Poor Gu Tingye. As if things weren’t bad enough, in Story of Minglan episode 20, he finds out Manniang’s true colors.
What happens when he confronts her about it? Gu Tingye just can’t get a break.
Story of Minglan Episode 20 Recap Highlights:
- Nanny Chang investigates Manniang further and finds out the truth
- Gu Tingye confronts Manniang and gives her an ultimatum
- True friends show their worth at your weakest
Hope you’re ready for another episode! Let’s jump right into the Story of Minglan episode 20!
Too Coincidental
Gu Tingye rinses his mouth with water as Manniang holds a bucket for him to spit into. While Nanny Chang holds a bowl of water.
He’s returned home and the two that care for him are helping him get sober.
Nanny Chang orders Manniang to make some sobering soup for him and she hesitates until Gu Tingye tells her to go.
After Manniang leaves, Nanny Chang tells Gu Tingye that leaving the Gu household is no big deal.

Because it’s better to live in happiness. Living every day in the Gu household is like playacting. Each person has their own role and it’s so fake.
If they ever get to a point where they need funds, she can at least wash and sew clothes for a living.
Gu Tingye think that his salt farms will be helpful but Nanny Chang warns him that selling salt is regulated with a permit.
And he got the permit because of his family’s status. If he doesn’t have his status anymore, will he still be able to sell it?
Gu Tingye then tells her that she and Manniang are the two most important individuals to him right now. So even if he had to do manual labor, it’s worth it.
Nanny Chang takes this opportunity to warn Gu Tingye again. Manniang is not what she seems.

Gu Tingye refuses to believe it. So Nanny Chang shares her thoughts about the latest events.
How Manniang went to the Yu household to cause a ruckus and ended up foiling the marriage prospect. Then later, Madam Yu went to the Gu household to complain about Manniang and her children.
It’s too much of a coincidence.
Testing Manniang
Nanny Chang then asks if Gu Tingye told Manniang about his inheritance from the Bai family.
He didn’t. So Nanny Chang proposes they test Manniang.
Gu Tingye should tell her that he doesn’t have much funds left.
If she’s really as good as he says, then Nanny Chang will stop complaining and raise the children in peace.
Manniang returns with the soup so Nanny Chang stops speaking.
Nanny Chang then leaves them for the night.

Manniang tells Gu Tingye that she’s willing to stay by his side forever.
Gu Tingye reveals to Manniang that he won’t be able to allow her to spend lavishly from now on.
And then tells her, he plans on doing manual labor to support the family.
While she may have to sew and wash clothes, will she be okay with this type of lifestyle?
Manniang furrows her brows in thought.
But she tells Gu Tingye that’s willing.
Gu Tingye closes his eyes in relief and tells her that she and this family.
That’s all he has left.

One day, Manniang is in the outdoor kitchen and she hides something there before leaving.
After she leaves, Nanny Chang checks that exact same spot and finds something.
Changbai Should Maintain his Distance
Changbai greets his father in the morning.
Before he leaves, Sheng Hong warns his son about getting to close to Gu Tingye.
Because he has his marriage coming up to the Hai household. Not to mention his future and the future of this family.
Despite the warning, Changbai sneaks out of the house and gets called out by Minglan.

Changbai prepares to explain himself to Minglan but she surprises him by giving a basket of food to pass along.
She can only do so much but Changbai bows gratefully in return.
Then takes off.
In Gu Tingye’s room, Changbai reveals what he’s brought.
And shares that the food was made by Minglan.
Changbai then updates Gu Tingye about the Gu household. How the funeral went smoothly.
And how he paid respects to his father on behalf of him.
Before telling Gu Tingye that the only one who asked about him was the younger brother.

Gu Tingye wonders if he can still show his filial piety by wearing white robes in mourning. So Changbai tells him that he already checked for him.
Gu Tingye is still in the geneology book.
Hmm very interesting, why did Madam Gu do that? Is there a secret motive?
Changbai has an explanation but is interrupted by Manniang. Who came in to tell them that she will be making some delicious for her husband.
After she leaves, Gu Tingye tries some of the porridge.

Minglan’s porridge is delicious.
Nanny Chang Reports her Findings
When Manniang leaves for the day with a basket tucked under her arm, Nanny Chang secretly follows her.
Until she ends up at a pawnshop.
Then later that night, she meets with Gu Tingye at a restaurant. And Gu Tingye wonders why they couldn’t speak at the residence.
Nanny Chang starts tells him that the reason why she’s been asking for a lot of money recently is this.
She unravels a handkerchief and exposes the contents.

It’s his birth mother’s accessories. Gu Tingye doesn’t believe that Manniang would do this to him.
Nanny Chang’s been following Manniang for days and noted everything down that Manniang has sold.
She pleads with him to see the truth and begs him on her knees.
Then she wants him to follow Manniang secretly and see if she actually’s buying groceries or doing something else.
The following day, Gu Tingye does as Nanny Chang asks and notices that someone who’s suppose to be dead is alive.
Confronting Manniang
Gu Tingye returns from a long day and Manniang greets him.
Telling him to rest for a bit while she grabs dinner.

Gu Tingye grabs her arm and pulls her close to speak to her but Manniang wonders if he’s suspicious of something.
As concern flickers in her eyes.
Gu Tingye explains that he promised Nanny Chang he would settle her funeral arrangements and placed a deposit. But since his funds are tight, he wants Manniang to take out the golden identity locks he bought for the kids.
But Manniang says she missplaced them.
And it’s late at night too.
She makes additional excuses but Gu Tingye tells her to find until at last, she confesses that she sold them to feed the children.
Manniang didn’t want to tell him because he’s used to being fed with a silver spoon.
Gu Tingye wants to know what else she’s been hiding from him.

Even if she reveals everything, I don’t think Gu Tingye would trust her anymore.
Manniang turns the tables on Gu Tingye and asks why he tricked her instead. After she sees him read a deed note out loud to her.
But Gu Tingye doesn’t respond and starts to burn the deed before dropping it to the ground.
Manniang quickly grabs it and snuffs the paper and reads the details out loud.
Caught again.

What else is she hiding from him?
And Manniang says nothing again.
Gu Tingye orders Shitou to bring a man in.
It’s her older brother. Gu Tingye is severely disappointed in her. He defended her so many times in front of others and yet she stabbed him in the back.
He tells her to get lost by tomorrow morning.

Manniang Pleads for Mercy
Manniang finds Gu Tingye outside and begs him to let her stay but his response is breaking the tea table and tossing the cups.
She took advantage of his feelings. Does she really think he will forgive her? Especially when he has lost everything because of her?
As a final chance, Gu Tingye asks Manniang why the Yu household refused to accept his marriage proposal.
And Manniang explains that it’s because they can’t stand her lowly background.
Wrong answer.

Gu Tingye lashes out at her because even now she’s still lying to him. He has seen so many schemes and tricks growing up and yet he never doubted her.
Not once.
But she was so eager to steal his assets behind his back.
Gu Tingye then threatens her that if she doesn’t leave the capital by tomorrow, he will make it difficult for her to live here.
Afterwards, he turns around and leaves.
While Manniang is sobbing away on her knees.
This woman, why did she do this? Was it really as she said, she was threatened by her own brother? Then why didn’t she tell Gu Tingye?
That night Manniang gets a sudden idea.
And in the following morning, Nanny Chang notices that both Manniang and her son are missing.
Gu Tingye looks for the two of them and even arranges a missing notice to be posted.
But Manniang and her son are still able to escape.
They are no longer in the capital.
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Comments
H*** hath no women scorned. Jeez! Just when Gu Tingye thinks he has a family, life threw him another curveball. In Story of Minglan episode 20, Gu Tingye finds out that Manniang deceived him.
And that Nanny Chang and Minglan were right.
But because he underestimated her, Manniang got the chance to run off with her son. Sigh.
While leaving Rongjie all alone. She chose the son because males are more highly regarded than females.
Changbai’s friendship with Gu Tingye is really endearing. Despite his father’s warnings, Changbai still went out to check on Gu Tingye.
Now that’s a TRUE friend.
Nanny Chang did her best to warn Gu Tingye but he didn’t see it until she sold most of his mother’s belongings. Would Gu Tingye’s son be still here if Gu Tingye knew about Manniang earlier?
Maybe.
But there’s no medicine for regrets. Compared to the last episode, this one felt less emotional. It’s like Gu Tingye already got hit with the worse already and this episode felt like a walk in the park.
Because Manniang seemed shady in the beginning?
This is also my 100th post on this site! \(T∇T)/
Can’t believe how far I’ve come!
What were your thoughts on Story of Minglan episode 20? Leave a comment below!
Hello MLKY_Coconut! My name is Ela, I’ve been watching Asian dramas for years but I only started watching C-dramas recently. I found your website just yesterday and I am so glad I discovered it! Thank you so much for all your amazing work and for the recaps. I am watching The Story of Minglan at the moment (I am only a few episodes behind you, just finished E20) and I am really grateful for your summaries, as they are so well-written and they help me to make sense of what is happening sometimes. Not that I am often lost but… Read more »
Hello Ela! Thanks for the kind comment!
And enjoy the ride! The Story of Minglan is slow but there are so many details in each episode and you just grow to love the characters.
It’s nice to meet another fellow drama lover! (๑>ᴗ<๑)
As always great parsing down of the story. I was almost about to go to bed when I noticed that you had posted episode 20. Lol I wasn’t sure if you were going to keep up with your 2 episode a day pace. Thought you might break your streak then I wouldn’t be able to issue my challenge of the week and it will be a challenge I’ll give you a little more time to do it. I challenge you to get to the half way point episode 37 by next Sunday. Not that you have to do episode 37… Read more »