The Litchi Road Episode 14 Recap
> The Litchi Road Recap
Three years ago, Lan Ge came to the stable in the south of the city to find his old friend Afeng, bringing him fine medicine. However, Afeng did not appreciate it. That year, Lan Ge took several fine horses from the stable, and now he has returned alone. In a fit of pique, Lan Ge wanted to sell the stable, even including the soldier Afeng. Afeng was enraged and fought fiercely with him.
When Lan Ge was a child, he followed his father to Chang'an. He became a disciple of Jia Chang, the 'Godly Chicken Master', and quickly mastered the art of training chickens. Soon after, his family fell into decline. Before his death, Lan Ge's father signed a huge debt. He sold his property and shops to repay the debt, leaving only the stable in the south of the city. Lan Ge then lost the stable, and now he has nothing.
Lan Ge apologized to Afeng. Afeng was once a renowned rider in Chang'an, but now he is seriously ill. His only regret is not owning a good horse that made his heart pound. He Youguang was in a dilemma. If he signed the special pardon for the deserters, A Mita would learn from the soldiers that he was the culprit who killed Hai Hu. But if he didn't sign the special pardon, A Mita would definitely become suspicious.
After much deliberation, He Youguang decided to give A Mita the special pardon. A Mita immediately sent someone overnight to inform Li Shande. Li Shande arranged to meet A Mita tomorrow at Xiaodongmen. Li Shande arrived at Xiaodongmen early in the morning to prepare for the city-circling run. Zhao Xinmin rushed over and gave the special pardon to Li Shande, eager to meet those soldiers. Just as Yan Yazhuang was about to go over, A Tong grabbed him.
Li Shande lied, claiming the soldiers were not here and that he needed to find porters to deliver messages to them. Zhao Xinmin could only leave dejectedly. Li Shande gave the special pardon to Yan Yazhuang. Yan Yazhuang handed the red gemstone dagger to A Mita. A Mita recognized it as the dagger her father, Hai Hu, had given to He Youguang.
She immediately went to question He Youguang, accusing him of kidnapping the herbal medicine boat behind her father Hai Hu's back. He Youguang claimed repeatedly that Hai Hu was wholeheartedly trying to surrender to the court, so he eagerly embarked on the Haifanchou project, which resulted in total loss. It was inconvenient for Hai Hu to do those wicked things himself, so He Youguang did them for him, hoping to make up for Hai Hu's losses.
Unexpectedly, Hai Hu was burned to death at Qi Jing Lou. He Youguang then led his brothers to surrender to the officials, fulfilling Hai Hu's dying wish. He Youguang spoke with tears streaming down his face, but A Mita remained half-convinced. Zhao Xinmin returned to report to He Youguang, promising to eliminate the deserters during the city-circling run. A Mita suspected He Youguang was lying, but he spoke plausibly.
Lan Yu advised A Mita not to overthink it, but A Mita vowed to find out the truth. Li Shande and Lan Ge discussed the details of the city-circling run. Su Liang sent Ah Di to take care of the horses and also wanted to find foreign merchants to participate in transporting the lychees. Li Shande was worried they wouldn't pay, but Su Liang wanted to try and persuade them.
Li Shande was naturally more than happy for him to do so. Yun Qing sent Zheng Pingan to mess up A Mita's bid for the guild leader position. That way, A Mita would be seen as a disposable pawn in He Youguang's eyes. Li Shande prepared for the city-circling run day and night, arranging everything for the personnel and horses, from clothing to food, shelter, and transportation. Yan Yazhuang arrived shortly after with those soldiers.
The city-circling run was to start tomorrow, so Li Shande gathered everyone involved. He arranged for Lan Ge and Yan Yazhuang to lead the charge, and A Tong to lead the Dong people to pick lychees. Li Shande specially brought dry food to Lin Yinu. Lin Yinu was reluctant to eat it, so he fed it to the horses. Li Shande went to inspect various departments, staying busy until very late.
Li Shande stood on the city wall, waiting until dawn. A Tong advised him to rest for a while, but Li Shande couldn't sleep. He worried that all the money spent and everyone's hard work for so long would go to waste. Li Shande joined everyone in soaking the lychees in salt water. He also drew a table on the city wall to record the number of laps of the city-circling run and the freshness of the lychees.
He Youguang personally came to Xiaodongmen to oversee things, wishing Li Shande immediate success. Li Shande, A Tong, and others put the soaked lychees into double-layered jars, sealed the jars tightly, and then tied them separately onto the horses of Lan Ge and Yan Yazhuang. Zhao Xinmin came to find Lan Ge, encouraging him to achieve initial success.
Yan Yazhuang told Lan Ge to follow behind him, but Lan Ge was not convinced; he wanted to ride neck and neck with Yan Yazhuang. Li Shande stood on the city gate tower. With his command, Lan Ge and Yan Yazhuang spurred their horses and began the city-circling run.
