Original subtitles

=The Road to Splendor=

(Adapted from China Literature author Zhizhi's novel of the same name)

=Episode 11=

The garrison

runs on a strict hierarchy.

Our husbands all have

different ranks.

So where military families live

depends on rank too.

Families of Banner Commanders

and anyone below them

live right here,

in Desheng Ward.

But someday,

if your man

gets promoted to company commander,

you can move into a three-courtyard brick house on South Street.

And if

he makes battalion commander,

you can move near the Commander's Office,

into one of those grand carved mansions to the east.

Even their thresholds

stand nine cun higher than ordinary homes.

But for now,

your place

is right over there.

Ma!

Quit singing!

You're killing my ears!

So,

do we buy our own daily supplies,

or does the garrison provide them?

That

depends on rank too.

Around here,

money

can't buy you everything.

Sometimes,

even getting water

means waiting for your assigned time.

And that's not even counting

my husband's rank.

My younger brother

is an officer too.

He's a deputy battalion commander.

So we get special treatment in just about everything.

Go.

That's why I say, Miss Xie,

if a woman

wants a good life,

she still needs a man to rely on.

The place is a little run-down,

but with some work,

we can make it feel like home.

Well then,

I'll let you get settled.

I won't keep you.

Come catch me!

I'll reach senior fifth rank as soon as I can,

and take everyone back to the capital.

Of course I believe in you.

Concubine Lu was the one

who took your velvet flower in the first place.

You were kind enough

to save her from embarrassment,

and look what happened.

Now you've offended Madam Mo.

Who would've thought

a general's wife could be so petty,

putting someone on the spot like that?

Whatever's going on between his wife and concubine

is Mo's family business.

Those two already had bad blood.

They just dragged you into it.

It's not like we went looking for trouble.

From now on,

keep your distance from them.

Don't worry, Mr. Zhao.

People show their true colors with time.

As for you,

focus on your duties

and get yourself established.

I'll decide for myself

how to deal with the officers' wives.

I trust you.

But promise me

you won't take unnecessary risks.

I'll be at the barracks from now on.

If anything happens,

have Sen send word to me.

Go on.

We can handle

the rest of this.

All right.

Ganlin may be a frontier town,

but it's not exactly the front line.

In the army,

if you want to move up,

you either rack up enough enemy kills

or pull off something extraordinary.

But you just got here.

You're not going

to see combat anytime soon.

Then how are we supposed to earn any merit?

Camp rules say

they put up a red-ribbon target every month.

Anyone who hits it is marked as outstanding

and gets first shot

at any chance to earn merit.

Then why isn't everyone going for it?

The other camps took theirs down ages ago.

But here,

Commander Lu missed his,

(Lu Dahu, Deputy Battalion Commander) so no one dares take it from him.

Commander Lu?

What's so special about him?

Nobody dares outdo him?

General Mo didn't tell you?

He's his brother-in-law

and a deputy battalion commander.

This bow's a piece of junk.

There is a Concubine Lu.

General Mo.

General Mo!

Yi!

Zhao.

General Mo.

Here.

Take it.

I can't accept this.

Why not?

This bow

was meant for the man

who distinguished himself in the Yongning investigation.

You've more than earned it.

It'd be wrong

for me to keep it for myself.

Trust me.

Take it.

Zhao,

listen to me.

Don't rush things.

Compared with Shaqiong Town,

we've got too many men chasing too few opportunities.

But you've got

the Sixteenth Master's recommendation.

Once you've earned some merit,

Commander Wang

will surely consider you for promotion.

Thank you for the advice, General Mo.

All right.

Go on. Try the bow.

Look at that.

That's a nice bow.

Unbelievable.

Let me try it.

I even let my sister become his mistress,

and he gives that bow to someone else?

Mr. Zhao,

with a bow like this,

you could hit anything at a hundred paces.

Go back.

Go.

(Virtuous, Serene and Proper)

You are dismissed.

How is it still this hot this time of year?

It is strange.

Well, if it isn't Madam Mo.

Here to pick up your eldest daughter?

That's right.

I hear

there's a new young lady in town.

How are you getting along?

She's too good for the likes of me.

Can't say I'm surprised.

Just look at Miss Xie.

Everything she eats and uses,

everything she wears...

it's all so refined.

She's not one of us.

She probably sees us as country bumpkins.

Why would she bother getting close to us?

All she has to do is play a few tricks,

get what she wants and walk away.

If she keeps playing clever like this

and actually gets established in Ganlin,

the rest of us

will end up dancing to her tune.

Just look at Concubine Lu.

Before,

nobody could stand her.

Now that she's got someone on her side,

she's suddenly

walking around with her head held high.

Miss Xie,

the fields granted by the Sixteenth Master were taken.

Taken it over?

We have the deed.

The authorities only just granted us that land.

How can someone just take it?

Is there no law around here?

They don't care about deeds here.

It's all women and children.

They insist it was wasteland

and they've been farming it for years.

I couldn't win the argument.

I'll go.

Sanniang.

Then where did these bamboo slips come from?

There are old battlefield graves from the previous dynasty on the land.

They said

we could keep whatever they dug up.

It's all worthless junk.

They're doing this just to spite us.

From graves?

That's bad luck.

Exactly.

(Mo Residence)

We're all brothers in arms.

And now you've seized

Banner Commander Zhao's fields.

How can I face anyone

in the military now?

His fields?

I reclaimed the wasteland!

That land sat abandoned for over ten years.

The weeds were taller than a man.

I took people out there myself

and cleared it little by little.

We've got three children

to provide for.

Meanwhile, you get to stay out all day

and leave everything to me.

You've never lifted a finger in the fields,

and you're still keeping another woman!

Here we go again.

Amazing.

What respectable man these days

doesn't have a few concubines and mistresses?

What's the big deal?

So that Lu woman isn't enough for you?

You want another one?

Why don't you just

go after that Xie woman?

You...

She's even prettier than that Lu,

and that figure of hers

puts Lu's to shame!

Go on, then! Go get her!

Shameless!

Have you got no shame at all?

Mo, you rotten scumbag!

Just you dare go near her!

I...

I'll break her legs!

Sorry about that, Miss Xie.

(Mo Residence)

Maybe we shouldn't go in.

How was it with Madam Mo today?

Didn't go very well.

Madam Mo

is a complete shrew.

The other military families

are afraid the land they're reassigned

won't be as fertile as ours,

so they refuse to give it up.

As for Madam Mo,

she's still holding a grudge

over what happened when we first met

and is giving me a hard time.

I never meant to get dragged into the Mo family's domestic feud,

nor do I want to make enemies

of the military families farming that land.

But now,

I'm caught in the middle.

If it's really that much trouble,

then maybe this land

isn't worth fighting over.

You can't reason with people

who refuse to listen.

If we can't even hold on to a piece of land,

how are we supposed

to make a life here?

And then,

what will people think of you?

Even in the army,

people may start looking down on you.

So this land...

we're not giving it up.

All right.

If you want to fight for it,

then we'll fight for it.

These dates are good today.

Yeah.

Big and plump.

Come catch me!

Biao.

Did you hear?

The authorities

need land for a cemetery.

And they've chosen

the plot that belongs to Miss Xie.

Seriously?

It's true.

A cemetery?

Yeah.

Isn't that the land we're farming?

They did dig up

human bones there years ago.

Makes sense they'd turn it into a cemetery.

We need to tell Madam Mo right away.

Yeah.

Well...

(Madam Mo, nee Zhou)

(Signed and sealed by Sun Zhen)

Madam Mo,

once the new deed is issued in a couple of days,

someone will deliver it to your residence.

Thank you for the trouble.

Of course.

My turn.

(Contracting Party: Lin Sisheng) It should be filed in Xie's name.

Well, that's strange.

Usually,

you all fight

over this land.

Why are you

giving it up so easily today?

Surely you jest, My Lord.

If the authorities need that land for a cemetery,

then as military families,

of course we'll cooperate.

A cemetery?

Where did you hear that?

My Lord,

we heard just a few days ago

that Miss Xie's land was being taken for a cemetery.

That's not true.

Now that the deeds have been corrected,

the matter is settled.

From now on,

you tend your own fields,

and Miss Xie tends hers.

Let's have no more pointless disputes.

She tricked us.

Now we're the ones who lose out.

Exactly.

(One Month Later)

Miss Xie.

Mr. Zhao's back!

Mr. Zhao.

It's been so long since you've been home.

I just came back for some clothes.

Here.

It's a long trip.

You don't have to come all this way every time.

Sen

is at an age when he needs some guidance.

I just

came back to check on him.

I'm off.

Be careful on the way back.

What...

What happened?

The horse stepped on a caltrop.

Its hoof is injured.

It won't be fit to ride tonight.

Sanniang,

have Zheng San

take the horse and tend to it.

Okay.

Go.

What about you, Mr. Zhao?

I'm not on leave today.

I have to get back to camp.

But don't worry.

These past few days,

I've learned the terrain.

Traveling at night

won't be a problem.

At this hour?

Out in the wilderness?

What if you run into

wild beasts out there?

It's too dangerous.

Life on the frontier is different.

Some rules

don't have to be followed to the letter.

Your horse is injured,

and you don't have another mount.

We can't have you

walking all night just to get back to camp.

Tomorrow morning,

I'll have Zheng San

find you a fast horse, and you can ride back then.

Stay in the east room tonight, Mr. Zhao.

That room was meant for you anyway.

Bring the horse inside,

and no one will know you stayed the night.

If you stay out here

any longer,

everyone will find out.

It's your house

and your room.

Why do you have to hide the fact you're staying here?

Miss Xie and I aren't married yet.

Living under the same roof

wouldn't be proper.

Her reputation is at stake.

So don't let

anyone know about this.

Put that away.

♪The past brushes by like a falling leaf♪

♪So light, yet my steps still pause for you♪

♪Through every rise and fall, our memories remain without regret♪

♪Carved into the rings of time♪

Get some rest.

♪But I can't♪

You too.

♪Fill my eyes with tears♪

♪Etched deep within my heart, yet buried without a word♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

Commander.

At last night's roll call,

excluding those with night passes,

three men were absent.

Banner Commander Li

went home to help with the farm

and returned before midnight.

Banner Commander Sun

left because his mother fell seriously ill

without requesting a pass.

I'll give you a demerit for now.

You can make up for it

with merit in the future.

Thank you, sir.

Hurry! Where have you been?

Lu Dahu pulled a dirty trick last night.

He saw you were gone

and called a surprise roll call.

But don't worry.

Just tell them

you stayed at Miss Xie's place last night.

We're not at war.

At worst, Commander Wang will chew you out,

and that'll be the end of it.

No.

Miss Xie and I aren't married yet.

If I admit I spent the night there,

what happens to her reputation?

bout the third man?

Banner Commander Zhao

didn't return until this morning.

Zhao Ling.

Where were you last night?

I got drunk at a tavern east of town

and overslept.

Banner Commander Zhao,

you were absent without leave,

abandoning your post.

By military law,

that's eighty strokes

and three months' pay docked.

Banner Commander Zhao,

you only spent the night at home.

Why not just say family matters made you miss roll call?

Once you and Miss Xie are married,

you'll be living together anyway.

I left camp without permission,

got drunk and missed duty.

I'll take the punishment.

Fine.

Zhao Ling,

you talk about keeping your head high

and your feet on the ground.

You have no regard for military law

and you're utterly arrogant!

Without severe punishment,

how can discipline be maintained?

Guards!

Eighty strokes.

Not one less.

Commander!

I'll

take twenty strokes

for Banner Commander Zhao.

I'll take twenty too.

So will I.

Very well.

If that's what you want,

I'll grant it.

Thank you.

Strike!

Yes, sir.

Picking dates all day

nearly broke my back.

Tell me about it.

How are you, Mr. Zhao?

It's nothing.

I've had much worse.

Mr. Zhao.

What...?

Well,

as soon as Miss Xie heard what happened,

she was worried sick.

She had all this medicine

prepared for you.

I'm fine.

Sorry I worried you.

Is it bad?

Don't cause any problems later.

Does it hurt?

The salve at camp isn't very good,

and it's been freezing.

I think I got frostbite.

Oh...

Sanniang,

quick.

Take this wound salve

and give some to the others.

Sure.

Mr. Zhao, your injury...

Let me take a look.

This might hurt a little.

I'll be gentle.

I...

I'll...

I'll be even gentler.

Didn't we all get twenty strokes?

Was the one

who struck Mr. Zhao

particularly heavy-handed?

Still, that couldn't have been worse

than the beatings he used to get

for selling salt, could it?

I...I'll be gentle!

Ow!

You little rascal.

You shouldn't be looking at this.

Go.

Get out.

You're killing me.

No.

I...

I...

It's dirty now.

I'll keep it.

I'll make you a new one.

I...

Can you check

if maybe

my spine's broken?

Don't mind me. I'm just making a fuss.

It

doesn't hurt at all.

My grandmother used to tell me

the inner household was just like the court.

If you want people to respect you,

you have to establish your authority first.

So I thought

when we came to Ganlin,

the first thing we needed to show everyone

was that we weren't to be pushed around.

But I was wrong.

Instead of backing off,

they only got worse.

And you got hurt because of it.

That's on me.

Don't think like that.

I had a hand

in the plan too.

You grew up in an official's household.

Of course you're not used to

dealing with country folk like them.

But when it comes to

dealing with women like Madam Yan,

no one does it better than you.

Now that we're in Ganlin,

and have to deal

with people like Madam Mo,

you've still got me.

Then I'll be counting on you.

There are two ways.

First,

you use your connections.

Show them the Crown Prince's card.

With the Sixteenth Master's name behind you,

the leaders' wives, the generals' wives,

even Madam Wang and Madam Mo,

won't dare push you around openly.

But if I do that,

then I've already lost.

Then there's only the second way.

You'll have to

get closer to them.

(Don't let them think)

(you're above them.)

(You have to come down to their level)

(and get your hands dirty.)

(Let them see)

(that you're just like them...)

(someone who eats the same food)

(and feels the same joys and sorrows.)

Has the Zhao household

become a kitchen all of a sudden?

She's a pampered young lady.

To her, this is probably just playing house.

It's burnt!

Miss Xie!

♪Once a bird in a cage, longing for the boundless sky♪

It's going to rain!

Miss Xie, it's going to rain.

Quick!

Get the grain inside!

Hurry!

Grab the sacks!

Hurry.

Hurry.

Miss Xie.

Hurry, bring it in!

Quick!

Bring two more sacks.

It's not even your grain.

Why are you in such a rush?

Just keep packing!

I'm helping you, aren't I?

Get it in the sacks!

♪Once a bird among the clouds, now fallen into the mortal world♪

Hurry.

Everyone, go help.

Got it!

Okay.

Bring another sack over here.

Miss Xie.

Hey...

Miss Xie.

Miss Xie.

Are you okay, Miss Xie?

Quick.

Take this over there.

Take this one.

Hurry.

Everyone, move.

Pick up the pace.

Bag this up.

♪Every light safe and warm♪

You okay?

I'm fine.

♪A life adrift♪

♪With wit and strategy, I enter this game without regret♪

I'm done over here.

♪Let the past remain beyond recall♪

The soldiers are here!

The soldiers are here!

♪I seek no mercy lent by mortal world♪

♪Mortal world♪

♪Let this fleeting world carry me through a life adrift♪

Come on, hurry!

Help bring it in!

Got it!

♪Though each move is forced upon me♪

This rain's ridiculous.

It starts out of nowhere

and stops just as fast.

Hurry.

Coming!

All right.

Give it to me.

Careful not to spill any.

Here.

I didn't expect

you to know how to do this.

I was once a refugee.

I've seen people displaced from their homes

fight just to eat and stay clothed.

So I know

how precious a full stomach

and warm clothes

can be.

I was too petty before.

Because of me, your man

ended up taking those strokes.

Here.

Let me help.

Don't take this the wrong way,

but around here,

there's a female instructor named Zuo.

Don't get on her bad side.

People around here

think very highly of her.

One bad word from her

carries more weight than ten other people's.

Madam Mo,

we've got everything packed up.

We're all done here too.

Wonderful. That was quick.

Miss Xie,

thank you.

(Admonitions for Women Hall)

My Lord,

a little higher.

One cun up.

One cun up.

So this is the bearing of a junior fourth-rank official.

Every bit as lean and striking as they say.

No wonder

you know just what to say to please a man.

Compared with the women back home,

you're far more entertaining.

All these years as a widow...

all those lonely nights

have only made you

more captivating.

You only

get better with age.

All you care about is having your fun.

You don't care what happens to me.

My dear,

who in all of Ganlin

would dare threaten your life?

What if

I'm after someone else's?

I'll go change the water.

All right.

Mr. Zhao,

you're still injured.

Why not wash up and change

your dressing

before heading back to camp?

I'll have Sanniang bring you some clean water.

No need.

Clean water is precious out here.

I'll just use the water you already used.

(He's actually using)

(my handkerchief and the water I just used.)

Look at you.

You've already won them over.

I have a good teacher.

But

after all this,

I've been thinking of something else.

Let's hear it.

What if...

you and I

got married here in Ganlin?

Once we're married,

you can

move back home

without having to hide it.

The gossip

will die down too.

No one could use it against you anymore.

It would also help

your career in the army.

I may not be very good at it,

but

I can learn

to be like the other military wives

and make you

clothes for every season.

Whenever you come home on leave,

there'll always be

a hot meal waiting for you.

I think

an arrangement like this

would make things easier for both of us.

So it's just about convenience?

Did you burn your hand?

The water's cold.

Why are you angry?

I'm not exactly angry.

I guess I just...

read too much into things.

We've come this far together.

I don't want there to be

anything between us.

If something's bothering you, just say it.

Don't hide it from me.

Some things just aren't that easy to tell you.

You're very clever,

but you don't have to

understand everything.

Your grandmother never taught you this?

But if you teach me,

maybe I would understand.

We agreed to walk this road together,

and you've stayed by my side

through all this hardship.

But somehow,

I still feel so far from you.

That's exactly why I think

we should get married.

I have roll call at camp.

I should get back.

Mr. Zhao,

didn't you say

you wanted to marry Miss Xie?

Now

she's the one asking you,

so why are you upset?

She talked about

the convenience of being a military wife,

my career,

and our whole life together.

But the one thing she never said

was that she loved me.

I want

a marriage built on love,

not one based on mutual gain.

I'm off.

Be careful.

(The Capital)

(Yu Residence)

This embroidery is exquisite.

Miss Mozhan,

not long ago,

my daughter-in-law had a baby girl.

I'd like to ask you

to make me

a small double-sided embroidered screen with orchids and osmanthus.

Your embroidery

comes from the Fu family tradition in Huaying.

There is none finer.

I only wonder

if you'd be willing to do me this favor.

You're too kind, Ms. Shu.

I'd be happy to help.

All social dealings of this household

are handled through the common purse.

Proper procedures

must be followed.

Yet you, Ms. Shu,

went around the steward

and privately assigned one of my maids.

That's hardly proper, is it?

Young Madam,

I...

I only asked for my own sake.

Miss Mozhan's embroidery is so fine.

I thought I'd ask her for a small favor.

I didn't want to trouble the household,

much less bother you, Young Madam.

You've served this family for decades.

Surely you know the rules better than I do.

Double-sided embroidery demands absolute precision.

Even after a hundred days' work,

you may not produce a truly fine piece.

Mozhan serves in my quarters.

She already has work to do for me.

If she gets distracted helping with your little favor,

delaying my own needlework is one thing.

But if her work turns out poorly

and embarrasses the Yu family,

can she

take responsibility for that?

I understand.

Madam, you needn't do this for my sake.

I did put my own wishes first

and broke the household rules.

Who made those rules?

If she dares humiliate you today,

then she clearly has no respect for me.

(Next Episode)

(That new Banner Commander Zhao)

(can refine cliff salt.)

(He'll steal our business sooner or later.)

Guys,

get him!

Let's go!

Catch them!

(Banner Commander Zhao has been held by bandits for seven days.)

(By custom,)

(he is to be declared dead in the line of duty.)

(The Admonitions for Women Hall has prepared)

(Admonitions for Women) (a fine quarter for you.)

(Ms. Zuo)

(will guide you properly.)

(Do you know what the Chastity Tonic is?)

(Drink it,)

(and your skin will decay,)

(your hair will turn white,)

(and you'll never bear children.)

♪The past brushes by like a falling leaf♪

♪So light, yet my steps still pause for you♪

♪Through every rise and fall, our memories remain without regret♪

♪Carved into the rings of time♪

♪How I wish I could stay a little longer, but I can't♪

♪I turn away, afraid goodbye will fill my eyes with tears♪

♪Etched deep within my heart, yet buried without a word♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

♪For one fleeting moment, I found you in the crowd♪

♪Without a word, you lit up half my life♪

♪In silence, a love too deep for words♪

♪Kept close within my heart♪

♪From now on, no one else is worth waiting for♪

♪I turn away, afraid no one will ever come home to me again♪

♪If we can build our future together, no storm can chill my heart♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪