Original subtitles

(Joy of Life Season 2)

(Episode 19)

You have to eat well down there, okay?

Did you miss me?

You have to take good care of yourself.

Mother, I'm back.

Why are you back in the middle of the day?

Can't I return in the day?

(Grave of Fan Si Zhe)

What... What does that mean?

Fan Xian?

What?

Is it time for me to die?

I don't even know what kind of image I have in your mind.

Father! Father, I'm back!

You...

You still got arrested in the end, huh?

In the end? What does that mean?

I knew this day would arrive eventually

after you said you wanted to assassinate Lord Fan.

Thank you, Lord Fan.

Thank you for sparing my son.

Father, the assassination is all in the past now.

Now, I'm serving him.

I see.

My son

is foolish and ignorant.

Lord Fan, you actually forgave his past mistakes

and gave him a chance.

You're truly magnanimous.

Why don't you two chat over here?

Okay.

Father, I'm a useful person.

I've been lurking within the capital of Northern Qi all this while.

Why did you go to Northern Qi?

I was managing the secret scouts

and overseeing the collection of confidential information.

- Really? - That's right, Father.

My infiltration until now

has been flawless.

Northern Qi,

is it facing its demise?

It's not that bad.

Father, seems like you don't trust me.

It's been many years, yet you still don't understand my capabilities.

Father!

What's wrong?

This isn't a dream, huh?

I think I'm mentally exhausted.

How did I fall asleep and dream during the day?

But that's fine.

I can see you in my dream again.

I'm happy about it.

Mother,

you aren't dreaming.

I've returned for real.

They better don't wake me up right now.

Mother, this isn't a dream.

Mother,

why did you hit me?

It doesn't hurt when you're in a dream.

Does it hurt?

It does.

My son, you're truly back!

- This is great! - Wait.

It's useless for you to hit me when it's your dream, right?

- Let me pinch you. - Don't!

- Mother, that hurts. - One more time!

- Stop crying. - I'm glad that you're back.

I'll make something nice for you.

No need for that. You mustn't tell anyone else.

I came back in secret this time around.

I see.

Princess Yun Rui and Prince Cheng Ze are allies.

This is truly unexpected.

Father,

Prince Cheng Ze is in a dispute with Fan Xian.

He'll set him up during the Spring Imperial Examination.

Help him out.

He promised that he would release you once the event is over.

Mr. Guo, what are you doing?

Lord Fan, I want to thank you for saving my son.

He's not saving me. He's saving you.

It doesn't matter whether I get out or not.

As long as my son can survive,

I'm willing

to sacrifice my life.

I'm a man of my word.

I'll definitely rescue you.

Lord Fan, you said

that Guo Zheng gave you a manual.

May I have a look?

Father, how is it?

Many of the details here listed are correct.

So, can Fan Xian accomplish the deed

just by following it?

However, it doesn't contain rules

outside of the Spring Imperial Examination.

If so, they must be trying to harm you.

Who does Guo Zheng serve?

Judging from what I saw in the past,

it didn't seem like he was serving anyone.

His intention is well-hidden.

Father, let's forget about him, then.

Hurry and tell Lord Fan about the other rules.

He needs to rescue you after this.

There's no rush for the rules.

I have a question.

Lord Fan, how many of your proteges are attending the exam this time?

I don't have any proteges.

Not a single one?

I'm too young to be a mentor.

It's a good thing for you not to be involved with the candidates.

It saves you from a lot of trouble.

Lord Fan, are you remembering something?

I did meet some of the candidates a few days ago.

Did you only meet them?

We had a chat

and drank together.

If so, that means they're your proteges.

But they don't know who I am.

That's not important.

To other people,

those candidates are already your proteges.

Father, forget about his proteges.

Even Master Zhuang Mo Han gave him all of his books.

He has inherited the literary heritage.

It's normal for him to have proteges.

Don't interrupt us.

Lord Fan,

what do you think the exam candidates hate the most during the exam?

Cheating and showing favoritism.

Your proteges represent that.

But Fan Xian doesn't intend to practice favoritism.

Why should we worry about it?

Even if he doesn't want to do certain deeds,

other people will do them on his behalf.

Why are they helping him out?

How did you manage to infiltrate Northern Qi?

Father, what has the exam got to do with Northern Qi now?

(Fan Residence)

Aunt Liu? Si Zhe?

Xian.

Do you guys need anything?

- What are you doing? - Don't stop me.

- What's going on? - I don't know either.

- Stop messing around. Are you still competing with him? - Let me go.

What nonsense are you talking about?

That was a long time ago. Now, we're a family.

I need him to do me a favor.

Even so, you shouldn't harm him because of it.

- What do you mean? - What were you doing just now?

Si Zhe is right. You're my elder.

If people saw that you knelt in front of me,

I'll be in huge trouble.

There are only the three of us here. No one else saw that.

- I'll do it quickly! - Don't!

I talk too fast, Mother. I can't help it.

Aunt Liu, we're a family.

There's no need to beg me. We can talk inside.

Let's talk inside.

Come, Mother.

Here, Aunt Liu.

Have some water.

Thank you, Xian.

How do I put it?

You see,

I'm getting older and older.

Aunt Liu, you're forever young.

You're such an eloquent child.

If only Si Zhe was as eloquent as you.

He was a mischievous child since young.

Sometimes, he does irk me.

But when I don't see him,

I miss him.

I don't know if it's because I owed him in my past life.

Aunt Liu, what are you trying to get at?

Can you not send him to Northern Qi again?

Aunt Liu, don't worry. I don't intend for Si Zhe

to leave the capital again now that he's back.

- Really? - You haven't asked me about it.

I want to go to Northern Qi.

But Fan Xian said you didn't need to go there again.

This doesn't concern him. I want to go there myself.

But why?

I've learned a lot from my trip to Northern Qi.

Although it was dangerous and harsh...

You shouldn't go there, then.

Mother, let me finish my words.

I found a reason to live.

In the past, I always stayed in the capital.

Yes. It's safe, and I don't need to fret.

But I only indulge myself in pleasures all day long.

What's the point of living?

When I went to Northern Qi, at least I felt useful as a person.

Although I only did the Qing Kingdom a small favor,

I think that's enough.

I don't wish to return to the past

and become the bored and insignificant Fan Si Zhe again.

If so, are you still heading to Northern Qi? For what?

I'll go to you.

Xian,

I heard that you're going to do business with Northern Qi

- after taking over the Imperial Treasury. - That's true.

Have you decided on a manager yet?

Not yet.

I've decided on the candidate for you.

Why are you trying to take this path?

I'm a citizen of the Qing Kingdom.

I'm just contributing to my own kingdom.

Any other reasons?

I also want to make a little profit.

I wish to make some money.

Let me ask you something.

Why should I choose you?

Why wouldn't you choose me?

As brothers, we should be united.

Can you rest at ease if you leave the post to someone else?

- I can rest at ease if I leave it to you. - Yeah.

The thing is, it depends on Aunt Liu's will.

Mother.

When do you plan to leave?

Have you agreed to it?

I want to see you grow up too.

All right. I'll pack my belongings.

I'll depart tomorrow morning.

There's no rush.

I'll hold my wedding after the Spring Imperial Examination.

You should attend it before leaving.

All right. That's great.

When's the Spring Imperial Examination?

This is bad. I'm nervous.

I couldn't sleep well last night.

Your snore was comparable to the sound of a cannon.

I was the one who couldn't sleep well.

Ji Chang, I think I've reached a certain stage.

When I was home, I memorized all of the books.

But I forgot half of them on my way here.

Now that I'm here, I forgot everything.

Sober up! The exam is nearing.

Where's Cheng Jia Lin?

He said he went to buy some flatbread.

He told us to go first.

Be careful!

Be careful!

There are so many people here.

10,000 carps vie in the current,

- fighting for a chance to leap over the Dragon Gate! - Yeah!

The end of this road

represents the hope of all scholars!

Sorry about that.

Come.

Ji Chang, I think you slept pretty well.

At least you have the energy to shout.

I became energetic from all the squeezing.

Be careful.

Sorry.

(Spring Imperial Examination Hall)

Lord Fan.

Minister Guo, why are you here?

It's almost time.

The candidates will enter the hall soon.

It's been tough on them.

They studied all their lives for the sake of these three days.

The scholars are not to leave the hall within these three days.

That's why they brought their blankets and food with them.

It must've been tough.

Since they're bringing plenty of things here,

that means they have a better opportunity to smuggle cheat sheets as well.

Lord Fan, you're in charge of the inspection.

This first hurdle is of utmost importance.

I'm quite worried about it.

I came here to take a look

so that you wouldn't overlook any mistakes.

Minister Guo, you're truly a nice person.

It's only natural

to nurture younger generations, don't you think?

You're getting your portraits drawn again?

We're running out of time.

I have to get it commemorated as quickly as possible.

Don't worry. I've already checked the rule book.

It doesn't go against the law

or break the rules.

Minister Guo, you do obey the rules, huh?

I'm an educated individual.

I know my limits.

Minister Guo, is this...

This is a work log.

Minister Guo, you should do it like this.

- It shows more power. - Is that so?

It's more powerful.

Your emotion! That's important.

Look at the time.

Why aren't the candidates here yet?

Lord Fan, you may not know,

but according to the established customs,

the candidates are busy crossing the Dragon Gate Bridge at this moment.

Dragon Gate Bridge?

I'll surely pass the exam!

I crossed the Dragon Gate Bridge!

I crossed the Dragon Gate Bridge!

We'll surely pass the exam after crossing the bridge!

We've arrived!

We've arrived!

- There are so many people here. - Yeah.

Here they come.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Fan Xian.

That's Poetic Genius Fan.

He's the future grandmaster of the literary world.

That's right.

Let me take a look.

That's the grandmaster of the literary world.

It's rare to see him.

- Today's the Spring Imperial Examination. - That's right.

Here, I have some wishes for you guys.

May you all carry the golden key to the treasury of wisdom,

with a mind full of ten thousand books,

wear the halo of confidence,

ride the skateboard of good fortune,

set sail with full confidence, and sail towards the heights...

I mean, sail toward the shore of success.

You guys can do this.

Rise up!

Now that I'm done with the wishes,

I have something unpleasant to say as well.

For this exam, I shall be inspecting you all.

If any of you brought something that you weren't supposed to,

please leave them here before entering the hall.

If we find such items on you after you enter the hall,

your qualifications will be canceled.

There's no room for negotiation.

I hereby implore you all to do so.

Lord Fan gave us the message.

We cannot bring cheat sheets into the exam hall.

Yeah. It'll affect our future.

Let's take them out, then.

Go now.

Queue over there. One by one.

Prepare your documents for us to confirm your identity.

All right.

This is yours. Here you go.

Next.

Over here.

Queue over here.

Who brought the cheat sheets here?

All right now. Just take them out.

It'll be terrible if they find out.

You, show me your bag.

Minister Guo, how could you just stand all the time?

- Get him a chair. - No need for that.

He needs to draw another portrait if I change my pose.

One by one.

Lord Fan, you may proceed.

I'll leave once I'm done.

Thank you, Minister Guo.

It's my duty.

Inspect everything thoroughly.

Okay.

Okay. Next.

Here you go. You may go.

Come and queue up.

- One by one. - Where are Ji Chang and Jia Lin?

I think they're in front.

They won't get lost.

Let's go inside.

I wonder where's Lord Fan.

Next.

Coming.

Come. Leave your belongings here.

Someone did try to smuggle their cheat sheets.

Were we too late?

Is that why we don't get to see Lord Fan?

We'll see him once we enter the hall.

My Lord!

My Lord, I know my fault now!

- My Lord! - Hurry!

- Leave! - My Lord, I know my fault now!

My Lord!

My Lord, I know my fault now!

My Lord!

I'm sure he smuggled cheat sheets into the hall too.

Shameless fool. You deserve it.

All those years of studying were for nothing.

It'll be our turn soon.

I heard that Lord Fan would inspect our belongings personally.

Say, since he's a poetic genius,

what do you think he looks like?

Please give me another chance!

My Lord!

I know my fault now!

Turn around.

Okay. Over here.

Leave your blanket here.

- Move forward. - Excuse me.

Who's that person sitting over there?

Don't you even recognize Lord Fan Xian?

Is he Fan Xian?

Do not raise your voice.

- Turn around. - Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Isn't he the guy who had a chat with us?

He's actually Poetic Genius Fan?

It's him indeed.

Go now.

Next.

What is this?

Vegetable flatbread.

My Lord, there's a note inside.

How could that be...

Go over there!

I didn't bring any cheat sheets!

What is this, then?

He's pretty bold, isn't he?

Does he not want to take the exam?

My Lord,

I have no idea.

I truly...

I truly have no idea about this.

I can testify for him! Wan Li is an extraordinary talent!

He would never commit such a deed!

What's your name?

Where do you come from?

I'm Yang Wan Li.

I come from Quanzhou.

Yang Wan Li?

That's right.

Lord Fan,

isn't he your protege?

Fan Xian met them before?

Seems like these four candidates

are regarded highly by Fan Xian.

We'll start with them.

Do away with all four of them.

That's going too far.

Pick one.

Yang Wan Li.

Lord Fan's protege?

I'm not!

What should we do?

In my opinion,

the Spring Imperial Examination should be clean and fair.

It has to be fair.

If so, should we follow the rules?

- All right. - Okay.

Rescind the qualifications of Yang Wan Li, a student from Quanzhou.

Chase him out of the exam hall.

Ministry of Rites, record this. He shall never be recruited!

I didn't prepare that.

I didn't prepare that!

I didn't prepare that!

I didn't prepare that!

Minister Guo, please pardon me!

Pardon you for what?

Minister Guo,

I stuffed the note inside in secret just now.

You stuffed the note inside?

- That's right. - But why?

I was never born to study. I had no future.

It felt unfair to me.

That's why I wanted to trick a candidate for fun.

For fun?

You want to trick him?

I'm evil and devious.

If so, why are you confessing to your crime, then?

He looked pitiful.

I suddenly had a change of heart.

That's pure nonsense.

Minister Guo, I'm speaking the truth.

Who'll believe something like that?

Minister Guo,

don't be angry.

You're not young anymore.

Your health will be affected.

- I'm ashamed. - Shut up for now.

All right.

Lord Fan, Wan Li is not a person like that.

Minister Guo,

I don't know about the rules within the Ministry of Rites.

- May I ask you something? - Ask away.

Just now, you said that you wanted to kick him out of the exam hall.

You wanted the Ministry of Rites to record it, right?

Indeed.

If so, that's quite a harsh punishment.

What crime has he committed, then?

He smuggled cheat sheets into the exam hall.

That shows his poor character.

- Where's the cheat sheet, then? - This...

Lord Fan, everyone saw it.

- I did that. - Shut up.

- All right. - You were referring to this?

If you want to press charges against him, this is considered evidence.

Why don't we open it

and see what it is?

Of course. We have to.

I wish to read it too.

I wonder what's inside.

Meat flatbread, two qian per piece.

Flatbread, half a qian per piece.

Vegetable flatbread...

These are just the prices of the flatbread.

Are the prices of the flatbread determined by the sages as well?

I thought it was a cheat sheet.

The menu is pretty complete.

They also sell preserved vegetables.

This is...

Since it's just the price,

why did you hide it in the basket?

What's inside the basket?

Vegetable flatbread...

If so, is it possible

that the shopkeeper put it inside by accident?

Or, maybe I was mistaken.

Maybe the sages did say

that meat flatbread costs two qian per piece, huh?

Minister Guo, why don't you check the records?

You shouldn't have oily food for all three meals.

You should have some normal flatbread.

Yes, My Lord.

I'll remember your words.

Go inside now.

Let's go!

What's your deal?

- My Lord, I slept too much. - Nonsense!

The exam inspection is a major event!

I'll deduct your salary for one month!

Yes, My Lord. I accept my punishment.

Minister Guo, what do you think?

Lord Fan,

please tend to the affairs here.

I still need to check the exam papers.

I'm exhausted. I have no time to be idle.

I have no time to be idle.

Thank you, Minister Guo.

Farewell, Minister Guo.

- Who taught you to do that? - My Lord, I serve Chancellor Lin.

It was Chancellor Lin's will.

I'll be your scapegoat if anything happens during the exam.

What about your life?

This is my duty.

Relay my message to Uncle.

Tell him that I appreciate his protection.

However, I'll deal with the exam myself.

My Lord,

out of the four scholars Deng Zi Yue was protecting,

only Yang Wan Li was accused of smuggling cheat sheets.

Who did it?

Xie Bi An.

I'm correct, then.

Guo Zheng serves Prince Cheng Ze.

I became energetic from all the squeezing.

Stop squeezing!

Sorry about that!

Stop squeezing!

Be careful!

Guo Zheng is pretty vicious himself.

This is only the beginning.

The exam will last for three days.

Let's have some fun with Minister Guo.

Everyone,

the exam is more than just a test of your knowledge.

It's also a test of your character.

I wish you all

a promising future.

I also advise you guys

to behave yourselves.

It's time.

Where's Cheng Jia Lin?

He's in East Two.

Stop.

- What are you guys doing? - My Lord.

It's time to distribute the candles.

Lord Fan, you have a great reputation,

and you have all the power in the world.

Trivial affairs won't affect you much.

If they want to ruin your reputation,

they have to stir up huge trouble.

And, the first thing they'll do

is related to fire.

The Ministry of Rites will distribute candles to all candidates.

In terms of responsibility, this must be handled by you.

All of the candidates are cramped together.

If they tamper with the candles,

what do you think will happen?

A fire will start.

What if thousands of rooms are on fire at the same time?

It may turn into a tragedy.

If they wish to ruin your future,

this is what they have to resort to.

I smell kerosene.

Don't distribute them for now.

Don't distribute them.

Fire prevention is of utmost importance

in the inspection of the exam hall.

However, in this manual,

Guo Zheng just brushed things off.

I predict

that this is the trap he set for you.

Are these candles doused with kerosene too?

My Lord,

the candles are doused with kerosene.

But even if they're lit, they'll only produce some sparks.

Such sparks

shouldn't cause any major fire.

You're wrong.

What if the candidates weren't tending to the candle while they rest?

You do have a point.

Think about it. Why do the candidates need the candles?

It's because the exam hall is dark.

They use the candles

to illuminate their exam papers.

That's right.

The fire doesn't need to be huge.

It's already a huge deal if the exam papers were burned because of it.

That's a huge deal indeed.

Did you guys hear that? This batch of candles is unusable.

But My Lord, where can we get this many candles out of the blue?

For the next three days,

the Overwatch Council will supply the exam hall with candles.

And, please deliver this

to Minister Guo.

Thank you.

Record this in the inventory record? What does this mean?

The Overwatch Council said...

The Overwatch Council

is providing candles to the candidates.

We're doing a good deed here.

However, when it comes to business...

No, I mean,

officialdom is officialdom.

Most importantly, we have to obey the rules.

The Ministry of Rites was supposed to manage the exam.

If so, the cost of these candles

should also be borne by the Ministry of Rites.

Of course,

since we're doing a good deed here,

I can give you a 10% discount for the candles.

Officialdom is officialdom?

What kind of phrase is that?

Besides, why is the Overwatch Council

interfering with the candle supply?

Didn't we have our own candles?

Lord Fan has a message for you.

Minister Guo,

I was suddenly inspired for the past few days.

When I did divination,

guess what happened?

It foretold that a firestorm would happen. That's inauspicious.

Therefore, I thought to myself

that I should swap out all of the candles.

I should use the ones from the Overwatch Council.

If anything happens,

I'll bear all of the responsibilities.

Of course, if you're not willing,

we can inspect the candles provided by your ministry again.

If nothing's wrong with them, we can use them again.

Is it okay?

The divination part

was kind of a joke.

Besides, usually, people say "A bloody storm would happen."

A firestorm doesn't exist.

My Lord, why don't we follow Lord Fan's instruction

and inspect our candles again?

Lord Fan is just concerned about national affairs.

At least his intention was good.

I guess we can use the candles

that they provide.

But we have to pay for them.

Pay them, then.

Wait.

Didn't they agree to give us a 10% discount?

Why is it more expensive than its original price?

Don't forget about the delivery fee.

We can't afford to delay the exam.

Just follow their instructions.

Here. This is yours.

- Thank you. - Be careful with it.

- Keep it properly. - Okay.

- Be careful with it. This is yours. - Thank you.

- Thank you. - Be careful with it.

Thank you.

Be careful with it. Here.

- Here you go. Be careful with it. - Okay.

- Be careful. - Okay.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Besides the fire issue,

there's also a water issue.

The water in the exam hall is prepared for the candidates.

It serves as drinking water, and it's also used to put out fires.

If something's wrong with the water,

all of the candidates will be affected.

My Lord.

- Is the water poisoned? - It's not that bad.

I'm glad to hear that.

The water has almost gone bad.

It won't last for three days.

My Lord, we've brought the water tanks

from the First Bureau here as per your instruction.

Change all of them.

Tread lightly.

This time, don't charge them for the delivery fee.

Yes, My Lord.

My Lord,

shouldn't we try to blow up

the issue with the tampered candles?

The candles were only doused with kerosene.

It's not a huge deal yet.

It'll only be a huge deal when there's a fire.

But if a fire does break out,

everything will be done for.

Indeed.

But have they never considered

the lives of all these scholars here?

What do you think?

I'm truly perplexed.

How could they talk about being parental officials, then?

Parental officials, my foot!

Initially, I thought I was already ruthless enough.

I never expected them to leave me in awe.

It's better for such tall-standing officials

to collapse.

Think again. What other oversights are there?

We've resolved the issues with both fire and water.

Food, clothing, housing, transportation,

eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating?

The food and drinks

are brought here by the candidates themselves.

They can't just tamper with them one by one.

Where are they going?

He's going to poop.

They're heading to the loo.

Isn't there a toilet in each compartment?

We did use that in the past.

However, the exam lasts for three days.

The terrible stench will affect the candidates.

After that, we switched to using the loo outside.

That's the one thing we cannot avoid.