Choice Husband Episode 16 Recap
> Choice Husband Recap
Shen Miao watched over an injured Pei Yanzhen, recalling how it had been three years since she last looked at him with such focused concern. She was jolted awake when he accidentally knocked over a candle holder. Pei Yanzhen tried to reassure her, but as he struggled to reach his painful wound, Shen Miao stepped in to help apply medicated wine, gently inquiring if he had exacerbated his injury.
Pei Yanzhen confessed that with her by his side, he felt no pain, emphasizing that without her, even a panacea would be useless. He then earnestly pleaded with her not to leave him again. When he expressed his feeling of having lost everything, Shen Miao firmly reminded him that he still had her and Xiao. Later, Pei Yanzhen met with Zhan Yue to review their covert operations.
Zhan Yue reported that Song Xiyuan had successfully infiltrated the Qin family, gained their trust, and had already traveled to the capital, poised to uncover incriminating evidence. The letter for the Emperor had been delivered, and the Emperor would feign ignorance before the Empress Dowager, allowing them to apprehend the Qin family once all their misdeeds were exposed.
Pei Yanzhen shared his findings from recent interactions with Qin Miuzhen, revealing the Qin family's vast ambition, profound malice, and even suspected plans for a mutiny. He stressed the perilous nature of their mission, stating that they faced a final, decisive battle against the Qin family, and if they failed, everyone, including himself and the Emperor, would face certain death.
Zhan Yue questioned if Pei Yanzhen's actions were worth the risk, suggesting he could have avoided this danger by marrying Qin Miuzhen. Pei Yanzhen then grimly stated that after everything was settled, the Shen family would face severe consequences or annihilation. Meanwhile, Song Xiyuan, blindfolded, was led to Qin Zuze's military training grounds. He feigned admiration for Qin Zuze, flattering the general on his rise to power through the Empress Dowager's patronage.
Qin Zuze, pleased by Song Xiyuan's praise, openly revealed his disdain for the current Emperor, whom he viewed as narrow-minded and solely concerned with the Qin family's growing influence. Qin Zuze confessed his intention to lead a mutiny, dismissing Pei Yanzhen as an insignificant scholar. He then invited Song Xiyuan to join his grand scheme, to which Song Xiyuan enthusiastically agreed, feigning loyalty to the general.
Back at Shen's Residence, Shen Miao searched for Pei Yanzhen, who had sent word that he needed to see her. She eventually found him behind a screen, performing a shadow puppet play. Pei Yanzhen expressed his happiness that she still kept the puppets he had carved for her, acknowledging that despite his promise to make her a new pair each year, four years had passed and their love had grown stronger through setbacks.
He asked if she remembered his promise, to which Shen Miao playfully countered by demanding eighty pairs of puppets to truly make up for lost time. Pei Yanzhen smiled, interpreting it as her wish to grow old with him. Later, he taught Xiao to write Shen Miao's name.
That evening, for the Qixi Festival, Pei Yanzhen had arranged a "hero saves the beauty" play in the courtyard, explaining it was to re-enact their first encounter and fill in the missing years. When Shen Miao quickly saw through the disguise of one of the "bandits," she found the play rather trite but cheerfully joined in. He then recited romantic poetry and later offered her an embroidered sachet.
As it grew late, Shen Miao, tired of the prolonged theatricals, suggested ending the night, but Pei Yanzhen insisted on one more scene: a classic "clandestine meeting over the wall" to replace her memory of meeting Song Xiyuan in such a manner. Shen Miao jokingly chided him for his reckless behavior given his weak health and lack of funds, but she ultimately embraced his romantic gestures.
Shortly after, Zhan Yue delivered Song Xiyuan's urgent letter from the Qin family to Pei Yanzhen. The letter confirmed Qin Zuze's audacious plot to assemble soldiers and force the Emperor's abdication. Pei Yanzhen surmised that Qin Zuze was operating without the Empress Dowager's knowledge and, to ensure legitimacy, would likely poison the Emperor under the pretext of "Eradicating the vile officials," thereby making Pei Yanzhen and the Shen family scapegoats.
He urgently instructed Zhan Yue to relay a message to Song Xiyuan: uncover the Qin family's full strategy and mobilize their contacts in the capital to protect the Emperor. Zhan Yue offered to accompany Pei Yanzhen to the capital for support, but Pei Yanzhen insisted on remaining in Lingzhou to consolidate his forces, primarily to ensure Shen Miao's safety from potential repercussions. In his haste, Pei Yanzhen momentarily forgot Shen Miao.
Meanwhile, Shen Miao had been searching everywhere for Pei Yanzhen, mobilizing servants and growing increasingly frustrated by his disappearance. Her anger dissolved, however, when she discovered him playing the zither, drawing her in with a familiar melody. Pei Yanzhen played "By the riverside, a pair of turtledoves are cooing; There is a maiden fair whom a young man is wooing." Still a little miffed, Shen Miao asked for a serious confession, wanting to see his true feelings.
In the capital, the Emperor was burdened by escalating military expenses. Song Xiyuan helped Qin Zuze transport weapons into the capital under the guise of a tea merchant caravan. Qin Zuze believed the Emperor was already poisoned and felt confident. Song Xiyuan advised Qin Zuze to obtain the Empress Dowager's decree under the pretext of protecting her, allowing two thousand elite soldiers to openly enter the palace. The Emperor drank a cup of tea, then suddenly collapsed, poisoned.
In his fading consciousness, he desperately called for Pei Yanzhen to be summoned to the capital. However, Du Xi, a confidant of the Qin family, seized the opportunity. When the imperial physicians declared the Emperor poisoned, Du Xi cunningly twisted the Emperor's dying words, suggesting that the Emperor had intended to name Pei Yanzhen as the perpetrator.
Qin Miuzhen further fueled the Empress Dowager's rage by reminding her of Pei Yanzhen's alleged lineage and ambition, painting him as a resentful schemer who had finally struck. Manipulated by fear for her son and hatred for Pei Yanzhen, the Empress Dowager was convinced. Qin Zuze then proposed that Pei Yanzhen be summoned to the palace, tortured for the antidote, and the Qin army be brought in to "guard the palace" against Pei Yanzhen's supposed rebellion.
Desperate to save her son and punish Pei Yanzhen, the Empress Dowager issued an edict authorizing Qin Zuze's troops to enter the palace. Pei Yanzhen led Shen Miao to an unmarked tombstone, revealing it belonged to a very important aunt who preferred to remain anonymous in death. He shared a poignant story about her sacrificing her life for his when he was a sickly child, a memory that solidified his disbelief in deities.
He then declared his love for Shen Miao, asking her to hold his hand and grow old with him, proposing marriage. Shen Miao, understanding the significance of this confession, vowed before the tombstone to care for Pei Yanzhen for the rest of her life, never abandoning him, just as his aunt had cared for him. Pei Yanzhen thanked her deeply. Later, as they walked, Pei Yanzhen asked Shen Miao about her rarely mentioned mother.
Shen Miao recounted how her mother, in her last year, often sat by the osmanthus trees, grieving for her late father, Master Lu. Shen Miao confessed that as a child, she was too restless to sit with her mother, often returning home after dark to find her still staring at the trees. She pondered if her mother knew something about the peculiar circumstances surrounding the Lu family's misfortunes.
Shen Miao also spoke of the scrimshaw deer necklace her mother had left her, explaining it symbolized her mother's eternal presence. She then entrusted the precious keepsake to Pei Yanzhen, stating she had already given herself to him, so there was nothing else she couldn't give.
Shen Miao then playfully demanded compensation for the expenses incurred in rescuing him from prison, even jokingly suggesting he could pay in installments, to which Pei Yanzhen humorously proposed waiving the dowry for their impending marriage since he was currently jobless. Meanwhile, Shen Qian met with Pei Yanzhen, revealing his long-held ambition, shared by Shen Miao's mother and maternal grandfather Master Lu, to open a trade route to the Western Regions.
Pei Yanzhen offered his connections at the Ministry of Rites to help secure the necessary permits. Overjoyed that the imperial court had unexpectedly approved the Shen family's request to trade with the Western Regions, Shen Qian announced his decision to personally lead the inaugural business venture, anticipating significant profits from silk and horse trading.
Recognizing that their wedding was imminent, Shen Qian formally bestowed upon Pei Yanzhen the official seal of the leader of the Shen family, a symbol of immense trust. He sternly warned Pei Yanzhen not to ever hurt Shen Miao's feelings, to which Pei Yanzhen pledged his unwavering devotion. Shen Qian entrusted the care of the Shen family and Shen Miao to Pei Yanzhen while he was away, also offering some playful, fatherly advice about self-control. The next day, Shen Qian was seen off by his family and household, embarking on his journey to the Western Regions.
