Flourished Peony Episode 1 Recap, Plot

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In Luoyang, Liu's household hosted an extravagant wedding for their son. The procession was grand, and it was heard that the bride was the daughter of a merchant, named He Weifang, with the courtesy name Mudan. The Tang dynasty traditionally looked down upon merchants, but no one expected that Liu’s household would arrange for the bridal procession to enter through the back courtyard.

Inside the house, there were no guests to be seen, nor did the groom come out to greet the bride. The servants of Liu’s household didn’t even bother to welcome the bride, and instead, the first order of business was to tally up the gold and silver valuables. Mrs. Liu explained the reason for not having a grand ceremony, and the bride didn’t mind it, proceeding to the main hall at the appointed time to conduct the wedding rites.

At dusk, the auspicious time had arrived. The groom, drunk, was supported by two attendants as they helped him to the hall to perform the wedding rites. The groom, Liu Chang, styled Zishu, was normally well-educated and composed, but he greatly despised merchants. He was dissatisfied with this marriage and looked down upon his bride, He Weifang, who came from a merchant family. The wedding was a farce and would go down in history as a complete fiasco.

He Weifang was the legitimate wife of Liu Chang, but according to the customs, she should have been arranged in the main chamber. However, Liu’s family placed her in a remote corner of the house. As the night deepened, and the hour grew late, Liu Chang had not yet arrived. His maid, Yu Lu, was about to go and find him when suddenly the door slammed open.

Liu Chang stormed in and immediately began insulting He Weifang, speaking with disdain and contempt, as though the He family had climbed above their station in this marriage. Fortunately, He Weifang was not particularly upset. Her mother had taken Liu’s family’s medicinal tribute, and her health had greatly improved, so there was little left for her to worry about. Yu Lu was concerned that the future might be difficult, but who could say for sure?

In the spring of the following year, the main lady of the household noticed a jade pendant on Yu Lu, which was quite valuable, and ordered a servant to take it, claiming it was for safekeeping. She also implied that He Weifang should use money to help Liu Chang with his preparations for the provincial exams.

She presented it as a way to strengthen the bond between He Weifang and Liu Chang, but in truth, she was envious of the wealth of the He family and wished to seize it for herself, hoping to use money to smooth her son’s career path. He Weifang didn’t object, and when Liu Chang arrived, she followed the main lady’s advice and offered money to help Liu Chang.

He immediately rejected her offer, which only made him more resentful of her. The main lady, in turn, defended Liu Chang and shifted all the blame onto He Weifang. After Liu Chang left, the main lady again suggested that He Weifang secretly manage things behind his back, keeping him in the dark. He Weifang had no choice but to agree. That day, she was planning to go to Fuyun Temple to pray for blessings.

The main lady instructed her not to wear new clothes and not to eat any meat or fish. Yu Lu noticed He Weifang’s discontent, but He Weifang, who could endure such cold treatment and disdain, was no fragile woman. The main lady, believing in the powers of a local sorcerer, insisted that He Weifang kneel for five full hours, without food or drink, and assigned Xiangfu to watch over her.

When Xiangfu fell asleep, He Weifang quietly sneaked out with money. Uncle Lin, a former senior worker at He Weifang’s father’s shop, was working at Fuyun Temple. He was greatly indebted to the He family, and he took good care of He Weifang, providing her with water and snacks. He Weifang, being kind-hearted, gave money to Uncle Lin and asked him to take Jiuer to see a doctor and get some medicine.

Uncle Lin accidentally hurt his back, and He Weifang, ever helpful, volunteered to move the flowers to the Zutianshi Hall. This hall, dedicated to the deity who dispenses justice, was the place where He Weifang made a wish. While there, she caught a man inside the hall performing a sham, and immediately scolded and struck him. Unbeknownst to her, this man was Jiang Zhangyang, known as the most corrupt official in the land, the Director of Flowers and Birds.

He had come on the orders of King Ning to accompany County Princess Li Youzhen to meet an old lover at the Liu residence. Hearing about He Weifang’s prayer against Liu Chang, he found the Liu household increasingly interesting. Liu Chang ordered his servants to dig up the precious peonies from He Weifang’s courtyard overnight for a flower feast the next day. This indirectly caused the flowers to wither and die, leaving He Weifang to personally tend to them in order to save them.

Episode 2 Recap

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