Marvelous Women Episode 35 (Ending) Recap
> Marvelous Women Recap
Shen Cuixi went to the brothel and persuaded the madam to temporarily keep Cao Yaoniang from receiving guests. She then visited Yaoniang, delivering the tragic news that Madam Cao and Cao Wenbin had perished together. Shen Cuixi showed Yaoniang a letter from Madam Cao, explaining her mother's sacrifice to save her, and promised to find a way to rescue Yaoniang, urging Yaoniang not to make hasty decisions and to trust her efforts.
Meanwhile, Zeng Baoqin, representing Qingyue Workshop, prepared to travel to the capital for the Imperial Weaving Competition, bidding farewell to Ren Xuetang and Xiushan. Ren Rufeng expressed confusion and concern, questioning why Ren Xuetang didn't stop either Shen Cuixi or Zeng Baoqin, fearing they might engage in a mutually destructive rivalry. Ren Xuetang explained that women should control their own destinies and make their own choices, and their role was to wait for the outcome.
Upon their arrival in the capital, the Imperial Weaving Competition officially began. Zeng Baoqin used a character design, while Shen Cuixi, representing Jinxi Workshop, planned a Hundred Blessings Scroll. During the intense competition, Zeng Baoqin's weaving machine suddenly broke. She requested a new one, but the official suggested she withdraw, believing she couldn't finish in the allotted time.
Shen Cuixi intervened, proposing that she and Zeng Baoqin co-weave the Hundred Blessings Scroll, arguing that integrating longevity into it would create an "Integrated Blessing and Longevity Scroll," which would be a more auspicious tribute for a birthday celebration, demonstrating enhanced health and longevity. The official approved their joint effort. After the competition, the Empress Dowager reviewed the woven pieces.
She found many works unoriginal, simply celebrating birthdays, but was captivated by the creativity of Shen Cuixi and Zeng Baoqin's co-woven Integrated Blessing and Longevity Scroll. She questioned why they co-wove for a single first-place prize, to which Shen Cuixi replied it was to showcase the skills of weavers. The Empress Dowager declared their collaborative piece first place and granted each woman a wish.
Zeng Baoqin wished for the Empress Dowager to personally inscribe a plaque for Qingyue Workshop, both to enhance its prestige and to serve as a daily reminder for her to continuously refine her skills, rather than succumbing to pride. Shen Cuixi wished for the Empress Dowager to pardon Cao Yaoniang, daughter of Cao Wenbin, and allow her to live a respectable life.
Shen Cuixi elaborated that she hoped to make an exception for Yaoniang to see if women like her, who are burdened by family disgrace, could find a new path, thereby offering hope to all helpless women whose fates are unfairly tied to men's actions. The Empress Dowager, empathizing as a woman herself, granted both wishes. Following the Empress Dowager's decree, a plaque personally inscribed by the Empress Dowager was proudly displayed at Qingyue Workshop.
Zeng Baoqin remarked on Shen Cuixi's daring, to which Shen Cuixi responded that the Empress Dowager, being a woman, would naturally empathize. Soon after, Shen Cuixi brought Cao Yaoniang to Jinxi Workshop. She instructed her disciples that Yaoniang was an innocent woman who should not be punished for the crimes of others. When disciples expressed concern that Yaoniang might be too delicate for kesi, Yaoniang knelt, vowed to diligently learn the craft, and never betray Shen Cuixi's kindness.
Shen Cuixi explained that she founded Jinxi Workshop to empower women with skills, enabling them to earn money and gain respect, thereby escaping abuse from their gambling husbands, harsh in-laws, or unreasonable parents. Her aim was to allow women to live fearlessly, choose their own desired lives, and have their own homes. Further demonstrating her independence, Ren Xuetang removed Shen Cuixi's "Ren family" title from a stele, and Shen Cuixi personally inscribed her own name, asserting her autonomy.
When a skilled weaver from Jinxi Workshop left to marry in Huzhou, Yaoniang expressed regret, suggesting the departing weaver could have inherited Shen Cuixi's legacy. Shen Cuixi reiterated that marriage was the woman's own choice, irrelevant to her family. In the late Qing Dynasty, the burgeoning Jiangnan kesi weaving industry facilitated the participation of many female weavers and embroiderers in social production.
This elevated their economic and social standing, allowing them to gradually shed their status as dependents or commodities, with women engaging in business throughout Suzhou, earning admiration rather than gossip. Shen Cuixi, having evolved into "Wei Lianggong" and a better version of herself through her continuous efforts, resolved to embark on a journey to travel the world and propagate kesi techniques. Before her departure, she visited Wei Lianggong's tomb to bid him farewell. Her carriage departed, signifying the continuation of her grand story.
