The Lady in Butcher's House Episode 35 Recap
> The Lady in Butcher's House Recap
Ge Sang reported to Zhou Ming'an about successfully administering the withered grass powder into the incense in their room a few days prior. Zhou Ming'an instructed her to remain in Jade House and observe, only leaving once the poisoning symptoms, such as itching on their necks, appeared. Shortly after, a worker informed Ge Sang that Yu Niang wanted her at Hu Jiao's residence to discuss new tea leaves and desserts.
Upon her arrival, Yu Niang immediately confronted Ge Sang about a missing letter. Ge Sang denied taking it and fabricated a story about being in the kitchen to change clothes, but Yu Niang disproved her lie. Realizing she was exposed, Ge Sang attempted to attack, but Gao Zheng swiftly subdued her. Defiant, Ge Sang dared them to kill her, asserting that her mission was complete.
Hu Jiao then revealed to Ge Sang that the letter she had found was a fake, specifically planted to bait Grand Preceptor Fu after an ambush made them suspect a spy within Jade House. They explained their intention was to hold Ge Sang to provoke Grand Preceptor Fu into revealing his own weaknesses.
Xu Qingjia questioned why Ge Sang hadn't left after obtaining the fake letter, to which Ge Sang only ominously smiled, remarking that they could have lived longer had they been more cautious. Observing her demeanor, Xu Qingjia attempted to sway Ge Sang, but she stoically declared that she had no choice but to work for Grand Preceptor Fu and was prepared to die with them.
Ge Sang then noticed Xu Qingjia and Hu Jiao scratching their necks, realizing her poison had taken effect. Unable to extract any useful information from Ge Sang, Xu Qingjia discussed their next steps with Hu Jiao and Gao Zheng. Hu Jiao worried about Grand Preceptor Fu discovering Ge Sang's capture and taking action.
Gao Zheng suggested housing Ge Sang at the Prime Minister's Manor, but Xu Qingjia rejected this, fearing it would give Grand Preceptor Fu leverage to attack the Prime Minister. Instead, Xu Qingjia proposed entrusting Ge Sang to Cui Wulang for secret confinement in a military camp, maintaining the illusion that she was still at Jade House. Gao Zheng agreed to inform Cui Wulang. Meanwhile, Ning Wang sought out the Crown Prince, who had ordered Eunuch Zhang to leave them alone.
Ning Wang directly questioned the Crown Prince about his illness, which the Crown Prince admitted began three years prior after an Autumn Hunt, and how Grand Preceptor Fu had provided an elixir pill to manage it. Ning Wang, viewing Grand Preceptor Fu as both a national and personal enemy, pointed out that the elixir’s prescription and ingredients were readily available at the Imperial Academy of Medicine, questioning why the Crown Prince sought outside practitioners.
He tried to dissuade the Crown Prince from trusting Grand Preceptor Fu, exposing him as a "woodworm of the nation" whose wealth, evidenced by the elixir's cost, clearly came from corruption. The Crown Prince, however, stubbornly defended Grand Preceptor Fu, accusing Ning Wang of targeting him solely to seize the throne.
Interpreting Ning Wang's visit as a threat, the Crown Prince declared Ning Wang his enemy and ordered him confined to the West Courtyard of the East Palace, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving without his explicit permission. Eunuch Zhang, having eavesdropped, immediately dispatched a messenger to Grand Preceptor Fu with news of Ning Wang's knowledge and confinement.
Upon receiving Eunuch Zhang’s message, Grand Preceptor Fu immediately ordered Zhou Ming'an to dispose of the two pharmacists who provided the elixir, ensuring no witnesses remained now that Ning Wang knew of the Crown Prince's illness. Separately, Cui Wulang arranged for Ge Sang to be moved to a secluded villa on the city outskirts, a property Ning Wang had originally purchased for Miss Ruoqi.
Later, Zhou Ming'an reported to Grand Preceptor Fu that one pharmacist, Yang Fang, was dead, while Pharmacist Huang was missing, assuring Fu that the connection to the palace was severed. He also confirmed Ge Sang had successfully poisoned Xu Qingjia and his group. Grand Preceptor Fu instructed Ge Sang to continue observing, and to eliminate Pharmacist Huang once Xu Qingjia and the others were dead. Back at the villa, Yu Niang noticed Hu Jiao's neck itching.
Cui Wulang, upon examination, grimly identified it as "withered grass powder," a potent Jiangnan toxin. He explained its colorless, odorless nature, its seven-day fatality period upon inhalation, and its characteristic itchy neck with a faint grassy scent, leaving no trace after death. He revealed that Miss Ruoqi had also died from this very poison. Xu Qingjia immediately recalled Ge Sang's earlier dark hints and realized their predicament. They urgently confronted Ge Sang for the antidote.
Ge Sang defiantly refused, accusing Xu Qingjia and Gao Zheng of killing her senior brother, Fei Jin. Xu Qingjia logically countered, explaining that Fei Jin was a crucial witness against Grand Preceptor Fu, and they would have protected him, not killed him. He urged her to consider who truly benefited from Fei Jin's death.
This revelation, coupled with her adoptive father Zhou Ming'an's previous command to eliminate Xu Qingjia and Gao Zheng, made Ge Sang realize with horror that her adoptive father was the true killer of her senior brother. When pressed for the antidote, Ge Sang tearfully admitted she did not possess it, explaining that withered grass powder was the Thievery Sect's deadliest poison, concocted from eight extremely rare toxins.
She stated that finding all eight precious ingredients, such as hundred-year-old turtle shell, polygonatum, and ganoderma, in sufficient quantities was nearly impossible within the seven-day timeframe. During this time, Cui Wulang and Gao Zheng rescued Pharmacist Huang from assassins sent by Grand Preceptor Fu to silence him. Pharmacist Huang confirmed the assassins were after the elixir recipe.
Later, after examining the withered grass powder antidote recipe, Pharmacist Huang affirmed its theoretical efficacy but highlighted its immense requirement: a hundred times the normal quantity of each ingredient for just one person. He had only three of the eight ingredients, and the remaining five were so rare that even with an estimated 30,000 taels of silver, obtaining them all in the capital before the poison took full effect was incredibly difficult.
The revelation of such a staggering sum of money left everyone disheartened, realizing that even Ning Wang or the Prime Minister would struggle to provide it. Xu Qingjia, however, resolved to find a way. Three days had passed since the poisoning, leaving only four days to live. Xu Qingjia was consumed by regret, blaming himself for overestimating his ability to oppose Grand Preceptor Fu and for bringing danger to Hu Jiao and their friends.
Hu Jiao, however, gently reassured him, reminding him that it was a shared decision and that she harbored no regrets. She recounted how he had helped countless civilians from Shangyong to the capital, emphasizing the profound meaning of his actions. She also expressed confidence that their child would undoubtedly be proud of his father's integrity and achievements, regardless of their fate.
Meanwhile, Gao Zheng apologized to Yu Niang, lamenting that he had broken his promise to protect her from all harm, having now inadvertently caused her to be poisoned. Yu Niang, however, affectionately called him a fool, declaring that meeting him was the greatest blessing of her life. Her only regret, she confessed, was that he hadn't proposed sooner, fearing they might not even get to experience a single day as husband and wife.
Moved by her words, Gao Zheng immediately proposed that they get married that very night. Yu Niang joyfully accepted, and under the gentle glow of the moonlight, they exchanged their vows, becoming true husband and wife. Despite their grim prognosis, Cui Wulang diligently searched for the remaining medicinal ingredients, but to no avail. He reported his failure to Xu Qingjia, confirming that all avenues, including Prince Ning, were now blocked.
Xu Qingjia, while accepting his fate, remained resolute in his determination to confront the Crown Prince, planning to use his own death to persuade him against Grand Preceptor Fu. Yu Niang and Gao Zheng then went to the secluded villa to see Ge Sang. Yu Niang compassionately untied Ge Sang, offering her freedom and assuring her that Grand Preceptor Fu’s manor was unaware of her exposure.
Yu Niang stated that Ge Sang had merely been manipulated, and if they were destined to die from the poison, there was no point in taking Ge Sang's life as well. Yu Niang urged Ge Sang to abandon Grand Preceptor Fu, expressing hope that she would not suffer the same fate as her senior brother. She reminded Ge Sang that she had always seen her as a younger sister and that ultimately, good would triumph over evil.
Overwhelmed by Yu Niang’s kindness and filled with remorse, Ge Sang knelt, apologized, and vowed to stay, pledging to help them fight Grand Preceptor Fu and avenge her senior brother. Xu Qingjia began drafting a formal letter of reproach to the Crown Prince, determined to meet him, whether an antidote was found or not, a decision firmly supported by Hu Jiao, who echoed his sentiment of having no regrets for their journey.
