Original subtitles

[Glory]

[Episode 22]

The whereabouts of Madam Yang

was deliberately passed on to me.

Someone in the Rong family wants to harm you.

You'd better make preparations in advance.

Mr. Yan is a true gentleman.

He is a perfect match for you.

Bao, I really must leave now.

Please take good care of yourself.

Young Master.

Young Master!

My dear niece,

I will take my leave now.

Don't listen to his nonsense.

I understand.

Mr. Wen speaks his mind frankly.

Lady Shanbao, please don't take it to heart.

Now that the Wei case is already settled,

Madam Yang...

She says she is done with worldly affairs

and has no attachment to this world anymore.

In three days, she will take vows at Jijian Nunnery.

She's becoming a nun?

The Emperor has issued an imperial edict,

appointing you as the new Prefect of Linji.

So many wealthy families have hosted banquets,

vying for your presence.

Introduction letters for potential matches

have been flooding in,

piling up at your doorstep.

Women of every grace and charm

are all within your reach.

Why must you suffer here in vain?

You know she will surely come?

Madam Yang will take vows at Jijian Nunnery.

She will surely come to see Madam Yang.

The Rong family sees you as a mortal enemy,

desperate to eliminate you at all costs.

Even if she comes, so what?

Do you really think she could ever forgive you?

As the saying goes, there are plenty of fish...

You only know the saying

that there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Yet you miss the painful truth

that sometimes

you just can't get over the one that has got away.

As for what's between her and me,

even if I told you, a blockhead like you

wouldn't get it.

I won't waste my breath on you.

Ms. Liang.

Ms. Liang.

Lady Yunwan.

Ms. Liang, why are you ignoring me?

Ms. Liang!

Ms. Liang!

- Lady Yunwan. - Ms. Liang, look at me!

Ms. Liang, look at me!

Lady Yunwan.

Ms. Liang!

Lady Yunwan.

Let me go!

- Ms. Liang! - It's all right.

It's all right.

Ms. Liang!

Lady Yunwan.

Ms. Liang!

- Ms. Liang! - It's all right.

Everything's fine.

Ms. Liang!

Ms. Liang!

Ms. Liang!

Ms. Liang!

Lady Yunwan.

Ms. Liang!

Let me go!

- It's all right. - Ms. Liang!

It's all right.

Lady Shanbao.

I've tried my best,

but I still can't persuade Lady Yunwan.

She refuses to go down the mountain with us.

Let her stay here a while longer.

Godmother,

I hope that for the rest of your life,

you'll be free from worry and resentment,

with a heart untroubled and light.

♪ Who tears a strand of light from the dark night? ♪

You've been waiting here for me?

♪ It jolts my already silent heart awake ♪

If one day, Mr. Lu turns against the Rong family,

♪ The moon hangs bright, as breezes dance among stars ♪

he will become my enemy.

I will sever all ties with him

♪ Hear the sighs for the beauty's fleeting years ♪

and show him no mercy.

That's not enough!

Swear it on your life and future.

Before the ancestral tablets of the Rong family,

♪ Lost in the mortal world, it fades into twilight ♪

I've sworn

that if my husband acts

against the Rong family's interests,

♪ Grass sprouts, orioles sing, longevity slips away ♪

I must sever all ties with him,

or else face a broken family,

a shortened life

and a terrible death.

♪ Love comes in scattered pairs, yet thoughts linger on ♪

Surely you don't want me to suffer

the punishment of my oath, do you?

Go back now.

And do not come to see me again.

♪ Drifting with the passing years ♪

Let go of me.

♪ Flowers bloom and wither, the sun climbs and falls ♪

♪ True feelings are like drifting mist ♪

We're not married.

The oath is not in effect yet.

♪ People only know loneliness ♪

As for children,

I'm perfectly content with you alone,

♪ Who cares about karma's twist? ♪

And it doesn't matter whether we have them or not.

Now that the entire Wei clan has been exonerated,

♪ Tides ebb and flow, the moon swells and shrinks ♪

they are so grateful to me

that they want to set up a tablet to pray for my long life.

♪ I see through, yet hold my tongue ♪

I told them it should be dedicated to you.

Had you not protected Madam Yang,

♪ Too fragile to be put into words ♪

their names could never have been cleared.

All the boundless merit accrued

from saving over 200 lives of their clan

belongs to you.

I act only

according to my conscience.

I've never feared any karmic retribution.

Bao, since you are afraid,

I'll take an oath right here, in front of the Bodhisattva.

If there truly is karmic reward for good deeds in this world,

Bodhisattva, I pray you grant Lady Shanbao

blessings, longevity, peace and health.

As for the bitter retribution

of a shortened life and a terrible death,

let me bear it all alone.

If you stop pestering me,

that will be my karmic reward.

Let go of me.

I won't!

Lu Jianglai.

Now that you've taken the road to high office,

you can't come to see me anymore.

You can't have it both ways.

To hell with high office!

Had I wanted power and fortune,

I wouldn't have cared

about the fate of the Wei clan.

Yes,

I am ruthless

and calculating.

But if I don't want to collude

with those corrupt and incompetent officials,

I must be

more cunning than them

to beat them at their own game

and secure the justice I seek.

Bao, you're right.

I want to have it both ways.

I will see this case through to the end.

And...

I will never let you go.

You can beat me or kill me as you please.

But even if I die,

my spirit will cling to you and never let you go.

Even if you summon

every god in heaven to your side,

you still won't be able to stop me.

Good.

You said it.

On that misty mountain peak,

there's an ancient wild tea tree

growing on a steep cliff.

It's bathed in the essence of sun and moon

and nurtured by the spirit of mountains and rivers.

Legend says its tea can cure dysentery,

making the tea leaves more valuable than gold.

During every tea-picking season,

many mountain folk risk their lives to climb the peak for the leaves.

Scarcely one in ten makes it back alive.

If you get the leaves yourself

and bring them to me,

no matter how grave your mistakes have been,

we can still work things out.

Do you really mean it?

You're not just saying that?

Every word is true.

Good. I will definitely get them for you.

It has been two days

since we parted at the court.

I just want you to know

I've been thinking of you.

It's alright now.

I've missed the best hour for tea-picking today.

I'll go up the mountain first thing tomorrow.

Wait for me.

Lady Rong Shanbao

really knows how to make people suffer.

We've asked every hunter at the foot of the mountain,

but none of them has ever heard

of any tea tree on the mountain top.

This is probably a wild goose chase,

but you're taking it seriously!

Beauty is but skin deep.

All passions are phantoms,

yet you're just blinded!

If the tea tree really grows on that sheer cliff,

then she's asking for your life!

In this life,

fame, fortune, glory and wealth

are all just phantoms.

To fulfill my lofty ambitions,

I can endure ten years of shame and humiliation,

living in austerity and privation.

For my beloved,

a little suffering is a small price to pay.

If Rong Shanbao

truly wants my life,

then she'll have to offer something far more precious in return.

Something more precious?

What would that be?

Her heart,

the rest of her life

and everything she has.

I'll accept nothing less.

You're quite black-hearted.

You two are truly a match.

Let me rest for a while.

Just a moment.

I told you not to follow me.

Once it's past 9 AM,

I'll miss the best time for tea-picking.

I can't wait.

Wait for me!

What is this?

You damn monkey.

You damn monkey!

How dare you duck!

I...

Wait for me!

Where's Lord Lu?

He went up the mountain.

♪ Get caught in a heavy, wild snowfall ♪

♪ Watch magpies fluttering past my eyes ♪

♪ It's tormenting itself all alone ♪

If one day, Mr. Lu turns against the Rong family,

♪ Unable to find any peers for a get-together ♪

he will become my enemy.

I will sever all ties with him

♪ Wait for a perfectly full moon ♪

and show him no mercy.

That's not enough!

♪ Yet every slice of it seems incomplete ♪

If that day comes,

I want you to punish him with your own hands.

♪ Is it because my prayers are too presumptuous? ♪

If you hesitate for even a moment,

you are not worthy to be a daughter of our Rong family.

♪ Or do I lack a bit of the sacrificial blood? ♪

♪ The biting cold wind makes me stumble as I run ♪

♪ Laughing innocently, I find my spirit broken ♪

♪ Just like this, I'm drunk in a spring night ♪

♪ Just like this, I'm lost in enduring hardships ♪

♪ Intertwined with you ♪

♪ No longer fret over who loves more ♪

♪ Gradually rid myself of the snakes and scorpions in my heart ♪

♪ Drink a cup filled with bold passion ♪

♪ Sing a line about lovebirds and butterflies ♪

♪ Put an end to all karmic ties and sins ♪

Why the hesitation?

Why are you here?

Grandmother ordered you to kneel in the ancestral hall.

What was it for?

She wanted you to see

the fate of that wretched servant.

In the past, anyone who dared to sell

the salt or gold mines their tribe depended on

would be tried and hanged publicly.

Even if the chief's husband betrayed the tribe,

he would be thrown into a scorpion pit,

his survival left to chance.

He was a spy who infiltrated the Rong family

to gather information.

It was you who saved his life.

Even if he falls and shatters to pieces,

it'll only be repaying his debt to you.

If you can't bear to do it,

I can do it on your behalf.

It's not that I can't bear to do it.

Still denying it?

You are not the only daughter of the Rong family.

If you hesitate any longer,

you will surely ruin the important matter.

Think about my mother.

Grandmother doted on her

beyond all measure.

But since she insisted on marrying far from home,

for all these years,

has Grandmother ever mentioned her even once?

She was no longer part of the Rong family.

After she died, she couldn't be buried in the family grave.

Even I, as her daughter,

become an outsider now,

not worthy of being recorded in the genealogy.

So what?

So what?

Rong Shanbao.

When you were 13 or 14,

you followed the tea caravan to the border for training.

In three years, you only stayed home for 20 days.

Driving camels, judging horses and speaking tribal tongues...

You mastered them all.

Once, you got separated from the caravan.

You fought tooth and nail to find a water source,

and on your own, led

several camels back to the group.

Not a single item was lost.

You even traded tea bricks for 30 sheep,

earning 100 extra taels of silver.

Back then, whenever Grandmother mentioned you,

she was bursting with pride.

But now?

For Lu Jianglai

and an outsider like Madam Yang,

you willingly turned your back on Grandmother.

You have failed

the Rong family that has spared no effort to cultivate you.

You have failed

the tea farmers who worship you as the Tea Bone.

Most of all, you've

failed yourself!

Whether family honor or personal romance

weighs more heavily

is for you to decide yourself.

Xiangling.

This isn't about family honor

and personal romance.

Yes, I am upset with Lu Jianglai.

I'm angry that he acted on his own

and deceived me.

But he didn't do anything wrong.

He infiltrated the Rong family to investigate a case.

He was willing to set me aside temporarily

for the justice in his heart,

just as I did for my godmother.

Knowing the grievances she carried,

I set aside all favor temporarily

to protect her.

So about this matter,

though I'm angry with him,

I understand him.

I'm grateful that

on this point,

he and I see eye to eye.

The Rong family and Linji

are interdependent like branches and leaves.

I'm guarding the Rong family's future,

while he's protecting Linji's future.

If Linji falls into darkness,

the Rong family will also be plunged into darkness.

Isn't that right?

I know you care for me,

and that you hope

once I become the head of the Rong family,

I'll help you reclaim your surname

and have your name recorded in our genealogy.

Xiangling, I will keep the promise

I made to you.

Let's go back.

Ms. Liang.

I picked all these

from the backyard.

Look, aren't they pretty?

They are.

This leaf is even prettier.

Look at it.

Lady Yunwan.

By the stream at the back hill,

there's a beautiful red maple tree,

more splendid than spring flowers in February.

Could you pick a leaf for me?

Please?

Wait for me, Ms. Liang. I'll be right back.

Wanwan.

Watch your step. Don't trip and fall.

[Rong Mansion]

Lord Lu, you've come at a bad time.

There's an outbreak of tea plant disease in the plantations after the rain.

Lady Shanbao has gone up to the tea mountain.

Based on previous years,

she might be gone for 3 to 5 days,

or even 10 days to half a month.

It's impossible to say for certain.

I dare not have you wait in vain, My Lord.

Save these excuses.

I've had a prior arrangement

with Lady Shanbao.

Just take this basket inside.

And tell her I have a way

to bring the cliff tea she's been longing for

down from the mountain.

She will naturally come to see me.

Take it inside now.

The marten fur cloak you just started wearing yesterday

got torn as soon as we went out.

What a pity!

Actually, this old one

is more comfortable to wear.

The late autumn air is quite cold.

The old one isn't warm enough.

I'm just worried that you'll

catch a chill.

What's this for?

Mr. Yan,

someone delivered this

to our gate early this morning

Steward Cheng just told me to throw it away.

There are quite a few

freshly cut twigs inside it.

Why throw it away?

This...

Leave it to me.

What are you two doing?

Lady Shanbao.

I told you not to meddle.

These cuttings need to be planted at a slant.

But I did everything

exactly as you instructed, Young Master.

Mr. Yan, you're an expert at growing tea,

yet you have an attendant

who knows next to nothing about tea.

Watch closely.

The northwest wind is blowing strong right now.

We should position the leaves so that they follow the wind direction.

If the wind is too strong, the leaves will fall off.

The leaf buds on this branch aren't full enough.

It's difficult for the cutting to take root.

I...

Wild tea trees grow on steep cliffs.

Even plucking their leaves is a perilous task,

let alone cutting branches for propagation.

Someone risked their life to obtain the precious tea.

I thought

it would be too wasteful to throw them away.

So I brought them here to have a try.

Lord Lu has come to visit.

Why didn't anyone inform me?

It seems that someone, seeing

I've lost Grandmother's favor,

now thinks they can dismiss me entirely.

So many have fallen to their deaths

picking tea leaves on those cliffs.

He really does have great luck.

Lady Shanbao.

He has been waiting for you outside

for two hours already.

Lady Shanbao, you've always been true to your word and deed.

When have you ever

gone back on your word?

You promised to meet him.

How can you break your promise?

Go to meet him.

What a pity.

He personally said he had a way

to bring the precious cliff tea

down from the mountain.

Since you refuse to see him,

this tea tree will

- have to stay... - Mr. Yan.

Thank you.

Young Master, you're too silly.

You got your hands all muddy,

doing all this work for someone else's benefit.

What's easily gained

is never rare or special.

Only what everyone yearns for but can't have

is truly precious.

Let's get back to work.

My Lord, I have urgent news to report.

[Rong Mansion]

Go up the mountain immediately.

Has he already left?

Lady Shanbao.

Mr. Lu asked me to tell you

something terrible had happened at Jijian Nunnery.

Hurry up and go up the mountain to check it out.

Prepare a horse.

Yes.

Where are you going?

Come inside with me.

Remove the body.

You're here.

What happened?

When the nuns gathered for evening prayers,

they noticed she was nowhere to be seen.

Later they found out something bad had happened.

The coroner has examined the body.

There were no wounds on her body

and no signs of poisoning.

It has been confirmed she hanged herself.

Madam Yang made an excuse to send Lady Yunwan away.

Then she hanged herself alone in her room.

When Lady Yunwan arrived here,

the nuns had already taken down Madam Yang's body.

I was afraid Lady Yunwan would make a scene and cause disruption,

so I ordered someone

to forcibly take her away to have a rest.

What she had desperately tried to protect

was ultimately lost.

If she finds this out,

I can't imagine how heartbroken she'll be.

Take everyone from the nunnery

back to the Government Office!

I'll question them one by one.

Grandmother, Yunwan is a member of the Rong family.

She shouldn't stay on the mountain for long.

Grandmother, please

allow me to bring her back soon.

You know whether you're going to Jijian Nunnery

because of Wanwan

or out of concern for Madam Yang's safety.

I only have one question for you.

I've told you to reflect on your mistake these days.

Do you realize where you went wrong?

Grandmother, I have taken

your words to heart.

From now on, for everything I do,

I will first seek your instruction.

I'll never act on my own

or do things recklessly.

It's good that you've realized your mistake.

Since Madam Yang has taken vows,

she has cut all ties with the mortal world

and is no longer your godmother.

As for Wanwan,

our Rong family has already held a funeral for her.

Everyone knows

that Lady Yunwan of the Rong family is dead.

It's better this way.

Such

a foolish child

should never have been born into the Rong family.

She herself suffered

and also disgraced the whole family.

All these years,

as her elder sister,

you have spent so much effort

and endured so much ridicule for her.

Outsiders might even think

that our Rong family must have committed terrible sins

to have raised

such an ignorant and shameful child.

I think there's no need to bring her back.

Let her remain on the mountain to recuperate in peace.

I will send someone else

to deliver all her daily necessities.

You'd better act as if you never had this sibling.

Focus all your attention on the matters of the tea plantations.

Grandmother.

Yunwan is a daughter of the Rong family,

my own blood sister.

How could I bear to leave her

stranded for good in that lonely nunnery on the mountain

and never allow her to return the Rong Mansion?

You claim that you've realized your mistake!

But I see you're clearly incorrigible.

Grandmother.

Shut up!

I was reckless.

Grandmother, please calm down.

But Wanwan...

Old Madam Rong.

Old Madam Rong, there's a message from the mountain.

It says

Madam Yang has hanged herself and died.

No. That can't be true.

How pitiful.

She had clung to a wretched life for ten years,

but in the end, she still couldn't escape

her destined calamity.

This shows every person has their own destiny.

Now matter how capable you are,

you still can't stop destiny.

For her,

it was actually an end to her suffering.

If you feel compassion for her,

then spend more money

and give her a proper burial.

Grandmother, Yunwan has just suffered this sudden misfortune.

She must be very terrified.

Grandmother, I beg you to allow me

to go up the mountain immediately

and bring her back.

I've told you that you're not allowed to go!

Stop right there!

Rong Shanbao.

Have you forgotten the rules of the Rong family?

Grandmother.

Our Rong ancestors belonged to a matrilineal clan.

We honor women,

and we never look down on men.

The men of the clan hunted and fought,

while the women took care of their homes.

Together, they built a land

of peace and tranquility.

That land was once vast.

It was so vast that it could

shelter countless people.

When destitute strangers arrived,

they could get clean food,

warm clothes,

and even a piece of land.

From then on,

they became

members of our clan.

These heartwarming stories

were all told to me by you.

It was you

who made our ancestors my ideals.

You always talk about rules,

but the laws of the jungle

and those self-serving doctrines

have never been our rules.

By our rules,

we would never cast aside frail elders

or disabled children,

would never disdain

a sister who is mentally challenged,

would never turn away

a granddaughter who has traveled so far

to find her roots,

and would never, knowing

a woman is innocent,

stand idly by and watch her

suffer injustice and be driven to despair.

Never.

You!

How dare you accuse me,

your own grandmother!

Shanbao,

how can you speak to Grandmother like this?

Apologize to Grandmother now.

Hurry! Don't you see you're driving me mad?

Grandmother,

I was wrong.

My mistake was

being blindly obedient and filial

and not speaking my mind sooner.

You scolded my father and my uncles

for abandoning their families,

chasing after fame

and leaving the tea plantations behind.

But you yourself,

over these years,

have also strayed

too far.

You value power

and prestige

more than your own family.

You value them

more than your granddaughters bound to you by blood.

It has been so long

since you told us

about the sacred mountains in our homeland,

the ancient palaces,

and that queen

who would sit under the cypress tree

teaching children

how to make tea bricks.

Where are you going?

I'm going to gather the remains

of a poor woman

and bring my sister home.

How dare you defy Grandmother like this!

It's utterly disrespectful!

Shut up!

Rong Shanbao.

If you go out now,

you know

what you'll lose.

If you dare step out of that door,

you'll never be allowed back!

I started the new tea plantations

on Green Mountain myself.

I'll live there from now on.

But I will always be

a daughter of the Rong family

and your granddaughter.

Whenever the Rong family needs me

or whenever you miss me,

I will come back.

Are you going to turn against me too?

Old Madam Rong!

Old Madam Rong!

Grandmother!

Old Madam Rong!

Old Madam Rong!

Old Madam Rong!

My Lord.

Why isn't Madam Yang's name

inscribed on her tombstone?

The Yang family accused her of being unfilial and disrespectful.

Outsiders blamed her for lacking wifely virtue

and refusing to be compliant.

They thought this brought the disaster

to the Wei and Yang families.

Shanbao fears

someone might deliberately damage the grave

and disturb the peace of the deceased.

If the Wei family had not bullied Madam Yang

and the Yang family had not brought false charges,

nothing bad would have occurred.

Those people are truly shameless!

Shanbao.

Shanbao.

When Grandmother learned

that you personally brought the body back

from the Government Office for burial,

she was utterly enraged.

Yunxi

and Xiangling pleaded on your behalf.

They were both severely scolded by Grandmother.

Grandmother even forbade everyone in the mansion

from having any contact with you.

Grandmother has also said

that those tea plantations you own

are not allowed to operate

under the Rong family's name.

Shanbao.

You should come back with me

and apologize to Grandmother.

Grandmother loves you and values you deeply.

She has spared no effort in nurturing you all these years.

If you're willing to go back and apologize,

you'll still be

the noble lady of the Rong family.

You won't have to live out here in the wilderness,

exposed to the elements.

We women of the Rong family start our education at four.

The very first lesson we learn

is that we don't follow the ruler

or our elders,

but moral conscience

and true justice.

I've said everything that needs to be said.

It's not that I don't want to be filial.

It's that Grandmother is angry with me

and won't let me go back home.

Yunshu, you're gentle and obedient,

devoting yourself wholeheartedly to serving Grandmother.

In the days to come, please take care of Grandmother in my place

and bring comfort and joy to her side.

Lady Shanbao, how could I compare to you?

I am not the legitimate heir.

And my mother was a maid.

I do not acknowledge distinctions of birth

or social hierarchies.

Your parents were a perfect couple.

You are your father's only daughter

and my dear cousin.

However,

Yunshu, you have chosen a difficult path.

Please take good care of yourself in the future.

Shanbao, what are you talking about?

I mean

it's getting dark and the mountain path is dangerous.

Yunshu, your eyesight isn't good,

so you must be extra careful with your steps.

You'd better head down the mountain soon.

Thank you for your concern, Shanbao.

I'll keep that in mind.

Shanbao, please take good care of yourself too.

[Tomb of Lin Pingxiang, from the Gu Branch of the Rong Clan]

Xiu Qiong.

Just now, did you notice

how Yunshu reacted when she saw

that new grave?

Lady Yunshu is blind.

What could she possibly have seen?

But Lady Shanbao,

who exactly was this Lin Pingxiang?

Why did you come here specially

to choose an auspicious burial site for her

and specifically instructed someone

to plant February Orchids in front of the grave?

Don't worry, Godmother.

From now on,

I will definitely take good care of Wanwan.

As for the one who has been

stirring up trouble behind the scenes,

I will never let them get away with it.

Young Master.

You've been waiting eagerly for so long.

Are you really leaving without even meeting

Lady Shanbao?

Her top priority right now

is not personal romance.

It's to bring the real culprit

who killed Madam Yang to justice as soon as possible.

By my duty and by my feelings,

I can no longer let this person

remain at large.

Didn't she hang herself?

How could there be a real culprit?

Young Master!

[Linji Prefectural Office]

My Lord.

We already gave our answer yesterday.

After Venerable Huijing took her vows,

she became a Buddhist nun.

Apart from Lady Rong Shanbao,

she never received any other outside visitors.

Please think carefully again

and see if there's anything you might have missed.

Venerable,

did you notice anything?

Feel free to speak. It's all right.

That day I forgot about the evening prayers.

I was afraid others would blame me, so I dared not mention it.

I ran into a male visitor.

What did he look like?

He was tall and thin,

wearing a cloak.

He walked very fast.

Tall and thin?

Yang Yitang! It must be him!

Send men to find Yang Yitang.

[Provincial Governor's Office]

My Lord,

Yang Yitang has entered the Provincial Governor's Office.

My Lord.

Before, you were the Imperial Inspector,

representing the Emperor on inspection tours,

so Jiang Yiqian had to show you some respect.

Now that you're merely a Prefect,

you must be extremely careful under his roof.