan (acting as Douzi) argued that it was unreasonable to place the entire family's hopes on a single daughter. Douzi, overhearing this while pretending to be the maid, vigorously nodded in agreement.
The mother, saddened by what she perceived as her daughter's lack of understanding, compared her expectations to historical figures like Mulan and Zhaojun, saying she only wanted Mei Yushan to secure her brothers' future. Mei Yushan responded that asking a daughter to be a sacrifice for her brothers was absurd, especially when considering figures like Zhaojun, who faced fear and unease. She questioned if her upbringing was solely to make her a sacrifice.
Douzi interjected, echoing that daughters shouldn't have to repeat such tragedies. The mother persisted, praising the Crown Prince's qualities and asking what was wrong with marrying him. Mei Yushan countered that marriage required mutual affection. As it was getting late, the mother prepared to leave. After Mei Yushan's mother left, Douzi expressed envy towards Mei Yushan for having a mother who cared enough to visit her when she was sick.
She confided in Mei Yushan about constantly asking her three fathers about her own mother's identity and appearance, only for them to avoid her questions. Douzi longed to know her true background and whether her mother had abandoned her because she disliked her. Mei Yushan comforted her, promising to protect her, and Douzi reciprocated the promise. Meanwhile, Bai Ye had sent a spy to monitor the Guixiu Pavilion.
The spy reported that he couldn't clearly see the face of the girl inside because the room was dark, and she had left quickly when Mei Yushan's mother arrived. The spy asked Bai Ye why he was monitoring the maid. Bai Ye expressed hope that this matter was unrelated to Douzi, fearing it would lead to significant trouble otherwise. In another part of the palace, Que, the maid attending Su Ruomei, seemed happy.
She told Su Ruomei that the Queen had visited the Guixiu Pavilion, likely regarding the incident where the Crown Prince fell into the water. Que then revealed that the person saved by the Crown Prince was not Mei Yushan but her maid. Su Ruomei was surprised, and Que began to instigate her, suggesting that the maid might steal the Crown Prince's affection and didn't deserve it.
Que suggested that Su Ruomei report this to the Queen, offering the Queen's name as someone who could help. The Queen later summoned the residents of the Chongwen Academy, stating that although the academy was for teaching principles, someone had caused trouble and gossip. She ordered the arrest of Mei Yushan's maid. Douzi, still acting as the maid, was seized. She demanded to know her crime.
The Queen declared it a capital crime, accusing her of pulling her lady, feigning falling into the water, and seducing the Crown Prince. Douzi denied the accusations, asserting it was not true. The Queen ordered Mei Yushan (the actual Mei Yushan, who was trying to intervene) to be taken aside, finding her attempts to defend Douzi annoying. The Queen accused the "maid" (Douzi) of wishing to rise above her station.
Douzi, maintaining her guise as the maid, argued that she truly fell into the water as she could not swim, and if her goal was seduction, risking her life in such a way was illogical when other safer methods existed. The Queen then directly asked if she harbored feelings for the Crown Prince. Douzi emphatically denied it. Just then, Eunuch Song arrived, presenting a jade pendant found in the "maid's" (Douzi's) room.
Douzi was shocked, wondering how it ended up in the palace after she had given it to "that woman" (referring to the mysterious person she met at the Museum). The Queen demanded an explanation for possessing the Crown Prince's jade pendant if she had no affection for him.
Another maid then stepped forward, claiming she had overheard Douzi (as the maid) confess in her sleep to stealing the Moon Spirit Pearl from the Museum the night the Crown Prince stayed there. The maid presented the Moon Spirit Pearl as evidence, claiming to have found it in Douzi's room.
Bai Ye was present during this confrontation and, seeing the pearl, recognized it as the one he had been searching for, wondering if the prophecy related to the fishtail birthmark was indeed coming true and if Douzi was connected. The Queen, convinced by the evidence, declared the "maid" (Douzi) to be of poor character and guilty of two crimes, ordering her arrest. Xing Shi, witnessing the escalating situation, rushed to the Eastern Palace to find the Crown Prince, Nangong Yao.
He was told by Nanbei that the Crown Prince had left earlier to handle a case regarding fake refugees and had gone elsewhere. Unaware of his precise location, Xing Shi quickly tried to locate him. The Queen, stating she usually didn't use private punishment but deemed it necessary due to the maid's perceived malicious intent, ordered that Douzi be given fifty strokes with a paddle and expelled from the palace.
As the guards prepared to strike, Douzi screamed at them to stop and shielded Mei Yushan with her body, refusing to move. The Queen, asserting her authority, ordered the guards to drag Douzi away and strike her. Mei Yushan pleaded with Douzi to move aside, fearing for her life from the heavy punishment. Seeing Douzi's refusal and the apparent sisterly bond, the Queen, calling Douzi stubborn, ordered them to hit them both.
Douzi cried out in pain as the paddles began to fall. Just as the situation became dire, Nangong Yao arrived. An attendant, seeing him rush in, asked why he seemed panicked. Xing Shi had found him and informed him that Mei Yushan and her maid had been arrested and were in danger at the Chongwen Academy.
Upon his arrival, Bai Ye, also present and unable to bear seeing Mei Yushan treated this way, stepped forward to plead with the Queen for mercy for Mei Yushan, offering his Waning Moon Pendant as a token given to him by the Emperor that was said to ward off disaster. The Queen dismissed his plea, stating he was already a sinner and couldn't intercede for others.
Bai Ye argued that the Emperor had promised the token's power to protect him from disaster and hoped it could protect Mei Yushan. The Queen remained resolute, declaring that nothing would save the maid today, not even the Emperor himself. She ordered the guards to continue the punishment. Nangong Yao arrived and greeted the Queen. The Queen asked if he had come to plead for mercy.
Nangong Yao replied he was there for the show and asked if she was punishing them for yesterday's incident. The Queen confirmed this. Nangong Yao then suggested that mere physical punishment was too light and they deserved something heavier, like broken limbs or even death. The Queen was shocked by his words. Nangong Yao ordered an attendant to silence his mother.
He then explained that pushing Mei Yushan into the lake the previous day was simply him indulging in a playful whim. Her maid had jumped in to protect her and also fell. He admitted getting angry afterward because Mei Yushan didn't show proper deference. He asserted that as the Crown Prince, he had the authority to push anyone into the water if he wished. Therefore, his mother punishing them for him was entirely reasonable.
The Queen questioned him about the jade pendant found in the maid's room. Nangong Yao calmly stated that he had given it to her to make up for his actions. The Queen, still suspicious, accused him of protecting them and insisted that the maid's theft of the Moon Spirit Pearl was proven fact, adding that even his father couldn't save her now.
When the attendant presented the pearl found in the room, Nangong Yao explained that the pearl was originally in the eye socket of the Domestic Cat Monster statue in the Museum, but the other eye held a bodhi fruit, making it look strangely asymmetrical to him, so he had simply removed the pearl. He confirmed he had given the pearl to them, questioning Eunuch Song if he needed his permission to bestow gifts.
He dismissed the pearl as not valuable and said he gave it because they liked it, even offering to find more for the Queen if she was interested. The Queen, exasperated, told him it was enough and ordered him to step aside. Nangong Yao lingered, saying he wanted to continue watching the show. The Queen concluded that yesterday's matter was likely a misunderstanding and she would investigate further before making a final decision.
Nangong Yao protested, arguing that their disrespect towards him amounted to disrespect towards the royal family, a crime punishable by death for their entire clan. The Queen called his outburst absurd, reminding him that Prime Minister Mei was an important minister and his father's close confidant. Nangong Yao then proposed punishing Mei Yushan by making her perform hard labor in the Eastern Palace for a few months, claiming he would punish her severely there.
Ultimately, the Queen declared that due to Mei Yushan's public defiance, she would be punished by copying the palace rules fifty times at the Chongwen Academy. Her maid, for failing to protect her lady, would also be punished and forced to kneel alongside Mei Yushan until the copying was completed. The Queen then departed. Mei Yushan and Douzi began copying the rules. Mei Yushan copied late into the night until she was exhausted and fell asleep while kneeling.
Douzi, though pretending to be the maid being punished, also had to kneel and copy. She complained about having used an entire bottle of ink and still not being finished. Douzi wondered why the other maid had framed her for stealing the pearl and if Su Ruomei might be involved due to her closeness with Nangong Yao, but couldn't understand how they would know about the pearl or how the pendant reappeared in her room.
Later, Nangong Yao arrived at the Chongwen Academy, stating he was there to inspect on his mother's behalf. Attendants woke Douzi, telling her the Empress was inspecting. Douzi initially thought the Empress had sent a man to administer more punishment. Nangong Yao brought cushions for them to rest on and offered them food. During his visit, Nangong Yao made a gesture that Douzi recognized as a secret code used by her fathers.
Calling him "Little Master," she asked if he had left the palace that day. He confirmed he had, stating he had interrogated three thieves who were arrested about two weeks prior. He explained they had pretended to be refugees to claim relief funds and had stolen money meant for the real refugees. He revealed that he would personally oversee their decapitation the following day at noon. Meanwhile, Liu Qinyuan's plan was set in motion.
A messenger from Liu Qinyuan approached Shen Yu, the official responsible for the disaster relief case. The messenger conveyed Liu Qinyuan's desire for the case involving the fake refugees to be concluded swiftly. He informed Shen Yu that the Crown Prince would personally review the case again tomorrow at noon and decide whether to execute the men.
Shen Yu noted that the evidence against the three men was solid, but as the Crown Prince was in charge of the refugee hiring, having him execute the men would be politically damaging. The messenger stressed that the incident occurred within Shen Yu's jurisdiction and could become a problem in court. Shen Yu asked for Liu Qinyuan's specific instructions.
The messenger conveyed that Liu Qinyuan wanted Shen Yu to force confessions from the men and advance their execution to the Chen hour tomorrow. Shen Yu hesitated, but the messenger promised rewards if he succeeded and warned he would lose his position if he failed. Shen Yu eventually agreed, stating he would need to meet Liu Qinyuan.
The messenger reported back to Liu Qinyuan that Shen Yu had agreed and that arrangements had been made with the refugees and a witch. They confirmed that the news of the early execution would spread by morning. The witch's daughter was held, ensuring her cooperation. Liu Qinyuan noted that the execution would attract many refugees and ordered his men to mingle among them and incite chaos.
The plan was to frame the disaster as a sign of impending national destruction and label the Crown Prince as the source of misfortune. Knowing the refugees had lost family, a little incitement would easily lead them to cause trouble. Liu Qinyuan approved the plan, cautioning his subordinate to be extremely careful. His subordinate asked about arrangements in the imperial court.
Liu Qinyuan advised waiting, stating his family's deep-rooted influence would make it difficult for the Queen to easily remove him. The subordinate questioned why Liu Qinyuan chose to work with others against the Prince instead of aligning with him, given the Prince's favor with the Emperor and growing support among officials. Liu Qinyuan explained that an upright and decisive ruler like the Crown Prince would relentlessly eliminate corruption, leaving no place for old, self-serving officials like himself and his allies. He concluded that despite the uncertainty, they had to take this gamble to bring the Prince down to protect their own positions.
