The Glory drama drew us into the intriguing revenge story of Zhuang Han Yan, as I wrote on The Glory drama review post. It filled with twists that kept us guessing at every turn. Some of you might’ve found it hard to wait for the truth behind the secret life of the Zhuangs to unfold. But fret not. Here’s the ending explained of The Glory. Hope it brings some clarity to you, dear readers. Happy reading!
The Glory Ending Explained
What Happened with Fu Yun Xi and Zhuang Han Yan on The Glory Ending?
For years, Zhuang Shi Yang had been using Zhuang Han Yan’s name to issue usurious loans. His name never appeared. But Zhuang Han Yan’s name was on every IOU circulating through the small villages of Danzhou.
It turned out that Pei Da Fu’s stolen treasure had been handed over to Zhuang Shi Yang, who laundered it through the Danzhou Chamber of Commerce and converted it into silver notes. Using those notes, he issued loans in Zhuang Han Yan’s name, keeping his own reputation clean while profiting from poor farmers.
Zhuang Han Yan’s anger ignited the moment she realized she’d been used as a scapegoat. And even worse, she wasn’t the only target. Fu Yun Xi had also fallen into Zhuang Shi Yang’s trap.
Fu Yun Xi was arrested by Mr. Yan, but forensic evidence proved that none of the fingerprints on the IOUs belonged to Zhuang Han Yan. Mr. Yan wanted to help Fu Yun Xi, but neither he nor Fu Yun Xi had any solid proof.
That’s when Zhuang Han Yan revealed the truth: Fu Yun Xi was never Pei Da Fu’s adopted son. He was a spy, planted by former chief minister Weng Ming Chang to investigate Pei Da Fu’s crimes.
Determined to save him, Zhuang Han Yan sought help to visit Fu Yun Xi, who had resigned himself to death. Only her closest friends willing to help.
Inside the prison, Fu Yun Xi finally confessed. He had been poisoned for years with the same poison that killed Zhuang Yu Qin. Knowing he wouldn’t live long, he began searching for someone who could protect his daughter and family. He found that person in Zhuang Han Yan. But over time, he began to fell in love with her.
Hope arrived when Weng Ming Chang’s widow handed Zhuang Han Yan a secret letter she had kept hidden for years. Mrs. Wen didn’t know who the recipient should be, so she keep it for herself until she learned about Fu Yun Xi’s case.
Zhuang Han Yan took the letter and found out that the original investigation report was written inside an old memorial for the emperor. After much difficulty, she finally managed to bring the memorial to the emperor and as the result Fu Yun Xi was free from the prison.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Shi Yang, who was nervous and cornered, tried to negotiate with Fu Yun Xi. Though Fu Yun Xi appeared to accept his offer of an antidote, he had no intention of trusting him father-in-law. Instead, he devised his own plan to expose both Zhuang Shi Yang and his powerful ally, Duke Qi.
When Duke Qi ordered an assassination attempt on Fu Yun Xi, the trap was already set. Imperial guards witnessed the attack, proving to the Emperor that Duke Qi and Zhuang Shi Yang were conspiring.
Simultaneously, Zhuang Han Yan and Fu Ling Zhi were ambushed while searching for Fu Yun Xi, but his personal guards arrived just in time. With Fu Ling Zhi safe, Zhuang Han Yan returned to the capital on her own, only to face another ambush. Luckily, Zhuang Yu Shan appeared. She helped Zhuang Han Yan and taking her to the palace.
At the palace gates, Zhou Ru Yin was waiting with a message for Zhuang Han Yan: Fu Yun Xi had received an imperial edict and left the palace. She should return home and wait for the result. Earlier, Fu Yun Xi had already reported everything; the case of the Ruan family, Zhuang Han Liang, Noble Consort Miao, and the real adopted son of Pei Da Fu to the Emperor.
Zhou Ru Yin had come with him as a witness against Zhuang Shi Yang. After leaving the palace, Zhuang Han Yan rode off on Zhuang Yu Shan’s horse.
Back at the palace, Zhou Ru Yin and Zhuang Yu Shan shared an awkward silence. Both carried guilt in their heart. Zhou Ru Yin for ruining her daughter’s happiness, and Zhuang Yu Shan for what had happened in the courtroom. After an emotional apology, the mother and daughter reconciled.
During the arrest of Zhuang Shi Yang, Zhuang Han Yan overheard when her father told Fu Yun Xi he wouldn’t live much longer. Zhuang Han Yan was angry because Fu Yun Xi lied to her once again.
In the midst of the rage, Zhuang Han Yan declared that his life or death no longer concerned her—but deep down, she was in pain. Then Fu Yun Xi came to her. He apologized and told her that only after meeting her did he truly understand the value of love and life.
The Emperor, knowing Fu Yun Xi had been poisoned, granted him permission to extract the antidote from Zhuang Shi Yang, by any means. But Zhuang Shi Yang refused to talk. So Zhuang Han Yan and Fu Yun Xi devised another plan.
Zhuang Han Yan visited Zhuang Shi Yang and showed him Fu Yan Xi’s badge. She demanded he save Fu Yun Xi’s life, and in exchange, he asked to be freed. During their escape, Zhuang Shi Yang stole a knife.
Zhuang Han Yan brought her father to Pei Da Fu’s house, convincing him to hide in the capital until the Court of Judicial Review believed he’d escaped.
Through a hidden tunnel beneath the house, Zhuang Shi Yang could return unnoticed to the Zhuang mansion. Inside that tunnel, Zhuang Han Yan forced him to write the poison formula. He resisted until she drew a gun. Much to his surprise, Zhuang Shi Yang recognize it as his. Zhuang Shi Yang had no choice but to comply. She walked away with the formula in hand. But before they could celebrate, Fu Yun Xi coughing blood and collapsed.
Fu Yun Xi remained unconscious for days. Zhuang Han Yan personally prepared his medicine, and the entire household waited anxiously. Eventually, he awoke and walked out to find her still at work on his medicines. Overcome with emotion, they embraced.
Zhuang Han Yan kept her word. She led her father out of hiding and prepared a table of food. But he didn’t dare touch it, fearing it was poisoned. She calmly listed his past crime, and he grew increasingly uneasy. As she left, Zhuang Han Yan told Zhuang Shi Yang that while she might let him go, others might not.
Later, at a pavilion, Zhuang Han Yan met Zhou Ru Yin. She remarked that she couldn’t have come away from this with nothing. Stunned, Zhou Ru Yin then took out a knife from a box. That day, Zhuang Shi Yang met his end, at the hands of his wife.
The imperial physician Tan delivered grim news: Fu Yun Xi’s body had been ravaged by poison for too long. There was nothing more they could do. Fu Yun Xi, however, remained calm. He told Zhuang Han Yan that with what little time they had left, they should treasure every moment.
Zhou Ru Yin sent a death notice to the Fu mansion, claiming Zhuang Shi Yang had committed suicide out of guilt. The case of Ruan Yu Wen was finally closed, and Zhuang Han Yan finally avenged her mother’s death. Zhuang Han Yan and Fu Yun Xi spent their remaining days in peace.
At the end, nn New Year’s Eve, Zhuang Han Yan celebrated it with her family. Two groups were present. Those still living, and those already gone. Among the latter stood Fu Yun Xi.
What Happened to Zhuang Shi Yang on The Glory Ending?
Zhuang Shi Yang soon learned that Fu Yun Xi had successfully proven he was not a traitor, but a spy planted within Pei Da Fu’s faction. While this cleared Fu Yun Xi’s name, it also placed Zhuang Shi Yang in jeopardy.
If the Emperor discovered that Fu Yun Xi was truly Pei Da Fu’s adopted son, it could expose Zhuang Shi Yang’s own secrets. In exchange for the antidote, he demanded that Fu Yun Xi confess to being both the spy AND the adopted son.
It was a plot Zhuang Shi Yang has arranged to protect himself. What he didn’t know was that Fu Yun Xi had already set a trap to bring him down, along with his last ally, Duke Qi.
Duke Qi’s attempt to assassinate Fu Yun Xi and Zhuang Han Yan failed. Sensing the chaos was near, Zhuang Shi Yang paced restlessly in his residence. That night, Duke Qi was arrested and brought before the Court of Judicial Review.
Shortly after, Zhuang Shi Yang was also taken into custody. Even during his arrest, Zhuang Shi Yang tried to negotiate his freedom by bringing up Fu Yun Xi’s life. But Fu Yun Xi remained unmoved.
In prison, Zhuang Shi Yang was subjected to relentless torture by Fu Yun Xi, yet he continued to deny all charges and his collusion with Pei Da Fu. He was stalling for time, fully aware that Fu Yun Xi’s condition was deteriorating. No matter how brutal the methods, Zhuang Shi Yang kept screaming his innocence.
Aaahhhh… I couldn’t take it anymore. This man was a lunatic! 🤬
Zhuang Shi Yang valued his life too much to trust anyone, not even his own daughter. When Zhuang Han Yan came to free him from the prison, he stealthily stole a torture knife.
Zhuang Han Yan led him to a secret tunnel beneath Pei Da Fu’s house, a hidden passageway to the Zhuang mansion. At first, Zhuang Shi Yang resisted, but she convinced him that no one, not even Fu Yun Xi, would suspect he had returned home. Eventually, he agreed to go.
They walked until reaching a locked iron gate. Zhuang Shi Yang tried to force it open to no avail. Zhuang Han Yan told him not to bother. She needed the poison formula and insisted he remain in the tunnel until Fu Yun Xi’s condition improved. Enraged, Zhuang Shi Yang demanded that she swear an oath.
So Zhuang Han Yan he solemnly promised that if he gave her the formula, she would set him free. Otherwise, she swore, Fu Yun Xi would suffer endlessly in the afterlife. Only then did Zhuang Shi Yang seem satisfied.
But did he hand over the formula? Of course not. Instead, he planned to stab his daughter and escape. As Shu Hong opened the gate for Zhuang Han Yan, he lunged with the knife. He froze when he saw a gun aimed at his forehead. Zhuang Han Yan left the tunnel, formula in hand.
But did he write the formula? Absolutely NOT! Zhuang Shi Yang planned to stab his daughter and runaway. When Shu Hong opened the gate for Zhuang Han Yan, he lunged with the knife on his hand. Only after Zhuang Shi Yang saw a gun pointed at his forehead, he stopped. Zhuang Han Yan left the tunnel with a formula on her hand.
After Fu Yun Xi’s condition improved, Zhuang Han Yan returned to release her father. He emerged dishevelled and pale. She had prepared a table of food for him, but he was too paranoid to eat. Only after she drank the wine herself did he sip from the same jug.
Curious, Zhuang Han Yan asked if he had ever loved anyone more than himself. Zhuang Shi Yang admitted that he once loved Ruan Xi Wen deeply, so much so that he wept when she died. Yet, he confessed, it was by his own hand that she met her demise. He said Zhuang Han Yan should understand what it means to be helpless.
Ever since Pei Da Fu discovered Zhuang Han Liang, he had been pushed by fate down on a dark path.
Zhuang Han Yan didn’t buy it. She said that had she been in his place, she too would’ve chosen to eliminate Zhuang Han Liang to protect the family. But she would admitted her crime. Unlike him, she wouldn’t wear a mask of righteousness while sacrificing the innocent for survival. That, she said, was the difference between them.
Then Zhuang Han Yan walked away and locked every gate of the Zhuang mansion. Zhuang Shi Yang pounded on his mother’s door, but Old Madam Wei refused to open. He ran, only to find Zhou Ru Yin holding a knife. He fled again, this time he met Zhuang Yu Shan. But she also turned him away.
Zhuang Shi Yang cornered in the ancestral hall. Zhou Ru Yin released all her long-held grievances. Zhuang Shi Yang dodged the knife at first, but she chased him back into the tunnel. There, hallucinations took over.
He saw Ruan Xi Wen, Yu Wen Chang An, and all the people he had killed, each pointing a blade at him. Terrified, he stumbled through the tunnel. Moments later, screams echoed from the darkness. Zhou Ru Yin emerged into the light, her face splattered with blood. But she was smiling.
On the ending, Zhou Ru Yin continued to live at the Zhuang mansion with Old Madam Wei and her daughter, Zhuang Yu Shan.
My Musing
Errrr… My Rants
I have to say, it was a bit much seeing Fu Yun Xi suddenly up and walking around the moment he woke from unconsciousness on The Glory ending. Weren’t his legs supposed to be too weak to stand? And let’s not forget, he hadn’t eaten a thing! Then there’s his rosy face… really? Wasn’t he supposed to be on the brink of death? The recovery felt way too convenient and kind of broke the tension.
And that final line from Fu Ling Zhi about a noble lady. It didn’t feel right for me. That little girl is adorable, yes, but those heavy lines didn’t match her age or her acting. It felt forced and a little out of place.
Now let’s talk about that ending. Ooohh… where do I even begin? When exactly did Fu Yun Xi die? Was it before the New Year celebration, or was he barely hanging on at the time? And if he wasn’t dead, why was he standing off to the left in that final scene? Why not the center?
I had so many questions swirling around my head after the last episode ended. I’m sure if you’ve watched it too, you were probably just as confused. Bu I hope this The Glory ending explained helps you a little bit.
Anyway, let’s just blame it on drama logic and move on to the next show. What drama do you think I should review next? Demon Hunter’s Romance, maybe? Just stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by dear readers. Feel free to share your thoughts on the drama in the comments. Until next time, goodbye!
