Resumen del episodio 21 de Faithful
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Meng Wan, Liu Xin, Feng Da, Li Chunfeng, and Huang Jiaojiao gathered in the suburbs at a memorial tablet for Liu Sanniang. Meng Wan reflected on Liu Sanniang's life, noting her rebellious spirit and disregard for worldly customs, which allowed her to live freely and happily. However, Meng Wan realized this freedom was a detachment achieved after countless injuries. She mused that Sanniang, who frequented the pleasure quarters, might have also yearned for a stable life.
Liu Xin, lamenting that he, as one of her few friends, couldn't protect her, joined the others in raising a final toast. They all vowed to avenge Sanniang and win their ongoing battle against Wu Lian. At Sanniang’s grave, Meng Wan credited Sanniang’s timely message for their victory in a seemingly unwinnable battle, acknowledging it came at the cost of Sanniang's life and expressing deep sorrow and unpayable debt.
Li Chunfeng pledged to avenge Sanniang, adding her death to the list of grievances alongside Tian Xiaoling's. Feng Da, in a fit of rage, suggested killing Wu Lian immediately upon returning to the city to offer his blood as a sacrifice. Liu Xin intervened, reminding Feng Da that they had promised Sanniang to bring Wu Lian to justice through legal means, not chaotic violence, believing he should die for his own crimes to truly uphold justice.
Meng Wan addressed the group, accepting responsibility for involving them and for the pain they suffered. She warned that the path ahead would be even more perilous, offering an opportunity for anyone who wished to withdraw to do so then. She emphasized that after that day, any irrationality or mutual suspicion would be met with her disapproval.
She then offered a poignant farewell to Sanniang, wishing her peaceful rebirth as a creature or element of nature, free from the burdens of human life. Others also shared their wishes for Sanniang's next life, with one person hoping they might be brothers if they met again, living an ordinary, stable life. Meng Wan concluded by assuring Sanniang that they would emerge victorious in their fight.
After this, someone suggested that with Yanyu Tower destroyed, they should use the momentum to further pressure Wu Lian. The grand embroidery convention had been reduced to ashes by the fire, causing widespread distress among merchants who mourned the loss of their valuable embroidery works. Liu Xin, disguised as a storyteller, along with Li Chunfeng as his drummer, held a public gathering to expose Wu Lian.
They narrated how Wu Lian, despite his scholarly facade, was deeply connected to influential figures like the Duchess and the Minzhou Supervisor, received numerous imperial rewards, and amassed immense wealth through sea smuggling. Merchants were outraged by the revelation of Wu Lian's illicit activities. Capitalizing on their anger, Huang Jiaojiao, posing as a merchant, rallied the crowd, arguing that Wu Lian, as the organizer of the convention, was solely responsible for their losses.
She urged them to hold him accountable, leading the disgruntled merchants to flock towards Yanyu Tower. At the ruined Yanyu Tower, Wu Lian was in despair, realizing that the fire had destroyed nearly twenty years of his carefully cultivated reputation and prestige. He lamented the loss of his connections to the Duchess's mansion and the Embroidery Office, fearing for his very life.
Wu An suggested eliminating their adversaries directly, but Wu Lian, mindful of Investigator Lou Mingzhang's presence in Huaizhou Prefecture and the heightened scrutiny following the night's events, deemed rash action suicidal. As merchants stormed his premises demanding compensation, Wu Lian calmly asserted his own victimhood, pointing to his burnt tower as proof. He deflected blame, stating that the invitations to the convention were issued by the Embroidery Office in the capital, and he merely facilitated their distribution.
He suggested the merchants take their grievances to the capital. Huang Jiaojiao countered, arguing that the arsonist had clearly targeted Wu Lian due to his personal grudges, making him responsible for the damage, not the Embroidery Office. The merchants agreed, threatening to expose Wu Lian’s smuggling operations if he did not comply. Wu Lian attempted to isolate Huang Jiaojiao for a private discussion, but Shen Mu intervened.
Faced with an unyielding crowd and the threat of exposing his illicit dealings, Wu Lian reluctantly promised a satisfactory resolution within seven days, urging them to return to their inns. Later, Yan Yuanshi, the Director of the Embroidery Office, confronted Wu Lian, criticizing him for the disastrous convention, which had frightened foreign envoys and destroyed valuable embroideries.
Yan Yuanshi declared Wu Lian's ambition to take over the Embroidery Office was delusional, especially with the potential exposure of their shared smuggling secrets. Yan Yuanshi announced his immediate return to the capital to minimize his own punishment and reminded Wu Lian to swiftly eliminate Zhao Yin in prison to prevent further complications.
Wu Lian dismissed the Embroidery Office directorship as a minor position and instructed Yan Yuanshi to proceed with his resignation as previously planned, assuring him that he would handle the crisis and secure the position himself. Meanwhile, Meng Wan visited Lou Mingzhang. Lou Mingzhang revealed he had already deployed agents to monitor Yanyu Tower and deliberately alerted Wu Lian, rendering him hesitant to act rashly against her group.
Meng Wan, toasting him with tea, expressed gratitude for his assistance but then apologized, acknowledging that her pursuit of justice against Wu Lian had delayed his return to the capital, stalled the case's progress, and almost allowed Wu Lian to gain a promotion. Lou Mingzhang dismissed her apologies, remarking on the inherent difficulty of reopening a seven-year-old case.
He confessed that repeated summons from the capital meant he could not linger much longer, granting Meng Wan a maximum of ten days. Meng Wan confidently promised that within ten days, new witnesses would emerge, prompting a fresh trial. She planned to personally intercept Lou Mingzhang on his departure day to formally accuse Wu Lian, believing they still had a chance to succeed with collective support.
To gather more evidence, Meng Wan prepared four letters, each containing the name and address of an individual crucial to Rulan's case. She assigned her companions to form four groups to locate these people, hoping they would all testify in court within ten days. Li Chunfeng, learning that Tian Xiaoling was one of the individuals, refused to take Meng Wan's pre-written letter.
He revealed Sanniang's past advice: that a prostitute's testimony would be discredited, while a monk's would garner trust, and that great deeds often required sacrifice. He resolved to face his past and personally write to Tian Xiaoling, intending to persuade her to come down the mountain before the Qiqiao Festival, leaving the final decision to her. He vowed that if she chose to testify, she would not stand alone.
Before setting off, Meng Wan instructed Huang Jiaojiao and Shen Mu to Linzhou City, Feng Da to Hu'an County, while she and Liu Xin would deliver the last letter together. Before departing, Meng Wan returned home to speak with Xu Zhiyang, revealing the full extent of her seven-year deception and her true identity, seeking his understanding.
Xu Zhiyang, now aware of her and Rulan's tragic past, held her hand, imploring her to abandon her quest for vengeance and find peace within their home, promising to overlook her past actions. Meng Wan gently withdrew her hand, calling him "Zhiyang" for the first time in seven years, and explained that to abandon her cause now would betray not only Rulan but all who had suffered. Xu Zhiyang, anticipating her resolve, quietly accepted her decision.
He released Xiaoyue, the maid who had spied for Wu Lian, into Meng Wan's custody. Xiaoyue confessed she willingly worked for Wu Lian, not for gain, but purely out of a desire for Meng Wan's demise. Meng Wan, however, spared her life, instructing Liu Xin to take Xiaoyue to a remote countryside estate to be held until their mission was complete, promising to grant her freedom thereafter.
Meng Wan and Liu Xin journeyed to Ten Mile Lane to find Rulan's elder brother, Mr. Lin. Seven years had transformed him into an aged man, now a goods vendor with a wife and a daughter named Nianlan. Meng Wan introduced herself, and Mr. Lin recognized her, noting her current status as a squire's wife. Mr. Lin shared the sorrowful news of his parents' passing a few years prior, a consequence of their grief following Rulan's death.
He also mentioned receiving anonymous financial support for the past two years from a supposed "friend of Rulan." Meng Wan confessed she was the benefactor, explaining her deep bond with Rulan and her regret at not finding him sooner to assist his ailing parents. She then revealed the purpose of her visit: the Huaizhou Yamen would retry Rulan's case in seven days, and according to imperial law, as Rulan's closest direct relative, he must serve as the primary plaintiff.
After a subtle nod of encouragement from his wife, Mr. Lin readily agreed to testify, expressing his own lingering guilt over Rulan's fate. He declared his unwavering commitment to seeking justice, even if the chances of success were slim, affirming that a true friend like Meng Wan deserved no less. Meanwhile, Wu Lian confronted Zhang Rong'er, his estranged wife, in her secluded chamber.
He scornfully remarked on her fervent religious devotion, which he attributed to her newfound peace in the household. Zhang Rong'er pleaded with him to leave her sanctuary, but Wu Lian, in turn, sought her help. He reminded her of the Zhang family's influential connections in the capital, stemming from their esteemed prime minister ancestor. Zhang Rong'er, having renounced worldly affairs for a life of prayer, refused to get involved, stating she was prepared to face any karmic retribution.
Wu Lian warned her that his downfall would inevitably lead to hers. When Zhang Rong'er threatened to expose his illicit activities if he persisted, Wu Lian retorted that her involvement in those very misdeeds meant her destruction would also mean the ruin of the entire Zhang family's reputation. Wu Lian then brought Zhang Rong'er to her mother's mansion, where he tried to flatter Mrs. Zhang, Zhang Rong'er's mother, hoping to leverage her connections for the Embroidery Office directorship.
Mrs. Zhang, feigning disinterest and claiming the Zhang family's influence had waned, tried to dismiss him. Wu Lian, growing impatient, threatened to publicly expose Zhang Rong'er's pre-marital loss of chastity and divorce her, thereby destroying the Zhang family's centuries-old reputation and the prestige of all its women, including Mrs. Zhang herself. Mrs. Zhang, horrified, commanded him to silence.
