The Story of Minglan Episode 43 Recap

Minglan puts her plans into action! In Story of Minglan episode 43, she starts to sort out the servants sent over from Madam Gu, fourth aunt and fifth aunt.

Out of these three, only one is clear about how capable Minglan is.

The others will just have to learn the hard way. (・｀ω´・)

Story of Minglan Episode 43 Recap Highlights:

• Madam Gu comes over to Sheng Yuan to lecture Minglan about two issues
• Gu Tingye hangs back to see if his wife needs support
• Rumors are all over the capital about how Minglan is a tigress wife

It’s going to be very entertaining to see how Minglan sorts out those servants. They have no idea what’s coming!

Let’s discuss the details in this Story of Minglan episode 43 recap!

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Concerns about the Servants

At night, before bed, Gu Tingye notices his wife is too busy with reading several documents.

Instead of paying attention to him.

Gu Tingye tells Minglan that if she can’t finish reading it today, she can read it tomorrow.

But Minglan is concerned about the servants they received. With so many spies, how can they rest easy?

Then shares how Danju caught a maidservant lingering in front of his study room today.

If it weren’t for Danju, this maidservant would over step her bounds.

There’s also Nanny Lai, an older maid that likes to snoop around.

It’s just too bad she can’t shove a rag into the old lady’s mouth, tie her up and toss her somewhere.

Gu Tingye asks why not and volunteers to have Shitou perform the task.

Minglan tells him that it would be bullying the old and weak.

Harming his reputation. So Gu Tingye offers to leave some guards here for her.

Minglan observes that Madam Gu is a crafty opponent. This situation is a two pronged attack. Veteran and haughty servants to distract her and young beautiful ones to tempt her husband.

Madam Gu put a lot of thought into this.

Gu Tingye then asks Minglan how beautiful those servants are in a teasing tone.

And Minglan thinks he’s serious so offers to have those servants serve them tomorrow. So he can take a better look.

But he hugs her and says it was a joke.

Then lays on his back. Can’t she at least pretend to be a jealous wife?

So Minglan uses the papers in her hand to smack him.

Telling if he dares to take in a concubine, she will never allow him in her room.

Gu Tingye smiles with happiness.

Accepting Gifts from Others

Nanny Lai sees several servants carrying in boxes from the outside.

And wonders what’s going on. She volunteers to help and subtly asks some questions.

It turns out these are gifts sent to Gu Tingye from others.

Meanwhile, Gu Tingye asks Minglan if he’s already assigned tasks to the new servants.

While she’s helping him get dressed for duty. Minglan tells them it’s pretty much done but she needs to request additional servants from her older sister.

Ones that she can teach from scratch. Because new servants have no foundation.

If you teach them and slowly cultivate them, they can be loyal to this manor.

Gu Tingye thinks this is too much effort. If it was up to him, he would get rid of all of them.

Minglan tells him that it doesn’t work this way. And he praises her for being such a great military advisor.

Before he leaves, he wonders if Minglan needs him to guard her.

But Minglan refuses and tells him to leave.

When Gu Tingye and Shitou leave the manor but haven’t gotten far, Gu Tingye sees a carriage heading over to his manor.

And believes it’s his stepmother. So he tells his guards that he will be late. Because he has to take care of some personal matters first.

Protective hubby again! Minglan is so fortunate

The guards take off and then Gu Tingye tells Shitou to observe while he waits in a separate room. If his wife can’t handle the situation, Shitou should call for him.

So the two of them head back to the manor.

Madam Gu Visits

Minglan strolls in when Madam Gu is sitting in a chair and greets her. But when Madam Gu gets up, Minglan helps herself in a seat.

Madam Gu brings up the servants she sent over and wonders why Nanny Lai and Nanny Diao are being assigned work.

So Minglan replies that she’s waiting to assign them an appropriate role.

Because they are veterans at their tasks after all.

Feeling rest assured, Madam Gu then skillfully changes the topic to the reputation of the Gu family.

Then brings up how Minglan was blindly accepting gifts.

Minglan denies it.

So Madam Gu continues that this will put her husband the Gu family at risk.

Minglan explains that she really didn’t accept any. So she told her servants to store all the gifts in a storage room.

And not open them. While her husband reports the gifts to the emperor.

Madam Gu then praises Gu Tingye for being so clever with his approach.

But Minglan takes this chance to make a jab at her mother-in-law. Saying that if he was truly clever, then he wouldn’t have been forced to roam outside for awhile.

Because he failed the imperial examinations.

Madam Gu then murmurs behind her tea cup as she takes a sip. How Minglan says several sentences in return for her one sentence.

LOL Madam Gu loses out again!

Meanwhile, Gu Tingye is pacing back and forth in his room waiting for news.

Shitou comes in and reports that “she” has left. And comments how “she” left with an expression so bad, it looks like she’s about to puke.

Gu Tingye chuckles thinking that his stepmother has met her match.

Then heads off to perform his duties.

Gossips and Rumors

Minglan rushes into her room and takes several sips of liquid from a brewing pot. While Cuiwei wonders what happened.

Danju explains that Nanny Lai reported back to Madam Gu so Madam Gu came as quickly as she did.

And Nanny Lai is so popular now that all servants share information with her.

As Minglan drinks more pear soup, Xiaotao complains that even after moving out, it’s still so stifling.

Then Cuiwei reminds Minglan that are several ledgers she needs to review.

Minglan groans and thinks that it was better being a miss in her old courtyard.

Meanwhile, Nanny Lai and a few other servants walk through the backyard and pick up branches.

While commenting that the Big Madam is taking too long to hire more people.

Nanny Lai argues that it’s better to recruit from their own families instead.

And the other two servants agree.

Then they take a small break to gossip. While Xiaotao strolls by.

Nanny Lai reveals how her daughter was sent to harsh labor after she got too close to the lord’s rooms.

So the other servants wonder if their Big Madam got jealous of competition.

Xiaotao calls out to them and lectures them for gossiping about the Madam and Master of the manor.

Meanwhile, Hualan came over to visit and is strolling through the manor with Minglan.

Sharing the latest gossips with her. Apparently, most of them are about Minglan.

How she doesn’t pay respects to her mother-in-law and bullies the old servants, etc.

But there’s not much gossiped about Gu Tingye. Because he saved the previous emperor AND the current emperor.

So no one dares to gossip about him. Other than his past wrongdoings.

But this is the path Minglan chose so she will continue on.

Moody Gu Tingye

Several servants are gathered before Minglan as she reviews a journal before issuing orders.

She assigns Nanny Lai to purchase goods for the kitchen, a task that she’s familiar with.

The other nannies are also assigned tasks that they are familiar with. While the rest will get their tasks read to them by Cuiwei.

Minglan then disperses them after telling them she’s tired for the day.

And as they leave, Nanny Lai tells her companions that their Big Madam is all bark and no bite.

After a few days, she can’t keep up the act anymore.

Don’t underestimate her…

On a rainy day, Minglan praises Xiaotao for ordering people to take in the clothes before it rained.

But then Gu Tingye returns, his clothes are completely drenched.

As Xiaotao and Danju help dry and iron the clothes, Minglan sits next to Gu Tingye and dries his ears.

Commenting how she ordered someone to send an umbrella to him. Gu Tingye retorts that he rides a horse to court.

So Minglan tries to comfort him by offering to personally ride a carriage out to escort him back. On another rainy day so he doesn’t get rained on.

But Gu Tingye complains that it’s not the reason he’s mad at her.

And Minglan doesn’t understand.

So he tells her that he will patiently wait.

When she mentions how they should be on the same side as husband and wife, Gu Tingye looks like at her strangely.

Before giving her two kisses. Then murmuring that she can’t run away from him now.

And leaves.

While Minglan complains that it’s broad daylight.

After Gu Tingye leaves, Minglan comments how he is so moody. One moment he’s happy and the next he’s grumpy.

An Honest Servant

On a stroll through the backyard, Minglan sees Nanny Lai arguing with another servant.

Nanny Lai accuses two younger servant girls of stealing money from the manor while the other servant, Wang Wu’s wife calls Nanny Lai for using her position improperly.

After seeing Wang Wu’s wife take off, she informs Danju and Xiaotao to summon her privately so she can have a chat with her.

Minglan gives this servant an important task of planting new flowers on the eastern side of the garden.

As long as she is mindful of doing the task well and is respectful of Nanny Lai’s position.

Since the latter is a veteran servant.

The servant accepts and leaves with pride.

Later, Minglan practices her calligraphy with Rongjie sitting next to her. Rongjie reassures her that if her words are written badly, she could always practice.

But Minglan argues that her words were written wrongly and decides to have Rongjie read books instead.

Rongjie tells Minglan that she’s read the one in her hand already because she used to recite poems everyday. Then attended classes at Aunt Hai’s household.

Minglan wonders who is Aunt Hai. It turns out to be Changbai’s wife, Hai Zhaoyun.

So Minglan complains that she has nothing to teach Rongjie. But Rongjie tells her she wants to learn polo.

Minglan settles for teaching Rongjie fishing first then polo because she needs to be old enough to ride a horse.

Rongjie takes off to get some fish. And Nanny Chang enters.

Commenting how she and Rongjie are so fated.

But her lord is still worried about his son Changge. And hopes Minglan isn’t offended.

Minglan isn’t because she wishes her father was like Gu Tingye so that she could have been spared from some sufferings.

Requesting Nanny Chang’s Help

Nanny Lai and Wang Wu’s wife are fighting in the backyard and Rongjie runs in to report it.

Before taking off again.

Minglan asks for Nanny Chang’s help to deal with the elderly nannies.

Duchess Qi gossips about Minglan and Gu Tingye while she helps with her husband.

Mentioning how they are well suited for each other. Both disrespect their elders and do whatever they want.

Yuan Ruo overhears and comes in to correct them.

Saying it’s just rumors.

Yuan Ruo came in to report that he’s well enough to get back to his duties.

And his parents agree.

His father proposes to start looking for marriage again but Duchess Qi thinks it’s too soon.

However, Yuan Ruo tells his parents that he will follow whatever arrangement they have for him.

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Comments

This Story of Minglan episode 43 felt pretty slow. Minglan deals with Madam Gu quite easily but she still needs to take care of the root problem.

The servants who act as the eyes and ears of the other families.

Xiaotao lacks the patience but Minglan slowly traps her enemies. Until it’s too late.

I think Nanny Chang is the final piece to complete the trap.

Minglan believes Gu Tingye is so moody but he’s just trying to get her to notice that he wants to be more than a respectful husband and wife.

However she doesn’t see it yet. So he will patiently wait.

Rongjie and Minglan are bonding so well! Rongjie is pretty similar to Minglan when she was younger. They both didn’t like embroidering and sewing hahaha.

Yuan Ruo is still so moody but he has to move on. You can’t stay in one place.

Thoughts on Story of Minglan episode 43? Leave a comment below!