Episode 13 recap: Lin Ru Lan is getting married and embroidering a red dress for herself.
Lin Ru Lan ran to find her way into Wu Lian's room, questioning him about how he had caused harm to so many people and yet continued to live carefree. However, Wu Lian didn't even consider them as worth his attention, regarding them as deserving of their own misfortunes. Lin Ru Lan wanted to slap him, but Wu Lian swiftly caught her hand, enjoying the sight of others being powerless.
Seven years ago, Liu Xin, lying in the prison cell, was awakened by a copper coin falling from the sky. Liu Xin hoped to use the money to buy medicine for his injured leg, but a mere copper coin couldn't buy anything. Li Chunsheng, standing outside the window, sheepishly scratched his head, as he had spent all his money on pig's head meat. He was left with just one copper coin. Liu Xin fell to the ground in complete despair. Curious, Li Chunsheng inquired about the Misty Rain Embroidery Tower. Liu Xin, without saying much, kindly advised Li Chunsheng not to get involved.
In the Lin family's medicine shop, Lin Ru Lan stood by the window, lost in thought without eating or drinking. Lin Lang brought food into the room and scolded Lin Ru Lan for her willfulness. Even Lin Lang and their own parents started to doubt Lin Ru Lan and sided with Wu Lian. Helpless, Lin Ru Lan shed tears, dismissed Lin Lang, and laughed bitterly alone.
Wu Lian presented the new products of the Misty Rain Embroidery Tower to The wife of the Duke of Ningguo, causing her great joy. Amidst her happiness, she reminded Wu Lian not to make any mistakes with the Misty Rain Embroidery. Wu Lian, satisfied, made a promise.
Meng Wan, equally hopeless, lay weakly on her bed, looking at the medicine her mother had sent. Meng Wan used the excuse of wanting to eat candied fruit to dismiss her mother. Once her mother left, Meng Wan, dragging her body, knocked on Zhao Yu Cheng's door alone. Upon seeing Zhao Yu Cheng, Meng Wan lost control and began punching and kicking him, demanding to know why. Zhao Yu Cheng simply brushed it off, stating that he didn't care about trivial matters. Meng Wan felt disgusted by the person standing before her, a shameless scoundrel. She was determined to witness Zhao Yu Cheng face the consequences and suffer greatly.
Turning her head, Meng Wan went to Lin Ru Lan's house and saw Lin Ru Lan lying on the table, feeling a pang of heartache. Before she could speak, Gao Cheng Cheng barged in and verbally abused Meng Wan. They had agreed to testify together, but Meng Wan escaped at the last moment, leaving Gao Cheng Cheng resentful. Gao Cheng Cheng slapped Meng Wan in anger. Lin Ru Lan protected Meng Wan, pushing Gao Cheng Cheng away and cursing at him before he left. Meng Wan was consumed by deep self-blame, holding Lin Ru Lan's hand and wanting to take her away from there. Lin Ru Lan nodded in agreement.
The next day, Meng Wan had already prepared her clothes to leave. As she was packing up, her mother suddenly knocked on the door. Meng Wan hurriedly hid her belongings and took a deep breath before opening the door. Upon entering, Meng's mother searched around but didn't notice anything unusual. She sat on the edge of the bed and was relieved that Meng's father hadn't come home from the tavern in the past few days and was unaware of Meng Wan's abortion. If he found out, there would be a big scene. Meng Wan looked at her mother with heartache and proposed a divorce. However, in the eyes of Meng's mother, divorce meant being rejected by the husband's family and having nowhere to go in this world. Meng Wan thought her mother was weak and her words directly angered her mother, who turned and left.
In the middle of the night, Meng's father, drunk, returned home and stumbled into Meng's mother's room. Meng Wan heard the commotion and got up to open the door, but in the end, she hesitated and returned to her own bed, leaving Meng's mother to handle it alone.
Lin Ru Lan, with newfound hope, ate her meal heartily. She instructed Lin Lang nearby that after things calmed down, they should go to Lin Dai Fu to ask for clothes. She repeatedly reminded her father and mother, tears streaming down her face as if bidding a final farewell.
Lin Ru Lan changed into plain clothes and eagerly waited at the gate of Huaizhou Prefecture. Meanwhile, Meng Wan, who had packed up and was ready to leave, heard her mother coughing and decided to take a look. It turned out that Meng's father had suffered from his chronic illness all night, and Meng Wan, feeling sorry for her mother, got up to help her fetch medicine.
Lin Ru Lan, filled with joyous anticipation, saw Meng's mother's figure instead. It seemed that her guess was correct—Meng Wan was going to leave Huaizhou Prefecture. Unexpectedly, Meng's mother knelt down and begged Lin Ru Lan to spare Meng Wan. She wanted to give Meng Wan a peaceful life. Meng's mother personally revealed the news of Meng Wan's pregnancy, crying on the ground. Lin Ru Lan also felt compassionate and, facing Meng's mother's pleas, resolutely returned to her side. When Meng Wan hurriedly arrived at the gate of Huaizhou Prefecture, Lin Ru Lan's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Ru Lan hurriedly arrived at the Yanyu Embroidery Tower and barged into Wu Lian's room. Seeing Lin Ru Lan's appearance, Wu Lian couldn't help but make fun of her. Lin Ru Lan questioned why he caused harm to so many people and yet could continue to live carefree. But in Wu Lian's eyes, they were mere ants, and he didn't care about them. He believed they brought it upon themselves. Lin Ru Lan wanted to slap him, but Wu Lian grabbed her hand. He enjoyed seeing others hate him to the bone but being unable to harm him. Li Chunsheng, who was leaning against the city wall, witnessed everything and shook his head in disappointment.
Lost and distraught, Lin Ru Lan walked alone to the Tianqiao Bridge, touching the railing without knowing what was going through her mind. Li Chunsheng, afraid that Lin Ru Lan might jump into the river, quickened his pace and tugged on Lin Ru Lan's purse. Unexpectedly, Lin Ru Lan handed her purse to Li Chunsheng and Lin Lang arrived just in time to take Lin Ru Lan away.
The next day, Meng Wan found Lin Ru Lan at the Lin family's medicine shop. She saw Lin Ru Lan embroidering a red dress for herself and thought that Lin's mother had discovered and stopped Lin Ru Lan. However, she didn't expect Lin Ru Lan to claim that she had never thought of leaving. Under Lin Ru Lan's persuasion, Meng Wan chose to respect and compromise.
In ancient times, there was a focus on preserving the reputation of virtuous women. If a man dared to have an illicit relationship with a woman and was accused of adultery by the woman, the man would be held responsible and face consequences.
In traditional society, it was common knowledge to believe women, and there was no opportunity for men to defend themselves. There's an old saying that goes, "Adultery is revealed by the lady's mouth.
Women-oriented TV dramas really indulge in fantasies, constantly portraying men as "evil" and promoting the idea of "male oppression" to cater to female viewers.
It can be quite disgusting.
The magistrate didn't dare to offend the Duke of Ningguo's mansion. The Lady of the Duke's mansion didn't expect Wu Lian to be so shameless. Secondly, she wanted to maintain a connection with Wu Lian through the Yanyu Embroidery and the palace.
Wu Lian bribed many people.
Of course, they can accuse the adulterers, but what happens after that? The men might face punishment, but what about the women? They will not only remain unmarried but also become burdens to their families.
They are left with two options: either to die or to become nuns, all to ensure that they don't bring shame upon other women in their family. I think you're being too naive about the situation.
Regarding the matter of the embroiderers, it's clear that these girls had their own desires for Wu from the beginning. They knew that Wu was married, yet they still fell for his temptations.
Wu never promised to marry anyone nor did he force anyone. When they discovered they were deceived, they felt resentful and took their own lives. Wu is scum, but in reality, the women in the drama bear more responsibility for their own mistakes.
These victims were originally the ones who made mistakes but couldn't face the reality of their actions.
Liu Lamezi said one thing right: If you adhere to proper womanly conduct, this wouldn't have happened!
I don't understand why it's said that if Lin Ru Lan and Meng Wan had left, maybe they wouldn't have died. Lin Ru Lan could have left on her own, moved away with her family, or chosen not to commit suicide.
Lin Ru Lan's death may have brought her relief, but has anyone considered her family? Meng Wan, because of her death, never lived for herself and was solely focused on seeking revenge for Lin Ru Lan.
Why choose suicide? If she chose to marry, then she should have found a way to gather evidence against Wu Lian or even die together with him. Alternatively, she could have chosen to escape and return later for revenge.