Choice Husband Episode 8 Recap
> Choice Husband Recap
Ninth Princess's scheme went awry when, due to her wearing clothes identical to Shen Miao's, and Song Xiyuan wearing white clothes identical to Pei Yanzhen's, they were both mistaken and led into a room. There, Shen Miao and Song Xiyuan were both drugged and found lying on the bed in disarray.
Ninth Princess had instructed her maid to tell the guards to throw her into a room, close the door, and wait for the aphrodisiac smoke to take effect, planning for the maid to then burst in, pretending to look for her. This would lead to her being found disheveled and shedding tears before Pei Yanzhen, forcing him to marry her. Her maid confirmed the orders were sent and urged her to hurry as Official Pei was already in the room.
However, when Ninth Princess arrived, she was surprised to find Pei Yanzhen there, asking why he wasn't locked in as per the plan. Ninth Princess inadvertently revealed the truth of the mix-up, and Pei Yanzhen, realizing what had happened, immediately broke into the room. Seeing the two on the bed, Pei Yanzhen suppressed his anger, ordered all unrelated personnel to leave, and then had Song Xiyuan propped up.
He instructed Constable Zhao to fetch a bowl of water and splash it on Song Xiyuan to wake him. Shen Miao also woke soon after, complaining of a headache and difficulty walking, saying she had fallen. She clearly rejected Pei Yanzhen's concern, telling Song Xiyuan they should go home and instructing her servant, Tie Niu, to prepare the carriage.
Pei Yanzhen tried to tell her he would handle the matter with the princess and attempted to explain his true feelings from their encounter at Shenyuan. However, Shen Miao retorted that he and Ninth Princess were getting married and she would expect an invitation to their reception, dismissing him to go to the princess. Song Xiyuan then stepped in, stating his "wife" had suffered enough and he would visit the yamen tomorrow if Pei Yanzhen had further matters to discuss.
He then helped the limping Shen Miao leave the bamboo pavilion. Back at the Song residence, Shen Miao locked herself in her room. Lvying expressed worry about her not eating. Song Xiyuan dismissed Lvying and picked the lock to Shen Miao's room with a hairpin. He found her drunk on the floor, clutching a shadow puppet and murmuring Pei Yanzhen's name.
Song Xiyuan carried her to bed, feeling pity for her, and after all, having fallen for Shen Miao, that night he slept beside her. The next morning, Shen Miao discovered him in her bed and promptly threw him and his clothes out of her room, shouting for him to get out. Servants who had gathered to watch scattered as Song Xiyuan turned around. Two months later, Shen Miao's leg injury had fully recovered.
She noted how peaceful life had been without the "nosy peacock" (Song Xiyuan) constantly bothering her. Ninth Princess arrived at the Song residence, bringing valuable gifts, and expressed her sincere apologies to Shen Miao for causing her injury due to a misunderstanding. She then casually revealed that Pei Yanzhen had gone to the capital to propose marriage to her, and the Emperor had already agreed to their union. She asked Shen Miao if she still coveted Pei Yanzhen's love.
Shen Miao denied it, accepting the gifts and stating she would attend the wedding reception. Song Xiyuan chimed in, referring to Pei Yanzhen as his uncle and also wishing them well. Shortly after Ninth Princess left, Shen Miao suddenly felt nauseous. A physician was called and, after examining her, announced that Shen Miao was four months pregnant, congratulating Song Xiyuan. Shen Miao was enraged and threw everyone out, including Song Xiyuan and the physician.
She accused Song Xiyuan of breaking their agreement not to enter her bedchamber and angrily dismissed his attempts to apologize and calm her down for the baby's sake. The physician insisted she was indeed four months pregnant, which led a servant to point out that she had only been married for two months. Shen Miao called the physician a fraud and ordered him to be thrown out of Lingzhou City.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Pei Yanzhen was kneeling in the rain, refusing to marry Ninth Princess. His aide, Zhan Yue, noted that this elaborate act of self-harm was overly convincing and nearly cost him his life, but it was successful in getting his engagement to Ninth Princess canceled and diverting attention from the palace. Pei Yanzhen affirmed his intention to openly pursue Shen Miao again.
Zhan Yue expressed concern about Song Xiyuan's cunning nature and suggested that Shen Miao and Song Xiyuan might have a child soon. Pei Yanzhen then revealed he had promised the Emperor that he would help him regain power from the Empress Dowager within three years. Zhan Yue warned him about the formidable power of the Qin family and the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor, upset that Pei Yanzhen had seemingly abandoned their shared ambitions for a woman, worried about the Empress Dowager potentially questioning Pei Yanzhen's background and killing him. Pei Yanzhen, however, reassured the Emperor of his unwavering loyalty, promising to return to the capital through his own strength, not through the princess's protection. Convinced by his sincerity, the Emperor agreed to protect him once more.
Upon hearing Pei Yanzhen's words, the Empress Dowager perceived him as ambitious and aiming to estrange her and her son. She vowed to send him a "great gift" for daring to enter the capital alone. Soon after, while Pei Yanzhen was suffering from a cold, he was attacked by assassins sent by the Empress Dowager. Zhan Yue arrived in time to save him, but Pei Yanzhen sustained a shoulder injury.
He instructed Zhan Yue to eliminate all assassins to prevent the Empress Dowager from discovering his martial art skills. He also sent a message to Constable Zhao in Lingzhou City, telling him to stand by. Back in Lingzhou City, Song Xiyuan had gathered all the gynecologists in the city, who unanimously declared Shen Miao two months pregnant. He was overjoyed and rewarded them handsomely. Shen Miao, however, was distraught and asked Song Xiyuan for a divorce.
She explained that she initially agreed to a fake marriage for mutual benefit, to avoid the Emperor's intention to marry her, but did not anticipate the current complications. She believed a divorce was necessary for the child, stating it was better for the child to face societal criticism than grow up in a loveless home. She assured him she would uphold her business agreement with him regarding Jiangnan.
Song Xiyuan pleaded with her, asking if she had not experienced any happiness with him and if she could not see his genuine affection. Just then, Pei Yanzhen arrived at the Song residence, bringing Physician Wei, a renowned gynecologist from Huichun Apothecary. He announced his intention to oversee a new examination for Shen Miao to ascertain the truth about her pregnancy.
Song Xiyuan objected, and a heated argument erupted between the doctors hired by Song Xiyuan (claiming two months pregnant) and the initial physician (claiming four months pregnant). Annoyed by the commotion, Shen Miao, along with Lvying, emerged. Desiring to know the truth, Shen Miao agreed to let Physician Wei examine her, assuring him to ignore the chaos outside. After a prolonged examination, Physician Wei confirmed that Shen Miao was indeed four months pregnant.
A subtle smile played on Pei Yanzhen's lips as he prepared to take Shen Miao away, but Song Xiyuan vehemently refused, accusing Pei Yanzhen of foul play and preventing him from doing so.
