Against The Current Episode 17 Recap
**SPOILER ALERT**
Table of Contents
TL;DR (Quick Overview)
Lanxiang pieces together a horrifying truth, the epidemic isn’t an illness at all, and the discovery of a poisoned maid, a fatal cover-up, and a genuine deathwatch over Yuchan make this one of the show’s most gripping episodes yet. As Jinqi springs his own trap on the Wo pirates outside the residence, Du Zheng’s true loyalties finally come to a head.
A Warning Passed Along
Bringing Xiuru back to her room, Lanxiang tells her to let her know if she needs anything. Xiuru asks Tongcao to close the door for some privacy and Xiuru explains what’s been troubling her. When she’d gone to see Jinqi during the hour of Xu, he’d asked why she came without a maid, the reason being she’d sent Tongcao to secretly follow Lingdang.
Tongcao reports back what she witnessed, Du Cuique whispering something to Lingdang before she left, prompting Tongcao to trail her carefully. Having served the household’s young ladies since childhood, she knew every corner of the estate well enough to move unnoticed, following Lingdang all the way to Second Young Master’s courtyard, where, strangely, she never actually went inside.
Instead, she simply exchanged a few words with two maids delivering hot water before heading back to Luxue Lodge. Lanxiang agrees the behaviour sounds odd as why would Lingdang not accompany Young Lady Du? Xiuru admits she’d felt the same unease, especially given Lingdang came from outside the household originally, and with First Madam having put Lanxiang in charge, she felt this was worth flagging.
A Piece Falls Into Place
Back in her room, Lanxiang finds Gantang still awake and tells her to rest for the busy day ahead. Gantang wonders aloud why, after two full days tending Yuchan, neither of them has developed a single rash, while everyone at Luxue Lodge remains untouched except for Xiaolian.
Asked what Young Lady Du had said to her earlier that day, Gantang recalls an offhand remark about how hard Young Master had worked, only to have to go straight back out again right after his bath. Lanxiang sits up sharply.
Pressing further, she realizes Young Lady Du couldn’t possibly have known when Jinqi actually left that night. The pieces click together in her mind: a bath, Lingdang visiting Qingyan Hall, maids carrying hot water.
Confirming the Pattern
Lanxiang tracks down Bao Gai immediately, asking whether Lingdang had come by the same day Jinqi returned from prison and she and Yuchan came back from the naval camp. Bao Gai confirms it, that afternoon, she’d been rushing to heat extra water for their baths. Lingdang had indeed stopped by, ostensibly delivering medicine for Bao Gai’s own menstrual cramps at Young Lady Du’s request, lingering a while after explaining the dosage.
Lanxiang recalls that same day Xiaolian had visited her, and Yuchan, short on hot water, had used hers instead, only to wake the next morning with the first signs of a rash. Bao Gai, surprised Lanxiang came all this way just to ask, is told plainly that no one can know this conversation happened.
A Different Kind of Epidemic
Suspecting the truth now, Lanxiang rushes to Jinqi’s private bath, locked since he left, and searches the water itself, only to be startled by Nanke’s sudden presence. She explains her theory, this isn’t an illness at all, someone’s been poisoning the household through bathwater rather than food.
She reasons that meals are watched too closely for easy tampering, while bathwater passes through far less scrutiny. Her suspicion lands squarely on Du Cuique and Lingdang, though she admits she could be overthinking it. Nanke collects a water sample for testing, and before he leaves, Lanxiang asks one more favour.
Authority, Transferred
Back in her room, writing a letter to her parents, Lanxiang confirms to Nanke that Gantang can be trusted completely. He reveals First Madam has now also been infected and poisoned, and having heard Lanxiang’s theory, hands over the Lin household authority tokens, granting her full command of the inner household alongside Second Master Jinlan. Lanxiang is shocked.
First Madam explains her reasoning to Nanke. Worried she may fall gravely ill to manage the household, and with no one else in the family genuinely capable of the task, Lanxiang is the only person she trusts to see it through.
A Suspicious Fabric
Later, Gantang mentions noticing Du Cuique wearing an undershirt made of Xinggu gauze, a fabric she’d only ever seen once before, worn by Young Madam Zhao, woven from banana fibre and worth a fortune. Lanxiang explains it was almost certainly a gift, the same benefactor likely behind the expensive Yunzi stones too, both meant to win favour. Asked what she plans to do, Lanxiang lays out a plan.
A Forced Loyalty
That night, Du Zheng is intercepted during his patrol and brought to a back alley to meet Jinqi and his men, dressed in civilian clothes. Panicking briefly that his cover’s been blown, he relaxes once Jinqi explains it’s simply another night mission requiring backup. Feigning enthusiasm, Du Zheng stalls for time claiming he needs different clothes and a weapon, only to find both already prepared for him, leaving him no real choice but to comply.
A Simple Breakfast
Lanxiang serves a modest breakfast, eggs, pickles, and porridge, to Second Madam, Xiuwan, and Du Cuique. Stepping outside to speak with Gantang, she’s watched closely by Lingdang. Gantang reports that the person who requested hot water for a bath the previous night was Concubine Zhou.
Rushing to Jinlan, Lanxiang hesitates before voicing her suspicion plainly, she believes Concubine Zhou may have been infected. Knocking on her door goes unanswered until Concubine Zhou finally admits she’s already developed the rash herself.
A Death, and a Devastating Truth
Leaving the room, screams erupt, someone calling Lingdang’s name in panic. Lanxiang rushes in to find Lingdang severely poisoned, Du Cuique sobbing over her. Lingdang tries desperately to communicate something with her eyes before dying, unable to speak. Watching Du Cuique’s grief-stricken howling, Lanxiang is horrified by the realization settling over her, Du Cuique killed her own maid to silence her.
Everyone gathers outside as the body’s removed, and word spreads that Yuchan’s condition has worsened dramatically, she may not survive the night. Terror ripples through the household, everyone wondering if they could be next. Concubine Zhou volunteers seclusion and follows Yichen back to Rongzhang House to join First Madam.
A Vow of Determination
Devastated at the tea station, Lanxiang, Gantang, and Bao Gai break down together over Yuchan’s condition, until Lanxiang’s grief hardens into pure resolve. Yuchan’s worked too hard to escape hardship to lose everything now, she hasn’t even had the chance to properly live her life yet, with Madam Wu still waiting for Jiugao to formally ask for Yuchan’s hand.
A Performance of Innocence
Du Cuique fumigates the room afterward, and Madam Han gently excuses Second Madam’s distress, having never witnessed a death before. Du Cuique brushes it off graciously, insisting everyone’s treated her kindly since her arrival, accepting tea from Gantang without hesitation.
A Trap Sprung
Outside the city, Jinqi and his men lie in wait in camouflage. Du Zheng tries stalling for an excuse to slip away, denied outright under threat of blowing their cover. As Commander Yuan’s procession approaches, Jinqi’s men are confused, thinking they are attacking commander Yuan?
Commander Yuan and his troops are then ambushed by black clad men, causing even more confusion, especially Du Zheng. Jinqi reveals the truth with a smile, they’re actually there to help Commander Yuan and eliminate the three ringleaders behind the Wo pirates’ assassination attempt. Du Zheng watches, stunned, as the real fight erupts around him.
As the battle rages, back at the residence, the poisoned victims continue deteriorating.
In the chaos of combat, Du Zheng finally sees his chance and lunges directly at Jinqi, Jiugao shouting a warning just in time.
Against the Current Episode 17 Recap: My Thoughts
I love how well these subplots are always played out. While I knew something wasn’t adding up, I didn’t quite know what, and even though it was mentioned a couple of times that Gantang and Lanxiang tended to Yuchan without ever developing a rash themselves, I didn’t quite put two and two together myself.
I loved that First Madam Lin handed Lanxiang the household tokens. That’s by far her biggest flex yet, and there’s no way, in that era, anyone would ever hand over that kind of authority to a maid, let alone a second-rank one. No doubt she’ll earn even greater respect from the family going forward, given how many times she’s already saved them.
The fighting scene in the forest was great. I loved that slow-motion flying through the air as the two groups clashed. I really enjoy when a show dedicates real time to its fight scenes, since they require so much to pull off properly, and Jinqi looked so formidable throughout.
We end this episode on a massive cliffhanger. Does Du Zheng actually attack Jinqi? How will Lanxiang handle Du Cuique now that she knows the truth? These two are working alongside each other, unknowingly, but driving toward the same outcome in the end, especially Lanxiang, who’s taken it entirely upon herself to solve this enormous problem.
Tan Songyun continues to impress me in this drama, her acting is fantastic. I’m also loving watching the maids band together and support one another. This was such a gripping episode.
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