The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

Hey, hey, hey! One of the few watchers of Glory, and probably one of the slowest. Lol. Work and real life are not best friends with a blogging life. Bear with me as I really want to recap the first 10 episodes or so.

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Episode 2 RECAP:

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After locating Zui Xian Tavern, Zhen Zhu ditches her maid Hong Rui and enters the poem contest in order to win the coveted first place to obtain the only Xian wine bottle. Impressed with her written poem, the beautiful owner reads it out loud and is about to declare her as the winner when a voice interrupts. Standing on the second floor, Li Chu says the contest is not yet over and releases his poem from a scroll. Everyone oohss and ahhss but Zhen Zhu’s brows furrow as she recognizes her Shifu’s poem and claims it unfair, but Li Chu merely states that the rules didn’t say he couldn’t use another person’s poem, which the owner agrees and even reminisces the line from the poem as her late husband’s favorite. Lady, be honest and say you fell for his pretty face!

As Li Chu heads out with his wine, he stops to compliment Zhen Zhu’s skills, “But, this wine belongs to me now.” You cheating cheater!

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He gallops on his horse into the woods to meet with Sheng Yi, and the latter informs him to wait, Wan Zhi Song will naturally follow the wine aroma and find them here. Like he’s a dog. Unfortunately, Li Chu frowns when he hears the arrival of more than one man – dozen of assassins attack Li Chu and Sheng Yi and one even successfully cuts Li Chu on the arm. From afar, Zhen Zhu arrives at the scene and heads straight into danger. If she knows Kungfu too, I might love her right nao!

She doesn’t. Lol. She merely yells at Li Chu to hop on the horse, and they bolt away together, leaving poor Sheng Yi to deal with the masked men. In this dangerous moment, Zhen Zhu has to ask who the masked men are but Li Chu says swiftly it’s not the time to explain and promises to share half the wine bottle with her.

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They near a men bathhouse and ditch the horse. With the display of half nekkid men submerged in hot spring, Zhen Zhu has a mini freak-out and insists she can’t hide in here but gets pulled along by Li Chu anyway. “They saw us leave together! Do you not want your life?” The masked men split up outside and when Li Chu tells Zhen Zhu to change out of their colorful clothes, her eyes bug out, “Change right here?” Li Chu: “What? You don’t have brothers at home?” She gulps down slowly and changes out of her clothes behind a different screen door. Heh. Once she returns, he asks if she could hold her breath. He ducks down in the beautiful water first and quickly clamps a hand over his wound as the blood stains the water pink. Above, Zhen Zhu thinks fast and throws the dish of rose petals all around them to cover the bath color before ducking down. Smart girl.

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They wait but Zhen Zhu’s lung capacity gives out first and Li Chu holds her down before sweeping in with a mouthful of air into hers (Does this really work?!) Once they’re above water and the assassins are gone, Zhen Zhu delivers a hard slap across his face, making him wonder why she’s over-reacting, it’s not like he gains an advantage over her or anything. He further explains that he’s not that type and then lights up, thinking that she‘s the gay type. Hehe. Her cheeks go pink and he pokes fun at her girly attributes. You are so blind. He scans Zhen Zhu and surmises he isn’t the greedy type, so why the insistence on sharing the wine? Zhen Zhu tells him she knows they are both after the same thing (Wan Zhi Song) and for her, she needs to find a very important person.

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As he chats poetically about their shared death moment, Wan Zhi Song sneaks in and steals the wine bottle. They give chase and Wan Zhi Song says, “One bottle of wine, one question to ask.” He isn’t interested in making friends and doesn’t owe human emotions. He lets them decide on their own who can ask the question. Li Chu suggest they each ask half of their question and Zhen Zhu mulls over his suggestion, “Only half a question, you won’t regret it?” As a fair man, Li Chu answers that without her help today, he might not even have half a chance. He finds Zhen Zhu interesting, bothered with him before but now she worries in his stead, and Zhen Zhu states her reasoning as not wanting to force another person if she herself doesn’t want to do it. He thinks she’s a kind person, and if not for his important task, he would give his other half to her, so she could locate her lover. Lover?! Zhen Zhu eyes him, “How did you know I want to find…”

Li Chu: “Your sentiments are written on you face.”

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Zhen Zhu goes in first with her halfie and presents the jade for his perusal, “I just want to find the person who carried this pendant and saved me ten years ago, who is he?” Of course, he only gives out half an answer and tells her the pendant is made by a person from Hui He (forerunners of present-day Uyghur). Confused, Zhen Zhu clarifies that the person who saved her isn’t from Hui He and Wan Shi Song has to tell the silly girl it could’ve been a gift and that person is not someone trifling either.

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Outside, Li Chu takes in her letdown expression and Zhen Zhu voices her optimism, “Half an answer is better than none.” She bids farewell and Li Chu hopes to meet again. Li Chu enters for his time and with one look at the sword, Wan Zhi Song addresses Li Chu by his royal title, Guang Ping Wang, revealing the precious sword in his hands was bestowed to him when he was fifteen and defeated the royal guards. Impressed and reassured, Li Chu launches his question about Yang Guo Zhong’s motives in trying to secure Shen Yi Zhi to his side. At that, Wan Zhi Song laughs out loud, claiming the coincidences of this world. He reveals what Yang Guo Zhong wants is to sit comfortably in the golden mountain created by the Miao army under Yun Nan Wang. Li Chu tries to connect Shen Yi Zhi to Yun Nan Wang but finds himself at a dead end and Wan Zhi Song refuses to say anymore, sure that Guang Ping Wang can figure out the answer for himself.

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Once outside, Li Chu blows the whistle and asks Sheng Pi the identity of the masked men. Sheng Yi recognizes their skills and finds it familiar, and Li Chu states the obvious, “Same old enemy. Yang Guo Zhong. He insists on latching onto me without a break.” Sheng Yi worries after his safety and Li Chu asks for more men to accompany He Lin Yi and meet them at Chengyang. They will go to Wuxing from there. When asked if Shen Yi Zhi is suspicious, Li Chu says not right now, but he’s related to Yun Nan Wang. “So I need to meet him in person once.” They also will keep an eye on Yang Guo Zhong, in case they can obtain information of Shen Yi Zhi.

Sheng Yi also informs his master about Shen Yi Zhi’s daughter, Shen Zhen Zhu, who’s also on the recruitment list to enter the palace. Good news to Li Chu and he says a chance is just given to them. He wants a letter sent to his father immediately, for him to keep Shen Zhen Zhu at their manor. “As long as we have her, I’m not afraid our investigation can’t continue.”

News of Li Chu’s location in Wuxing reaches Yang Guo Zhong and he immediately guesses the young prince is also after the item in Shen Yi Zhi’s possession.

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The first place Zhen Zhu wants to visit in Chang’An is the local doctor office, known for treating poor people without collecting money. And here we meet Mu Rong Lin Zhi (Shu Chang) as the kind, humble, and honest physician. While commoners line up outside, Zhen Zhu gains access and stands before our physician with a veil over her face, meaning to get checked on, but Lin Zhi thinks the rich lady went to the wrong physician. Zhen Zhu ponders out loud, if the place is name Ji Shi, meaning salvation of the world, why does she distinguish between rich and poor? Chastised, Lin Zhi says humbly she must appear quite petty and asks Zhen Zhu to sit down. As Lin Zhi listens to her pulse, she finds nothing out of the norm and asks where Zhen Zhu feels unwell. Our mischievous girl leans on the table and supports her face by the chin, “When one is friend-sick, what is there to do?”

Lin Zhi: “What… What?”

Zhen Zhu jumps up and flips over her veil. “Just a few years and you even forgot my voice!” Lin Zhi delights at seeing her old friend, now more playful than before. Yay to sisterhood!

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Cut to Crown Prince playing checker with Crown Princess Zhang and laments over his uselessness, pretending to be sick in his own home as to not attend court matters, while Yang Guo Zhong and An Lu Shan receive praises from the Emperor just yesterday. “Sooner or later, he might forget the existence of this son in Dong Gong.” Crown Princess thinks his farce is a good thing, describing Yang Guo Zhong and An Lu Shan as wolves, so let them fight with each other and when the Emperor is bored, he will remember his filial son. She reminds him of the Imperial Selection process and he tells her to be careful.

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Back to the lovely friends. Lin Zhi has already sent a letter to Shen uncle, requesting Zhen Zhu’s company for the remaining days. She appears at ease with the Imperial selection process and Zhen Zhu asks if she really wants to enter the palace, and Lin Zhi doesn’t have much of an opinion of her own, putting her fate in heaven’s will. Then she guesses Zhen Zhu’s reluctance to enter the palace has to do with her beloved savior of ten years ago and tells her not to be so obstinate about finding him. Zhen Zhu has other ideas in mind, once the selection starts, she won’t do a single thing to attract attention, and Lin Zhi mourns for her wasted talents. Zhen Zhu lists all the capable court ladies and consorts, citing their ultimate miserable endings, “I don’t want to sink into the royal murky waters!” Lin Zhi then fantasizes about the two famous princes (Li Chu and Li Tan), known for their good looks and personality. “They might not be sub-par to your Prince Charming!”

Zhen Zhu teases Lin Zhi for dreaming about marrying a prince. Shortly after, Lin Zhi reveals that Qing Xu has returned to his manor in Chang An because of an injury. He misses Zhen Zhu and Lin Zhi offers to bring her to visit him, but Zhen Zhu rejects the idea, because they are adults now, “Men and women should keep a distance.”

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Crown Prince receives the letter from Li Chu, insisting on securing a lady called Shen Zhen Zhu during the Imperial Selection because she might be a useful chess piece. Crown Princess worries that Yang Guo Zhong’s niece might be pushed towards their direction but Crown Prince finally puts down his foot, ready to offend Yang Snake, especially after Yang Snake pleads with the emperor to engage Princess Li Chuo (Li Chu’s younger sister) to one of his guys and Crown Prince was forced to use silence as a form of agreement. Just as he finishes, Princess Li Chuo (Zhang Wei Na) slams the door open, in shock that her father would let her marry the guy named Zheng Xun.

When Crown Princess approaches her to explain her father’s hard position and ask for a private chat between mother and daughter, Li Chuo quickly shoots down her kind gesture, showing condescension to the lady lucky enough to step into her mother’s position and blaming her for indirectly causing her ill-fated betrothal.

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To her father, she calls him cruel for agreeing to give her hand to an ugly and stupid man. She would rather die than get married to the imbecile. Crown Prince sighs and reprimands for not showing respect to the Crown Princess and partially blames Li Chuo for her constant wandering and catching Zheng Xun’s eye. Li Chuo: “Father, I hate you!” Crown Princess hurriedly tells eunuch Li Fu Guo to run after her and prevent further trouble. Oh, this is our first peak at the later powerful eunuch Li.

Qing Xu paces back and forth in Lin Zhi’s room, upset that Zhen Zhu didn’t tell him about her entering the Imperial Selection process and she frankly thinks telling him won’t change anything. Knowing it’s true, Qing Xu says at least he could try to stop her from coming and bravely tells her that his father is the only man in this world with the ability to make the Emperor pause and reconsider. “I will tell him to convey a message to the emperor – I want to marry you.”

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Hearing his offensive tone and word choice concerns Zhen Zhu and she reminds him to be careful, they are in the capitol now but he doesn’t back down, “I’m not afraid of offending the world. The question that I asked you before, I want an answer now.” She’s hesitant and he slams down on the table, warning her to stop using the savior guy as an excuse to avoid him. “Truthfully, he doesn’t exist!” Zhen Zhu brightens her face, “Of course he does. He’s in my heart.” This is the first moment I want to knock our heroine. Her bubbly response seems incongruent to the subject at hand. She knows she will find him and Qing Xu explodes, “Where will you go to find him?!”

The mood turns somber. Qing Xu: “If you get selected to enter the palace, you’d be trapped there forever. You won’t ever have freedom again.” Aww, I feel like he’s speaking about himself too but am glad that besides one-sided love, he knows that she values freedom just as much. She tells him she has a way out but to him, there’s only one solution, “Marry me.” She stands up and describes him as a person she thinks of as family. Qing Xu bulldozes ahead, wanting to marry her and stay by her side, then they can live a life they want freely. He thinks that his father will agree with him since this is his one and only request ever. Oh, your dad must be scary.

She breaks down that entering the palace and marrying him are two different subjects, if she marries him to get out of the palace, she would be taking advantage of him. “That is unfair to you. I hope An Er Ge can find a person who truly likes you, respects you, and loves you.” Sigh. A perfect rejection but Qing Xu refuses to see her enter the palace. He rushes home to plead with dad.

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A few hours later, Zhen Zhu’s servant, Hong Rui, relays the message she got from An Manor, An Lu Shan has roped Qing Xu and shipped him back to Fan Yang. Lol. I don’t know why that’s funny, maybe because I haven’t met his father yet. XD Relieved, Zhen Zhu smiles and confirms her feelings to Lin Zhi that she only has brotherly affections for Qing Xu.

Lin Zhi stares off and mutters out loud, wondering if deep love written in books and poems is hard to obtain in reality. Zhen Zhu: “If only things are as beautiful as written in books, things would be so much better.”

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The Imperial Selection commences with the eunuch in command overlooking the rows of beautiful daughters from various court officials announcing the slight changes to this year. Crown Prince’s Dong Gong and the various other Princess will get to select their wives through this process. Zhen Zhu and Lin Zhi’s names are called as well as another prime character, Cui Cai Ping (Tang Jing Mei), she’s Yang Gui Fei’s niece, and the girl who crushes on Li Chu. Wait, that means Yang Guo Zhong is her uncle. Her father is Cui Xun. Correction!

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At the second calling of her name, Cai Ping enters the stadium, head held high, and struts down the aisle, stopping before the eunuch proudly, then is told to get in position, behind General Huai Hua’s daughter, our Lin Zhi. Slightly taken aback, she turns and glances at Lin Zhi, mocking the general’s abandoned residence and for not taking in a single soldier. She turns back to the eunuch in charge, asking haughtily, “You told me to get behind that girl, suggesting that my uncle Yang Guo Zhong and my aunt Yang Gui Fei are not up to par with General Huai Hua?” Scared of offending the Snake family, the eunuch changes his tune, putting Cui Cai Ping first in line. Well, well, well. A drama needs someone for us to hate. Lol.

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In the first round of competition, every lady is required to display themselves as a learned person by carrying out the four arts of the Chinese scholar: qin (the guqin, a stringed instrument. 琴), qi (the strategy game of Go, 棋), shu (Chinese calligraphy 書) and hua (Chinese painting 畫) [Wiki]. Those who fail will get eliminated from the selection process. Lin Zhi diligently writes, Cai Ping cheats when no one is looking, and Zhen Zhu writes with her left hand instead. Lol. When Crown Prince sees your poor grades in all four arts, I think he will question Li Chu’s decision. hee!

Episode 3 RECAP:

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Crown Prince and Crown Princess walk down the the hall and discuss the first day results, which appears gloomy and astonishing because Zhen Zhu is known as a talented lady in her hometown. Whatever the result is, Crown Prince urges Crown Princess to let the judge know that Guang Ping Wang wants Shen Zhen Zhu. They will make an appearance tomorrow to see the girl for themselves.

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During break, our girls wander around, with Zhen Zhu thinking she’s pretty smart for using her left hand and teasing Lin Zhi that at the rate she’s performing, she’ll be first. The girls tease each other back and forth, and are unaware of their surrounding, causing Lin Zhi to bump into Cai Ping, pouring some water onto her dress. The haughty princess delivers a smack instantly. Zhen Zhu tries to butt in but Lin Zhi pulls her away and meekly apologizes and offers to wipe the dress, but Cai Ping only screams louder, grumping about the length (100 days) and the cost (1,000 taels) it took to get the dress made. Lin Zhi gently says a bit of water won’t destroy the dress and Cai Ping bites back that her appearance will appear lacking in front of the emperor, accusing Lin Zhi of trying usurp the top spot.

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With her eyes never looking straight at Cai Ping, Lin Zhi offers to trade her dress and gets further humiliated, and is ordered to kneel and kowtow three times. Brimming with tears now, Zhen Zhu positions Lin Zhi behind her and gives her two cents about the accident, telling Cai Ping to watch her attitude, if they do end becoming palace ladies, they need to support and be forgiving of each other. Considering herself as many tiers above these common girls, Cai Ping scoffs at the statement, pointing out Zhen Zhu’s disappointing performance thus far. However, Zhen Zhu doesn’t care, she’s not as important as someone and the emperor won’t merely judge just base on a person’s dress, “Your dress might be above us all, but if your virtue doesn’t measure up, wouldn’t it be wasteful of this 1000-tael dress?”

OH BURNS!

Cai Ping then brags about her powerful uncle and aunt again, “And you dare to think I won’t get selected?”

Zhen Zhu: “If you’re so confident already, any outfit will get you chosen, why put so much emphasis on a little water?”

Defeated, Cai Ping raises a hand to slap but stops and orders the eunuch to do it. Lol.

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Trouble comes! Emperor and Yang Gui Fei follow the commotion. Cai Ping hurriedly blames the two other ladies for causing trouble and staining her dress. Emperor: “So then you asked the eunuch to slap her?” HAHA. The Emperor notes her condescending attitude and Yang Gui Fei hastily chides Cai Ping for acting like she’s at home. Crown Princess also speaks up for Cai Ping and the Emperor steps closer, pointing at Zhen Zhu and asking her name.

Our girls walk away and Zhen Zhu asks if Lin Zhi’s cheek still hurts, but Lin Zhi apologizes for pulling down Zhen Zhu and attracting unnecessary attention, which is the opposite of Zhen Zhu’s royal mission. Zhen Zhu: “Don’t worry, even if I left an impression, it’s probably not a good one.” That triggers a curious knot as Zhen Zhu says she failed on all her tests but yet is still picked for the next imperial palace session.

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Li Tan rushes down the royal garden with four eunuchs in tow, trying to stop him from peeking at the ladies, reasoning that it’s against principle for royal princes to sneak a look. That doesn’t stop our Li Tan and he argues that the emperor already lets him choose his wife, “So of course, I have to see their faces first!” When the road remains block by stubborn eunuch, Li Tan opts to retreat and climbs the wall instead.

As he chews excitedly with one foot on the rock, he slips and chokes on the fruit, passing out after a few seconds. Lucky for him, Lin Zhi and Zhen Zhu see his fall and deliver medical help immediately. Once Lin Zhi discovers the fruits lying around him, she slaps his back a few times, helping him clear his airway. He comes to slowly and looks up at the angel staring down at him, asking if he’s okay. He takes her hand and Lin Zhi appears shy and astonished at his behavior. She and Zhen Zhu make a run for it while Li Tan calls after them, “Don’t go! Don’t go! What is your name? My name is Li Tan! Remember it! You’re very pretty.” Lol. Target lock-down: Success!

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Time to perform before the royal family and Cai Ping does acceptable with her flute, with more praises from Yang Gui Fei on the side to the Emperor. But as she performs, the hem of her dress catches fire and every girl notices the smokes but only Zhen Zhu searches around for a bucket of water and pours it on Cai Ping to extinguish the flames. With her niece being ruined at the center, Yang Gui Fei attacks Zhen Zhu, citing her of being jealous of Cai Ping’s talents. Oh no, not the case at all and when the emperor’s eunuch inquires for witnesses, everyone stays silent, until Lin Zhi raises her hand, prompting the rest of the girls to bravely speak up.

Thinking that it’s her opportunity to pin the blame on Zhen Zhu and Lin Zhi, Cai Ping denounces the two for their conspiracy. The emperor wants an explanation, if not, he’s forced to lock the two girls up. Pushed up against the wall, Zhen Zhu bravely indicates the emperor as the culprit. Crown Prince Li Heng is quick to call out her audacity but Zhen Zhu asks the emperor 3 questions: 1) He’s fond of sitting under the canopy? (Of course.) 2) Your canopy has recently changed materials? (Eunuch replies yes, they’re offerings from the Western regions.) 3) Has he been feeling extra hot lately under the canopy? (Yes…)

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The emperor still doesn’t believe Zhen Zhu that the reflection of light against the fabric makes it extra flammable so she demonstrates her theory and impresses everyone of her intelligence. She proposes the change of material to keep his health up and running. Clearly at fault, the emperor gifts Cai Ping a new sparkly dress and looks to reward Zhen Zhu as well. Crown Princess thinks bestowing money is too vulgar for Zhen Zhu and suggests a garden of Confederate roses once they bloom.

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In the private chamber, Crown Prince angles for a favor, asking Shen Zhen Zhu’s hand in marriage for Li Chu. Alarmed, Yang Gui Fei says her niece harbors a crush on Li Chu ever since she was a kid. Crown Prince says she might be better paired with Fourth Prince more (Emperor: “Xi Er is a dragon among the people too.”) Stuck at a rock and hard place, the Emperor lets Li Chu marry both girls, enjoying the wealth of all land. Yea…

Yang Gui Fei then aims for her niece to be crowned main wife (status Fei) but Crown Princess thinks it’s better for Li Chu to marry both girls into the family as Ru Ren (a term for official’s wives/women) and designate the ranking of Fei to the one he likes most. Of course, Crown Princess entertains Yang Gui Fei’s pride by stating that there is no reason why a talented and beautiful girl like Cai Ping won’t win Li Chu’s affections. Well played, Crown Princess.

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At home, Cai Ping waits tensely in her room for her mother, who is Han Guo Fu Ren (Yang Ming Na). When asked if her mother heard of what happened, she sighs heavily, “I have. You and Shen Zhen Zhu are both admitted as Li Chu’s wives.” With her cocky self, she cries at being on the same level as Zhen Zhu, and Mom says matter-of-factly, “Who could you blame? Didn’t I tell you to stay out of troubles? You can’t bring your head to the palace with you?” LOL.

Of course, Cai Ping says she did bring her brain and pins all the blame on Zhen Zhu for twisting her reputation, “I can’t swallow this anger!” Her mother basically says because she didn’t let a small matter slide, now the big plan is screwed. “It’s all because you let the emperor see your tantrum! If not, the emperor would have conceded your aunt’s words and Shen Zhen Zhu wouldn’t have left a positive impression.”

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Pursing her lips, Cai Ping swears, “I don’t care! I can’t let Shen Zhen Zhu marry into Guang Ping Wang manor. Li Chu belongs only to me!” She wants to ask her uncle Yang Guo Zhong to do the dirty work for her but her mother narrows her eyes, “Only a small Shen Zhen Zhu, do we really need to bother your uncle?” Oh. Krap! Mothers of spoiled brats are the scariest!

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Shen Yi Zhi dine with his wife and son, Shen An. Like all mothers, his wife worries after Zhen Zhu: “Is she eating well? Sleeping well?” Husband gently chides her for the constant nagging; Zhen Zhu is at the capital of Tang, “How could she not eat and sleep well? With Lin Zhi to keep her company, you don’t have to worry, she might be having too much fun and forgetting about home. When the selection is over, she’ll be home in no time.” With her spirit lifted, mother smiles and dad recalls the moment Zhen Zhu was born and the teacher called her an extraordinary little girl (Are you scared too? This is eerily like Wei Yang’s birth!) The family of three smiles and laughs at the memory until a servant announces Yang Guo Zhong’s visit, which alarms Shen Yi Zhi and he orders his servant to say he’s not home. Too late, Yang Guo Zhong bursts into dinner with his people.

I’m scared. Very scared. This is exactly like Princess Wei Young, isn’t it?!

Yang Guo Zhong is interested in chatting with Shen Yi Zhi but the latter rejects the offer, citing no common interest. “What I wanted to say, I have said before.”

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Not to be sidelined, Yang Guo Zhong points his target to little Shen An, recalling that the child has to cross a small lake to go home from school everyday. “I heard many kids fall over…” Mother grows panicky and father swallows hard, telling his wife to take Shen An to the backyard. Yang Snake takes a seat and counts the number of times he’s come to visit and Shen Yi Zhi insists it’s useless to come here, “What you want is not in my hands.” Driven to impatience, Yang Snake gives Shen Yi Zhi ten days to rethink it over. “If you don’t give me what I want then, I’ll show you what offending me will lead to.”

Shen Yi Zhi pulls the law card but I don’t think he understands how powerful Yang Snake is at court. “How dare you threaten an official. Where is the law in your eyes? I will definitely report this to the Emperor!”

Yang Snake: “You’re only a small govenor. Will the king worry about your safety? I also heard your daughter is in the selection process. In the palace, one death is a fairly simple procedure.” The final smack-down leaves dad blue and speechless.

Outside, Yang Snake orders more men on guard of Shen manor, “What he has in his hands might be the Qilin seal to mobilize Yun Nan Wang.” Unbekwonst to them, Sheng Yi eavesdrops nearby and secures the critical piece of information.

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He reports it back to Li Chu who’s shocked to learn that Yang Guo Zhong wants to lure Yun Nan Wang, who has immense army and money, to his side. Whoever has connection to them means a tiger given a pair of wings. “No one will be able to stop him, not even the Emperor.” However, the aforementioned man lives quietly on his turf, not conspiring or siding with any party, which leads Sheng Yi to murmur about a rumor he heard while traveling with his Shifu in jianghu. The rumor states that Yun Nan Wang has a Qilin seal, and whoever possesses that can give him one request. However, due to the fact that no one has seen or heard of it being used, it remains as an unverified rumor.

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With important matter at hand, Li Chu decides to pay Shen Yi Zhi a secret visit. Good thing he recognizes the young prince and the latter jumps straight to the reason of his visit: “The reason why Yang Guo Zhong came….I came for the same thing. Qilin seal.” Playing dumb, Shen Yi Zhi doesn’t know what Guang Ping Wang is referring to. He compliments Li Chu for being one of the rare princes with a wide vision, and is now disappointed at his parallel senseless thinking like Yang Snake. Li Chu clarifies his motive for being different than that of Yang Snake’s but Shen Yi Zhi knows Yang Snake killed his uncle’s family, and he isn’t interested in being pulled in or joining a side.

Li Chu goes into further explanation: revenge is only a part of the grand plan. Everyone knows the power Yang Guo Zhong yields at court and one could only imagine how scary he would become with the Qilin seal in his pocket. Our innocent governor thinks that the law would punish the law breakers, encouraging Li Chu to gather more evidence to clear his uncle’s name before the Emperor, instead of wasting time on his old body. Ha, Li Chu subtlely calls him out on his self-preservation thinking and presses him to give Qilin seal to the Crown Prince. “We won’t mistreat you.”

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The nice talk falls on deaf ears and Shen Yi Zhi declares his family line of officials were all dedicated and loyal to only his highness. “Even if I do have the Qilin seal, I won’t let the world know of it.”

Wishful thinking, Li Chu claims. “Treasures bring calamity. Once people know of it, more will come knocking on your door.” Li Chu is worried for Shen Zhen Zhi’s safety but the old man is sure that Yang Snake can’t hurt him under the law. Oh man, when characters talk big, they won’t live long.

Li Chu: “Yang Guo Zhong is scarier than you think.” He gifts Shen Yi Zhi his jade whistle, wishing him safety and reminding him to blow the whistle when he needs help.” He refuses the little gift and Shen An’s presence is discovered by He lin Yi. Li Chu urges Shen Yi Zhi to think about his wife and little son, desrcirbing the guards in Shen manor as useless against Yang Snake’s trained assassins. He takes the man’s hand and places the whistle in his palm.

Once outside, Sheng Yi reports the sighting of Dong Ze Bu and Li Chu prepares horses to capture the fugitive, not forgetting to station his bodyguard He Lin Yi and a few more men to protect Shen Manor, afraid of lurking eyes other than Yang Snake. Good, good.

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As Lin Zhi works on measuring her medicine, Zhen Zhu congratulates her on being chosen by prince Li Tan. “Love at first sight, exactly like the books!” When Lin Zhi teases her for being chosen for Guang Ping Wang, the news hits Zhen Zhu hard and she asks for some medicine to make her look poor and undesirable. She insists she only wants to marry the man she chooses and looks to grab a hold of that single hint given by Wan Zhi Song: the man she’s looking for is in Hui He. Uhhh, I believe he said the man who made the pendant! He gave it to someone in Tang, girl!

Zhen Zhu has a plan to get away and needs Lin Zhi’s aid, who’s a poor liar altogether but she manages to prepare everything Zhen Zhu needs for her journey to Hui He. Just to point out, after the girls are chosen, they are to return home and prepare for the marriage, hence it works out for Zhen Zhu….for now. XD

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Outside Lin Zhi’s place, a few hooligans speak in hushed tone at a table, finding the horse carriage behind the place suspicious. “Keep an eye on Shen Zhen Zhu, don’t let her escape your line of vision.” Uh oh, Cai Ping’s hired bad guys?

Turns out Zhen Zhu has no intention of bringing her bodyguard along. She has Hong Rui dressed in her clothing to go back home in her stead. Sigh. The two maids are gonna die of a heart attack soon, with them disagreeing with Zhen Zhu’s plan but unable to override her command. “Wandering jianghu doesn’t depend on your fist, but also here,” she points to her brain, proud of her intelligence.

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Lin Zhi gives Zhen Zhu her traveling bag, even securing a small dagger for protection. She wants to nag more but Zhen Zhu says it’s enough and kisses her on the cheek, thanking her for arranging everything.

And that’s it. Off to the new land, our Alice goes.

—- END —-

Kappy: I love Li Chu right now, the moment he gave his precious whistle to Shen Yi Zhi, my heart just went to him. I like that he’s firm but never stoops low like Yang Snake into threatening other people. His kindness makes Shen’s blind belief in the law unreasonable for the state he’s in. It’s not his first year in the system and I’m sure his old age has seen the rise and fall of many friends who chose to side with the wrong party or spoke without thinking. He knows about Yang Guo Zhong’s power and how he caused the fall of the former Crown Princess and her brother’s family massacre, and yet he believes he’ll be okay – safe and sound, from the bites of Yang Snake? Total rubbish! I’m upset because I like him and want him to survive because he taught Zhen Zhu well. But his blind belief in the Emperor will see his downfall pretty soon, which is bleh because why is dramas so insistent on killing the heroine’s family so badly?

  1. 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

    I almost dropped the drama after seeing the spilled tea on dress scene, it is almost lifted word for word from Legend of Zhenhuan. What were the scriptwriters thinking? That was a classic scene from a very popular drama, they think people will not notice? I did drop the drama sometime later to catch 3l3w though, probably will pick this up again, since Anshi Rebellion finally happened in episode 36, as it is an important period in Chinese history and not covered well in dramas.

    • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

      Lol! I didn’t watch that drama so no comparison but in general though, the spilled water/tea scene is very common in palace dramas, a device to cause instant dislike towards the evil female lead. XD

  2. 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

    I swear, Yang Ming Na has been in nearly every drama I watch lately, usually as the evil mom lol…

    • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

      She was recently nice in Chusen. hehe! I remember her in old tvb series. A beauty.

      • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

        She was a nasty one in Legend of the Flying Daggers. Someone joked about the sort of role reversal between her and the actor who played her husband in Legend of the Flying Daggers and The Swordsman (one with Wallace Huo).

        I got through Glory of Tang ep 22, and found I still haven’t saved up enough patience for supposedly intelligent, smart characters who must be made stubbornly “blind” to create “drama”. So I dropped it.

        • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

          As someone who got through it albeit with gritted teeth 🙂 would recommend restarting around ep32. They make up and do cool stuff together before the rebellion starts

        • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

          I don’t like those who falsely accuse others getting off easily. Unless appropriately serious punishment was doled out, I can’t see myself returning to the drama.

      • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

        I didn’t realize she used to be a TVB actress!

  3. 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

    The childhood love story is overdone

    The main actress is beautiful!

    • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

      That’s Jing Tian who’s the main actress in Great Wall.

  4. 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

    Li Chu is probably the best thing to come out of this drama. His character is very likable which also helps with boosting Allen’s popularity.

    I also appreciate the fact that Zhenzhu and Linzhi remain bffs and not enter some stupid phase where they turn against each other. Too many of that type of toxic relationship these days in dramas!

    • 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

      Yes. Li Chu is very likeable! I’m so annoyed with other characters. Like how Shu Chang can’t lie lol

  5. 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

    Which website are you guys watching from? Or do you have cable? Lucky!

  6. 16 thoughts on “The Glory of Tang Dynasty: Episode 2 & 3 Recap “Shining Pearl.”

    Thanks for the recap! Appreciate it!

    Jing Tian has amazing skin. Her clear complexion. I want to yank out the silly flowers in Shu Chang’s hair. Lol.

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