Romance of a Twin Flower Episode 8 Recap

> Romance of a Twin Flower
> Romance of a Twin Flower Recap

After her maid Muxu reported that the scholars who had spread rumors about her had all lost their voices overnight, Nie Sangyu grew uneasy. She worried the public would suspect her, further solidifying her reputation as a cruel woman, especially since the incident occurred right after they slandered her. Yuan Lang found Nie Sangyu, having heard she was upset by the gossip, and suggested they go somewhere for fresh air.

Meanwhile, Ning Yuxuan instructed his subordinate Gui Bai to handle the scholars, ensuring their slanderous activities in the capital were completely silenced. From a restaurant, Ning Yuxuan watched as Nie Sangyu and Yuan Lang left together. Yuan Lang took Nie Sangyu and Muxu to a quiet spot by the water. He offered them vegetable pancakes, explaining that while he had intended to treat them to meat, the market was too crowded.

Nie Sangyu, not a picky eater, found the pancakes delicious. Yuan Lang shared that the pancakes were his happiest childhood memory. Clarifying that his mother died when he was young, he explained he was raised by his father and uncles, who made him these pancakes because their family was poor. After Nie Sangyu apologized for the sensitive topic, Yuan Lang recounted how his village was burned down by villains, killing nearly everyone.

He had spent years searching for any surviving relatives and had finally found one, but that person did not recognize him. Changing the subject, Yuan Lang asked about Nie Sangyu's plans. She mentioned wanting to open a shop but was discouraged by the current rumors. Yuan Lang encouraged her, stating that from his experience with many merchants, he believed she had the vision and talent to succeed in business, and he toasted to her future success.

Upon returning home, Nie Sangyu confronted Ning Yuxuan, demanding to know if he was responsible for silencing the scholars. Ning Yuxuan claimed he had only sent Gui Bai to "visit" them. He explained they confessed and provided evidence of their slander, which he was compiling to submit to the authorities. As for their muteness, he sarcastically suggested they had simply talked themselves hoarse confessing their many misdeeds.

He added that Ling Jianxing had escaped blame after one scholar took responsibility, claiming to have acted by falsely using Ling Jianxing's name. Nie Sangyu questioned Ning Yuxuan's sudden attentiveness, asking if he had feelings for her. He deflected, stating he was only acting because, as a second-rank lady, she should not be framed. Their conversation was interrupted when Gui Bai announced that officials from the Court of Judicial Review had forced their way into the manor.

The officials informed Ning Yuxuan that several refugees, including a mother and son with whom he had a connection, had been murdered in a suburban temple, and he was the prime suspect. Nie Sangyu protested, vouching that Ning Yuxuan was with her, compiling evidence for her case. However, Ning Yuxuan admitted he had no alibi. He instructed Gui Bai to investigate the temple, then calmly agreed to accompany the officials, telling Nie Sangyu not to worry.

Meanwhile, Yuan Lang consulted a monk named Lanyan, who recalled that a Tea Gang member named Huang Han had told him many surviving members had followed a previously unknown but now influential figure to Haifang. Yuan Lang also noted that the assassins at the temple wore rattan shoes, typical of boatmen. Gui Bai found clues at the temple but couldn't get them to Ning Yuxuan in the Court of Judicial Review's prison.

Nie Sangyu devised a plan: she disguised Gui Bai as a maid and used her status as a titled lady and daughter of General Nie Xiangyuan, along with a bribe, to gain entry. Inside, Gui Bai presented Ning Yuxuan with two items from the scene: a boatman's shoe and a handkerchief bearing the Tea Gang's symbol. Ning Yuxuan, who had initially suspected Ling Jianxing, now realized the Tea Gang and possibly Yuan Lang were involved.

He speculated that his long-standing investigation into the Tea Gang, whom he believed were hiding in Haifang, was connected. He saw the crisis as a potential turning point. Nie Sangyu left him a box of snacks, and he smiled after eating one. She playfully told him he now owed her for two favors: bringing Gui Bai and giving him the snacks. After leaving, Nie Sangyu pressed Gui Bai for details, who confirmed Ning Yuxuan was previously wounded by bandits.

She surmised the murdered refugees were likely their vengeful families, and despite their tragic fate, she acknowledged that Ning Yuxuan was a good official. Rumors about Ning Yuxuan murdering refugees spread, painting him as a cold-blooded killer. Furious, Nie Sangyu confronted gossipers until a childhood acquaintance, Tao, who was on patrol, intervened. Deeply distressed, Nanny Liu pleaded with Nie Sangyu to save Ning Yuxuan.

She tearfully recounted his traumatic past: he was a lively child until his father's death rendered him mute for over a year. Shortly after he recovered, his mother passed away, the last time Nanny Liu ever saw him cry. She expressed her recent joy at seeing him smile again due to Nie Sangyu's influence, making Nie Sangyu realize how little she knew of his pain. Determined, Nie Sangyu launched a campaign to restore his reputation.

She bribed a scholar to write articles about Ning Yuxuan's good deeds, such as his flood control efforts and disaster relief work, and spread them in influential places like the Kuixing Restaurant. She also set up a public shrine for citizens to pray for him and instructed Muxu to have household staff subtly inform palace eunuchs of Ning Yuxuan's integrity. Though this exhausted their funds, Nie Sangyu felt it was necessary to save an incorruptible official.

In his cell, Ning Yuxuan declared that the Tea Gang members who killed innocent people to frame him deserved to die. The Emperor told Ning Yuxuan that he was aware of his unauthorized anti-bandit operations but had turned a blind eye. Ning Yuxuan maintained his innocence, stating that while he would never forget his father's killers, he would never harm innocents.

The Emperor then drily remarked on Ning Yuxuan's "good wife," whose campaign had caused a public outcry that reached the palace gates. At the trial, the court proposed to acquit Ning Yuxuan due to a lack of evidence. Enraged, the Emperor declared the scandal damaged the nation's image and required severe punishment.

Citing ancestral rules that forbade him from executing Ning Yuxuan but finding exile insufficient, the Emperor stripped him of his title and rank and banished him to the coastal region of Haifang to serve as a magistrate and reflect on his actions. After the verdict, an unknown lord questioned whether the assignment to Haifang was truly a punishment or part of a larger plan. His subordinate vowed to ensure Ning Yuxuan would never reach Haifang.

Muxu reported the verdict to Nie Sangyu, who was relieved Ning Yuxuan's life was spared. Muxu described Haifang as a mysterious place with conflicting reputations—some said the people were tough, others simple, while some claimed it was a lawless land of pirates from which no one returned. As Muxu worried for his safety, Nie Sangyu suspected the Emperor's decision had a deeper meaning.

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