Original subtitles

Last Madame #4 TI4584 CaptionCube

Siew Fa, where do you think you're going?

Siew Fa, where's my washing water?

I need it now!

What was Madame thinking?

Taking that girl as a debt slave?

Silly goose, there's no competition here

I mean, just look at her. She's practically a coolie

Her skin is so dark!

So clumsy!

You! Where's my water?

And my breakfast?

What's going on?

Why has Madame wasted money on this trash?

She's not even a good servant

Madame!

Stop your caterwauling

She's not here

Sis Yoke,

has Madame got a secret lover?

Is that why she's never around in the morning?

I heard you demanding breakfast

Why don't you take your skinny self down to the kitchen...

if you're that hungry?

If Madame is printing so much money...

that she can afford to take in such a useless orphan,

then she can afford to give me some time off,

don't you think?

You'd better buck up, girl

Good morning, Inspector

Tea?

I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Ma'am

Do you have more questions for me?

According to our investigations,

you were at the brothel the evening Ah Yat was killed

Several witnesses confirm this

So, it would seem...

you have an alibi

And?

I'm here to let you know that you're in the clear...

for now,

because no one actually saw you in your room the whole night

No one saw me outside either

What are you hiding?

Who is the real Fung Lan?

The madame of the House of Phoenix?

Or a lady who enjoys reading English books by the river?

She was once a country girl...

sold to work in a rich man's home...

so that her family could replace the buffalo she killed

The eldest son of the master took a shine to her...

and seduced her

After he took her virtue,

he abandoned her,

leaving her a shamed woman

She thought that perhaps if she began anew elsewhere,

she could find someone else to love her

But no man could accept her past...

So, she killed the man who caused her all this misery

So rare to meet a well-read policeman

So rare to find a madame who reads,

especially one who knows Thomas Hardy

Really, Inspector?

Did you have to spoil the ending for me?

Oh, Emily

Chi Ling, hi

Where's Harry?

Back at the hotel, I guess? Why?

I heard you applied for the heritage status for the shophouse

Not sure if Harry told you, but I don't do rentals

Heritage status?

I don't know anything about that

One of my contacts told me that there has been an application made

How dare you go behind my back?

Who the hell do you think you are?

I'm sorry for going into your great-grandmother's room

It's just that...

I got really excited because she's the madame of the house,

so she's the only one with an entire room to herself

I mean, not that she had to entertain clients, but...

That wasn't her job

- That's not what you're angry about? - Does "heritage application" ring a bell?

- I was gonna talk about that with you - After you stop me from selling this place?

- I'm sorry, but the application is... - Just get out!

Chi Ling -Out!

Now!

Before I go,

I think you should know that dresser's pretty special

Might be worth something

I want to buy a virgin

Madam Lam,

the House of Phoenix offers certain services for the discerning gentlemen,

but we neither have virgins nor do we sell girls

I'm sure Master Lam is aware of that

Yes

I know he is one of your customers

Unless he is dissatisfied with our services?

Is that why he's asking you to buy a...?

His physician has indicated that he needs more yang energy,

and a young virgin will do the trick

I see

I've already contacted all the brokers

The war has disrupted all the ships between China and here

And the only ones who managed to bring in girls last month...

were you and Seh

My girls are not for sale

$1,000

I don't even need her to be pretty,

just unspoilt

That urchin who served me tea earlier?

How much did you pay to get her?

$400?

I'm paying you double that amount and more

Good day, Madam Lam

Ah Yoke will see you out

So far, he's refused money from all gangs

He even told Seh to report the bribe money as stolen property

I'm not sure if he's just naive...

or holding out for bigger bribes

Maybe he just wants to be a good policeman

Thank you

There you are

Come

- Madame - It's my turn to wear the ivory hairpin

Stop treating it like it's your lucky charm

- What if it is? - These girls... They'll be the death of me

Madame!

Come here

Sit

Have you ever learnt to read and write?

Then I'm going to teach you

This is the alphabet

We begin with "A",

"B",

"C"

You balance this on your third finger

Use your index finger and your thumb to control it

Put the pen into the ink

Make sure it doesn't drip

And then you can start to write

So...

Before I go,

I think you should knowthat dresser's pretty special

The old madame has an entire dossier dedicated to her

Most of the work was done...

by the first Chinese Inspector to oversee this area,

Mak Hong Zi

Wow

This paints the madame of the House of Phoenix...

in a totally different light

That shoplot...

is a story that is dying to be told, Guo Wen

Yeah

About that, Gerald,

I need you to withdraw the heritage application

Come in

Sir, the book you wanted

Thank you

Hey

What's your name, girl?

Siew Fa,

Madam Lam

You know me

You were listening, weren't you?

When I was speaking with your mistress?

You are very pretty, Siew Fa

A girl like you...

shouldn't be a servant

Come in

Inspector Russell

Thank you for coming in on such short notice

Anything to be of assistance, Mak

Madame Phoenix -

what do you know about her?

She has nice girls,

better than the ones on Malay Street

I hear you're... a bit of a puritan

I guess you're just a man like the rest of us,

and, it seems, a man with expensive tastes

You frequented her establishment?

She'd invite me over,

and when the madame of the House of Phoenix invites you over,

you do not say no

I've noticed we don't have much background on her

She doesn't appear to have any formal papers either

She runs the most successful brothel in town...

and somehow still manages to charge three times as much

She doesn't do anybody any harm

She runs a nice establishment

And I'm sure the person that gave her the money to start the brothel...

is not going to be asking too many questions,

really,

if the girls are doing a good job

If Seh provides her with protection, why have the police there too?

She throws anybody out who doesn't play by her rules

Doesn't matter if it's a businessman, a policeman or a gangster

And you can't do that unless you play all the sides

That's why she wasn't afraid to throw out Ah Yat

Inspector, my job then was to keep peace between the gangs,

not to keep tabs on the madames in this town

Now, if there's nothing else...

Get your men to send me the files of all the missing women from 1925 to 1932

Would that be all I can help you with?

For now

Thank you

Siew Fa!

Sis Yoke, I'm hungry!

I was up first

Who cares about you?

- You didn't have to deal with six customers - That wretched girl will be the death of me

What do you mean she's gone?

I swear, I'm going to beat her until she's blue and black all over...

when I find her

This morning, when I woke up, nothing was done

Could someone have taken her?

No one would dare to do that to the House of Phoenix

- Do you know what the time is now? - I don't care what the time is

We were just having a conversation

Anyway...

- Sis Yoke, I'm hungry! - This is not my cup

- I'm hungry too! - Siu Lan!

Mr Chow has booked you for 3 pm

Go get ready

The rest of you don't have any clients until after dinner

If you're hungry, there's food in the kitchen

Go help yourself

Otherwise, I suggest you go back to bed...

so you don't look like hungry ghosts when your clients arrive

Yes, Madame

Careful

Go to Lam Mansion, the back door

Tell me what you find

Yes, Madame

Peace offering?

I withdrew the application

Her name was Leng

My great-grandmother -

I was named after her

Mum gave me her copy of Tess when I was 12 and insisted I read it

I never liked this story

I always thought it was depressing

Austen girl?

Jackie Collins

Explains Harry

You know, it was almost unheard of for a woman to be educated back then,

much less be able to read or write

She must have been from an educated family or a rich one

Which makes it completely incomprehensible why she ended up running a brothel

I mean, a woman like her,

she could've been someone's wife

This book?

Must've been special to her for a reason

And look -

I shouldn't have done anything without asking you first

I guess I got ahead of myself. I'm sorry

Well, at least you're passionate about something

Sometimes I wish I had something I was crazy enough...

to throw everything away for

Money?

I suppose

You know, finding this book with her name on it,

I feel connected to her somehow

Maybe I'm just upset after my fight with Harry

But he loves you

Yeah, well,

sometimes it feels like he loves the idea of me

You know?

Successful pretty wife

Someone to... aid in his ambition

You're not that pretty

Hey!

Oh!

I wanted to tell you this morning that I found out...

which was your great-grandmother's room

Come on

Inspector

Madame Phoenix -Excellent timing

I need your help

One of my girls has been kidnapped

Nothing but the best for Master Lam's new wife, yes?

- I have some Shandong silk - Just standard silk will do

What is the meaning of this?

Inspector, this is my servant girl

Madam...

I have no idea what you're talking about

Inspector, I found this girl loitering about my backyard

Come

No

Inspector,

this girl does not want to go back to a brothel

Are you really going to force her?

Did you run away from the House of Phoenix?

Or were you kidnapped?

That is outrageous!

Speak, girl

Siew Fa,

tell the inspector how you were treated at the House of Phoenix

I had to work all day...

and take care of those demanding women

I was tired all the time

And I never had enough food to eat

So... I came here

No one goes hungry at the House of Phoenix

Did Madam Lam teach you to say all this?

Are you accusing me of lying?

To think I was prepared to pay you good money for her

$1,000!

Inspector,

I saved this girl

Siew Fa, tell the inspector

I want to be Master Lam's wife

I will have nice clothes to wear,

good food to eat, and...

I don't need to serve those harlots day and night

Why must I have such a hard life there...

when, here,

I can have a good life and sleep all day if I want to?

Inspector,

I think it's very clear that this girl would like to stay here

Do you know how old Master Lam is?

20. Madam Lam told me

You think you're going to marry young Master Lam?

You're destined for old Master Lam

You're going to be his third wife

And he's 68

I'd like to speak to her... in private

Who do you think you are?

Just a few minutes

I know the beautiful clothes, the big house and the servants...

They're all very tempting

But trust me,

I can give you a better life than you being a...

You're not going to be a servant girl forever

I am going to teach you how to read and write...

and then send you off to be a companion girl to a rich family

- You'll have a chance at... - You should take the money from Madam Lam

You're wasting your time with me

I know I'm for the old man

I overheard you two talking

Don't worry

I know how to lie down and open my legs

What?

You're not a virgin?

Oh

I was a virgin many times since I was seven

I'll make sure there's blood so she thinks she's got her virgin

Better a wife...

than a whore

No, I want to stay!

Satisfied now?

What are you people doing here?

You charge three times what other brothels charge,

so money is clearly important to you

Yet...

you turned down a pricey sum from Madam Lam for that girl

Why?

Thank you, Inspector, for your help

I need to get ready for business now

What did she say to you in that room?

It doesn't matter

Whatever she said...

upset you

Please don't think you understand me, Inspector

You will never know...

what it's like to be a woman

Please go

Please

Captions: CaptionCube