Old Nine Gates 老九门 - Episode 12 (Recap)

SakiVI: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of Fabulous Fo Ye, it was the age of grouchy gravel-sellers, it was the epoch of old porcelain cups, it was the epoch of rare medicinal herbs... Dear Reader, welcome to A Tale of Two Pengs.
kakashi: One of the Pengs is super hawt whereas the other Peng has disgusting eating habits. Apart from that, so much money gets spent in this episode that I feel like crying. Still. And I watched this episode for the first time weeks ago.

Episode 12 - Lighting the Sky Lantern

Back to Our Miss being told there are two Pengs, and that the one outside makes more sense than the one inside. Sidebar: No, he blooming well doesn't! 
Nope, he doesn't. I would even go so far as to negate the existence of the one outside, but the drama isn't playing along with that. 
No, his words don't make sense. I refuse to accept that uncouth oaf has any words that make any sense!
Our Miss is amusingly amused, though.
She's a smart little cookie! Also, she's sampled the one inside, though only from the outside so far, and she clearly already likes the one on the inside from outside.
All right, this is too cute of her. She's actually giggling.
Maybe she's thinking about the inside of the one inside.
She tells the listening servants she will meet this new Peng herself. The servant wants to know if she shouldn't tell the Old Master, and our Miss just shushes her along.
Oh gawd no, no Daddy! Daddies don't understand what the outside means for the inside.
Peng is throwing a tantrum in some side hall and claiming Er Ye stole his invitation.
Well, he's right where he's right. 
The servants don't believe him. Too funny.
This is a bit like claiming "Hey, Luciano Pavarotti jumped into my train compartment and stole my car keys!" Nobody would believe that either.
Peng continues to rant, and then demands to see the person in charge.
Sidebar: why didn't he show up yesterday? A whole day, or at least half a day, passed in between train trip and Peng showing up here. Peng is a Procrastinator. And just for you, dear readers, I'm carefully minimizing Peng's close ups. We've seen enough of him as it is.
I think he got lost in between. Lost in C-drama logic. 
Back to our Miss and her crossdressing. She pretends to be the boss's nephew.
That trick is getting a bit old, but hey! Who am I to criticize.
She asks Peng about his story.
Peng claims his whip is his proof. Ew.
Oh. Which whip? Ah, that whip. 
Our Miss warns him to behave or he will have to pay for damages.
All whips must be kept out of sight at all times!
Peng then says a nephew can't make decisions and get Boss Yin! Ouch, that doesn't go down well with our Miss. What if dad sees Peng and says, yes, get married.
Well, she'd be ... whipped?
She instructs the head listening servant to keep him in the room.
Yes, him and his whips.
The auction continues.
Guess what this thing is? Three guesses, no peeking ahead, now!
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Incense burner from the Song Dynasty with double dragon handles! Bet you didn't guess that.
I totally didn't, Saki!
Fo Ye languidly observes. He couldn't care less.
Neither could Hendry.
Thank you for not showing any details of his face. 
And the yawning Qing Prince has a gorgeous ring.
If only he had more hair.
But the auction we are waiting for is starting! 
Of course, Ba Ye has to complain.
"The bells going ding-ding-dong-dong-ding-dang-qiang"???? Ahahahahaaaa. That's really high-level complaining, Ba Ye!
Fo Ye comments that the really big spending hasn't even happened, and Ba Ye is complaining. Ba Ye is amazed at how really rich people like Fo Ye just spend money so easily. 
Oh dear, such a sensitive topic with me. There was a very short moment in the last episode where Fo Ye closes his eyes when he realizes that ALL his possessions are going to be gone after this. Not more than that, a brief moment of despair, before he continues. Let me grief for you, Fo Ye. SO MUCH MONEY!
The Ba Ye jokes how it's not his money Fo Ye is spending.
Hahahaaaa NOT FUNNY, Ba Ye.
Next, they discuss whether Er Ye's heart will ache over so much money? Sidebar: probably not, since it's Fo Ye who is spending. Anyway, Fo Ye says Er Ye's heart only aches for his Madame. Jeez, even talking about Er Ye and Ya Tou is boring! And I still can't believe they're spending all this money based on a taxidermied deer legend. Sidebar again: I am aware "taxidermied" isn't a word, but I'm using it anyway. 
Well, actually, a few episodes later, we learn that Er Ye also gave ALL his possessions (you know, when Lu Idiot goes to raid the Hong Mansion and it's quasi empty). So, this is ALL of Fo Ye's and ALL of Er Ye's money that is being spent. OMFG. Sorry, Saki.
They consider the other balcony-sitters. Ba Ye thinks they are the competition for the medicines.
Fo Ye just smiles and says the second round will be interesting.
Define "interesting", darling.  
Gosh, he looks good.
The auctioneer starts the second round.
Surprise! It concerns our Miss and Peng's marriage and now everyone knows that! The Ye's are shocked.
Haha, no, this auction didn't come with smallprint. But she's really cute, Fo Ye, don't worry too much.
They hear that if Peng is able to bid successfully for one of the rare medicinal items up for auction, it will be his first betrothal gift to our Miss, who is called Xin Yue. Oupsies, boys. 
That's a pretty cool way of marrying away your daughter, Daddy. 
Ba Ye laughs and says that if they win, there'll be both medicine and a new sister-in-law!
It's a +1 bargain of the highest order! Cheer up, boy, cheer up!  
Fo Ye doesn't look too pleased.
Oh come ON, Fo Ye. Be a bit more humorous and chill or it won't work out between us two. 
Fo Ye is so annoyed at this turn of events, Ba Ye has to tell him, just kidding dude, though personally, I think Ba Ye liked the idea of a super-rich waifu for Fo Ye. Now, with increasing horror on his face, Fo Ye recalls the entire poem, which is about reuniting lovers, while Xin Yue admires him with a glint in her eye.
Hahahaaaaa, and you thought you were so clever when you saw that sign, Fo Ye. 
Ba Ye says no wonder Peng was so protective of the invitation. 
Hahahaaaaa ... 
However, Ba Ye thinks the hotel's owner was playing a prank on Peng.
Uhm, what "trap", Ba Ye? This woman is no trap. It just means "if you want my girl, spend a fortune". I like Daddy a bit more now.
I wonder if Peng was harassing Daddy for the engagement?  Anyway, not really important in the grand scheme of things because we have Fo Ye FoYever.
Fo Ye says he can't care about this right now, and that they should focus on what they came for.
I love the look of slight and increasing panic on our brave warriors face :D  
Back to the auction. So, there are three medicinal herbs up: daemonorops draco, carpesium and blue snake bile. All three require special storage and will only be handed over when the winning bidder leaves the hotel. Plus, it'll be blind bidding, so if you want one specific herb, you have to bid on them all.
Ohhhhh, exciting!
The competition only look slightly more interested than before. 
You know, I get the bad feeling that these people are just there to spoil the party for Fo Ye. EVIL! 
Two out of three are definitely there to spoil things for Fo Ye.  The Prince, not sure.  He just seems a bored rich type.
Ba Ye gets upset at the blind bidding. This spending of Fo Ye's entire fortune is really upsetting him as it is me. Don't even get me started!!!! But Fo Ye says there is no turning back.
Starting bid is 200,000(of what?). A LOT! The plebes in the gallery below discuss what these medicines are for, while Hendry plays with his abacus. No, really, he does.
But why? did you understand? Just to see how much money Fo Ye would end up paying?! Maybe I don't know because I don't know how to use one.
Neither do I, but people who are good at them can do amazing sums on them.  However, why Hendry needs an abacus when he should know his outside spending limit is beyond me.
The balcony people bid while the plebs read up on how the blue snake bile can make you immune to all poisons. Sure, I'll go with that.
When they press their buttons at the tables, the lights to the booths light up. It's cool. 
The plebes then discuss the carpeisum and the taxidermied deer.
Yes, thanks for the exposition, plebs.
Come on, people, don't you recognize a deer taxidermy legend gone wild? No pun intended, by the way. It just sort of happened.

Then the Japanese light their sky lantern.
What, what, what!! 
Xin Yue looks cutely concerned and Ba Ye rushes out from behind the balcony bead curtain.
He explains to Fo Ye that lighting the sky lantern means the lighter will get to buy the item at whatever its final bid.  
Oh, crikey. (Remember how confused we were at that part in The Lost Tomb? Let's just say I'm STILL confused)
So Ba Ye advises lighting their own sky lantern and having a bidding war.  
Oh dear. 
Ooh, how does a simple fortune teller know so much about auctions? Was he chatting up the twins?
He's an exposition friend. 
There's nothing else for it, decides, Fo Ye. They need all three boxes. Light up the lantern!
*crying*
That annoys the Japanese Chamber of Commerce mister. But no one cares about him. Xin Yue is thrilled! 
I'm not! *crying harder*
The auctioneer looks lovely.
She probably gets a 10% cut of it all. I'd look lovely too.
The Prince looks dashing.
Not really my style though.
I think he looks surprisingly well-suited to that awful Qing Dynasty half-do.
And Hendry looks sketchy.
Don't post pictures of him!!!! >.<
The bidding goes on, and Fo Ye wins because heck yeah, he's Fo Ye!
A much poorer Fo Ye. But hey, you've got a wife in the process, what a bargain!
Cut to the orginal Peng being given food and jazz and told to wait for the boss. He's so annoying, and his table manners so awful, I'm just posting a picture of the food he was given. A bit of the red trousers and the long shirt is enough of him.
Back to our second round's second round!
It turns into another bidding war with the Japanese mister.
The Prince's interest is piqued. And the Japanese mister hasn't learnt his lesson because he rushes to get the sky lantern lit. Ba Ye and Fo Ye wonder what he's about, and Fo Ye thinks once the Japanese get the medicine, then they'll use it to extort more than money.
Ah, I see. Is that the plan?
Light the sky lantern! 
Fo Ye: "A life is at stake, do we have alternatives?" *swoooons*
Ba Ye is uncomfortable, but now it's become a matter of noble idiocy for the sake of the nation, apparently. 1,2,3,4, Bidding War!
Ba Ye isn't the only one that's uncomfortable, dammit!
Naturally, Fo Ye wins (but at what cooooooost!), and the auctioneer congratulates him.
Xin Yue looks so pleased! As far as she is concerned, this is a public declaration of love for her.
Yes, how very moving. 
But Ruh-Roh! Oh noes! Fo Ye's funds have run out. He needs to get more cash stat.
O: MORE???
The Ye's discuss what to do. Fo Ye says he still has more things at home, but Ba Ye says you'll never get the garantee because you've already tapped out the four biggest finance companies in Changsha.
Do they want to spend the whole wealth of Changsha on this medicine / Yatou??!
Now it's for Nationalism.
Fo Ye says call Jiu Ye. Duh, I think you should have done this last night. While Ba Ye rushes off to call Jiu Ye, Fo Yerequests for a 30 minute break. That's all? 30 minutes? I'd have requested an hour. It's not the age of smartphones, you know.
I hope he isn't always in a rush like this. 
Here's Xin Yue's reaction to "Peng" being short on funds.
She's weighing "poor" against "incredibly good looking".
"Incredibly good-looking" is worth "poor".
Urgh, this Japanese mister decides to get snarky.
How dare he mock our Fo Ye!!! 
This would've been my reaction too.
Death-stare? Yes.
The Japanese mister says to Fo Ye to give up on the last case and protect his assets.
Just shut-up.
Fo Ye sneers at such caution. He wants the medicine, so he has to pay for it.
And if it costs the whole of Changsha, so be it! 
He teases the Japanese mister back saying you were slow and hesitant, so now you're venting your anger on me. Nice burn, and said so nicely too.
His fangirl, Xin Yue, and his now-fanboy, the Prince, are loving this. 
Oh wait. Is this a love triangle?!
Dummy Japanese mister decides to get more offensive. He says he just wanted to suggest Fo Ye go with the times, and basically give in to the Japanese. This starts to offend people, especially as he mocks the Chinese nature, implying they'll just lose anyway to the Japanese.
What an idiot. 
Look, they're raising their fists!

Fo Ye says don't think you know China just because you ate a few dishes here.
He also quoted some proverb, but I didn't understand it.
What's important is that Fo Ye won this verbal duel, and the people cheered him on. They're clapping! Also, the Prince flounces back to his seat.
"Courtesy demands reciprocity"? Does that not mean: if you insult me, I'll insult you back, you dickhead?
Oh, now I understand.
This flounce was magnificently done. Very Royal.
Cut to Jiu Ye's chess and tea house.
Jiu Ye complains that isn't it enough "these people" are carrying out their misdeeds in Changsha, but going to another territory and acting all courageous? Because he mentions both misdeeds and being courageous, I have no idea if he's talking about the Japanese or our Ye's. Anyway, Jiu Ye is rightly annoyed at having to spend his precious energy, and worst of all, his money! okay, ROFL now. 
I think he was speaking of our Ye's :) his rant was very funny.
Sorry, Jiu Ye, but Kakashi needs to see you more on screen. Please use your energy lots and lots in the upcoming episodes. Just for her, nudge nudge wink wink say no more!
Anyway, annoyed or not, Jiu Ye asks his second uncle how much money he has left.
Guess he's paying up.
Nine Gates Brotherhood. Respect.

Cut to Peng sniffing his food like a pig searching truffles. This is unpleasant, so let's have a picture of a corgi with ice cream instead.
I hope it's sugarless?
We get more of Peng stuffing his face and double-sniffing each mouthful. Thank you director-nim, we get it, he's uncouth.

Cut to the Twins accosting Ba Ye. They wonder if Fo Ye will make it. Sidebar: I like their jade rings and bracelets. If I was buying jade jewelry, I'd go for this colour. Anyway, Ba Ye's discomfort is priceless.
Awww, Ba Ye
Then the younger-looking one - I am right, right, that one looks a bit younger than the other? - shows Be Ye a jewelry box, beckons him close, and kiss pens his cheek! 
Totally, she looks younger. Also, this is quite heart-warming. They want to help Fo Ye! Nationalism, ahoi! 
Bwahahahaha! He's frantically wiping it off
Such a boy. 
- sidebar: rude - when they promise more if needed. That Japanese mister really got people's backs up.

Hendry is drunk-abacusing. He's in here because I really wanted to say abacusing.
This seems like the right place to admit I did not know that word before you used it in this recap.
TBH, I'm not sure it is a word.  This drama just inspires my creativity. 
The Prince looks elegant behind his screen.
And Ba Ye rushes to say one more company will be Fo Ye's guarantor.
But, despite the Japanese having lost two bids already, Ba Ye thinks there is not enough money to keep them from winning.
Yeah, cause them having lost twice means they still have all that money to bid on the third one!!
And aw, Ba Ye gives all his money too! He had trouble letting it go, though.
Awwwww.
Cut to Jiu Ye looking awesome. I'm going to put lots of his screenshots here as an antidote to Peng and Hendry.
I really appreciate this. 
He's sending a telegram to Jun Kunoshita of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce's Inspection Board.
Ohhhhhh! 
So glad he's connected! Also, proof Ba Ye and Fo Ye should've stayed in touch with Jiu Ye all along.

And the auction is starting again. 
But the problem is ... Fo Ye does not have enough money!!!!!
Ooh, guess what the Fo Ye Fanboy Prince sent over. Three guesses. No peeking ahead, now!
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A suitcase full of cash!
A Good Sasaeng saves Fo Ye! Bet you never thought that was coming. I definitely didn't. The Prince, like a true fan, sends the message that these are all just possessions, spend it and don't think too much about it.
I'll be damned. And hahahaaa, look at how gracefully Fo Ye accepts this.  
Oh, and he wants Fo Ye's number.
Kidding. He didn't say that. Yet.
Lol.

Fo Ye swishes out to the balcony and sees the Prince nod to him with a smile.
Like Twu Wuv! 
Moving on, Fo Ye throws the suitcase to the auctioneer, and says, "Light the Sky Lantern!"
No wonder he's got a royal fanboy.
Wow, his confidence is SO HOT.
Xin Yue is thrilled!
You can see the glint in her eye all the way from here.
And while the plebes enjoy their orange juice, the Japanese mister finds his supplies have not just been cut off, but that he will have to explain himself to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. Wow, Jiu Ye has deep connections - and should never be pushed to spend money!
Well, that makes me even SADDER that they spent all that money. Could they not have done this earlier??! Okay, fine, it would not have been half as exciting. 
Well, that's got to make the Japanese mister mad, pfft.
Yeah, good

Our Ye's discuss how Jiu Ye is behind stopping the Japanese flow of cash.
And Fo Ye presses the bidding buzzer three times in a row because he's got a sense of humour like that,
Yeah, cause what's another few millions!
while the Japanese mister grumbles at being foiled in his evil plan to hoard traditional Chinese medicine. Yep, Fo Ye wins the last item and Xin Yue claps in delight!
Everyone comes out to the floor to clap for Fo Ye!
Look, he's like a king! 
Long live King Fo Ye! 
Even the actual Prince thinks so! 
He's looking a bit too lusty for my taste.
Hahahaha, Hendry is foiled too!
Annoyingly the scene then cuts to this... He's eaten and drunk everything, so now he wants to create trouble. He goes to the door to find it locked.
Cut back to everyone cheering on Fo Ye! Happy day! Ba Ye tells him he received great recognition this time, though to be fair, it's as a Peng, not as a Zhang.
Doesn't matter, our hero is loving the attention. 😄
Dammit, does he not feel even a little bit sorry about ALL THAT MONEY?! 
And Fo Ye says to Ba Ye, we were going to just get one medicine, but now we have three rare medicines worth hoarding! Now they are thrilled! So cute. And for those who like this sort of thing, so bromancey.
Then Fo Ye looks up at Xin Yue.
Rawr! 
Then he just kind of shrugs and says, let's get Er Ye.
Oops, Fo Ye. You also bid on your engagement, didn't you realize that? Or do you consider that Peng's lookout? 
I think he realizes all too well .. He's flustered :D
But they can only take their purchases when they checkout.
Yeah, we already knew that because it was said before. 
Sidebar, what nice forehead Fo Ye has! 
Yes, I like his hair A LOT.
Anyway, Ba Ye panics, thinking their identity has been discovered, while Fo Ye says it's probably a genuine rule since the hotel is so old and successful. 
Come on, chill a bit, Ba Ye. With the twins, maybe?
The Ye's decide to stay where they are until the opera is over.
Everyone congratulates Fo Ye as Peng again. Look the fan boy Prince is so happy!
Fo Ye seems happier about his congratulations than Xin Yue's. That's more bromance for people who like that sort of thing.
Well, the Prince also gave a small fortune for this success!
But oh no, Peng comes crashing in! Here, have a picture of a corgi driving instead. We know he'd crash the car, so it's a good enough substitute. You get the crashing idea without the Peng.
No corgis were hurt in the taking of this photo.
The original Peng smashes the Twins's table with his revolting whip. That jerk!
Again, notice no closeups. We have to suffer Peng enough as it is.
Oups, sorry Saki. I made a gif.
It's all right. 
Xin Yue rushes to her balcony railing, as does the Japanese mister. Then he demands to see the fake Peng San Bian! Which the Japanese mister notes carefully.
Xin Yue demands why the hearing servants didn't lock Peng into the room, and they say they did, but look, he's not got any manners, and those doors were made of glass.
Oups.
Ba Ye squirms while Fo Ye stays cool and tells him to call Er Ye to the station.
If this is Fo Ye's "oh shit"-face, I want him to be in deep shit all the time.
The auctioneer is a total headmistress. She demands to know who dares to make a scene and who are you?
She looks like a Queen.
Fo Ye just looks coolly, with appropriate scorn at that Peng.
So cool, yet so hawt.
How Xin Yue's father could even think of marrying his daughter to Peng is beyond belief. I'm going to say Boss Yin is a jerk. Peng demands to see this imposter. Okay, it's getting hard to avoid all Peng pictures, but at least it's not a closeup.
See, no close ups. Aren't you relieved you're not re-living Peng?
The auctioneer says, impossible. Peng San Bian has already lit three sky lanterns and bought the expensive herbal medicine. Okay, I could not avoid a Peng close up, but the focus is on the auctioneer.
 
And what have you done lately, hmmm?
Well, he ate some food. So there's that.

He waves his whip as proof. Dude, you are not the only person who can use a whip. Fo Ye just stared him down. Fo Ye has chosen his cosplay and he's sticking to it!
He does not have that many other options, does he.
Xin Yue looks annoyed. Yes, me too.
Fo Ye says to Peng, dude I came here with an invitation, but you barged in here, I'm the real one. Oh yes, you are, Fo Ye, you are the real man here!
Okay, I know Fo Ye is lying about being Peng, but which Peng would you want, dear reader! Real or fake?

Peng blusters how Fo Ye stole his invitation card. That's because your men are badly trained and you are rather useless, Peng. I'm not showing your screenshot! Everyone, have some corgi butt instead.
Fo Ye says, nah, you failed to steal to steal MY invitation and I let you go. But here you are creating a commotion!
The Prince laughs at this. I like the Prince, so I'll leave his picture here.
Fabulous - in his own way.
Fo Ye says, I don't know what your purpose is in impersonating me, but I'm not letting you off today!
Yay, Fo Ye! And Fo Ye being awesome is worth a little Peng.
And Ba Ye rushes to Fo Ye's side calling him San Ye, ha!
Ba Ye says don't bother with trashy people or you'll lose your elegance.
I'm dying because the way Ba Ye rubs Fo Ye's coat down is so funny. And our Miss looks a little happier.
Fo Ye acts as if he is backing down, and says, okay, since it is a big day, I will let this go. But Peng, that blister, blusters on that he is our Miss's fiancé! Xin Yue rolls her eyes at this.
Man, Fo Ye and Ba Ye are acting their juicy asses off. I think I'd believe them!
Uh oh, the auctioneer exchanges a look with the Japanese mister.
Uhm, hello woman? I thought you were cool?!
She then says to Fo Ye that an invitation card may be stolen or duplicated, which would make his auction efforts invalid, and he would not be able to get the medicines.
Still minimizing Peng pics here, even if that means less auctioneer.
Fo Ye looks understandably exasperated.
Japanese mister snarks that he should take the medicines, then. 
I would like to see you try, you idiot.
But look who shows up! It's Xin Yue!
Fo Ye invites her to think of a way to decide the real Peng.
Finally, she's getting Fo Ye's attention! She's so pleased!

Peng protests that Xin Yue has never seen him before so how could she know who he is? Oh just go away you nuisance man! No screen shot for you! Everyone, corgi time.
And Peng claims he has a way to identify himself.
Oh no... I hope he won't show his whip!
Since he's a Northwesterner, Peng will speak a bit of nursery rhyme from that area, yawn.
Not the whip, SAVED! 
Of course this makes Fo Ye laugh because ridiculous.
In fact, everyone is laughing because Peng is ridiculous.
Fo Ye says insouciantly that he doesn't know the Northwest dialect since he is actually from the Northeast and only went Northwest to make money. Have some Northeast dialect?
Anything from Fo Ye's mouth.
True.
Peng snarls about Fo Ye saving himself with a fake story and says his whip skills will prove himself. Look, dude, you may have skills, but Fo Ye has Skillz. Plus, Fo Ye has a brain, so he plans for a blindfolded test.
Ba Ye brags about Fo Ye like a fight promoter.
So Fo Ye says insouciantly, clear some space, turn off the lights, and move people back for safety. I just love how smoothly Fo Ye speaks in contrast to Peng's bluster.
Our Miss is happy. She likes Fo Ye.
Oh yes. Don't we all.
Then she accosts Peng for the damage he did to the furniture when he came in whipping things.
Peng, again not showing his picture because we getting too much of him as it is, says, oh I'll make it up to you later, honey-poo, nudge nudge wink wink and gag gag for us. Here is Xin Yue's totally legit reaction.
Fo Ye doesn't look too amused either. Even if he's not feeling a bit of jealousy, he's got taste, and no one with taste could like Peng hitting on a cute girl like that.
Our Miss directs the room cleared. Then she settles down to watch the show.
Ba Ye gives a knowing look to Fo Ye as he passes the blindfold - with pin-made holes for the eyes, hee! Fo Ye gives a knowing look back
Hahaha, Peng will be totally blindfolded while Fo Ye will see him!
Oh you rebels, you are cheating?! 
The Pengs circle each other.
Omo, Fo Ye!
Ha, Ba Ye decides to shout to mask Fo Ye's footsteps! Xin Yue joins him. I don't think anyone wants original Peng to win.
Well, at least not anyone who has realized who the "real" Peng is!

Comments

I think they all know Fo Ye isn't really Peng, but he's there, he's defending China and our Miss, and everyone, barring the villains, loves him. The Princely Fanboy was especially amusing. And what an amazing experience! Imagine going to an exclusive auction and being treated to some drama like this. I would love it and write a whole fan account ... Oh wait, I just did. 

Well! I don't think many people care about the Peng's identities but a handful of people, foremost our Miss, I am guessing. She probably realized what's going on a while ago - though she must be puzzled about Fo Ye's reasons for stealing the invite. The Fanboy Prince is indeed a great character - and we must be grateful he saved the day, I mean Yatou's medicine! What I really, really hated about this episode is the money that was spent. I don't even want to know any details. Mind boggling. For weird herbs. Imagine! And then, they tell us our Sexy 9th Gate could have made it stop right at the beginning?! It makes it even harder to bear! 
I suppose the Gates like to be as independent as possible.

Ohhhh, and Fo Ye getting himself a wife. I guess he does not want to accept that condition and I guess he does not have to, seeing how he never agreed to this bargain. But he cannot really come out and say he is not Peng, can he. Kind of tricky, Fo Ye. I'd go with the wife. 
In a sense, Fo Ye did accept that condition, though, when he made the contract via auction.  He was warned right from the beginning of the auction for the herbs. He could've said, nah, I'll just steal them from whoever wins them.  Admittedly, that would've added more complications, but it would've got him out of getting married.  But, perhaps he thought that as fake, he wasn't liable for anything except payment.