Treasures Around Episode 9 Recap
> Treasures Around Recap
Su Jue arrived at his uncle's place, expressing his satisfaction with Su Jade Pavilion's recent success. He credited Shan Shuangshuang's idea to sell fragmented jade jewelry, which he noted had sold out instantly, boosting sales significantly and surpassing the large jade ornaments. He gloated that Precious Pei Pavilion's attempt to do the same had backfired, leading to ridicule for imitation and poor sales. Su Jue praised Shan Shuangshuang, calling her a treasure and acknowledging his previous immaturity.
Shan Shuangshuang, however, appeared subdued, stating that while it was good for Su Jade Pavilion, it put her sister, Shan Dandan, in a tough spot, and seeing her anxious made her unhappy. Su Jue suggested Shan Dandan join Su Jade Pavilion, but Shan Shuangshuang politely declined, stating everyone has their own aspirations.
After they left, the uncle remembered a past event involving the Moon Phoenix Crown and a time when Shan Shuangshuang's father entrusted his daughters to his care before his death from poisoning, telling him the fog was poisonous. Shan Dandan knelt before the Old Madam's room, seeking forgiveness for the losses incurred from the fragmented jade venture. The Old Madam gently helped her up, stating the idea wasn't bad, proven by the Su family copying it.
She attributed their loss to being slow to act and dismissed the 1,800 silver taels as bearable, emphasizing that they wouldn't starve and had faced worse storms. The Old Madam stressed the importance of the City Lord's order and told Shan Dandan and Pei Pei to focus on the fragrant jade jewelry to turn things around. Moved by the Old Madam's kindness, Shan Dandan accidentally fell, causing her to tumble.
Back in her room, Shan Dandan was being looked after by Pei Pei. He teased her about being clumsy but assured her he had already prepared everything for the fragrant bracelets and planned to start presales soon to recover the losses. He urged her to focus on healing quickly, knowing she was strong and recovered fast. Pei Pei discussed their financial struggles with the Old Madam, suggesting they needed to cut costs.
The Old Madam reiterated that while things were difficult, they could still survive, even if it meant selling assets. She encouraged Pei Pei and Shan Dandan to push forward with the fragrant jade jewelry, expressing confidence in Shan Dandan's innovative ideas being superior to Su Jade Pavilion's. Suddenly, an angry crowd arrived at Precious Pei Pavilion.
A man claimed his wife became covered in red blisters, delirious, and feverish after wearing a fragrant jade bracelet bought from their shop just hours earlier. He accused the pavilion of selling fake goods and demanded an explanation, while others testified to buying similar bracelets. Despite Pei Pei's initial denial and attempt to verify if the bracelet was theirs, the crowd became enraged, attempting to smash the signboard and the shop.
Pei Pei and Shan Dandan tried to calm them, with Pei Pei shielding Shan Dandan from harm. He promised a full explanation and responsibility if their bracelet was indeed the cause, and offered money for the man to find a doctor for his wife, but the man refused, giving them two days to provide results or face severe consequences.
The incident severely impacted all Precious Pei Pavilion shops, facing protests and demands to close, threatening their ability to stay in business for more than a month on their current savings. Painter Tan arrived, stating his aromatics, used in the bracelets, were made from non-toxic plants and supplied to many shops, including Su Jade Pavilion, without issues. He suggested the incident was a framing scheme rather than a problem with the aromatics or jade.
Pei Pei's mother agreed, acknowledging that if the aromatics were the issue, the farmer who touched the jade would also be ill. They concluded someone was using the couple to cause trouble. The Old Madam gave them three days to find the truth and restore Precious Pei Pavilion's reputation, with Painter Tan offering his expertise on aromatics and poisons to help the investigation. Meanwhile, Su Jue and his uncle discussed the events at Precious Pei Pavilion, finding it strange.
Initially, they suspected Shan Shuangshuang, but she denied involvement, stating she would never do anything to harm lives and lacked the ability for such a scheme. They realized none of them were behind it, leading Su Jue to decide they must investigate quickly, both to find the truth and to protect Su Jade Pavilion, which also dealt with fragrant jade and could face similar accusations, especially given the City Lord's order. Shan Shuangshuang offered to help with an idea.
Pei Pei took Shan Dandan out to investigate. He tried to disguise her as a man, believing it would be inconvenient for a woman, but people on the street immediately recognized her as a woman, making the disguise pointless. Pei Pei also spoke with Painter Tan, warning him against inappropriate thoughts towards Shan Dandan.
Painter Tan expressed concern for Shan Dandan, feeling her life had become more complicated since joining Precious Pei Pavilion, suggesting she was more content and carefree when doing various simple jobs, including assisting him with painting. Shan Dandan quickly gathered information, discovering the troubled couple was new to the area and poor, making their purchase of a presale bracelet strange, as was their refusal of money and focus on causing a scene. She deduced they were being used by someone.
Given that both Precious Pei and Su Jade Pavilions used the same fragrance batch without issue at Su Jade Pavilion, the others suspected Su Jue. However, Pei Pei defended him, arguing it was too obvious and counterproductive for Su Jue, who risked his high status and the City Lord's project if the issue affected his business. He believed someone else was responsible. Seeking the truth, they went to the couple's house, deciding on a three-step strategy: entice, deceive, and force.
Pei Pei first attempted to entice the man by pretending to be sent by a "master" to give him extra silver, but the man adamantly denied any involvement, insisting he was mistaken and knew no such master. Pei Pei then attempted to deceive him by claiming his boss had been caught and confessed, demanding he confess as well, but the man continued to deny everything and ordered him to leave.
As Pei Pei prepared to use force, thugs arrived, demanding protection money from the man. The man pleaded with the thugs, explaining his wife was gravely ill due to Precious Pei Pavilion's bracelet and he had spent all his money on medicine, leaving him unable to pay. This revelation convinced Pei Pei and his group that the man was not framing Precious Pei Pavilion for money and that they had misjudged him. Pei Pei intervened, driving the thugs away.
The grateful man explained they were poor tea farmers who saved up to buy the bracelet as a gift for his wife after years of hardship, only for her to get poisoned. Shan Dandan observed that the symptoms might not be solely due to the fragrance, suggesting the need for further investigation into the cause. The man revealed he had thrown the bracelet into the river after the incident.
Meanwhile, Su Jue and Shan Shuangshuang visited Doctor Qu, a skilled physician living in seclusion. They described the woman's symptoms: sores, dark circles, shivering, delirium, and talking nonsense. Doctor Qu, after hearing the symptoms, concluded it was not ordinary poisoning but caused by Tame Head Herb, a mix of medicine and sorcery he hadn't seen in a long time. He stated he did have a way to cure it.
Guided by the man, Pei Pei and his group headed towards the small river to search for the bracelet. As they approached, they were intercepted by the same thugs Pei Pei had driven away earlier. Realizing they were heavily outnumbered, Pei Pei instructed A'Liu to go back for help while the rest prepared to hold them off.
