Practice Daughter Episode 5 Recap
> Practice Daughter Recap
After Mei Yushan was not found in Chongwen Academy, Douzi was summoned to the Crown Prince Nangong Yao. Xing Shi carefully observed Douzi's face and found it remarkably familiar, bearing a striking resemblance to the Queen of Shengdong from several years prior. He recalled how the Queen had encouraged him to be a warrior. Years later, seeing nearly the same face stirred his memory. Meanwhile, three young ladies, including Huang Yuanyuan, were searching everywhere for the Crown Prince.
They found him in Mei Yushan's room and were overcome with jealousy. Huang Yuanyuan forcefully burst open the door, only to find that Mei Yushan was not inside. Instead, it was her maid, Douzi, being questioned, which slightly eased their tension. At the Astronomical Bureau, Bai Ye was struggling to divine the appearance of the Crown Princess. Just then, Mei Yushan, having climbed over the wall to hide, stumbled inside and ended up standing next to a painting.
She seemed to fit the image perfectly. Fei Kuai arrived at the Bureau looking for Mei Yushan. Bai Ye helped conceal her presence, and as Fei Kuai remained waiting outside, Bai Ye graciously offered Mei Yushan hospitality. Mei Yushan decided to stay and enjoyed a large meal. While eating, she described the supposed preferences of her "father," including roast chicken feet, haggis, and particularly extra-smelly stinky tofu from Ms. Xing's stand.
Bai Ye, unaware that the person in front of him was not the real Mei Yushan, was surprised to hear the Grand Chancellor had such unconventional tastes and often visited the market. That evening, Mei Yushan persuaded Bai Ye to teach her about observing celestial phenomena. He showed her the Big Dipper, explaining how its position relates to the seasons, and pointed out prominent stars like Arcturus and Spica. Nangong Yao reprimanded the three ladies for their impulsiveness.
He instructed them to focus on their palace studies, maintain a distance of at least three "chi" when speaking to him, and warned that any violation would be considered insubordination, including damaging palace property like doors. Finally, he inquired about Mei Yushan's whereabouts, but Douzi could not answer. Later, Nangong Yao summoned Douzi to his chambers again.
Having observed her throughout the day, he noted that the maid spoke very much like Mei Yushan, while the real Mei Yushan seemed to have become a completely different person since entering the palace. Nangong Yao produced the Moon Spirit Pearl and asked about its significance to Mei Yushan. Douzi explained it was a precious item her lady had carried since childhood and intended to give to her future husband. Nangong Yao then returned the pearl to Douzi.
Back at the Astronomical Bureau, Mei Yushan spoke casually about the Moon Spirit Pearl with Bai Ye. Bai Ye became serious, stating that the pearl was an object of ill fortune and must be destroyed immediately if found. Hearing that her maid had been taken to the Eastern Palace for questioning, Mei Yushan became frantic and decided she must go there at once.
As it was late and the Eastern Palace was under strict guard, Bai Ye intervened and used his privilege to escort her inside. Douzi was just leaving with the box containing the pearl when Mei Yushan rushed in. Nangong Yao, suspicious of the timing of Mei Yushan's sudden appearance, questioned her further and asked her to open the box to verify if its contents were the item he had misplaced.
Mei Yushan hesitated, fearing that if Bai Ye saw the pearl, she might be trapped in Douzi's body permanently. She tried to quickly usher Douzi away without opening the box. Nangong Yao ordered them to stop. Faced with no other option, Mei Yushan kicked the box away, intending to secretly retrieve the pearl afterward and return an empty box to Nangong Yao. The box fell, but to Mei Yushan's dismay, it contained no pearl.
Mei Yushan accused Nangong Yao of not being sincere in returning the item, while Nangong Yao suspected Mei Yushan had successfully retrieved the pearl through her actions. The confrontation escalated, and they parted ways unhappily. Later, back in his room, Dongxi presented the Moon Spirit Pearl to Nangong Yao. Dongxi revealed he had secretly swapped the pearl when Mei Yushan was acting tricky earlier.
Nangong Yao did not blame Dongxi but found the actions of both Mei Yushan and her maid peculiar, sensing there was a hidden matter at play. He ordered the pearl's origin to be investigated. Elsewhere, Xing Shi told Que that Mei Yushan's maid bore a striking resemblance to the Shengdong Empress Li. He suspected the maid was very likely Princess Yueying, who had gone missing years ago.
Xing Shi speculated why she would enter the palace disguised as a maid, wondering if it was tied to a prophecy about approaching the Crown Prince, though he found this unlikely given the princess's age when she disappeared. He instructed Que to enter the palace immediately and closely monitor the maid's movements.
Having secured the cooperation of Zhongwu General Su Shenhai, Xing Shi arranged for Que to pose as Su Ruomei's maid to gain proximity to Douzi and confirm her identity. Que was warned not to contact Xing Shi for minor matters and to be cautious, as Su Ruomei was unaware of her true identity. Que encountered Fei Kuai while with Su Ruomei. Fei Kuai, finding Que suspicious, attempted to apprehend her but mistakenly grabbed Su Ruomei before apologizing.
After the encounter, Su Ruomei sternly warned Que that regardless of how she had gained her father's trust to enter the palace, she must obey Su Ruomei while serving her. She threatened punishment for future transgressions. Back in their room, Mei Yushan drew a pig face on Douzi, blaming her for the failure to retrieve the pearl. Douzi complained about Mei Yushan's changing decisions, specifically regarding their sleeping arrangements.
Douzi later examined a birthmark on her shoulder, which her "Third Father" had always found strange. She noticed its pattern bore a resemblance to the Moon Spirit Pearl. An investigation into the pearl revealed it was a fragment from a fallen star, known as the Moon Spirit Pearl, a treasure of Shengdong said to have aided the Empress during the difficult birth of the princess. The pearl disappeared after Shengdong was destroyed.
Nangong Yao questioned why such a Shengdong artifact was in Mei Yushan's possession and found her intense interest, coupled with her maid's strangeness, indicative of a hidden cause. He continued the investigation. Additionally, it was reported to Nangong Yao that someone had absconded from the Relief Organization, and the number of victims was increasing, straining resources.
Nangong Yao ordered the digging of canals and the immediate recruitment of workers from among the victims, enabling them to use their skills and earn a living in the capital rather than solely relying on relief food. Later, on the first day of studies at Chongwen Academy, while others arrived through the main entrance, Mei Yushan and Douzi were seemingly late. Mei Yushan urged Douzi to hurry, and they entered the academy by climbing over a wall, narrowly avoiding detection.
