The Glory Episode 26 Recap, Plot

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Ever since Zhou Ruyin confessed in court to plotting against Zhuang Hanliang, Zhuang Shiyang feared unexpected changes and secretly arranged for a human trafficker to sell her off. Enraged, Zhou Ruyin slashed her own face with a hairpin, hoping to render herself undesirable, but Zhuang Shiyang forcibly took the hairpin away and insisted on having her taken.

He pretended to be considerate, telling the trafficker to find her a good household, but in truth, he had arranged for her to be bought and buried alive in the outskirts. Fortunately, Zhuang Hanyan, who had been secretly watching, intervened just in time to save her. Zhou Ruyin had anticipated many things but never thought that it would be Zhuang Hanyan who would save her.

What shocked her even more was learning from Zhou Ruyin that Ruan Xiwen had already been killed by Zhuang Shiyang, along with Zhou Ruyin’s eldest daughter, Zhuang Yuqin. Grief-stricken and filled with hatred, Zhou Ruyin despised Zhuang Shiyang. Zhou Ruyin never expected such a tragic end. She began to doubt whether she could trust anyone, including Zhuang Hanyan, suspecting that Zhuang Hanyan had saved her merely to use her.

However, after much persuasion, Zhou Ruyin and Zhuang Hanyan decided to join forces against Zhuang Shiyang. Zhou Ruyin reflected on how, when she first married into the Zhuang family, Zhuang Shiyang looked down on her merchant background and only took her as a concubine. All these years, she had only wanted to stay by his side, allowing herself and her daughter to become noblewomen in the capital and escape their fate. But in the end, she had gained nothing.

Zhuang Hanyan pointed out that both of the once-famous "Twin Beauties of the Capital" had now fallen into ruin, yet Zhou Ruyin had spent her life striving to become a noblewoman, enduring humiliation and submission. True nobility, however, did not come from wealth but from living freely and controlling one’s own fate. Zhou Ruyin had once relied on her husband and son for survival, but she could also live by relying on herself.

She recalled that Ruan Xiwen had once told her the same thing. Zhuang Hanyan believed that Zhou Ruyin was a smart woman who had simply chosen the wrong person to follow, leading to her current downfall. Understanding one another at last, they clasped hands. Zhuang Hanyan then asked about the evidence Zhou Ruyin possessed, as her grandmother had once mentioned that the key evidence was in Zhou Ruyin’s hands.

Zhou Ruyin admitted that she had crucial evidence to bring down Zhuang Shiyang—a promissory note for an enormous sum. Since Zhuang Shiyang had been absent when the debt was incurred, the servants had given the note to Madam Wei. However, as Madam Wei was illiterate, she had someone read it for her. Zhou Ruyin sensed that the document was unusual, as it had been issued in Shiyang Village.

Later, she and Nanny Tao switched the original note, keeping the real one and handing a forged version to Zhuang Shiyang, using it as a safeguard for herself. Now, she finally decided to hand this evidence over to Zhuang Hanyan to expose Zhuang Shiyang’s true nature. With Nanny Tao’s full support, Zhou Ruyin successfully retrieved the land deed and promissory note.

Out of gratitude, she gifted Nanny Tao silver banknotes and urged her to leave the secluded residence quickly to avoid any trouble. She then handed the promissory note to Zhuang Hanyan and confessed that she had hidden it during the interrogation at the Court of Judicial Review, fearing that Zhuang Shiyang would destroy it.

Zhou Ruyin was determined not to leave the capital, as her daughter, Zhuang Yushan, was still in the dark, and she wanted to see Zhuang Shiyang receive his rightful punishment. Meanwhile, Fu Yunxi and Zhuang Hanyan were diligently pursuing the case against Zhuang Shiyang, unaware that chaos had already erupted at home. Zhuang Shiyang’s room was ransacked, and a divorce letter was found. The family was both shocked and furious.

Fu Yunxi had to face his mother’s interrogation alone, but he cleverly dismissed it as nothing more than a heated remark during an argument with Zhuang Hanyan, successfully appeasing her. However, the ordeal deeply affected young Ah Zhi, who had just begun to experience motherly warmth but now feared losing it again. At a critical moment, Zhuang Hanyan arrived, comforting Ah Zhi by expressing her sincere feelings for Fu Yunxi, lulling her into a peaceful sleep.

Hearing Zhuang Hanyan’s words, Fu Yunxi felt immense happiness, yet when he turned to face her, he handed her a divorce letter. Confused, Zhuang Hanyan asked if he was hiding something from her, but Fu Yunxi remained silent, only inviting her to join him in Shiyang Village the next day. On their way to Shiyang Village, Fu Yunxi offered Zhuang Hanyan some pastries, but she declined and instead reminded him of the divorce letter he had given her the previous day.

She pointed out that, since their relationship had no real substance, he didn’t need to treat her with such care. Fu Yunxi felt a pang of discomfort. Upon arriving in Shiyang Village, they found that the villagers were mostly elderly, weak, and disabled, yet they all knelt before Zhuang Hanyan, begging her to spare their children and grant them more time. Perplexed, Zhuang Hanyan sought out an elder named Li San for clarification.

Li San revealed that the villagers had all taken out high-interest loans, but the lender was merely an old woman acting as a front. The real debt owner’s name wasn’t on the documents, though someone had secretly glimpsed it—Zhuang Hanyan’s name. A sudden realization struck Zhuang Hanyan—ever since the enormous wealth of Pei Dafu had been placed under her name, Zhuang Shiyang had been funneling funds through her, secretly issuing loans to impoverished people.

Fu Yunxi speculated that it wasn’t just farmers affected but businesses across the country. Wu Youzhi and Zhou Ruyin had merely been scapegoats for Zhuang Shiyang, and from the beginning, Zhuang Hanyan had been set up to be the ultimate scapegoat. She suspected that Zhuang Shiyang’s true targets were both herself and Fu Yunxi. Since Fu Yunxi was Pei Dafu’s adopted son, their marriage made them appear as co-conspirators in embezzling Pei Dafu’s fortune.

Fu Yunxi now realized they had likely fallen into Zhuang Shiyang’s trap long ago, and the old woman handling the loans was most likely Nanny Tao. At that moment, Nanny Tao was in the kitchen with Zhuang Shiyang, sharing a meal he had personally prepared. She was content—after sending off Zhou Ruyin, she could finally serve Zhuang Shiyang in the kitchen again. Sensing danger, Fu Yunxi urged Zhuang Hanyan to leave immediately. They couldn’t afford to be caught together.

From a distance, they spotted Lord Yan leading the Court of Judicial Review officers toward them. Left with no choice, Zhuang Hanyan hid while Fu Yunxi faced them alone. When Lord Yan arrived, Zhuang Hanyan was already gone. Fu Yunxi lied, claiming she had already returned home. Lord Yan then ordered his men to arrest Fu Yunxi, who turned to glance at Zhuang Hanyan’s hiding place.

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