Marvelous Women Episode 34 Recap
> Marvelous Women Recap
Ru Yi prepared for her wedding to Weng Jin, causing sadness for Shu Yan, who silently observed from outside her room, a fact noticed by Zeng Baoqin. After Ru Yi married Weng Jin, a different young woman named Ji Xiang became Zeng Baoqin's maid. Zeng Baoqin observed that Ji Xiang had feelings for Shu Yan and believed Ji Xiang was a suitable match for him, contrasting with Ru Yi's independent nature.
Shu Yan and Ji Xiang grew close, with Shu Yan teaching her to read. Ji Xiang gave Shu Yan an embroidered pouch, and Shu Yan advised her not to give pouches casually and to seek a responsible husband. Meanwhile, Xiao Lan thanked Zeng Baoqin for previous advice, which had resulted in Ren Fu no longer beating her mother.
Xiao Lan expressed a desire to live like Shen Cuixi, remaining unmarried for life, out of fear that her own marriage might lead to unhappiness similar to her mother's. Zeng Baoqin, understanding Xiao Lan's fear of future hypotheticals, encouraged her not to abandon the pursuit of her own happiness, leading Xiao Lan to reconsider her worries. The Ren family's business, Qingyuefang, faced severe challenges.
Their kèsi techniques had become widely known, and other workshops were imitating their patterns, offering them at a lower price, causing customers to flock elsewhere and leaving Qingyuefang deserted. Shu Fang complained to Ren Rufeng that Qingyuefang, a century-old brand, struggled to compete with the constant introduction of new patterns by other workshops.
She worried that introducing new patterns might alienate existing customers, while not innovating would lose new ones, leading to a complete loss of business and even an inability to pay workers. Ren Rufeng lamented Shen Cuixi's absence, describing her as a stabilizing force for the workshop. Zeng Baoqin, overhearing their concerns, decided to take action, retrieving a new technique album that Shen Cuixi had left behind.
Zeng Baoqin was deeply worried about the business decline and initially considered discussing it with Ren Xuetang, but ultimately decided to shoulder the burden herself. She later approached Ren Xuetang to talk about technique innovation but left without speaking when she saw him studying with Xiu Shan. Ren Xuetang believed Zeng Baoqin, being a clever person, would manage.
The next day, ahead of payday, a large group of weavers, having heard rumors about delayed wages, demanded their pay from Ren Rufeng and Shu Fang, threatening to leave Qingyuefang if not paid immediately. Zeng Baoqin intervened decisively, presenting silver notes. She handed them to Ren Rufeng, instructing him to pay the workers punctually the following day, neither early nor late, emphasizing that the Ren family workshop was not a charity.
She warned the weavers that the Ren family had never defaulted on wages in three generations and, while overlooking this first incident of disruption, would report any future disturbances to the guild, effectively blacklisting them from other Suzhou workshops. The weavers, though departing, voiced their underlying concern that the Ren family was no longer under Shen Cuixi’s management, which made them uneasy.
Ren Rufeng conveyed these anxieties to Ren Xuetang, who reassured him, highlighting Zeng Baoqin's significant efforts in developing new patterns and criticizing Ren Rufeng and others for still referring to Zeng Baoqin as a "little sister-in-law" or "little madam" instead of acknowledging and supporting her as the Ren family's current head mistress.
Ren Xuetang stated that Zeng Baoqin's dedication to style and patterns was no less than Shen Cuixi's, but the market had simply grown accustomed to Shen Cuixi's style over the past decade. He questioned if the Ren family should always seek Shen Cuixi's help during crises, urging support for Zeng Baoqin's own ideas rather than suggesting shortcuts. Meanwhile, Cao Wenbin continued his malevolent plans against Yao Niang, attempting to harm her again with poisoned rouge.
He believed that ruining a woman's purity and reputation was the best choice for her, and warned Cao Furen that if she continued to interfere, he would indeed kill Yao Niang. Cao Furen tried to stop him but was pushed to the ground and berated for forgetting her education. In despair, Yao Niang decided to give up on herself, planning to start receiving clients on the fifteenth of the next month.
She bitterly questioned her unfair fate, smashing a mirror while looking at her reflection. At the same time, the Governor of Suzhou approached Shen Cuixi, entrusting her with a significant task. The Empress Dowager, having heard of Suzhou kèsi's reputation as the best in the world, inspired the Emperor to host a nationwide weaving competition in the capital to crown the "number one kèsi in the world."
The Governor hoped Shen Cuixi would participate and win this prestigious title, bringing honor to Suzhou's people and herself, potentially earning Jinxiu Workshop a substantial reward from the Empress Dowager. Shen Cuixi agreed, seeing this as an opportunity to save Yao Niang. Fu Shen informed Cao Furen that Shen Cuixi's journey to Beijing for the competition was partly to rescue Yao Niang, urging Cao Furen to patiently await good news.
Before the competition, Cao Furen invited Cao Wenbin for a drink and to gaze at the moon on a boat. She had secretly poisoned the wine, intending for them to die together to atone for their sins. They both perished on the boat. The next day, Fu Shen urgently delivered Cao Furen's last letter to Shen Cuixi.
In her dying wish, Cao Furen entrusted Yao Niang to Shen Cuixi's care, stating her belief that Yao Niang would have no future if Cao Wenbin remained alive. She expressed her resolve to protect her child from any harm, ensuring Yao Niang's lifelong peace, even if not happiness, and her willingness to pay any price, including her own life, for this protection. Shen Cuixi sighed after reading the letter, deeply moved by Cao Furen's ultimate sacrifice.
Shen Cuixi then visited Yao Niang at the courtesan house, much to Yao Niang's surprise. As Shen Cuixi prepared for the competition, her disciples questioned associating with Yao Niang, whom their grandmother had labeled a bad person. Shen Cuixi taught them that she founded Jinxiu Workshop and taught kèsi not to foster prejudice, but to inspire hope for better lives for all girls like Yao Niang.
For her part, Zeng Baoqin also prepared for the skill competition, aiming to win first place to restore the Ren family's prestige and prove her own capabilities. Ren Xuetang supported her by providing a challenging "character design" for her competition sample, acknowledging that kèsi with such designs was difficult but could be exceptionally outstanding. Zeng Baoqin playfully asked Ren Xuetang who would win if both she and Shen Cuixi competed. Ren Xuetang was momentarily at a loss for words, leading Zeng Baoqin to laugh and clarify that she was only joking.
