Episode 8 recap: Nangong Yao and Mei Yu Fan developed a mutual affection.
In the palace spicy noodle eating competition, Mei Yu Fan's feet moved swiftly, and she remained in the lead the entire time. Nangong Yao was perplexed and asked about her secret technique. Mei Yu Fan secretly thought that running was a matter of life and death for a female thief, and she soon secured the first place victory.
In etiquette class, Liu Jiao Niang mocked that Mei Yu Fan had become quite round lately and must exercise more to maintain her figure. When practicing standing posture, Liu Jiao Niang required the students to raise their left and right legs in turn. Zhuang Yang Yang complained about the difficulty, and was punished to face the wall in reflection. Mei Yu Fan followed the instructions easily.
When Palace Attendant Zhang passed by the Chongwen Academy with fresh flowers, Liu Jiao Niang approached him to chat, completely forgetting the young lady standing on one foot. As many people started moving around, Mei Yu Fan began to lose her balance, and Nangong Yao used his own foot to prop her up. However, he accidentally extended his leg too far, knocking down several princes in front of him.
During the obstacle course challenge at the Chongwen Academy, after the rules were announced, the students practiced archery first. The four young ladies could not aim properly, but Nangong Yao and Mei Yu Fan were paired together. Seeing that Mei Yu Fan could barely hold the bow, Nangong Yao went to her side and intimately guided her, wrapping his arms around her, with a doting gaze that made the other three young ladies jealous.
When Bai Ye arrived at the Chongwen Academy, he immediately understood everything upon seeing Nangong Yao's affectionate instruction of Mei Yu Fan. In the second round, only Mei Yu Fan, Huang Yuan Yuan, and Su Ruo Mei advanced. As Mei Yu Fan and Huang Yuan Yuan were pulling ahead, climbing the tall pole, the red sash Mei Yu Fan was grasping tore, and she was about to fall disastrously. But Nangong Yao swiftly flew to catch her, and they gently descended together, securing another victory.
After the competition ended, Bai Ye reported to Nangong Yao about the disaster relief efforts. Nangong Yao knew Bai Ye was reliable, but he seemed unhappy even though the work was perfectly done. Nangong Yao asked the reason, and Bai Ye hesitantly mentioned the Empress's request for the Crown Prince to choose a consort soon. Before Nangong Yao could respond, Mei Yu Fan passed by in the rain and playfully demonstrated an archery pose. Nangong Yao hurriedly replied, and the two exchanged a loving gaze, leaving Bai Ye feeling superfluous.
In the etiquette class taught by the Grand Tutor, Huang Yuan Yuan was sleeping on the table, and Su Ruo Mei played a prank, drawing on her face. When Huang Yuan Yuan woke up, she complained loudly. The Grand Tutor scolded her for the volume and punished her to copy texts ten times. Mei Yu Fan stood up and argued that one should laugh freely when happy, just like street performers - if the audience did not laugh, they would feel like a failure. The Grand Tutor found merit in her reasoning and canceled Huang Yuan Yuan's punishment. Afterward, Huang Yuan Yuan thanked Mei Yu Fan for defending her.
Su Ruo Mei and Zhuang Yang Yang discussed the upcoming hunting activity with the students. When Mei Yu Fan arrived late and heard the plan, she criticized the hunting as being too cruel. Su Ruo Mei mocked Mei Yu Fan for not understanding the elegance of hunting, but Mei Yu Fan directly refuted her, leaving Su Ruo Mei embarrassed.
Bai Ye gave Mei Yu Fan a pair of gloves as a gift, and in return, Mei Yu Fan presented him with a bottle of medicated ointment. Even the guards could see Bai Ye's affection for Mei Yu Fan.
Seeing the teacup Mei Yu Fan had used, Bai Ye carefully collected and saved it.
Comments(Episode 8)