The Story of Minglan Episode 73 Recap – FINAL

We made it to the end of the series! Woohoo! In Story of Minglan episode 73, we’ve seen Minglan grow up on this incredible journey. Her ups and downs, her heartaches and how she overcame everything that came in her way.

Story of Minglan Episode 73 Recap Highlights:

• Noble Consort Liu gets punished for leading the rebels while the true backer learns her lesson
• Madam Gu burns the Gu manor
• The Emperor reveals his scheme

Who’s excited for the Story of Minglan episode 73? The final one? Let’s jump right into the recap!

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Concluding the Battle

Minglan heads back to observe the battle happening at Cheng Yuan.

Soldier Tu protects Minglan as she observes her surroundings.

When an enemy soldier breaks through and nearly kills her, an arrow flies and hits him.

Killing him instantly. Minglan sees her husband get off his horse.

So she rushes into his embrace.

Beating him and yelling him for being so late.

Minglan then realizes that rumors of his death were fake again. So she threatens to divorce him if he does this to her again.

She then tells him that he’s more of a fox than she is. Gu Tingye doesn’t deny it and comments that he has to leave her to save the Emperor.

At the palace, General Shen is making progress by killing the enemy soldiers. While Noble Consort Liu gets a message from the Empress Dowager.

The brother-in-law thinks this is good news but Noble Consort Liu shakes her head.

This is going all wrong. Then a servant reports that Gu Tingye is back and is charging towards the palace.

Gu Tingye finally arrives to assist. And his soldiers burst open the palace gates.

General Shen chuckles a bit before charging in himself.

And the hero is here to save the day!

Meanwhile, Xiaotao frees Shitou, Nanny Chang and Rongjie from their hidden spot.

Telling them that the Marquis has returned. Gu Tingye is back.

The situation has been pacified at the palace. So Gu Tingye orders the arrest of the Emperor’s closest aide.

Who turns out to have participated in this uprising. The eunuch was the previous Emperor’s aide.

Yet he felt that it was unfair the previous Emperor had no sons and the current Emperor received the throne.

Empress Dowager’s Involvement

The current Emperor was disappointed to see this aide betray him.

While the Noble Consort Liu wonders what’s going on.

Gu Tingye was suppose to be dead. Noble Consort Liu mumbles that Empress Dowager mentioned that…

And the Emperor finishes her statement. How he’s incapable of ruling and should be disposed.

So her son could rule.

But did the Empress Dowager really say that? The Emperor heads off to the Empress Dowager’s palace for answers. While taking Noble Consort Liu with him.

The Empress Dowager knows she has lost. She requests for her poisoned wine.

But her close aide comments that it’s not the end yet. She still has an escape route.

The Empress Dowager doesn’t believe so. She recruited former officials and through Noble Consort Liu, she received an army.

Yet she couldn’t defeat them. And without the potent poison, she may not be left with a full corpse.

Someone then argues that it may not be the case. The Empress and the Empress enter.

Dragging the traitor eunuch in with them as well.

The Empress Dowager explains that she hates the Emperor because he did not follow the previous Emperor’s wishes.

Assembling an army and causing unrest at the borders.

While also bestowing a title to his own birth father.

So the Emperor wonders if the Empress Dowager wants to dispose him.

Instead of answering him, she asks her aide. Who replies that she didn’t. The eunuch then follows up with how he mentioned to Noble Consort Liu to be careful.

So the Empress Dowager concludes that it was Noble Consort Liu who wanted to dispose the Emperor.

Sealing her fate.

Noble Consort Liu tries to struggle outside but gets dragged away.

She was essentially the scapegoat. Sigh.

The Emperor’s Net

The Emperor explains how he leveraged Noble Consort Liu and the eunuch spy to confuse the Empress Dowager.

Making her believe that the Emperor doubted his son and his trusted general.

It’s the Empress Dowager’s complete loss.

So she wonders how she will die. However the Emperor confesses that they’ve both made mistakes.

The Empress tells the Empress Dowager that the Emperor just wants her to move outside the palace.

Not taking her life.

While Prince Huan strolls in to greet the Empress Dowager and share his ambitions.

Seeing his passion, the Empress Dowager realizes that she’s getting old.

It’s time for the new to take over the old.

Madam Gu’s Demise

Meanwhile, Madam Gu wonders why things are so calm.

Gu Tingwei rushes over to report that his brother is actually alive. And Madam Gu realizes the trap.

There was never any war.

She then wails in anguish.

Because Madam Gu risked it all and yet it was a complete failure.

Then verbally attacks Gu Tingwei. Wondering why he doesn’t have any ambition.

Despite all her efforts. All her blood, sweat and tears.

Gu Tingwei tells her that he never wanted any of this. And told her not to fight with his brother.

Instead of listening, Madam Gu tells servants to tie him up and toss him into a well.

As she heads towards the ancestral hall.

She tosses everything and recites the most common rules of this society.

Familial piety.

Brotherhood bonds.

Fraternal duty.

Loyalty to the country and contributions to the country.

All of these things. Just to maintain the clan’s pride.

It’s all utter b**shit in her eyes.

Madam Gu then continues to fling things as she goes crazy.

Gu Tingye finally comes over to the main Gu manor and bumps into Nanny Xiang.

Who asks for help to free Gu Tingwei.

After freeing Gu Tingwei from the well, they notice a big fire towards the ancestral hall.

Which is exactly where Madam Gu went.

So all of them head over.

And see that the ancestral hall is on fire. With Madam Gu standing in the middle of it.

As Gu Tingwei watches his mother burn in the fire, Madam Gu narrates how her sister was such a gentle woman.

But ended up a casualty as this household full of devils took her life. And married another woman to save the family.

Madam Gu complains that she’s been acting ever since she stepped into this household.

Life Moves on

And wants to return to her true self. So she collapses into the fire.

Gu Tingwei, Gu Tingye and Minglan just observe as the fire continues to burn.

In the city, officials who collaborated with Noble Consort Liu are in chains as guards lead them out of the capital.

Including Old Madam Wang’s son. They are getting banished.

Meanwhile, the Emperor smiles at his private plot of land. That he carefully cultivated.

It’s now a full harvest.

The Emperor recites that being farmer means going through the good times and the bad.

And it’s tough being a farmer.

But an Emperor has to go through the same as well.

Then Minglan and Gu Tingye show up. Gu Tingye wants to take some grain for himself but the Emperor smacks his hand.

And then gives him the grain he has.

It’s his treasure.

Outside of the palace, the Empress Dowager receives some as well. And she continues to watch over Prince Yong.

In the city, Shen Hezhen and Yuan Ruo take a stroll with Shen Hezhen leaning on his arm.

Yuan Ruo shares his past and how he’s always wanted to be like Gu Tingye. But he can’t.

Because he can’t risk his family like that.

Then after seeing Minglan and Gu Tingye so in love he finally understood.

That his place is with her.

Yuan Ruo knows that he’s treated his wife badly in the past. So he plans to make it up to her.

But Shen Hezhen chimes in.

She believes that he never owed her.

Yuan Ruo faintly smiles and tells her that they will live peacefully from here on.

No matter what happens in the capital.

Sheng Family Reunion

Minglan and her father are in charge of labeling some plaques.

And Minglan shares the Emperor’s schemes.

She really didn’t know until the Empress told her.

Sheng Hong was amazed at how well Minglan could act afterwards.

But Gu Tingye owes her one for keeping her in the dark. Especially when she just gave birth.

Then Sheng Hong comments that there’s only good days to come now. Meanwhile, the rest of the Sheng family members are out in Cheng Yuan.

And Molan just arrives. She was surprised to receive an invitation from Minglan.

Looks like Molan mellowed out a bit after the fiasco with Liang Han.

Molan enters and sees everyone else is here.

Old Madam Sheng shows up from the back and wonders if Molan is here to eat her own cooking.

So Molan faintly smiles.

Then Nanny Chang announces that the meal is ready so everyone can go eat.

Molan and Rulan both help Old Madam Sheng while everyone else slowly makes their way over.

Even Xiaotao, who is heavily pregnant. Shitou bolts to her side because he worries that she will injure herself.

Gu Tingye tells Minglan that she would let Xiaotao rest at home. Otherwise Shitou could never focus. Since he’s like a mother hen hovering over his wife all the time.

As Minglan and Gu Tingye watch everyone continue to what they are doing, Minglan comments that she loves times like this.

When it’s peaceful, easy and quiet.

Because this is life.

Gu Tingye promises to protect her forever so she can enjoy times like this.

Minglan playfully smacks him and reminds him to go eat.

They both head over to the meal side by side.

Together.

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Comments

Aaaaand that’s a wrap! This episode felt a bit rushed to me as it wanted to tie up everything.

The conflict between Emperor and Empress Dowager, Madam Gu’s downfall, Yuan Ruo and Shen Hezhen’s reconciliation.

And lastly the ending. In Story of Minglan episode 73, we see many different aspects of the Song dynasty. How a woman’s reputation can be a matter of life and death.

How internal conflicts can ruin a household. Among so many other things.

But what’s important most of all is relationships.

In any shape or form. No one can go through life alone.

It’s a journey.

Molan has had bad blood with Minglan throughout the show and I think it’s in this episode that we see her opening up to realize what she’s missed.

Because in her current situation, she has no one else but her family. Her husband hates her, she has no child and no trusted servants. She’s all by herself in the count’s manor.

Yet, this is what she brought upon herself.

As for the conflict between the Emperor and Empress Dowager, the Emperor allowed her to escape with her life. And a minor form of banishment.

She’s no longer in the palace so she can’t exert her influence but he makes sure she lives comfortably.

And she gets to raise Prince Yong as well.

Sheng Hong and Minglan are well… at a respectful level with each other. To some degree. She doesn’t hold it against him that he neglected her for years and he doesn’t expect her to open up to him.

And life continues on. But at least Minglan has Gu Tingye to protect her. To shelter her from all the ups and downs.

What were your thoughts on Story of Minglan episode 73? Leave a comment below!