Episode 13 recap: The Cancellation of Huang Bei Shuang's Status as Lady of the Hua Yu Mansion
In Episode 13, Sha Qu teases Huo Qing Yun about his injuries and tries to remind him to keep his distance from Huang Bei Shuang, fearing that their relationship might be affected by the grudge over his mother’s death. Huo Qing Yun assures him that he won’t let her find out and asks Sha Qu to buy Huang Bei Shuang her favorite rice cakes.
Huo Qing Yun treats Yun Fang Ge like his own home, and Ye Pei intentionally arranges for the two of them to have some private time together. When Huang Bei Shuang wakes up, she immediately shows concern for Huo Qing Yun's injuries. He pretends to be in pain to draw her attention and asks if she remembers what she said last night.
Huang Bei Shuang, aware of her drunken confession, feigns ignorance. Huo Qing Yun holds her close, attempting to help her remember. Zhen Qu You Jia, frustrated with serving Ruo Wen, suspects a connection between him and Huang Bei Shuang.
Xiao Lian warns her that Huang Bei Shuang is not to be underestimated. Zhen Qu You Jia wants to stir up trouble and asks Xiao Lian to send someone to investigate Huang Bei Shuang’s background. She learns that Ruo Wen might be the bandit hiding in the library, and she hopes to take credit for eliminating the threat after that.
Ge Xin Wei has the courtesans showcase their cooking skills and finds that they are quite talented. She lets Man Hu and Lang Tou sample the dishes. Lang Tou, enchanted by the food, inadvertently reveals that Ruo Wen is at the Hua Yu Mansion, which infuriates Ge Xin Wei.
Zhen Qu You Jia plots to ambush Ruo Wen while he’s asleep but is caught and has her hair cut off instead. Frightened, she has no choice but to continue serving him. Ruo Wen enjoys fine food and drink at Yu Fu Ge, cautioning Zhen Qu You Jia not to harbor any dangerous thoughts.
Huang Bei Shuang prepares a meal, and after tasting it, Huo Qing Yun indirectly suggests that her cooking is lacking but expresses a desire for her to become the fortunate Lady Huo. Na Zhan feels anxious for not having dealt with the bandits and learns from General Wu that there has been no movement at Yun Fang Ge. General Wu, however, mentions that the bandits were hit by poisoned arrows and that tonight will likely be their last.
That night, Na Zhan deliberately seeks out Huang Bei Shuang, finding her hurriedly preparing for a cooking competition. He insists that she fulfill her duties as a lady and forcefully pushes her onto the bed.
Huang Bei Shuang deliberately pressed her wounded palm until it bled, leaving blood on Na Zhan’s hand, which dampened his enthusiasm. Na Zhan understood that Huang Bei Shuang was trying to avoid spending the night with him, so he stripped her of her title as lady, regarding her only as a partner at the Hua Yu Mansion until she thoroughly studied the secrets of the desert.
Huo Qing Yun stole the climate chapter from the library and, after copying it overnight, had Sha Qu return it. Sha Qu urged Huo Qing Yun to remain level-headed and reminded him of their shared goal for revenge. Years ago, Sha Qu’s father, Sha Zhen, was a trusted advisor of Na Qi Da and was executed along with his entire family due to Na Zhan's usurpation.
As the cooking competition approached, Ruo Wen insisted on knowing his enemy as well as himself, using the excuse to go to Yun Fang Ge to find Huang Bei Shuang. On his way to buy pastries, Sha Qu intercepted someone pretending to be a bandit, only to discover it was Zhen Qu You Jia’s people. Huo Qing Yun warned Huang Bei Shuang about this, assuring her that he would help her solve the problem and also gifted her the copied climate chapter.
Suddenly, Ruo Wen arrived, and Huang Bei Shuang urged Huo Qing Yun not to make a scene, asking him to hide behind the screen. Ruo Wen insisted that Huang Bei Shuang leave with him, threatening to expose her connection with Huo Qing Yun. He claimed that his saving of Huo Qing Yun was merely to ensure that he would die by Ruo Wen’s hand.
Na Zhan unexpectedly came to find Huang Bei Shuang, but luckily Ye Pei had tipped her off in advance. Ruo Wen quickly hid behind the screen, only to bump into Huo Qing Yun. Huang Bei Shuang wanted Na Zhan to send troops to Ma Sui, using the border area there to plant the 解马根. However, Na Zhan responded that this wasn’t a good plan, knowing that Ge Er Jin Qin lacked the courage for such a venture. Huang Bei Shuang realized she couldn’t use Na Zhan for revenge, so she needed to find another way.
After Na Zhan left, Huo Qing Yun and Ruo Wen nearly got into a fight, but Huang Bei Shuang quickly intervened to stop them. Back at Yu Fu Ge, Zhen Qu You Jia prepared a meal for Ruo Wen but learned that Huang Bei Shuang had a 90% chance of winning. She then asked Ruo Wen for help. Ruo Wen suggested she go to Yun Fang Ge to take a look at Huang Bei Shuang’s quarters herself.
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