Royal Nirvana Episode 9 Recap
> Royal Nirvana Recap
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Lu Wenpu arrived home covered in mud. His father, Lu Ying, who had just returned to the capital, was displeased with his son's disheveled state. Lu Wenpu claimed he had clumsily fallen into a pond while checking the exam results, fearing his father's concern. Soon after, his sister, Lu Wenxi, also came home, eagerly greeting her father. However, Lu Ying's response was distant, and he quickly dismissed both of his children. Li Baizhou was a guest in Lu Ying's home.
While outwardly praising Lu Ying's children, he deliberately brought up the incident where Zhang Shaoyun pushed Lu Wenpu into the pond. Li Baizhou used this to remind Lu Ying of his long-standing grievance with Zhang Luzheng, who had caused Lu Ying's five-year exile to a desolate frontier, hindering his career while Zhang Luzheng prospered.
Lu Ying tried to dismiss these old matters, but Li Baizhou pressed on, claiming that Xiao Dingquan and Lu Shiyu were the true instigators behind the exam leak, making Lu Wenpu an innocent victim. He questioned why such a major scandal had been quietly resolved, with only Lu Shiyu submitting his resignation, suggesting a cover-up by Xiao Dingquan and Lu Shiyu. He then informed Lu Ying that the Crown Prince was rumored to be marrying Zhang Luzheng's daughter.
He warned that if Zhang Luzheng became the Crown Prince's father-in-law, it would severely impede Lu Wenpu's future career, rendering any support from Li Baizhou futile. Li Baizhou then revealed the true purpose of his visit: Prince Qi, Xiao Dingtang, wished to take Lu Wenxi as a concubine and had sent Li Baizhou with a betrothal gift of expensive "sparrow tongue sprouts" tea, valued at over a million Qian.
Li Baizhou explained that his own daughter, Prince Qi's Princess, who had been devoted to Prince Qi for three years, desired a helper, implying Lu Wenxi would be that person. He appealed to Lu Ying's "parental love," stressing that the older generation had a responsibility to protect the younger generation from hardship. Lu Ying, caught off guard, requested a few days to consider the proposal.
Later, Lu Wenxi brought Xiao Dingquan's cloak home, prompting her brother, Lu Wenpu, to interrogate her about its owner after noticing an unfamiliar incense scent on it. Their younger brother, Lu Wenjin, identified the cloak's scent as being on Lu Wenxi. Lu Wenpu then recalled a handkerchief from a previous occasion, which Lu Wenxi also claimed as her own. The siblings playfully bickered, with Lu Wenxi teasing Lu Wenpu for being "silly" and getting pushed into the water.
Lu Ying observed this lively scene, his brow furrowed with worry as he pondered how to respond to Li Baizhou and Prince Qi's proposal. Li Baizhou reported to Prince Qi, Xiao Dingtang, about his visit. He explained that Lu Ying harbored deep-seated sorrow: when Lu Ying was banished, his wife, who had just given birth to their youngest son, followed him to the desolate frontier and tragically died of illness within two years.
This profound loss led Lu Ying to never remarry, dedicating all his affection to his children, which Li Baizhou identified as Lu Ying's primary weakness. Li Baizhou emphasized that Lu Ying was a formidable opponent, and the most effective strategy was to "make him family" – a permanent solution to prevent him from forming an alliance with Xiao Dingquan and to secure Lu Wenpu as an ally for Prince Qi.
He further suggested that Prince Qi's mother, Zhao Guifei, should subtly approach the Emperor about the concubine matter. Li Baizhou deliberately withheld this plan from Prince Qi's Princess, his own daughter, to avoid her jealousy. Lu Wenxi had planned to meet Xiao Dingquan at Xiangguo Temple. Though her brother Lu Wenpu initially expressed concern, Lu Ying permitted her to go, albeit with a maid and without riding a horse.
Lu Wenpu, having observed the handsome young man at the Ministry of Justice and the examination hall, and noting Jia Yibo's deference, suspected him to be the Crown Prince in disguise. He deduced that the cloak was for a man and the Xiangguo Temple was a royal temple, concluding that Lu Wenxi was going there to meet him.
Alarmed by this realization, Lu Wenpu confronted his father, asking if the rumors of Lu Shiyu recommending Lu Wenxi as Crown Princess were true and expressing concern that Lu Wenxi might have taken them seriously. Lu Ying was shocked to learn the depth of his daughter's connection with the Crown Prince. At Xiangguo Temple, Xiao Dingquan, who had arrived early for a Qingming offering, mentioned finding solace in temples, a sentiment echoed by the late Empress.
A monk noted Xiao Dingquan's prolonged waiting, to which Xiao Dingquan replied he was "waiting for someone." Instead of Lu Wenxi, Lu Ying appeared, introduced himself as the newly appointed Imperial Censor, and respectfully returned Xiao Dingquan's cloak, apologizing for his daughter's "ignorance" and "offense." He then stated he had a favor to ask. Meanwhile, Lu Wenxi, who had been on her way, was intercepted by her father.
Lu Wenpu, following their father's instructions, sternly told Lu Wenxi to go home and cease all contact with "that distinguished person," asserting that their father's decision was for her own good and that the person was not her "Mr. Right." Lu Wenxi, dejected, had no choice but to comply. After his conversation with Lu Ying, Xiao Dingquan was visibly angry and irritable, much to Gu Fengen's confusion.
Gu Fengen reminded him not to concede opportunities to Prince Qi and that he had a lecture to attend before accompanying the Emperor to the detached palace for Qingming. That evening, when Xiao Dingquan went to pay his respects to the Emperor, he found Prince Qi, Xiao Dingtang, serving tea to their father, with Zhao Guifei also present.
The Emperor, full of paternal affection, praised Xiao Dingtang's refined tea skills and the quality of the tea, which Xiao Dingquan recognized as "sparrow tongue" from An Pingbo. Feeling unwelcome, Xiao Dingquan was invited to sit. He then offered his own tea for his father and brother to "taste." Zhao Guifei, dismissively, refused to try "her own stuff." As the Emperor drank the tea prepared by Xiao Dingquan, he immediately spat it out.
Xiao Dingquan then knelt, explaining that this was official tea sourced from An Pingbo, intended for exchanging horses with border citizens. He added that Lu Ying, the former Censor of Tea and Horse Administration in Chuan Shu and current Imperial Censor, was waiting outside the hall to provide a full explanation to His Majesty.
Meanwhile, Zhao Guifei tried to interject, bringing up Prince Qi's desire for a concubine due to his three-year marriage remaining childless, suggesting Lu Ying's daughter as a suitable candidate, especially as the Crown Prince himself was soon to take a wife.
