Perfect Match Episode 1 Recap, Plot

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During the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the capital Bianjing was prosperous and peaceful. The people lived in comfort, with bustling streets, numerous shops, and crowds of people everywhere. The air was filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares, creating a scene of flourishing prosperity.

Madam Li from Luoyang entered Bianjing with her four daughters: the eldest daughter Shou Hua, the third daughter Kang Ning, the fourth daughter Hao De, and the fifth daughter Le Shan. They were looking for the second daughter, Fu Hui, who had already married. As daylight broke, a Taiping carriage slowly entered the city. Kang Ning gently woke Hao De, advising her not to press her arm anymore.

Looking around, the other sisters had already begun preparing themselves to present themselves beautifully to meet Fu Hui. Hao De grumbled about their mother being stingy, saying that hiring a sedan would have been much more convenient and dignified. Le Shan woke slowly, irritated by Hao De's incessant complaints. The two sisters argued loudly, much to the amusement of Shou Hua, who joked that they could only be peaceful when they were asleep.

The sisters lifted the curtain and looked out the window, admiring the luxurious attire of the passersby. Madam Li sighed, expressing that once they met Fu Hui and settled in Bianjing, she would arrange good marriages for all of them, ensuring they would live a life of wealth and luxury, just like Fu Hui’s family. She would have no regrets if that were to happen. However, Fu Hui, though seemingly having found a good match, was secretly full of grievances.

At first, she and her husband Fan Lianghan were deeply in love, but over time, she realized that her husband was a soft-hearted man, easily swayed by others. He often visited the pleasure quarters, and would be moved by a few words from others, which caused her constant distress. This pain turned into anger, and she eventually became a fierce woman.

One day, the nobleman Chai An entered a tavern, where he gathered with his good friend Liang Junqing and his cousin Fan Lianghan. Chai An noticed that Fan Lianghan, who was usually lively, was now sitting quietly with a conical hat on his head, which struck him as strange.

Though Fan Lianghan claimed to have been stung by a bee the previous day, Chai An casually took off the hat and saw a red mark on his face, realizing that it was likely caused by Fu Hui. Chai An decided to go confront Fu Hui. Meanwhile, Madam Li and her daughters arrived at the gates of the Fan family mansion. Seeing the grand gates and luxurious home, they were overjoyed.

However, Fu Hui avoided them and refused to meet them. The steward lied, saying that both the master and the mistress were out and would not return anytime soon. Madam Li intended to leave, but upon hearing the steward tell someone to clean up the filth around the Taiping carriage, she became furious, sensing a slight against her. She turned around and slapped the steward, scolding him for raising an ungrateful child.

From that moment, she swore never to set foot in the Fan family again. After Madam Li left with her daughters, Kang Ning kept looking back until the Taiping carriage was far away. After they left, Fu Hui opened the door, her eyes red as she gazed at the carriage tracks, feeling despondent. On the other side, Chai An, riding his horse, passed by the Taiping carriage, but neither of them noticed the other.

That night, in the guest room at Liang’s house, Chai An insisted on staying the night. He intentionally hung a woman’s outer robe on the screen and sent someone to inform Fu Hui that Fan Lianghan had left two maidservants in his room. As expected, Fu Hui, enraged, rushed to confront him, only to find Chai An lying in the bed.

Chai An, pretending to be asleep, sat up and coldly scolded Fu Hui for allowing jealousy to cloud her judgment, warning her that it would bring disgrace to the Li family. Fu Hui, deeply embarrassed, left in the middle of the night. Little did she know, as soon as she left, Fan Lianghan, who had been hiding in the corner, dared to come out.

Chai An then gave him a scolding, saying that while Fu Hui was indeed overly jealous, it was Fan Lianghan's fault to begin with. He ordered him to reflect on his mistakes and change his bad habits. The next day, Madam Li and her daughters found a guesthouse to stay in. After settling in, however, they noticed that Kang Ning was missing.

It turned out that Kang Ning had suspected that Fu Hui was hiding something, so she made a mental note of it. Later that night, she went to look for her second sister and found Fu Hui biting a stone in frustration, her mouth bleeding. Kang Ning brought her back to the guesthouse. Fu Hui apologized and tearfully explained her difficulties, fearing that her actions would cause trouble for the Li family. The others were angry and expressed their opinions.

In the end, it was decided that Kang Ning would step in to discipline Fan Lianghan and ensure that he would obey. Madam Li worried that Fu Hui wouldn’t be able to bear it, but Fu Hui said that if it could help her husband become better, she would have no hesitation in being harsh. The next morning, when Fan Lianghan thought the family was away, he lay in his room enjoying food and drink, being served by maidservants.

Just as he was indulging himself, he heard that Fu Hui had returned and was startled. He pretended to be sick, lying in bed. Fu Hui sensed something was off and was about to confront him, when a maidservant whispered something in her ear. Kang Ning, who had prepared a fake remedy for a headache, tricked Fan Lianghan into drinking it, pretending it was a cure. Fu Hui made him drink it, and it turned into a playful ordeal.

Later, Fu Hui and the Li family gathered and chatted happily. Since their arrival in Bianjing, Fu Hui had felt reassured, as though she had gained confidence. Liang Junqing and others passed by the garden and admired the beauty of the Li sisters, so they pretended to be maidservants and secretly watched them. However, they were caught and thoroughly scolded by Kang Ning and Le Shan.

Afterward, Liang Junqing whispered into Chai An’s ear, encouraging him to try and meet Kang Ning. Chai An kicked a ball towards her, knocking her hairpin off, which prompted Kang Ning to retaliate. Chai An, seeing her bold personality and beautiful appearance, was stunned for a moment. Madam Li noticed something was going on but said nothing, simply taking her daughters to the temple to learn more about the Chai family.

While Madam Li was praying for good marriages for her daughters, she discovered that a thief had stolen some tributes. She hurriedly chased after him, shouting loudly, which displeased Madam Chai. However, Madam Li, despite her tough demeanor, was actually very kind-hearted. Upon hearing that the thief’s family was poor and his daughter could not marry due to lack of a dowry, she gave the tributes to him.

Kang Ning began to wonder why a woman would be unable to marry because of a dowry. A woman nearby overheard and explained that in Bianjing, marriages were highly dependent on wealth, and families with daughters would prepare dowries early so they wouldn’t face difficulties when their daughters reached marriageable age. Just then, the thief returned, dissatisfied with the gifts he had received from Madam Li, cursing that her daughter would never marry. This angered Madam Li so much that she fainted on the spot.

Episode 2 Recap

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