1
00:02:05,239 --> 00:02:06,359
Hal?

2
00:02:15,119 --> 00:02:16,718
We settled on this hour.

3
00:02:18,119 --> 00:02:19,558
Why are you?

4
00:02:41,278 --> 00:02:42,919
Trespassing,

5
00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,199
disturbing the throne—

6
00:02:44,199 --> 00:02:45,438
You know what you're in for?

7
00:02:45,838 --> 00:02:46,519
Sire.

8
00:02:47,199 --> 00:02:48,718
I come at Chancellor Xu's bidding,

9
00:02:49,038 --> 00:02:50,239
to present tea.

10
00:02:50,598 --> 00:02:51,679
I've walked

11
00:02:51,878 --> 00:02:53,318
on thin ice all the way,

12
00:02:53,318 --> 00:02:55,079
hoping you would taste it.

13
00:02:55,519 --> 00:02:56,679
But the moment I saw you,

14
00:02:57,679 --> 00:02:59,038
I lost my wits,

15
00:02:59,158 --> 00:03:00,598
and slipped into the water.

16
00:03:00,718 --> 00:03:01,959
I meant no offense.

17
00:03:02,399 --> 00:03:03,278
Sire.

18
00:03:06,199 --> 00:03:08,079
Ruomei is no wanton woman.

19
00:03:09,158 --> 00:03:09,799
It is only…

20
00:03:11,399 --> 00:03:13,038
I have long admired you.

21
00:03:13,038 --> 00:03:14,399
What is that scent?

22
00:03:14,598 --> 00:03:16,038
Was that Chancellor Xu, too?

23
00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:19,038
To serve you in the palace

24
00:03:19,359 --> 00:03:20,919
has been my dearest wish.

25
00:03:21,278 --> 00:03:22,959
The Chancellor saw

26
00:03:22,959 --> 00:03:24,479
my devotion to you.

27
00:03:24,479 --> 00:03:25,758
That's why he lent a hand.

28
00:03:25,758 --> 00:03:26,479
Madness.

29
00:03:26,479 --> 00:03:27,399
Please, sire,

30
00:03:27,479 --> 00:03:29,239
take pity on my heart,

31
00:03:29,438 --> 00:03:31,438
and let me stay by your side.

32
00:03:31,438 --> 00:03:33,438
I shall spare you just this once.

33
00:03:34,919 --> 00:03:35,838
Now, out of my sight.

34
00:03:39,639 --> 00:03:40,399
Sire.

35
00:03:41,158 --> 00:03:42,519
Coming here tonight

36
00:03:42,679 --> 00:03:44,278
was already beyond all bounds.

37
00:03:44,359 --> 00:03:45,359
If I was cast out now

38
00:03:45,679 --> 00:03:47,438
in this state,

39
00:03:47,558 --> 00:03:48,959
rumours will fly.

40
00:03:49,399 --> 00:03:51,079
My reputation would be ruined,

41
00:03:51,079 --> 00:03:52,558
and I would be undone.

42
00:03:52,758 --> 00:03:54,318
When you hatched this scheme,

43
00:03:54,318 --> 00:03:54,998
you should've

44
00:03:54,998 --> 00:03:56,598
seen it coming.

45
00:03:57,199 --> 00:03:58,438
Get out.

46
00:03:58,438 --> 00:04:00,239
Then I must die for my offense.

47
00:04:02,558 --> 00:04:03,318
If you must die,

48
00:04:04,278 --> 00:04:05,598
get as far away as you can.

49
00:04:05,598 --> 00:04:06,278
Steward You.

50
00:04:06,679 --> 00:04:08,479
Sire... Sire!

51
00:04:08,598 --> 00:04:09,639
Please, think twice.

52
00:04:10,119 --> 00:04:11,639
Are you in league with the Chancellor

53
00:04:11,639 --> 00:04:13,119
against me as well?

54
00:04:13,239 --> 00:04:14,318
Calm yourself, sire.

55
00:04:14,479 --> 00:04:15,479
It's all for

56
00:04:15,479 --> 00:04:16,119
your good.

57
00:04:16,119 --> 00:04:16,718
Enough.

58
00:04:18,998 --> 00:04:19,598
Sire.

59
00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:21,119
Sire!

60
00:04:22,199 --> 00:04:23,159
Sire...

61
00:05:32,679 --> 00:05:33,198
Sire.

62
00:05:33,719 --> 00:05:34,799
The rain is pouring harder.

63
00:05:35,039 --> 00:05:36,359
We'd better head back.

64
00:05:43,239 --> 00:05:44,758
How dare you lay hands upon

65
00:05:44,958 --> 00:05:46,119
an official!

66
00:05:46,518 --> 00:05:48,438
Do not pull that rank on us.

67
00:05:48,438 --> 00:05:49,558
You are in our hands now.

68
00:05:49,679 --> 00:05:50,839
You do as we say.

69
00:05:50,919 --> 00:05:52,159
I hear Lady Meng

70
00:05:52,159 --> 00:05:53,958
is the Emperor's sweetheart.

71
00:05:54,438 --> 00:05:57,039
Tonight, we are the emperors.

72
00:05:57,239 --> 00:05:58,558
One more step

73
00:05:58,878 --> 00:06:00,239
and you are damn dead meat.

74
00:06:02,719 --> 00:06:04,119
You freaking hit me? You mad dog!

75
00:06:07,438 --> 00:06:08,279
Feisty.

76
00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:08,958
Let go!

77
00:06:08,958 --> 00:06:09,919
Let us see how long

78
00:06:09,919 --> 00:06:10,839
you can keep that up.

79
00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:11,719
Scums!

80
00:06:14,318 --> 00:06:15,279
Let go!

81
00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:16,599
Get off me!

82
00:06:20,239 --> 00:06:21,719
Come on, my lady.

83
00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:22,599
Look,

84
00:06:48,719 --> 00:06:49,839
I like them

85
00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:51,279
with fire.

86
00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:52,359
They say you'd spend your life

87
00:06:52,359 --> 00:06:53,198
serving the people.

88
00:06:53,198 --> 00:06:54,039
Get off me!

89
00:06:54,039 --> 00:06:54,998
Now tonight,

90
00:06:54,998 --> 00:06:56,279
attend to the two of us

91
00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:57,518
like a servant.

92
00:06:59,438 --> 00:07:00,958
Come on, sweetie.

93
00:07:13,719 --> 00:07:14,198
Brother.

94
00:07:14,198 --> 00:07:15,078
You alright?

95
00:07:21,279 --> 00:07:21,958
Don't you dare!

96
00:07:21,958 --> 00:07:22,919
Hold her.

97
00:07:27,359 --> 00:07:28,558
Keep running, shall we?

98
00:07:29,039 --> 00:07:30,679
Go ahead.

99
00:07:55,758 --> 00:07:57,839
W-Witchcraft!

100
00:08:21,679 --> 00:08:22,359
Lady Meng!

101
00:08:29,398 --> 00:08:29,878
My lady?

102
00:08:30,479 --> 00:08:31,438
What happened?

103
00:08:37,078 --> 00:08:37,839
Qing.

104
00:08:46,798 --> 00:08:47,439
Leave it.

105
00:08:48,758 --> 00:08:49,439
Let's get back.

106
00:08:50,638 --> 00:08:51,359
Your Majesty!

107
00:08:53,959 --> 00:08:54,599
Your Majesty!

108
00:08:56,638 --> 00:08:57,878
Something's up.

109
00:08:58,119 --> 00:08:58,479
Lady Meng

110
00:08:58,479 --> 00:08:59,719
was attacked on her way

111
00:09:00,239 --> 00:09:01,479
back to the Bureau.

112
00:09:14,239 --> 00:09:15,119
Sire.

113
00:09:15,719 --> 00:09:16,878
Zhili says

114
00:09:17,119 --> 00:09:18,439
Lady Meng will not see anyone.

115
00:09:20,798 --> 00:09:21,678
Commandant.

116
00:09:22,638 --> 00:09:24,439
Find that villain for me,

117
00:09:25,398 --> 00:09:26,559
even if you had to

118
00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:27,798
tear the city apart.

119
00:09:47,199 --> 00:09:48,038
Miss!

120
00:09:49,918 --> 00:09:50,798
Miss.

121
00:09:50,918 --> 00:09:51,479
You haven't

122
00:09:51,479 --> 00:09:52,998
slept a wink tending for your father.

123
00:09:52,998 --> 00:09:54,119
You must be exhausted.

124
00:09:54,119 --> 00:09:55,398
Let me handle the tea

125
00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:56,559
and medicine.

126
00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:57,119
Xi'er.

127
00:09:57,638 --> 00:09:58,239
He has been

128
00:09:58,239 --> 00:09:59,479
in a daze lately.

129
00:09:59,678 --> 00:10:00,998
He can't even keep down his meds.

130
00:10:01,319 --> 00:10:02,239
I got a new prescription

131
00:10:02,239 --> 00:10:03,199
from a famed healer.

132
00:10:03,199 --> 00:10:04,119
I must find a way

133
00:10:04,119 --> 00:10:05,079
to get it into him.

134
00:10:06,239 --> 00:10:07,319
Miss...

135
00:10:09,359 --> 00:10:10,599
Oh, hello, Miss Yan.

136
00:10:11,038 --> 00:10:12,359
Congratulations.

137
00:10:12,359 --> 00:10:14,599
A match made in heaven.

138
00:10:16,359 --> 00:10:16,998
Xi'er.

139
00:10:21,199 --> 00:10:22,079
What's this supposed to be?

140
00:10:23,398 --> 00:10:25,079
Mr. Yan. Sir.

141
00:10:25,079 --> 00:10:25,839
Sir.

142
00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:27,798
Betrothal gifts from the Songs.

143
00:10:27,798 --> 00:10:28,918
A whole lot of them.

144
00:10:28,918 --> 00:10:30,479
I have been bed-ridden for weeks.

145
00:10:30,479 --> 00:10:31,319
The sight of this

146
00:10:31,319 --> 00:10:32,959
suddenly got me up and about.

147
00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:34,839
The master was right.

148
00:10:34,839 --> 00:10:36,839
A wedding charm works wonders.

149
00:10:37,038 --> 00:10:37,678
Father.

150
00:10:38,158 --> 00:10:39,878
Do you know how worried I was?

151
00:10:40,158 --> 00:10:41,559
I left my business behind, rushing

152
00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:42,199
all the way home.

153
00:10:42,678 --> 00:10:44,638
Yet you're faking illness to trap me into marriage!

154
00:10:44,839 --> 00:10:46,678
You left me no choice!

155
00:10:46,959 --> 00:10:48,199
Shazhou's already

156
00:10:48,199 --> 00:10:49,239
beneath you, isn't it?

157
00:10:49,239 --> 00:10:51,158
You had to follow Meng Tinghui to the capital.

158
00:10:51,158 --> 00:10:51,758
I didn't

159
00:10:51,758 --> 00:10:53,199
go there just for Tinghui.

160
00:10:53,199 --> 00:10:54,518
I have my own ambitions.

161
00:10:54,518 --> 00:10:55,878
What ambitions?

162
00:10:55,878 --> 00:10:56,599
Her reputation

163
00:10:56,599 --> 00:10:57,758
for open manslaughter

164
00:10:57,758 --> 00:10:59,319
has reached as far as Shazhou.

165
00:10:59,319 --> 00:11:00,559
If you keep running with her,

166
00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:01,959
who will marry you?

167
00:11:02,678 --> 00:11:04,719
Calm down, my lord.

168
00:11:05,278 --> 00:11:07,798
I heard the branch in the capital,

169
00:11:07,798 --> 00:11:09,359
is under Meng Tinghui's name.

170
00:11:09,359 --> 00:11:10,998
It's thriving.

171
00:11:11,199 --> 00:11:12,239
Though Fuzhi

172
00:11:12,239 --> 00:11:14,319
deals with men all day,

173
00:11:14,319 --> 00:11:15,359
she does

174
00:11:15,359 --> 00:11:16,918
know her business inside out.

175
00:11:16,918 --> 00:11:18,119
Meng Tinghui can

176
00:11:18,119 --> 00:11:19,239
soar all she wants,

177
00:11:19,239 --> 00:11:20,758
but we want none of it.

178
00:11:21,319 --> 00:11:23,359
And I won't have my daughter out there

179
00:11:23,359 --> 00:11:25,158
going up and down hawking.

180
00:11:25,158 --> 00:11:27,158
What an eyesore!

181
00:11:27,158 --> 00:11:27,758
Father.

182
00:11:28,839 --> 00:11:29,678
You'd taught me

183
00:11:29,678 --> 00:11:31,319
to read ledgers when I was little,

184
00:11:31,439 --> 00:11:33,278
saying I had a head for business.

185
00:11:33,439 --> 00:11:34,638
Now I've made Bofeng

186
00:11:34,638 --> 00:11:36,079
a well-run establishment,

187
00:11:36,079 --> 00:11:37,278
and expanded it.

188
00:11:37,278 --> 00:11:38,518
What's wrong with all that?

189
00:11:39,199 --> 00:11:40,798
I'm not after high approbation,

190
00:11:40,798 --> 00:11:42,839
but you've done me no justice.

191
00:11:45,839 --> 00:11:46,278
Fuzhi...

192
00:11:46,278 --> 00:11:47,918
What are you up to now?

193
00:11:49,119 --> 00:11:50,398
Fuzhi.

194
00:11:50,878 --> 00:11:52,878
Your father means well.

195
00:11:52,878 --> 00:11:53,479
Look,

196
00:11:53,998 --> 00:11:55,638
the gifts are accepted.

197
00:11:55,638 --> 00:11:57,479
Do not make this hard on him.

198
00:11:57,839 --> 00:11:59,239
We're well acquainted with the Songs.

199
00:11:59,239 --> 00:12:00,319
They are wealthy,

200
00:12:00,479 --> 00:12:02,518
and have been the best partner ever.

201
00:12:02,719 --> 00:12:03,798
Abreast of your marriage,

202
00:12:03,798 --> 00:12:04,918
our businesses

203
00:12:04,918 --> 00:12:06,079
will merge as one.

204
00:12:06,278 --> 00:12:07,918
Isn't it a safer bet than

205
00:12:07,918 --> 00:12:09,559
floundering on your own out there?

206
00:12:10,079 --> 00:12:10,839
Just admit it.

207
00:12:11,079 --> 00:12:12,439
The Songs must have been

208
00:12:12,439 --> 00:12:13,638
slipping you bribes

209
00:12:13,638 --> 00:12:15,319
to keep their business intact.

210
00:12:15,319 --> 00:12:16,359
That's why you've been

211
00:12:16,359 --> 00:12:17,559
urging Father to marry me off.

212
00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:18,998
Such accusations!

213
00:12:19,439 --> 00:12:20,079
Father,

214
00:12:20,278 --> 00:12:21,239
she is crazy about

215
00:12:21,239 --> 00:12:22,278
marrying me off,

216
00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:23,398
so that she can

217
00:12:23,398 --> 00:12:24,439
take over our estate,

218
00:12:24,439 --> 00:12:25,479
and pass my dowry

219
00:12:25,479 --> 00:12:26,839
to her own son.

220
00:12:27,479 --> 00:12:28,239
And you...

221
00:12:28,599 --> 00:12:29,199
Have you ever

222
00:12:29,199 --> 00:12:31,038
stood by me for just one second?

223
00:12:31,878 --> 00:12:33,359
If Mother were here,

224
00:12:33,798 --> 00:12:34,359
she'd never

225
00:12:34,359 --> 00:12:35,638
ask me to be who I'm not.

226
00:12:38,839 --> 00:12:39,398
Fuzhi...

227
00:12:39,398 --> 00:12:40,398
- Father!
- My dear.

228
00:12:40,719 --> 00:12:42,239
I go to all these lengths just so

229
00:12:42,239 --> 00:12:43,158
Fuzhi can

230
00:12:43,158 --> 00:12:44,479
settle down at a proper age,

231
00:12:44,479 --> 00:12:45,959
and bring you joy in your retirement.

232
00:12:46,199 --> 00:12:48,479
Who'd have thought she'd think so ill of me!

233
00:12:48,878 --> 00:12:49,839
All these years,

234
00:12:50,199 --> 00:12:51,518
I have run this household,

235
00:12:51,518 --> 00:12:52,719
worked myself to the bone.

236
00:12:53,079 --> 00:12:55,199
I deserve better than her whining!

237
00:12:56,199 --> 00:12:56,798
Well, forget it.

238
00:12:56,798 --> 00:12:57,199
Father!

239
00:12:57,199 --> 00:12:58,678
We should just call it off.

240
00:12:58,878 --> 00:13:00,278
Damn, we should!

241
00:13:00,918 --> 00:13:02,959
I will not marry. I mean every word of it.

242
00:13:04,079 --> 00:13:05,158
Stop her now!

243
00:13:06,038 --> 00:13:07,398
Take Fuzhi back to her room.

244
00:13:07,918 --> 00:13:08,998
You stand guard outside.

245
00:13:08,998 --> 00:13:09,798
Without my word,

246
00:13:09,798 --> 00:13:11,398
she does not set one foot out.

247
00:13:11,839 --> 00:13:12,559
How long am I

248
00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:13,758
going to stay locked up?

249
00:13:13,758 --> 00:13:15,638
Until the day you marry.

250
00:13:16,518 --> 00:13:17,959
Sir, Ma'am, might we give it

251
00:13:17,959 --> 00:13:19,839
a second thought?

252
00:13:20,918 --> 00:13:22,199
If Fuzhi is dead set against this,

253
00:13:22,678 --> 00:13:23,678
maybe we should...

254
00:13:24,119 --> 00:13:25,119
Delay breeds trouble.

255
00:13:25,719 --> 00:13:27,559
Stick to the plan. On the date they chose.

256
00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:28,319
The sooner, the better.

257
00:13:28,319 --> 00:13:29,918
It is just three days away.

258
00:13:32,278 --> 00:13:32,959
So be it.

259
00:13:32,959 --> 00:13:34,119
Three days hence, she marries.

260
00:13:34,359 --> 00:13:35,398
Let us see

261
00:13:35,398 --> 00:13:36,479
without Meng Tinghui,

262
00:13:36,479 --> 00:13:37,798
who will come to your aid.

263
00:13:37,959 --> 00:13:39,158
Lock her up.

264
00:13:39,798 --> 00:13:40,599
Let me go.

265
00:13:50,638 --> 00:13:51,439
Sir.

266
00:13:51,638 --> 00:13:52,559
What brings you here?

267
00:13:54,359 --> 00:13:55,398
I heard about Meng Tinghui.

268
00:13:55,798 --> 00:13:57,678
I imagined you must be terrified.

269
00:13:57,839 --> 00:13:59,518
They say you haven't been home for nights,

270
00:14:00,079 --> 00:14:01,839
buried in files at the Bureau,

271
00:14:02,359 --> 00:14:03,678
hunting for those brigands.

272
00:14:03,878 --> 00:14:05,079
I just... cannot believe it.

273
00:14:05,719 --> 00:14:07,158
A woman as integral as her

274
00:14:07,518 --> 00:14:09,119
should suffer such a fate!

275
00:14:09,758 --> 00:14:11,719
I hate those villains.

276
00:14:11,959 --> 00:14:13,119
I wish they're gutted

277
00:14:13,119 --> 00:14:14,479
could strike them dead.

278
00:14:15,678 --> 00:14:16,719
Men like that

279
00:14:17,038 --> 00:14:18,319
shall not pass on his life,

280
00:14:18,319 --> 00:14:19,119
turning in hell.

281
00:14:23,479 --> 00:14:24,199
You grow to be

282
00:14:24,199 --> 00:14:25,398
just like Meng—

283
00:14:25,398 --> 00:14:26,119
harsh-tongued.

284
00:14:26,119 --> 00:14:26,878
Just saying it out loud

285
00:14:26,878 --> 00:14:28,239
what everyone is thinking.

286
00:14:28,479 --> 00:14:30,359
To use such vile methods

287
00:14:30,359 --> 00:14:31,878
against a defenseless person

288
00:14:32,479 --> 00:14:33,518
is contemptible.

289
00:14:33,839 --> 00:14:34,678
Now

290
00:14:35,359 --> 00:14:37,199
she has shut herself away,

291
00:14:37,798 --> 00:14:38,959
rejecting any visitor.

292
00:14:39,918 --> 00:14:40,798
What if she...

293
00:14:40,798 --> 00:14:41,839
hurt herself in there?

294
00:14:54,439 --> 00:14:55,758
Thank heaven you are safe.

295
00:15:36,278 --> 00:15:36,959
Zhili.

296
00:15:37,199 --> 00:15:38,918
I need your opinion on this:

297
00:15:39,638 --> 00:15:41,038
Chancellor Xu has always

298
00:15:41,038 --> 00:15:41,998
spoken ill of Meng.

299
00:15:42,479 --> 00:15:43,878
With her reputation tarnished,

300
00:15:44,239 --> 00:15:46,518
he will blow this out of proportion

301
00:15:46,638 --> 00:15:47,719
to undermine the Bureau.

302
00:15:48,678 --> 00:15:49,278
Suppose

303
00:15:49,278 --> 00:15:51,158
she loses her position at some point.

304
00:15:51,719 --> 00:15:53,199
I've been thinking I'd

305
00:15:53,479 --> 00:15:55,038
recommend you to His Majesty

306
00:15:55,638 --> 00:15:56,839
to take her place.

307
00:15:57,959 --> 00:15:59,359
You mean

308
00:16:00,239 --> 00:16:01,599
for me to replace Tinghui?

309
00:16:04,038 --> 00:16:04,839
I cannot.

310
00:16:05,359 --> 00:16:06,319
Do you know

311
00:16:07,119 --> 00:16:08,918
how she suffers at this moment?

312
00:16:09,959 --> 00:16:11,359
Just to think of it

313
00:16:11,638 --> 00:16:13,199
cuts me to the heart.

314
00:16:15,638 --> 00:16:17,559
This is a most horrible thought,

315
00:16:17,719 --> 00:16:18,798
when she is at her lowest.

316
00:16:19,479 --> 00:16:20,359
My dear.

317
00:16:21,319 --> 00:16:22,918
I feel extremely sorry for her pain.

318
00:16:23,559 --> 00:16:24,918
But I've always believed

319
00:16:25,199 --> 00:16:27,119
the Bureau needs a woman of

320
00:16:27,119 --> 00:16:28,559
your virtue and flair

321
00:16:28,559 --> 00:16:29,719
to uphold its integrity.

322
00:16:29,998 --> 00:16:30,839
You'll make

323
00:16:30,839 --> 00:16:32,199
a better chief than she does.

324
00:16:32,839 --> 00:16:34,119
Now that she has fallen,

325
00:16:34,638 --> 00:16:35,918
you've been shouldering it all.

326
00:16:36,158 --> 00:16:37,518
It pains me to see it.

327
00:16:37,518 --> 00:16:38,878
I want to help preserve

328
00:16:39,199 --> 00:16:40,398
what you and His Majesty

329
00:16:40,398 --> 00:16:42,038
have so painstakingly built.

330
00:16:42,518 --> 00:16:44,599
When Tinghui first took charge,

331
00:16:45,278 --> 00:16:46,199
voices were everywhere

332
00:16:46,199 --> 00:16:47,559
saying a woman could not lead.

333
00:16:48,079 --> 00:16:49,839
Now she is in dire straits,

334
00:16:50,079 --> 00:16:51,599
and you ask me to seize her power?

335
00:16:51,878 --> 00:16:53,158
How is that preserving anything?

336
00:16:53,158 --> 00:16:54,398
You always see reason.

337
00:16:55,319 --> 00:16:56,518
How come you fail to

338
00:16:56,518 --> 00:16:57,678
understand it now?

339
00:16:57,998 --> 00:16:59,798
If Chancellor Xu doesn't move against her,

340
00:17:00,038 --> 00:17:00,998
so much the better.

341
00:17:01,319 --> 00:17:02,719
But what if he does?

342
00:17:22,279 --> 00:17:24,158
The Bureau exists only

343
00:17:24,958 --> 00:17:26,519
because Tinghui is in it.

344
00:17:27,878 --> 00:17:29,519
If you truly wish to help me,

345
00:17:29,519 --> 00:17:31,478
then stand firmly with me,

346
00:17:31,878 --> 00:17:32,958
whatever Xu's move is.

347
00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:37,119
I will share Tinghui's fate.

348
00:17:38,799 --> 00:17:39,839
This office...

349
00:17:40,759 --> 00:17:41,799
I can do without.

350
00:18:05,279 --> 00:18:06,638
I am useless, My Lady.

351
00:18:07,559 --> 00:18:09,319
I could not protect you.

352
00:19:18,759 --> 00:19:19,638
Sire.

353
00:19:21,319 --> 00:19:23,198
Will you teach me how to defend myself?

354
00:20:26,799 --> 00:20:28,638
Come on in. This way.

355
00:20:35,839 --> 00:20:36,638
Congratulations.

356
00:20:36,638 --> 00:20:37,238
And to you.

357
00:20:37,238 --> 00:20:38,039
Please, this way.

358
00:20:54,238 --> 00:20:55,718
Here, groom.

359
00:20:56,279 --> 00:20:57,759
Here, bride.

360
00:20:57,759 --> 00:20:58,918
Please don't make this difficult.

361
00:20:58,918 --> 00:21:00,319
I'm only doing what I am paid to do.

362
00:21:00,678 --> 00:21:01,478
Father.

363
00:21:01,478 --> 00:21:02,119
Mother.

364
00:21:02,599 --> 00:21:04,319
I shall take Fuzhi home now.

365
00:21:04,319 --> 00:21:05,039
Very well.

366
00:21:06,198 --> 00:21:07,119
Come, Fuzhi.

367
00:21:12,799 --> 00:21:13,638
Get off me.

368
00:21:15,958 --> 00:21:16,599
A father

369
00:21:16,839 --> 00:21:18,398
faking illness to sell his daughter;

370
00:21:18,398 --> 00:21:19,918
a mother stabbing her in the back.

371
00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,398
You've thrown me to the wolves.

372
00:21:22,398 --> 00:21:24,638
Fuzhi, don't be dramatic,

373
00:21:24,638 --> 00:21:25,958
not on this occasion.

374
00:21:25,958 --> 00:21:26,359
Fuzhi...

375
00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:27,198
And you, bastard.

376
00:21:27,319 --> 00:21:28,158
Had I known better

377
00:21:28,398 --> 00:21:29,678
and sliced you into pieces

378
00:21:29,678 --> 00:21:30,958
that day at Bofeng,

379
00:21:31,079 --> 00:21:33,638
I wouldn't be suffering your stench now.

380
00:21:33,638 --> 00:21:34,918
I'm the heir to my family estate.

381
00:21:35,158 --> 00:21:36,198
You should be shedding

382
00:21:36,198 --> 00:21:37,039
tears in ecstasy now.

383
00:21:37,198 --> 00:21:38,718
Ungrateful woman!

384
00:21:41,039 --> 00:21:41,759
Guards. Stop her!

385
00:21:41,759 --> 00:21:42,198
Let me go.

386
00:21:42,478 --> 00:21:43,279
Now!

387
00:21:46,438 --> 00:21:47,799
Now come and be a lamb.

388
00:21:48,039 --> 00:21:48,878
Fuzhi.

389
00:21:48,878 --> 00:21:50,398
Today is our wedding day.

390
00:21:50,638 --> 00:21:51,759
It's too late to back out now.

391
00:21:52,878 --> 00:21:53,638
Father.

392
00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:54,839
Father!

393
00:21:56,918 --> 00:21:58,079
Forgive this display, everyone.

394
00:21:58,079 --> 00:21:59,079
Let me go, bastards.

395
00:22:00,198 --> 00:22:00,799
Father.

396
00:22:01,039 --> 00:22:01,718
Mother.

397
00:22:02,198 --> 00:22:03,878
I shall take Fuzhi home now.

398
00:22:03,878 --> 00:22:04,718
Go on, then.

399
00:22:04,718 --> 00:22:05,559
- Move!
- See yourself out.

400
00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:07,079
Father...

401
00:22:07,238 --> 00:22:08,039
Stop right there!

402
00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:31,759
No one

403
00:22:32,039 --> 00:22:33,238
is taking her away.

404
00:22:38,599 --> 00:22:39,718
Fuzhi.

405
00:22:39,718 --> 00:22:40,678
Sorry I am late.

406
00:22:46,999 --> 00:22:47,958
Governor Wang.

407
00:22:48,198 --> 00:22:50,559
To what do we owe the pleasure?

408
00:22:50,559 --> 00:22:52,238
We're in the middle of my daughter's wedding.

409
00:22:52,238 --> 00:22:52,999
Just how big

410
00:22:52,999 --> 00:22:53,958
your mess is

411
00:22:53,958 --> 00:22:55,198
to cross Lord Shen!

412
00:22:55,839 --> 00:22:57,718
Ever heard of the famed Ear-Pimp,

413
00:22:57,999 --> 00:23:00,158
the son of the Grand Tutor?

414
00:23:00,158 --> 00:23:01,238
You're pitting yourself

415
00:23:01,238 --> 00:23:02,678
against His Majesty's favorite.

416
00:23:02,839 --> 00:23:03,878
I... I...

417
00:23:04,039 --> 00:23:05,398
I had no idea.

418
00:23:05,398 --> 00:23:06,359
No idea?

419
00:23:06,638 --> 00:23:08,438
Any idea, then,

420
00:23:08,438 --> 00:23:10,279
how miserable your life will look like

421
00:23:10,279 --> 00:23:11,359
after you force my betrothed

422
00:23:11,599 --> 00:23:12,599
to marry another man?

423
00:23:13,438 --> 00:23:14,638
Lord Shen.

424
00:23:14,638 --> 00:23:16,359
I'm befuddled...

425
00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:19,839
Turns out

426
00:23:19,839 --> 00:23:21,519
it's a family matter for Lord Shen.

427
00:23:21,799 --> 00:23:22,478
Guards.

428
00:23:22,638 --> 00:23:23,359
Your Lordship.

429
00:23:23,718 --> 00:23:24,799
Tell these pieces of trash

430
00:23:24,799 --> 00:23:25,839
to get out of here.

431
00:23:26,079 --> 00:23:26,839
Yes.

432
00:23:28,958 --> 00:23:29,478
Get a move on.

433
00:23:29,839 --> 00:23:30,319
Move!

434
00:23:31,438 --> 00:23:32,319
Mr. Song.

435
00:23:33,198 --> 00:23:33,878
See yourself out.

436
00:23:36,599 --> 00:23:37,599
I take my leave.

437
00:23:42,878 --> 00:23:44,119
Lord Shen.

438
00:23:44,319 --> 00:23:45,999
We haven't discussed this match

439
00:23:45,999 --> 00:23:47,359
with your parents yet.

440
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:48,198
Sir.

441
00:23:48,319 --> 00:23:49,839
Fuzhi and I are of one heart.

442
00:23:49,839 --> 00:23:51,039
We've pledged ourselves to each other,

443
00:23:51,918 --> 00:23:53,638
and we have lain together.

444
00:23:53,638 --> 00:23:55,158
Lain together?

445
00:23:56,999 --> 00:23:58,079
This is my fault.

446
00:23:58,279 --> 00:23:59,638
I was a wastrel before.

447
00:23:59,918 --> 00:24:01,359
Fuzhi had her doubts.

448
00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:02,359
But I swear,

449
00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:03,559
since I met Fuzhi,

450
00:24:03,559 --> 00:24:04,918
there has been no other in my heart.

451
00:24:08,398 --> 00:24:10,079
I meant to come with betrothal gifts

452
00:24:10,279 --> 00:24:11,958
on an auspicious day.

453
00:24:12,438 --> 00:24:13,279
But before I could,

454
00:24:13,279 --> 00:24:14,559
Fuzhi was back to Shazhou.

455
00:24:15,678 --> 00:24:16,999
If I hadn't made it here,

456
00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:18,839
she'd already be

457
00:24:18,839 --> 00:24:20,119
a Song bride, wouldn't she?

458
00:24:22,478 --> 00:24:23,319
Lord Shen.

459
00:24:23,718 --> 00:24:24,559
Had I known

460
00:24:24,559 --> 00:24:26,678
you and Fuzhi were so deeply in love,

461
00:24:26,678 --> 00:24:28,279
I'd tell the Songs to go fly a kite.

462
00:24:28,718 --> 00:24:29,238
Tomorrow...

463
00:24:29,238 --> 00:24:30,958
I will speak with the Songs tomorrow.

464
00:24:30,958 --> 00:24:31,718
Tomorrow?

465
00:24:31,839 --> 00:24:32,799
No, no, no, no.

466
00:24:32,799 --> 00:24:34,158
Actually, I'm talking to them right now

467
00:24:34,158 --> 00:24:35,478
to break off the engagement.

468
00:24:35,478 --> 00:24:36,438
I'm returning the gifts, too.

469
00:24:36,438 --> 00:24:37,839
At once.

470
00:24:38,158 --> 00:24:39,238
In that case,

471
00:24:39,238 --> 00:24:40,599
please rise, my father-in-law.

472
00:24:40,999 --> 00:24:42,559
Thank you.

473
00:24:43,238 --> 00:24:44,478
Lord Shen.

474
00:24:44,799 --> 00:24:45,799
We're just

475
00:24:45,799 --> 00:24:47,638
a household of merchants.

476
00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:49,158
And Fuzhi

477
00:24:49,198 --> 00:24:50,158
has little learning

478
00:24:50,158 --> 00:24:51,238
and a stubborn nature.

479
00:24:51,238 --> 00:24:53,039
In birth, beauty, and learning,

480
00:24:53,039 --> 00:24:54,799
she cannot match you in any way.

481
00:24:54,799 --> 00:24:56,359
When you say you love her,

482
00:24:56,638 --> 00:24:57,918
surely you don't mean it?

483
00:24:57,918 --> 00:24:58,398
Indeed.

484
00:24:58,398 --> 00:24:59,878
Madam, this is both

485
00:24:59,878 --> 00:25:01,119
an insult to Fuzhi,

486
00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:02,799
as well as to my heart.

487
00:25:03,478 --> 00:25:05,438
Fuzhi is my once in a lifetime.

488
00:25:05,438 --> 00:25:06,198
Birth,

489
00:25:06,198 --> 00:25:07,119
beauty,

490
00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:07,999
learning...

491
00:25:08,039 --> 00:25:09,559
None outweighs her.

492
00:25:09,799 --> 00:25:10,638
My feelings

493
00:25:11,158 --> 00:25:12,478
are no passing fancy,

494
00:25:13,398 --> 00:25:14,519
and I swear it on my life.

495
00:25:14,599 --> 00:25:15,918
If that is so,

496
00:25:15,918 --> 00:25:17,799
why don't you

497
00:25:17,799 --> 00:25:19,359
tie the knot tonight?

498
00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:20,198
- Never.
- Great.

499
00:25:20,198 --> 00:25:21,678
Madam, are you asking me

500
00:25:21,999 --> 00:25:22,359
to

501
00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:23,918
marry into your family?

502
00:25:24,319 --> 00:25:25,158
Why, no!

503
00:25:25,478 --> 00:25:26,519
I only fear that when

504
00:25:26,519 --> 00:25:27,839
the heat of the moment fades,

505
00:25:27,839 --> 00:25:29,759
Fuzhi would be left unwanted.

506
00:25:29,759 --> 00:25:31,319
If we are to wed,

507
00:25:31,319 --> 00:25:32,718
the six rites must each be observed,

508
00:25:32,839 --> 00:25:34,279
and the three letters in order.

509
00:25:34,878 --> 00:25:36,198
On the auspicious day,

510
00:25:36,599 --> 00:25:38,359
I will come with a sedan of eight bearers

511
00:25:38,918 --> 00:25:39,398
and

512
00:25:39,398 --> 00:25:41,279
take her home in full glory.

513
00:25:41,519 --> 00:25:43,478
It is Fuzhi's blessing

514
00:25:43,599 --> 00:25:45,039
to have caught your eye.

515
00:25:45,319 --> 00:25:46,718
My wife is ignorant.

516
00:25:46,718 --> 00:25:49,198
Pray forgive her, Lord Shen.

517
00:25:50,799 --> 00:25:52,039
Clueless!

518
00:25:52,319 --> 00:25:54,079
Apologize to Lord Shen at once.

519
00:25:56,878 --> 00:25:58,559
Apologies, Your Lordship.

520
00:25:59,799 --> 00:26:00,918
It is getting late.

521
00:26:00,918 --> 00:26:02,238
I will have the servants

522
00:26:02,238 --> 00:26:03,599
prepare a guest room

523
00:26:03,599 --> 00:26:05,718
for you to rest early.

524
00:26:05,718 --> 00:26:06,559
My lord.

525
00:26:07,158 --> 00:26:09,279
Since Lord Shen and Fuzhi

526
00:26:09,279 --> 00:26:10,678
have already lain together,

527
00:26:10,678 --> 00:26:11,839
what harm is there

528
00:26:11,839 --> 00:26:12,878
in sharing a bed?

529
00:26:12,878 --> 00:26:13,839
Madam, I...

530
00:26:13,999 --> 00:26:15,279
You have been apart for days.

531
00:26:15,279 --> 00:26:16,039
Surely you have

532
00:26:16,039 --> 00:26:17,638
much to catch up on.

533
00:26:17,918 --> 00:26:18,718
Xi'er.

534
00:26:20,319 --> 00:26:22,718
Escort Fuzhi and Lord Shen to their room.

535
00:26:24,079 --> 00:26:25,398
Now.

536
00:26:30,878 --> 00:26:31,759
My lady.

537
00:26:32,678 --> 00:26:33,718
How did this...

538
00:26:48,599 --> 00:26:49,238
Lady Meng.

539
00:26:50,238 --> 00:26:51,759
His Majesty grants you a carriage.

540
00:26:52,079 --> 00:26:53,158
You may ride

541
00:26:53,158 --> 00:26:54,238
everywhere you go.

542
00:26:54,398 --> 00:26:55,279
After you, My Lady.

543
00:26:58,638 --> 00:26:59,839
Tell His Majesty

544
00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:01,999
I am grateful for his favor.

545
00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:03,958
I haven't

546
00:27:04,438 --> 00:27:06,079
walked the streets for a while.

547
00:27:06,238 --> 00:27:07,279
I feel like taking a walk,

548
00:27:07,599 --> 00:27:09,079
buying a few things I need.

549
00:27:10,438 --> 00:27:10,999
My Lady.

550
00:27:12,559 --> 00:27:13,559
The Emperor's word is law.

551
00:27:14,198 --> 00:27:15,359
But rumors are wind.

552
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:18,158
If I got carried away,

553
00:27:19,238 --> 00:27:19,999
I'd be playing

554
00:27:19,999 --> 00:27:21,238
right into their hands.

555
00:27:22,279 --> 00:27:23,319
I

556
00:27:23,319 --> 00:27:24,718
have nothing to hide.

557
00:27:24,918 --> 00:27:26,559
My conscience is clear.

558
00:27:27,398 --> 00:27:28,198
Commander.

559
00:27:28,559 --> 00:27:30,238
Convey that to His Majesty.

560
00:27:30,438 --> 00:27:31,478
He won't hold it against you.

561
00:27:50,079 --> 00:27:51,359
The rain won't stop.

562
00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:52,638
We're not having customers.

563
00:27:52,638 --> 00:27:53,638
Guess we'll have to queue up

564
00:27:53,638 --> 00:27:54,559
and live off raindrops.

565
00:27:56,678 --> 00:27:57,999
Is that not Lady Meng?

566
00:27:58,438 --> 00:27:59,438
After what happened,

567
00:27:59,438 --> 00:28:00,958
she's still showing her feathers?

568
00:28:01,238 --> 00:28:02,478
Do you think she knows

569
00:28:02,478 --> 00:28:03,559
how notorious she is now?

570
00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:05,119
Madam.

571
00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:06,319
You know what?

572
00:28:06,519 --> 00:28:07,398
Lady Meng

573
00:28:07,398 --> 00:28:08,398
is a real beauty.

574
00:28:08,398 --> 00:28:09,559
That's all you've got?

575
00:28:10,638 --> 00:28:11,718
A vixen

576
00:28:11,718 --> 00:28:12,678
is born with

577
00:28:12,678 --> 00:28:14,039
her seductive tricks.

578
00:28:14,878 --> 00:28:16,359
Have you heard?

579
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:17,678
Someone saw her the other night,

580
00:28:17,678 --> 00:28:18,478
luring those

581
00:28:18,478 --> 00:28:19,799
two brutes in, before

582
00:28:19,799 --> 00:28:20,678
bringing lightning

583
00:28:20,678 --> 00:28:21,839
down upon one of them.

584
00:28:21,839 --> 00:28:23,119
And then crack,

585
00:28:23,599 --> 00:28:24,438
the man was

586
00:28:24,438 --> 00:28:25,678
struck dead on the spot.

587
00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:29,039
Then she...

588
00:28:29,039 --> 00:28:30,398
She can't really have sorcery, can she?

589
00:28:30,759 --> 00:28:31,759
Who knows?

590
00:28:31,958 --> 00:28:32,478
Lately,

591
00:28:32,478 --> 00:28:33,878
this endless rain

592
00:28:33,878 --> 00:28:35,279
is supposedly her doing, too.

593
00:28:35,718 --> 00:28:37,079
They say she beguiles all,

594
00:28:37,079 --> 00:28:38,398
a portent of great calamity.

595
00:28:39,918 --> 00:28:42,198
Good day, Lady Meng.

596
00:28:43,158 --> 00:28:44,519
Stop staring. Keep away.

597
00:28:44,519 --> 00:28:45,158
You don't want

598
00:28:45,158 --> 00:28:46,678
to yourself jinxed.

599
00:28:47,198 --> 00:28:47,799
Let's bail.

600
00:28:48,999 --> 00:28:50,958
It's raining all the time.

601
00:28:50,958 --> 00:28:52,958
It's such a nuisance to step out.

602
00:28:53,559 --> 00:28:54,999
My hem is soaked.

603
00:28:56,238 --> 00:28:57,839
The day after next is my birthday.

604
00:28:58,559 --> 00:28:59,878
Such ill luck.

605
00:29:01,319 --> 00:29:02,718
Bear with it, Wen.

606
00:29:03,279 --> 00:29:04,999
The rouge from Golden Glow

607
00:29:04,999 --> 00:29:06,878
is the finest in the capital.

608
00:29:07,478 --> 00:29:09,599
You'll need it for your birthday feast.

609
00:29:11,079 --> 00:29:12,559
Isn't that Meng Tinghui?

610
00:29:12,799 --> 00:29:14,039
What is she doing out?

611
00:29:14,438 --> 00:29:15,958
She's right at home in the rain, huh?

612
00:29:16,119 --> 00:29:16,918
She surely should.

613
00:29:17,039 --> 00:29:18,718
She's got nothing to lose now.

614
00:29:18,878 --> 00:29:19,759
Look at her get-up.

615
00:29:19,759 --> 00:29:21,158
"Nasty" written all over it.

616
00:29:21,398 --> 00:29:22,918
Can't believe she's still out strutting,

617
00:29:22,918 --> 00:29:24,158
when her name is mud.

618
00:29:24,759 --> 00:29:26,079
Funny how some literally

619
00:29:26,079 --> 00:29:27,839
think a dab of rouge

620
00:29:27,839 --> 00:29:29,638
can turn a sparrow into a phoenix.

621
00:29:30,079 --> 00:29:31,119
In terms of beauty,

622
00:29:31,119 --> 00:29:31,999
she is

623
00:29:31,999 --> 00:29:32,958
not a patch on Wen.

624
00:29:33,359 --> 00:29:35,039
How's a woman in office any different?

625
00:29:35,039 --> 00:29:36,759
Making a good match is true skill.

626
00:29:36,958 --> 00:29:37,918
Indeed.

627
00:29:45,999 --> 00:29:46,839
Anyone here?

628
00:29:47,478 --> 00:29:48,599
This rouge is a delight.

629
00:29:48,759 --> 00:29:50,398
I will take the whole batch.

630
00:29:52,238 --> 00:29:53,999
Ladies, you are of noble birth.

631
00:29:54,198 --> 00:29:55,799
Such sharp tongues

632
00:29:55,999 --> 00:29:57,319
do not befit your station.

633
00:29:57,319 --> 00:29:58,678
The crime lies with the perpetrator,

634
00:29:58,799 --> 00:29:59,999
not the victim.

635
00:30:00,438 --> 00:30:01,319
I won't have anyone

636
00:30:01,319 --> 00:30:02,599
reveling in another's pain,

637
00:30:03,079 --> 00:30:04,279
twisting right and wrong,

638
00:30:04,478 --> 00:30:05,718
or spreading lies anymore.

639
00:30:05,958 --> 00:30:06,878
Well said.

640
00:30:09,039 --> 00:30:10,638
All this "paint and silk

641
00:30:10,799 --> 00:30:12,238
making a person" stuff

642
00:30:12,238 --> 00:30:13,438
is such folly.

643
00:30:13,599 --> 00:30:15,238
Birth doesn't make a hero.

644
00:30:15,238 --> 00:30:16,759
Marriage doesn't define success.

645
00:30:16,759 --> 00:30:18,438
That's a narrow way to see the world.

646
00:30:20,158 --> 00:30:21,478
You can't speak of ice to a summer insect.

647
00:30:21,999 --> 00:30:23,599
Don't waste your breath on them.

648
00:30:28,158 --> 00:30:28,638
I will not

649
00:30:28,638 --> 00:30:29,759
use the same as they do.

650
00:30:30,438 --> 00:30:31,238
I am not buying.

651
00:30:35,678 --> 00:30:36,359
Zhili.

652
00:30:37,638 --> 00:30:38,599
Miss Situ.

653
00:30:39,398 --> 00:30:40,759
I'm grateful for your help.

654
00:30:41,678 --> 00:30:42,878
Don't mention it, Lady Meng.

655
00:30:42,878 --> 00:30:44,158
It was nothing.

656
00:30:44,519 --> 00:30:45,438
The rain

657
00:30:45,438 --> 00:30:46,638
won't let up for a while.

658
00:30:46,958 --> 00:30:48,319
My Huiyin Studio is nearby.

659
00:30:48,638 --> 00:30:49,878
We offer sound therapy.

660
00:30:50,158 --> 00:30:52,039
Might I have the honour

661
00:30:52,039 --> 00:30:52,878
of your company?

662
00:30:52,878 --> 00:30:53,878
I have heard much of it.

663
00:30:54,039 --> 00:30:54,958
The honour is mine.

664
00:30:56,079 --> 00:30:57,638
My brother has spoken of it, too.

665
00:30:58,158 --> 00:30:59,238
I must see it.

666
00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:00,918
Please.

667
00:31:22,319 --> 00:31:23,079
- I...
- I...

668
00:31:26,718 --> 00:31:27,478
You go fir...

669
00:31:27,478 --> 00:31:28,559
No, you first.

670
00:31:29,759 --> 00:31:30,638
Still nervous?

671
00:31:30,799 --> 00:31:32,039
W-Why would I?

672
00:31:33,839 --> 00:31:34,918
Well, then, would you mind...

673
00:31:39,478 --> 00:31:39,878
Ah,

674
00:31:40,279 --> 00:31:40,999
it is as if...

675
00:31:40,999 --> 00:31:42,158
the sky has a hole in it.

676
00:31:42,599 --> 00:31:43,878
It's been leaking since forever.

677
00:31:44,958 --> 00:31:45,638
The entire realm

678
00:31:45,638 --> 00:31:46,999
is drenched in this downpour.

679
00:31:47,878 --> 00:31:49,398
If this keeps on,

680
00:31:50,559 --> 00:31:51,119
life

681
00:31:51,119 --> 00:31:52,158
will be hard for the people.

682
00:31:52,678 --> 00:31:53,438
So...

683
00:31:55,039 --> 00:31:56,478
what brings you to Shazhou?

684
00:31:59,119 --> 00:32:00,599
His Majesty sent me on business.

685
00:32:00,599 --> 00:32:01,438
Got nothing going on today.

686
00:32:01,438 --> 00:32:02,878
I thought I should stop at Bofeng.

687
00:32:02,878 --> 00:32:04,519
I saw Haitang blocked by several men,

688
00:32:04,519 --> 00:32:05,438
with a letter in hand.

689
00:32:05,759 --> 00:32:06,878
I intervened,

690
00:32:08,678 --> 00:32:09,718
and only then did I learn

691
00:32:10,438 --> 00:32:11,478
of your situation.

692
00:32:11,878 --> 00:32:13,638
I had written a secret letter

693
00:32:14,079 --> 00:32:16,359
and asked Haitang to seek help.

694
00:32:16,799 --> 00:32:17,918
Apparently,

695
00:32:18,678 --> 00:32:20,359
she's been tailed by my stepmother.

696
00:32:22,279 --> 00:32:23,478
I owe you one today.

697
00:32:23,759 --> 00:32:24,638
I can't even imagine...

698
00:32:26,039 --> 00:32:27,599
You always seem carefree, bold,

699
00:32:27,599 --> 00:32:28,478
overbearing, even.

700
00:32:28,839 --> 00:32:29,319
I had no idea

701
00:32:29,319 --> 00:32:30,878
you grew up in such a household.

702
00:32:34,198 --> 00:32:35,678
Hey, it's just a

703
00:32:35,999 --> 00:32:37,638
stubborn, grasping father,

704
00:32:38,238 --> 00:32:39,438
and a stepmother with

705
00:32:39,759 --> 00:32:40,678
the face of a fairy

706
00:32:40,678 --> 00:32:42,158
and the heart of a snake.

707
00:32:42,158 --> 00:32:43,839
And a little brat of a stepbrother.

708
00:32:43,958 --> 00:32:45,039
That's what it is to be a woman.

709
00:32:46,718 --> 00:32:47,438
Does it still hurt?

710
00:32:49,319 --> 00:32:49,958
No.

711
00:33:14,319 --> 00:33:15,079
I will be gentler.

712
00:33:19,279 --> 00:33:19,759
You are, after all,

713
00:33:19,759 --> 00:33:21,478
a lady from one of Shazhou's finest families.

714
00:33:21,799 --> 00:33:22,918
For some,

715
00:33:23,039 --> 00:33:24,478
marriage would be a fine choice.

716
00:33:25,119 --> 00:33:26,478
Why are you so firmly against it?

717
00:33:26,799 --> 00:33:27,759
What do you know?

718
00:33:28,158 --> 00:33:29,198
I did go to Jingdu

719
00:33:29,198 --> 00:33:30,678
to keep Tinghui company.

720
00:33:31,238 --> 00:33:31,599
Still,

721
00:33:31,599 --> 00:33:33,238
my own ambitions are just as important.

722
00:33:33,238 --> 00:33:34,478
I love doing business.

723
00:33:37,759 --> 00:33:39,039
They say

724
00:33:39,158 --> 00:33:39,999
a woman is supposed

725
00:33:39,999 --> 00:33:41,319
to be the angel in the house.

726
00:33:41,759 --> 00:33:42,638
But I'll never be.

727
00:33:43,119 --> 00:33:44,359
I will expand Bofeng House

728
00:33:44,438 --> 00:33:45,398
across all of Great Ning.

729
00:33:45,799 --> 00:33:46,519
I will carve out

730
00:33:46,519 --> 00:33:47,559
a world of my own.

731
00:33:48,158 --> 00:33:48,958
Even if I grow

732
00:33:49,319 --> 00:33:50,438
interested into marriage,

733
00:33:51,079 --> 00:33:52,359
I will find a kindred soul,

734
00:33:52,678 --> 00:33:53,839
who loves me,

735
00:33:53,839 --> 00:33:55,119
and whom I love back.

736
00:33:55,478 --> 00:33:57,238
We will earn our living together,

737
00:33:57,359 --> 00:33:58,599
travel alongside each other,

738
00:33:58,999 --> 00:34:00,478
and live our life to the fullest.

739
00:34:03,759 --> 00:34:04,478
Turns out...

740
00:34:06,678 --> 00:34:08,238
I have never truly known you.

741
00:34:12,678 --> 00:34:13,198
I'm tired.

742
00:34:13,839 --> 00:34:15,119
After three days locked up,

743
00:34:15,238 --> 00:34:16,599
I can finally sleep properly.

744
00:34:16,919 --> 00:34:18,278
There... there is

745
00:34:19,079 --> 00:34:20,318
only one bed here.

746
00:34:20,318 --> 00:34:21,278
I... we...

747
00:34:21,399 --> 00:34:22,559
I almost forgot.

748
00:34:22,559 --> 00:34:24,158
You have to have it comfortable.

749
00:34:24,358 --> 00:34:25,959
You take the bed.

750
00:34:26,039 --> 00:34:27,079
I will sleep on the floor.

751
00:34:27,079 --> 00:34:28,718
I am a man.

752
00:34:28,718 --> 00:34:29,798
How can I let you

753
00:34:29,798 --> 00:34:30,439
take the floor?

754
00:34:31,079 --> 00:34:31,879
You take the bed.

755
00:34:32,079 --> 00:34:32,399
I...

756
00:34:32,399 --> 00:34:34,758
Fuzhi, still up?

757
00:34:34,758 --> 00:34:35,678
I will get the door.

758
00:35:11,158 --> 00:35:12,358
Why did you hit me?

759
00:35:12,479 --> 00:35:13,599
You told me to act the part!

760
00:35:13,599 --> 00:35:14,198
I told you to act,

761
00:35:14,198 --> 00:35:15,439
not to lose yourself in it!

762
00:35:15,439 --> 00:35:16,638
I... lost myself?

763
00:35:16,638 --> 00:35:17,559
You closed your eyes!

764
00:35:19,519 --> 00:35:20,919
I was helping you out!

765
00:35:20,919 --> 00:35:21,798
If anyone's

766
00:35:21,798 --> 00:35:23,198
getting the wrong idea, it's you.

767
00:35:23,559 --> 00:35:23,879
I...

768
00:35:24,318 --> 00:35:25,439
You flatter yourself.

769
00:35:25,718 --> 00:35:27,439
I was afraid my stepmother would find out.

770
00:35:27,838 --> 00:35:29,278
And you were using me as a shield!

771
00:35:30,718 --> 00:35:31,879
I panicked!

772
00:35:32,198 --> 00:35:33,158
My apologies.

773
00:35:40,238 --> 00:35:41,599
Was that your first kiss?

774
00:35:45,638 --> 00:35:46,838
Of course not.

775
00:35:47,158 --> 00:35:48,879
Go ask around the capital.

776
00:35:49,238 --> 00:35:50,119
Shen Zhishu has

777
00:35:50,119 --> 00:35:51,798
never lacked for admirers.

778
00:35:52,358 --> 00:35:53,838
The ladies of the capital

779
00:35:53,838 --> 00:35:55,838
throw themselves at me.

780
00:35:56,079 --> 00:35:57,158
I have always

781
00:35:57,718 --> 00:35:59,278
walked among the flowers

782
00:35:59,559 --> 00:36:01,238
and savoured every fragrance.

783
00:36:04,399 --> 00:36:05,718
Then why are you blushing?

784
00:36:05,718 --> 00:36:06,399
I'm not.

785
00:36:06,758 --> 00:36:07,158
I...

786
00:36:09,039 --> 00:36:09,559
Well...

787
00:36:10,079 --> 00:36:11,399
The room is too warm!

788
00:36:12,079 --> 00:36:13,318
If that's the case,

789
00:36:13,439 --> 00:36:14,718
I'm not taking the fall for

790
00:36:14,718 --> 00:36:16,079
that desperate kiss.

791
00:36:18,278 --> 00:36:19,718
Who needs you to?

792
00:36:19,718 --> 00:36:20,999
It was such a bad kiss.

793
00:36:20,999 --> 00:36:22,158
I'll have forgotten it

794
00:36:22,318 --> 00:36:23,399
when I wake up.

795
00:36:24,519 --> 00:36:25,439
Splendid.

796
00:36:25,519 --> 00:36:26,678
My stepmother

797
00:36:26,838 --> 00:36:27,718
is suspicious.

798
00:36:27,959 --> 00:36:29,399
So tonight

799
00:36:29,399 --> 00:36:31,079
I may need to trouble you

800
00:36:31,079 --> 00:36:32,278
to share the bed with me.

801
00:36:32,758 --> 00:36:33,119
What...

802
00:36:33,119 --> 00:36:34,039
Quiet.

803
00:36:34,079 --> 00:36:35,119
You startled me.

804
00:36:35,718 --> 00:36:37,318
This is getting on my nerves.

805
00:36:37,599 --> 00:36:38,758
See the act through.

806
00:36:38,758 --> 00:36:40,039
Help all the way.

807
00:36:41,838 --> 00:36:42,638
I'm going to bed.

808
00:37:05,599 --> 00:37:06,879
Don't get under the covers.

809
00:37:08,879 --> 00:37:09,439
I...

810
00:37:27,599 --> 00:37:28,479
I'm quite tired too.

811
00:37:37,119 --> 00:37:37,638
Miss Yan?

812
00:38:16,959 --> 00:38:18,678
Liangzhou has seen seven days of rain.

813
00:38:18,678 --> 00:38:19,879
The city walls are flooding.

814
00:38:19,879 --> 00:38:21,119
The dams in Qingzhou have burst,

815
00:38:21,119 --> 00:38:22,119
flooding the farmlands.

816
00:38:22,119 --> 00:38:22,999
Jizhou reports

817
00:38:23,039 --> 00:38:24,439
starving refugees blocking the roads.

818
00:38:25,119 --> 00:38:26,039
Issue my decree.

819
00:38:26,519 --> 00:38:28,379
The Ministry of Works will prepare dredging tools

820
00:38:28,399 --> 00:38:29,758
and distribute them as needed tonight.

821
00:38:30,198 --> 00:38:31,358
The Ministry of War will send 30,000 guards

822
00:38:31,358 --> 00:38:32,718
to clear the rivers and reinforce the embankments.

823
00:38:32,718 --> 00:38:33,519
No time to lose.

824
00:38:33,758 --> 00:38:34,439
The Ministry of Revenue

825
00:38:34,559 --> 00:38:36,238
may conscript refugees for the work,

826
00:38:36,238 --> 00:38:37,198
paying them wages,

827
00:38:37,318 --> 00:38:38,278
and set up soup kitchens

828
00:38:38,919 --> 00:38:39,919
so the elderly, women, and children

829
00:38:39,919 --> 00:38:41,119
may have two bowls of gruel a day.

830
00:38:41,358 --> 00:38:42,079
Yes.

831
00:38:42,838 --> 00:38:44,599
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

832
00:38:44,758 --> 00:38:46,358
You must take care of yourself!

833
00:38:46,838 --> 00:38:49,039
In such time of the day, in such weather,

834
00:38:49,039 --> 00:38:50,318
you cannot keep on like this!

835
00:38:50,318 --> 00:38:50,999
Huang Bo.

836
00:38:51,318 --> 00:38:52,278
As a commander,

837
00:38:52,278 --> 00:38:54,519
you should put His Majesty's health first.

838
00:38:54,519 --> 00:38:55,198
Steward You.

839
00:38:55,198 --> 00:38:55,638
I...

840
00:38:55,798 --> 00:38:56,758
Look at this rain.

841
00:38:57,519 --> 00:38:58,519
Will it pause

842
00:38:58,519 --> 00:38:59,519
if I retire?

843
00:38:59,999 --> 00:39:01,158
Will the dams in Qingzhou

844
00:39:01,678 --> 00:39:02,798
burst any later

845
00:39:02,798 --> 00:39:03,919
because it is night?

846
00:39:04,358 --> 00:39:05,079
But I...

847
00:39:05,079 --> 00:39:05,758
Huang Bo.

848
00:39:06,238 --> 00:39:07,119
See to it.

849
00:39:07,278 --> 00:39:07,718
Yes.

850
00:39:11,638 --> 00:39:12,439
This rain

851
00:39:13,278 --> 00:39:14,198
shows no sign

852
00:39:14,198 --> 00:39:15,999
of stopping.

853
00:39:35,999 --> 00:39:37,079
What are you doing?

854
00:39:37,278 --> 00:39:37,919
Sorry...

855
00:39:37,919 --> 00:39:39,758
I was caught off guard.

856
00:39:40,399 --> 00:39:41,399
Do you know

857
00:39:41,879 --> 00:39:43,278
I tossed and turned all night

858
00:39:43,278 --> 00:39:44,399
before I finally slept?

859
00:39:44,919 --> 00:39:46,439
You did not sleep at all?

860
00:39:47,599 --> 00:39:50,238
Are you awake, Lord Shen?

861
00:39:52,678 --> 00:39:53,678
Yes.

862
00:39:58,798 --> 00:40:00,278
Just now I was outside

863
00:40:00,479 --> 00:40:02,599
and heard quite a commotion in here.

864
00:40:02,959 --> 00:40:05,158
I know it's just newly-weds being newly-weds.

865
00:40:05,278 --> 00:40:06,758
But you should take it slow.

866
00:40:07,798 --> 00:40:08,599
I have

867
00:40:08,838 --> 00:40:10,678
prepared a tonic.

868
00:40:10,678 --> 00:40:11,678
In it are

869
00:40:11,678 --> 00:40:13,318
ginseng, antler, and cinnamon.

870
00:40:13,318 --> 00:40:14,439
He does not need that.

871
00:40:15,079 --> 00:40:16,278
Keep it for yourself.

872
00:40:17,999 --> 00:40:19,758
Later, then.

873
00:40:21,039 --> 00:40:22,879
I will take my leave.

874
00:40:25,439 --> 00:40:26,119
Miss.

875
00:40:26,638 --> 00:40:27,838
Letter from Jingdu.

876
00:40:27,838 --> 00:40:28,919
It seems urgent.

877
00:40:28,919 --> 00:40:29,678
Jingdu?

878
00:40:38,999 --> 00:40:40,079
It is from Tinghui.

879
00:40:41,798 --> 00:40:42,838
Tinghui is in trouble!

880
00:40:43,999 --> 00:40:44,879
We leave at once.

881
00:40:44,879 --> 00:40:46,198
Ride hard for the capital.

882
00:40:46,278 --> 00:40:46,838
Yes.

883
00:40:58,638 --> 00:40:59,358
Your Majesty.

884
00:40:59,758 --> 00:41:00,919
This man has confessed.

885
00:41:01,198 --> 00:41:02,798
He was sent by the Tiger Roar Gang.

886
00:41:02,919 --> 00:41:03,678
Your Majesty.

887
00:41:04,278 --> 00:41:05,158
Mercy.