Original subtitles

[Episode 27]

Aren't you done writing?

Your name...

I'll just add it for you.

Let go!

Since we are both members of the Jin family,

I have prepared Xiaoyao Powder for you.

You can pass away peacefully.

You won't suffer like the Huo girl did.

You killed Miss Huo.

Both of you are dying because you meddled in things you shouldn't have.

Remember, if there is a next life,

just mind your own business.

Let go of me!

It seems I'm destined...

to be branded a murderer.

Can you wait two days before killing me?

What tricks are you trying to play?

In two days,

it will be the Suwen Assembly.

I can help you win.

Take the position of Jin Chief.

I only have one condition.

Take in my younger brother.

Let him in.

Raise him in Fourth Uncle's house.

Help me win?

You don't mean by using that prescription you wrote?

The clerk is right here.

Don't you realize that prescription is already in my hands?

To be honest,

your prescription is indeed excellent.

If you were to stay alive,

it would be very hard to surpass you.

Please.

Give him a stable life.

Even if...

let him join your lineage.

Let him call you brother.

Please.

I'm begging you.

Call me Brother?

I'm not that fortunate.

Asking your brother to call me brother?

I will never let your brother set foot in the Jin house.

He will live with the stigma of being a killer's brother forever.

Couldn't you just pretend to agree?

Even if it was a lie,

so he could die in peace?

I did have regrets.

I regret being too hasty

and not letting him finish speaking.

If I had heard him out,

I would have obtained the Day-Long Cocoon. Wouldn't my position as the Jin Chief

have been much more secure?

Even now,

all you care about is yourself.

You have lived for 15 years with the glory that belonged to my brother.

You stole everything from him. You killed those who could have been saved!

Even now,

do you not feel a shred of remorse?

I do.

I regret that I wasn't ruthless enough to send someone to end your life.

I let you return to take revenge on me and on our Jin family.

I regret leaving knife marks on that Huo girl,

which gave Qiu Han leverage over me.

Do you think being the Jin Chief is an easy task?

It's been 15 years.

I've long had enough.

Qiu Han used that prescription to trade for the murder weapon,

and used it to blackmail me into concocting Yemotian.

All these years,

I have been nothing more than a dog he keeps by his side.

You chose this path yourself.

You brought this upon yourself.

Brought it upon myself?

You're right.

I brought this upon myself.

The position of the Jin Chief was my own choice.

Therefore,

I had no choice but to obey him.

I couldn't let what happened back then be revealed at all.

To keep the water from overflowing,

the dam must be built higher and higher.

Even if it might burst one day,

I had to keep going.

San Lang.

You wicked creature!

Bai.

I can't believe you've done so many heinous things.

How could the Jin family have a beast like you?

Impossible.

I checked your pulse.

You were clearly on the verge of death!

I may be a failure as a physician,

but I know which major acupoints to seal in the body,

one can fake severed heart vessels and signs of being in critical condition.

Lord Zhan. Miss Huo.

Rest assured.

The Jin family will not tolerate evil.

We will publicly announce his crimes

to the entire clan,

and hand him over to the authorities.

Guards!

Take him away.

Zhan Zhao.

Are you truly not afraid of death?

What do you mean by that?

He's just making a deathbed struggle.

Bai Yu Tang.

Huo Ling Long.

If you want to reopen the case,

Zhan Zhao will surely die.

I'd like to see if you two will still reopen this case or not.

Make yourself clear!

Bai.

Lord Zhan.

Little Seventeen's wounds must be treated at once.

Could you leave this wretch under the Jin family's custody for now?

Okay.

How is Bai?

He has lost too much blood.

After his acupoints were sealed, he forced his inner energy,

and coupled with his emotional turmoil,

his meridians have been severely disrupted.

Fortunately, Zhan used his inner force to help stabilize him.

Now,

he just needs proper rest.

Tang Sect has many matters to attend to.

I shall take my leave now.

Zhan.

What did Jin Zhen Ping mean by then?

Before the Suwen Assembly,

Jin Zhen Ping came to see me.

The green marks on your back...

They have reappeared, haven't they?

You were poisoned by Yemotian,

yet you remain unharmed.

Do you know why?

You still contains the residual poison,

Old Souls at First Glance.

That poison is extremely potent

and counteracts Yemotian.

That is why the Yemotian...

was forced out of your system.

Little Seventeen

only knows that Lament Pill,

but he don't realize that in this world,

all things have their matches and counters.

When Lament Pill

encounters Old Souls at First Glance,

it can only suppress it,

not fully neutralize it.

Furthermore,

you exerted your inner energy in the cave.

That caused the residual poison to take effect faster.

That is why the green marks

on your back have reappeared.

And...

it will continue to spread.

In this world today,

I am the only one who knows which residual poisons are left in you.

If you give up on helping Little Seventeen,

perhaps...

I can save your life.

The Suwen Assembly is imminent.

Chief,

you should go back and prepare.

Tomorrow, we will arrive on time.

Bai Yu Tang is no relation to you.

Is it worth risking your life to help him?

Think it through.

Your life...

is in my hands.

If you don't care about your own life,

I will go to Bai Yu Tang and Huo Ling Long!

If you dare approach them,

I will do something that will make you suffer a hundred times more than that trial

at the Suwen Assembly.

You are a man of the law.

You wouldn't dare harm me.

I am a man of the law,

but I am also a dying man.

Whether I dare or not,

you are welcome to try me.

You are risking your life just to overturn the case.

You're also putting your life

on the act.

Even if we all tried to advise you,

we still couldn't change your mind.

I am doing this for my brother.

But why must you?

My Lord.

You hid this from Miss Huo and Bai

to avoid affecting the case.

But why did you hide it from me too?

Ming Zhu Er,

I just didn't want you all to worry.

How can you say that, My Lord?

If we had known,

we would have done everything we could to save you.

Even if we had to give in to Jin Zhen Ping.

That wouldn't do.

It wasn't easy for us to come this far.

We can't let it all go to waste.

Besides, this poison won't take my life now.

I kept it from you

because I felt it wasn't that dire yet.

Don't worry.

You've been poisoned,

yet you tell us not to worry?

How are we supposed to be at ease?

I'm really fine.

Zhu Zi,

you're pouted long enough.

Go keep him company.

I'm not going.

He won't tell me anything.

He knows we're mad at him,

yet he won't say something nice to coax us.

I'm just giving you time

to scold me properly.

Expecting a dying man to console you instead...

How could you be so heartless?

Pah! My Lord,

can you stop being so pessimistic?

Who said you're dying?

Earlier, when I said

the poison wouldn't kill me right away,

you were angry.

Now, when I say

I'm a dying man,

you're also angry.

I really don't know what I should do.

You're still in the mood to joke around.

Fine.

Let's stop joking then.

Let's all talk about serious matters.

Ling Long,

regarding this case, there's only one question left.

Where exactly did your auntie go to learn the truth about Seven-Day Drunken Dream?

Auntie liked to travel the world.

Maybe she overheard it by accident.

You can ask Jin Zhen Ping again.

Good idea.

I intend to interrogate him,

and make him hand over the antidote to save your life.

The Chief is at Qinghui Hall discussing matters with the elders.

He said that when you arrived,

you should wait for a moment.

It must be about Jin Zhen Ping.

Fifth Granduncle promised us he would inform the whole clan of this.

Come on, young masters, catch me!

- No? Take the strike! - Don't you run!

- Slow down, Young Master. - You can't hit me!

- Take this! - Young Master. Slow down!

- You missed! - Watch the steps, Young Master.

- Come here! - Take this!

Has anything major happened in the manor?

No.

What could have happened?

Didn't the Chief tell you

he was opening the ancestral hall to announce the matter of Jin Zhen Ping?

That's not such a big deal.

No need to open the ancestral hall.

The Chief left to travel and practice medicine.

He's done that a few times before.

- Does that count as a big deal? - Travel to practice medicine?

He's already gone?

Yes.

He left before dawn.

We've been tricked.

Where is Jin Zhen Ping?

I won't tell you.

If I tell you, he'll lose his life.

He committed such heinous and heartless acts,

yet you are shielding him!

You are so biased.

When my brother was framed for murder, you just left him to die!

I am not being biased.

It is just that everyone knew

Jin Xue Wen a profligate.

No one thought he represented the dignity of the Jin family.

If he was guilty,

he was merely a black sheep.

But Jin Zhen Ping is different.

He is the Chief...

whom the Jin family handpicked and groomed since childhood.

Little Seventeen, you must understand.

Jin Zhen Ping's name cannot have the slightest blemish,

let alone a heinous reputation.

I cannot let

the Jin family's century-old reputation be ruined because of him.

The Jins have practiced medicine for ages

and performed countless good deeds.

How can one scoundrel destroy a century of prestige?

The Jin family's century-old foundation is renowned far and wide.

The higher it is held, the harder it will fall if something goes off.

For the dignity and honor of the family,

even if I had to die right now,

I would not hesitate.

If you...

are still not satisfied,

then kill me.

What is the use of killing you?

You are even more shameless than Jin Zhen Ping.

Think of the two innocent victims.

Do you not feel any guilt at all?

I am indebted to you and Miss Huo,

and I have failed the deceased.

Though I cannot give you the justice you deserve,

I have punished Jin Zhen Ping.

Traveling to practice medicine?

What kind of punishment is that?

He can never return to the Jin family.

Two years later, I will announce to the public

that he died in an accident while traveling. A new Chief will be chosen.

He can only live under an assumed name.

To him, such a punishment

is more painful than death.

Fine.

If you won't deal with him,

I'll use my own way.

How dare you!

Don't you want to save his life?

Before San Lang left, he told me everything.

The disciples of our Jin family will certainly produce the antidote.

However,

if anything happens to San Lang, that will be a different story.

Not only will the antidote be canceled, but I will also report you.

I'll testify that Bai Yu Tang killed San Lang.

The whole world knows that you have always harbored hatred for him.

And murdering your own cousin is an even more heinous crime.

Do you...

want to follow in your brother's footsteps?

If you want the antidote,

bring that murder weapon to trade for it.

What I was just discussing with the Chiefs

was to bring Jin Xue Wen's tablet back to the Jin family.

Little Seventeen.

Have you thought it through?

Do you want your brother

to return to the Jin family?

Think about it? My foot!

You should be grateful that Zhan Zhao is here.

Otherwise, I'd have closed the doors and burned down your Qinghui Hall!

As for the Jin family,

we're better off not entering it.

You guys go back.

I'm going to find Jin Zhen Ping.

Let's go to the magistrate's court. Draw a portrait of Jin Zhen Ping.

It will be easier to find him that way.

You search your way, I'll search mine.

Today, I will make sure he hands over the antidote.

- How could he possibly hand it over willingly? - Then I will kill him!

- Bai! - Lord Zhan!

Lord Zhan!

Please go to the court.

The Chief Justice Dali has arrived.

Zhan. You go to the office. I'll go talk to him.

Bai!

Leave me alone.

As long as Jin Zhen Ping lives,

your auntie and my brother will never rest in peace.

And now Zhan Zhao is going to die because of them too.

Can you just accept that?

What else can I do?

Isn't the priority right now

the person who is still alive?

[Promote Virtue and Spread Culture]

I never imagined...

that Xiangzhou City...

would be ruled by these vermin.

It truly is a tragedy for the people.

[Promote Virtue and Uphold Justice] Are Your Highness submitting this evidence

to His Majesty?

Naturally.

Chief Justice Cheng.

What is it?

If anything, just speak plainly.

I am considering Your Highness's interests,

as well as the stability of the Song Empire.

The contents of this box...

it would be best not to submit them.

Why?

Think about it, Your Highness.

If we hand these over,

won't it create a dilemma for His Majesty?

If he doesn't punish them,

it would fail the people of the world,

and fail to silence the public outcry.

But if we uproot all these officials,

wouldn't it announce to the world

that within Xiangzhou's jurisdiction, there are only corrupt officials?

Where would that leave the dignity of the imperial court?

According to Chief Justice Cheng,

these vermin break the law,

yet the court must feign ignorance,

and cover up for them?

Naturally, we cannot do nothing.

But in my opinion,

demotions and fines as a warning should be enough.

Knowing they escaped death,

they won't dare act recklessly again.

They will surely serve the court well.

Such a fallacious argument from you,

I'm is truly unheard of.

When you say these things,

do you remember just sighing

about the people's hardships?

Your Highness,

behind every case of injustice

recorded in these booklets,

there is a victim like Jin Xue Wen waiting for their name to be cleared.

In all things,

one must prioritize the big picture.

After suffering for so many years,

haven't they already chewed up and swallowed their bitterness,

bowing their heads to fate?

Commoners,

only care about their daily lives.

They might cry out about the past,

but in the blink of an eye, it will all be forgotten.

Give them a few more days of peaceful living,

and they'll be grateful to the court again.

You weave so many fallacies...

only because your name is in it too, right?

Guard Zhan, there were some misunderstandings between us.

- You are magnanimous-- - I am not a vengeful person.

What happened today was definitely not for personal revenge.

Guard Zhan, you--

Your Highness. Please give me a chance to make amends.

- It was a momentary oversight-- - The recorded cases are no less than dozens.

This is definitely not a simple oversight.

Your Highness, please investigate.

Your Highness.

Please let me explain.

Every single case, I can explain them all.

Zhan Zhao.

Are you really going to submit these to the Imperial Court?

Are you going to drive so many colleagues to a dead end?

Since you've read that booklet, you should understand.

I didn't want to be a corrupt official reviled by everyone.

I had no choice.

What made you have no choice?

I am all ears.

Every single one of these cases involves high-ranking officials.

We all serve in the same court.

It's inevitable to look the other way for a colleague today,

and tomorrow, spare a powerful man's life.

You've been an official for years.

Do you really not understand how these social politics work?

Have you never done anything against your conscience?

Have you never handled a wrongful case?

Do you really think you're a saint?

If you were in my position,

you'd be forced to be a corrupt official too!

I am no saint.

But I truly do not understand Chief Justice Cheng's words.

You receive a salary from the Emperor,

so you must be loyal to him.

Care for the people's worries,

and act on their hopes.

But you sacrifice justice for the people to advance your own career.

Yet you have the audacity to say you were forced to be a corrupt official.

- Have you no shame? - Don't put on this saintly act to lecture me.

Your Highness, Zhan Zhao speaks with such conviction.

He seems to be pleading for the people,

but in truth, he only wants to overturn the case for Bai Yu Tang's brother.

If the case is retried,

it will expose the Xiangzhou officialdom.

Officials of all ranks were controlled by a mere clerk.

It would be the laughingstock of the world.

This case must never be reopened!

Anyone who exposes such a scandal...

will surely become a target for everyone in the imperial court.

And presenting such a dilemma before His Majesty

is no different from slapping His Majesty's face.

Zhan Zhao's incitement of Your Highness...

Truly despicable!

My Lord didn't mean that at all!

Guard Zhan,

have you seen the tactics these people use?

And this is only the beginning.

Are you going to agree to the Jin family's terms?

We went through so much hardship.

Finally, be able to overturn the case.

Are you just going to give up?

Yes.

I'm giving up.

If justice must be bought by sacrificing a good man's life,

then I don't want it.

The real killer of your auntie...

is still at large.

Jin Xue Wen has been wronged for 15 years.

No one has the right to give up on their behalf.

Ling Long.

Give me the evidence.

I know I've failed my auntie.

I will go to her grave and beg for her forgiveness.

Zhan.

I can't just watch you die.

Divine law will prevail.

Trust me, all right?

Give it to me.

The wicked commit endless evil,

yet the good are losing their lives.

Is this the divine law you speak of?

You spoke to me of the law and of justice.

Today, you speak of divine law.

Zhan Zhao.

When I listened to you before,

it wasn't because I believed in the law or that justice always exists.

It was because I believed in you.

Divine law is inherently unfair. Why should I believe in it?

You must live.

That is the only divine law for me.

Zhan!

Stop it.

Ling Long.

Let us be selfish for once.

Call me unreasonable,

or I'm ignoring the big picture.

We've fought for so long,

but we can't find this so-called justice.

If I can save your life right now,

then I won't fight for it.

Zhan Zhao. Are you truly not afraid of death?

If anything happens to San Lang, that will be a different story.

Not only will the antidote be canceled, but I will also report you.

Do you...

want to follow in your brother's footsteps?

Zhan Zhao speaks with such conviction.

He seems to be pleading for the people,

but in truth, he only wants to overturn the case for Bai Yu Tang's brother.

If the case is retried,

it will expose the Xiangzhou officialdom.

Officials of all ranks were controlled by a mere clerk.

It would be the laughingstock of the world.

And presenting such a dilemma before His Majesty

is no different from slapping His Majesty's face.

Zhan Zhao's incitement of Your Highness...

Truly despicable!

We've fought for so long,

but we can't find this so-called justice.

Divine law is inherently unfair. Why should I believe in it?

If justice must be bought by sacrificing a good man's life,

then I don't want it.

Aren't you taking me to the authorities?

Why did you bring me here?

If you kill me,

Bai Yu Tang will be charged with murder. Think carefully!

If the Yaksha did it,

it wouldn't.

The court hasn't sentenced me yet.

How dare you lynch me?

Please, spare me.

I will definitely turn over a new leaf.

I'll leave the Jin family for good. I'll spend my life as a doctor saving lives.

I will surely atone for my sins.

I'm begging you. Spare me.

I'm begging you. Please?

I'm begging you.

Back then, Huo Ling Long and Jin Xue Wen

must have pleaded with you like this too.

But did you ever feel a shred of pity?

Did you ever give them a chance?

Zhan Zhao,

you are a man of the law.

Why tarnish your own reputation for the sake of Bai Yu Tang and the others?

It's not worth it.

It is worth it!

If I don't kill you,

they will.

My time is running out.

It is only fitting that I be the one to do it!

Zhan Zhao.

In this world,

I am the only one who knows...

exactly what poisons remain in you.

Only I can save you.

If you give me time,

I can keep you alive.

My life's ambition...

has been to punish evil,

and uphold justice.

I once made a grave mistake doing so.

That is why I swore...

never to take the law into my own hands.

But there are always villains like you

who treat the law and justice as a joke.

Why is it so easy to kill a good man,

yet so difficult...

to kill a villain?

Do you really think killing me...

will change the way of the world?

The people of Xiangzhou worship the Yaksha as a god.

But can this god...

truly rid Xiangzhou of every last evildoer?

He cannot.

You've been in Tanxi Town for so long,

entangled with me for so long.

Can you ever truly repay what I owe Jin Xue Wen from 15 years ago?

You cannot.

Can you bring that Huo Ling Long back to life?

Still, you cannot.

Killing me

will only make the people feel the Jin family lost a great healer.

As for Jin Xue Wen,

he will still be despised and cursed by everyone.

So,

if you kill me today,

I still win against Jin Xue Wen.

I win against all of you.

The world shouldn't be like this!

I've brought the thing you want.

Give me the antidote.

Only then will I destroy this.

Fine.

I'll find a way.

But Old Souls at First Glance is a complex poison.

I'm afraid that we won't be able to find a proper cure right away.

You must be patient and wait.

I can wait.

But Zhan Zhao cannot.

Notify the entire family and help. Go and find the antidote now!

We will do its best for the cure.

- But-- - Old Chief!

Old Chief!

Bad news! Old Chief!

- What is it? - Bad news!

Zhan Zhao has killed San Lang!

People at the docks saw it with their eyes.

He was taken by Zhan Zhao.

These items were found by others at the Yaksha Temple.

They recognized the medicine box in this bundle.

That's why they sent the things back to us.

- Old Chief. - Old Chief.

Report.

Report it at once!

Zhan Zhao is an officer of the court,

yet he dared to use extrajudicial torture!

- Yes! - He must pay for San Lang's life!

Now you remember to report?

If any of you dare report this,

I'll expose how the Jin family hid a killer and drove a witness to their death.

Think about it.

- Old Chief. - Old Chief.

[Promote Virtue and Spread Culture]

Reporting to Your Highness.

We've searched every possible place.

But we haven't found Lord Zhan.

Rumors are rampant in Tanxi Town.

Word is that the master of the Jin family died at the hands of Lord Zhan.

And he knows the list of officials in the ledger.

- Could he have-- - What nonsense are you saying?

My Lord is not that kind of person.

Your Highness. Many officials have arrived outside.

They are all clamoring to see you.

These corrupt officials are well-informed.

Go and tell them

that I am ill, and I am not seeing visitors.

Yes, Your Highness.

Ling Long.

I will first dispatch my personal guards.

Zhao Zhi Er and Ming Zhu Er will lead a secret search for him.

You two should think.

Where would Guard Zhan go?

Were you planning to use the weapon to trade for the antidote,

and then kill Jin Zhen Ping yourself?

With people like the Jin family,

I never intended to honor any gentlemen's agreement.

Zhan must have seen through our intentions.

He acted on our behalf.

Did we do something wrong?

Is that why we pushed him to this point?

If Zhan Zhao wanted to kill Jin Zhen Ping,

why would he leave a blood-stained bundle so conspicuously at the Yaksha Temple?

Sir, are you stopping for a meal or a room?

Get me a fast horse.

And pack some dry rations. Thank you.

Right away!

[Joyful Stay] It's my fault for sleeping so soundly.

I didn't even know my Lord hadn't returned all night.

Don't worry.

Do you really believe what they are saying?

That he killed someone and fled?

He always explains his actions beforehand.

Just wait for him to return in peace.

But he's currently poisoned,

and there's no one to look after him.

Father.

Ling Long.

You look exhausted.

Ling Long.

Uncle Huo came to me, and he didn't even take a rest before rushing here to find you.

Regarding your auntie, it's all my fault.

You were so young and all alone.

Yet you were investigating her case.

You've been through a lot.

So that's how it was.

If I had arrived a step earlier,

I could have finished off the man who murdered your auntie.

Jin Zhen Ping cannot die yet.

Only he knows

how to cure Zhan's poison.

Shao Ji Zu said you refuse to marry because of Zhan Zhao.

Ling Long, tell me the truth.

What is really going on?

I don't want to marry him.

It's not for anyone else's sake,

but for my own.

In front of you all, he puts on the act of a refined gentleman.

But in my eyes,

he is arrogant, conceited, and hypocritical.

As for Zhan Zhao,

ever since I met him,

I've become more certain...

that I will never marry someone like Shao Ji Zu.

I understand.

Alright.

I will speak with the Shao family

and call off this engagement.

But Lord of Xiangyang was the matchmaker.

Father...

Your brother also urged me last time to reconsider this marriage.

Ling Long.

You're my only daughter.

I've cherished you since you were little.

I won't let you suffer at all.

Don't worry.

Even if Lord of Xiangyang gets angry,

I will stand up for you.

Pack your things.

Come home with me.

But I can't go back yet.

Aunt's case isn't closed yet,

and Zhan's poisoning hasn't been cured either.

I know.

I want you to go back

so that you can see your great-aunt.

Regarding Zhan Zhao's poison,

she might have a way.

Does she know about poisons?

I never told you, did I?

Your great-aunt once married into Miaojiang.

Miaojiang?

The Baihua Sect?

She knows people from the Baihua Sect?

That's right.

The Baihua Sect is revered as a sacred site by all poison-using sects.

The Xiuluo Cult and the founders of the Tang Sect,

they all have ties to the Baihua Sect.

Silly girl.

You only care about others.

When have you ever cared about your father these months?

Father, have some tea.

My father just said that my great-aunt knows people from the Baihua Sect.

Maybe they can save Zhan's life.

I've decided to go home.

Come back quickly.

I'll also look for other ways.

Then are we no longer looking for my Lord?

When your Lord is ready, he will show up.

I don't care if he killed Jin Zhen Ping,

or if he can keep his lousy official post.

I just want him to stay alive.

Count me in.

What? You're interested in that rare poison, Old Souls at First Glance?

Just like you,

I want Zhan Zhao to live.