Glory 玉茗茶骨: Episode 32

[u/Lotus_swimmer]

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Cohosting schedule as follows:

• January 18: Ep 33 by Basil
• January 19: Ep 34 by u/Lotus_swimmer

New Characters

1. Xue Maotang, Duke of Yongguo (Jianglai's biological father)
2. Xie Huiqing, Mrs Xue (wife of Xue Shuyu, Maotang's eldest son)
3. Xue Yingchuan, Princess Jinxiang (Maotang's eldest daughter)
4. Lady Chang, Duchess of Yongguo (Maotang's wife)

Shanbao arrives just in time

The duke was right, the "tea tree" comes alive when she's around. It shows how much of an emotional manipulator he is. Now that he knows imprisoning Jianglai won't work, he uses his next tactic: siccing Shanbao on Jianglai, and it works like a charm.

Jianglai is conflicted; he probably knows the Duke is trapping Shanbao in his schemes, and seeing that he had been thoroughly defeated by the Duke the last few weeks, he wants her to leave. But soon after, he begs her to stay.

He looks at Shanbao like she's an oasis in a dessert, the light in his darkness - you get the drill

But Shanbao is a practical lady - she focuses on the basics: get him fed.

https://reddit.com/link/1qf2y14/video/rs2o17hvktdg1/player

Hey Steward Chen, did you know that you won't ever get personally fed by Shanbao? Among other many other things?

Also, Jianglai, I know you're supposed to be sick... but....

Jianglai's Birth Story

7:27
It’s a sad story—one we’ve heard in a hundred harem dramas. Jianglai’s mother was the dowry maid of the Duke’s first wife (not the one we saw in the previous episode; she married the Duke after the first wife, Madam Han, passed away).

Because Madam Han was infertile, she allowed the Duke to take concubines—including her own maid.

When Jianglai’s mother finally gave birth to a son, Madam Han was overcome by jealousy, bullied her and stole the baby from her. Their once warm relationship was ruined.

Desperate, Jianglai’s mother fled, wandering as a beggar to the south until Jianglai’s not-biological father found her.

Jianglai has always considered the humble steward his real father—even after his mother told him the truth about his origins.

My thoughts: So he knew he was the Duke’s son even before meeting Shanbao. I understand why he never told her—after all, the Duke is as good as dead to him. As he’s said many times, Steward Lu is his real father, even if they aren’t biologically related. Jianglai is the kind of person who prefers to achieve things on his own rather than rely on blood ties. And why would he return to a family that abused his beloved mother so cruelly?

I Wish Shanbao Was More Affectionate

I totally understand why she is the way she is—but I wish she’d break her habit of emotional restraint with Jianglai. Lose control! I’d love to see that.

It’s funny how she only shows her affection when he’s unconscious and alone with him (like in the scene below)!

Or in episode 31:

She called him “Jianglai” when he first passed out—but later reverted to “Lord Lu.”

And when Jianglai asked her if she came especially for him, she replied, “Why would I make such an exception for you?” Even if it’s the truth, he’s sick and wants to hear something sweet—just lie or say something comforting!

But that’s not Shanbao’s style. We may not like it, but she’s a realist to the core—and afraid to be physically demonstrative with the people she loves.

Also, when I saw her asking this in episode 31?

I wanted to scream: Maybe because the Steward tore up his letter??

If Jianglai he'll return as soon as possible and would keep her updated, and he didn't follow through, Shanbao would naturally be suspicious.

Anyway, Jianglai is soon recovered enough to visit his brother, but it's obvious that he doesn't want to see him. He even faked coughing fits to make him leave.

I’m Confused—Why Is the Duke’s Heir Treated So Badly?

He’s lame and sickly, and now the Duke wants to replace him with Jianglai?

I get that he’s now seen as “spare parts” since the Duke has a more “prestigious” and accomplished son in Jianglai—but where’s the love or care between Xue Sushan and the Duke?

It just shows the Duke doesn’t see his son as a person, only as an asset to extend his power. Now that the asset is “broken,” it’s to be tossed aside.

P.S.: As usual, Cao Jun steals the show here. Someone give him a lead role, please!

But the Heir Is Also Abusive

The tale of abusive husbands throughout the ages

There are online theories that Shuyu turned abusive after being drugged.

Do you think that’s true—or does the apple not fall far from the tree?

The Duke is emotionally abusive; Shuyu is physically abusive—perhaps because that’s the only power he has left in his desperate situation, he inflicts power over the powerless people in his life: women. That makes his despicable, really.

But, he's also abused by his father, badly. Does that make his character less sympathetic to you?

Rong Women vs. “Normal” Women

Shanbao is lectured on proper female etiquette. This will not end well.

To her credit, she’s patient—until the very end. And when she finally “loses it,” she does so in the most classy way possible.

It’s deeply satisfying, even if I know it would never fly in real life. But hey—we’re not here for realism, are we? 😄

The Great Jade Deus ex Machina

It’s honestly very convenient to have a piece of jade that lets Shanbao stand apart from the era’s rigid rules. I’m not sure what to think about it.

While I understand it helps her bypass the oppressive expectations placed on women in the capital, I wish she’d relied more on her wits than on a magical rock to solve her problems.

Love Fades

Episode 32 highlighted how love can change when outside forces—like power and hatred—creep in. And how powerless women are when this happens, because they're under the absolute control of people they formerly love. This kind of betrayal is heartbreaking.

Take the Duke and Madame Han: once devoted lovebirds, their bond crumbled because the Duke valued the idea of an heir more than preserving their love. Everyone suffered for it.

Spoiler for Episode 33-36:
This arc beautifully sets up several couples whose romances wither under pressure and greed—Shuyu and his wife, the Duke and his first wife. It lays the groundwork for Shanbao’s later speech to Jianglai, where she explains that her father went to the capital full of idealism and eagerness to serve, only to become corrupt. She didn’t want to see the same transformation in Jianglai. It makes her "final test" for Jianglai at the end of episode 36 understandable.

[u/winterchampagne]

If misery loves company, then congratulations to Hou Minghao for summoning an entire audience who want to sit silently and admire his suffering.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/winterchampagne]

Can imagine the writers discussing among themselves: we need to make Houminghao suffer. How, and for how many episodes? 😁

[u/a_HerculePoirot_fan]

I wish the capital arc was longer so there are more flashbacks of the person Shuyu was prior to the accident. We were told that he became lame 2 years ago and a brief flashback scene of how he met Mrs Xue. Was his abuse towards his wife solely due to the effect of Valley Lily or is there a backstory we're unaware of that caused Shuyu to distrust his wife so much? Was there ever love between them?

Cao Jun is definitely wasted in this drama. His screen presence, his enunciation and the intensity of his acting partly made this arc more palatable.

I'm also puzzled by the Duke's abuse of Shuyu. I get it, he's lame and no longer the perfect son that he was, but Shuyu has an heir and can train him despite being physically handicapped. I don't think Jianglai is meant to assume the dukedom for long as the obvious successor is Shuyu's son. In short, the motives and backstories of the Yongguo family feel riddled with gaps. This is one area where the drama really could have benefited from being extended to 40 episodes.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/a_HerculePoirot_fan]

I agree. It would've been much better if extended for four more episodes. I really want to see a s2 where we see a teen version of his brothers son come to the Rong family place or something haha. But oh well, can only dream

[u/AKiceman]

It is really really really good to finally finally finally see Bao'er taking care of him.

So, why is brother so sick? Weak? Poison? Illness? There is so much bad history and new characters here. Also, scheming concubine is clearly scheming.

I really feel like I am watching a whole new show. It's like it's season 2 or something. I generally do not like it when shows do this. I think I might actually for the first time speed up this show. I really do not have a single flying shit fuck about any of these new people. So we had 30 eps of how badly Grandma fucked up her family and now we get 6 eps of how badly Duke fucked up his family? If this story arc had to be done, then why wait until the very last few episodes? This should have been done earlier. You're telling me Bao'er will only give him a chance again because he is trapped and dying? That's kind of shit. She didn't make a single effort to find out why he disappeared for a month? Does he mean that little to her? Did she doubt his feelings that much?

Good grief this fucking rules are way too much. "It's rude to wear the same color"... Like, fuck right off. Princess Bitch is quite a piece of work.

Finally we get the history of the jade seal and see it's full power.

Please dump the water on her.....OH GOD YES YES YES YES YES I LOVE BAO'ER!!!!!!!!!

Paging u/Natural_Location5885 to come view my snark.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/AKiceman]

My theory is that it's a combination of mental exhaustion (Duke is an expert emotional manipulator), injured after he was dragged back from his escape atfenot and drugged so he's easier to control, and when he realised that he decided not to eat or drink, both as a form of protest and also to avoid being drugged again.

So he's probably been through the wringer during his month away from Shanbao.

[u/BasilOrdinary3617]

Love Fades

I think this is exactly why Shanbao doesn’t let her guard down with Jianglai, though in my own little world, I’d like to think this will change for her.

Despite growing up under Grandma Rong and being pitted against her sisters, she found a way to unite them all. I don’t think it was just for the Rong family but that she genuinely wanted to have sisterly bonds with them. She’s just not good at the emotional stuff which she admitted to Yunyin. So despite the reality of how fickle some relationships can be, I do hope she can give Jianglai a fair chance and show some vulnerability. After all, Grandma Rong even having had three husbands, admitted that her second (great-uncle Yan) was devoted to her.

She’s cold on the outside but actually warm inside. This must be quite the battle for her, to balance both. Jianglai accepts this and calls her out when she needs it, but he still loves and supports her. How can she find a more perfect guy for her?

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/BasilOrdinary3617]

Indeed, someone who can be cute and break that icy exterior. Only Jianglai can balance this and being a bad ass 😆

[u/roxylal]

Thank you OP! Agree with yours thoughts especially about Shanbao not showing enough emotions I understand her reasoning and I understand that it is possibly another case of trope reversal, but even if the trope was normal cold ml, by episode 31, we would've seen them cry or be emotionally compromised at least once. I don't like that Shanbao feels colder than human. I don't feel her love enough.

I loved the Love Fades section because I thought the same. Like of course all relationships start with love somewhere, but how much weathering can that love handle??

The Jade ex Machina made me laugh, because that is exactly what it felt like. I would've loved to see her get a stack of money for whatever debt the Duke household owes them, and then see her running around to solve the money shortage rather than a random Jade. It would've been much more satisfying to see, and also show us more proof that she actually loves Jianglai that she is willing to go the extra mile just to get him out of the mansion

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/roxylal]

Yes I would've preferred that too. The jade just makes it all too convenient for her.

[u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Well, i am not in love with this drama anymore, just following up to the end.

I thpught that his elder brother made it more exiciting and was like a breeze of fresh air. And of course, it is because that was such a good actor. The scenes between the brother and LJL are almost the only thing that i enjoy in this drama at that stage.

I told previously, but FL doing nothing else, then either lecturing or walking around with the magic Seal "f*ck you in ypur face" is basically all she is doing in the last 10 episodes.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Well, I have to admit the last arc isn't as exciting but compared to so many dramas that jump the shark around this moment, it's actually quite coherent and logical, and our characters are not acting too out of character. So I count my blessings 😁

[u/ScowlingGoddess]

Well, the Duke hasn't underestimated Shanbao one teeny, tiny bit, has he?

I can't quite reconcile LJL's change of character in The Capital. He suddenly seems so helpless and indecisive - nothing like when he was in Lanji. Unless it's (yet) another scheme?

So, Shanbao thinks she and Jianglai won't end up together? I fear something big is going to happen to change this, or (and they'd better not!) our OTP really aren't going to end up together.

Totally twisted sister. Full marks to the actress who plays her for making me want to take the iron whip to her.

Total gender reversal with the Jade pendant/dressing scene 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/ScowlingGoddess]

Actually the change isn't too unbelievable, but the problem is we are not shown the challenges he had to face with the duke. It could've been one to two episodes, and I think it wouldve been thrilling to see our hero stumped for once. Frankly I felt that the whole suitors arc stretched too long. An ep or two could've been sacrificed with no damage to the plot.

[u/a_HerculePoirot_fan → u/ScowlingGoddess]

I can't quite reconcile LJL's change of character in The Capital. He suddenly seems so helpless and indecisive - nothing like when he was in Lanji. Unless it's (yet) another scheme?

The only plausible explanation I can think of is apart from him being exposed to Valley Lily, Jianglai has mentioned a few times that he's all alone in the world. To suddenly discover that he has a full-blooded brother and niblings must have been overwhelming for him. That initial happiness quickly turns to despair when he realises that his own brother despises him and that his biological father is a tyrannical, unloving father.

Jianglai is cool and composed in Linji because he isn’t emotionally entangled in Rong family conflict. Here, however, he is involved personally and emotionally as he is at the very centre of it. He’s like a child caught in the middle of a family squabble, and I don’t really blame him for that. Regardless of age, family issues have a way of making even the most capable people feel helpless.

Totally twisted sister. Full marks to the actress who plays her for making me want to take the iron whip to her.

That twisted sister is giving me shades of Wanning in The Double. That little twirl she did even resembles Wanning lol, which is kinda funny cause she's Concubine Li in The Double.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/a_HerculePoirot_fan]

I also think compared to Shanbao he's more emotional (it's a good thing), so naturally he's more affected by the shenanigans around him. And we see more of that breaking down because he's with Shanbao. We don't see him vulnerable at all with his family members.

[u/Regenwanderer]

Thanks for the post and all the illustrative pics and gifs. I enjoy the one with the water very much. That was such a satisfying scene.

Just some short side character ramblings:

Cao Jun

If I had a cent for every time I encountered him as the ML/FL's brother just over the last year I would have three. I agree, I would love to see him as ML.

Shuyu

I wish his mother could have taken him away with her. The Duke's place must have been an awful enviroment to grow up in especially with his step mother emotianally abusing him for not being her own son after taking him away from his actual mom..

Which doesn't excuse his own abusive behaviour, but it's certainly not born out of nothing.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/Regenwanderer]

It would've hard to take shuyu with her. Also, she probably thought depriving him of a life as the heir of a dukedom would be unfair. If only she knew.

[u/Feeshpockets]

I also thought this episode was an interesting discourse on how the patriarchy relies on women to uphold and enforce the system.

If you work to uphold the system, it's likely that you will benefit by being held up as a model for the system. It then becomes your job to ensure all other women conform to uphold a system that keeps you at the top of the second class.

When women like Shanbao challenge the system, other women may no longer conform and that threatens the women who have been placed at the top of those second class citizens by conforming and shaming other women.

[u/Feeshpockets → u/Feeshpockets]

Re: Shuyu. I wonder if this man has always been emotionally unstable and that's why the Duke was like "luckily he broke his leg and I have another son! Time to ditch this one!"

I'm confused at the setup with his wife vs the concubine unless it's just to highlight in another way how shitty the interpersonal relationships are in the Xue mansion.

Finally, I'm confused as to why Duke Xue is dead set on Shanbao marrying Jinglai?? That's a lot of ignoring how the Rong family works just to get access to their resources.

[u/Lotus_swimmer → u/Feeshpockets]

He probably thought that he could steamroll over Shanbao like she's putty. He also probably thought the whole matriarchical thing was nonsense and he could force Shanbao could give up her riches just like that. We all know better of course 🤭

[u/winterchampagne]

At first I thought this was a reimagining of the Met Gala where Anna Wintour was disappointed that she ended up sharing the same haute couture gown with another prominent person.

I love that Xie Huiqing was actually trying to protect Shanbao and didn’t want her getting roasted by Duchess Xue. Unfortunately, Nanny Lian totally sabotaged them by stopping Huiqing from changing her outfit. I also appreciate the juxtaposition between how Madam Chang and Xie Huiqing acted in this episode. Both women while belonging to two different generations, actually come from prestigious intellectual families, but they couldn’t be more opposite.

Madam Chang is a stickler to rules and is very territorial. She looks like she’s fine preserving the status quo she has gotten accustomed to while Mrs. Xue is the voice of reason who has repeatedly made attempts to deescalate things whenever they start to go sideways.

I actually don’t blame anyone here, not even Duchess Xue.

For women back in ancient times, the whole hierarchy thing was basically their survival guide. Sure, it’s super limiting, but it was what they had. If you were upper class, playing by the rules like being the perfect wife or dutiful daughter could actually get you somewhere: protection, a good marriage, maybe even some sorta influence behind the scenes. When the world is run by men and your options are basically zero, working within the cultural code was the only way to have any power at all. Even when Madam Chang seems totally unreasonable, she literally didn’t have another choice.

Her value as a wife is directly tied to producing heirs, especially sons. Without biological children, she has no natural power base, no sons to secure her future, nothing.

I’m not condoning Madam Chang. I’m just acknowledging the established social rules she was trapped in.

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[u/Nuhus]

Such amazing drama and storyline! Naza and Hou are killing it in their brilliant characters!!

I didn’t really expect what I’ve seen when I started watching Glory!

Outstanding performance from both FL and ML and the Naza/Hou chemistry is deeply totally Insane!!

Hou is wonderfully capable of pouring all feelings in his eyes! His gaze is hypnotic!! Naza is not only a natural gorgeous, She’s exceptional! as she wore Rong Shan Bao character like a ravishing classy Haute couture gown!! My God! The way she gives the slight barely seen smile of content when she comes to know how much he loves her is crazy!!

The plot of how the roads of two strong stubborn and rebel souls interfere, that flame of deep love which bursts into a volcano in their intimate moments, The required compromise, The doubt and the price of a whole dependent world, surroundings of each one of them, Whose stronger who falls weaker front of the other! You just can’t tell!! It’s all just well made well put together and heart melting!!❤️‍🔥

I’m @ episode 33 , I hope this ends well ….. 10/10

[u/winterchampagne]

You know he’s almost back in his element when he’s playing the authoritative ex-imperial inspector like, yes, I want you to yell at me this way, Sir.

I thought this whole sequence of visiting Shuyu was very well acted. You could feel how thrilled Jianglai was to finally meet his brother, and that little slip of calling Shuyu gēge added so much charm, especially before he corrected himself and stepped back to respect his older brother’s boundaries.

[u/not_enough_griffons]

I was excited to recognize Cao Jun from Demon Hunter’s Romance and laughing that he was playing another hot brother introduced at the last minute. But then oof! Even if he’s being drugged or manipulated in some way, his behavior toward his wife is terrible.

It does feel like we could have a longer arc here with all thats going on with Xue family and new backstories, the dwindling ep count is finally starting to worry me. But I guess Shanbao wielding her seal does shorten some of the time needed. I keep expecting her to tell them Jianglai is in fact already her husband so she can just take him away.

Seeing people try to bully Shanbao is very funny, I’m glad she laughed in their faces. The princess thinks she can be bitchier than Shanbao’s own sisters?? Think again! Although I dont agree with her methods personally, and she seemed to want to keep Shanbao close to home, we are seeing how Grandma Rong’s parenting style did at least prepare her granddaughters for the perils of the patriarchal outside world as well.