We are fortunate enough to live in a different era where women are treated as equals of men (in most cases, not all, unfortunately) that I just cannot understand how Murong (novel and drama version) can claim to love Jing Wan and not respect her. Perhaps in the Ming Guo era, when women say no, men just pretend they can't hear and sexually assault them anyway?
I absolutely agree that it's very, very sordid of Murong Feng to make sexual advances toward Jing Wan practically immediately right after he officially cut off all ties with her. It's like he's saying, "Jing Wan, that public announcement was for appearance's sake, but I still want to keep you as my dirty little secret that my new wife does not know about. Hey, how about jumping into bed with me right now, huh, like you're nothing better than a prostitute?"
In fact, he
does jump right into bed with her at the first opportunity the night before his wedding to Jin Zhi! I don't like Jin Zhi, but as a woman, I do feel some outrage for her, as no bride-to-be should have to tolerate having her groom in bed with another woman
the very night before the wedding day!
Another point I agree with you on is that I guess Murong would not resort to rape as he's too smart and realizes that Jing Wan would really never forgive him if he does force himself on her. However, I disagree that he seemed resigned to fate after he learned that Jing Wan was with Xin Zhi. Sure, he left her alone initially probably because her declaration shocked him so much that he was nearly paralyzed. Never, in the many years that he had pined and dreamed for her, did he expect that she would start a relationship with another man. It was indeed very arrogant of him to expect her to remain single and unattached, as he, himself, already had a wife and a paramour (Su Ying). Therefore, Jing Wan's declaration that he was replaced by another man in her life now probably took the wind out of Murong. And then he went home and vented on the orchids. However, almost immediately afterward, he asked his second-in-command to search for Jing Wan's whereabouts. I think, if he had found her, he would have dragged her back with him and locked her up again. It wouldn't surprise me, since he was such a bad-tempered, arrogant, I-take-what-I-want sort of fellow.