Love of Nirvana Episode 13 Recap, Plot

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Pei Yan and Wei Zhao had both been sent to Nanning by Emperor Xie Che to investigate the case of the military equipment, but each had their own hidden agenda. Pei Yan wanted to use this opportunity to establish authority among his clan and lay the groundwork for reviving the Pei family legacy.

He secretly sent people to search for the whereabouts of the Yan Shuangqiao sisters, who were involved in the assassination of King Qi, in order to uncover the full truth behind his death. Xie Che had also entrusted Wei Zhao with a secret mission: to monitor Pei Yan's every move, fearing that Pei Yan might leverage his clan’s power to rebel. Wei Zhao, too, sent people to search for the Yan Shuangqiao sisters.

Together with He Zhenwen, Pei Yan and Wei Zhao inspected the armory but found no abnormalities. Wei Zhao suggested they continue investigating the military equipment case under the guise of leisurely touring the mountains and rivers. Every morning, Wei Zhao, Jiang Ci, Cui Liang, and the rest of the group would leave early, pretending to stroll around. Over several days, they visited every corner of Nanning's markets, observing that everything appeared in order.

The people of Nanning lived in peace and prosperity. They paid particular attention to rice shops and blacksmiths, but found no issues. Jiang Ci noted that the porridge she had from a street vendor was made with old rice, and they discovered that many rice shops were selling old rice at the same price as new rice. Wei Zhao sensed that someone was manipulating the situation behind the scenes, trying to hide the true state of Nanning from them.

Jiang Ci quickly bonded with the fisherwoman, Li Ayan, and the two became close friends. Li Ayan took Jiang Ci for a stroll along the riverside, where Jiang Ci noticed that the rice, known as Diaohu Rice, growing in a ten-mile radius along the riverbank had been completely harvested. She found this odd, as Nanning was a land of fish and rice, and this year had seen abundant rainfall and an increase in crop production.

The people shouldn’t need to resort to harvesting Diaohu Rice to stave off hunger. Suspecting that there were refugees in Nanning, Jiang Ci immediately reported her findings to Pei Yan. Pei Yan decided to split up with Wei Zhao—he would investigate the rice shops, while Wei Zhao would search for the refugees. Jiang Ci volunteered to accompany Pei Yan on his investigation, but he, concerned for her safety, insisted she stay behind.

Seeing how much Pei Yan cared for Jiang Ci, Li Ayan couldn’t help but think of her late fiancé, now separated from her by life and death. Grief-stricken, Li Ayan looked at the necklace her fiancé had given her, heartbroken. Pei Yan sent people to investigate the four major granaries of Nanning and discovered that the eastern and western granaries were controlled by members of the Pei clan. He tasked Tong Min and Yi Fei with a thorough investigation.

Yi Fei secretly investigated Zhao Wu and learned that, before entering the palace, Zhao Wu had married and had children. However, he had been executed for dereliction of duty, his wife had died early, and his son had drifted to Nanning. Wei Zhao suspected that Zhao Wu had helped the Yan Shuangqiao sisters escape and instructed Yi Fei to keep a close eye on Pei Yan. Yi Fei, reluctant to continue spying, was reprimanded by Wei Zhao.

Later, in the kitchen, Wei Zhao saw Jiang Ci making steamed rice cakes with Diaohu Rice. He took the opportunity to stir up trouble in front of Jiang Ci, claiming that Pei Yan's investigation of the rice shops was not to help the refugees, but to safeguard the Pei family’s interests. Jiang Ci didn’t believe him at all and gave him a rice cake, dismissing him with a few words.

Early the next morning, Wei Zhao left to investigate, and Jiang Ci sneaked into his room to look for her little clay cat. She turned the room upside down but couldn’t find it. Suddenly, Wei Zhao returned, catching Jiang Ci red-handed. Instead of feeling guilty, Jiang Ci scolded him for not putting enough effort into his investigation and demanded that he return her clay cat.

Wei Zhao refused outright and took Jiang Ci to a dilapidated temple on the western side of the city, where many refugees had gathered. The soldiers were treating them brutally, beating and scolding them. Jiang Ci was shocked beyond words. Wei Zhao was reminded of how he and his sister had been treated as refugees, and his anger boiled over.

He clenched his teeth, ready to rush in and teach the soldiers a lesson, but Jiang Ci urged him to hold back for now and come up with a plan to gather more information. The two disguised themselves as a couple of refugees and went begging on the streets, eventually being caught and taken to the broken temple. Jiang Ci cried for help, making up a story about how she had become a refugee, but the others ignored her.

Some even advised her not to waste her energy. Wei Zhao took out a large biscuit, and the hungry refugees swarmed to grab it. Taking advantage of the chaos, he started asking them about the original layout of the temple. A former hostess from the Zuihong Lou teahouse, who had been locked in the temple, revealed the truth: a large number of refugees had come to Nanning, barely surviving on Diaohu Rice.

He Zhenwen had sent his thugs, led by Zhao Da, to lock them up here because a high-ranking official from Qingkang City was coming to inspect Nanning. The woman was suffering from a painful outbreak of syphilis, and Jiang Ci decided to stay behind to care for her, urging Wei Zhao to return quickly to report to Pei Yan. Unable to argue with her, Wei Zhao left his Guangming Bureau badge with her before leaving.

Pei Yan, along with Cui Liang and An Cheng, inspected the western granary and found that the rice there had been swapped out with inferior stock. Wei Zhao returned to their residence and learned from Yi Fei about Pei Yan’s whereabouts. He immediately rushed over and saw An Cheng leaving the place where Zhao Wu had once lived. Sneaking inside, he found a suspicious footprint.

Hearing that Pei Yan had gone to the western granary and Wei Zhao to the broken temple, He Zhenwen, fearing exposure, ordered He Yonglin to lead a group to kill all the refugees. Jiang Ci was carefully attending to the woman when suddenly a group of masked men stormed the temple and began slaughtering the refugees. Jiang Ci hurriedly pulled the woman to hide, but they were soon discovered. In a desperate moment, Jiang Ci shouted for Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao rushed to the temple, only to find it completely empty. Jiang Ci was nowhere to be found, and it dawned on him that she was in danger. Jiang Ci, calling out Wei Zhao’s name and showing the Guangming Bureau badge, managed to stop the masked men from acting rashly. However, they had no choice but to take her captive.

Pei Yan arrived at the temple soon after and, upon learning that Jiang Ci had been captured, set off immediately to rescue her. Meanwhile, Wei Zhao noticed Jiang Ci’s sachet on the ground, which contained Dark Night Orchid. Knowing that once stained by Dark Night Orchid, the scent was difficult to remove, Wei Zhao planned to use this clue to track down Jiang Ci.

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