It’s here! The long awaited wedding in Story of Minglan episode 40! Our beloved Minglan is getting married to Gu Tingye. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
How will our male lead pamper her when she walks through the doors of his home? And become his official wife?
Story of Minglan Episode 40 Recap Highlights:
- Gu Tingye picks up his bride with great fanfare
- Minglan gets married into the Gu household and meets Rongjie
- On their wedding night, Gu Tingye shows off how much he pampers Minglan
Look at the gorgeous costumes in these wedding scenes. Without further adieu, let’s jump into the Story of Minglan episode 40 recap!
Deserving Good Fortune
Old Madam Sheng eagerly shares her property deeds with Minglan.
Reciting the different categories: farms, stores, etc.
Then recalls her favorite, remembering that a capable old man is managing it. He will continue to assist Minglan with it as well.
Minglan tells her grandmother that the dowry is more than enough.
Mentioning how Gu Tingye’s gifts were also included in her dowry as well as ones from Wang Ruofu.
But her grandmother believes otherwise. Telling her that her life won’t be easy in the Gu household.
There’s Madam Gu, several aunts from the other branches and the wives of the brothers.
She will definitely need the money. Minglan believes she should save some for herself instead.
But Old Madam Sheng reassures her that she will be fine.
Minglan still doesn’t believe money can help but Old Madam Sheng thinks that’s a childish argument.
Old Madam Sheng then warns her about Madam Gu and how she’s not what she seems.
Minglan knows because Gu Tingye shared the details with her.
Then jokes if it’s too late to cancel the wedding.
Trying to reassure her, Old Madam Sheng believes Gu Tingye will at least give her enough to eat.
Minglan comments that she’s not afraid of Gu Tingye being bad to her but the opposite.
She wonders if she deserves all of this good fortune.
Old Madam Sheng tells her not to speak nonsense. Despite growing up without a mother, at least she has her.
And now that she’s marrying a good husband, days will only get better.
Poor Minglan, she’s traumatized by the past. She’s not used to good things happening to her. Gu Tingye, you better protect her!
Picking Up the Bride
Bright and early, Gu Tingye gets on his horse and leads the wedding sedan to pick up his bride.
Dressed in red, he leads the wedding procession to the Sheng family.
Meanwhile, Minglan pays her respects to her ancestors.
Asking them to bless her on this journey.
When Gu Tingye arrives in front of the Gu household, he is blocked by his fellow in-laws.
Both Liang Han and Wen Yanjing want to test Gu Tingye before he is allowed to pass.
Liang Han (Molan’s husband) asks Gu Tingye a military question.
While Wen Yanjing wants Gu Tingye to compose a poem to rush the bride.
Meanwhile, Changbai is off to the side, not participating at all.
Gu Tingye’s buddies can’t help him with the poem so Gu Tingye composes it himself.
Then Xiaotao narrates the poem back to Minglan while she’s taking a sip of cold wine.
And accidentally chokes for a bit.
Wondering how Gu Tingye knew.
Xiaotao doesn’t understand what it means but Danju knows and explains.
It means Minglan should hurry up and get onto the carriage already. However she’s afraid of this and that, refusing to go out.
So she should drink some wine to gather up some courage. But once the cup is empty, she will be bolder.
And her face will be flushed as well so she won’t need any rouge.
Meanwhile, there’s still opposition but Gu Tingye takes the opportunity to rush in and get his bride.
Shitou and several others help pass out some money to the guests.
Xiaotao notices that Changbai didn’t participate in challenging the groom. So he secretly tells her that he received a painting well in advance.
Hahahaha so Changbai was already bribed
Tea Ceremony to Elders
Gu Tingye offers tea to Sheng Hong first and then Wang Ruofu.
Who each shares some advice for their marriage.
I’m surprised that Sheng Hong is tearing up here. He didn’t care much for Minglan though?
After they drink Gu Tingye’s tea, it’s time to head over to the Gu household.
As Minglan turns to leave, Old Madam Sheng calls out to her and blesses her to be well.
While trying to hold back her tears.
Minglan gets in the wedding sedan and the procession continues again. This time to the Gu household.
During the procession, Danju secretly passes a handkerchief to Minglan to wipe her tears.
Telling her that she can visit her home in three days. While Xiaotao believes Minglan is crying from hunger.
And offers some fruits to eat.
XD Xiaotao is always thinking about food.
Off to the side, in the streets, He Hongwen and his cousin watch as the marriage procession passes by.
He Hongwen tells his cousin that he will be gone for a few years to gather herbs and visit some famous doctors.
So she should stay with his mother. It’s too dangerous for her to go with him.
Then when Gu Tingye arrives at the Gu household, he and Minglan bow to Madam Gu and two memorial tablets.
In the crowd of guests, there’s Zhao Ceiying overseeing the ceremony as well.
Gu Tingye is totally doing this on purpose. Bowing to his deceased mother and father instead of Madam Gu.
Marriage Blessings
Afterwards, Gu Tingye leads Minglan into the marriage room and performs the other rituals.
Some of which are lead by Nanny Chang.
Nanny Chang snips some hair from Gu Tingye and Minglan. Then ties the hair up with a red string to bless the couple good fortune.
Lastly, the nuptial wine for Gu Tingye and Minglan to drink.
So their marriage is harmonious.
There are so many things! Weddings back then took essentially the whole day. Well modern weddings do too.
After the rituals are done, one of Gu Tingye’s friends pulls him to go drinking with him.
Leaving Minglan alone in the room with her maids.
But after awhile Minglan tells Danju to get her some food because she’s hungry.
Meanwhile, Gu Tingye gives toasts to everyone, including his older brother. Thanking him for helping him get this far.
Gu Tingye is definitely rubbing it in his face.
Back in the room, Rongjie sneaks by and grabs some nuts from the bed while Minglan munches on some pastries.
She notices someone is behind her.
Minglan chats with Rongjie, telling her that she’s her mother now. But Rongjie refuses to call her mother.
So Minglan suggests an alternative, Rongjie can call her Big Madam in the meantime.
Rongjie snuck by to see who the bride is. Because Nanny Xiang from her grandmother’s side told her that once her father remarries and has kids, he won’t want her anymore.
Minglan notices that she’s holding a brush in her hands too.
If Rongjie didn’t like the bride, she would draw a turtle on the bride’s face.
But she likes Minglan, so she won’t.
Unveiling the Bride
Gu Tingye pretends to be drunk as Shitou leads him back to the marriage room.
Once they are at a safe enough distance, Gu Tingye stops pretending.
He didn’t think those scholarly officials could out drink him.
But Shitou warns him to keep his voice down to prevent his bride from hearing him.
Gu Tingye reassures him that it’s fine. Because his wife is better at pretending to be dumb than him.
He then heads over by himself.
When Minglan hears Gu Tingye come over, she puts the fan back up to cover her face.
He takes it away and recites a poem that describes how beautiful Minglan is.
But then hears Minglan’s stomach growl. He takes off his belt and heads off to change clothes.
Minglan realizes he’s heading out.
Gu Tingye heads over to restaurant and picks up some delicious food for Minglan.
He takes this opportunity to show the public how much he cares for his wife as well.
While Shitou comments if the public will think his wife is a tigress.
Gu Tingye tells Minglan about it when he returns and Minglan appears to be angry.
He then tries to placate her by distracting her with the food he brought.
And it works.
Because Minglan eyes the food eagerly.
Not Climbing a Higher Branch
As Minglan enjoys the food, Gu Tingye comments how Minglan isn’t really marrying up.
Because he still has a missing son. But he promised Old Madam Sheng that the illegitimate son will never surpass the legitimate one.
If he didn’t, Old Madam Sheng wouldn’t let Minglan marry him.
So he tells Minglan that his son, Changge is missing.
And no matter what, he wants to find him.
Minglan agrees.
Since they are now husband and wife, they should be honest with each other.
If Minglan thinks it’s uncomfortable to have Rongjie at her side, she must tell him.
Minglan comments that she and Gu Tingye have experienced similar situations so she understands.
Gu Tingye tells Minglan that he’s so grateful to have married her.
Then picks her up and plops her on the bed. Before leaving her to bring something over.
It’s his maternal family assets.
A whole case of them and he wants Minglan to help him manage it.
Because it was tough for him to obtain them.
He then swears to the heavens to never disappoint Minglan.
Minglan wonders what she could swear in return but Gu Tingye doesn’t need it.
Because if she ever leaves him, it’s likely he hurt her feelings.
Then mentions that there’s just one more important thing to do.
And it has to be done on this day otherwise it’s bad luck.
The curtains close as the two kiss and head off to bed.
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Comments
So adorable! Gu Tingye has married the woman of his dreams! This episode and the last episode were full of good moments between our leads.
In Story of Minglan episode 40, Gu Tingye tells Minglan a lot of things and it’s evident that he wants to treat her equally. A couple’s relationship depends on good communication.
When Gu Tingye was bowing to his deceased mother and father, it was a slap to Madam Gu’s face. In the public too.
He would rather bow to the deceased than the living person in front of him.
I also really liked how this episode depicted the marriage rituals in detail. Highlight the Chinese culture back during the Song dynasty. Some are still being used today.
Like the tea ceremony to elders and testing the groom before he can get his bride.
Gu Tingye is also showing Minglan his sincerity and his trust as well. By giving Minglan his assets for her to manage.
Minglan doesn’t know if she can manage them but Gu Tingye has very few people he can trust.
Let’s just enjoy this moment between our two leads before they tackle their opponents! Madam Gu is already planning to show off her seniority by bullying the daughter-in-law. Minglan vs. Madam Gu in the coming episodes!
What were your thoughts on Story of Minglan episode 40? Leave a comment below!
What a wedding! Makes me wish I could have seen it filmed live. Even though I never cry at weddings. I actually cried when her grandmother bid her farewell. I really felt it. I can’t bear to part with Grandma either. Love their relationship! They’ve been through so much together! Her grandmother is her best friend and her mother and father all rolled into one I loved how he offered tea to his dead parents. It was very apt given how he never got to mourn his father publicly. And I love the pretend drunkenness. Classic tingye! As crafty and… Read more »
Grandma Sheng is the best always to infinity and beyond. I love this episode. I think this is one of my favorites.
The part where they are preventing Tingye from entering and Molan’s husband just about get’s laughed at when he tries to talk about military matters as Tingye’s friends scoff at his challenge this its such a tiny challenge the general wouldn’t even need to bestir himself for it then promptly tore apart his argument to pieces. It was yet another small moment showcasing how limited Molan’s husband is he really will be relying on his family for everything and won’t be attaining glory himself. Then Rulan’s husband giving him a literary challenge and Tingye making up a poem about Minglan was pretty spot on. It was hillarious that Changbai not only stood out of the challenges but refferred to his brother in laws as enemy spies within. Something Xiatou calls him out on as at least his brothers in law gave a challenge at which point its revealed that the enemy spy is him as he was bribed before the whole thing even started.
Sheng Hong, I feel like he’s someone whose feelings are very shallow. He does truly love each one of his children but at the same time he’s a very selfish man. He values his reputation more than he values any one of his children. Had Hualan come to him with the same problem that Shulan had he never would have allowed the scandal of the hearing and potential for public shaming had things not gone their way. However much he loves his children his image comes first. Any dirty laundry is kept deep in the closet and never aired which is why Xiaodie never got a fair trial despite asking for her case to be heard in front of a judge. Sheng Hong could never allow his peers to see that he can’t manage his household. It’s something that Madam Lin knew well and played into for the majority of her games and the reason why Molan was so quick to lose favor once she started trying to entrap a husband. Sheng Hong I think also has an idealized version of what he thinks his family is as opposed to what his family really is.
Poor Minglan so hungry she almost eats the blessing nuts but Danju scolds her. I always wondered why it was taking so long for Xiaotou to get the food and come back. Nothing ever came of it but I always wondered if some one *cough*Big Madam Gu*cough* had hoped that Minglan would send Danju away and be unattended for a while to allow her to make something up or perhaps create a scandal thankfully Danju didn’t leave despite Minglan stating how hungry she was, but still that scene always struck me as odd to have. Usually in American cinema if you had a scene with dialog like that the missing servant would show up right at the end of the scene showing that it was for comedic purposes and she truly was gone for long or had the dialog been for other purposes you would have gotten a foreboding image of Big Madam Gu or her main maidservant watching from the shadows as if just waiting for her to be alone but as I said nothing ever came of it. The scene just felt odd.
I loved the scene between Rongjie and Minglan mainly because I love their relationship. Nanny Xiang and Big Madam Gu underestimated that hand when they tried to spoil the relationship by telling Rongjie that her new step mother would make her father not like her. Fortunately Rongjie already knows Minglan and approves. Of course Minglan gives her the food that she was supposed to eat so when Tingye shows up she’s still hungry.
I love this episode. It’s so good. Now we are entering the married life portion of the show and of course balancing expectations with reality not to mention what Tingye is to do with his conventional Miss of a wife now that he’s married to her when he really doesn’t want a conventional wife.
Sheng Hong loves his reputation more than his children. Gu Tingye pointed that out in the last episode. And you’re right. If Shulan had Sheng Hong for a father, she would be stuck with the Sun Xiucai until the day she died. He would never allow a public hearing of the elders for an amicable divorce. Yes, Changbai was so easily bribed. There some moments in this show that highlight he’s not that strict with rules. He’s human too XD Loved how Xiaotao called him out on it! And yes! Poor Minglan, being so hungry while waiting for the groom.… Read more »
Suddenly I’m glad I’m not Chinese. Not that I’m planning on getting married any time soon or even have a boyfriend but like Minglan I have a healthy appreciation for food. I would hate to have to sit alone waiting while my husband gets to go out and party.