The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion Episode 24 Recap
> The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion Recap
During a horseback flag hunting competition, competitors navigated obstacles to be the first to reach the finish line and claim a flag. When the command to start was given, horses galloped forward, and many riders were unseated amidst the challenging terrain. Wu Baiqi skillfully overcame the obstacles, retrieved the flag, and rode back to the camp. As he dismounted, a hidden arrow was shot towards him.
Though Xu Jin quickly released a dart that deflected the arrow and broke its shaft, Wu Baiqi was still struck. Despite his injury, he presented the flag, proving his valor. The Emperor praised Wu Baiqi’s bravery and skill, bestowing upon him the title of Valiant General and placing him in command of the Huxiao Camp. The Emperor then ordered Duke An to investigate the origin of the hidden arrow.
Meanwhile, Fu Rong, having seen Qi Zhu leave with Duke Cheng, discreetly followed them. After realizing Qi Zhu was gone, Fu Rong inadvertently overheard a secret conversation, causing Duke Cheng to turn on her with murderous intent. Fu Rong kicked up a pile of leaves to create a distraction and fled. Lan Xiang alerted Xu Jin, who quickly set off in pursuit. A disoriented Fu Rong stumbled into Duke An.
She quickly hid behind him, and Duke An, asserting his authority as a Duke, took her back to his camp, preventing Duke Cheng from pursuing her further. Xu Jin soon arrived to see Duke An holding Fu Rong's hand. He immediately took her from Duke An and, upon noticing a small injury on her hand, scooped her up and carried her away. Clearly jealous, Xu Jin rejected Fu Rong’s attempt to call them even, insisting instead on a hug.
After some playful resistance, Fu Rong relented, and he embraced her, looking utterly content. In his tent, Duke Cheng raged at his subordinates for their failure. He was convinced Duke Su and his wife had forewarned Wu Baiqi. He complained to his uncle-in-law, Marquis Xindu, that the Marquis's mercy was the only reason Wu Baiqi had not suffered a worse fate.
Realizing they could not easily target Wu Baiqi or Xu Jin, Duke Cheng decided to direct his anger towards Fu Rong. Ge Chuan examined the arrow that struck Wu Baiqi and confirmed it was coated with a non-lethal anesthetic; the attacker's intent was not to kill him, but only to prevent him from winning the competition. Relieved that Wu Baiqi was not in mortal danger, Xu Jin went to check on Fu Rong.
Outside, he encountered Fu Xuan wearing Fu Rong’s clothes. Lan Xiang explained that Fu Rong’s attire had gotten dirty, and she had swapped clothes with Fu Xuan for the upcoming banquet. In his tent, a bored Wu Baiqi heard Fu Xuan’s voice outside and began to groan dramatically, feigning severe pain to draw her inside. Delighted by her visit, he soon abandoned his act and enthusiastically recounted his heroic flag-capturing feat, even complimenting his own bravery when Fu Xuan wouldn't.
As Wu Baiqi continued his tale, another arrow suddenly flew through the window, aiming for Fu Xuan. Without hesitation, Wu Baiqi instinctively pulled Fu Xuan out of the way, taking the arrow in his back. Soldiers immediately rushed to assist. As Ge Chuan prepared to remove the arrow, he confirmed it was poisoned, though fortunately, it had not pierced deeply.
Seeing Fu Xuan's tears, Wu Baiqi declared that his wound no longer pained him, only his heart did out of concern for her. He then passed out from the anesthetic, prompting Fu Xuan to rush off to find Xu Jin. Later, by a lake, Xu Jin playfully teased Fu Rong for secretly eating, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief. Fu Rong recognized it as one she thought she had lost, suggesting he had stolen it.
Xu Jin asserted that everything in his residence, including her, belonged to him. As they gazed at the night sky, Xu Jin began meticulously describing the stars of the Big Dipper, until Fu Rong humorously cut him off. That evening, Ge Chuan reported to Xu Jin that an assassin had attacked Wu Baiqi again, confirming he had been shot in the back with a poisoned arrow.
Xu Jin then contemplatively asked Fu Rong if destiny could be altered, suggesting her presence by his side was the best proof that it could. Sensing his strange mood, Fu Rong asked if he had found the assassin, but Xu Jin simply left for his study. The next morning, Xu Jin offered Fu Rong pear soup and inquired about Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba, two well-connected wandering swordsmen known for doing business near Ruyi Pavilion.
Fu Rong explained they had received kindness from her master but noted she hadn't seen them lately. Xu Jin suddenly embraced her, assuring her that they would always be inseparable, a sentiment Fu Rong found slightly strange but accepted. Meanwhile, Fu Xuan visited Wu Baiqi at the military camp under the pretense of reviewing the Feng Lai Yi ledgers. Wu Baiqi, having forgotten about the ledgers, happily agreed to send them to her later.
As he was about to escort Fu Xuan out, his deputy, Li Wei, interrupted, insisting it was time for military training. Annoyed, Wu Baiqi ordered all new weapons to be brought out for practice. During a spar with Li Wei, Wu Baiqi's new weapon inexplicably broke. Further inspection revealed that one-sixth of the newly supplied weapons were substandard fakes.
Wu Baiqi concluded that someone was tampering with the armory and they needed to find the culprits' contact point in the capital. Xu Jin returned to his residence late at night to find Fu Rong asleep at her desk, surrounded by jewelry design drafts. He gently carried her to bed, where she stirred awake. She explained she was trying to create new designs based on constellations, inspired by his earlier talk, but confessed her knowledge was limited.
After she fell back asleep, Xu Jin quietly wrote down detailed information about the 28 constellations and placed the notes beside her. He caressed her face, inwardly vowing to settle the life-and-death matters at hand before they could fully enjoy their life together. The next day, Fu Rong discovered the extensive notes in his handwriting. When a new batch of weapons arrived at the Huxiao Camp, Wu Baiqi noticed someone observing him as he oversaw their storage.
Later, corrupt soldiers covertly swapped quality weapons with shoddy ones from the warehouse. They then transported the quality weapons, disguised under farm tools, to a copper-ware shop outside the city. Wen Xing meticulously observed this entire operation from the shadows. Elsewhere, Duke An met with Wu Baiqi, revealing that the assassins from the hunting ground had fled to Kushui Village, a place Marquis Xindu was known to frequent.
Claiming a personal agenda, Duke An said he had not yet reported this to the Emperor and sought Wu Baiqi's opinion. Though Wu Baiqi found it hard to believe his father would harm him, he remarked that money can be thicker than blood, suspecting the Marquis's true motives. He requested Duke An to withhold the information from the Emperor for now, and Duke An agreed.
Afterward, Duke An's subordinate, using information from Gu Yuan, confirmed that Marquis Xindu's contact point in the capital was indeed the copper-ware shop. Duke An then unveiled his elaborate scheme: they would attack the shop and leave behind evidence implicating Duke Su. This would make Marquis Xindu believe Duke Su knew everything, forcing him to act preemptively against the Duke. Duke Su, in turn, would be forced to retaliate, allowing Duke An to reap the benefits of their conflict. Duke An then ordered his men to attack the copper-ware shop that very night.
