Court Lady Episode 8 Recap
> Court Lady Recap
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Fu Rou received a damaged embroidered item from Li Dianzhi and went to Consort Yan's palace. On the way, she noticed the embroidery was damaged. She tried to find an excuse to leave, but Consort Yan's attendants urged her inside. Fu Rou honestly confessed that the embroidery was damaged due to her oversight in checking it, and she promised to deliver a flawless replacement by tomorrow evening.
Consort Yan, impressed by Fu Rou's candor, forgave her and instead tasked her with embroidering a lotus screen, similar in size to the empress's peony screen. It was Li Dianzhi who had intentionally given Fu Rou the damaged item. She resented Fu Rou, who had unexpectedly taken the Division Chief position that Li Dianzhi believed was rightfully hers after Division Chief Wen's passing.
Li Dianzhi and Yuan Zhangzhi had initially celebrated their scheme, so they were surprised to see Fu Rou return unharmed. Fu Rou did not mention the damaged embroidery but instead asked for a missing account book that detailed money, equipment, fabrics, and thread requisitions. Li Dianzhi and Yuan Zhangzhi tried to deflect, citing "old rules" where only a summary was provided to the Division Chief.
However, Fu Rou mentioned consulting Court Lady Situ about these "old rules," compelling them to promise to provide the detailed ledger by the next morning. The two collaborators believed that even if Fu Rou, an embroiderer from Prince Han Manor, saw the complex accounts, she wouldn't understand them. They also noted Fu Rou's lack of influence over the other embroidery maids. However, Fu Rou, having grown up in a merchant family, was skilled in accounting.
She quickly identified discrepancies in the ledger, noting missing quantities of gold flakes, twisted gold thread, and premium Shu brocade. When confronted with the severe palace punishment for embezzlement, Yuan Zhangzhi tearfully confessed, implicating Li Dianzhi, stating that Li Dianzhi had ordered her to falsify the records and had used the stolen materials to make clothes for herself and bribe subordinates.
Fu Rou later summoned Li Dianzhi, presenting her with a newly made garment, claiming it was found in Li Dianzhi's room. Realizing she was caught, Li Dianzhi conceded defeat, though she refused to beg for mercy. Fu Rou, understanding Li Dianzhi's ambition to attract the emperor's attention, advised her that instead of hiding elaborate clothes that couldn't be worn, she should focus on making her everyday attire subtly distinctive.
She shared insights on embroidery, particularly the use of "light" alongside color to create unique effects, citing the evolution of gold embroidery. Fu Rou acknowledged Li Dianzhi's desire to leave the division and expressed her own wish for Li Dianzhi to move on. Meanwhile, the Empress's attendants, aware of Consort Yan's request for a lotus screen, worried that if it surpassed the Empress's peony screen in beauty, it could be seen as disrespectful.
The Empress, however, dismissed their concerns, stating that palace life demanded intelligence and that Division Chief Fu should know how to navigate such delicate situations without needing interference. Fu Rou, remembering her advice, then instructed Li Dianzhi to accompany her to present the emperor's sachet, claiming she needed guidance for her first official presentation to His Majesty.
Li Dianzhi, applying Fu Rou's advice, collected leftover shark silk threads from the embroidery room – pieces too short for typical use but too wasteful to discard. She wove these shimmering threads into the hem of her plain official robes, creating a subtle effect that only became visible in sunlight. When presenting the sachet to the emperor, he noticed the unusual shimmer on her robe and inquired about it. Li Dianzhi explained her method, highlighting her frugality.
The emperor praised her resourcefulness and then, upon learning she had personally embroidered his intricate sachet, became captivated by her and took her as his concubine, promoting her to Li Baolin. Returning to the Bureau of Imperial Attire, Li Baolin gathered the embroidery maids and urged them to follow Division Chief Fu, praising her integrity and skill.
In a private conversation with Fu Rou, Li Baolin thanked her for her guidance and apologized for her past schemes, expressing her admiration for Fu Rou's upright character. She then gave Fu Rou a genuine set of notes detailing the true preferences of the royal harem, warning her against using the previous fake notes.
Li Baolin also reiterated the delicate situation with Consort Yan's lotus screen: making it too plain would offend Consort Yan, but making it too exquisite would displease the Empress. Around this time, Consort Yan's son, Prince Zhou, returned to Chang'an to celebrate the Empress's birthday and attend the Crown Prince's upcoming wedding. He first visited Prince Han to retrieve Gu Kaizhi's "Admonitions Scroll" as a gift for his mother.
While discussing his stay in Chang'an, the Crown Prince subtly probed Prince Zhou's ambitions. Later, Counselor Qian Wenjing advised Prince Zhou against giving the precious scroll to Consort Yan, as it was more valuable than his gift to the Empress, which could be seen as slighting the Empress. Consort Yan agreed, prioritizing Prince Zhou's safety and reputation over a mere painting. When Fu Rou presented the lotus screen to Consort Yan, it was rendered in only black and white.
Consort Yan was initially displeased, suspecting Fu Rou might think she was unworthy of colorful, expensive materials. Fu Rou explained that the vibrant peony required rich colors to enhance its imperial splendor, but the pure lotus, rising unblemished from the mud, was best represented by the noble simplicity of white, with black providing the necessary contrast.
She further elaborated that "Hehua" (water lily), the common term for lotus in her hometown, symbolized "harmonious, but different" and "peaceful and genial," representing family unity and prosperity. Both Consort Yan and Prince Zhou understood the underlying meaning and were deeply impressed. Consort Yan rewarded Fu Rou, and Prince Zhou, intrigued, requested Fu Rou to embroider a sachet for him, leaving the design to her.
News of Fu Rou's clever words and the empress's satisfaction with her handling of the situation reached the Empress, who also rewarded Fu Rou. This marked a rare occasion where both the Empress and Consort Yan had simultaneously honored an official from the Bureau of Imperial Attire. Given the previous account deficit, Fu Rou decided to use these generous rewards to balance the books, giving Yuan Zhangzhi a chance to rectify her past misdeeds.
With the approval of both the Bureau of Imperial Attire and the Directorate of Eunuchs, Fu Rou then promoted Xue Zhangzhi to the position of Dianzhi, a decision Yuan Zhangzhi, now humbled, accepted without protest. Meanwhile, Lu Yingying was distraught and furious, as news of the mole on her lower back had spread throughout Chang'an, damaging her reputation. Enraged, Lu Qi confronted Sheng Chumu, finding him at a teahouse and publicly beating him.
Sheng Chumu, however, secretly enjoyed the beating, using it as an opportunity to provoke Lu Qi into a wager for the upcoming Imperial Match. Lu Qi, confident in his martial prowess, accepted a bet of 10,000 quans. Sheng Chumu then brazenly set the odds at 1:1 for Lu Qi and 1:10 for himself, further challenging Lu Qi to bet valuable family assets like housing deeds, lands, and shops, which Sheng Chumu intended to win and seize.
Sheng Chumu then urged his younger brothers, Sheng Chuling and Sheng Chujun, to obtain their mother's deeds for the bet. At the imperial court, the Emperor was furious upon learning of a rebellion in Sheng nation and resolved to send troops. Duke of Lu State Sheng Xiaojing volunteered to lead the expedition, but the Emperor deemed him too old for active duty, appointing Duke of Cai State Lu Yunj instead. Sheng Xiaojing returned home seething with resentment.
Upon discovering his sons' audacious bet with the Lu family and the unfavorable odds, his anger intensified. Despite his wife's pleas, Sheng Xiaojing, determined to restore the Sheng family's honor against the slight from Lu Yunj, not only approved of his sons' use of the family assets but also contributed his own secret private savings to bolster the wager. News of the high-stakes bet between Sheng Chumu and Lu Qi quickly spread, even reaching the palace.
Eunuch Cao set up an internal betting pool, but nearly everyone favored Lu Qi due to Sheng Chumu's public defeat. Only Fu Rou, against all odds, placed her bet on Sheng Chumu. The Imperial Match commenced with a grand address from the Emperor. Sheng Chumu and Lu Qi effortlessly advanced through the preliminary rounds, securing their spots in the final duel.
During a break, Sheng Chuling, recognizing the attendant serving tea as the girl he had once brazenly kissed, realized she was Princess Xin Nan. Despite the shocking revelation, he, with his usual roguish charm, remained unafraid. When the Princess, still smarting from their previous encounter, tried to make him serve her, Sheng Chuling instead grabbed her and attempted to kiss her again, prompting her to dismiss her maids in a fit of anger.
