Resumo do episódio 23 de Faithful
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As Lou Mingzhang's carriage was preparing to leave the city, Tian Xiaoling suddenly appeared, blocking its path by kneeling and boldly accusing Wu Lian of rape. Meng Wan joined her, also kneeling, to formally accuse Wu Lian of rape at Yanyu Tower. She stated that seven years ago, Rulan had accused Wu Lian but was judged to have made a false accusation.
Now, both she and Tian Xiaoling (Master Jue Ming) could serve as witnesses to prove Wu Lian's guilt, urging Lou Mingzhang to reopen the case and clear Rulan's name. Faced with this public appeal, Lou Mingzhang had no choice but to announce his return to the Yamen to hold court the following day. Wu Lian, upon hearing the news, instructed his subordinates that Tian Xiaoling could not be allowed to live, as without her, Lou Mingzhang would be powerless.
However, later, he recognized that Meng Wan was the true key to their plans, and removing her would render the others insignificant. Aware that the news would soon spread and impact the Xu family, Meng Wan hurried back home. She found Xu Zhiyang staring at the abandonment letter she had left on the table. With tears in his eyes, he questioned if she had no lingering attachments to their seven years together.
Meng Wan, unable to meet his gaze, admitted that those seven years were the best of her life, but she was determined to bring an end to the past. Xu Zhiyang reluctantly offered to write a divorce settlement instead, but Meng Wan insisted on an abandonment letter, as only that would clearly separate her from the Xu family. She then brought him a brush and ink to sign the document.
Xu Zhiyang handed her a box of valuables, asking about her future plans, but Meng Wan politely declined, stating she would temporarily stay at Huangji Embroidery House. As a carriage arrived outside, Xu Zhiyang offered to escort her, but Meng Wan declined, saying, "Even if one travels a thousand miles with a friend, there must be a farewell." At the door, she paused, turned, and performed a deep bow, thanking him for his care and urging him to take care.
Xu Zhiyang watched her leave, then quietly whispered "Take care." Meanwhile, Zhao Yucheng received an anonymous letter that revealed knowledge of his past grievances with Wu Lian and promised to help him re-establish himself in Huaizhou. This spurred Zhao Yucheng to return to the city.
He recalled how Wu Lian had once promised to connect him with Mrs. Ning to help him gain a foothold in Huaizhou, only to later renege and threaten him with Mrs. Ning's influence, forcing him to leave. Zhao Yucheng vowed to exact his revenge. Meng Wan, now settled at Huangji Embroidery House in Huang Jiaojiao's courtyard, knew that Wu Lian's true target would be her, not Tian Xiaoling, despite popular belief. She intentionally had Tian Xiaoling return to Qingshui Nunnery.
Shen Mu, initially guarding Qingshui Nunnery, found no suspicious activity there, leading him to realize it was a diversion. He quickly returned to the city. As anticipated, Wu An, sent by Wu Lian, infiltrated Meng Wan's room at Huangji Embroidery House. However, Meng Wan had anticipated this and had arranged with Lou Mingzhang for officers to be stationed inside and outside the courtyard.
Shen Mu arrived just in time, and the officers apprehended Wu An before he could harm Meng Wan beyond a minor scratch. Shen Mu confirmed Tian Xiaoling's safety and mentioned that Lou Mingzhang had indeed sent officers to guard the embroidery house based on Meng Wan's earlier foresight. Meng Wan cautioned everyone to be extremely careful, knowing the next day's trial would be a fierce battle.
The next morning, the news of the retrial drew large crowds to the Yamen, including Gao Chengcheng, a former embroideress from Yanyu Tower. Lou Mingzhang opened the court, summoning Wu Lian. Wu Lian dismissed the accusations, reminding the court that Rulan had retracted her statement seven years prior, and questioned the legal standing of Meng Wan and Tian Xiaoling to represent the deceased.
In response, Rulan's elder brother, Lin Lang, stepped forward to formally accuse Wu Lian and demand justice for his sister's reputation. Wu Lian demanded evidence. Lin Lang recounted Rulan's assertion that many others in Yanyu Tower had been victimized, but she remained silent to protect them. Meng Wan testified that she had experienced the same suffering as Rulan, but Wu Lian countered by highlighting her close friendship with Rulan, implying her testimony was motivated by revenge.
Tian Xiaoling then stepped forward to testify. She recounted her entry into Yanyu Tower seven years prior and how, after returning from celebrating the Qiqiao Festival, she went to the embroidery room to retrieve an unfinished piece. There, she encountered a seemingly drunken Wu Lian, who engaged her in a discussion about embroidery. When she expressed her preference for plum blossoms on branches over falling plum blossoms, Wu Lian, enraged by her perceived insolence, forced her onto an embroidery table.
He then used an embroidery needle to painstakingly tattoo a falling plum blossom onto her shoulder, vowing to mark her for life. Overwhelmed by despair, Tian Xiaoling had retreated to a nunnery, living like a "walking dead." Wu Lian attempted to discredit her by bringing up her connection to Li Chunfeng, claiming she was falsely accusing him out of revenge for Li Chunfeng's death, who Wu Lian alleged was a thief injured during a break-in at his home.
Meanwhile, Liu Xin visited Wu An in prison. He confronted Wu An, revealing his knowledge that Wu An's unwavering loyalty to Wu Lian stemmed from Wu Lian saving his sister's life. Liu Xin urged Wu An to confess in court, promising that Lou Mingzhang would show leniency, allowing him a chance to see his sister again before she started her own family, as opposed to facing exile and never seeing her again.
Wu An was swayed by the thought of his sister. Separately, Huang Jiaojiao, preparing for the trial, entrusted her steward with the title deeds to her embroidery house and shops, instructing her to sell them and take all the embroideresses away from Huaizhou if anything unforeseen happened to her during the trial. Shen Mu's men apprehended Zhao Yucheng and searched his residence. In court, Meng Wan publicly accused Zhao Yucheng of forging evidence in Rulan's original trial.
Huang Jiaojiao corroborated this, testifying that she had seen Wu Lian's servant escort Zhao Yucheng into the Yanyu Tower study before Rulan's second hearing. Wu Lian tried to dismiss Huang Jiaojiao's testimony, pointing out that her Huangji Embroidery House had flourished after Yanyu Tower's decline, suggesting she had ulterior motives.
Zhao Yucheng then confessed to his past collusion with Wu Lian, admitting that Wu Lian had promised to help him establish himself in Huaizhou if he ensured Rulan lost her case by secretly replacing Ding Ru's handkerchief. Wu Lian attempted to undermine this testimony by revealing Zhao Yucheng was Meng Wan's cousin, implying a conspiracy. However, Shen Mu produced the original handkerchief, which he had found at Zhao Yucheng's residence.
Zhao Yucheng's concubine was also brought to testify, confirming that she had embroidered a replica handkerchief on her master's orders. Wu Lian, however, still refused to admit he had ordered the deception. Meng Wan then requested Wu An be brought to the stand. To everyone's shock, Wu An dramatically turned on Meng Wan and Liu Xin.
He claimed Meng Wan was holding his beloved maid hostage to force him to falsely accuse Wu Lian, and that Liu Xin had threatened him in prison. He further asserted that his attack on Meng Wan the previous night was a personal matter stemming from his anger over her alleged mistreatment of his maid. As chaos erupted in the court, Tian Xiaoling removed her outer robe, revealing the distinctive plum blossom tattoo on her shoulder.
A handkerchief featuring Wu Lian's unique plum blossom embroidery was brought for comparison, confirming the identical design. Tian Xiaoling then recounted the full horrifying details of her assault, reiterating how Wu Lian, angered by her innocent comment, had forced her down and tattooed her with an embroidery needle.
Wu Lian, however, continued to deny the rape accusation, stating that the tattoo was merely a "punishment" for her insubordination, not an act of sexual assault, and that the method, while controversial, did not constitute rape. Facing this stalemate, Meng Wan turned to the assembled crowd, which included many former Yanyu Tower embroideresses. She appealed to them, asking how they had lived over the past seven years and reminding them that Rulan's silence had been to protect them.
She spoke of the many young women who had entered Yanyu Tower with hope only to leave scarred, and how Wu Lian, the perpetrator, continued to prosper. Meng Wan urged them to overcome their fear of gossip and social ruin, to stop hiding their scars, and to stand up, not just for others, but for themselves. Despite her impassioned plea, a somber silence fell over the court, and no one came forward. Gao Chengcheng, disheartened, quietly left.
Meng Wan then made a desperate request to Lou Mingzhang: to erect a white screen outside the Yamen where victims could anonymously write their names or testimonies, thus protecting their identities and their hard-won peaceful lives. However, Lou Mingzhang rejected this unprecedented request, declaring he could not agree to it. With no further evidence or witnesses willing to come forward, Lou Mingzhang regretfully dismissed the court, ordering the release of Wu Lian and Wu An.
As Wu Lian walked free, he mocked Meng Wan, calling her naive and asserting that no one would ever confess. Meng Wan watched him leave, heartbroken, lamenting that after seven years, nothing had changed, and perhaps nothing ever would.
