Against The Current Episode 4 Recap
**SPOILER ALERT**
Table of Contents
TL;DR (Quick Overview)
Lanxiang and Ji’er settle into the grinding rhythm of third-rank maid life, while a near-catastrophic mix-up over a stolen ledger nearly exposes them both to Zhao Xingtang’s wrath. Beneath the daily chores, real political manoeuvring is already underway, and Lin Jinqi’s quiet investigation into his wife’s embezzlement scheme is only just beginning.
New Duties, New Rules
The four new maids are assigned their posts, and Lanxiang and Ji’er are placed in the tea station under second-rank maid Bao Gai. Their job is simple but relentless, keeping hot water available at all times, whether for medicine or whatever else their master’s demand. As third-rank maids, they’re told plainly they’ll have no direct contact with the household’s masters, and they’re expected to keep their heads down at all times.
A Woman Trapped
Zhao Xingtang throws another tantrum, stacking a wall of silver around her, the only thing left in her life that still brings her any real joy as she navigates the daily prison her marriage has become. Her attendant reports on the new maids, and Xingtang understands exactly what they’re really for, hand-selected to bear children for the Lin family.
She knows Madam Lin resents her for never producing an heir, but the truth is crueller than that, Jinqi wants a Lin child, not a Zhao one, and he’ll never give her that chance regardless. As a woman, she has no real way out, she can’t become a scholar, can’t build a life of her own outside these walls. All she can do is keep hoarding her silver.
A Family Left Behind
Back home, the Xus sink into quiet grief over Lanxiang’s absence. Xu Guihua wonders aloud how she’d have coped all those years ago if their real daughter had died and she’d had nothing left at all. Wanquan writes the single word Live in charcoal, a quiet reminder that their daughter would want nothing more than for them to keep living well.
A Stolen Night’s Sleep
Late that night, Ji’er and Lanxiang are still tending the stoves, reminded once again that the fire must never go out and hot water must always be ready. Splitting the night into two shifts, Ji’er takes the first and promptly sleeps straight through it.
A Warning Over Tea
Elsewhere, Jinqi summons the head shopkeeper to review the shop’s ledger personally. Asked plainly if anything’s unaccounted for, the shopkeeper insists everything’s in order. Jinqi presses further, asking, seemingly at random, whether his son is married, and the man answers proudly, yes, to the young madam’s own dowry maid, calling himself fortunate for the connection.
Without warning, Jinqi has his attendant burn the back of the man’s hand right there, then calmly asks again whether the ledgers are truly legitimate.
A Storm, and a Collision
The next morning, Lanxiang and Ji’er are sent to pluck white chrysanthemums from the garden. Ji’er asks why Lanxiang never mentioned being able to read to the young madam, and Lanxiang admits she’s afraid the knowledge would only bring trouble down on both of them.
Lanxiang’s basket ends up beautifully arranged, Ji’er’s a mess, and Ji’er threatens to expose her secret unless she hands over the better basket instead, which Lanxiang does without protest.
A second-rank maid then tasks them with delivering the Diamond Sutra to the young master. As a storm rolls in, they take a shortcut, and Ji’er collides hard with Qingxiang, sending both the scripture and the basket of flowers scattering across the ground. Furious, Qingxiang scoops up her own book and storms off.
A Dangerous Mix-Up
Gathering the fallen flowers, Lanxiang spots something alarming among the scattered pages, an actual accounting ledger, listing outstanding debts. Terrified, she says nothing, and Ji’er, assuming it’s simply the Buddhist scripture, picks it up along with her original basket, since hers had been the one strewn everywhere.
A Butler’s Discovery
Back in his study, Jinqi tells the shopkeeper plainly that he’s been away a long time and wants to know exactly who’s actually been managing the accounts in his absence. The shopkeeper admits he’s been dealing directly with the young madam, simply following whatever instructions she gives. Jinqi tells him, from now on, he deals with him directly instead.
Understanding the unspoken warning completely, the shopkeeper agrees, and claims the burn on his hand was purely an accident from the brazier, accepting a cup of tea offered as a parting gesture.
A Furious Discovery
Meanwhile, Qingxiang sits with Zhao Xingtang, preparing to review the very same accounts, only to open the book and realize in horror that she’s grabbed the wrong one entirely, the Diamond Sutra instead of the ledger. Furious, Xingtang orders her to track down the missing ledger and punish whoever’s responsible for the mix-up.
A Close Call, Narrowly Avoided
Xingtang gathers her maids and marches off to punish the two girls directly. Lanxiang, soaked from the rain, returns to find the real ledger still sitting untouched on Ji’er’s bed, and asks, panicked, why she still hasn’t delivered it. Ji’er snaps back, warning her not to even think about stealing this errand from her.
Hearing footsteps approaching outside, Lanxiang thinks fast, loudly announcing that she understands the Buddhist scripture is Ji’er’s errand to deliver personally to the young master, it isn’t as though she’d deliver it herself, cleverly talking them both out of immediate danger.
A Suspicious Search
Zhao Xingtang storms into the room just as Qingxiang snatches up the ledger, demanding to know why she’s holding a scripture instead. Qingxiang explains everything got soaked and muddied in the collision. Xingtang eyes both girls with open suspicion but ultimately turns and leaves without punishing them, though she does notice the basket of white chrysanthemums sitting nearby.
A Clever Disguise
Asked by her maid why she chose not to punish them after all, Xingtang explains her reasoning, Qingxiang had cleverly disguised the ledger inside the cover of the Buddhist scripture, and to anyone who can’t actually read, the two books would look virtually identical.
She reasons that if Ji’er had genuinely known she was holding the real ledger, she’d have delivered it straight to the young master immediately rather than returning to the room to change first, proof enough that she simply didn’t know any better and wasn’t trying to draw attention.
A Missed Opportunity, and a Warning
Later, tending the stoves again, a young attendant comes looking for eight treasure tea, insisting it be delivered to the young master immediately. Ji’er leaps at the chance to finally meet him in person, shoving Lanxiang aside to claim the errand for herself.
When Bao Gai later comes looking for Ji’er, Lanxiang covers for her smoothly, offering to check with the attendant whether the young master needs more tea so Ji’er can deliver it. Ji’er returns thrilled, having been tipped a silver tael and convinced the young master now knows her name.
Lanxiang points out plainly, yes, but so does the young madam, and passes along a chilling piece of gossip making the rounds, a maid in town was recently beaten to death by her own young madam, a warning for Ji’er to watch herself carefully.
Against the Current Episode 4 Recap: My Thoughts
This episode introduces a couple of interesting threads. First, Zhao Xingtang is clearly deeply unhappy and trapped inside this household, seeing herself as living in a literal prison. She knows First Madam Lin resents her for failing to produce grandchildren, but the real cruelty is that Jinqi will never give her that chance, because she’s a Zhao, and he’ll only ever want a Lin child. That’s exactly why First Madam Lin sent in those new maids in the first place, hoping one might become a bedchamber maid and finally produce her an heir.
Ji’er is fully aware of that same opportunity, and she’s doing everything she possibly can to put herself in front of the young master. She’s also proving conniving, using Lanxiang to her own advantage while staying spoiled and lazy herself.
The whole ledger storyline is shaping up to be interesting too. It’s becoming clear Jinqi already suspects the embezzlement happening right under his nose, money quietly funnelled out of the shop and into his wife’s own pockets, and he’s clearly working to put a stop to it.
Lanxiang, meanwhile, is frightened, terrified of what could happen to her if she puts a single foot wrong, and she’s doing a great job keeping her head down while quietly steering herself out of trouble whenever it threatens to find her. She handled that whole ledger confrontation brilliantly.
The politics inside this residence have properly kicked off now that Jinqi’s back, and I have a feeling Lanxiang’s going to keep finding herself in these compromising positions, sometimes to her own advantage, sometimes just barely escaping disaster. It’s only going to get more complicated from here, and I’m enjoying watching it unfold.
Tan Songyun continues to do such a great job portraying someone who’s fallen so far from grace, now living a harsh, difficult life in servitude, and yet still managing to hold onto her sharp intellect and quiet dignity throughout.
Four episodes in, and we still haven’t seen a huge amount of Lin Jinqi directly, but what we have seen makes clear he’s a man to be feared, commanding real presence wherever he goes. He’s already made it obvious he won’t let Zhao Xingtang quietly destroy the Lin family from the inside, and he’s determined to block her at every turn.
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