Romance of a Twin Flower Episode 3 Recap
> Romance of a Twin Flower Recap
An admirer of Ning Yuxuan offered Muxu five hundred taels for a chance to dine with him. Muxu relayed this to Nie Sangyu, who, eager to earn money, accepted. She approached Ning Yuxuan, claiming that her doctor suggested revisiting past activities could restore her memory and that she used to watch him eat at Kuixing Restaurant. She told him she had booked a table for three days later, but he flatly refused.
When she questioned him, he retorted that he had no desire for the "provocative and arrogant" Nie Sangyu to return, preferring her current amnesiac state. Gui Bai reported to Ning Yuxuan that their investigation into bandit gangs had revealed sightings of a man named Lang, but little else was known about him. The key informant had also died in prison overnight.
Ning Yuxuan ordered the investigation to continue, expanding the search to the South, determined to find Lang no matter how difficult. Nie Sangyu then tried a different tactic, bringing Ning Yuxuan a bowl of soup she claimed to have made herself and apologizing for her past behavior. He rejected both the apology and the soup, reminding her he never consumed anything she prepared.
For the sake of the five hundred taels, Nie Sangyu endured the rejection and revealed a new story: a gravely ill girl who deeply admired him wished only to share a meal with him as her last wish. Unmoved, Ning Yuxuan instructed Gui Bai to keep her away. Desperate, Nie Sangyu asked Muxu about Ning Yuxuan's hobbies, hoping to find leverage.
Muxu mentioned that besides suppressing bandits, Ning Yuxuan was only attached to Gui Bai and a prized Ferghana horse, a gift from the Emperor. Nie Sangyu decided to take the horse, leaving a note for Ning Yuxuan: meet her at Kuixing Restaurant, or she would kill and eat the horse. Recognizing the threat but intrigued by her persistence, Ning Yuxuan asked Gui Bai for his opinion. Gui Bai suggested she might be seeking reconciliation.
Ning Yuxuan decided to go but instructed Gui Bai to bring along concealed archers. At the restaurant, Nie Sangyu explained to a worried Muxu that her constant pestering followed by an unconventional threat was a form of reverse psychology. The client, Miss Gao, arrived, and Nie Sangyu instructed her to act like a friend. When Ning Yuxuan arrived and Nie Sangyu introduced them, the startled Miss Gao fled. Immediately, masked assassins led by Lang attacked.
Nie Sangyu, genuinely shocked, insisted she didn't arrange the ambush. As Ning Yuxuan's hidden archers revealed themselves, Lang seized Nie Sangyu as a hostage. He demanded Ning Yuxuan lower his weapon, but Ning Yuxuan aimed his arrow at them, coldly stating that he would thank Lang for killing his disruptive wife. As Lang's men retreated, Ning Yuxuan ordered his own men to pursue and capture Lang alive.
The chase led to Hongta Temple, which was thoroughly searched except for the Scripture Repository. Master Liao Ran stopped Ning Yuxuan from entering the repository, stating it was off-limits and that the monks on duty had seen no intruders. Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to insist, Tao Siwei arrived. He pulled Ning Yuxuan aside, explaining that Hongta was a royal temple and trespassing was a capital offense that their political rival, Consul Ling, would eagerly exploit.
Reluctantly, Ning Yuxuan withdrew. Inside, it was revealed that Master Liao Ran had hidden Lang and his men. Liao Ran arranged for their safe escape in food carriages and tried to persuade Lang to abandon his revenge, pointing out that the feud, which saw both Lang’s leader and Ning Yuxuan's father die, should end.
Lang refused, declaring that his life's purpose was revenge, just as Ning Yuxuan’s was to eradicate the Tea Gang, and that only one of them could survive. Back at the mansion, Ning Yuxuan interrogated Nie Sangyu. She maintained her innocence, admitting she had lured him into danger for money but argued they were even since he was willing to let her die.
He pointed out the suspicious timing of her and Lang’s appearances at both the wedding and the restaurant, and questioned why Lang had blocked an arrow for her. She denied any knowledge. Wen Wan arrived, feigning concern but subtly trying to incite trouble by commenting on Nie Sangyu's supposed good character. Ning Yuxuan sent her away and presented Nie Sangyu with a whip, giving her one incense stick's time to confess or be punished.
Ning Yuxuan then privately told Gui Bai that while he was suspicious, his test had led him to believe Nie Sangyu was truly unaware, and he had no intention of torturing a woman. Meanwhile, Wen Wan told Nanny Wang that Ning Yuxuan had ordered Nie Sangyu to be whipped if she didn't confess. The nanny carried out the punishment until Ning Yuxuan returned and furiously stopped her.
Gui Bai later reported that Nie Sangyu’s wounds were not critical and that Wen Wan was the true instigator, seeking revenge. Wen Wan had also confessed that during the wedding, she had grabbed Nie Sangyu's hand to stab herself. Realizing the chaos this truth would cause with Nie Sangyu’s temperament, Ning Yuxuan decided to take the blame for ordering the whipping, accepting that it would only add to their already fraught relationship.
Nie Sangyu confided in Muxu, lamenting that everyone in the mansion hated her for her past actions, such as inflicting a "plum blossom brand" on a servant. She felt Ning Yuxuan's willingness to see her shot and his ordering her whipping proved there was no hope for forgiveness. Tao Siwei and Qin Yixian visited Ning Yuxuan, concerned about the rumors of the whipping and its potential political fallout, given her father General Nie's influence.
Tao Siwei defended Nie Sangyu, while Qin Yixian warned Ning Yuxuan to be cautious. Tao gave him a bottle of medicine for Nie Sangyu's wounds. Despite her injuries, Nie Sangyu confronted Ning Yuxuan, presenting him with a letter of divorcement. She declared she was leaving him. Stunned, he reminded her that only husbands could initiate divorce. Tao Siwei, still present, remarked that anyone who makes a mistake should be held accountable.
Nie Sangyu, her memory still gone, praised Tao Siwei as a good person. Qin Yixian explained to a confused Tao Siwei that Nie Sangyu had lost her memory. Tao Siwei expressed his disbelief, questioning how a whipping could possibly cause amnesia. After his friends left, Ning Yuxuan told Nie Sangyu their marriage was an imperial decree and could not be broken without the Emperor's consent. She scoffed at his talk of having "indulged" her, asking if whipping her was indulgence.
He insisted it was a warning and ordered her back to her pavilion to recover. Later, Nie Sangyu planned her escape with Muxu, intending to go to her father, General Nie, in the Northwest. Muxu reminded her they had no money. Nie Sangyu declared that she would find a way to earn money within seven days, even while injured, and then proudly leave the mansion.
Overhearing this, Gui Bai reported the conversation to Ning Yuxuan, stating that her motivation truly seemed to be money. After hearing Gui Bai quote Nie Sangyu's regrets about ever falling for him, Ning Yuxuan grew thoughtful and asked Gui Bai a startling question: "Are you sure the person you fished out that day was really Nie Sangyu?"
