Episode 20 recap: Mu Ba and Mu Zhuo Hua joined forces.
Liu Yan sensed that they had something to discuss and decided to go out for some fresh air. Mr. Shang asked Mu Zhuo Hua when he started developing feelings for Liu Yan. Mu Zhuo Hua admitted that he hadn't figured out his own feelings yet, but he knew he couldn't like Liu Yan. Otherwise, he would have to give up what he had worked so hard to achieve.
Mr. Shang stated that when a woman falls in love with someone, she has to give up everything. It's not the woman's fault, but rather the fault of this world. Mu Zhuo Hua understood this as well, but she had no other choice. Mu Zhuo Hua left, and Liu Yan expressed that she had something to discuss with Mr. Shang.
Mr. Shang mentioned that Liu Yan is different for Mu Zhuo Hua. This kind of difference may be fortunate for others, but for Mu Zhuo Hua, it is more like a shackle. Liu Yan stated that she knew Mu Zhuo Hua had her own aspirations, and she would help Mu Zhuo Hua achieve them.
Mr. Shang believed that Mu Zhuo Hua was fortunate to have met Liu Yan. Mu Zhuo Hua and Liu Yan returned, and Mu Zhuo Hua asked Liu Yan what she had discussed with Mr. Shang, but Liu Yan didn't say anything. Mu Zhuo Hua reached out and touched Liu Yan with the help of the lamplight. When Liu Yan saw this and tried to hold onto Mu Zhuo Hua, unexpectedly, Zhi Jian suddenly appeared.
Mu Zhuo Hua and the others were about to leave. The government's disaster relief grain had already been distributed, and the people had overcome this difficult situation. They were very grateful to Mu Zhuo Hua and the others. Shen Jing Hong understood that this was not the end but only the beginning. Mu Zhuo Hua also understood and felt that they would face challenges but would overcome them.
Mu Ba said that Mu Zhuo Hua was their family's concubine who had been switched with another person before. With such immoral behavior, how could she deserve an official position? Why should she be able to achieve her desires and inflict such pain on him? Mu Ba was determined to make Mu Zhuo Hua pay the price. Mu Zhuo Hua returned to Dingjing, and Guo Ju Li was happy to see him.
Guo Ju Li met Zhi Mo, who brought a lot of food for Guo Ju Li. Guo Ju Li shared the food with Zhi Mo. Zhi Jian saw this and commented that Guo Ju Li didn't dislike eating sweets after all.
Mu Zhuo Hua arrived at the courtyard where he used to live, carrying his mother's ashes. He saw a blooming apricot tree and felt that he had been trapped in the Mu family for half of his life but had finally returned to his childhood place.
Mu Zhuo Hua agreed with his mother's words that education for women is valuable. Liu Yan informed Mu Zhuo Hua that she had chosen a date and found a good burial site. She would accompany him tomorrow to bury his mother. Mu Zhuo Hua was deeply moved.
Mu Zhuo Hua heard Guo Ju Li mention that someone accused Liu Yan of leaving the capital without authorization. He hurriedly sought an audience with the emperor, expressing that the emperor should be well aware of Liu Yan's character. Those people were merely trying to sow discord among their brotherhood by accusing Liu Yan out of fear. The emperor assured Mu Zhuo Hua that he had rejected those accusations. The emperor was pleased to see Mu Zhuo Hua speaking up for Liu Yan, and Liu Yan would also be grateful.
Mu Ba came to report his grievances and was punished with thirty cane strokes. Mu Zhuo Hua was surprised to learn that Mu Ba had acted in his favor.
Mu Zhuo Hua confronted Mu Ba in bed and declared that she would report the County Magistrate and his uncle, Zhuang Zi Xian, for their disregard for human life and abuse of power. She presented the account book from that time as evidence. The emperor, upon reviewing the evidence, became furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the matter. The emperor also commended Mu Zhuo Hua for her righteousness and rewarded her with one thousand taels of silver, a mansion, and an archway.
During their trip to the Jiangnan region, Mu Zhuo Hua and Shen Jing Hong were able to handle matters effectively, and as a result, the emperor promoted their official positions. Mu Zhuo Hua visited Mu Ba and suggested that she should have handed the evidence to the Ministry of Justice instead of reporting directly to the emperor. Mu Ba felt that if it weren't for that approach, she wouldn't have been able to meet the emperor.
It turned out that on the day Mu Zhuo Hua and Mu Ba met, Mu Zhuo Hua offered to ensure that Mu Ba would live comfortably for the rest of her life. Although he couldn't fulfill that promise himself, he believed that the emperor could.
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