Time Flies and You Are Here Episode 6 Recap
> Time Flies and You Are Here Recap
Yan Boyang, having lost all his money in a chess game against Shen Yan, attempted to wager Zhong Ziyan's moneybag. Minggu, witnessing this, intervened to protect Zhong Ziyan's property. Shen Yan then proposed a new bet: the loser would strip and swim a lap in the lake. Despite Minggu's attempts to dissuade him, Yan Boyang accepted. Unable to stop him, Minggu subtly guided Yan Boyang through the game, leading him to victory.
When Shen Yan refused to honor the bet and ordered his men to strip Yan Boyang and throw him into the lake, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhong Ziyan arrived, escalating into a brawl. Their fighting drew the attention of Teacher Liu, who sternly reprimanded them. Xie Xiaoman, who had consumed several cups of wine and was feeling its effects, entered the scene and offered to take responsibility on Zhao Xiaoqian’s behalf.
Li Su suggested a peaceful resolution, proposing that the assistants for both sides drink three cups of wine each. After the penalty was served, Teacher Liu departed, but the tension between Zhao Xiaoqian's group and Shen Yan's men quickly rekindled. Li Su expressed concern for Xie Xiaoman, noticing her unusual detachment. Shortly after, Xie Xiaoman succumbed to her drunkenness and fainted, prompting Zhao Xiaoqian to carry her away.
Zhao Xiaoqian arranged for a carriage to take Xie Xiaoman home, but to his surprise, Xu Shu was the driver. Xu Shu drove the carriage far outside the city before abandoning it and leaving with the horses. As Xie Xiaoman murmured her reluctance to marry, feeling that being a servant meant no one would want her, Zhao Xiaoqian tenderly kissed her, reassuring her that he would.
Meanwhile, Shen Yan, pleased with Xu Shu’s actions, instructed him to spread rumors by morning that Zhao Xiaoqian, the Commandery Prince of Julu, was taking a concubine. The next morning, Xie Xiaoman's family was frantic with worry over her disappearance. Minggu could not explain where Xiaoman had gone, only that Zhao Xiaoqian had promised to send her home, and now both were missing. Xie Xiaoman's father, distraught, wanted to request troops from the censorate to find his daughter.
Zhong Ziyan, upon realizing Zhao Xiaoqian was also gone, dispatched soldiers with a strict order to find the Commandery Prince without fail. As dawn broke, a guard reported that Zhao Xiaoqian's carriage had left the city and not returned. Zhong Ziyan quickly relayed this discreetly to Official Xie, emphasizing that no one else should hear it. Eventually, they found the abandoned carriage with Zhao Xiaoqian and Xie Xiaoman inside.
To shield Xie Xiaoman's honor, Zhao Xiaoqian instructed her to stay hidden in the carriage and only alight once they reached a secluded spot, out of public view, assuring her that he would protect her. Despite their efforts, news of the carriage's overnight absence and return to the city by morning, with Xiaoman believed to be inside, had already spread amongst the townsfolk.
Xie Xiaoman's father desperately tried to assure his wife that their daughter was pure and nothing had happened, that it was a deliberate setup. However, the widespread rumors left Xie Xiaoman's reputation severely tarnished, leaving her mother distressed that she might never marry. Xie Xiaoman confided in Su Wei, realizing that her and Zhao Xiaoqian's overnight absence was a deliberate setup by Shen Yan.
Enraged by this realization, Zhao Xiaoqian ordered Xu Shu to be thrown into prison with death row inmates for several days. Yan Boyang, shocked, protested, pointing out that this was tantamount to a death sentence for Xu Shu and would surely provoke Shen Yan's wrath. Zhao Xiaoqian, however, was undeterred, stating he would see whether Young Master Shen or he, the Commandery Prince of Julu, held more power.
He instructed Zhong Ziyan to proceed with the punishment and to issue a challenge to Shen Yan, declaring an unending feud. Zhong Ziyan then explained the broader implications: news of the incident would soon reach the capital, and Zhao Xiaoqian's parents, who highly valued his engagement to Shen Zhaowen, would likely accelerate the marriage rather than annul it.
He reasoned that Shen Yan's plan to destroy the engagement by tarnishing Zhao Xiaoqian's reputation would backfire, as Zhao Xiaoqian’s parents would clear his name at Xie Xiaoman's expense, forcing him into a politically advantageous marriage with Shen Zhaowen, the niece of Noble Consort Cao, amid the imperial court's power shifts. Such a marriage would pull Zhao Xiaoqian into dangerous political currents he wished to avoid.
To avert being dragged back to the capital and made a political pawn, Zhong Ziyan proposed they turn Shen Yan's scheme on its head: Zhao Xiaoqian should take Xie Xiaoman as a concubine. Zhao Xiaoqian, despite his reluctance to force Xie Xiaoman, agreed to consider it.
Taking the initiative, Zhong Ziyan instructed Liangji to assemble a generous betrothal gift from the mansion's treasury and publicly proceed to the Su family residence for a marriage proposal, emphasizing that Liangji should enter through the main gate without secrecy, and that Zhong Ziyan would take full responsibility. Meanwhile, at the Su family residence, Xie Xiaoman remained distraught, having locked herself in her room.
Su Wei brought her osmanthus-filled rice balls, urging her to eat and reassuring her that her parents, though upset, were trying to find a solution. Despite the public gossip, Xie Xiaoman resolved to face her circumstances with dignity. Her family, however, was plunged into deeper worry when envoys from the Commandery Prince’s mansion arrived with numerous gifts, proposing to take Xie Xiaoman as a concubine.
Xie Xiaoman’s father, furious, brandished a broom, attempting to drive them away, declaring that his daughter, a virtuous and pure girl, was destined to be a first wife, not a concubine. He spoke tearfully of Xie Xiaoman's lifelong hardships and unwavering filial piety, blaming his own lack of success for her current predicament. The Su family matriarch also firmly rejected the proposal, asserting that Xie Xiaoman would not be a concubine.
She announced that Xiaoman's coming-of-age ceremony would proceed as planned, but no invitation would be extended to the Commandery Prince, as their family’s dignity would not be compromised. The matriarch advised Xie Xiaoman to stand tall and act with integrity, especially during this challenging time, and suggested that after the ceremony, her mother should take her to Yuyangli Village to avoid further gossip, with the understanding that she would return later.
Accepting this advice, Xie Xiaoman decided to attend school for a few more days, facing the rumors bravely before departing for Yuyangli Village. She also wished to bid farewell to Li Su, who had always looked after her, prompting Su Wei to arrange a meeting at the academy. Five days later, news of the incident in Wujiang Prefecture reached the Princess Consort in the capital.
She was outraged by Zhao Xiaoqian’s audacious plan to take a concubine before his official marriage, considering the immense effort invested in securing his alliance with the esteemed Shen family. She emphasized that the Shen family, renowned for its strict adherence to tradition, would certainly annul the marriage if Zhao Xiaoqian took a concubine. Zhu Momo, her trusted nanny, remarked that Zhao Xiaoqian had grown unruly during his prolonged stay in Wujiang Prefecture.
The Princess Consort, dismissing Xie Xiaoman as a mere social climber, ordered Zhu Momo to travel to Wujiang Prefecture with the explicit mission to bring Zhao Xiaoqian back, regardless of whether he had already taken the "wench" as a concubine, in which case she would simply be cast out. At the academy, where students were unusually silent about Xie Xiaoman, Zhao Xiaoqian sought out Xie Xiaoman to discuss her feelings.
She informed him of her imminent departure from Wujiang Prefecture, asking him to forget her. Zhao Xiaoqian, confessing his inability to do so and his reluctance to force her, made a final plea, asking if she would marry him. Xie Xiaoman unequivocally refused.
Undeterred, Zhong Ziyan pressed Zhao Xiaoqian to take Xie Xiaoman as a concubine, revealing his concern that royal envoys from the capital would soon arrive to drag Zhao Xiaoqian back into a precarious political marriage, thereby jeopardizing Zhong Ziyan's own future, which was entirely dependent on Zhao Xiaoqian's.
He explained that Prince Pu and Princess Consort Pu intended to use Zhao Xiaoqian, the Emperor’s former adopted son, as a political pawn, and a marriage to a Shen family daughter would make him a target in the volatile court. To protect Zhao Xiaoqian's future and prevent him from being exploited, Zhong Ziyan was determined that he marry Xie Xiaoman, no matter her personal wishes.
To force the issue, Zhong Ziyan instructed Yan Boyang to seal Su Chang Ji, the Su family's business. Xie Xiaoman, having gone to the academy hoping to bid farewell to Li Su, was informed by a professor that he had already been granted leave and departed for Tongzhou. Her younger brother, Xie Li, then frantically rushed in with news that their father had been arrested by the authorities.
