Romance of a Twin Flower Episode 21 Recap
> Romance of a Twin Flower Recap
After drinking by the river, Ji Man suggested to Ning Yuxuan that they play "Truth or Wine": they play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser must either drink or answer a question truthfully. Ning Yuxuan agreed. He won the first round and asked Ji Man if she had someone she liked. She admitted she did, but when he asked who, she reminded him that was a second question he had to win the right to ask.
In the next round, Ji Man won and asked Ning Yuxuan the same question; he also said yes but used the same tactic to avoid saying who. Ji Man won a third time and pressed him for the name. Ning Yuxuan revealed it was her. When Ji Man asked if he was confessing, he confirmed and kissed her.
Ji Man then asked when he started liking her, but he playfully called that a third question, which she had lost the right to ask. The next day, as Ning Yuxuan and Ji Man prepared to leave the village, the grateful villagers came to see them off. They then sought out Granny Liu, whom they had noticed watching them earlier.
They explained they believed she wasn't crazy, just that no one would listen to her, and suspected she had something to say about the men who went to sea. Surprised by their insight, Granny Liu shared her story. Her filial son, Gen, who had always avoided going to sea to spare her worry, left for work one day and never returned.
She later received a single letter with money, claiming Gen had gone to sea and was well, but it gave no details. That was four years ago. She recalled that just before Gen disappeared, Mr. Wang's men had been in the village providing porridge. She realized that every man who had gone to sea after one of these visits had never returned.
Believing something terrible had happened, she had tried to warn the other women, but they dismissed her as crazy. She pleaded with them to ask the officials to investigate her son's fate. Ning Yuxuan then revealed he was the Magistrate of Haifang and personally vowed to see justice done for Gen. On their journey back, Ning Yuxuan and Ji Man connected the dots. Ning Yuxuan now understood why the pirates in Haifang were so hard to eradicate.
He had checked the records and found a pattern: whenever a major case that would attract the court's attention occurred, "pirates" would conveniently appear to take the blame. He concluded that Wang Jinyao was capturing innocent villagers and forcing them to pose as pirates. Ji Man wondered why only Granny Liu had noticed. Ning Yuxuan explained Wang Jinyao's cunning: he took victims from multiple surrounding villages, specifically targeting quiet, isolated individuals whose disappearances would go unnoticed.
Distressed, Ji Man urged Ning Yuxuan to stop him, and he promised he would. Meanwhile, Wang Jinyao met with Yuan Lang, proposing a "gift" for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. The plan was to rob the Tael Ship, which transports the annual official silver tax to the capital. When Yuan Lang expressed concern over the severe crime, Wang Jinyao assured him they would frame the local pirates, a tactic he admitted to using for years with commoners as scapegoats.
Feeling he was taking all the risk, Yuan Lang hesitated until Wang Jinyao offered him a fifty-fifty split of the silver (after their superiors' cut), a share far more generous than his predecessor ever received. Yuan Lang agreed to the partnership. On the day of the Tael Ship's departure, Ning Yuxuan arrived at the wharf to escort the vessel alongside Wang Jinyao. As they prepared to board, Wen Wan arrived with supplies for Ning Yuxuan.
Shortly after, Ji Man also appeared, admitting she felt uneasy and had to see him off. While Wen Wan took the items aboard, Ji Man gave Ning Yuxuan a piece of wood for protection, explaining her father carried one for safety at sea, calling it "touch wood to stay safe." After he boarded, Ji Man and Muxu, feeling suspicious of Wang Jinyao's easy cooperation, decided to go back on the ship to investigate.
Onboard, Muxu found Wen Wan still in Ning Yuxuan's room. Under Ning Yuxuan's direct order, Muxu escorted a reluctant Wen Wan off the ship. As the ship set sail, Wen Wan realized Ji Man was still aboard and felt she had been tricked. Aboard the ship, Ji Man's search led her to the smell of fierce fire oil, which she found highly suspicious. Meanwhile, Ning Yuxuan's subordinate reported to him on the number and positions of Wang Jinyao's men.
Wang Jinyao's attendant then invited Ning Yuxuan to his room for a game of chess. During the game, Wang Jinyao tested Ning Yuxuan, asking his opinion of Yuan Lang, the Dragon Gang's new chief. Wang Jinyao remarked on using people like chess pieces, noting Yuan Lang had a guild badge allowing free access.
He then mentioned that recent pirate attacks had targeted ships carrying medicine for Ji Man, and deliberately pointed out that Yuan Lang and Ji Man were old acquaintances, subtly implying a connection. When Wang Jinyao declared that Ning Yuxuan was about to lose a section of the board, Ning Yuxuan calmly replied that the outcome of the game was not yet decided.
