The Litchi Road Episode 18 Recap
> The Litchi Road Recap
Ten years ago, not long after Li Shande and Zheng Jinniang got married, Chief Liu deliberately sent Li Shande to another area to purchase peonies. His colleagues felt it was unfair to Li Shande. Fortunately, their official trip went smoothly, and they were about to arrive in Chang'an. Li Shande was eager to return home, wanting only to reunite with his newly wedded wife, Zheng Jinniang, as soon as possible.
His little donkey suddenly kicked up its heels and ran into a small woods. Li Shande used all his might to subdue it. He returned home very late, and Zheng Jinniang had been waiting for him. Li Shande and Zheng Jinniang returned home together. By chance, they heard that the inn was half price today and the food was free. Li Shande wanted to try a different environment with Zheng Jinniang.
Zheng Jinniang thought it was too expensive and pulled Li Shande home. Their brief separation made their reunion sweeter than a new marriage, and they had endless sweet nothings to say. A year after they got married, Zheng Jinniang gave birth to their daughter, Xiuer. Their life was happy and peaceful. A Chai performed a ritual, lighting the poisonous datura to numb the nerves of the Dong people. Li Shande exposed her trick publicly.
A Chai tried her best to set up Li Shande and A Tong. Li Shande clearly stated that he would return to Chang'an after completing the mission of transporting the lychees. A Chai was very anxious. A Tong quickly stepped forward and advised A Chai not to interfere in her affairs. A Chai angrily threatened to return to Dayu Mountain.
Li Shande heard that A Chai lived on Dayu Mountain, which was on the essential route for transporting the lychees, so he asked her about the conditions on Dayu Mountain. Lan Yu invited Zheng Pingan for a mountain outing. They came to a small stream. Seeing the scenery, Lan Yu was moved and recalled her miserable past. Zheng Pingan gently consoled her.
Lan Yu took the opportunity to propose following Zheng Pingan forever and even promised to return to Chang'an with him. Zheng Pingan knew that Lan Yu was not being sincere but was merely following orders. Lan Yu had no choice but to admit that she was sent by Zhao Xinmin. Zheng Pingan did not pursue the matter, but instead comforted her.
Li Shande consulted A Chai, who was a great shaman in Dayu Mountain, about whether there was a shortcut through Dayu Mountain. A Chai recalled that ten years ago, A Tu had discovered a hidden small path on Dayu Mountain, but he had not been heard from for many years. Li Shande immediately went to find Su Liang for help in finding A Tu.
Zheng Pingan vented his grievances to Yun Qing, saying that Zhao Xinmin had sent Lan Yu to seduce him, but his heart belonged to someone else. Yun Qing did not want to hear his rambling and urged him to handle important matters quickly. Before the Jijing Lou fire, A Tu had sold two thousand shares of Haifan Chou to Lan Ge's father. Yun Qing suspected that He Youguang had instigated A Tu, but lacked concrete evidence.
He sent Zheng Pingan to find A Tu as soon as possible, so they could find the real culprit behind the Jijing Lou fire. Li Shande and Su Liang learned about A Tu's situation in detail from A Chai. Su Liang sent people to search for A Tu's whereabouts. A Tu had nowhere to go, so he came to Lan Ge for help.
He admitted that ten years ago, he had caused Lan Ge's father to buy two thousand shares of Haifan Chou, which resulted in their family losing everything. Lan Ge hated him to the core. Zhao Xinmin sent Lan Yu to seduce Zheng Pingan, hoping to use him to climb the ranks by attaching himself to the Right Chancellor. Zheng Pingan did not take the bait. Lan Yu had to report back to Zhao Xinmin.
Zhao Xinmin couldn't think of a better plan for a while. He felt that He Youguang was unreliable and wanted to use Zheng Pingan to get close to the Right Chancellor. His wife worried that he would leave Gaozhou for Chang'an. Zhao Xinmin said he wouldn't, but Chang'an was always the place he yearned to go. Zhao Xinmin was unwilling to give up so easily. He personally went to Zheng Pingan to explain the situation.
Zheng Pingan took the opportunity to inquire about Haifan Chou. Zhao Xinmin repeatedly claimed that he was the one who sold the most Haifan Chou. Zheng Pingan asked him about A Tu's situation. Zhao Xinmin was curious why A Tu suddenly sold two thousand shares of Haifan Chou, but A Tu had died many years ago. Zheng Pingan promised to recommend Zhao Xinmin to the Right Chancellor. Li Shande rushed home, wanting to ask Zheng Pingan about A Tu's situation.
Only then did Zheng Pingan realize that A Tu was not dead. He immediately reported to Yun Qing, who immediately sent people to search for A Tu. The foreign merchant Xiao Yunchuan wanted to become the head of the foreign merchants' guild. He bribed Zhao Xinmin heavily and asked him to speak well of him in front of He Youguang. Zhao Xinmin readily agreed. Yun Qing sent Zheng Pingan to the cockfighting arena to inquire about A Tu's whereabouts.
He Youguang was a regular at the cockfighting arena. Zheng Pingan didn't want to encounter him, but he ran into He Youguang as soon as he entered. Zheng Pingan was troubled by love, unsure whether to choose Lan Yu or A Mita. He Youguang advised him to choose the gentle and considerate Lan Yu and absolutely not to provoke the domineering A Mita.
He Youguang asked Lan Ge to choose a rooster for Zheng Pingan to try his luck and then left in a hurry. Zheng Pingan took the opportunity to ask Lan Ge about A Tu. Lan Ge heard that Zheng Pingan was looking for A Tu. He suspected that Zheng Pingan was one of He Youguang's men.
Zheng Pingan strongly denied any connection with He Youguang and mentioned that before the Jijing Lou fire, A Tu had sold two thousand shares of Haifan Chou to Lan Ge's father, causing their family to lose everything.
