The First Jasmine (Mo Li): Ep 29 Recap - Calm Before the Storm
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 29: Han Mingxi tells his brother he's being an idiot; that Mo Jingli will kill him once he gains the throne. He thinks about what Ye Li said to him in prison.
Ye Li is explaining proper fish introduction to new water techniques (for that little fish they caught in the river):
Do this if you have a fish tank
This is a metaphor related to Ye Li feeling homesick. She talks about how the moon looked different from Li mountain. Mo Xiuyao says they'll visit in the winter.
Li Feibai finally works it out with his girlfriend.
tbh I don't care that much about them...
Qin Cang is rewarded for ratting everyone out (not that I blame him). He's going to be exiled instead of executed. The Marquis Muyang asks for his son Zhou Tianyang to be saved. Oh this is too good:
Aw, the marquis is all sad that his neglected and nearly murdered by him son betrayed him. How shocking! World's tiniest violin for him. Qin Cnag calls him a shitty father, which he was, and which the marquis of course denies. Qin Cang actually calls him father and kowtows before he leaves? That was not at all deserved! Die of shame.
Servants from the marquis's house give Qin Cang money and food. He tells Zhou Tianyang through the servant to return to his mother. Zhou Tianyang was actually watching and looks happy.
Ye Ying visits Ye Li and is super judgy about her house. It turns out she has a serious question: as Prince Li has no heir, his family wants her to adopt a kid to raise under his name. I'm pretty sure this would mean she'd have to live as a widow forever. Ye Li tells her this is a bad plan, since the kid would be a political pawn and Ye Ying herself would be tied to an empty house.
Marry the cute fail assassin instead!
Qin Cang is being followed by Lin Tinglan on his way to exile. Aw, she's taking care of him
Secondary ship is sailing again?
She left him some of the same melons they received for helping that patient. Lin Tinglan doesn't plan to follow Qin Cang the whole way, as he deserves his punishment, but she does plan to go to the same area as him, in case they meet again.
Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao are listening to a storyteller. He's telling a story about a couple forced to divorce by his mother. The husband promises to return and get the lady back once he pacifies his mom. Mo Xiuyao doesn't think the couple has a chance of getting back together, but Ye Li does. Mo Xiuyao says since everything has calmed down and they are together, she should send Qingshuang (Hallucination Maid) home.
She agrees. (I think her hallucinations do need plausibility, like the reason she couldn't fight in jail was that she was told her master went back to the mountain. So she probably won't be able to hallucinate up her maid now.
The Marquis Muyang says he wants to see Mo Xiuyao, and then the case will be concluded. After talking about the story a bit more, Mo Xiuyao goes in the carriage to visit the marquis. Ye Li chases after him in the rain.
She asks him if they can go listen to the story again tomorrow. He promises.
The marquis starts telling Mo Xiuyao his life story, his audience is not impressed.
It looks like we get one episode per day (with heartbreak and crying huge puddle emojis) until the 28 when the fast track drops. As usual, if I manage to watch everything on the 28, I'll make fast track and normal release posts.
My predictions based on the promos (up to Ep 32): >!I don't know if they actually divorce, because everyone is still calling Ye Li "wangfei". She also has him address her grandfather as if they are still married. I think Ye Li leaves on her own because Mo Xiuyao is angry at her and returns to the mountain. Li Feibai tells him it's empty so he goes to visit and then figures out everyone is dead. Now that the marquis seems to be defeated, I'm guessing the Final Boss is Mo Jingli, our emo prince.!<
Posted Jun 22, 2026, 11:17 AM UTC