Flourished Peony Episode 23 Recap, Plot

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Mudan called out to Jiang Zhangyang and asked him to buy her. If she wanted to leave the military camp and return to Chang'an to rise again, she would need Jiang Zhangyang’s help. For this, Mudan was willing to renegotiate their previous arrangement. Jiang Zhangyang smiled, reached into his chest, and pulled out Mudan's bond. It turned out that he had already purchased her. The two of them rode together back to Chang'an.

Meanwhile, Zhu Fu had not received any news from Jiang Zhangyang and was growing increasingly anxious. She was about to go to the military camp to wait for him with her mother when there was a knock on the door. When she opened it, she found Mudan standing there, someone she hadn't seen in a long time. Zhu Fu, Lv Gengchun, and Sun Daniang hurriedly welcomed Mudan inside.

The money and silk that belonged to Mudan had already been seized by the officials, but Zhu Fu had secretly hidden away the precious *Qiong Tai* jade dew and some other important items for Mudan. King Ning once again tricked Qin Shengyi into helping him make incense powder and manage the business at *Hua Man Zhu*. Qin Shengyi, with an emotionless face, refused, which resulted in King Ning beating her.

Afterward, Qin Shengyi returned to the dilapidated temple where she and Mudan had once started, praying to the gods for Mudan's safe return. However, the candle flame kept being blown out by the wind, and no matter how many times she relit it, the wind extinguished it again. Qin Shengyi was both shocked and regretful, feeling that her sins were so great that even the gods could not forgive her.

At that moment, Mudan appeared, cupping her hands together and helping Qin Shengyi light the candle. Qin Shengyi was overjoyed, but Mudan’s next words were to question why she had betrayed her. Qin Shengyi explained that she had never betrayed Mudan, but she hadn't expected King Ning to deceive her into revealing everything, resulting in Mudan’s accusation at the Jingzhao Prefecture. However, by now, those words had no use.

What Mudan wanted to tell Qin Shengyi was that she had been reduced to a slave status, while Qin Shengyi had returned to her hardships. The cost of falling for King Ning's false affection was far too great. Still, Mudan kept a piece of her heart for Qin Shengyi. If Qin Shengyi’s life became unbearable, she could always return to Mudan.

But Qin Shengyi, feeling deeply guilty, didn’t want to face Mudan again and hoped that Mudan’s future friendships would be with true friends, never encountering someone like her. When Jiang Zhangyang returned from Luoyang with items he had brought back, Mudan realized that the *hu bing* (a type of cake) was made by her father. Jiang Zhangyang told her that since she had regained the identity of He Weifang, she could return to Luoyang to see her family.

Mudan recounted the day she escaped home and told Jiang Zhangyang that her father believed a woman’s place was in the inner chambers, managing the household and raising children. However, Mudan was not that kind of person, and she knew she would never be able to return to that family. No matter what Mudan's identity was, Jiang Zhangyang had never looked down on her. So, Mudan wanted to develop a relationship with him beyond just financial matters.

Jiang Zhangyang smiled and said that they were already friends. When Liu Chang learned that the *Hua Man Zhu* contract was bought by Jiang Zhangyang, allowing Mudan to leave the military camp, he immediately sought out Jiang Zhangyang. However, Jiang Zhangyang advised him to be more discerning in judging people, suggesting that it was obvious who had ordered the mistreatment and death of Mudan.

At the same time, Old Madam Tang, a noblewoman with a high rank, was known for being difficult to please. No one dared take on the flower banquet order for her eightieth birthday. Just then, King Ning visited to deliver a ceremonial invitation, hoping to meet with Lv Wanrong. He sent word that he could take on the flower banquet order for Old Madam Tang.

Unbeknownst to him, this was all part of Mudan’s plan to reclaim *Hua Man Zhu* from King Ning and restore its reputation. Soon, the flowers that King Ning bought from the flower shop wilted within hours of being delivered to the Tang residence. The house steward came to confront King Ning, demanding that he provide new flowers by the next day.

King Ning had already spent all the money on the flowers, and now the flower shop refused to lend him any more florists. Desperate, he kidnapped Qin Shengyi, who had been beaten and bruised, to try and force He Weifang into cooperating with him. However, He Weifang exposed him for trying to save face and shamelessly asking for help when he was already out of options.

Episode 22 Recap

Episode 24 Recap

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