Episode 23 recap: Little Pumpkin recognizes Hua Qing Ge as her stepmother.
Hua Qing Ge couldn't help but smile foolishly when she thought about what Ji Chu had said to her. Just at that moment, Ji Chu suddenly stood behind Hua Qing Ge, which startled her. Afterwards, Ji Chu took Hua Qing Ge to the street to ride a boat. In fact, Ji Chu knew that Hua Qing Ge had a secret in her heart, but Ji Chu would wait until the day she was willing to speak up and tell him everything. Hua Qing Ge looked at Ji Chu, who seemed to have something to say but hesitated. Indeed, there were things she couldn't tell Ji Chu yet. Ji Chu even said that he owed her a beautiful fireworks show.
The scene of the two of them boating together happened to be seen by Ji Yun, who felt quite uncomfortable about it. They returned together, and when they reached the door, Ji Chu gathered the courage to hold Hua Qing Ge's hand. However, just as they arrived, a child came up to Ji Chu and called him "daddy." At first, Hua Qing Ge thought the child had mistaken him for someone else, but later, when she heard Ji Chu calling the child "Little Pumpkin," she realized that the child was indeed his.
Ji Chu took Little Pumpkin back to let him rest, but he unexpectedly came to the capital city. Lin Xi Yao followed her father, Duke Dingguo, to meet the empress. The empress liked Lin Xi Yao very much, especially since she was Duke Dingguo's daughter, so she naturally favored her. Duke Dingguo wanted the empress to help find a suitable husband for his daughter, but the empress said that no one in the entire court was worthy of Lin Xi Yao unless they were from the royal family. In fact, the empress wanted to introduce Ji Yun to Lin Xi Yao, and coincidentally, Lin Xi Yao had always liked Ji Yun.
However, Lin Xi Yao didn't want to marry in such a way. She believed that if she were to hold someone's hand, it had to be a mutual affection. If Ji Yun had no intention of marrying her, she didn't need to continue entangling herself. But just then, Ji Yun suddenly appeared and said that he had never refused to marry Lin Xi Yao. He even said in front of Duke Dingguo that he wanted to marry Lin Xi Yao openly and properly. In fact, Duke Dingguo's intention was to marry his daughter to Ji Chu, but he didn't expect that Lin Xi Yao would actually like Ji Yun, and Ji Yun agreed to marry Lin Xi Yao.
Hua Qing Ge was suddenly awakened by someone splashing water on her in the morning. When Hua Qing Ge woke up, she found Little Pumpkin by her side. Little Pumpkin called her an old witch and claimed that her daddy belonged only to her mother. Hua Qing Ge was very angry, but she couldn't argue with a child. She then told Ji Wan Er about this incident, and Ji Wan Er told Hua Qing Ge not to worry.
Hua Qing Ge couldn't help but gossip and ask Ji Wan Er why she and Gong Ye Qi didn't make their relationship public, but Ji Wan Er couldn't come up with a reason. After Hua Qing Ge returned to her room, she was once again teased by Little Pumpkin. Ji Chu came over, and Little Pumpkin pretended to be innocent. Hua Qing Ge was very angry but didn't dare to say much. Ji Chu knew that Hua Qing Ge was being teased by Little Pumpkin and tried to comfort her. He even mentioned having children with her, which made Hua Qing Ge feel embarrassed. She also asked Ji Chu about his first love, and Ji Chu said that Hua Qing Ge was his first love. However, Ji Chu still didn't reveal Little Pumpkin's true identity, only advising Hua Qing Ge not to lower herself to Little Pumpkin's level.
The emperor ordered Ji Yun and Lin Xi Yao to marry as soon as possible. Ji Chu told his mother that his only wish was for her to stop meddling in court affairs. Hua Qing Ge noticed that the mansion was unusually quiet, indicating that Little Pumpkin was probably up to mischief. Despite her precautions, she couldn't prevent Little Pumpkin's pranks. Fortunately, Ji Yun appeared in time to save Hua Qing Ge from being teased.
When Little Guang saw someone unfamiliar approaching, he suddenly acted very well-behaved, completely different from his usual teasing of Hua Qing Ge. Ji Yun later asked how long Little Pumpkin had been here, and Hua Qing Ge truthfully confessed. Ji Yun also mentioned that Ji Chu had once been on the brink of death in the southern region, and it was no easy feat for him to survive. Hua Qing Ge was taken aback by this revelation.
Ji Chu, you have also experienced so much. Now that Du Wenshu has passed away, Ji Yun sadly told Hua Qing Ge that he was going to marry Lin Xi Yao. However, Hua Qing Ge was actually very happy, considering them a perfect match. She wished them happiness, and from Ji Chu's words, she learned that Du Wenshu had regained consciousness but didn't have much time left. Ji Chu hurriedly went to the prison to visit Du Wenshu. In fact, Ji Chu already knew about the feelings between the two. He just wanted to know if the events from 15 years ago were related to the empress. Before his death, Du Wenshu only mentioned the empress, the Su family, and the demonic poison before taking his last breath.
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