My Heroic Husband Episode 4 Recap
> My Heroic Husband Recap
Ning Yi found himself at the Academy of Male Virtuousness, where students recited a creed emphasizing a husband's duties, such as cooking and cleaning, while wives remained distant from the kitchen. The creed also stated, "Wife rises late, husband makes good soup," and "Wife guides husband." The master introduced Ning Yi, stating his unnamed "guilt" was "too serious," and "difficult to speak of," urging him to turn over a new leaf.
He asked his deskmate, Li Pin, about the institution, learning it was specifically for matrilocal husbands. Li Pin and Gao Qiu had a friendly bet on why Ning Yi was there; Gao Qiu speculated it was for "lacking proper service for his wife," while Li Pin thought it was for being "poor at housework." Ning Yi revealed he had simply gone to Xinmen Brothel, which shocked everyone, as they considered it a violation of the "lust prohibition."
Ning Yi clarified he was merely interested in "melody," and that he sang songs which led to the courtesan spilling wine on him. Intrigued, the students pressed for more details about Xinmen Brothel. Ning Yi described its "normal environment," "not good" service, lack of "sofa seats" (only "private rooms"), "high minimum charge," and inability to "store wine."
He did, however, praise "Procuress Yang" for her "good service attitude" and mentioned the courtesan, Yuan Jiner, "looks pretty good, but her singing skill is general." Their boisterous discussion attracted the attention of Feng Yuan, the "monitor of virtue," who tried to quiet them, but he too grew curious about the brothel. The master soon appeared, angrily sending them all to stand outside, scolding Feng Yuan for "mixing with these bad guys."
Once the master left, Ning Yi defiantly put down his basin, encouraging the others to do the same, asserting that such a "penalty" wasn't worth complying with. The other students, impressed by his courage, joined him. While resting, they shared their reasons for being at the Academy. Feng Yuan claimed he came "voluntarily to learn capabilities" to "share his wife’s burdens," while Li Pin admitted he was sent for "forgetting his wife’s birthday."
Shen Miao, a "poor scholar" who "flunked the examination for many years," was sent by his family to learn to be a matrilocal husband, hoping to "marry rich." Gao Qiu was sent because he was "not good at speaking and slow to react," essentially being considered a fool by his wife. Ning Yi, finding these reasons trivial, pointed out the real issue was the low status of matrilocal husbands.
He passionately declared that matrilocal husbands "should have human rights," and that "both husband and wife are equal no matter what," advocating for mutual support without distinguishing "lowliness and nobleness." His words resonated deeply, inspiring the students to demand dignity. When the master returned, calling them "useless good-for-nothings," Ning Yi directly confronted him, asserting they were there to learn, not to "have corporal punishment or be insulted."
He broke the master's ruler, stating he would personally discuss the matter with his wife that night. With a grand exit, Ning Yi walked out, mistakenly using the wrong door, while the other students watched with admiration. Ning Yi, having walked out of the classroom in defiance, was still at the Academy of Male Virtuousness. While strolling alone, he happened upon the Wu Dynasty's Right Chancellor Qin Siyuan and the Emperor's Son-in-Law Kang Xian playing chess.
Qin Siyuan invited Ning Yi to join, and when Kang Xian returned, they had already begun a new game. Ning Yi's unconventional style led him to a surprising victory over Qin Siyuan, earning Kang Xian's immediate respect and friendship. Kang Xian, who was also the dean of the Academy of Male Virtuousness, inquired why Ning Yi was at his institution, but Ning Yi artfully dodged the question.
Just as Qin Siyuan offered to play another game, a servant from the Su household urgently summoned Ning Yi to the cloth store. He politely excused himself, promising to continue the game later. Upon his arrival, he found officials present, who, based on a "tipped-off" clerk, accused the store of fraud and threatened to seal it.
Su Tan'er tried to explain that fabricating receipts to give away more cloth made no sense for their business, but the officials insisted on taking all receipts for investigation, prompting an outcry from agitated customers. At this critical moment, Su Wenxing, Ning Yi's cousin, appeared, feigning concern and offering a solution: he would lend Mùyún yarn from his warehouse if Su Tan'er agreed to "manage this cloth store together" with him.
Feigning desperation, Su Tan'er agreed, and they began to sign a contract, with Su Wenxing smugly remarking on Ning Yi's supposed "bad idea" and calling him an "outsider." However, Ning Yi suddenly stepped forward, declaring it was "time to catch the thief." Su Tan'er, with a knowing smile, took the receipts from an official and demonstrated an ingenious anti-counterfeit watermark using water.
She explained that she had implemented this system based on Ning Yi's prior advice: her genuine receipts had a hidden personal seal that only appeared when soaked. This revealed that the fabricated receipts lacked her personal seal, proving they were counterfeits. Su Tan'er then logically deduced that the culprit must be the "other one who has Su’s Cloth Store seal," pointing directly to the Second Master’s family.
The officials moved to arrest Su Wenxing, who desperately pleaded for mercy and tried to shame Su Tan'er, claiming she was "disobeying the doctrine of a woman" and that sending her own brother to jail would lead to her being "discussed by people" and hated by the Su family.
Ning Yi sharply countered, asserting that family unity required "cutting losses in time" from individuals like Su Wenxing, who only relied on "gender advantage" and whose actions amounted to "disrupting the market," a crime punishable by at least three years. Ignoring Su Wenxing's pleas, Ning Yi ordered the officials to take him. In a last-ditch effort, Su Wenxing broke free and blamed Sun Erhu, one of the managers, as the true culprit.
Su Tan'er, understanding the leverage, simply stated that she had "punished the domestic thief" and allowed the officials to take Sun Erhu. Back at the Su Mansion, Su Zhongkan, enraged by his son Su Wenxing's actions, began to savagely beat him. Ning Yi stepped in, feigning sympathy for his "brother-in-law" and suggesting that Su Wenxing was "still a child."
Yet, under the guise of compassion, Ning Yi handed Su Zhongkan a "wrapped cane, which has many thorns," to "teach him a lesson" by hitting him "five hundred times." The Elder Master did not intervene, leaving Su Zhongkan no choice but to use the thorny cane on his wailing son. Ning Yi and Su Tan'er left the scene, pleased with the outcome.
Ning Yi then asked Su Tan'er if he could be excused from returning to the Academy of Male Virtuousness, given his significant help in resolving the cloth store crisis. Su Tan'er agreed, but warned him to be mindful of his "personal morals" and not give the Second Master's family any further "leverage." Ning Yi hinted that his previous visit to Xinmen Brothel had been for a hidden purpose.
He later sought out Guard Geng, asking him to accompany him to Xinmen Brothel once more, claiming he had "drank too much last time" and needed to "take the Family Representative Seal for your lady." Guard Geng, perplexed, questioned his motives. While discussing this, Ning Yi unexpectedly encountered the First Master, his biological father. The sight of him triggered a chilling memory for Ning Yi, as he recognized the First Master from the day he was attacked and knocked out.
Ning Yi, curious why the First Master had sent someone to knock him out, later questioned Chan about him, learning that he was a "strange man" who avoided family business, preferring to study or seclude himself. Chan further revealed that the First Master had always "looked down upon" Ning Yi and had been "too angry and didn’t go out for three days" when Su Tan'er decided to marry him.
This information, coupled with a "mosquito coil" that the First Master had given him earlier (which Ning Yi now found suspicious, sensing "a trick"), made Ning Yi reconsider things. He pressed Guard Geng further, who reluctantly admitted that the First Master had indeed sent him to accompany Ning Yi to Xinmen Brothel the first time, with instructions to "keep an eye on" Ning Yi and "deal with him on the spot" if he "behaved with misconduct."
Realizing he had been caught in a "sting operation," Ning Yi immediately began packing his belongings, intent on escaping the mansion for his safety. Guard Geng, still misunderstanding, believed Ning Yi was simply "mad at me." The First Master was quickly informed that Ning Yi had "run away from home."
