Resumen del episodio 15 de Faithful
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Seven years ago, Tian Xiaoling visited Fuyuan Temple, praying for her beloved to pass the provincial examination that autumn. Upon returning to Yanyu Tower, she overheard embroideresses gossiping about Lin Rulan's impending marriage to Wu Lian, with some suggesting Rulan was shameless and should have committed suicide. Tian Xiaoling intervened, quoting Mencius about the harm of gossiping about others' affairs, but the other embroideresses scoffed at her, calling her self-righteous.
Ignoring their taunts, Tian Xiaoling retreated to her room, where she found a note from Li Chunfeng, filling her with joy. Meanwhile, Meng Wan's mother was determined to marry her into the Zhao family, despite Meng Wan's protests and her mother's own knowledge of Zhao Yucheng's villainous character. Meng Wan refused, reminding her mother that she had likely made a similar mistake marrying her father, and threatened to disrupt the Zhao household if forced.
Her mother, infuriated, accused Meng Wan of being ungrateful and thinking she could wander the world alone. She then pointed out that even Lin Rulan had secured a "good home" with the Wu family. Meng Wan, realizing her mother had deliberately feigned illness the previous day to facilitate Rulan's decision, confronted her mother, who unapologetically admitted it.
Meng Wan then rushed to the Lin family home to speak with Rulan, but Rulan's mother blocked her, stating Rulan wished to be alone and would be married in a few days anyway, rendering any further discussion futile. Undeterred, Meng Wan intercepted Rulan's brother, urging him not to let Rulan marry into the Wu family. She reminded him of Rulan's character and questioned if he truly believed Rulan's accusations against Wu Lian were false.
Rulan's brother admitted his parents believed this marriage was the best option given Rulan's tarnished reputation, but Meng Wan argued that a mismatched marriage would bring a lifetime of despair. She proposed that if he returned the betrothal gifts, the Wu family would not be able to force the marriage. Rulan's brother expressed doubt he could convince his father, but Meng Wan encouraged him, assuring him she would find other solutions.
Meng Wan then confronted Wu Lian in Yanyu Tower, revealing her knowledge of Ding Ru's death and the jade pendant she saw by the well. Wu Lian insisted Ding Ru had committed suicide, but Meng Wan countered that while Ding Ru might have been suicidal, the circumstances of her death were suspicious, especially with Wu Lian's jade pendant found nearby.
She threatened to expose him to Prefect Chen, claiming to have witnessed him deliberately pushing Ding Ru into the well during an argument. Enraged, Wu Lian choked Meng Wan before releasing her. He then agreed to cancel the engagement, but on the cruel condition that Rulan "return" her embroidery skills by crippling her fingers. Without hesitation, Meng Wan grabbed a water cup from his desk and smashed it against her own hand, declaring she had paid Rulan's debt.
She warned Wu Lian to uphold his promise, or she would ensure a mutually destructive outcome. Wu Lian, calling her "mad," simply told Meng Wan to instruct Rulan to "be smart" and promised the betrothal gifts would be returned soon. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wu, reflecting on Wu Lian's broken promise of never taking a concubine, discussed with a servant her perplexity at Rulan's initial refusal to marry Wu Lian and the tragic fate of embroideresses like Ding Ru.
Later, Rulan, with her mother's reluctant permission and accompanied by her brother, returned to Yanyu Tower to retrieve her personal belongings. She explained that after marriage, as a concubine, her movements would be restricted. A guard initially blocked her, but Mrs. Wu intervened, allowing Rulan to enter while asking her brother to wait outside.
Mrs. Wu congratulated Rulan on "understanding things," to which Rulan provocatively asked if Mrs. Wu ever had nightmares, specifically mentioning Ding Ru and implying Mrs. Wu had offered similar empty platitudes to her. Inside, Rulan walked through her old room, recalling her initial hopes and dreams upon entering the tower, now shattered. She picked up a cherished hairpin, a gift from Wu Lian, noting the unfinished embroidery and plain bedsheets as symbols of her broken aspirations.
Taking some of Ding Ru's belongings, Rulan went to the well to mourn, burning the items as an offering. There, she encountered Tian Xiaoling, who had moved into Ding Ru's old room. Rulan warned Tian Xiaoling about the dangers within Yanyu Tower, comparing her fate and Ding Ru's, urging her to leave while she still had a chance.
However, Tian Xiaoling, undeterred, declared Yanyu Tower unique and irreplaceable, stating her sole purpose was to learn embroidery, with no concern for other matters. Rulan, realizing her words were in vain, simply bid her to take care. Back at the Lin residence, Rulan's brother again attempted to persuade his mother to return the betrothal gifts, worried about Wu Lian's potential resentment. His mother, however, reiterated that Rulan's reputation in Huaizhou was ruined, leaving her with no other suitable marriage prospects.
She believed Mrs. Wu was a reasonable woman who wouldn't make Rulan's life too difficult. At that moment, Rulan entered, announcing her willingness to marry. She claimed her initial resistance was due to feeling deceived by Wu Lian, but she still admired his unparalleled embroidery skills and believed marrying him would allow her to pursue her passion, becoming the greatest embroideress. Her mother, relieved, embraced her. Meng Wan finally met with Rulan, who immediately noticed Meng Wan's injured hand.
Meng Wan explained it was a result of protecting her mother from her drunk father. Meng Wan confessed she knew Rulan's absence that day was due to her mother's manipulations, and pleaded with Rulan to leave with her, asserting it wasn't too late. Rulan, however, calmly explained her decision was not solely due to her mother, but also a calculated choice to pursue her ambition within Yanyu Tower under Wu Lian's guidance.
Meng Wan countered that Wu Lian had already agreed to cancel the marriage and Rulan could find other embroidery schools, but Rulan insisted that no other school or teacher could compare to Yanyu Tower and Wu Lian. Meng Wan, disheartened, could only accept Rulan's firm resolve. Rulan then carefully dressed Meng Wan's injured hand, and Meng Wan urged her to stay safe.
Meanwhile, Wu Lian dismissed his wife's suggestion to prepare the Wutong Yard for Rulan, instructing her to assign an abandoned room in the backyard instead, showing his disdain. He also casually picked up a fish that had fallen from his pond. On the night of the Qiqiao Festival, Rulan's brother allowed her to stroll alone, agreeing to wait for her at a teahouse, as Rulan wished to savor her freedom before marrying.
In the bustling streets, Tian Xiaoling, admiring a rabbit lantern, passed Rulan without acknowledging her. Li Chunfeng, walking alongside Tian Xiaoling, remarked on Rulan's pitiful situation, expressing concern about her future in the Wu family. Tian Xiaoling, however, declared herself different, vowing that nothing similar would befall her, and grimly concluded Rulan had "no future." Li Chunfeng also gave Tian Xiaoling a rare collection of ancient poems she admired, which she had copied from her father's.
Later, he won a rabbit lantern for her, but she asked him to keep it due to strict rules at Yanyu Tower, and he promised to return it when she left. Rulan then encountered Shen Mu, who asked if she was truly marrying into the Wu family. Rulan, smiling, assured him she had made up her mind and he needn't worry.
She then playfully asked him to promise to help her if she ever needed his assistance in the future, to which he gently nodded. Meng Wan, witnessing this exchange, smiled, feeling a sense of relief. Rulan then joined Meng Wan by the river to release lanterns. Meng Wan's lantern carried a wish for Rulan's peace and joy, but Rulan released a blank one, her smile momentarily freezing Meng Wan's expression.
As they watched their lanterns drift away, they reminisced about their shared dreams, from Rulan's ambition to be the greatest embroideress and have a loving family, to Meng Wan's dream of an embroidery shop, a home for her mother, and a shared pact for their future children. Before parting ways to meet her brother, Rulan entrusted Meng Wan with a letter, asking her to deliver it to Shen Mu on the ninth day between 7 p. m. and 9 p. m. , as a token of gratitude for his past help.
