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!
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.
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!
Thank you for your recaps and your little blue commentaries. I rewatched The Story of Minglan for the third time and this space which has also collected other likeminded Minglan lovers to post their thoughts has made the rewatch an even better experience. I don’t know anyone else IRL who watches c-dramas so visiting your website after watching each and every episode has made me feel less alone in loving this drama.
Thanks for the kind comment!! Wow the third rewatch!? That’s awesome! I hope to find another cdrama that deserves multiple rewatches but for sure the story of minglan is one of them 😊
Thanks a lot for your lovely recaps. I was confused at times and reading your recaps helped understand the situation better. It was a wonderful ride, the show being historical and long was interesting and fun to watch, along with your explanatory recaps.
Thanks for your comment! Glad you enjoyed this historical cdrama! It has a slow start so most people miss out on it, but the story builds up in the end
What do you plan on watching next?
thank you so much for your recaps! without them I would’ve been so lost through various parts of the show lol. It’s been such a pleasure truly getting to know the characters, which usually doesn’t happen with me and historical dramas because of how quickly i can get lost lol.
Thanks for the kind comment! Historical cdramas tend to be overwhelming so glad that I could be of help!
Thanks so much .. I have read nonstop and love your work so much.. thank you so much for created this pages.
Thanks so much for the kind comment! Glad to hear that these recaps are helpful!! 😊
Thank you so much for your recaps. It has now been a couple of years but you should know your website is still very helpful to Americans like myself who are interested in C Dramas and learning more about Chinese culture. You often clarified some things and helped to make the viewing experience richer.
Thanks for the kind comment! I’m so glad these recaps are helpful! This series was really good and I hope anyone who encounters this site realizes what a gem this show is!
I want to sincerely thank you for the excellent job you awarded us with the recaps. So many areas were puzzling and you made this up with great clarification. Kudos to you
Thanks for the kind comment Shelly! I’m glad you enjoyed the recaps. And I hope you enjoyed this series too!
I have probably watched this series close to 11 times. I love it anyway, Nirvana in Fire, the rebel princess, story of minglan, oh my general and story of yanxi palace are my go to shows for rewatch.
In story of minglan, I always think as to how xiaotao got so heavily pregnant but minglan’s son is still a small baby. Have some years passed between the rebellion or is it right after. Shitou and Xiaotao’s life seemed a bit odd, given if its 1 month or 2 months, they cannot be that heavily pregnant.
Any help?
Oh wow! Thanks for the comment and that’s an interesting observation. I’m not sure what the timeframe is but it looks like it’s been several months? The Emperor’s small wheat farm in his study can now be harvested so I would assume that it’s been more than a few months
The outgoing empress had also commented that the harvest from this year was better than and sweeter than the last. I was pretty confused by then!
Thanks for the comment! I think it’s analogy that things will get better from now on. The peaceful times are coming
I got fooled by gu tingye and the emperor all the time along with minglan lol. I complained so much about gu tingye’s overbearing behaviour beforehand. But must they scheme so much just to send the empress dowager to retire? It’s better to let her drink the poisonous wine
There are several people who support the ex empress. Also it is common to have other powerful royals waiting to steal the throne on any mishap. So removing ex empress will only create more problems and destabilise the empire. Though they paid several lives in the schemed battle, it was worth it. They won ex Empress support and thus unifying almost all powerful people. Also figured the black-sheeps and exiled them ( although it was not expressed, we can assume lol ) I just wish there was one more episode where the emperor and empress personally return Gu and Ming… Read more »
Thanks for the comment!
Late to the party but wanted to thank you for your hard work. I really enjoyed it! It started slow for me but your summaries kept me going :).
Thanks for the comment! Glad to hear you stuck to it and finished this cdrama!
If you’re looking for something similar, check out The Rebel Princess! The scenes are gorgeous and it’s much faster paced too ^^
I just marathoned Empresses in the Palace and this one and am going to take a little brain break LOL. The first one was so awesome with the costumes and Chinese literature references. My next one will have to be more wuxia action to balance all these bitchy evilness haha. Thanks again.
I thought that the one being banished was the Wang son who had falsely accused Gu Tingye, based on the other Wang family members in the crowd. Do we ever find out whats Gu Tingye’s new nobility title since he is handing the Marquis title over to his younger brother?
Ohh good catch there! So Old Madam Wang’s son was banished with others who were involved in the attempted coup detat, I’ll update that detail! No I don’t think we do. I would assume Gu Tingye just maintains his general position and we are left guessing what his official title would be
Thank you for recapping this drama!
Hi Kirsten, thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the recaps! What are you planning on watching next?
Simply.. I love it…
The actresses are so good and the plot is amazing 😍
I recently found this drama cos of Zhao Liying and am loving it. The plot is so real, depicting depths of human emotions (ugly machinations without exaggerated twists as well as love and forgiveness). Actors fit each role so well and their accent is so beautiful and crisp.
The drama is long but your recap (read all!) is so assistive for me to anticipate the next episode. Really loving this drama
Thanks for the kind comment! So glad my recaps are helpful in helping others appreciate this drama series! 😊
Thank you for these amazing recaps! They didn’t deter me from watching the episodes at all because this drama has just been too good!!!!!!! I’m currently on episode 41 so I have a ways to go, but I have also thoroughly enjoyed reading these recaps as I go along! They actually make me more excited to watch the next episode! I just love how unassuming this drama seems at first, then you get sucked in by the brilliant writing, directing and acting!!! I can genuinely say that Gu Tingye has to be one of my favorite male lead characters so… Read more »
Hi Merle, thanks so much for the comment! Glad to hear you are enjoying these recaps! ^^ I can’t help but nod my head because you have named the many, many reasons why The Story of Minglan is just that awesome! XD
What an amazing show! I’m so glad I stuck through with it even though the beginning was so slow and confusing! I loved how SMART the heroine was and she really reminded me of the heroines in Yanxi Palace and Legend of Concubine Shen and the hero of Nirvana in Fire. The end left some untied ends that I wanted to know more about. Like what really ended up happening to Molan and her husband? What punishment did the right hand woman of Evil Madam Gu get? Did Minglan and GTY really have another baby after this like some sites… Read more »
You’re very welcome! And you’re right, the series was pretty rushed at the end. Leaving viewers with some unanswered questions T_T
I just recently finished watching all of the episodes, I am a bit confused, are there some episodes that are being cut? Because I saw on the wikipedia page on the rating part that there are 78 episodes in total. And there is also a character that is not come out, Gu Tingye and Minglan’s second son, Gu Yuan. Can someone help explain?
Hi RFF, thanks for the comment! The Story of Minglan has 73 episodes in total NOT 78, not sure some sites show 78 episodes. The second son is probably mentioned in the light novel that this show is based off of. As the show only showcases the first son. Hope this helps!
I had the same question! Why do some sites mention a second son? Also, was the actor who played Noble Consort Liu’s son, the same as the one who played Gu Tingye’s first son? I still find it so hard to believe his first son died. How tragic.
Finally done! Congratulations. I’m with y’all I agree there needed to be one more episode to tie up loose ends. I agree that Minglan definitely needed to punish Tingye for putting her through all of that stress especially since she’d just had a baby. Though I do think it was funny fir Sheng Hong to be all disproving about how Tingye kept things from his pillow mate as if he hadn’t kept things from Wang Ruofou in the past. It was nice to see everyone together but it would have been better payoff if we had seen how they all… Read more »
Thank you, thank you! Wouldn’t have gotten this far without encouragement from you and Ela!
Sheng Hong was pretty funny in that moment. Of course, he doesn’t even tell everything to his pillow mate.
Did he expect others to do the same? Sigh.
Good luck with your school work! Once I finish the recaps, they will be around for you to read.
To help you decide whether or not to watch Romance of Tiger and Rose. XD
Well your site is totally bookmarked by me and has been added to my favorites. Lol.
I am the same as you, Krystal, I can’t bear too much angst and I am always waiting til the drama is finished, so I see the reactions to the ending :). I keep hearing good things about Tiger and Rose, I’ll wait til the subbing is finished and I am probably going to watch it. Gosh, I hope the female lead at least has some brains…sigh, Minglan set my standards for female characters way too high! Do you girls have accounts on MyDramaList by any chance, maybe we could recommend to each dramas there as well? … Read more »
Yes, Minglan sets the bar wayyyy up there XD
I do have an account on MyDramaList and here’s my current watchlist: https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/dramamlky
I update it from time to time ^^
I’m also considering opening up a forum/discussion thread, and would love to hear more suggestions here: https://www.dramamlky.com/forum-threads-or-discussion-thread/ Thanks in advance!
Cool, I sent you a friend request, my username on MDL is RouteVenus :).
Regarding the forums: I usually only write comments under specific shows or articles on MDL and otherwise I am not very active in the drama community, so I am not sure what the best approach would be…
But it would be very nice to have a place to discuss not just specific dramas but to exchange information on Chinese history, clothings, social norms etc. I love learning about the shows’ context! 🙂
Congratulations, MLKY_Coconut for finishing all recaps! Thank you for all your hard work and your insights! It’s difficult to say goodbye to this amazing series. The Story of Minglan was my first Chinese historical and after reading some very favourable reviews, my expectations were high. And this series still managed to surpass them! It’s rare to find such a satisfying Asian drama where every single minute is so enjoyable and worthwhile. Regarding the last episode, I agree that it was a bit rushed. Neatly executed and very satisfying, but I wouldn’t be mad if they added one more… Read more »
Thanks! I would have like one more episode or two to tie up other loose ends. We don’t get to see the endings for Madam Wang, Nanny Xiang and Sister Zhou who assisted Madam Gu in this complicated net. Who thought she weaved it so well. Yet she was strung along for the ride with Noble Consort Liu. Noble Consort Liu’s final struggle when she realizes that she’s going to be punished for being the main culprit was sad. At least her son is safe with the Empress Dowager. *Raises hand* I do feel like I… Read more »
Lol, yes, I can totally picture Gu Tingye doing that! He is very fortunate that Minglan doesn’t hold grudges… against people she loves ;). I just think we deserved some groveling, he put her through a lot quite unnecessarily. I guess the secret plan was just between him and the Emperor then? Maybe with prince Huan as well? Because General Shen didn’t seem to be aware of anything, at first at least, he seemed just as desperate as Minglan when she came to him for help….so I guess they only told him later too. I think it will be hard… Read more »
I’m waiting for Legend of Fei which has Zhao Liying in it. Portraying herself to be a female heroine. XD Can’t wait for that one at the end of the year!
In the meantime, I’m watching The Romance of Tiger and Rose for laughs. It’s pretty fun and makes fun of all the Chinese webnovels tropes and themes. I’ll be working on those recaps next!
Need a break on long series because there’s a lot to watch and recap ^^
Hope you find a good show to enjoy! I heard Boss & Me is good, but haven’t watched it.
You can watch General and I by Wallace Chung and Angelababy