The Chang'an Youth Episode 1 Recap
> The Chang'an Youth Recap
In a bustling wedding procession, Shen Yiyi, a maid who was as close as a sister to the Shen family's daughter, found herself sitting in the sedan chair as the stand-in bride. Her journey began many years ago when, as an orphaned child wandering the streets, she was rescued from a beating by the kind-hearted Shen Dieyi. From that day on, Shen Yiyi was given a name and a home, forever indebted to Shen Dieyi.
Shen Dieyi, despite her beauty and kindness, had a difficult life; her birth parents remained a mystery, and her romance with Tang Jiuhua, which had blossomed over several years, was cut short when she succumbed to a persistent cough barely a month after their engagement. To repay her deep gratitude, Shen Yiyi volunteered to take her mistress's place in the marriage. Before departing, she prepared a final meal for Lord Shen, expressing her unwavering loyalty to the family.
As the bridal procession journeyed towards Chang'An, the accompanying maids gossiped about Tang Jiuhua, painting him as a "Childe Wastrel" known for frequenting pleasure houses, playing music with singing girls, and even rumored to have a pockmarked face and a limp. Unbeknownst to them, the entire journey was part of Shen Yiyi's elaborate scheme. She had arranged for "bandits" to abduct her once they were safely outside Yaocheng, thus preventing any blame from falling on Lord Shen.
Her true goals were threefold: to avoid marrying into the Tang family, to spare the Shen family from further trouble, and to journey to Chang'An to uncover the truth behind Shen Dieyi's mysterious past. Meanwhile, in Chang'An, the Emperor secretly summoned Yang Zian, appointing him as a Supervisory Censor.
The Emperor tasked Yang Zian with an undercover mission: to enroll in Shangyi School, a place frequented by the sons of powerful officials and wealthy merchants, to investigate the escalating corruption within the imperial court. Yang Zian accepted the perilous assignment, and upon leaving the palace, immediately headed for Shangyi School.
As Shen Yiyi and her mock "bandits" executed her plan, she changed out of her bridal gown in a secluded forest, burning it as an offering to her deceased mistress. As she mourned, she heard distant shouts, forcing her to extinguish the flames and flee. Tang Jiuhua, who had been enjoying an evening of music and dance, was informed of his "bride's" abduction.
Despite his public reputation, Tang Jiuhua was deeply in love with Shen Dieyi and immediately led a search party into the night, injuring his ankle in his frantic quest. His men soon discovered the discarded bridal attire and eventually located Shen Yiyi, who had fallen down a slope. With no other escape, Shen Yiyi feigned madness, speaking erratically, refusing to acknowledge him as her husband and asking him to go home and find his mother.
Far from being repulsed, Tang Jiuhua remained devoted, vowing to find the best doctors in Chang'An for his "ailing" bride and insisting that she was his wife regardless of her state. Upon their arrival in the bustling capital of Chang'An, Shen Yiyi marveled at the city's splendor. Though she observed Tang Jiuhua's continued infatuation, she knew she had to escape before reaching his mansion. Feigning hunger, she convinced him to stop at a restaurant.
There, she further demonstrated her wit by expertly critiquing the imperial chef's dishes, much to the staff's indignation. After her meal, she excused herself under the pretense of needing to powder her face and discreetly slipped away. Tang Jiuhua, realizing she had vanished, immediately dispatched his servants to search for her. Now dressed in men's clothing, Shen Yiyi happily explored the streets of Chang'An.
In her exuberance, she accidentally caused a commotion by startling a cart, leading to a heated argument with a well-dressed man—who turned out to be Yang Zian. Their first encounter was marked by sharp words, with Shen Yiyi calling him a "stinky tofu." During their argument, Yang Zian inadvertently dropped his money bag, which Shen Yiyi quickly scooped up and tucked into her own satchel.
While attempting to evade Tang Jiuhua's searching men, she blindly dove into an empty carriage, only to discover the Second Prince Xiao Xinyuan inside. The prince, who had been divining a prophecy about meeting a "strange person," encountered Shen Yiyi. She quickly thanked him and leapt out of the carriage to continue her escape. Her path soon led her to a poor village where Yang Zian was attempting to teach the villagers the value of self-reliance through skilled trades.
Shen Yiyi, however, used Yang Zian's purloined money to directly aid the villagers, drawing them away from his lecture with promises of immediate relief. This led to a second fiery confrontation between Shen Yiyi and Yang Zian. When he accused her of being a thief for holding his money bag, she claimed to have found it and promised to repay him.
Their argument escalated into a battle of wits, quoting classical poetry, with Shen Yiyi demonstrating her superior understanding of the common people's struggles and again dismissing Yang Zian as a "stinky tofu" and a "conceited pedant." As Shen Yiyi wondered how to begin her investigation into Shen Dieyi's past, Tang Jiuhua found her and insisted on taking her back to his mansion to meet his parents. After a thorough cleansing and change of clothes, Shen Yiyi's mind cleared.
She cautiously probed Tang Jiuhua, asking what he would do if "Shen Dieyi" had truly passed away. Tang Jiuhua, however, refused to believe such a possibility, still attributing her strange behavior to her illness and finding her new demeanor "interesting" and "cute." Tang Jiuhua then revealed that years ago, Shen Dieyi had written to him asking for help in investigating the origins of her Sinan pendant, a personal item her birth mother had left her.
He had discovered that the jade material of the Sinan pendant originated in Chang'An and that similar pendants had been highly popular among the nobility years ago, making it difficult to trace its specific owner. He shared his plan to enroll at Shangyi School, believing it to be the best place to find clues since it attracted descendants of notable families, sons of wealthy merchants, and even informed martial artists.
He also mentioned that Shen Dieyi herself had always wanted to study there. Tang Jiuhua had already signed "Shen Dieyi" up for the entrance examination, but there was a catch: Shangyi School did not admit women. Therefore, he had secretly changed her household registration to male, instructing her to cross-dress and to keep her identity absolutely secret, as discovery would be an act of treason punishable by death.
Shen Yiyi initially balked at the idea of impersonating a man, but when Tang Jiuhua suggested they simply marry if she refused, she quickly agreed to enter Shangyi School. She secretly reasoned that if he passed and she failed, their engagement would naturally be broken off, leaving her free to continue her mission of uncovering Shen Dieyi's true parentage.
