Marvelous Women Episode 13 Recap
> Marvelous Women Recap
Shen Cuixi meticulously made a special sachet and personally delivered it to Wei Lianggong, reciprocating his efforts in teaching Ren Xiushan. Wei Lianggong cherished the sachet, recalling Zeng Baoqin's words of caution, and though he initially wished to wear it, he deemed it improper and put it away. For seven years, Shen Cuixi had known Ren Xuetang was gone, struggling with the societal norm that allowed men to remarry but compelled women to uphold chastity.
Ren Xuetang had left her heart dead, but Wei Lianggong had revived it, indicating her burgeoning feelings for him. Meanwhile, Li Zhao ordered Ding Rong to steal Shen Cuixi's personal clothes and place them in Wei Lianggong's room. Ding Rong expressed his outrage to Qiao'er, calling Li Zhao insane, but as Li Zhao was the Weaving Commissioner, Ding Rong dared not openly refuse, yet he also could not bring himself to carry out the deed.
He sought to delay the task. Ding Rong had previously overheard a conversation between Li Zhao and Master Liu, inadvertently discovering that Li Zhao's relentless feud with Shen Cuixi stemmed from his desire to inflate raw silk prices, which Shen Cuixi's head accountant consistently suppressed. Concerned about implicating his wife and child, Ding Rong arranged for Qiao'er to take their child back to the countryside. Chen Xiaohong was suffering from indigestion, requiring a light diet.
Out of care, Shu Fang brought her meat dishes, including braised pork or pork belly. Ren Rufeng, who was happily preoccupied with selecting a wedding date, anticipated this and rushed to stop Shu Fang, but he was too late, as Chen Xiaohong had already eaten most of the forbidden food. Ren Rufeng admonished Shu Fang, arguing that she was harming, not helping, Chen Xiaohong.
Ren Rufeng then pulled Shu Fang aside, not to scold her, but to discuss their wedding day. He confessed his desire for a stable life with her, presenting her with a calendar of auspicious dates for her to choose from. Shu Fang, feeling shy, initially feigned disagreement, asserting her ambition to become a head manager. Ren Rufeng assured her that marriage would not impede her career. Shu Fang eventually agreed that they would marry on the twentieth of next month.
Ren Rufeng was overjoyed, excitedly throwing away his crutch and hugging and spinning Ren Xiushan. Shen Cuixi, worried about Shu Fang's future, had already prepared a generous dowry for her. Ren Rufeng subsequently confided in Shen Cuixi that he had seen Wei Lianggong and Zeng Baoqin together in a restaurant. He cautioned Shen Cuixi to be wary of Wei Lianggong, stressing that the Ren family could not withstand any further turmoil.
Shu Fang, however, disagreed with Ren Rufeng, arguing that he must have been mistaken, as Wei Lianggong was Ren Xiushan's savior and respected teacher, treating him with evident care, a fact observed by all. Shen Cuixi, hearing this, grew troubled. Shu Fang later pulled Ren Rufeng aside, demanding to know why he was targeting Wei Lianggong. Ren Rufeng felt wronged and grew jealous, assuming Shu Fang still harbored feelings for Wei Lianggong.
He retorted that if she couldn't let go and Wei Lianggong was willing to marry her, he would immediately prepare her dowry. This infuriated Shu Fang, who angrily kicked over his crutch and ran off. After a night of deliberation, Shen Cuixi decided to go to Shantang Street to confront Zeng Baoqin.
Zeng Baoqin openly admitted to all of Shen Cuixi's accusations: she was Wei Lianggong's savior, the "sister" he constantly thought of, and she had orchestrated the entire scheme to get him into the Ren family.
Zeng Baoqin explained that while she understood Shen Cuixi's need for Ren Xiushan's presence to secure her position in the Ren family and thus would not be overly cruel to him, she also feared Shen Cuixi's excessive kindness might cause Ren Xiushan to forget his birth mother. Upon returning to the Ren family, Shen Cuixi sought out Wei Lianggong.
She brought up the time Ren Xiushan was kidnapped years ago and how Wei Lianggong had rescued him, becoming a great benefactor to the Ren household. However, Shen Cuixi now knew that Zeng Baoqin had engineered the kidnapping, using Ru Yi to carry it out, as a ploy to install Wei Lianggong in the Ren family. With Ren Xiushan now suffering from nightmares every night, Shen Cuixi asked Wei Lianggong if he regretted his part in Zeng Baoqin's deception.
Wei Lianggong, filled with shame, proposed to leave the Ren family. Before his departure, he requested that Shen Cuixi return the small wooden figure, claiming it was a gift he had originally intended for Zeng Baoqin. Heartbroken, Shen Cuixi instructed Shu Fang to retrieve the figure and then directly threw it onto the ground for Wei Lianggong.
Wei Lianggong then bid farewell to Ren Xiushan, telling him he could no longer look after him and that Ren Xiushan should grow closer to Shen Cuixi. He also cautioned Ren Xiushan not to let gossip create a rift between him and Shen Cuixi. Wei Lianggong used the excuse of preparing for the imperial examinations, and Ren Xiushan, unsuspecting, accepted it.
As Wei Lianggong packed his belongings, Shu Fang rushed to his room to try and persuade him to stay, but Wei Lianggong's decision was firm. He left behind the sachet Shen Cuixi had given him. Shu Fang attempted to chase after him but was restrained by Ren Rufeng. In the courtyard, Wei Lianggong bowed to Shen Cuixi in farewell. They exchanged a simple glance, but no words were spoken. Shen Cuixi returned his bow. Wei Lianggong stood, turned to leave, and though he hesitated for a moment, he ultimately did not turn back for a final look at Shen Cuixi.
