EPISODE 20 RECAP
The gang all gangs up and storms into that chess club to avenge Xiaoyanzi.
The chess guy and his wife are of course no match for them. They make this nasty couple eat chess stones and drink from a dirty bucket, then give them to the local magistrate to make them pay for all the crimes they’ve committed. I gotta say, it’s pretty satisfying. And look at these guys, they’re so smug it’s adorable.
Well, that’s the kind of fun you get to have when Ziwei’s not around. If only they could do this to Nanny Rong too.
Now, back home. Xiaoyanzi is overwhelmed to see her girl friends again.
Next, per Erkang’s suggestion, Yongqi once again apologizes and swears on his diseased mom to lay off the idioms and the poetry.
So touched by this solemn oath, Xiaoyanzi promises to learn what she needs to learn and be a proper lady from now on. We know it’s a promise she can’t keep, but it’s cute that she’s trying for Yongqi.
The emperor comes almost immediately. To Xiaoyanzi’s surprise, he’s not angry with her, but more worried about her condition. He even goes with her to see the dowager.
The dowager, like usual, has no sympathy and mentions the 3-month deal.
Yongqi launches right away into a speech he probably rehearsed beforehand.
I like Xiaoyanzi for what she is. The person who’s marrying her is me, not the dowager (that’s pretty funny). If you have problems, feel free to kick me out.
And Xiaoyanzi is like: *OMG so touched, can’t speak*
The emperor is like: well that’s a bit much.
Ziwei and Erkang are like: aww, this is so empowering. We wanna be kicked out too!
Okay, that’s an oversimplification, but Erkang actually makes some inspiring (and kind of jabbing) statements here. He says that the dowager does not and will never approve of their love anyway, so why not strip Yongqi and himself (Erkang) off of their titles and let them move away with their girls and make this convenient for everyone? Pretty daring.
In the end, though, it’s still Qing’er who convinces the dowager to let go of the whole thing.
That night, the kids celebrate. Hanxiang is there too and she gets a little drunk.
She goes back home to find the emperor waiting for her.
After not much discussion, he jumps on her. Noooo… Huang-ah-ma, what are you doing???
This time, he ain’t kidding. Let’s just say that he’s pretty determined to make Hanxiang submit.
According to the emperor, all that talk about love earlier on has turned him on and now he feels like he needs to do something too. Whatever, emperor, this is NOT how you go about it. Bad, bad example to set for your kids who worship you.
But Hanxiang isn’t kidding, either. She pulls a dagger from underneath her pillow and swings it at the emperor. It only slashes his arm, but it does make him stop and reevaluate the situation. Hanxiang attempts to kill herself with the dagger too, but the emperor stops her just in time.
No one can know about this, of course, because in this setting, if you give an emperor so much as a papercut, there’s a high chance you’ll be executed.
EXPRESIONS OF THE DAY
