A Lesson In Why You Need To Not Stand Out Ming Lan

1) The house minus Master Sheng and Chang go to a lawn/polo party being held by Countess Wu. Brother Feng is only interested in hanging with Gu Ting Ye. Both Rulan and Ming Lan ask permission to go play. In a rare display of emotion Ming Lan runs uninhibited into the arms of her buddy Yanran. Yanran is a sweet, nice girl. Molan scopes out the competition, looking for the young lord. She notes that Princess Jiacheng and Princess Feiyan are both present (they are daughters of two different royal princes who are potential heirs to the throne). Remember that

.2)I learned ladies get to play polo and ride astride this episode. Young Lord hangs out with the sixth son of countess Wu. Sixth son likes poetry. He wants to debate poetry with young lord who really just wants to watch Ming Lan. Molan uses her status as a ‘sister’ to him to interrupt the men to discuss poetry. She is good at poetry I know very little about such things. I don’t know if she is doing anything inappropriate I am guessing it is borderline. The counts son remembers Molan. He obviously likes her.

3) it’s funny. Molan watches the young lord. He watches Ming Lan. A princess watches the young lord and the counts son watches Molan. It is like a really fancy high school drama. But they are young marriage is the next big thing in their lives.

4)Anyways, prizes are administered at this match. Yanran’s mom died. The stepmother has forced her out so she lives with her grandparents (her grandpa is the imperial tutor meaning he taught the Sheng sisters young lord etc). Yanran notices and item belonging to her mom is somehow an prize. It seems many items have been secretly taken from her that belonged to her mother by her father. She wants to win the prize badly, but she must compete against her younger half sister and half brother who are good at polo and don’t seem to like her. Ming Lan wants to help so she interrupts the GU Ting aye meeting and drags Feng away insisting he help YanRan. Gu Ting Ye is interested and learns that Yan Ran is very nice, and does not judge others, and even meets with courtesans if they have questions. He also learns from the courtesans of her messy family background.

5) Gu Ting Ye clearly thinks she would be a good wife since she is so tolerant. She will not mind his concubine.

6)The match begins. It is obvious that Yanran’s little sister is the better athlete. The young lord seizes a chance to talk to Ming Lan. There is a screen between them. But it demonstrates how hard it is to talk to your crush. She tries not to engage in typical Ming Lan fashion. He makes it clear to her the effort he went to get them to come here today and how hard it was. He tells her that he will wait for her (now, you know since she winds up with someone else he can’t do this. Guys don’t promise lightly. Props for being clear in his intentions.

)7)Yanran loses and tries to bargain for it but her little sister tells her she really doesn’t want it but must have it since Yanran wants it. In tears, and seeing she is upset, Ming Lan agrees to challenge her. She replaces Yanran. Everyone notices this, including GunTing Ye. And surprise surprise another talent she kept hidden emerges. Everyone is watching the match now. His courtesan says among Lan lives like the sun and Gu Ting Ye says you have no idea how hard her life is. Elsewhere the countess Wu is thoroughly impressed by Ming Lan and wants her son to see...but he is chatting up Molan.

8)The brother of Yanran is injured (it clearly seems forced like a trick to fold). He uses it as an excuse to get Master Gu to play but Madame Wu says it is unfair after all who can beat him. Master gu agrees. It for fairness he won’t use his dominant hand. He is also confident he will win. Brother Feng folds, leaving Ming Lan hanging. So Young Lord Qi volunteers himself. What a spectacle this has created. But Ming Lan could care less. Ming Lan does try to point out him playing will cause problems because of his status....but she wants the pin.

9)the young sister of yanran sort of starts to cheat and it becomes a free for fall. Team Ming Lan wins. She does her best to ignore the young lord and focus on Yanran. The young princess watching is immediately jealous of Ming Lan. We learn Gu Ting Ye lost on purpose because he wanted to make Ming Lan and Yanran happy. He now has his eye on Yanran as a potential bride.

10)on the way home Molan tries to throw shade at Minglan but naturally she can’t spar with Ming Lan. On the way back Young Lord learns that the She g family will rest and rewater the horses at a monastery...his new goal...

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