Original subtitles

=The Road to Splendor=

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

=Episode 3=

I shall go raise the funds at once.

But there is one request.

I beg you, sir, do not make a commotion.

My Lady

is in talks of a marriage match.

If anyone finds her alone in a room with an unrelated man,

her entire life will be ruined.

It all depends on how quickly you can get the money.

Why hasn't the Ninth Young Lady come out?

The ladies are getting impatient.

Exactly. What's taking so long?

Relax.

I'm after money,

not blood.

And I'm not about to ruin your reputation.

Mr. Zhao, you travel far and wide,

with plenty of followers.

I know you'll keep your word.

Followers?

Very clever, Ninth Young Lady.

You accused me of "swindling,"

and now everyone's turning on me.

Marriage is supposed to be a happy thing.

Your family is the one chasing powerful connections,

using your marriage as leverage

and me as their chance to move up.

How is any of that my fault?

You lied your way into this house.

You're hardly innocent.

And if you finish me off,

do you think that'll change your fate?

You're taking revenge on the wrong person.

From the very beginning,

I'm not the one who did this to you.

You don't have the nerve to stand up to your grandmother,

so you take it out on me instead.

Tell me.

Isn't that just

picking on the easy target?

She's still not ready?

The poetry gathering started ages ago.

- Exactly. - The Ninth Young Lady's still inside.

Is she all right?

Forgive me.

Ninth Young Lady!

- My Lady! - Ninth Young Lady!

You knew I wouldn't hurt you.

My Lady!

Ninth Young Lady!

- My Lady! - My Lady!

Open the door, My Lady!

- My Lady! - My Lady!

- My Lady! - Are you all right, My Lady?

My Lady!

- My Lady! - Are you all right, My Lady?

I'm fine.

I was having a nightmare.

How inconsiderate of the Ninth Young Lady

to keep Madam Yu waiting.

She's getting impatient.

The Ninth Young Lady has arrived.

There she is.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I hope

you ladies will forgive me.

I heard that these past two nights,

you haven't been sleeping well, Madam Yu.

I thought it might be from excess heat.

I read

lotus pods picked before the morning dew dries

are especially good

for clearing heat.

So I picked some

and made you congee.

Please don't be upset with me, Madam.

I got a little carried away

and got my clothes dirty picking lotus pods.

I had to go back and change.

That's why I'm late.

Come here.

You could've had someone else do all that.

You didn't need to go yourself.

What if you'd cut your hand?

I'd hate to see you hurt.

Mr. Zhao.

Where is she?

I made her mad.

She was ready to take me down with her.

What about the money?

We'll find another way.

Let's go.

The Ninth Young Lady is admirable,

but she's not the woman I want.

Please reconsider

this marriage, Mother.

I don't care who you want.

My choice

is the Ninth Young Lady.

I'm doing this for the Yu family,

and for you.

You think a woman proves her worth

by running the household

and balancing the books?

If I hadn't cultivated the right connections at court,

do you think your father's career would've gone this smoothly?

Now he has a bright future ahead of him.

All I want is the same for you.

Then let me ask you this, Mother.

If you had to choose between my career

and Father's,

who would you choose?

What are you getting at?

Father intends to enter the Grand Secretariat.

He means to rise to the very top.

But father and son cannot serve at court together.

If Father rises that high,

I'll be sent away to avoid any appearance of favoritism,

and my talents will go to waste.

Mother.

You always say

I owe everything I have to being born a Yu.

But after all these years of hard work, I've learned

that no matter how hard I try,

being a Yu is exactly what holds me back.

That's why you must place first in the imperial examination.

No top scholar has ever been sent away from the capital.

You are my son.

I will see you rise to the highest office

and leave your name in history.

And what if I don't place first?

If you fail,

your son will try after you.

Controlling my life isn't enough for you?

You want to control my son's too?

Just like Old Madam Fu,

scheming for her grandson's future

and her granddaughter's marriage,

stopping at nothing,

even turning someone into a living symbol of chastity!

Mother,

do you truly want us

to marry into a family like that?

She works herself to the bone

for the honor of her family.

Why should I look down on her?

If she'd had one capable son,

she wouldn't have to go to such lengths.

When the men are useless

and women have to hold the family together,

what a ridiculous state of affairs.

I'll obey you in anything else.

But this is my happiness for the rest of my life.

I will marry someone whom I truly love.

I am the Yu family matriarch.

Your marriage

is mine to decide.

Even if you hate me for it today,

I will not give you your way.

If I marry the Ninth Young Lady of the Fu family,

won't I have

two women like her to deal with?

And then who will really be in charge of the Yu family,

me or her?

You're Zuo Junjie?

I heard

your sister has been confined

and roughed up as well.

Perhaps I can help

the two of you.

My Lady, something terrible has happened.

That wretched Zuo is spreading lies about your virtue.

Isn't Madam Zuo still kneeling in punishment at the ancestral hall?

Not her.

Zuo Junjie.

Ninth Young Lady, you are here.

Tingyun.

Here you are.

Your family

refuses to believe we secretly pledged ourselves to each other.

But you know

exactly what happened between us, don't you?

What the heck are you talking about?

Tingyun, you...

This is

the love token you gave me.

That's a lie!

Grandmother, I never did.

Tingyun,

these are your favorite colors and patterns,

and this is your usual needlework.

How can you...

How can you

put on your clothes

and act like it never happened?

The whole town knows about us now anyway.

There's no use denying it.

My lady

has never met you in private.

The young master of the Yu family doesn't even want you.

But I fell for you

the moment I saw you.

Besides, we've known each other since childhood.

We're made for each other.

Exactly.

What a perfect match.

Old Madam,

I don't care whether Tingyun

is already discussing marriage with the Yu family.

If she'll agree to marry me,

I'll forget

everything that's happened before.

Shut up!

Who do you think you are to spout lies here?

Mother, have him thrown out at once.

We've heard enough of his filth.

Guards.

Get him out.

Wait.

Hold on.

Leave that here.

Fine. Keep it.

It's not like

that's the only one I have.

Everyone in Huaying knows by now.

If this isn't settled,

it won't just ruin the Ninth Young Lady.

It'll bring down the entire Fu family.

You couldn't silence everyone even if you tried.

Grandmother.

All my personal jewelry and clothes

are kept by Moxiang.

Where is she?

No one's seen her

since breakfast.

We should find her and question her at once.

Then I won't keep you any longer.

I've made my proposal.

I'll take my leave.

You have truly disappointed me.

Grandmother,

I've always taken your teachings to heart.

I would never do anything

so shameless

or disgraceful to our family.

I'm disappointed that you failed to keep your servants in line.

Go back to your room

and see what else is missing.

Go.

Hurry!

Yes.

Miss Fan,

the Ninth Young Lady has given you quite a few things over the years.

Let's check those as well.

We would never

give anything belonging to the Ninth Young Lady

to Zuo Junjie.

Everyone in Huaying knows fortune favors you.

You'll get through this.

Do you still have that filigree gold hairpin?

Well...

What about the gold-brocade silk dress?

That was two years ago.

I honestly don't remember.

And the Huizhou inkstick?

It bears the Fu family seal.

Do you still have it?

Well? Say something.

Miss Fan

grew up with the Ninth Young Lady.

She's received countless gifts over the years.

If you want them all back now,

how are we supposed to find every last one?

We're not asking for them back.

We need to know which ones are missing.

You...

Miss Fan,

do you still have these things or not?

Enough.

Some of the fabrics,

jewelry,

and ornaments you gave me...

I did pawn some of them.

The Fu family hosts so many social occasions.

Some clothes and jewelry

can't be worn twice after they've been seen once.

The things Zuo Junjie has

were most likely bought from Moxiang

after he paid her off.

If he produces anything else tomorrow

to frame you,

I'll cover for you.

We'll say you gave it to me,

I pawned it,

and he bought it from the pawnshop.

Whatever he brings out,

we'll say it came from me.

Who?

Who's there?

It's me.

Father has retired for the night.

If you need to speak with him,

please come back tomorrow.

I came to see you.

I came to ask

how you feel about me.

What do you mean?

I don't understand.

If you truly didn't,

you wouldn't have told me your given name.

What difference does it make?

The Ninth Young Lady is my dearest friend.

I can't stand in the way of her marriage.

Have they found that maid Moxiang yet?

Not yet.

But

the Fifth Madam has everyone searching nonstop.

Moxiang is our witness.

As long as she's alive,

we can still turn this around.

Alive?

Alive?

Moxiang.

It's over. My Tingyun...

- Madam! - Madam!

What happened yesterday

was nothing but your brother's word.

For the sake of our family ties,

I'll overlook the lies you've spread.

I'll release your sister now

and give you enough money

to sit the examination in Yongning Prefecture.

But if you insist on pursuing this,

we'll take it to the authorities.

Just don't forget,

there's still a body in that well.

Then call the authorities.

The past few days in the ancestral hall taught me something.

I'm nothing but a broken roof tile,

already smashed to pieces on the ground.

The question is whether you're willing to risk

your precious white-jade porcelain vase with me.

You may not care about making me

your fourth chastity memorial arch,

but those three arches at the gate...

are you willing to lose those too?

Those arches are the foundation of the Fu family's standing.

Do you really want to drag the entire Fu family down with you?

Old Madam, I beg your favor.

Please allow me to marry

the Ninth Young Lady.

You claim there was something between us.

Then spell it out.

What day did we pledge ourselves to each other?

When and where

did I give you

that token?

The night of the poetry gathering.

That night,

I came to visit my sister.

You and I met in the back courtyard.

You told me

you had no feelings for Mr. Yu

and didn't want to marry him.

You said I was the man you wanted.

So funny.

Grandmother,

that night, I went alone to see Yake.

I passed the ancestral hall,

which is how she knew I was alone

and could use it to frame me.

Madam Zuo may deny it,

but Grandmother,

Miss Fan

can testify for me.

Bring Miss Fan in.

Please hurry, Miss Fan.

Miss Fan,

on the night of the poetry gathering,

did you see the Ninth Young Lady?

Yes. She came to see me.

You two have always been close.

It's no surprise you'd cover for each other.

Then tell me this.

What did you talk about that night?

That night,

Tingyun and I

talked about...

Grandmother,

of course Miss Fan will say whatever Tingyun wants her to.

But she can't give any details.

Clearly,

her testimony can't be trusted.

All right, girls.

Each of you take a blank sheet of paper

and write down your private conversation

from that night.

If your accounts match,

that will be proof enough.

All right.

Miss Fan,

Tingyun's entire future

is in your hands now.

Write only the truth.

Every detail must be exact.

I came here today

to tell you this.

I'm willing to defy my mother for you.

Are you willing

to choose me over your friendship with her?

I'm not worth turning against your mother for.

Yake.

That's all I needed to hear.

I'll take that as a yes.

Don't worry.

That marriage between her and me

will never happen.

Miss Fan,

the Ninth Young Lady doesn't love Mr. Yu.

If you come between us now,

the Fu family will force her

to marry Mr. Yu.

Miss Fan, I'll ask you one last time.

On the night of the poetry gathering,

did Tingyun come to see you?

No.

No.

That's a lie!

Miss Fan,

the Ninth Young Lady's future is at stake.

How could you lie?

Insolent!

Tell the truth!

You're only a maid.

Since when is this any concern of yours?

Take her away.

Old Madam.

She didn't do it.

Old Madam!

She didn't do it!

My Lady!

My Lady!

My Lady!

Old Madam.

I don't know what ties Tingyun has

with Mr. Zuo,

but she wasn't with me

that night.

(I'm willing to defy my mother for you.)

(Are you willing)

(to choose me over your friendship with her?)

See?

So much for your dearest friend.

Grandmother,

if we want to put an end to this scandal,

there's only one way.

I don't want anything else.

I only want her.

Tingzhuo.

If you lay a hand on him again,

I'll hang myself outside your gate.

Mother,

how can you not believe

the girl you raised yourself?

Mother...

(Tingyun would never do anything this foolish.)

(But we've been backed into a corner.)

(And if we agree to this marriage,)

(the Fu family will be stuck with those parasites for good.)

Tingyun has fallen ill.

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

Send her to Biyun Nunnery.

She'll remain there in seclusion.

♪To break through a thousand barriers and cast off a life of illusion♪

Grandmother.

Let's go.

♪Wash away the stain of every false accusation♪

Tingyun.

Mother.

Grandmother.

♪Let this humble name carry me through a life adrift♪

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

♪Let the past remain beyond recall♪

Grandmother!

Grandmother!

♪I seek nothing beyond myself♪

(Chastity Honored Through the Ages) What good is protecting just one arch?

I'll protect all four.

As long as I stand,

those arches stand with me.

If I fall,

the memorial arches outside the Fu Residence

will come crashing down with me.

And the Fu men's political careers

will be over too.

(Virtuous and Chaste, an Honor to Her House)

No.

I have to tell them the truth.

What exactly will you tell them?

Even if you won't think of yourself,

think of Mr. Yu.

Mr. Yu.

That's right.

Everyone has to look out for themselves.

The Ninth Young Lady doesn't have to have everything go her way.

Even if she marries Zuo Junjie,

she'll still be a daughter of the Fu family.

She'll still have money.

But you, Miss Fan...

It's finally your turn to find happiness.

You're right.

I can't betray Mr. Yu's feelings for me.

I'm doing all this for him.

He's all I have.

(Biyun Nunnery, Fu Family Temple)

Ninth Young Lady.

Time to eat.

What is this supposed to be?

The smell alone makes us sick.

Leftovers from a few days ago.

How dare you treat her like this?

I'll report this to Old Madam,

and you'll answer for it.

After a scandal like hers,

she still thinks she can be picky?

Whether she'll still be a noble lady

remains to be seen.

That's not for you to decide.

Are you eating or not?

No.

Then starve!

Tear down the arches!

The Fu family doesn't deserve them!

Tear them down!

The scandal is all over town now.

The townspeople are demanding

that our chastity memorial arches be torn down.

As for Ninth Young Lady's disgrace,

a decision must be made at once.

Madam Yu.

This is the flower

Tingyun brought over, isn't it?

It was in full bloom then.

Now every blossom has withered.

I had hoped

to take it back to Yongning Prefecture

and tend it carefully.

But now...

it's been blemished.

The fault lies with the soil in our house.

We failed to let it flourish.

But one blemish doesn't diminish its beauty.

If you still have a fondness for it,

take it back to Yongning Prefecture.

In time, it will grow strong and lush

and repay your care with a profusion of blossoms.

After all,

I've tended it with great care for all these years.

And what caught your eye

was Tingyun herself, after all.

(Eight-Character Slip)

(Eight-Character Slip)

(Eight-Character Slip)

(Eight-Character Slip) What

becomes of this girl

is entirely up to you, Madam.

Well...

I need to think about it.

Mother.

You're here about the Fu family?

I'm afraid the Ninth Young Lady

is no longer an option.

May I

suggest someone else?

Master Fan has a daughter.

She's virtuous and accomplished,

with a gentle disposition.

Since

word has already gone out

that you're looking for a wife for me,

why not simply choose her?

Marry a girl from such a modest family?

No matter how talented she is,

she has no family standing.

Wouldn't that invite even more gossip?

Mother,

if you let me marry her,

I'll top all three imperial exams,

just as you've always wanted.

Fine.

You may go.

Madam,

are you really

going to give Young Master what he wants?

You think he truly loves Miss Fan?

What he wants is a potted plant,

someone who will support him,

and do as he says.

Very well.

I'll give him exactly that.

One day,

Young Master will understand that you wanted what was best for him.

I don't need him to understand.

From now on,

I get to be the loving mother,

and he gets the wife he wants.

Everyone wins.

Then...

what about the Ninth Young Lady?

We each have our own fate.

This scandal

is already the talk of the town.

We'd best keep our distance for now.

(Fu Residence)

Mother,

my daughter-in-law and I have come with good news.

The Yu family has formally proposed

marriage to Fan Kun's daughter.

Why not

make the most of the happy occasion

and arrange my brother's marriage to Tingyun

at the same time?

While preparing the betrothal gifts,

I noticed the list

calls for a dressing table.

Grandmother, as you know,

my family doesn't have one.

But I remember

there happens to be one

in your storeroom.

Once they're married,

our families will be closer than ever.

So don't keep it all to yourself.

In a couple of days,

have someone send it over.

Don't push your luck.

Mother, you must be busy.

We'll leave you to it.

The Yu family outranks ours.

Losing to them

is no disgrace.

But that lowly Zuo woman?

I thought enough of her

to pay to bring her into this family

and preserve our family's legacy of chastity.

Now she thinks

she's figured out how the game is played.

She thinks she's found my weakness

and can walk all over me.

Old Madam,

the Ninth Young Lady's scandal

is all over town.

If she doesn't marry into the Zuo family,

the only path left is death.

Now,

on one side are the arches,

and on the other is the Ninth Young Lady's life.

Once you've made your choice,

I'll see that it's done.

The Yu family really

got engaged to Yake?

If the charge of adultery sticks to me,

the three chastity memorial arches standing before the Fu Residence

will all crumble.

My Lady,

Old Madam will let us leave safely, right?

The future of the entire Fu family is at stake.

Grandmother won't find this choice easy.

The Fifth Madam will plead with Old Madam for us, won't she?

And there's Seventh Young Master.

It's been days,

and we've heard nothing.

I'm afraid Mother and Tingzhuo

are being kept under Grandmother's watch.

Now

I need someone outside all of this.

Maybe he can save me.

I'd like some pickles,

cured with Ground Snow.

The salt shops in town should carry it.

But,

well...

what does Ground Snow look like?

There are a few grains left in here.

Just buy the same kind.

Two old women came in with this cloth pouch.

They specifically asked for Ground Snow.

One of our men at the salt shop

recognized it as something belonging to Mr. Zhao,

so he brought it straight to us.

Who were those two women?

They said they were from Biyun Nunnery.

If I remember correctly,

Biyun Nunnery

is the Fu family's temple.

The Fu family?

(Loyalty and Filial Piety Endure) Old Madam.

Everything is ready.

What's she doing at Biyun Nunnery?

We can snatch her out and ransom her.

Yes.

Let's do that!

(If the Ninth Young Lady dies,)

(ten or twenty years from now,)

(the Fu family will have other ladies.)

(But if she lives,)

(there may be no Fu family left in ten or twenty years.)

What are you doing?

Ninth Young Lady,

which

would you rather do first,

take your medicine

or get dressed?

Your choice.

What do you mean?

Grandmother ordered this?

What are you here to do?

To preserve a good name,

we have to say

your betrothal to the Zuo family was already settled.

Then there was never any illicit affair.

But if you actually marry into that family,

the Zuo family will stir up trouble,

and we will never know peace.

Stop struggling.

Consider it one last act of filial duty to Old Madam.

Once you've finished this bowl,

we'll put you in the bridal sedan.

Then Zuo Junjie

won't get anything out of you either.

He can be a widower instead.

The family

will make offerings at your grave.

Let go!

Yuwei!

I won't drink it!

Old Madam really does know you best.

The two of us have never served you before.

Perhaps we're not close enough.

Bring in someone else,

and maybe you'll drink it.

(Next Episode)

Miss Fan.

The Ninth Young Lady of the Fu family

has died of illness.

She's dead?

How could she be dead?

The body identification record?

This is the woman you wanted as your sister-in-law.

Farewell, Ninth Young Lady.

Madam.

A wedding procession ahead

is blocking the road.

A wedding always gives way to a funeral.

Tell them to move aside.

♪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♪