Episode 18 recap: Brewing "Meeting Under the Moon" by Shen Dan Qing.
Ying Er had her purse stolen on the street, which unexpectedly led her to meet a woman named Luo Xue Er, who worked at the Drunken Cloud Tower. Shen Dan Qing suspected that Luo Xue Er knew about her relationship with Ying Er, which is why she took the opportunity to get close to Ying Er. Xu Cheng Feng intentionally got Shen Zi Shan drunk to make him miss the appointed time, giving Xu Cheng Feng a chance to accompany Shen Dan Qing alone.
Xu Cheng Feng specifically bought pastries for Shen Dan Qing to eat on the way, thinking that he and Shen Dan Qing would go to find Mr. Ouyang alone. Unexpectedly, Shen Zi Shan also went along, which instantly made Xu Cheng Feng unhappy.
Du Ying Er learned that Du Ruo Shan's death was related to the daughter of the Luo family. She also knew that one daughter of the Luo family had died, one had disappeared, and one had become a woman working at a tavern. Du Ying Er realized that the woman she had previously helped was Luo Xue Er and that she was the daughter of the Luo family. When Du Ying Er had her purse snatched on the street, Luo Xue Er appeared in time to help her retrieve it.
Du Ying Er told Luo Xue Er that Du Ruo Shan was her distant cousin and the person she admired in her heart. She asked Luo Xue Er about the true cause of Du Ruo Shan's death. Luo Xue Er lied and claimed that Du Ruo Shan had affection for Luo Shuang Shuang, which made Luo Ai Lian jealous. They met in the middle of the night, had an argument, and Du Ruo Shan had a heart attack and died.
Later, Luo Ji Da arranged a ghost wedding for Du Ying Er to apologize to the Du family. Luo Ai Lian, being ruthless, killed Luo Ji Da. Then, the ancestral hall caught fire, and Luo Ai Lian perished in the flames, destroying all the evidence. Du Ying Er learned the truth and felt that Luo Ai Lian deserved to die. Now, Du Ying Er did not blame Luo Xue Er because of Luo Ai Lian and was willing to be friends with her.
Shen Dan Qing brought the clothes sent by the cloth shop and gave them to Du Ying Er. Du Ying Er told Shen Dan Qing about her encounter with Luo Xue Er at the tavern today and mentioned that this new friend, Luo Xue Er, was currently in a pitiful situation. Since Shen Dan Qing had just opened a winery, there was an opportunity to help Luo Xue Er.
To avoid arousing suspicion from Du Ying Er, Shen Dan Qing readily agreed to help her. Shen Dan Qing speculated that Luo Xue Er must know about Du Ying Er's relationship with her and had ulterior motives in getting close to Du Ying Er.
Knowing that Du Ying Er was innocent, Shen Dan Qing didn't want her to be manipulated by Luo Xue Er. Shen Zi Shan knew that Du Ying Er had come to Liaocheng to sell jade and decided to find someone to buy Du Ying Er's jade, hoping she would leave Liaocheng soon.
Xu Cheng Feng invited Shen Zi Shan to drink and talk, and both of them honestly expressed their feelings for Shen Dan Qing. However, they also promised fair competition. After a drink together, Shen Zi Shan soon became drunk and was tied up by Xu Cheng Feng in the General's Mansion. Xu Cheng Feng instructed Tian Hao to send Shen Zi Shan back to the Shen residence after daybreak.
When Shen Zi Shan woke up and discovered that he had been tricked into getting drunk by Xu Cheng Feng, he cursed Xu Cheng Feng for being cunning. Meanwhile, Xu Cheng Feng had already met up with Shen Dan Qing and went to the residence of Mr. Ouyang.
On their way, Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Dan Qing stayed temporarily at an inn. Since there was only one room available, they had to share it. In the evening, Shen Dan Qing and Xu Cheng Feng talked about their past. Xu Cheng Feng revealed that he had lived in the military camp with his father since childhood, and after his father died in battle when he was seventeen, he became a military commander.
As a commander, he realized that some people joined the army out of necessity due to their circumstances, while his battles and victories were merely for the sake of peace and the well-being of the people. Shen Dan Qing expressed her admiration for generals like Xu Cheng Feng, as it was because of them that the people could live in peace and prosperity. Shen Dan Qing saw a notice on the street stating that an imperial official had been implicated and died because of a female prisoner. She worried that if she stayed with Xu Cheng Feng, she would also be a source of trouble for him.
Therefore, Shen Dan Qing wanted to deliberately keep her distance from Xu Cheng Feng. Xu Cheng Feng noticed that they were being followed and suspected that it was someone from Yi Qin Wang's faction trying to track down clues about the "Xianying Water." Shen Dan Qing didn't want to expose Mr. Ouyang's whereabouts, so they found an opportunity to shake off their pursuer.
After daybreak, Shen Zi Shan returned home from the General's Mansion. He instructed his subordinates to find someone to buy the jade stones from Du Ying Er's hands and specifically told them not to let Du Ying Er find out. Shen Dan Qing brought Xu Cheng Feng to Mr. Ouyang's small courtyard. Mr. Ouyang learned about the passing of his friend Luo Ji Da and couldn't help but feel sad.
Xu Cheng Feng inquired about the "Xianying Water" from Mr. Ouyang, but Mr. Ouyang denied knowing anything about it and rudely tried to shoo them away. Through observation, Shen Dan Qing speculated that Mr. Ouyang was collecting fruits for brewing wine, and Xu Cheng Feng learned from a letter from an elder that Mr. Ouyang was a lover of wine. Shen Dan Qing and Xu Cheng Feng secretly sneaked into the cellar and discovered that Mr. Ouyang was indeed brewing a concoction called "Meeting Under the Moon." After tasting it, Shen Dan Qing realized that this wine was only five percent similar to the authentic "Meeting Under the Moon."
Mr. Ouyang eventually discovered their presence. Although Shen Dan Qing claimed that she could brew the "Meeting Under the Moon" that Luo Ai Lian knew, Mr. Ouyang remained skeptical. Shen Dan Qing made a deal with Mr. Ouyang that if she could brew the authentic "Meeting Under the Moon," he would agree to tell them the clues about the "Xianying Water."
Afterward, Xu Cheng Feng played chess with Mr. Ouyang while Shen Dan Qing brewed the "Meeting Under the Moon" alone. Shen Dan Qing blended the taste of the authentic "Meeting Under the Moon" based on Mr. Ouyang's brewing process, which made Mr. Ouyang quite pleased. Xu Cheng Feng couldn't understand why Shen Dan Qing was so familiar with the wine brewed by Luo Ai Lian.
Du Ying Er successfully sold the jade stones she brought and prepared gifts for everyone she knew. Shen Zi Shan intended to hint to Du Ying Er to return home soon but narrowly avoided being discovered by her. Du Ying Er bought flowers that Shen Dan Qing liked and sent them to her room, but she unexpectedly discovered the memorial tablets of Luo Ji Da and Bin Er placed there in Shen Dan Qing's room.
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