Spring of The Blade Episode 23 Recap

**SPOILER ALERT**

TL;DR (Quick Overview)

Pei Yuting offers Shen Run evidence against Commissioner Hu in exchange for marriage, while a jealous Qingyuan watches. After a tearful night with Grandma Chen, Qingyuan finally gives in to her feelings for Shen Run, who promises to come back for her. On her wedding day, she survives an ambush only to find Madam Hu has secretly married Qingru to Chunzhi in her place, and when the families try to make her his concubine, she defiantly chooses a nunnery instead.

A Proposition on the Docks

Pei Yuting remarks that Shen Run got there quickly enough to catch her off guard. Last time he was whispering sweet nothings to the Marquis’s son’s fiancée, so why is he alone today? She almost feels sorry for him. Shen Run asks if she’s taken an interest in his personal affairs. She says it was a joke.

She’s just curious what kind of man could steal Fourth Lady Xie’s heart for secret meetings. The few ships he seized mean little to the Canal Gang, and someone as ruthless as him never leaves loose ends, so he hasn’t really come about the ships.

Shen Run tells her to guess why he’s here. Pei Yuting says that when Shen Zhibai was falsely accused of massive corruption, it shook the court. The late Emperor ordered an investigation, and every official in Hengtang worked together to claim he used anti-corruption efforts as cover to pocket public funds, chief among them canal transport profits. If he wants the truth, this dock is where he’ll find it.

Shen Run says the Pei family has monopolized Hengtang’s canal profits for a century, and without their testimony, the false charge could never have stuck. She says she expected him to come holding her family accountable, though since they didn’t actually conspire with the others, they’re still redeemable. Shen Run says he’s here for evidence against whoever pulls the Pei family’s strings. She can get it for him, she says, but at a price. He must give himself to her.

A Jealous Glance

Pei Yuting pulls Shen Run’s face close, and the two sit side by side. Just then, Qingyuan passes by with Chunzhi and sees them. She’s stung with jealousy, while Chunzhi happily chatters about the biggest Eastern pearl market in Hengtang, just up ahead. Pei Yuting notices Qingyuan, and Shen Run and Qingyuan each watch the other with someone else, both of them unhappy.

Pearls and Pawns

In the shop, Chunzhi asks to see the best Eastern pearls. He explains he’s wanted to replace the broken hairpin with something better but never found the time until today. He tells Qingyuan she doesn’t need to rush into loving him. Once they’re married, they’ll have five years, ten years, a lifetime, and as long as she’s willing, he’ll wait.

Meanwhile, Pei Yuting tells Shen Run she can’t simply hand over the evidence. He’s been alone so long that he doesn’t realize families in Hengtang, and even in the capital, rely on marriage alliances to secure power. She’ll find the evidence, and he’ll give himself to her. It’s a reasonable deal.

She understands his plan to use the Shen Zhibai case to drag Commissioner Hu into Hengtang’s past, and calls it brilliant. But she’s a step ahead. She’s already killed off every spineless coward he could have used as a pawn, so now only she can help him.

Chunzhi asks Qingyuan which hairpin she prefers. She says either is fine. He says his mother always told him that if you can’t choose, the options are all bad, so they’ll go to the biggest pearl shop instead.

A Worthy Opponent

Shen Run tells Pei Yuting she’s a rare breed, unfazed even by the possibility of her clan’s extermination, and a worthy opponent. But he forgot to mention that anyone who stands between him and the truth has only one end: death.

Pei Yuting laughs. In Hengtang, even an imperial edict carries little weight. At best, new officials end up like Wei Changyan. At worst, they learn to play dumb like Prefect Qian. Only someone as naive and reckless as Shen Zhibai would think he could shake Hengtang’s order.

Hengtang has its own rules, and breaking them costs your life. It did for Shen Zhibai, and it will for him. Shen Run replies that what’s hidden always comes to light, and who knows what the rules will look like down the road. Pei Yuting says she used to find only Fourth Lady fascinating, but now he’s even more interesting.

A Swap Between Mothers

The Marchioness, Madam Li, tells Madam Hu she can’t agree. Madam Hu appeals to her as a fellow mother. Surely Madam Li knows who truly cares for her child. Qingyuan is wonderful, and Chunzhi adores her, but she’s unusually close to Shen Run, and if she marries into the Marquis’s family, Chunzhi may endure a lifetime of humiliation.

Qingru is different. They’ve been close since childhood, and she truly cares for Chunzhi. When a principal wife is devoted to her husband, the family prospers. Besides, her elder brother happens to be visiting and could attend his niece’s wedding.

Madam Li perks up at the news that Commissioner Hu is coming. Madam Hu notes there’s still time before the marriage deed reaches the Ministry of Rites. It’s a joyous occasion after all.

The Emperor’s Answer

Feng En tells Shen Run that His Majesty has agreed. Shen Run is surprised. Feng En explains that His Majesty already knows about his meeting with Yongjia County Lady and is willing to give him a chance. Shen Run remarks that Feng En is resourceful, reporting his every move within days.

Feng En says Shen Run’s alliance with Xie Shu to bring down Hu Xing is exactly what His Majesty wants, so naturally he hopes Shen Run will keep close ties with the Xie family. His Majesty has granted his request, but Shen Run surely knows the conditions involved. Whether he accepts the favour is up to him.

Osmanthus Wine

Qingyuan visits Grandma Chen, who pours her osmanthus wine and tells her to slow down, since that’s no way to drink. Qingyuan insists she’s just happy because she’s getting married tomorrow, and asks if Granny isn’t happy for her. Grandma Chen says of course she is, but she knows what Qingyuan is really thinking. She’s marrying into the Marquis’s family not for the Heir, but for her mother.

Qingyuan admits she knows this is the price of justice, but it’s far too heavy. Did she choose the wrong path? Grandma Chen comforts her. Most people don’t know what they want at first. Along the way, they stumble and cry and think they’ve gone wrong, but when they look back, they see Heaven arranged it all so they could get what they wished for. Qingyuan sobs that she can’t let go.

Happy to Marry Another Man

Qingyuan comes home to find Shen Run waiting. He notices she’s been drinking and asks if she needed to drown her sorrows on the eve of her wedding. She says she’s happy, beyond happy. He says she’s lying.

He pins her to the wall, asking how she can say to his face that she’s happy to marry another man. She retorts that he seemed pretty happy with the County Lady. When she asks what he wants, he tells her. He wants to marry her.

He kisses her. She pushes him away, then can’t resist, and kisses him back with everything she’s held back, long and passionate. They move to the bedroom, and things become intimate.

Wait for Me

The next morning, as Qingyuan prepares for her wedding, she remembers how Shen Run stopped himself the night before, helped her dress again and asked her to wait for him, promising to make her wish come true. She asked how long, and he said not long. She told him she couldn’t wait. It was now or never, his last chance. He promised he’d come back for her and left.

Her maid asks if she’s truly thought this through. If she’s changed her mind, they can help. Is she really ready to throw her life away for revenge, when she so clearly loves Shen Run? Qingyuan tells her the decision is made and to stop trying to talk her out of it. The auspicious hour arrives, and the bridal sedan sets off.

A Mother’s Promise

Qingru sobs to Madam Hu that her greatest dream was to be Chunzhi’s wife, and now he’s marrying someone else, so what’s the point of living? Madam Hu tells her to cry it out. She can protect Qingru for a while but not forever, and Qingru will have to shoulder many things herself.

But there’s no rush. The wheel of fortune is still turning. Qingru says she doesn’t want lectures. He’s about to marry someone else, so what can she do? Madam Hu points out that they haven’t tied the knot yet.

An Ambush on the Road

Along the way, the bearers abandon Qingyuan’s sedan, and she’s surrounded by a gang. She demands to know who sent them, warning that if they hurt her, none of them will leave Hengtang alive, and offers to double whatever they were paid. They tell her that since she’s seen their faces, no amount of money can save her.

Meanwhile, Chunzhi tells someone he dreamed of the first time he met Qingyuan, and now she’s his bride, so is he still dreaming?

Shen Che cuts the gang down. Qingyuan thanks him and asks if Shen Run sent him. Shen Che asks if she really expects his brother to save her when she’s marrying someone else. He didn’t come to rescue her. He came because he was worried she’d forget the way to the Marquis’s residence and miss the auspicious hour.

Qingyuan realizes he wants her wedding to go smoothly so Shen Run can move on. Exactly, Shen Che says. If he killed her, his brother would pine for her forever. Only once she’s someone else’s wife will he truly let go. Qingyuan tells him Shen Run made his choice long ago and she has her own path. Their paths have parted, so he needn’t force her. She was on her way anyway.

The Wrong Bride

At the Marquis of Danyang’s residence, the bride steps across the carpet squares, over the saddle, and through the scattered grains as blessings are called out.

Behind the scenes, Madam Hu hands over a veil to Qingru, reminding her that her marriage matters more than Madam Hu’s own life. The couple bows to heaven and earth, to the parents, and to each other. The ceremony is complete, and the guests cheer. Chunzhi tells his bride that from now on, she is his wife.

Then Shen Che’s voice rings out, asking why they started without the bride. Qingyuan stands in the doorway in her wedding robe. The guests are stunned. If that’s Qingyuan, who is under the veil? Madam Li stammers to her son and hurries off to check on Qingru, who has run off in guilt. Qingyuan apologizes to Young Master Li for being late, courtesy of someone else.

I Want Xie Qingyuan

Chunzhi grabs Qingyuan’s hand and tells his father that from beginning to end, the one he wants to marry is Xie Qingyuan. She’s here now, so they’ll redo the rites. The Marquis says he’s out of line. He’s performed the ceremony with Second Lady Xie, everyone has witnessed it, and they’re husband and wife for life. This isn’t a child’s game.

The Marquis demands to know from Lord Xie why the agreed match with Fourth Lady became Second Lady. Madam Hu asks innocently whether they ever agreed on Fourth Lady. Second Lady is the one she and Madam Li have been discussing all along, didn’t His Lordship know?

He did not, the Marquis fumes. Madam Hu says that when her elder brother arrives, she and Madam Li will explain everything properly. When the Marquis learns Commissioner Hu is coming because he wouldn’t miss his niece’s wedding banquet, his anger cools, and he’s urged to sit down.

A Concubine or a Nunnery

Chunzhi declares he doesn’t care about the ceremony. He swore to marry Xie Qingyuan and would rather give up his place as heir than yield. Madam Hu proposes a solution that fulfils his wish and brings the families closer. Why not take Qingyuan as a concubine today, a double blessing? Chunzhi refuses outright. His pledge to make Qingyuan his wife is set in stone.

Xie Shu tells him to think carefully. Qingyuan stormed the wedding hall in her bridal robe after the ceremony was complete, disgracing the family and violating every moral principle. If Chunzhi won’t take her as a concubine, the Xie household can’t keep her either. They’ll have to send her to a nunnery outside the city, where she’ll never step beyond its gates again.

As a concubine, he could protect her. Can he really bear to see her suffer such a life? It must be decided quickly, he adds, or word will spread and ruin both families. Madam Li asks her son whether he truly has the heart to drive Qingyuan into a corner. If he cares for her, he should know what matters more, the title of wife or the rest of her life.

So What If No One Marries Me?

Torn, Chunzhi tells Qingyuan he can’t bear to see her suffer. Qingyuan reminds him that at the snack shop he swore before Heaven to marry only her and never take a concubine. She thought he was different from men who take many wives and fill their households with strife. He tries to protest.

She says she knows he didn’t mean to break his promise, but now that he’s married, they simply aren’t meant to be, and he needn’t insist on marrying her. Xie Shu tells her to stop being unreasonable. Marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, and private vows count for nothing.

Young Master Li’s feelings are sincere, so why is she being so aggressive instead of grateful? Qingyuan says she only agreed to marry because the Heir swore to make her his wife. She’s kept her word, but he married someone else, and she simply wants to end the engagement. How is that aggressive?

The Marquis announces that after speaking with his wife, they’ll do as proposed. Xie Shu praises the brilliant idea, calling it good things coming in pairs, and urges that there’s no time like the present. He tells Qingyuan to do as they say. If she doesn’t marry into the Marquis’s family today, who will ever marry her?

Qingyuan smiles. So what if no one marries her? She can live perfectly well on her own. She’d rather spend the rest of her life in monastic seclusion than submit to being a concubine. Xie Shu and Madam Hu are furious.

Spring of the Blade Episode 23 Recap: My Thoughts

I’m dying to know what the Emperor has agreed to. I’m hoping it’s allowing Shen Run to marry Qingyuan.

Their kissing scene was so good! I loved watching her finally lose control and return the love she has for him. It was also great to see her jealous of Pei Yuting. It’s the first time we see her completely in love, and it’s no longer a one-sided show of affection.

I loved that there was a near-intimate scene, although I felt it could have been choreographed better. It felt a bit clumsy, but it was still a scene I didn’t see coming. Usually it just ends with a kiss if they aren’t married!

Oh, poor Chunzhi, I feel for you! You don’t deserve this! How could his parents do this to their son?? His look of disbelief, anger and heartbreak was too much to bear. And how much do I want to smash that teacup in Xie Shu’s face! OMG, he is infuriating! I can’t believe I’m getting so worked up over a fictional character. Hahaha!

I can’t wait for the next episode! I’m hoping it was all a grand plan to get Qingyuan out of the wedding and that Shen Che was actually in on the whole charade. Tis was a great episode and I thoroughly enjoyed. You know it’s good when you’re so absorbed, it’s over the moment its begun.

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