Original subtitles

[Glory]

[Episode 27]

[Linji Prefectural Office]

My Lord, why did you summon me back so urgently?

Take a look at this.

A reward notice from the Rong family.

Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku

is a rare and valuable book printed during the Song dynasty.

Rong Shanbao

likely wants to use it to please the Empress Dowager.

What do you think?

My Lord, if you trust me,

please leave

this matter to me.

What's your plan?

Please wait and see, My Lord.

I will make sure Rong Shanbao

falls into the abyss.

These days, with all that's happening at the Rong family,

everyone is feeling anxious.

I can see they

have completely lost interest in processing tea.

They've even ruined

many freshly picked tea leaves.

We might as well let them rest for a few days.

That's fine.

Shanbao.

Do you know who

is behind the attacks on our family?

Naturally, it's someone who despises the Rong family the most.

After all, a few days ago

he was just at our tea plantation

where he lost face

and lost his trusted aide.

Him?

How could he possibly control

people from our family?

Lady Shanbao!

Someone has responded to the reward notice

and has come here.

Be more vigilant these days.

Jiang Yiqian has ill intentions.

He definitely won't spare

this place where he was humiliated.

I understand.

Please show him in.

Come in, please.

Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku

is in your possession?

Lady Shanbao.

I escaped from the Wei family years ago

and have been hiding all these years.

Now I'm too ashamed to go back.

Please keep this matter confidential.

Don't tell the Wei family

about my whereabouts.

I'm only here for

the "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku."

Other matters don't concern me.

I certainly won't gossip.

In the reward notice,

the Rong family promised one condition.

Is it truly anything I want?

If the Rong family can fulfill it,

we will see to it.

Good.

Please follow me.

Miss, please have a seat.

I've put the book in the inner room.

Please, Miss,

write the agreement first

and I'll go inside to get it for you.

Alright.

My Lady.

Go report to the authorities.

Wei!

Wei, look.

I've brewed a new pot of wine for you.

Wei.

Wei?

Something's wrong!

Murder!

Murder!

My Lord, bad news!

Lady Rong Shanbao has been captured.

Is your leg feeling better, Old Madam?

I still can't get out of bed,

though I can move a little bit.

Your condition

naturally requires gradual recovery.

Given time,

you will surely return to your former health, Old Madam.

After lying here for so many days,

you're the only one

who comes to see me from time to time.

That ungrateful girl

is probably still holding a grudge against me.

She hasn't shown her face even once.

What lasting grudge could exist between grandmother and granddaughter?

Old Madam,

the most important thing for you now

is to rest quietly.

The household matters

will be handled by the young ladies.

Why do I feel

that recently the mansion

seems much quieter?

What's the matter?

It's nothing.

Just some personal affairs.

I should take my leave now.

I'll visit you another day, Old Madam.

You heard correctly?

Lady Shanbao has killed someone?

There's no mistake.

Someone has identified her.

It's already been brought to court.

[Linji Prefectural Office]

My Lord.

I am a neighbor of Wei Zhou.

I saw

the three of them enter the house.

Shortly after,

Lady Shanbao's maid

suddenly rushed out in a hurry.

I never expected

to walk into the room

and find my neighbor

lying on the floor,

his head covered in blood.

Are you certain you only saw

Miss Rong and her maid

enter that room today?

Yes.

I was actually

standing guard outside the whole time.

When I went in with the wine,

I saw that the doors and windows of Wei Zhou's house were tightly shut,

with only Miss Rong present.

You took one hasty glance

and noticed the windows?

How observant of you.

What's wrong with that?

We've been neighbors for many years,

so I know

there's only one window in his house,

and I naturally noticed it right away.

Miss Rong.

I understand that you

went to great lengths for the birthday gift,

but that doesn't justify

taking someone's life.

I went to Wei Zhou's house

indeed for

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku."

But he went alone

to get the book when he was killed.

I have no idea

who killed him,

or why.

I went with him to make a deal.

On what grounds am I accused of murder for money?

That makes sense.

But she was the only one there.

She must be the killer.

My Lord.

Actually,

my neighbor

mentioned to me before

that he wanted to use his book collection

in exchange for

half of the Rong family's fortune.

Indeed,

what he did

was somewhat greedy.

But Miss Rong,

if you didn't want to give it to him,

you didn't have to

take his life.

The man is dead,

and these words

are clearly your fabrication.

Rong Shanbao!

Wei Zhou was murdered while alone with you.

What else can you say?

He claims I killed for money,

so where is

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

that I supposedly stole?

Isn't it obvious?

Her personal maid

must have taken

the stolen goods

when she fled

in panic.

My Lord,

I urge you to interrogate her thoroughly.

Under torture,

she will surely confess.

Guards!

Your Excellency.

Lord Lu.

Why has Lord Lu come?

Lord Lu is here.

Investigating cases and passing judgment

is my duty.

Lord Jiang, why have you condescended

to investigate this case personally?

You and Rong Shanbao are close friends.

You should recuse yourself from this case.

Then, Lord Jiang,

you've confronted

Miss Rong at the tea plantation.

Should you not recuse yourself as well

to avoid others

thinking you're seeking personal revenge?

I've invited Lord Luo

to observe this case.

What's wrong?

Are you suggesting

Lord Luo is not fair either?

Lord Luo

is certainly just and fair.

It's just that this case

still has many suspicious aspects.

Lord Jiang, you intend to proceed with the punishment.

Do you intend to extract a false confession?

Lu Jianglai.

You're letting personal feelings

interfere with court proceedings.

Lord Jiang, don't change the subject.

I'm saying this case is suspicious.

Being in the same room with the deceased

doesn't automatically make one the murderer.

That's far too arbitrary.

Everyone knows that Rong Shanbao

spared no effort

for "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku".

She was the only one at the murder scene.

The motive for murder has been established.

Is that being arbitrary?

Currently, "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

is still nowhere to be found.

The most urgent matter

is to locate the book

rather than punishing an innocent person.

You...

Since you two cannot come to an agreement,

then this case

will be personally examined by me.

This matter

began with a birthday gift.

The Empress Dowager's birthday

should be celebrated throughout the land

and must not be tainted with bloodshed.

Miss Rong.

I have witnessed the influence of the Rong family

in Linji over the past few days.

First the birthday gift was ruined,

and then it became entangled in a murder case.

If this case is proven,

no one can save the Rong family.

Guards!

Take Rong Shanbao

into custody.

Yes, My Lord.

My Lord, you need not worry.

Wei Zhou and his neighbor

are people I arranged.

They never actually had

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku".

As long as she has the murder motive,

no matter how eloquent

Rong Shanbao is,

she cannot escape punishment.

How did Wei Zhou die?

Suicide.

Wei Zhou had been ill for a long time

and didn't have much time left.

He wanted to leave a dowry for

his daughter who left

with her remarried mother.

So I paid him handsomely

and bought his life.

No matter how this case is investigated,

there will only be Rong Shanbao

as the murderer.

Brilliant!

However, Mr. Bai,

there's blood on your hands.

Aren't you afraid

it might affect your official career?

Consider this as my

pledge of loyalty to you, My Lord.

My future path

will greatly depend on your support.

Rest assured.

In the future,

I will certainly help you rise to great heights.

Mr. An,

where are you heading?

I...

Mr. An,

I'm returning to Rong Mansion now.

Before I leave, I want to remind you of something.

A person can't be too greedy.

If you want a peaceful life,

you must give up something.

Can I have a word with you?

From the very beginning

you've all been lying to me.

You don't really think

that good fortune falls from the sky, do you?

You should be grateful

that you still have some use.

Otherwise, who would even notice you?

You're doing quite well

at the Provincial Governor's Office.

It's better than having

that heartless Lady Yunxi

who refuses to acknowledge your existence.

She is not heartless.

I made this choice willingly.

Lord Jiang is not

a man of good temper.

I advise you not to be foolish again.

If you serve Lord Jiang,

he will certainly treat you well.

When the Rong family falls,

you and your daughter

will rise to great heights.

Hurry up. Don't take too long.

Mr. Yan.

Why are you here?

They're wrongfully accusing you,

aren't they?

Yes.

Is there any way out of this?

They've set a trap

waiting for me to fall in.

They'll certainly make me pay dearly.

I have an answer to that question

you asked me last time.

What is it?

I'm willing.

Lady Shanbao.

I'm willing to stay,

even without the Rong family.

All my life,

every decision I've made

has required careful consideration.

But that day,

I didn't promptly

answer your question.

I've regretted it for days.

I believe

this is my answer.

Even if this time

you have no way to clear your name,

I'll do everything possible

to save you.

Even if it means

we become fugitives afterward.

As long as you trust me.

-You... -Shut up if you can’t save her.

Why talk about becoming fugitives when there's no need?

Mr. Yan,

I need to discuss the case with Lady Shanbao.

Please excuse us.

Mr. Yan, please go back first.

I understand

your feelings.

Look,

a pure, flawless disciple of Buddha

is willing to flee with you to the ends of the earth.

How touching.

Speak properly.

What exactly are you planning?

Looking for a book

and somehow getting yourself thrown in jail.

There are too many people

watching me like hawks.

I can't guard against them all.

What are you

planning to do next?

I don't believe you'll just admit defeat.

I have a plan.

I need your help.

What do you want me to do?

I should warn you beforehand.

This matter carries enormous risk.

One misstep,

and you could be dragged down as well.

So what?

Someone already has the role

of fleeing with you.

I should at least have

the title of sharing your fate.

Lady Yunshu,

you're still in the mood to tend to these flowers?

Tomorrow will be the fifth day.

Your freedom

to come and go at Rong Mansion

is about to end.

It seems you haven't heard.

Rong Shanbao, in her search for a birthday tribute,

committed a murder.

Your Rong Mansion

is headed for disaster.

Impossible.

She's not that foolish.

It's often the clever ones

who make mistakes.

You framed her.

I wasn't ruthless enough back then.

I should have let you die in the river.

Sorry to disappoint you.

Heaven wasn't ready for me.

Rong Yunshu.

I'll give you a way out, all right?

You are to identify

Rong Shanbao as the one who, out of resentment,

burned down the Tea King Tree.

I'll plead with Lord Jiang to spare you

and even grant you

one of the Rong family's tea mountains.

We daughters of the Rong family

may fight for power,

but would never betray each other

just to save our own skins.

[Linji Prefectural Office]

We're here.

Miao'er, strike the drum.

What's happening?

What's going on?

Someone is striking the drum.

Why is it a little girl?

This set of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

belongs to my Wei family collection.

During the confiscation years ago,

it was hidden in a screen by my family

and escaped being seized.

I've been hiding it all these years.

No matter how difficult life became,

I endured and persevered.

I chose to hang on a bit longer.

I thought when the day came

when we couldn't make ends meet anymore,

I would take it out and sell it.

Fortunately,

our Wei family

has been exonerated.

Yesterday, my granddaughter told me

there was a murder in town because of this book.

My heart

was truly filled with anxiety.

So I brought this book

and hurried over here.

[Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku]

You mean

this is "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"?

That's right.

Back then, Wei Kejian

built a library

and kept this Song Dynasty edition

as his family's most treasured possession.

Before the library caught fire,

Wei Kejian

had already hidden

this set of books away.

By chance,

it ended up in my possession.

If this collection is in your hands,

then Wei Zhou, who answered the reward notice yesterday

and died unnaturally,

was lying.

In that case,

Lady Rong Shanbao's motive for murder

becomes even more nonexistent.

Whether it's true or not,

how can we rely on one person's word?

Lord Jiang, previously

you also just believed

the testimony of Wei Zhou's neighbor, didn't you?

Now that the real "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

has appeared,

it proves that Wei Zhou and his neighbor

had ill intentions.

Perhaps they conspired together

to deceive Lady Rong Shanbao,

but quarreled over dividing the spoils.

After accidentally killing Wei Zhou,

the neighbor framed Lady Rong Shanbao.

Lu Jianglai,

your reasoning

is far too arbitrary.

Lord Jiang, you only relied on hearsay

to conclude that Lady Rong Shanbao

killed someone for a set of books.

Isn't that equally arbitrary?

Nonsense!

Enough!

This case has too many suspicious points.

How can we make wild speculations?

First, we need someone to verify if this set of books is authentic.

Tomorrow,

I will investigate until the truth comes to light.

Lord Luo, you're wise.

Although I spoke

in righteous terms at the time,

on reflection

I still felt a measure of unease.

That woman, Ms. Chang,

out of gratitude

for my help with her case,

was willing to bring a fake copy

of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku" as evidence,

but a fake is still a fake.

If it's discovered,

the punishment will be even more severe,

and we'll never be able to clear our names.

I've already told you before

this matter carries enormous risk.

I'm not worried about myself.

I only worry whether you can

see this through safely.

I've been offering a generous reward for so many days

but still haven't found any trace of this book.

I suspect the book

was probably destroyed

in that fire at the library.

Probably?

Lady Rong Shanbao,

when did your actions

become so questionable?

You're overlooking something.

What?

Few people

have ever seen the real

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku."

Have you thought about

how to conclude this?

Surely

you don't really intend to present a fake Song Dynasty edition

to the Empress Dowager?

That would be a serious crime.

The real Song Dynasty edition no longer exists.

Now if we say

what Ms. Chang has is authentic,

then it is authentic.

Are you hiding something from me?

You've helped me so much.

I've been completely honest with you.

That Rong Shanbao

is truly reckless beyond belief.

She actually thought of

using this method to break the deadlock.

That old woman

who owes Lu Jianglai a debt of gratitude

must have been used by them to create this deception.

This is good news.

Lu Jianglai is rushing here to his own death.

We can catch them all at once.

Okay.

I'll go right now to instruct that neighbor

to stick firmly to the story that Rong Shanbao committed murder.

If he dares to waver...

No need for that trouble.

Come over here and look.

The authentic "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

is in my hands.

Rong Shanbao

walked right into the trap herself.

Is this book authentic?

I got this

from Wei Kejian before.

It's absolutely authentic.

Just tell them

you found this book during the search.

An Cha and his daughter are at the County Office now.

Send a letter

to Lady Rong Yunxi.

Ask her to testify

that she saw this book at your place.

This will ensure Rong Shanbao

can never clear her name.

Rest assured, My Lord.

I will certainly complete this mission.

Li, be a good girl.

In a moment,

I want to play a little game with you.

No matter what happens,

you must not make any noise.

Alright?

Good girl.

Come.

Now,

I'll cover you with this.

Okay?

This way!

They ran this way!

Hurry!

Split up and chase them!

Yes, sir.

Li, listen carefully.

That tea plantation ahead

is where you used to live.

Do you remember?

I want to play a game with you.

Let's have a race.

Whoever gets there first wins.

Okay?

Go.

That direction.

Hurry.

I'll be right behind you.

Li, be good.

Remember to go to the plantation

and find

the big sister who took care of you before.

Run quickly.

Don't fall.

Don't look back.

Tell me

where your daughter is.

You won't talk? Beat him!

Stop!

I'm sorry.

You fool.

[Linji Prefectural Office]

Our Wei family

have also been wrongfully accused

and suffered humiliation.

Today I step forward

because I don't want

to see another Wei family suffer the same fate.

I don't want innocent people

to be wrongfully accused again.

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

has always been hidden by me

and never fell into others' hands.

This precious book

carries

all the wisdom

of our ancestors throughout history.

It should not become

evidence for false accusations.

A housewife with such noble character.

We who serve in court

should be even more discerning

and uphold justice.

Lord Luo,

how is the verification of the Song Dynasty edition going?

Rong Shanbao,

I ask you:

do you truly not know why Wei Zhou

died?

Lord Luo,

I've already stated clearly before.

I went to Wei Zhou's house

to make a deal.

Even if the deal falls through, we can still part as friends.

The Rong family has never

bullied others with our power.

Not to mention murder and robbery.

As for why Wei Zhou

died in a room

with all doors and windows locked,

I'm afraid only he himself

and this good neighbor would know.

When Wei Zhou died,

I wasn't even in the room.

How dare you slander me?

You didn't actually see me kill anyone.

You only saw Wei Zhou after he was dead,

when I was in the same room.

What grounds do you have to falsely accuse me of murder?

You... I...

Lord Luo.

This case is very clear.

Someone powerful

holds a grudge against me

because of past grievances.

Knowing I was looking for

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku",

he set a trap

to lure me into Wei Zhou's house,

then committed murder

and framed me for it.

I will investigate Wei Zhou's death thoroughly.

Since there's insufficient evidence,

Rong Shanbao,

you may return to the Rong family.

But before this case is resolved,

you must not leave Linji.

Thank you, Lord Luo.

Ma'am.

I wish to buy your copy of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

at a high price.

Would you

be willing to part with it?

Lady Shanbao, if you like it,

I'll simply give it to you.

I only ask that

if Wei's descendants ever face hardship,

Lady Shanbao,

you would lend them a helping hand.

Okay.

I promise.

Thank you.

Lord Luo,

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

is the crystallization of countless people's devotion and labor.

Books are innocent

and shouldn't be tainted by worldly desires.

I humbly dare to present this work as a birthday tribute,

and ask that Your Lordship accept it.

Wait.

Lord Luo,

This copy of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

is fake.

The authentic one is in my hands.

My surname is Bai, courtesy name Yingsheng,

a student from Wanfeng Academy.

Since childhood,

I've loved collecting old books.

This Song Dynasty edition

has been in my collection for 2 years.

A few days ago, I heard

someone was passing off a fake as authentic,

so I hurried here.

The matter of authenticity shouldn't concern me.

But

I study the classics,

and cannot stand to see this used

to deceive the sovereign.

Madam Wei,

how do you explain this?

I... I...

You claim yours is authentic.

How can you prove it?

A reproduction

is naturally inferior to the original.

The difference between these two

is obvious to anyone.

Lord Jiang,

I've heard

you're also a book collector.

Perhaps

you could help determine which is authentic.

Okay.

Li.

Li.

Li.

You're awake.

Lady Yunxi.

Jiang Yiqian

and Bai Yingsheng

are plotting against Lady Shanbao.

And that Wei Zhou too.

He and his neighbors

are working for them.

They also want to use Li

to blackmail you into helping them coordinate their testimonies.

Where is Li?

Did she make it safely to the tea plantation?

I'm sorry.

Xiangling is taking care of Li.

That's good.

By the way,

is the trial today?

I can testify.

I heard with my own ears

Bai Yingsheng and Jiang Yiqian's

conspiracy.

You risked your life

escaping from the Provincial Governor's Office

just to tell me this?

I'm so sorry.

Before,

I believed the slander

and that's why I hurt you.

If there's any way to make amends,

even at the cost of my life,

I am willing.

It seems I've underestimated you before.

With a father like you,

no wonder Li

called me a bad person.

I didn't teach her that.

Now is not the time for this.

I need to get to the County Office quickly.

The fact that you're in my courtyard now,

don't you understand

what's really going on?

Based on my book collecting experience,

Bai Yingsheng's Song Dynasty edition

is the authentic one.

Good that you've admitted it.

What's going on here?

What does this mean?

What does she mean by that?

Lord Luo,

I wish to file charges against

Governor Jiang Yiqian of Linji

for corruption and perversion of justice,

for his personal gain,

persecuting the innocent,

and forcing the Wei family

to complete ruin.

Nonsense!

Rong Shanbao,

even though we have had our differences,

you cannot slander me like this.

I have never accepted

even a penny in bribes.

I am completely innocent

as heaven and earth can attest!

Lord Jiang, you may not have taken bribes,

but you're far from innocent.

The Wei family not only ran a tea plantation,

but also built a special tower to store books.

Lord Jiang has repeatedly

borrowed from the Wei family

precious manuscripts for printing.

However, "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

is the Wei family' most treasured possession.

Lord Jiang requested to borrow it 3 times

and was politely refused each time.

You were humiliated by the Wei family

and have harbored resentment toward them.

That's why you arbitrarily ruled that

Wei Kejian was a murderer.

When the Wei family continued to appeal,

you covered up your wrong judgment

by pressuring officials to sentence the Wei family to death.

Any officials who disobeyed

were thrown into prison.

You also chose to ignore the fact

that Xu Song passed a male corpse off as female

and and murdered witnesses

to silence them.

Even after the case was solved,

you still refused to spare Madam Yang.

You're slandering me!

These are all baseless accusations!

It's all false!

Lord Jiang, just now you

admitted with your own mouth

that this Song Dynasty edition is authentic.

You personally gave this to Bai Yingsheng,

which serves as self-incriminating evidence.

My Lord,

forgive me for my deception earlier.

This copy of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

was indeed given to me by Lord Jiang Yiqian,

who instructed me to implicate Lady Rong Shanbao.

Before this,

I had been staying at the Provincial Governor's Office

actually to

collect evidence of Jiang Yiqian's crimes.

You're all in this together!

You're trying to frame me!

You're the murderers!

You are the ones truly guilty of grave crimes!

What's going on?

Don't be afraid.

Everyone, please don't be afraid.

I am but a humble performer

skilled in the art of holding my breath and feigning death.

Rong Shanbao.

What's going on?

My Lord,

I heard from Madam Yang

about the existence of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku".

I later learned

that Lord Jiang once requested it but was refused.

So when I discovered this book was missing,

I became suspicious.

That's why I sent Bai Yingsheng

to Lord Jiang's side

to investigate the truth.

While searching for this book,

I learned from

an elderly clerk at the County Office

about the feud between Jiang Yiqian and Wei Kejian.

I just lacked concrete evidence.

I knew Jiang Yiqian is narrow-minded

and has long seen me as a thorn in his side.

That's why I set up this trap

to make Jiang Yiqian produce evidence of his own crimes.

Now

we have both witness and physical evidence.

Lord Luo, I request Your Lordship thoroughly investigate

and arrest the true culprit

to avoid wronging innocent families

and perverting justice.

Jiang Yiqian has been reckless in his actions

and brought harm to this region.

Guards!

Take him away!

My Lord, this is unjust!

My Lord!

Lord Luo, I've been wronged!

Lord Luo, this is unjust!

Lord Luo!

Lord Luo!

Rong Shanbao.

Although this case has hidden aspects,

your fabrication of a murder case

and mockery of this court is also disrespectful.

I beg Your Lordship to dismiss all those not involved.

I have something to tell you.

Everyone, withdraw!

All of you, go back.

That's enough.

Disperse now.

Go back. Hurry along.

Lord Lu.

Miss Rong.

What do you wish to tell me?

My Lord,

my gift to the Empress Dowager

is not merely

this precious Song Dynasty book collection,

but the case behind these books.

Clean officials bring peace; corrupt officials bring suffering.

The Empress Dowager and Emperor bestow countless blessings,

yet with great power

comes both fortune and calamity.

Though I am but a commoner,

uninvolved in court politics,

I too wish for peace and prosperity.

My true gift

is to do what little I can

to remove corrupt officials

[Impartial Justice]

and preserve integrity in government.

I have indeed

underestimated the Rong family.

[Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku]

Is this book authentic?

I got this

from Wei Kejian before.

It's absolutely authentic.

"Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku"

[Why is "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku" so precious?]

is a large encyclopedia from Southern Song Dynasty,

equivalent to today's encyclopedia.

The book contains

astronomy, geography,

poetry, health remedies,

and even food stories.

For example, Su Shi's Dongpo Pork

might have first appeared here.

It categorizes ancient wisdom

into over a hundred volumes.

Scholars can cite references from it.

Common people

can also learn some life hacks.

Unfortunately, most of the original books

have been lost.

The remaining parts

have become treasure maps

for studying ancient culture.

Even "Complete Tang Poems"

relies on it to fill in the gaps.