Original subtitles

I just want to break free from this prison.

I just want to live my life without turning against my will.

Can't I do that?

Do you take me

as a prison?

Can't you see that I protect you from the wind and rain every day?

Do you think everything will go well

when you do woodcrafting?

You're naive and foolish.

All the land in the world belongs to the emperor!

Once the fame and fortune are gone,

the real prison awaits you!

Sir, the imperial physician, Physician Li, has arrived.

Invite him to come in and examine the young master.

Yes.

Tell the imperial physician to go back.

I'm not seeing him.

The physician said if you're not meeting him,

we should show this to you.

(Blossom)

(Episode 9)

Mr. Chen, I'm bidding goodbye to you today.

If there's any inconvenience caused,

please forgive me.

You're too serious, Mr. Song.

I'm nothing more than a commoner,

but I've been bothering you for some time.

I am sorry.

I don't like your character,

but I know that you're talented.

Why are you willing to work for a farm girl?

I am a tainted sinner

and I am old now.

But Young Lady Zhao didn't mind it

and took me as her servant.

I'm satisfied to live the rest of my life in peace.

You're so willing to submit.

That makes me even more curious about Young Lady Zhao.

Fortunately, your condition wasn't worsened.

Take two servings each morning and evening starting from today.

Young master, please take the medicine.

Young Lady Zhao came here despite the danger.

-Don't let her down. -Don't talk too much.

I thought I had made it clear last time.

Nothing in this world is more important than your life.

Why are you torturing yourself?

I... I'm not using my illness to coerce you.

It's just that your question

got to the bottom of my heart.

I know how you feel.

But your grandfather transferred you to be the officer of the Ministry of Rites.

Did he advise you about this?

You can't even take care of yourself.

Why bother thinking about protecting others?

I have always respected my grandfather.

What he said was never wrong.

But the only thing is marriage.

I can't just judge whether it's right or not

without considering willingness.

If I were not born into a wealthy family,

if I were a poor and happy carpenter,

would I have more freedom?

There are differences between men and women,

but in the matter of marriage,

I am almost the same as you.

You compare yourself to this wooden bird.

I understand.

But have you ever thought about this?

People come and go in the Grand Secretariat.

Mr. Wu mediates people in the imperial court.

It's physically and mentally exhausting.

Whether you get married or not,

he needs your support.

If you have a successful career

and can help the Wu family to revitalize the family fortune,

he will never force you to get married.

You can fight for freedom.

This is true no matter what family you are born into.

I was simple-minded

and had a wild goose chase.

Keep going against my grandfather

will only hurt both of us.

If His Majesty recognizes me

and it revitalizes the Wu family,

I will have the right to choose for myself.

Man is not a tool made of wood and stone.

Even if you're trapped,

you should take good care of yourself.

Only then will you have the strength to fight.

The rain has stopped.

I should go now.

Mr. Song.

Young Lady Zhao sent me to pick up Mr. Chen.

Didn't she come?

Did something happen?

I'm just following her order.

I don't know anything else.

Please forgive me.

Mr. Song has prepared gifts for her,

but she only sent her servant over.

She's such a proud person.

Lu Ming.

Send someone to bring the gifts

to Young Lady Zhao.

-Yes. -Goodbye.

Wait a minute!

Physician Li?

Young Lady Zhao pretended to be Physician Li.

I caught Su Lan.

She's on the carriage.

Thank you for your hard work, Physician Li.

Please go and rest.

Thank you so much, Mr. Song.

Lu Ming.

Yes.

Go and invite Young Lady Zhao.

Yes.

Young Lady Zhao.

Can I still see you for the fifth time?

Even if you don't change your mind,

I'm happy

that I can see you again.

If you can live happily and freely,

why bother seeing me?

Take care of yourself.

Mr. Wu.

Physician, please.

Wait a minute.

Grandfather.

This is... This is the imperial physician sent by Yan Tang.

Imperial physician?

Can you turn around and let me take a look?

Physician Li!

Mr. Wu.

Mr. Song is meeting Physician Li

at Guanghe Restaurant.

I was asked to take Physician Li over.

In that case,

it's inconvenient to force the physician to stay.

You were willing to see this physician.

This physician...

I'm afraid her surname is Dou.

Now that you've seen her,

have a good rest.

Grandfather.

I was wrong.

Since I became mature,

you arranged everything for me.

The books that I read... The friends that I made...

The teachers that I learned from...

The government office where I should work...

And you even arranged for my breakfast.

Sometimes I really envy Dou Zhao

and Yan Tang.

They're unrestrained.

Grandfather.

I know the imperial court is dangerous and unpredictable.

You're maintaining the family status alone.

I should work hard and strive for my best

and overcome difficulties with you.

It's Dou Shi Shu's order.

The Duke of Ding's Army at Futing were disarmed.

The Duke of Ding is accused of having evil intentions,

so all soldiers are deported to their hometowns.

Young Lady Zhao was here to hold you back.

She even caught Physician Li.

The court took action against the Duke of Ding's Army.

This is Uncle Shi Shu's doing.

I took the risk to save Song Mo.

Everything that I did

had removed his hostility.

But it was all in vain now.

Mr. Song.

Young Lady Zhao's carriage is reaching.

Alright.

Go greet her for me.

Yes.

My lady, something's wrong.

Young Lady Zhao, you diverted our attention to do something else.

That's a brilliant trick.

I'm asking questions on behalf of Mr. Song.

Young Lady Zhao.

What's your explanation?

I have nothing to explain.

Mr. Song said the covenant was broken.

Chen Qu Shui will not be returned to you.

When we meet again,

we're enemies.

My lady, why didn't you explain?

These are Fifth Master's doing.

It has nothing to do with you.

If he trusts me,

I don't have to explain.

But if he doesn't trust me,

any explanation is useless.

It's better not to say anything.

Don't blame yourself, my lady.

We can't disobey the edict.

Mr. Song, are we going to let it go?

The truth

is still unknown.

If she had planned to trick me by doing me a favor first,

she wouldn't have straightened De Zhen out.

We'll see how it goes.

You took all precautions,

but it wasn't enough.

Young Lady Zhao is inscrutable

while Mr. Song is soft-hearted.

It'll be safe if you marry her

and keep her at home.

I guess you're looking for fun. You want to get smack.

I...

I found you!

The Jiying Guards found some clues.

As expected.

Someone was missing.

You owe me 300 taels and yet you dare to play tricks again.

What a bold gambler you are!

I told you.

Someone will definitely pay my debt.

Well, you treat me like a fool.

He'll be worthless if you beat him to death.

Mr. Mei has something to ask him.

Mister, please make some room.

Here comes the person to pay my debt.

You were once the squad leader of the Jiying Guards.

Based on your previous position,

your annual salary is no more than 10 taels.

But in just a few days, you owed 300 taels.

No wonder you were dismissed.

Compared with what you want to know,

300 taels is probably not worth mentioning.

If you lie while gambling,

your hands will be cut off.

If you lie to me,

your life will be gone!

That's for sure.

You must have checked my background, right?

Based on the records of from Criminal Investigation Service,

eight Jiying Guards were responsible for the journey to the south.

I checked the directions along the waterway.

I originally wanted to find out the identities of these eight people.

But all the clues showed that

there were nine people.

And you...

You're the ninth person.

An Su?

Why did you come here?

Mr. Ji wrote a letter from Futing.

Someone from the Maritime Trade Office seized my ships.

They even put my family in jail!

The Fifth Master brought a message to the farm.

He told you to cut off your relationship with my family

and business dealings.

But there were only eight bodies of the Jiying Guards on the ship.

I remember the looks of the eight Jiying Guards on the ship.

Only you, Chen Jia.

You were not on the ship.

Indeed, you're like what people say about you.

You remember everything you have seen.

Stop the nonsense! Explain it!

Chen Zu Xun, the battalion leader who was responsible for escorting

the Duke of Ding was my adoptive father.

My name was not on the list.

He wanted me to atone for my crimes and obtained a credit,

so he brought me along.

That night, when we reached the Cangzhou River,

we docked for a break.

But a group of people boarded the ship to visit.

I was taking some air at the stern.

Suddenly I heard the sound of killing coming from the cabin.

They used the bandit knife of Dongyu.

But they were not using Dongyu's sword technique.

They were excellent.

Even the Jiying Guards couldn't compete with them.

My adoptive father was also killed by them.

I was no match for them.

I escaped by jumping into the water.

Who are those people?

If you keep asking,

I'm afraid 1,000 taels is not enough.

You obviously don't know about them.

Yet you dared to bargain.

Ring finger or little finger?

I'm a gambler, to begin with.

I am treated indifferently. I have debts.

My adoptive father, the only one who treated me as a human being,

died a violent death.

It doesn't matter whether it's my fingers or my life.

Take whatever you want!

Dogs salivate when they hear the sound of a bowl being knocked.

Gamblers want to play a game when they hear the sound of dice rolling.

You can find a future with the skills you have.

That was why your adoptive father refused to give up on you.

But he was blind!

You have no right to mention my adoptive father!

The grace of parenting is greater than ever.

Those who killed him killed my uncle too.

You don't want to take revenge to repay his kindness.

You want to dream and get drunk at the gambling table,

and live without any purpose?

I've seen through it.

Be it a squad leader

or a battalion leader,

the Jiying Guards are nothing but lackeys ordered around by others.

They're just some ants that can be crushed to death casually.

This revenge...

Even if I risk my life, I can't take revenge!

I don't know who those people were.

But the leader was wearing a crimson-red official uniform.

He must be someone with fifth rank and below.

My adoptive father allowed him to pass and greeted him as "sir".

He must be a senior official in the imperial court.

Who ordered the Jiying Guards to torture him like that?

They were under a secret order.

Before arriving in the capital, the Duke of Ding

must admit to the crime of having autocratic military power.

Whose secret order?

My adoptive father never revealed.

Mr. Song!

I never dare to think about this before.

But after meeting you

and listening to what you said,

I do not want to waste my life anymore.

I want revenge.

I want my life to be clear.

Mr. Song, please fulfill my wish!

I'm willing to pay for it with my life!

How can we trust the words of a gambler who cheats?

Tell the Count of Yunyang to find ways

to send him back to the Criminal Investigation Service.

-Yes. -You'll be mine from now on.

The finger...

Keep it so that you can hold the sword to fight for me.

Zhao, don't be anxious.

People from the Maritime Trade Office have always been like this.

Their bite is worse than their bark.

They just want to get more benefits.

I'll go to Futing to deal with it right away.

After all, this is related to your principal and profit sharing.

I'll go with you.

What about Mr. Chen?

Based on Song Mo's personality,

he won't hurt Mr. Chen easily.

No. The Fifth Master just sent his message.

If the Maritime Trade Office is asking for benefits,

Uncle Shi Shu wouldn't know about this.

He knows about this

because the imperial court is involved in this.

I must go.

The natural disaster in Futing is not over yet

and the soldiers are angry about it.

Someone from the Directorate of Ceremonial is there too.

It must be an extremely dangerous mess.

We can't let Zhao take risks then.

No matter what happens,

I will definitely return the principal.

What nonsense did you say?

What I care about is not the money.

It's the business we're doing.

We can't let someone set up our business.

If I go,

maybe I can plan for a change.

(Duke of Ying's Residence)

Yan Tang!

Mother.

Why did you come out?

General Yan said

you're going to Futing to retrieve Jiang's belongings.

You can fool your father with this,

but not me.

Did you find some clues about your uncle's incident?

Someone with a higher authority is involved in this.

I must go immediately.

If it's too late,

I'm afraid all the clues will be lost.

You're just like me.

Once you make up your mind, no one can stop you.

The emperor told Wang Yuan to take charge of this matter.

When you're there,

no matter what you get,

never go against Eunuch Wang.

General Yan.

Please.

Rest assured, Mrs. Song.

Mother.

Don't worry.

Your safety comes first.

Don't force it.

I've lost my elder brother.

I can't afford to lose you.

Come on, put it on.

Fortunately, I mended this cloak.

Go.

Mother.

Wait for my return.

What's wrong with Zhao?

She's been like this since she met Mr. Song.

She's probably worried because Mr. Chen didn't return.

Zhao.

Eat something.

You've not eaten anything for a day.

I'm not hungry. You should eat.

I wonder how's the farm now.

Will something happen?

Young Lady Zhao's pulse sounds healthy and strong.

She seems fine.

How could she be fine?

Shou Gu has blisters all over her body and is extremely itchy.

I think you have poor skills.

You should check again.

Wait a minute!

Her pulse goes up and down.

This... This is weird!

This is weird!

By the way, Young Lady Zhao,

about your blisters,

can you let me take a look?

What? Take a look my foot!

She's a lady!

You're such a pervert!

-Leave! Go prescribe the medicine! -That's not it...

Slow down...

Grandmother.

How's Shou Gu?

Let me take a look.

Don't look.

Shou Gu has chicken pox.

We'll be worried if you're infected with it.

Besides, the physician has prescribed medicine.

She will recover in two weeks.

What's the use of having medicine only?

It's suffering to have chicken pox.

Let me take a look.

-Grandmother! -Slowly...

Grandmother, don't come in!

You're not fully recovered yet.

If you're infected too,

I'll feel even more guilty.

Look. I told you.

I had chicken pox before.

I'm the most suitable one to take care of Shou Gu.

Just go back and have a good rest.

Don't worry. I'll give you the chubby Shou Gu after a few days.

-Are you sure you can handle it? -Go. You should go too.

Don't worry, I'm here.

God, God of Wealth, Guan Yu, please bless that

Shou Gu and Su Su return safely.

Mr. Shi Shu was appointed as the assistant imperial censor

while Mr. Wang was promoted to Grand Secretariat.

We should meet up frequently.

Our lives will get better with Ms. Wang.

We'll just have to wait to get profits

from the money we keep with Ms. Wang

Pong!

Seventh Madam.

Excuse me.

Whose turn to draw the tile?

Seventh Madam.

Someone at the city gate

saw Young Lady Zhao and Ms. Miao

went out of the city and headed south.

I see. You may go now.

Yes.

She must be heading to Futing.

The Miaos' merchant ships

were detained by the Maritime Trade Office in Futing.

She's anxious as her financial path is cut off.

An unmarried girl secretly leaves her house.

This is against the family rules.

She's giving us her weakness.

You can take the opportunity to get her back and question her.

No rush.

If I capture her now...

Well, she fails to escape.

At most, she'll be punished to kneel in the ancestral hall for a few days.

Dou Shi Ying will feel distressed again.

Isn't she a tough one?

Futing is like a tiger's den now.

Let's see how capable she is.

(Futing)

Please... Give me some food.

You can exchange tea for rice...

Eight dou of tea for one dou of rice.

-Don't push! -Here.

-Step back! -Don't snatch it...

-Everyone will get it! -You'll have it.

-Slow down... -Everyone will get it.

Everyone will get it.

-Here. -Don't push!

Don't push!

How did Futing become like this?

They don't even have food.

The maritime trade has been prospering, so tea earns better.

People have switched to tea plantations.

When the Duke of Ding died, the maritime trade stopped.

So they can't sell the tea.

That's right.

Doesn't the government care about it?

Who dares to meddle in this?

Whoever meddles in this is the profiteer like the Miao family.

A few major tea houses funded the Miao family when they built the ships.

But the ships are seized now

and the money is wasted.

The goods are still on the ship.

It's my father's fault. He was greedy and didn't listen to advice.

He asked the commoner to raise funds to build ships.

In the end, many people were harmed.

Uncle Miao didn't cheat on purpose.

So he wasn't harming anyone.

The suspension of the trading and the seizing of the ships

are the ones that cut off people's livelihood.

When we enter the city,

let's meet up with Ji Yong first.

The state affairs of Futing

and the intention of the Maritime Trade Office,

he must know better than us.

Su Lan, buy some more rations.

We've got a long way to go.

Alright.

Stop right there.

Stop right there!

It's not her. Go.

Go.

You're Ms. Miao, right?

Mr. Ding Wei, the general manager of the Maritime Trade Office invites you over.

And you.

You must be Dou Zhao, right?

Take them away.

Ji Yong.

Loosen the ties.

The Miao family secretly communicated with the pirates.

The evidence is conclusive.

If you sign it, you're pleading guilty.

If you don't sign it, there'll be another crime under your name.

No way.

My father will never collude with the enemy.

The Miao family is engaged in maritime trade.

The pirates kill and rob at sea.

They're being hated.

Why would the Miaos collude with them?

When the maritime trade was banned,

there were many unscrupulous people who colluded with pirates.

He must have benefited from the pirates,

that was why he dared to collude with them to kill someone.

You're suspecting that the Miao family

colluded with the pirates to kill the Duke of Ding.

This is the heinous crime of murdering the trusted adviser to the nation.

How can you simply judge the case?

Besides, Eunuch Wang Yuan is also here in Futing.

How are you going to explain if you make a mistake in the sentence?

You're presumptuous!

You know it's a serious crime and you're still being loud.

Present the evidence!

Take a good look.

These knives from the pirates were found on your ship.

It's the same as the knife that killed the Duke of Ding.

This is irrefutable evidence that you committed murder.

This is impossible.

I filled in the ship's account book.

We were sending tea leaves, fruits,

silk, and porcelain for this trip.

There were no weapons.

Xue Ping, the escort,

Li Gui, who did the inventory count,

and Officer Liu of the Maritime Trade Office who filed for preliminary review

can testify to this.

Mr. Ding.

Where are those witnesses?

That's right!

That's right!

Where are the witnesses?

That's right! Present them!

Don't accuse good people!

Be quiet!

Who are you to teach me how to handle the case?

You want witnesses, right?

Aren't you witnesses too?

Guards! Send them to the prison!

You can interrogate me. But do not drag her into this.

She is Dou Zhao, the granddaughter of the Cui family from Ji'an,

the eldest daughter of the Dou's Residence in the west of the capital.

How dare you hurt her!

The Miao family's affairs are our family affairs too.

I was ordered by my family to clear the misunderstanding first.

My family will arrive soon.

Do you still want to frame us?

Relatives of the minister with a higher position...

Maybe I can find out your cliques and ulterior motives.

I'll gain more credits then.

Take them away!

(Prison)

Stop.

Why didn't you interrogate me in the hall,

in front of the crowd?

Do you know that power abuse

and confessions extorted by torture are serious crimes?

You're a smart person.

I just want a documented confession.

If you testify against the Miaos,

I'll release you immediately.

The Miao family didn't do it.

Why should I testify against them?

Then don't blame me

and say I didn't give you a chance.

Well, I have interrogated

Miao An Su.

I pulled all her ten fingers.

Take a good look.

She has confessed.

Sisterly love?

If you don't testify against her,

you'll be convicted, Ms. Dou.

What are you laughing at?

I laugh at you for being foolish.

You didn't check her background before slandering her.

Even if someone in this world would betray me,

this person would never be Miao An Su.

You have no witness.

The case cannot be closed if there's no witness.

So you just want to find a scapegoat.

Great.

Looks like if I don't punish you heavily,

you will not admit it, right?

Let's see if you dare to do it!

If he doesn't dare to do it,

I dare to do it.

Song Mo?

Mr. Song.

Young Lady Zhao.

We meet again.

Mr. Ding, your finger-pinch punishment

is like children playing house.

What can you get from her?

I've long heard about how good you are to detect lies during torture.

No one in the world can compare to you.

So Mr. Song,

what kind of punishment should we use?

When the flesh wound touches the liquid from the feces,

that will tear her apart.

Song Mo has no military position now.

Why do you want to do him a favor?

Indeed, he lost his military position.

But he is the son of the Duke of Ying.

I must do him a favor

since the day he was born.

That's right.

He is at odds with the Dou family.

Wouldn't it be better

for him to finalize this case?

You're right.

My uncle's blood feud

and your deception...

Today,

let's clear this up.

I have a business partnership with the Miao family.

I earn a lot of money.

That's because the Duke of Ding suppressed the pirates at sea.

What good will it do us to harm him?

Of course, that's your reason.

But as far as your uncle, Dou Shi Shu, is concerned,

he makes no achievements though he is ambitious.

Killing my uncle

can cause chaos in the imperial court.

He may rise to great heights.

Power

is more profitable.

I told you before.

Do not lump my fifth uncle and me together!

You lied to gain my trust

and informed your uncle of the news

and order the Duke of Ding's Army to be disarmed and repatriated.

Shouldn't I doubt you?

Mr. Song has been fighting on the battlefield since he was a child.

He is indeed cold-hearted.

She's such a charming woman.

Yet he's ruthless to her.

It's the medicinal powder used in the military to treat bruises.

It can cure your hand injury.

You should scream, you know.

Be serious. They're listening.

-Scold me. -Scold you?

Yes, scold me.

Is your zodiac snake?

You sure know how to "bite" someone.

It was my fifth uncle who was evil and confused you.

Go interrogate him if you have the guts.

Why bully me?

You knew he was covering this up, right?

Yes. But do you have evidence?

Take me to the ship.

I'll find the evidence for you.

It's so sick.

I like it.

There is one more thing.

Sixteen years ago, the maritime trade was not established yet.

Futing made nine losses out of ten in business.

You were far away from Zhengding and were still young.

Why bet huge sums of money on Futing?

If not premeditated,

how did you know that my uncle would eliminate pirates

thereby making huge profits?

It was Mr. Chen's advice.

He said the Duke of Ding was brave

and he definitely was able to quell the trouble.

Miao An Su defended you.

She said that at the start of the year,

you had said that maritime trade had reached its peak,

and that it was time to pull out of the business in Futing.

It's as if

you predicted my uncle's death.

I can see that

the things you hide in your heart are related to me.

Why won't you tell me?

Say it!

The emperor is ruthless and unjust. He repaid kindness with hatred.

A loyal minister and a good general died in vain.

That treacherous official,

why can't it be me, Song Mo?