Qing Luo Episode 9 Recap
> Qing Luo Recap
Yu Qingluo turned her back on Ye Xiudu and walked away, while Ye Xiudu helplessly lowered his hand, his eyes red. He tried to offer her a new jade pendant, but Yu Qingluo refused it, asserting that the original was always the most fitting and that while they might seem the same initially, problems would arise over time, just like with the human heart.
Ye Xiudu dismissed this as an excuse, vowing that he could care for her and Nan Nan better than the boy’s biological father. Yu Qingluo retorted that his was merely wishful thinking and confirmed that any feelings between them were solely her own wishful thinking, stemming from her mistaken belief that he was Nan Nan’s father. Since that fact was now disproven, they had to go their separate ways.
Later, Jin Liuli found Yu Qingluo, who was hiding her emotions but still appeared distraught. Jin Liuli asked if she regretted what she had said, to which Yu Qingluo replied that she was not to be underestimated and felt relieved returning to her carefree state from Zuimeng City. However, Jin Liuli observed Yu Qingluo's furrowed brow, indicating she was still preoccupied with finding clues about Nan Nan's father. Yu Qingluo revealed that they had overlooked a critical person.
Meanwhile, Ye Xiudu vented his frustration through strenuous training, even losing focus during a spar with Ye Haoran. Ye Haoran noted that Ye Xiudu’s emotional state was making him careless, exposing his weakness to his opponents. He cautioned Ye Xiudu to calm down for the upcoming pledge match and to resolve his issues with Yu Qingluo. Ye Xiudu, however, remained confident, stating that failure was not in his vocabulary.
Yu Qingluo decided that Yu Zuolin was the key figure in her mysterious memories and sought a way to make him appear. Just then, Li Zifan arrived with an invitation for the Four Kingdom Contest's pledge match. He explained that the winner of the contest would be promoted to Grand General, a title Yu Zuolin would surely covet. Seizing the opportunity, Jin Liuli proposed a plan to help Yu Qingluo get close to Yu Zuolin during the match.
The next day, during the pledge match, Ye Xiudu secured an easy victory, emerging as the champion. As soon as the match concluded, he searched for Yu Qingluo. Meanwhile, Princess Xiangxiang, pleased that Yu Qingluo had moved out of the prince's mansion, believed her rival could no longer compete for Ye Xiudu’s affection. When Ye Xiudu approached, Princess Xiangxiang mistakenly thought he was looking for her and assumed an embroidered ball he held was for her.
She enthusiastically accepted it and then tried to give him a congratulatory gift. However, Ye Xiudu quickly clarified that the embroidered ball was intended for Yu Qingluo, not her, much to the princess's dismay. Jin Liuli and Li Zifan had already put their plan into action. Jin Liuli intentionally bumped into Yu Zuolin’s wife, Li Ranran, while disguised as a clumsy maid.
Li Ranran, annoyed by the maid's carelessness, was about to scold her when Jin Liuli claimed to be Princess Xiangxiang's personal maid. Not daring to offend the princess, Li Ranran merely expressed her displeasure. Li Zifan then intervened, offering Li Ranran clean clothes and escorting her away to change, thus clearing the path. Yu Qingluo, using Jin Liuli’s disguise technique and Voice Imitation, transformed into Li Ranran and entered Yu Zuolin's tent.
Yu Zuolin inquired about the amber grass and sawgrass, which Yu Qingluo confirmed were ready. She skillfully steered the conversation toward Han Jiangxue's pregnancy, hinting at a possible scandal. Yu Zuolin vehemently denied any involvement with Han Jiangxue, explaining that he had arranged for a philanderer to disgrace her, but the plan failed, yet she became pregnant afterward. He admitted he did not know who Nan Nan's biological father was.
Just as Yu Qingluo’s Voice Imitation began to fail after half an hour, Ye Xiudu unexpectedly arrived, creating a diversion. He entered the tent, taunted Yu Zuolin about his previous defeat, and challenged him to win the upcoming Four Kingdom Contest, ensuring that Yu Qingluo could discreetly leave. Once the real Li Ranran returned, Yu Zuolin realized he had been tricked and immediately dispatched guards to capture the "maid" he suspected was involved in the deception (Jin Liuli).
Ye Haoran spotted Jin Liuli trying to escape the guards and brought her into a tent, wrongly suspecting she was trying to steal Yu Qingluo's medical books. To ensure her escape and maintain secrecy, Jin Liuli knocked him out. Alone with the real Li Ranran, Yu Zuolin speculated that Han Jiangxue was trying to uncover Nan Nan's paternity because she was suffering from Soul-lost disease and had forgotten her past.
Li Ranran informed him that her father had ordered the planting of the Tianzhu tree, which had already bloomed. Li Ranran then proposed a plan to Yu Zuolin: to use the illness caused by the Tianzhu flower, which was now spreading across the city, as an opportunity. She suggested her father report to the Monarch, pushing for Yu Qingluo to be put in charge of curing the widespread illness.
If Yu Qingluo failed to cure the disease within a strict timeframe, her medical books, including the "Shennong Pharmacopoeia," would be confiscated and fall into Yu Zuolin’s hands, allowing them to complete the "five-grass powder." Meanwhile, Ye Xiudu confronted Yu Qingluo about her dangerous actions, expressing deep worry. He offered to help her find Nan Nan's father, promising to compete fairly for her affection once the father was found.
Yu Qingluo, however, insisted on handling it herself, explaining that Nan Nan suffered immensely from not knowing his father and that she, as a mother, was willing to take any risk for him. Their conversation was interrupted by Luo Hanguo, who rushed in with news that Nan Nan had fallen ill with typhoid fever. Yu Qingluo went to prepare medicine, while both Li Zifan and Ye Xiudu vied to care for the sick boy, eventually falling asleep by his side.
The next morning, Yu Qingluo found Ye Xiudu and Li Zifan huddled around Nan Nan, covering him too heavily, and playfully scolded them. Later, while Ye Xiudu was out buying food, he noticed many people in the city exhibiting rashes, indicating a wider outbreak. Soon after, a royal edict arrived at Qingnang Pavilion, ordering Yu Qingluo to cure the city's typhoid patients within three days. Despite Jin Liuli’s concerns about the tight deadline, Yu Qingluo reluctantly accepted the decree.
Princess Xiangxiang, hearing the news, met with Li Ranran, who fueled her resentment against Yu Qingluo, implying that this task might be Yu Qingluo's downfall. Yu Qingluo discovered a rash on Nan Nan’s hand, a symptom not detailed in her medical texts. Ye Xiudu recalled a historical account of soldiers suffering a similar illness during a winter campaign at Tongmu Pass, which led to their defeat. He suggested looking for more information in the Imperial Medical Bureau's forbidden historical records.
Yu Qingluo cautioned that such an act was a felony. But Ye Xiudu, determined to help, declared he had a plan and would go alone, telling Yu Qingluo to wait. He secretly infiltrated the Imperial Medical Bureau library. Upon opening a relevant scroll, he suddenly felt dizzy and weak, realizing he might have contracted the rash-inducing illness. Yu Qingluo arrived shortly after, and as a mysterious mist emanated from the book, they covered their mouths and noses.
Soldiers pursued them, but a commotion outside the door momentarily distracted the guards. Ye Xiudu, increasingly disoriented, eventually collapsed onto Yu Qingluo’s shoulder as they tried to escape through the thick mist. Unbeknownst to them, Princess Xiangxiang's subordinates had spotted Ye Xiudu and were following him.
