Notable Actors/Actresses
Chinese Title
夫人，大可不必
Lady, No Need
Mini Recaps
[Ep1] The wedding carriage rolls to a stop before the groom and his servant. The bride is tossing a partially eaten apple in her hand when she fails to catch it, and it rolls out of the carriage towards the groom. The groom crouches down to retrieve the apple, and at the same time, the bride steps out of the carriage on her own and lifts up her veil. The groom and bride are now just looking at each other.
Let’s go back to what happened before the wedding.
Bai Yun Feng and Chen Da Wan (and all of her brothers) get caught by General Huang Fa for trying to hijack a birthday present intended for the Minister of Revenue (Mr. Yue). She is the Chief of Baisha Fort, living with her bandit brothers (not related by blood). She does not dress as a proper lady would. She is also loud, straightforward, crass at times, and fearless. The General tells her that all of her brothers are currently in jail so her brothers' lives depend on her next decision: get executed or get married to his second son, Huang Fu Yao, under the pseudonym Lu Wan Er. The General decides to negotiate with her while he is enjoying a meal. Chen Da Wan tells her that this young master is handsome and rich, and given her personal condition, it's hard to find that kind of man.
Apparently the General told a lie that Huang Fu Yao was engaged to a woman named Lu Wan Er so now they need to make her exist, and Bai Yun Feng’s lack of background (no family or household register) makes her the perfect candidate to make this lie into a reality.
She asks to be killed but to leave Chen Da Wan out of it or set him free. The General says he now knows the family secret, so why would he get to live. Chen Da Wan doesn't want to die and begs her to save him. She agrees to the marriage. Now, the two are allowed to eat with the General. However, she complains about the food, and says the cooks at the General’s Mansion are subpar. (Hahaha.) And so he realizes that must be good at cooking.
Bai Yun Feng has two conditions for the marriage, she wants a written pledge for the following: (1) That he'll be kind to all her brothers at Baisha Fort, and that after the wedding happens to set them free. (2) She can't spend the rest of her life at the General’s Mansion, so when the time is right, he should ask his son to write a letter of divorce and give her back her freedom. The General agrees to these two conditions. They draw up the contract and they sign it.
The mild-mannered Huang Fu Yao is summoned by his father and older brother. His father explains that he lied about him being engaged to someone named Wu Lan Er, who has no household register, no parents and knows nothing. He says that he’s found the woman to fill that role, and his brother says she's ugly and stupid, too. His brother also says that he might not be able to divorce her in the future either. (Doesn’t this contradict what his father agreed to in the contract?)
Huang Fu Yao says that he will leave all of this up to his father. His brother brings up Yue Qing Rou (youngest daughter of Mr. Yue) who grew up with him - doesn't he feel pity for her?
Huang Fu Yao says it's not wise to unite with the Yue Family through marriage. And he thinks of himself and Yue Qing Rou as brother and sister, and nothing more. The General then asks Huang Fu Mu if he's said anything to Zhou Yuan Jun. His brother says, no, she's just a woman, so what can she know? (I wish I could put a muzzle on him.) His father seems relieved by this answer.
His father is sorry that he has to accept her (his bride's) personal condition. Huang Fu Yao replies that never takes love affairs to heart. Whether the person is beautiful or ugly, smart or dull, for him, it's all the same. (So he would rather marry this stranger than Yue Qing Rou.)
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| Their first encounter. |
And so they get married. We’re back to the wedding day. Bai Yun Feng shows up accompanied by Chen Da Wan (who is now dressed in women’s clothing, with a stuffed chest, wig and make-up) as her maid. She’s looking at her groom, and thinks that Huang Fu Yao is not bad-looking as he is clean and white. And he’s looking at her as well. Chen Da Wan interrupts them and tells her that she’s done something improper and to put on her veil. She puts it on, holds onto her groom’s arm, and walks with him. Chen Da Wan follows behind them but knocks down Si Yi, who falls to the ground while holding a tray with the red ribbon on it.
Yue Qing Rou is telling her maid that Huang Fu Yao is hers, and complaining about his wedding. Her maid asks her why she doesn’t give up as he’s getting married, and there are so many other suitors out there. Yue Qing Rou says that she plans to make the marriage impossible.
After the wedding ceremony, Huang Fu Yao leaves for the banquet. On his way to the banquet, Huang Fu Yao is approached by Yue Qing Rou. She grabs him by the arm not once, but twice while trying to get more details about his marriage. He removes her hand both times and tells her that it's a family affair and asks her to not follow him. Then he calls her back to tell her that her sleeves are dirty before leaving. (It’s very obvious that he does not like her.)
Meanwhile, Bai Yun Feng is starving and is not allowed to eat anything until they’ve had their wedding night. She is allowed to drink some wine while she waits. The wine makes her feel hot and more hungry. She also feels suffocated and is having heart palpitations. So she ends up sneaking out to find food but is caught by Chen Da Wan, who tries to persuade her to stay put. She tells him she feels hungry, sleepy and thirsty and feels like she was drugged with some knockout drug. He tries to keep her in the room but she escapes. At this point, he also notices some white powder on the ground outside the room.
Bai Yun Feng searches the kitchen for food but is wobbling around at this point. She passes out into some huge jar. The cook finds her later, who she shoves to the ground, and is told by the maid that the food is elsewhere, but it’s all raw ingredients, and would need to be cooked. There’s a request for fried pork with pear flavor. So she starts preparing to cook, and actually makes hot pot for the wedding guests. Someone claims it’s rude to have only one pot for everyone to share from. Her brother-in-law gets upset at her for showing up at the banquet (it’s against tradition). Her father-in-law doesn’t seem to mind her. But then her brother-in-law notices that she’s drunk. She replies, isn’t he so smart to know that she’s drunk. (I’m not liking this brother very much.) Then she goes on to say that she’s only had one drink but feels more and more drunk by the minute. She flops down into an empty chair at a nearby table and Mr. Yue asks where she learned to make the dish. She goes to answer and mentions the Baishu area, but her husband shows up and cuts her off by placing his hand over her mouth. He then makes the excuse that she can’t drink too much and that he’s going to take her back to their room to rest up.
Huang Fu Yao drops her off in the room, and gets her to sit down on the bed. But she drunkenly hugs him around the waist and tells him he is very handsome. He asks Chen Da Wan why she's behaving this way. Chen Da Wan says that the wine is drugged (he had tasted the white powder earlier, and yes, he’s the type who would taste something right off the ground), and that it won’t hurt her but it’ll make her a bit excited and passionate. Huang Fu Yao looks shocked by that statement, and wonders who would drug her, and suddenly recalls that Yue Qing Rou had dirty sleeves (white powdery dust) from their earlier encounter. He tells Chen Da Wan to ask Si Yi to bring her some soup to help her sober up.
He goes out to the courtyard and Yue Qing Rou approaches him, claiming that she's not feeling well, tries to hang onto him, and asks him to take her to a room so she can take a rest.
He's not that dense - he removes her hand from his arm and says that it's late. He goes on to say that as the wedding ceremony is over, and suggests that she ask Mr. Yue to take her home. He goes on further to say, as she is an unmarried girl, if she slept here, she'll create problems for his household. He walks away from her and she still chases him to tell her that he knows that she likes him, and asks why he married another girl. She wants to say something about his wife, but he stops her. Then she suggests he keep her company tonight, and knows he'll divorce his wife and that she will wait for him. (How is she so delusional?) He tells her it’s his wedding day and he’ll go back to the General’s Mansion later and will stay with his wife. He finally says that he knows what she’s done (drugged the wine). He glares at her and leaves. She has no response.
He goes back to the room and checks on Bai Yun Feng who is laying down on the bed. He moves her hand so he can sit down and she ends up twisting his arm. She apologizes and says that she forgot that she was at the General’s Mansion. He tells her she should change her bad habit, as the General’s Mansion is not Baisha Fort. It's heavily guarded here and nobody will attack her.
She tells him that he should give her some time to fit in. She also says don't ask too much as it's just a game. He suggests that they have some (his) rules: (1) Take turns sleeping on the bed: even days for her and odd days for him; (2) She can go anywhere in the General’s Mansion, except to not bother him when he's in his study, if she doesn't have anything important for him; and (3) Since she's married into this family, she should obey the rules regarding all ages hierarchy - brother, sister and father.
She asks if he's finished yet. She asks why he is like an old nagging woman, and if she's the wife or him. (Hahaha. I love her.) He says he’s just telling her things she should know. She replies, there's only one thing she should know - how much she can get monthly while being his wife. He asks if she thinks the Huang Fu household will make her lack for food or clothes. She pats him on the arm and says, problem solved, sleep early if there's nothing else. He says, today is an even-numbered day, so she sleeps on the bed and he sleeps in the exterior room, and then he walks away.
She follows him and asks why he's like a shy girl. She says she's not shy. She drags him to the bed and they both sit down next to each other. He says that he doesn't like sleeping with other people. She says, if he keeps saying that, she'll kick his butt. He says her name, Lu Wan Er. (They call her Lu Wan Er but I use Bai Yun Feng to keep it simpler, and she still thinks of herself as Bai Yun Feng.) And she puts him on his back on the bed and climbs on top of him. She says she doesn't have many advantages but keeping her word is one of them. She replies that he'd better nicely sleep there tonight and not talk about those empty principles of ethical code. He calls her by her name again, but Chen Da Wan walks in.
She continues asking Huang Fu Yao if he'll obey it or not. Chen Da Wan tells her that the woman who wears fancy clothes let him bring this gift money list to her. She wants her to keep accounts. He puts the books down on the table. That gets her to stop trying to restrain Huang Fu Yao from getting up. She says she can only hold a knife instead of a pen. Huang Fu Yao tells her this is something she should learn. Chen Da Wan leaves them to continue arguing.
Now they are seated at the table. Huang Fu Yao offers to teach her. She tells him that she knows nothing about reading and writing. He asks if she knows how to write her name, and she nods. She writes Bai Yun Feng, and he smiles and tells her he meant Lu Wan Er. She says her father didn't teach her that. He places his hand over hers holding the brush to show her how to write Lu Wan Er. She practices writing her new name over and over until she eventually falls asleep on the table.
The next morning, Huang Fu Yao’s servant, Si Yi, informs him that the General has left for work at the military camp and is skipping the usual meeting of the new bride tradition. Bai Yun Feng barges into the room, holding onto her neck with her head tilted to the right. She's shouting at him and asking if he's human, as he didn't put her in the bed to sleep (he left her hunched over at that table). She continues with, they're husband and wife and he can't even help her with that. (LOL, well he is prim and proper so…)
He says he taught writing for half of the night, and that he told her that he doesn't like people to sleep with him. She tells him he's a married person and why is he so shy. (Hahaha.) She steals his chopsticks, leans over and then reaches over the length of table to pick up some food but drops it on the table. She tries again. Meanwhile, Si Yi is telling her to change her disobedient character, or others will discover this behavior and it will bring trouble for them. She says she's trapped here all day, didn't step out, not even once, so what trouble could she make. She goes on further to say that when the trade (marriage contract) is done, she'll go back to Baisha Fort. She says if she doesn't look like a bandit, how will she keep them in check. She then declares that she is not the type of person to abandon someone after taking advantage of them. He looks surprised at that, and asks her if she knows that Baisha Fort has already been cleared out and torn down.
She's outside with Chen Da Wan and complains that the old man (the General) lied to her. Chen Da Wan counters that he only promised to let those brothers go but he didn't say he wouldn't tear it down. She says when it's time, she'll ask for a divorce, go back and re-establish Baisha Fort. Chen Da Wan says they're too poor. She says that she’ll make money from Huang Fu Yao.
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| A flattering tortoise portrait of her husband. |
She shows up all sweet and gives Huang Fu Yao a painting she made and leaves with a girlish giggle. He asks Si Yi if that was Lu Wan Er. It's a stick figure painting of a rotund cartoonish stick figure with a top knot with a paintbrush in one hand and a fan in the other. Si Yi says he thinks she's calling him a tortoise. Then she comes back and hands him a love poem - it's an insulting tortoise-themed poem. (I looked up this Chinese insult but I’m not sure how it applies to him - I’ll let someone else explain it to me later…)
She goes into his study and she offers to cook for him since she finds out from Si Yi that he's a fussy eater. He's skeptical of why she's interested in cooking for him. She asks to be paid (50 taels of gold) for cooking his meals. He tells her even if he's starving, he will never eat food cooked by her. She grabs him by the neck (he's seated), makes him look at her and says never say never and steal what's he reading.
She goes into the kitchen and encounters Huang Fu Mu yelling at the servants about having the wrong diet for his horse. She interrupts and says that the meals prepared for the Second Master (her husband) are too salty and oily. Her brother-in-law starts yelling at her and says that she has no say in the matter. She walks up to him, face-to-face and asks why the horse of big brother can be well-fed but the Second Master is neglected.
She turns him around and puts the horse food on his face. She leaves the kitchen and runs into his wife, Zhou Yuan Jun. He tells his wife to get that woman and punish her. His wife sweetly and calmly tells him that she was just married into the family and this isn't good. (She is demure, polite, refined, and He throws a fit that she's against him, too. She tells her servant to get Bai Yun Feng. He says they need more people to get her.
Si Yi reports to Huang Fu Yao that his brother is so angry at his wife that he's making all the guards go capture her.
Bai Yun Feng is now sitting up on a wall and still arguing with Huang Fu Mu. He's telling her to come down, and she's telling him to come up as she's taking bites from an apple. She gets quiet when she sees her husband. His brother says she's a crazy woman, and that she has climbed up the wall because they've disagreed with one another.
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| Regal from a lofty position. |
Huang Fu Yao asks his brother why he feels that she was forced by someone to get on the wall. (Is he smart enough to defend her because she’s his wife?) She nods in agreement. He points out that it would be embarrassing if it comes out that his wife climbed the wall because his brother and his brother’s wife were bullying his wife as a newlywed. Bai Yun Feng plays along by saying that she's just a weak woman, how could she fight with her older brother who is a soldier.
Huang Fu Yao asks his brother what exactly his bride said to him. Huang Fu Mu sputters and finally says that she disrespected him with her nonsense. Hyang Fu Yao says that if she has done something inappropriate, he'll apologize to him, for her. Bai Yun Feng is happily eating her apple from above now. Her husband asks his brother that for the sake of their father, if he would please let it go this time. The ever-so-serene Zhou Yuan Jun convinces her husband to forgive her as she isn't from a noble family, and if she says something inappropriate, they can scold her for it instead. Her brother-in-law warns her that she better not get caught again, and they all leave, except for her husband and Si Yi.
Huang Fu Yao says since they've all left asks her to come down. She says he still has a conscience and he knew he should help her out. She slips off the wall and he catches her and then drops her because he's injured his arm from the weight. Si Yi is yelling about his broken arms.
Now he's down laying in bed and Bai Yun Feng made him some pastries from her hometown as an apology and in appreciation for him catching her. She puts it in front of his mouth and he takes a bite and promptly starts choking. Si Yi asks what's wrong with him, and finds out that it's actually almond pie but he's allergic to almonds. (Of course this guy would be.) Now Si Yi is shouting that she’s poisoned him. (Si Yi is so dramatic.)
[Ep2] Huang Fu Yao has dislocated both arms. Si Yi tells him that his wife is too reckless but he defends his wife by saying she wanted to do a kind thing. Si Yi then goes on about her feeding him almonds. Huang Fu Yao tells him that he doesn’t have the luck to taste it, but he thinks it was really good. He tells Si Yi to try it himself. Si Yi takes a bite and is amazed at how good it is. He then says she can really cook, so she is not totally useless, besides having good looks. Huang Fu Yao tells him that he's told him this before - it's impolite to comment on a woman's appearance behind her back. Si Yi apologizes immediately. Huang Fu Yao asks him to leave so he can rest as he's accompanying his father to Mr. Yue's dinner in the evening. Si Yi takes the partially eaten almond pie with him and Huang Fu Yao smiles at that (for the first time ever!!).
He falls asleep and dreams of his mother feeding him his favorite dumplings that she made. He wakes up to Bai Yun Feng trying to get him to vomit (heimlich maneuver) because she thought he had eaten the almond pie pastry. He tells her that Si Yi had taken one with him. She then asks about Si Yi’s opinion on her food. He tells her that he said that she's good at cooking. She is happy about that. Huang Fu Yao then tells her that he will consider letting her try to cook for him. She wants them to go buy ingredients, so she grabs onto his arm and tries to get him to go with her. He asks why the food at home was not good enough. She just goes on to say that she can't go without his permission, he can't stay home every day, so they should go shopping together. He jerks his arm out of her grasp and tells her to mind her hands, as it's improper etiquette. (He's so prim and proper, ha).
They're at the market and she's laughing as they're walking around. He asks her if she's done laughing yet. She says she'll laugh for a year. She's laughing that he's a scholar but doesn't know the difference between a quail and a chicken, green onion and leek, or three liang and one qian. (She’s street smart and he’s book smart.)
She spots a guy trying to steal a money sachet from another guy, so she grabs the guy by his arm to get him to drop the money sachet and the thief runs off. The victim is grateful and introduces himself as Du Si Hang, a pastry shop owner, and asks for their names. When he finds out who they are - as in related to the Huang Fu family, he becomes uncomfortable. He goes on to say that he's heard a lot about the General, apologizes for his rudeness, and says that he has something urgent to do and just walks away.
Si Yi tells her that it’s the first time that he’s seen his master eat so much food. (She made him food.) She asks him what his master's favorite food is. Si Yi says when his master was young, his favorite was fried dumplings made by his mother. After she died, the chef never made them for fear of causing the General to think or be reminded of his wife.
Chen Da Wan runs up to tell her that some angry guy is throwing out all of her ingredients. She calls him the incompentent cook from the wedding banquet. The cook says, so she’s the crazy girl who ruined the wedding party. She continues to insult his cooking. She challenges him to a cook off. If he loses, he'll have to kowtow to her three times and shout out "I was wrong, my lady" three times, and then she'll be in charge of the kitchen. If she loses, she'll follow him to the General’s camp for a month (as he's the cook there) and will work there. Si Yi tells Huang Fu Yao about this. Her husband is worried about her going to the camp, and it would be too dirty for her. (Of all the things, he would be concerned about the cleanliness of the camp. LOL)
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| Meat v. Fish Head. |
So the General gets to judge which dish is better and they don’t tell him who made which one. It’s a giant hunk of meat dish versus steamed fish head. He likes the fish head dish, which is Bai Yun Feng's. She's happy and taps her hands on Huang Fu Yao's shoulder and he smiles at her. She asks for the cook to kowtow three times while saying "I was wrong, my lady". Huang Fu Yao tells her she's in charge of the kitchen now and to be lenient. She asks the cook to skip kowtowing and to just say the words. He does this and she tells him that she forgives him.
The General is happy and tells his son that his wife did all of this for him. He also says that the fish dish is very fresh. He asks his son to notice her care for him. Huang Fu Yao agrees and the General leaves. Huang Fu Yao is about to try the fish head but Bai Yun Feng realizes that she forgot the dumplings and leaves. He tries the fish head and won't let his brother try it. He suggests that he ask his own wife to prepare him a dish. His brother leaves angrily with his wife. Huang Fu Yao starts coughing the minute they leave.
Bai Yun Feng and Chen Da Wan are in the kitchen trying her dumplings. She's not sure it'll suit Huang Fu Yao's standards. They overhear the General talking to the cook outside. The cook had added extra salt to her dish, because he found her annoying and wanted to knock her down a peg. (So that’s why Huang Fu Yao wouldn’t let anyone else try the dish and then started coughing.) The General tells him that Huang Fu Yao went to see him before the cook off. He also tells him if he hadn’t already tried her cooking before, he might’ve fallen for the cook’s trick. Chen Da Wan tells her that her husband might not care about her but he still protects her. He says she is lucky. She has a little smile on her face.
Huang Fu Yao and his father are at Mr. Yue's house for dinner and Yue Qing Ro is there, too. Mr. Yue is trying to get Huang Fu Yao drunk for some reason and even suggests that he can stay the night and go home tomorrow. (Who actually says this to a newlywed?) His daughter smiles at this. The General apologizes and gets up to leave. Huang Fu Yao gets up, but Yue Qing Rou pulls him back down into the chair. She insists on toasting him on his marriage and wants him to take the drink. He looks over as his father, who nods for him to do so. He drinks once and she insists on another toast, so he has to drink again. His father offers to drink with Mr. Yue now. Huang Fu Yao is forced to drink a third time.
Meanwhile, Bai Yun Feng is waiting for him with the dumplings. She's annoyed that he still isn't back yet. He comes back and she can tell that he's drunk, and so she props him up. She says she remembers that he took care of her before. He's standing quite close to her and says it smells good. She asks how he knew she had made him dumplings and pours him some water. He clarifies that she smells good. She asks what's wrong with him to make a fuss after a few drinks. She then asks if he still remembers who he is. He says that he's her husband. He bobbles back and forth and almost knocks her over but he has her cradled in his arms now. He kisses her.
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| Aww, the way he’s looking at her. |
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| She’s too aware of how close he is now. |
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| And then he just goes for it. |
The next morning, she is at breakfast with Chen Da Wan and asks him if he's ever kissed someone. He chokes on his rice. He asks if it was with Huang Fu Yao, and she just nods. Then he asks if she's in love with Huang Fu Yao.
She goes to find Huang Fu Yao to figure out the answer to Chen Da Wan's question, by having him help her with her calligraphy. He helps her with some text and suggests she copy it ten times. And he moves away to read nearby. She ends up falling asleep again and he flicks her forehead. She wakes up and he tells her to keep writing. She says she wants to quit. He suggests she finish up and then she can leave the room.
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| Now she’s too close for him. (Sober him is not that bold.) |
He lays down on a chair to continue reading. She tries to leave and he won't let her. She finally leans over him and tells him that no one can force her, and then she pokes his face and asks why his face is so red and pinches his cheek. She just asks him if he likes her. He looks uncomfortable, gets up and asks her to stand up. He tells her that if she's bored, go find something to do in the mansion. He continues saying that he doesn't care if she wants to climb trees or visit the lake, and to not tease him again. She tells him, who is teasing him, she wants him to make it clear for her.
He reminds her that they're a fake contract couple and once the contract is over, they're over, and during this period to not bother him and he just leaves. She yells after he leaves why he didn't say that when he kissed her. (Guy, you definitely kissed her, and not the other way!)
Bai Yun Feng leaves the mansion to go outside with Chen Da Wan (even though she's not supposed to). She just wants to go to the pastry shop. They spot her sister-in-law, Zhou Yuan Jun with her maid, and they overhear that she’s on her way to see Mr. Du (pastry shop owner) with medicine. Her sister-in-law and her maid get harassed by two men in an alley. The men take the sachet from her and start reading what appears to be a love poem. Bai Yun Feng and Chen Da Wan overhears all of this, and they rescue them. They ask for the sachet back and the two men tell them that there wasn’t money in it. Chen Da Wan said that they better compensate them. They throw their money sachets at him and take off running. (Well, these two were/are bandits...LOL) Huang Fu Mu shows up after all this has occurred and asks what’s going on. His wife doesn’t say much, and he leaves angrily. (Whenever he leaves angrily, a blustery wind sound effect is played when he’s leaving. Hahaha.) They all follow him back home.
Back at home, Bai Yun Feng is being scolded by Huang Fu Mu. His wife says that she rescued them, and then he asks why she left the mansion, too. She says that she wanted to buy some new satin to make him autumn clothes. He goes back to criticizing Bai Yun Feng, but she says she didn't answer back nor did she run away, and not sure what he expects. He threatens to hit her but ends up having the servants take her to kneel in the ancestral hall.
Si Yi tells Huang Fu Yao about today's events (all of it) and is actually the reason why Huang Fu Mu showed up in that alley. He also wonders why Bai Yun Feng didn't mention the first madame's (Zhou Yuan Jun) secret meeting or the love poem. Huang Fu Yao says because she knew that the punishment would be worse for the first madame. And he smiles at her thoughtfulness.
Zhou Yuan Jun goes to see her in the ancestral hall. She thanks her for her help in the alley, keeping the secret and not letting her get punished. She explains everything to her. She was not cheating. She and Mr. Du were once childhood sweethearts, and he'd given her the love poem before her marriage, and they had been promised to one another for marriage. But some misfortune happened to her family and so she was married to Huang Fu Mu.
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| Catching her right before she falls over. |
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| Carrying her out from the ancestral hall, to put her to bed. |
Huang Fu Yao goes to see his wife at the ancestral hall and sees that she's fallen asleep while still kneeling. He catches her right before she hits the ground. He carries her out in his arms. Chen Da Wan is standing outside and smiling gleefully at this, but tells him that the First Master (his brother) won’t allow her to leave the ancestral hall. He tells him, if he (his brother) has a problem with it, to have him go see him. (This guy says one thing but does the opposite, as in mean v. nice.) He's walking with her in his arms and she mutters his name in her sleep.
She wakes up and wonders if she sleepwalked. Chen Da Wan tells her what her husband did and what he said last night. Then he tells her that her husband was happily dropping her off, but then left angrily and didn't come back for the night.
She wonders if she confessed to him. She goes looking for Huang Fu Yao.
Yue Qing Ruo shows up in Huang Fu Yao's study, and brings a dessert soup for him. He is not happy to see her and asks why she is there. She says that she was invited to his sister-in-law’s banquet being there. Her maid asks if Si Yi would accompany her to the kitchen to heat up the soup. Huang Fu Yao blocks him from going and says his meals are served by his wife. She walks over to him and adjusts his collar, and then his wife walks in. (Of course. Impeccable timing.) Yue Qing Ruo invites them to play games with them. She then insults Bai Yun Feng in the guise of repeating "rumors". She asks her to have tea, and Bai Yun Feng agrees but Huang Fu Yao interjects by asking Yue Qing Ruo to leave, and that they will go together later.
Everyone clears the room except for Huang Fu Yao and Bai Yun Feng. He didn't want her to go alone. Then he asks if she got angry seeing Yue Qing Ruo with him. She says no, as she wasn't there to quarrel with him. He sighs and leaves.
They get to the tea event and he actually sits next to her. They're supposed to play a game where they recite a poem and whoever loses, needs to drink the bitter tea. She's concerned about reciting any poems and he tells her to not worry too much. It's Bai Yun Feng's turn and some people are laughing at her as she's hesitating. She's fine with losing and drinking a cup of tea but Huang Fu Yao says it's her first time and drinks it for her. So they let her sit out the game and just have her listen to them.
Everyone else is saying what a good match Yue Qing Ruo is for Huang Fu Yao while reciting poems. Huang Fu Yao asks his wife if she's bored and then says that she can leave if she wants to. She's actually feeling down about not being able to keep up with her husband.
Yue Qing Ruo tells her that if she can’t recite a line of poetry, then she better return to the kitchen and be a cook. (The way this girl says things in such a falsely sweet but inherently condescending tone, it makes me want to strangle her.). Zhou Yuan Jun defends her by saying that Wan Er is the young lady of the General’s Mansion and should be spoken to with respect. Yue Qing Ruo says she's only telling the truth and repeats her barely veiled insults. Bai Yun Feng stands up at the table, and Yue Qing Ruo asks her what’s wrong. She politely tells everyone to have fun and says she needs to leave. Huang Fu Yao stands up, too, but she pushes him back down onto his seat and tells him to stay there. She leaves and Yue Qing Ruo just smirks at this.
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| The Huang Fu brothers’ wives are friends now. |
Zhou Yuan Jun finds Bai Yun Feng later and tries to comfort her. She teases her and says that she thought she would lose her temper and turn over the table, or maybe push down Yue Qing Ruo and beat her. (She’s saying this serenely as ever with a small smile.) Bai Yun Feng cracks a smile, pats her on the shoulder and says she understands her and she would have done that before but not this time. (I like this friendship - and their personalities couldn’t be any more different.) Zhou Yuan Jun asks her if she was bothered by the fact that they said that Yue Qing Ruo was better suited for Huang Fu Yao. She agrees that it’s true that they are better suited for each other, but then what about her? She knows that he loves poetry, and if it wasn’t for the contract, he might not have wanted to marry her.. She goes on to say that she doesn’t like that she’s changed into a different person since she’s been living at the mansion. Zhou Yuan Jun tells her it's not the mansion but Huang Fu Yao that's changed her, and then asks her if she likes Huang Fu Yao. She's not sure because she doesn't feel happy at the thought of him but feels upset instead. Zhou Yuan Jun says that she’s pretty sure she's already head over heels in love with him.
Meanwhile, Huang Fu Yao and Yue Qing Ruo are alone at the table, with only her maid in attendance. He is reprimanding Yue Qing Ruo - he hopes she doesn't repeat what she said today. She acts like she doesn't understand why he's mad about her being straightforward. She says his wife is nothing but a bandit, and she will be gone when the time comes. She then asks if his wife is more important than her, the Lady of Yue Mansion? He says, of course. He doesn't care if she was a bandit or a daughter from an ordinary family before, as she is now the wife of him, Huang Fu Yao. And he doesn't allow others to make carping comments on her. He warns her if she continues to displease his wife, she'll no longer be welcome at the General’s Mansion. She asks how he can treat her like this. He just gets up and leaves without another word. (He can deny it, but we know he cares about his wife.) She's upset and decides that she wants to talk to Chen Da Wan.
Bai Yun Feng tells Zhou Yuan Jun that Yue Qing Ruo still hasn't given up on Huang Fu Yao, and she's not allowing what's hers to be taken away. Si Yi comes running and tells her that some men sent by Yue Qing Ruo have taken Chen Da Wan away.
Yue Qing Ruo claims that she lost her hairpin and needs help retrieving it from the lake. Bai Yun Feng starts scooping out water, and asks if that has her hairpin, and does that a couple times while splashing water on Yue Qing Ruo. She calls her Lu Jie Jie and Bai Yun Feng tells her that she’s her Lu Nai Nai. (She’s demanding more respect.) The two women and Yue Qing Ruo’s maid start fighting and they all fall into the lake. Chen Da Wan starts yelling for help as Bai Yun Feng can’t swim.
Later, she apologizes to Huang Fu Yao for letting Yue Qing Ruo fall into the lake. He's trying to feed her (soup or medicine?) while they’re both sitting on the bed. She asks if he blames her. He replies that she did right this time. He tells her that Mr. Yue has great power in the Imperial court and is notorious for his ambitions. While Huang Fu family has some contacts with him on the surface, they actually don't want to be associated with the Yue family. He says that Yue Qing Ruo might not come to the General’s Mansion again. He tells her that if she comes across such a thing in the future, she shouldn't play with her own safety.
She finally asks him about the previous evening’s events - if she said something odd. He tells her she held onto him and said he had a strong waist and if he would give her a wiggle. She swears that what she wanted to say was not those words. Then he asks her what was it that she wanted to tell him.
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| This is not the best look for someone on the receiving end of a confession. |
She scoots over to be closer to him, holds on his arm and blurts out that she's falling in love with him. (Love her for this!) He looks at her with this surprised expression and then he just wordlessly blinks at her.
[Ep3] Huang Fu Yao gets up and leaves without saying anything to Bai Yun Feng. She’s telling him to stop, that she just confessed to him and he’s said nothing. He walks past Zhou Yuan Jin who brings his wife with another bowl of liquids. She complains to her that he just ran away after her confession. Her sister-in-law explains that he's introverted and he just got scared. Bai Yun Feng says that she’s fine with him being scared but he needs to confirm if he's accepting or rejecting it.
Zhou Yuan Jin tells her that he treats Bai Yun Feng differently, and was very concerned when she fell into the lake today. He was focused on looking for her and not Yue Qing Ruo. She tells her to give him more time. He's already her husband, where is he going to go?
Bai Yun Feng decides to do something for him - she knocks down a bird's nest because it's been keeping Huang Fu Yao from sleeping. After she knocks it down, it falls right on Huang Fu Mu’s head. (Of all the people for it to land on...) She comes down from the rooftop and starts laughing at him, and says his appearance looks better now. He asks why she is always creating a mess everywhere. She replies that her father told her, if you’re hit with bird poop, then you’re free of bad luck. He warns her if she creates trouble one more time, he'll drive her out of the mansion. His wife stifles a laugh and suggests that he treats this as an accident. He leaves angrily. Bai Yun Feng starts yelling after him that he acts like a creditor, and asks if he thinks she loves livingi the mansion and if it wasn't for the money, she wouldn't be there - just to irk Huang Fu Mu. Unfortunately, her husband hears her yelling about this, too.
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| Her method of getting him to talk includes wearing heavy makeup. |
Bai Yun Feng decides to make him a meal, puts on heavy makeup, dances for him and shows him a bare shoulder. He doesn’t look happy about any of this. He reprimands her for behaving in such a way. They sit awkwardly at the table (with prepared dishes on it). He takes a drink and tells her if she’s done dancing, then she should get some rest. He walks away from the table to sit on the bed. She says there’s a tradition where after the dance, they hug. So she hugs him and he pushes her off of him, and says it’s nonsense. She tells him that she's done all these things for him, to make him happy. He tells her to stop doing these things and he'll ask the accountant to pay her 3 more taels of silver per month, and to stop doing such embarrassing things. And when the contract ends, he'll give her her freedom as she wants and they will have nothing to do with each other. (He’s upset with what she said earlier.)
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| The way she’s looking at him as he hugs her in his sleep. |
It’s raining out and there’s a leak in their room and she thinks it’s her fault as it appears that when she got rid of the nest, she also broke the roof, too. So she puts clothing on the floor to soak up the rain. Huang Fu Yao is still sleeping but extends his arm out into the empty space next to him. She climbs back into the bed, and sleeps on his arm, and clings to his side, and he puts his arms around her in his sleep. She looks up at his sleeping face, smiles and goes to sleep. (So they’re sleeping in the same bed now?!)
The next morning, Chen Da Wan sees the clothes on the floor and notices them sleeping together in the bed, so he sneaks back out and prevents Si Yi from bothering them.
Zhou Yuan Jin congratulates her, and seems to think that they’ve consummated their marriage multiple times, when in fact, Bai Yun Feng only meant they've had some minor physical contact and literally slept in the same bed once. Bai Yun Feng then eats a pastry and appears queasy. Her sister-in-law asks if she’s possibly, trails off and looks at her stomach.
Yue Qing Ruo is back at the General’s Mansion for the poetry meeting. She is pestering Huang Fu Yao. He’s trying to dodge her. She apologizes for yesterday’s events but Huang Fu Yao says his wife nearly drowned so he doesn’t care about anything else. Her maid says it’s his wife’s fault for splashing water onto Yue Qing Ruo, which led to them falling into the lake, and he tells her to shut up. He had asked his servants and they had told him that they saw someone doing something bad on the bank. He then advises her to manage her servants properly. (If only his wife could hear him say these things.) She suddenly starts coughing, then claims that she has a cold, feels dizzy and uncomfortable, and asks him to accompany her to the hospital.
They are interrupted by Si Yi who tells him to go back home as there's a report of his wife being pregnant. He looks shocked by this news and leaves with Si Yi. Yue Qing Ruo falls down on the ground (in shock, or just dramatic?). He's being congratulated by the servants and Zhou Yuan Jin hands him some pregnancy medicine. He asks his wife why she's spreading rumors of her pregnancy. She has no idea what’s going on. When he tells her, she gets upset and asks who said it and threatens to hurt them. He says that he’s already told her that he’d pay her 3 more taels of silver so she can stop doing these things, and stop playing tricks. She then asks him if he thinks she said she liked him, for his money? He looks away and says nothing and she gets upset that he thinks that of her. She tells him if she thinks she’s greedy, then she won't take any money nor will she work as a cook either. She angrily leaves the room.
Si Yi comes in and tells Huang Fu Yao it's a misunderstanding by his sister-in-law and not a rumor by his wife. He refuses to apologize so now he's stuck trying to cook. Bai Yun Feng finds him in the kitchen making a mess. She asks him if noodles are okay and he just smiles. She starts making noodles and he apologizes for misunderstanding her. She accepts, forgives him and then asks him to make the fire. They end up sharing the bowl of noodles. She tells him she won't take his money for cooking his meals. And he shows a hint of a smile.
Bai Yun Feng is at Mr. Du's pastry shop. They switched flour merchants, and the previous flour merchant drops by demanding more penalty money for the breach in contract. The current flour merchant, Ye Qiu gets rid of the guy by citing merchant laws (but he fibbed a bit). Bai Yun Feng says he is the second person she admires in her heart besides her father. (Where does her husband rank?) Ye Qiu then offers to send her home in his cart. Huang Fu Yao sees this guy helping her out of the cart and pretty much pulls his wife to be right beside him, and asks to be introduced to the guy. She introduces them and he thanks Ye Qiu for bringing her back. Ye Qiu says he'll see her in five days. She waves goodbye to him. Huang Fu Yao walks off in a huff and his wife follows him and asks him why he’s angry. (For someone who won’t admit anything to his wife, he does appear to be quite jealous.)
Huang Fu Mu comes by and tells his brother that their father wants to see him. Then his brother notices a pouch on his desk and calls it ugly. Huang Fu Yao takes the pouch off his desk before his brother can touch it, and tells him that it's a gift from his wife. Huang Fu Mu dismisses Si Yi and then tells him that he knows that in the beginning they were a contract couple and, in theory, not supposed to fall in love. But he knows that he (Huang Fu Yao) probably loves her very much. Huang Fu Yao is uncomfortable and tells him to stop joking, and that he's just taking the responsibility of a husband. His brother asks him about why he was so angry about the merchant who brought home his wife the other day. He denies it, but admits that he is confused. His brother tells him to be a man and not a coward and make it clear to her and to ask her to stay. He just nods at his brother’s suggestion.
Huang Fu Yao is out shopping for a gift for Bai Yun Feng. Si Yi tells him that her birthday is in 5 days. He buys a gold lock from this fortune teller for 200 taels, which is supposed to help with his marital relationship. Si Yi thinks this guy is scamming him but Huang Fu Yao insists on buying it. This clueless guy needs all the help he can get. Although, the best thing is for him to just talk to her already.
He then goes to see Bai Yun Feng in the kitchen and asks her to not leave the mansion on the 9th. He asks if she's going to meet Ye Qiu. She just gives him a look. He tells her that she can't meet other men. She tells him that he goes out and meets with Yue Qing Ruo at Mr. Yue’s. He says that she just happens to be there and there’s nothing between them. She doesn’t want to hear and just leaves.
Chen Da Wan comes into the kitchen after she leaves, closes the doors and tells him that in two days, it'll be the death anniversary of their old chief (her father), so don't confront her.
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| His surprise death anniversary room. |
Huang Fu Yao comes up with this death anniversary room where it's dark and the floor is covered in joss paper. He shows up but it’s dark, so Bai Yun Feng gets scared and thinks she's seeing a ghost and she actually punches him.
In the next scene, they’re seated side-by-side at his desk and he is holding a compress on the left side of his face. (I like that she didn’t run away.) She asks him to not make things so mysterious. He says he just wanted to give her a surprise. She says she felt scared instead.
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| The way he’s looking at her! :D |
He gives her a birthday present, it's that gold lock on a necklace. He puts it on her and she asks if it looks beautiful. He’s looking at her and says, so beautiful. Squee! He goes on to say that from now on they'll celebrate her birthday on the 8th so she can visit her father's grave on the 9th (death anniversary coincides with her actual birthday). He wants to go with her to visit her father. She asks why is he going with her? He says he’s the son-in-law and it makes absolute sense. Then he goes on further to say that he wants to that he wants to thank him for bringing a wonderful her to be beside him. (He actually said something very sweet to her!) She reacts in her usual manner - she hits him for his flattery. Hahaha. Huang Fu Yao finally confesses that he likes her. And that he hates that she left him home alone to see other men, and it makes him unable to sleep or eat. She replies that there’s nothing going on between her and Ye Qiu but she does need to see him tomorrow, because she wants to ask him to make pastries for the grave visit. He ends that part of the conversation, and asks for her answer to his confession. She responds that she is so happy and needs to go make some dishes. She goes to get up, but he grabs her arm to keep her from leaving, and they end up sitting very close and face-to-face. They kiss. And he’s sober for it!
They go to the pastry shop hand-in-hand to return the box (for the cakes). She has two hands on the handle and Ye Qiu receives it with one hand and happens to touch her hand and Huang Fu Yao's eyes bug out and he pulls Bai Yun Feng even closer to him. (His eyes, hahahaha!) They have a new product - red bean pastry and so she tries it. Ye Qiu says he knew she'd like it. Now Huang Fu Yao insists on trying it, too. But he steals a bite of the one in her hand and says there's too much sugar in it. (No idea why he's this jealous still.) Zhou Yuan Jun comes by to buy the red bean pastries and Huang Fu Yao wants to stay to keep his wife company. But Zhou Yuan Jun isn't feeling well and bumps into Mr. Du. Her maid said she hasn't been sleeping well and that she should see a doctor. She asks that no one mentions her health to Huang Fu Mu or he'll get mad.
Huang Fu Yao tries to cook again and makes a huge mess. Si Yi lies and says it’s good but is told he can spit it out if it’s bad. He spits it out. He's trying to do this so he has more common interests with his wife. Si Yi says he has no talent for this, and suggests he just praise her more. Hahaha. Chen Da Wan finds them there, and is unable to help him either, and suggests that he finds a pastry chef. Huang Fu Yao then asks him to teach him how to play Pai Gow but it turns out that he's terrible at that, too.
Bai Yun Feng keeps Zhou Yuan Jun company as she's resting in bed. She asks if she wants to ask for a doctor. Zhou Yuan Jun refuses again because then her husband would find out. She changes the subject to Bai Yun Feng and asks about her current relationship with Huang Fu Yao. She admits that Huang Fu Yao did confess, and that they're a real couple now. Zhou Yuan Jun asks her if she knows what a real couple is. She shakes her head so Zhou Yuan Jun whispers it into her ear. Bai Yun Feng exclaims, "Is it something that can be done by a human?" Zhou Yuan Jun laughs quietly. Then Bai Yun Feng asks what she should do. Her sister-in-law just smiles and looks at her.
Bai Yun Feng goes to see Huang Fu Yao who asks if she wants to play a game, a finger-guessing (drinking) game. She says the loser drinks. He ends up drinking a lot and she tells him no one can beat her at this game yet. He gets pretty drunk and she tries to get him to the bed. He looks like he's about to kiss her but he passes out on her instead.
In the morning, he wakes up next to her and is staring at her and goes to kiss her face but Si Yi interrupts and says quietly that he's been summoned by the General. Si Yi asks him about what's going with him and his wife. Huang Fu Yao says that nothing over the line has happened. Si Yi says that before the General had left for the military camp, he had decided to let her go. Si Yi asks what his thoughts were on the issue. Huang Fu Yao replies that it's her choice to make, not his.
Bai Yun Feng wakes up alone in their bed and asks Si Yi where her husband is. Si Yi makes the excuse that he has a cold and didn't want to infect her, so he is sleeping in his study.
Chen Da Wan asks why she's making a sweet soup for Huang Fu Yao as he doesn't like sweet soups. She tells him that she’s making him pear soup as it'll help with his cold. Chen Da Wan says he can't be sick as he saw him in high spirits walking with Si Yi, laughing and talking, nary a cough with a rosy complexion. She then realizes he's hiding from her. She leaves to go find him.
She finds him sitting in his study and he asks her to leave as he has a cold. (He was actually working on a drawing of her and tried to hide it under a book.) She asks him why he is hiding from her. He says that he's not hiding from her, so she grabs him by the chin and asks him why he's lying to her - about his cold, won't come home, and is sleeping in his study. She looks down and finds the drawing. She laughs at it because it's the back view of a woman with long flowing hair. (I think the drawing might be of her.) He tells her she's like wood, and she says he's really like a big wood and pokes him on his forehead. He grabs her by the waist and pulls her up against him. They're interrupted again by Si Yi who says something bad happened with their sister-in-law - she's been kidnapped. Huang Fu Mu shows up and asks them to let him handle it. He then insults them, one is weak (Si Yi) and the other is a troublemaker (Bai Yun Feng). Bai Yun Feng replies, how can he regard their goodwill as malice. Huang Fu Yao averts his eyes downward but grabs her hand. She ends with if he thinks they're helping him because they respect him. (She just loves getting the last word.)
Mr. Du's carriage arrives outside and Zhou Yuan Jun is with him but she is barely able to stand up or walk. Mr. Du greets Huang Fu Mu but Huang Fu Mu sneers at him and asks for his arrest instead. Bai Yun Feng and Huang Fu Yao both protest. The investigation ends with Mr. Du being innocent and is free to go, but Huang Fu Mu is still angry about it. It turns out that Mr. Du rescued her from the real kidnapper. The kidnapper is an enemy of Mr. Du's family and related to the flour trade, and they thought Zhou Yuan Jun was Mr. Du's lover. Huang Fu Mu gets even more enraged at this. The real kidnapper has been identified and they’re already in full pursuit. He wants to know how this misunderstanding occurred. The guardsman whispers something to Huang Fu Mu.
[Ep4] Zhou Yuan Jun is waking up in bed and asking her maid about what her husband said when she returned home with Mr. Du. The maid said luckily, Bai Yun Feng and Huang Fu Yao eased his temper, and he didn't ask more questions and is no longer at home today. She goes on to say that it appears that Bai Yun Feng's temper was worse than Huang Fu Mu's and she would’ve eaten him alive if he created any more trouble over this.
Bai Yun Feng is wondering why Huang Fu Yao is sleeping in his study again. She is waiting with a table full of aphrodisiac dishes for Huang Fu Yao, which Zhou Yuan Jun finds amusing. Zhou Yuan Jun starts gagging at the smell of the food. And her maid mentions that she’s finally seen the doctor and it turns out that she's pregnant. Bai Yun Feng says if Huang Fu Mu finds out, he'll be very happy. Well, he walks into the room and accuses his wife of infidelity with Mr. Du (supposedly, he had only recently discovered their past relationship). Bai Yun Feng tries to defend her but he won't let her.
Then he goes on to say that he'll send the divorce papers to her parents' house. Her maid tries to tell him that she's pregnant but Zhou Yuan Jun stops her. Bai Yun Feng goes and shoves him and Zhou Yuan Jun tries to stand up and faints instead. This idiot husband just stands there watching as his sister-in-law and the maid try to help his wife up. (He's seriously a jealous jerk!)
Huang Fu Yao goes to see his brother while he's practicing archery. He asks him about his divorce. He also tells his brother that based on his sister-in-law's personality, she'd never be unfaithful to him, and that there must be a misunderstanding. His brother acknowledges that he knows there is no affair between Mr. Du and his wife but he's angry that she still cares about her ex-boyfriend. He thinks this threat will help sever their ties (between Mr. Du and his wife). He knows she can't live without him, and she does whatever he says. (He’s hoping she’ll always give in to him...Sigh.) Her maid comes by and he asks how his wife is doing. She says that his wife has locked herself in her room, and won't eat or drink anything. Huang Fu Yao asks her to have food prepared and keep an eye on her health.
His brother thinks that she'll stay and wait in that room until he's done being angry (a child with a temper tantrum). The maid returns and reports that his wife's parents are visiting now. He tells her that if they ask to see him, tell them he's busy. He tells Huang Fu Yao that he needs to learn from him on how to control his wife. (*rolling eyes*) Huang Fu Yao smiles and says what matters most is that she is happy and no need to worry about the red tape. (He's a sweet, reserved angel is what he is.)
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| I just liked how Huang Fu Yao laughed and smiled here at his brother’s troubles. |
The maid comes back and says that her parents are taking her with them. Huang Fu Yao is smiling a wide grin at this new development. She hands Huang Fu Mu a divorce letter that his wife prepared. Huang Fu Yao laughs and pats his brother on the shoulder and says he's gone too far. His brother leaves in a huff and drops the letter on the ground. Huang Fu Yao picks up the divorce letter and goes after him.
Zhou Yuan Jun appears to have a backbone - with the help of Bai Yun Feng, who is giving her all of these ideas. Bai Yun Feng and Zhou Yuan Jun (with a knapsack on her shoulder) are waiting inside the room. Zhou Yuan Jun asks if this is a good idea as she hasn't rebelled against her husband like this. Bai Yun Feng is trying to make him care about his wife's feelings instead of his wife always worrying about his feelings.
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| Zhou Yuan Jun finally fights back. |
Huang Fu Mu shows up and starts ranting that if she leaves to never come back, her lost chastity, her leaving him, and demands an apology. Bai Yun Feng goes to hit him but Huang Fu Yao pulls her to stand next to him. Zhou Yuan Jun walks up to Huang Fu Mu and slaps him. She looks him straight in the eyes and says that he's way too self-centered. She spoils him all the time because she is well-educated and tender, and has to endure his bad temper every day - what for? For his ignorance and arrogance? For paying no attention to his hygiene? For his brains having some problems? (Ou, so she does have a backbone!) Bai Yun Feng starts laughing now, but her husband nudges her to stop.
Huang Fu Mu asks if that's what she really thinks of him. She says, of course. And when she leaves who will spoil him like she has. If he regrets it someday, she would like to hear poetry, so he should come to her house and keep reading poems he wrote until she is satisfied, and then she will think about whether she will go home with him. She goes on further to say that with his limited talent in poetry..... She heads for the front gates with her bag. Bai Yun Feng goes to follow her but Huang Fu Yao grabs her to stay back, and then pokes her head for misleading his sister-in-law. Now she's trying to placate him. (I like how he knows that this was mostly her idea.)
Huang Fu Yao and Bai Yun Feng are back in their own room. She asks, why isn't he sleeping in the study room. He replies that she asked him not to hide from her. She says, now he's obedient and why wasn't he considerate before? He says his sister-in-law wrote a divorce letter, and then asks if she encouraged her on that. She replies that she only mentioned it, and that Huang Fu Mu is the one to blame. If he treated his wife decently, why would his wife want to leave, and instead of being with someone who doesn't love her, she would rather remarry Mr. Du.
Huang Fu Yao explains that when the Zhou family was plagued by misfortunes and his father did not want to go through the mess at first but his brother firmly wanted to help his wife out of the mess. The truth is he's been in love with her for a long time but he doesn't know how to express his love. He also already knew about her history with Mr. Du and that she didn't have an affair. He just wanted her to thoroughly break off her old memories so he threatened her with a letter of divorce.
She tells him, his sister-in-law is right, he does have a mental problem. First, he slanders her
Then he threatens her with a divorce letter. She then says, if it's just a misunderstanding between the two of them, then the baby is very innocent, right? Huang Fu Yao is now shocked at this news. He tells her to not mention anything about the child to his brother, because then he'd beg his wife to come home for the child, but wouldn't figure out his love for her. (Hahaha, now they’re on the same team!) She asks what they should do then, and he whispers something into her ear.
Si Yi and Chen Da Wan end up eating the aphrodisiac dishes that Bai Yun Feng had prepared. Si Yi confesses to Chen Da Wan but Chen Da Wan reveals that he's a guy... with a bun-stuffed bosom. Si Yi passes out. (I fail to find this trope entertaining because they’ve beaten a dead horse with this.)
Huang Fu Mu is seated between Bai Yun Feng and Huang Fu Yao for dinner, and she is extra sweet to her husband and lovingly feeding him right in front of Huang Fu Mu. Hahaha. I guess this is part of their plan. And then Huang Fu Yao lovingly feeds her, too. Huang Fu Mu leaves the table.
The next day, Huang Fu Mu is exercising in the courtyard, and Huang Fu Yao is working on a drawing while his wife pours him a cup of tea and feeds him a snack. The couple then joins him when he's trying to fish alone, and she tells her husband that she'll make an extra dish of carp for him tonight, and they leave him to it.
Huang Fu Mu is unable to sleep, and very obviously missing his wife. It's in the middle of the night, but he decides to wake up his brother who is sleeping peacefully next to his wife. He asks his brother to teach him how to write love poems. LOL. He finally humbled himself. Huang Fu Yao acts surprised and Bai Yun Feng sits up with a huge smile but her husband shoves her back down with the covers. Hahaha, he just shoves her face down with the covers on.
The General is laughing by himself when Bai Yun Feng finds him. He's laughing that it's unbelievable that Huang Fu Mu knelt outside the Zhou Mansion and recited love poems for three days and three nights. Bai Yun Feng says if her sister-in-law wasn't so tender-hearted, she wouldn't come back. She then says if Huang Fu Yao slandered her for having an affair, she'd break his legs and feet, run away and won't even glance at him for eight lifetimes. Hahaha.
The General then shows her the marriage contract and says that her brothers' prison term will end in two days’ time, as will her marriage contract. She says the one-year period hasn't expired yet. He also says that the Yue family is preparing for a new marriage and has given up on Huang Fu Yao so he's relieved. She's free to go after it expires but it's her decision to stay or not. Huang Fu Yao finds her with the contract. She's trying to hide it behind her back but he already knows his father gave it to her. He asks if she's ready to leave. She doesn’t say anything.
Huang Fu Yao is writing in his study. His brother is asking him about his bandit wife going back to the mountains, and if he will, too. Huang Fu Yao says maybe and keeps writing. His brother takes the brush from him and tells him that if he likes her so why is he writing the divorce letter willingly, just to trap himself. His brother understands that he wants to give her choices, and doesn’t want her, for the sake of their relationship, to give up her previous free life. But has he really asked her? He points out that she may seem carefree and may not understand his feelings but to not make her think he wants to divorce. He says after dealing with his own wife running away, he realizes that for feelings and love - it needs to be straightforward. If he really likes her, then he needs to tell her and ask her to stay, and don't wait until she's gone, as he’ll regret it. Then it'll be too late. Ou, someone learned his lesson. Ha. (It’s weird to see him being kind.)
Bai Yun Feng is listlessly throwing rocks into the water as Chen Da Wan asks her why she's bothered. He thought she wanted her freedom back. She asks if it's possible for them to kidnap Huang Fu Yao and take him back with them to Baisha Fort. He replies that he's not as tough as them and might die a few days after being taken. Hahaha!
Zhou Yuan Jun's maid comes to find Bai Yun Feng and tells her that she is vomiting up everything that she eats due to her pregnancy and begs her to help find a solution. Bai Yun Feng goes and feeds her some soup. She promises to take care of her meals for the following days. Chen Da Wan asks if they're not leaving now. She says she wants to wait until her sister-in-law is better before they go. (Sure, it’s only because of her sister-in-law’s health.) He points out that her husband is still busy writing out the divorce letter.
She’s sneaking peeks at her husband but avoiding him. Chen Da Wan tells her she can’t keep avoiding him. She tells him she needs to decide if she wants to stay or go, and doesn't want him confusing her.
The next morning, she wakes up before Huang Fu Yao, and Si Yi comes in to wake him up but Bai Yun Feng shushes him and gestures to let her leave first. After she leaves, Si Yi wakes him up. Huang Fu Yao asks if his wife came back last night. Si Yi says she was back but she's up now and in the kitchen. He goes looking for her in the kitchen but she just hides in a large jar upon hearing his voice. He tells Chen Da Wan that she's avoiding him. Chen Da Wan denies it.
Bai Yun Feng brings Zhou Yuan Jun her meal and asks for her opinion on the soup. Zhou Yuan Jun makes a face and finally tells her she didn't expect it to be so mild. She tastes it herself and realizes that someone actually drank her soup, and just added water back to whatever was left. She angrily threatens to hurt that person when she finds them. Huang Fu Yao knocks on the door and Bai Yun Feng jumps to hide under the covers when she hears his voice.
He enters the room and says that he thought he heard his wife's voice in her room. Zhou Yuan Jun says he must've misheard as she's the only one in the room and she was talking to herself. He notices the extra bulge under covers, but he tells her he'll have Si Yi bring her paint books for her boredom. He leaves and she uncovers Bai Yun Feng and tells her to stop hiding. She asks if she just had asked Huang Fu Yao about his thoughts on the matter. She replies that she is avoiding him because she's afraid to hear his thoughts, and she thinks he’s writing the divorce letter. Her sister-in-law points out how frank and open-minded she used to be, but now she's cowardly. She was the one who said she liked him first, and look at how much effort it took to make sure he's attracted to her, and he reciprocates, but now she's pushing him away and avoiding him - wouldn't it break his heart? She continues that she's being irresponsible. She then asks her what would she have done if she had encountered this in the past. Bai Yun Feng says that she would bagged him and taken him back to the fort and make him Fort Madame. She says, that's the solution. LOL. Her sister-in-law's expression is a bit shocked and perplexed, as that's not what she meant... but too late, she’s left.
Bai Yun Feng goes to see him but he's asleep. She sounds relieved and sits down on the bed to remove her shoes, and he suddenly grabs her by the arm. She yells that he wasn't really sleeping and he just scared her. He replies if he was asleep, she was going to keep hiding day and night like this. He knows tomorrow is the day that Baisha Fort people are being released from prison. He asks her if she's going back with them. She looks away and barely says anything, and then he just kisses her. (Someone has become more direct.) She asks him about the divorce letter and he says he didn't write it. She then hugs him and asks why he didn't go to see her tell her sooner. (Maybe because you've been dodging him, woman!) He says, didn't he? She realizes that he’s right, and then says that she has a very serious question for him - if she decides to go back and rebuild Baisha Fort, will he go back with her? His nose starts bleeding.
She points out that his body temperature is hot, his face is flushed but she knows he doesn't have a fever. She asks if he ate something he shouldn't have. He avoids making eye contact with her. She tells him that she made a ten-ingredient tonic soup for their sister-in-law - was he the one who drank it?? He denies it. She says he not only stole it but added water to it, and then she pulls on his ear and scolds him. He says it's her fault for only caring about their sister-in-law all day long and not about her own husband. She says her sister-in-law pregnant - is he pregnant? He interjects and says he's willing to go with her.
In the next scene, she is saying goodbye to her brothers. After they’ve left, she realizes that she forgot to share her money with them. Chen Da Wan says to not chase them, as her husband has already made arrangements. She starts sniffling.
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| When your wife demands to have 100+ children with you. Haha. |
Huang Fu Yao shows up to console her, and tells her to not worry about her private coffer. From now on, everything he has is hers, too. She says she doesn't need a private coffer. She tells him that she’s upset about being apart from over one hundred brothers and says he'll need to have 100 plus children with her. He looks aghast at that statement. (LOL I replayed this scene at least five times just to listen to her line and then watch his face.) Si Yi shows up to beg Chen Da Wan to not leave, and offers marriage. They leave to talk. Bai Yun Feng asks her husband if he told Si Yi that Chen Da Wan is a man. His response is that he thought this was something one could tell from a glance - there is no need to say anything. She is frustrated by this. Meanwhile, Si Yi is bemoaning the fact that he lost a wife, and Chen Da Wan comforts him that he has a brother now. Si Yi just starts crying.
Bai Yun Feng picks up medicine from the apothecary and leaves. Yue Qing Rou asks the apothecarist what Bai Yun Feng picked up. They tell her it's miscarriage prevention medicine for Zhou Yuan Jun. (C'mon now, is there really no privacy?!) She's happy that Bai Yun Feng is not pregnant, so now she thinks she still has a chance with Huang Fu Yao. She says that she wants Bai Yun Feng gone for good.
Yue Qing Rou shows up at the pastry shop and demands to see Ye Qiu. She says she thinks he likes Lu Wan Er, and he tells her to be careful with her words. She says that she’s a bandit so could she be married to Huang Fu Yao. She wants them to join forces, as she needs his help for this to work. She wants to kidnap Baisha brothers as leverage to force the divorce (or else be reported to the Emperor for treason (lying to the Emperor about her true identity). He asks why he should help her. She replies, then he can have Bai Yun Feng and she can have Huang Fu Yao. he replies that he’s never heard of Baisha Fort, and she’d better find someone else. They're interrupted by two Baisha brothers, who show up calling him by name, and mention Boss/Sister Bai, and ask about picking up their flour order. Ye Qiu tries to cover up who they are by saying that they must mean a different Sister Bai and tells them that the flour will be delivered later and that they should leave. The two men look confused but they leave. Yue Qing Ruo has seen the two men and heard the whole conversation.
Zhou Yuan Jun's appetite is better and is currently eating a whole chicken. Bai Yun Feng tells her it's normal to gain weight during pregnancy. She also says if Huang Fu Mu says anything about her being fat she'll take off his head. Huang Fu Mu walks in, and clears his throat overhearing this statement. He says that he is bringing his wife something that she had wanted last night and he had traveled north for it - a chicken similar to the one on the table. His wife points out that fact. Bai Yun Feng says that she should still try the chicken he brought her or else he'll be angry later. She gets up to leave the couple alone but Huang Fu Mu stops her to thank her. Huang Fu Yao comes in looking for her as it’s time to practice calligraphy together. Her brother-in-law teases them by telling his brother that their father bought a lot of children’s things, so they should hurry up and have kids, especially as his sister-in-law is eager to have kids. They need to get a start on those 100+ kids. LOL Bau Yun Feng swats at him and then rushes out with her husband.
Yue Qing Rou had the two Baisha Fort brothers kidnapped and presented before her father. Yue Qing Rou wants a case against Bai Yun Feng, so she arrests them. She wants to go to the Emperor that Bai Yun Feng deceived everyone when she assumed the identity of Lu Wan Er for marriage. Her father asks when she'll stop doing this. She brings up how she and Huang Fu Yao are in love. Her father asks if Huang Fu Yao ever told her that he likes her. She says that they grew up together, of course she knows it. (She is crazy!) He says she doesn't want to face the reality, and everyone in the city knows Huang Fu Yao and his wife are deeply in love, and why is she so obsessive.. She replies, though he doesn't like her, he can't love Lu Wan Er either. Since her father won't help her, she'll still go after her and that she needs to kill the bandit.
Ye Qiu comes to General’s Mansion to see Huang Fu Yao and Bai Yun Feng about Yue Qing Ruo’s plans. Since the General is not at home, they are looking at Huang Fu Mu for direction on how to handle this. He says that they need to confront Yue Qing Ruo and how dare they bully the Huang Fu family. (Ah, he officially sees her as family.) Ye Qiu points out if they go there they will be admitting that they lied to the Emperor. Bai Yun Feng offers to go by herself so it won’t affect Huang Fu family but her husband says that she’s married into the family now, so no matter what it'll affect the family. Huang Fu Mu agrees and says that this is a family affair, so how can she handle it alone. She comes up with a plan.
Chen Da Wan and Si Yi create a diversion outside the Yue Mansion, which ends up with Chen Da Wan clinging to one of the Yue guards, and then falling to the ground. Now they have no choice but to bring him inside (as to not cause further spectacle outside the house). Huang Fu Yao pays a visit to the Yue Mansion, and Mr. Yue isn't there. Yue Qing Rou serves him tea. He sniffs the cup of tea, sets it down and then tells her that he'll wait for Mr. Yue to return. (I wouldn't drink anything from this lunatic either.) She gets up to leave but he asks to speak to her, and they have some awkward conversation - with her doing most of the talking. Hahaha, well, he isn’t the biggest talker.
Meanwhile, Chen Da Wan is sneaking around to find the two brothers at Yue Mansion.
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| Look how happy he is to hear his wife yelling at him. |
Huang Fu Yao and Yue Qing Rou’s awkward conversation is interrupted by his wife angrily yelling outside for him to come out. He looks genuinely relieved (with a smile) to hear her voice, while Yue Qing Ruo is scowling away. Bai Yun Feng has barged into the Yue Mansion courtyard with Huang Fu guards and the Yue guards are trying to keep them away. She's accusing her husband of abusing her, giving her up, being ungrateful and lacking in love, but he is smiling way too much for this ruse to work. Yue Qing Ruo looks over at him so he drops his smile immediately and just looks at the ground. His wife continues berating him about making empty promises, and then yells at Yue Qing Ruo for calling her a female bandit. Bai Yun Feng says, fine, today, she'll act as a bandit. She says she (Yue Qing Rou) seduced her husband, and sics her guards on her. Yue Qing Rou takes the bait, and says if her marriage is unhappy (Huang Fu Yao actually laughs quietly at that), don't make trouble with the Yue family. She says that while Bai Yun Feng might not care about saving face but Yao Ge Ge needs to save face. She grabs Huang Fu Yao's arm (he’s mouthing something here but I am not sure what it is - “I don’t want it”, possibly referring to her touch? Haha, maybe someone can tell me what he is mouthing here.) and asks him to help her and says his wife is so fierce, doesn't know what she has done wrong, and to please ask her to release her. Bai Yun Feng tells her to stop pretending and to get her hands off of her husband. Chen Da Wan waves his hand from behind Yue Qing Ruo and Bai Yun Feng suddenly acts defeated, by crying pitifully and loudly (so that her brothers and Chen Da Wan escape). Bai Yun Feng starts whining that her husband is bullying her along with Yue Qing Ruo. She continues crying and runs away so all the guards leave to follow her.
It’s now empty in the courtyard except for Huang Fu Yao and Yue Qing Rou. He apologizes for his rudeness and then runs away from her. Her maid comes running and tells her the bandits have run away.
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| Victory for our happy couple. |
Yue Qing Rou follows them out with a sword and curses at Bai Yun Feng. But she gets interrupted by the fortune teller trying to sell her a gold lock. She takes the lock and hands him the sword as payment. He follows her chattering about still needing payment.
At home, in their room, seated at the table, Bai Yun Feng is asking Huang Fu Yao how he felt when Yue Qing Rou held his hand. He replies, what is she talking about as he didn't feel anything. She says he didn't even shake her hands away. He just looks at her and thanks her for staying with him all the time. She smiles and says today's events made her realize that people will realize she's Bai Yun Feng sooner or later so what should they do? He stands up and says don't worry, he'll report to the Emperor that he knows that the woman he loves is actually the bandit Bai Yun Feng. And in order to make everything right, he'll have to change her name to Lu Wan Er and he goes on but she jumps up and puts her arms around his neck and kisses him.
She smiles and asks him why did he make it so complicated? He smiles and carries her off to their bed. More kissing happens and... (I like the way they shot this. It’s sweet.)
Later, they're snuggling and she asks him, "When did you love me?" His response to that is "Nonsense." She whines, "Tell me." He smiles while looking at her and there are flashbacks of every moment with them ending with when he first saw her on their wedding day when she removed her veil immediately coming out of the carriage. He just continues hugging her and tells her, "No. I will never tell you." She pouts but hugs him and he kisses her forehead and they smile at each other.
[Huang Fu Yao's voiceover: I fell in love with you at first sight.] Yes, I remembered the way he looked at her then.
The End.
Remarks
[First Impression (Ep1)] I just love Bai Yun Feng. She is very direct, curses a lot, fierce, independent, and you don’t have to guess what’s going on with her - and she is all heart. I have no idea how I feel about the uptight Huang Fu Yao yet, but I like how he will defend his wife. I find Huang Fu Mu to be annoying and chauvinistic, who would have a doormat of a wife, Zhou Yuan Jun.
I also enjoyed Han Qing as Zhou Yuan Jun. I hope she is in something else, so I can see if she has more range than the demure, ever-serene sweet wife.
[Behind the Scenes] Peng Ya Qi and Gao Zi Tian seem to have natural chemistry with each other. (They’re rehearsing here but it’s still sweet. And It looks like the cast had fun with each other on set: Ren Yu (Chen Da Wan) carrying Peng Ya Qi/Yakisa and then Gao Zi Tian (wish I knew what he said though to make Gao Zi Tian laugh).
[Ending] Happy ending for our leads, and the second couple.
[Review & Rating]
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