Resumen del episodio 4 de A Splendid Match
> Resúmenes de A Splendid Match
Lady Song is initially conflicted about the marriage proposal for Gu Jinzhao. While she resents that such a prestigious match isn't for her own daughter, Gu Lan, Nanny Zhou warns her that the prospect is a trap. Young Lord Liu Xiancheng is a notorious lecher who has already bedded several maids at the age of eighteen and even keeps a mistress.
Despite Lady Song’s hesitation to act out of spite, Nanny Zhou convinces her that facilitating this marriage is the perfect way to gain permanent leverage over the headstrong Gu Jinzhao. Within the Gu mansion, Gu Lan informs Jinzhao that a matchmaker has arrived to propose an alliance with the Liu family, a noble clan whose patriarch, Liu Siyu, is set to become the Vice Minister of Revenue.
Jinzhao is immediately suspicious, arguing that the rush to exchange birth date cards makes her look desperate. A tense family discussion follows where Jinzhao insists that her grandmother, Madam Ji, must approve of the match. Her father, Gu Dezhao, dismisses this, citing that marital matters are governed by parental authority. He uses Jinzhao’s outspoken behavior at recent banquets to justify a hasty marriage, claiming her reputation is already failing.
When Jinzhao points out that her parents once ignored familial opposition to marry each other, her father erupts in anger and calls her unfilial. Gu Dezhao grounds Jinzhao to prevent further defiance, but Gu Lan helps her sneak out in disguise to witness the release of the Autumn Exam results at the Fuchun Teahouse. There, they observe Liu Xiancheng acting crudely and mocking the women gathered to see the candidates.
In contrast, Chen Xuanqing displays his gentlemanly nature by defending the ladies' reputations, arguing that a gentleman should never stain a woman’s name with idle chatter. As the results are posted, Chen Yanwen (the Fourth Master) is overjoyed to find he has passed in forty-ninth place.
Amidst the celebration, Chen Xuanqing reflects on the dark truth he discovered regarding his father’s death: it was Chen Yanwen who pushed him into the pond and pried his fingers from the bank to ensure he drowned. Shortly after, the crowd erupts as Chen Xuanqing is announced as the top scholar (Jieyuan) for his work on The Spring and Autumn Annals.
Chen Yanyun (the Third Master) is less than pleased with the news, worrying that Xuanqing’s success draws too much unwanted attention. He is also frustrated that Yanwen passed solely because examiners wanted to curry favor with the Chen family, fearing the harm such an unworthy man could do in the bureaucracy. When his carriage axle breaks near the marketplace, Yanyun encounters Gu Jinzhao.
She offers him a piece of jujube cake and, sensing his hidden displeasure, decides to change her congratulatory gifts to the Chen family from lavish silks to something far more ordinary to avoid standing out. Sensing the walls closing in, Jinzhao sends a letter to the Marquis of Changxing’s mansion to lure out a spy, successfully identifying their driver, Old Huang, as the informant.
Chen Yanyun realizes he was played by Jinzhao when he sees the unsealed letter and realizes she knew she was being watched, prompting him to withdraw his men. In the palace, Ye Xian serves as the Crown Prince’s study companion. To distract the Prince from his heavy workload, Ye Xian helps him tame a pet named Frosty using honey. When Chen Yanyun arrives and finds the Prince neglecting his studies, he orders punishment for the deception.
Ye Xian attempts to take the strikes for the Prince, and Yanyun sentences him to thirty strikes for failing to guide his charge. Yanyun later admits to Mr. Jiang that the beating was a calculated move to allow Ye Xian to leave the palace on medical leave so he can assist Gu Jinzhao. After his release, Ye Xian sneaks over the Gu mansion walls to visit the grounded Jinzhao.
He mocks her for her bad tea and her deteriorating reputation, but Jinzhao remains resolute. She declares that regardless of her father’s persistence, she will never marry into the Liu family and is prepared to cause a major scene to protect her life and her future.
