Against the Current Episode 12

Finding the truth through the deceit

Ms Vixen…I mean Du is gathering intel with her façade of kindness. She is quite smooth with her guile and she is already plotting against LanXiang when the opportunity presents. She is aptly named after a poisonous flower isn’t she? I am not getting why in a plot to trap him when her brother saved him. What is their grudge? LanXiang is home and sharing the special cream with her mother to help her hands heal. She shows her parents the gold and here I learned it was 10 taels. My ignorance of gold bars when first mentioning her reward. 😳She now understands that it is more than just cash to get freedom. She must wait for the right time and have the will of the owner to truly gain them freedom. The irony of commoner being a step up for the one that should have been lady of the Lin house. The matriarch and gpa have no clue their savior has been the one they cut ties with and killed her family. The sister is cute listening to the moms predict her wedding date. But there is an uproar that changes all the good news. Two soldiers are dead because the jackets they received were filled with straw not fleece. There is a platoon of angry men demanding an answer from their commander. JinQi has just learned of the deception and the merchant has written record with only JinQi’s seal. Since he personally oversaw everything, it was on him to find out where the deception was. They have the name of the fraudulent merchant but he is nowhere to be found. While they are looking for him, the Xie’s have sent word the wedding is off because the bdays don’t mesh well. The mother’s are upset and denouncing the hypocrisy of the Xies when dad shows up to add his lament. He is lamenting their loss of ties with the Zhaos and pointing the finger at JinQi that he may as well head to prison now. The uncle comes in and chides the dad for being repulsive. It is fun watching them pretend to fight when it’s more a game of protecting the valuables and shooing them out of the room.😝😂While JinQi and men are trying to figure out where the merchant is hiding in the city, LanXiang comes in with another option to track him down — via the seamstresses that made the jackets. JinQi is all ears to devise a plan.

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Accusations and consequences

The Xies cancelling the marriage because of the Lin family's problems felt a lot like what the Lin family did to the Shen family, only in this case the consequence wasn't as dire. But now I have a feeling that Grand Secretary Zhao might be the ultimate villain, or at least one of the major ones. 🤨Jinqi pretending to be so tired sent a clear message to Du Cuique. I understood that, and I hope she did too and won't bother him anymore. 🫣However, I am a little worried about Xiaolian. She has to be near her all the time because of her assignment, and now Du Cuique has learned the flower plan failed because Xiaolian told Lanxiang her given name. She might not make them pay right away, but I am quite sure she will take her chance when it comes. 😟Loved the 2nd uncle! (Commander Wang from The Road to Splendor — hello! 👋) He brought some much-needed laughs to the room and eased the tension. 😅 And now I am excited about Jinqi working with Jialan to find the truth about the coats. 🤗

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Facing the world with courage and composure

This young general was slandered, accused of something he did not do. Confronted by an enraged, accusatory mob, he risked his life to face them. He conducted himself with both composure and conviction. He addressed them: "My soldiers, look at this scar; I earned it in battle fighting alongside you. I saved your lives, and you saved mine. What happened today wounds my soul just as it does yours. The deaths of the two soldiers who perished will not be forgotten; we will investigate and find an explanation. I will not rest until that happens." (These were not his exact words, but they capture the meaning and essence of the episode.) Because of this incident—this slander (likely orchestrated by someone lurking in the shadows)—his female relative was unable to get married. His aunt tearfully recounted the situation, yet upon hearing the alleged cause, she did not blame her nephew; she knew he was innocent. Who had put that tainted straw into the soldiers' coats, causing their deaths? One of the soldiers—likely the captain—pointed a finger at Lin Jin Qi and said, "You, in your expensive coat, still have the audacity to cheat us by using cheap straw in our coats? This is unacceptable." Lin Jin Qi’s response was chilling; he declared that if he failed to solve the case, his fate would be death (though he used much stronger language). They could not find the straw vendor responsible for the fraud, and there seemed to be no other avenue for investigation. But Jia Lan, that clever young woman, proposed an alternative: "What about the seamstress who made the coats? Perhaps she can give us some answers?" And so, that became the path they would take. Frustrated by the failure of her first attempt to make a move on Lin Jin Qi, Miss Du shrewdly questioned the maid—a friend of Jia Lan—and discovered that Jia Lan was behind her failure. (Just how many more traps will the girl's innocence provide for Miss Du to use against our heroine?) Miss Du offered to play chess with Lin Jin Qi, but he politely extricated himself from the situation (she didn't seem quite so clever in this instance). Yet, we know other opportunities for her to act will arise. (So, let’s find out what happens in Episode 13.)
P.S.: The moment Jia Lan spent with her parents—revealing that the reward she had received was enough to buy freedom for all three of them—was truly joyful and fun. But even more interesting was her explanation: that money meant nothing to Madam Lin; securing their freedom wouldn't come down to cash, but rather to the Madam's own will. It would happen by carving out their own place. (A very hopeful prospect, isn't it? Let's look forward to seeing that unfold for our characters.)

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