EPISODE 23 RECAP
Once Xiaojianzi stops picking on Xiaojian, he apologizes for listening in on the gang. He asks if they could be friends.
This is a dangerous idea, of course, because they still have idea who he is, even though he tells them his “I’m an orphan” story really well.
But you know the gang, the prospect of critical danger has never stopped them from doing what feels good right. They like Xiaojian and let him in the circle. They don’t tell him their secret yet, though.
At home, the dowager is having the best time of her life: the emperor is out at the theatre today, so she drags Hanxiang out and starts to torture the poor woman in order to find out why there’s a scratch on the emperor’s arm.
The lot of them — meaning dowager, empress + nasty nannies — are shocked to learn that Hanxiang is still a virgin and that what she did to the emperor was to protect herself.
So, being a woman of endless Buddhist wisdom that she is, the dowager decides to give Hanxiang the death sentence. But she’s pretty generous, you see, she lets Hanxiang choose between a knife, some poison, and a noose. Great diplomacy.
Hanxiang is like, this all you’ve got? And gulps down the poison bottle.
Qing’er runs back and forth all over the palace to look for help, but no one’s home today.
When the gang finally comes back, Hanxiang is already unconscious. Next, comes a whole lot of crying and weeping in Hanxiang’s room.
The girls are devastated; and I’m pretty sure Erkang is thinking about how they’re going to break the news to Hanxiang’s boyfriend without being beaten up.
Outside the palace, Meng Dan “feels” like Hanxiang is in danger so he too starts to scream and punch and kick at the Liu siblings. They only stop when Xiaojian begins to play a song with his flute. I know it doesn’t sound like it (at all), but they say Xiaojian’s flute skills can heal hearts and souls and bring calmness.
In the end, it’s unclear whether it’s because of the medicine or Meng Dan being crazy or that the poison just sucks, but Hanxiang doesn’t die. What’s better? Her fragrance has disappeared!
EXPRESSIONS OF THE DAY
