Original subtitles

=The Road to Splendor=

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

=Episode 34=

General Zhao.

Eunuch Lian.

Since your imprisonment,

you have not pleaded innocence,

nor appealed.

Such composure

truly makes me

admire you.

I trust His Majesty

will not wrong an innocent man.

His Majesty also trusts

you would never collude with merchants.

But the difficulty

of this case

lies elsewhere.

Though His Majesty is the supreme ruler,

there are times

when even he cannot do as he wishes.

He granted you the courtesy name Huchen,

hoping you would serve him

like a fierce tiger.

That trust and regard

are absolutely real.

What does His Majesty mean?

General Zhao,

do you remember Madam Yan of Yongning?

Yes.

She served her husband for a lifetime.

In the end, she was convicted as his accomplice

and executed with him.

In ordinary households,

all domestic affairs

are handled by the wife, are they not?

She handled

the business dealings.

She met

the merchants.

And she received

the silver.

You knew nothing of it all.

But what if she is innocent?

The moment she signs the confession,

who will believe she is wronged?

With a bowl of poison poured down her throat,

General Zhao,

you will see the light of day again.

His Majesty will grant you a chance to redeem yourself.

High rank, generous salary, wealth and honor

will still be yours.

After all,

you are

His Majesty's Huchen.

Your hands must remain clean.

Lay low for a while,

and you will still be restored to favor.

Is that not how

the Yu family protected

Young Lord Yu?

General Zhao,

you

must think this through carefully.

Mr. Zhao.

I'm fine.

Madam Zhao.

General Zhao fought his way to the highest ranks.

He earned it with his life.

If such a small case

brings him down,

what a waste that would be.

One bowl of medicine,

and you

can secure his future.

When we first met,

we were enemies.

In Linchun Town,

it was you

who gave me a new path.

The Yongning case

gave me a chance to clear my name.

Five years in Ganlin Town,

you stayed with me from banner commander

to a man with distinguished military merits.

In this life,

I was fortunate to have you.

In this life,

I too was fortunate to have you.

I saved you from Biyun Nunnery

not to let you end up

in another one.

No!

♪Shattered into dust thin♪

Spit it out!

Spit it out now!

Spit it out!

Spit it out now!

Zhao Ling!

Spit it out!

Spit it out now!

Quanhui.

I will never

abandon you.

No!

♪Clouds part, mists drift away♪

Spit it out, Zhao Ling!

Zhao Ling!

Every matter,

big or small,

was done by me alone.

They had nothing to do with it!

Zhao Ling!

I beg His Majesty for mercy.

Zhao Ling!

Spare them.

I beg His Majesty for mercy.

Spare them.

I beg you.

Save Zhao Ling. I beg you.

Spare them.

Save him.

I beg you.

Spare them.

I beg you.

Spare them.

Here they come.

They're out.

Madam.

Quanhui.

Easy.

Slow down.

Madam,

where is Mr. Zhao?

Mr. Zhao

is gone.

What do you mean?

What do you mean?

What do you mean, gone?

I'm going to find him.

Sen.

I'm going to find him.

Sen, calm down.

Quanhui, what do you mean?

What do you mean, gone? Quanhui.

What do you mean, gone?

What's the point

of living on alone?

Don't think like that.

Let me go with him.

I'll join him in the afterlife!

Fu Tingyun!

Your man is gone,

and you want to die with him?

Who are you doing right by?

My Lord,

word has come from the imperial prison.

Zhao Ling is dead.

Dead?

Just

like that?

That seems too easy.

How did Fu Tingyun react?

She nearly killed herself to follow him.

The ladies from the Northwest stopped her.

Madam,

you should go

and feel them out.

Young Master.

Any news?

Zhao Ling took his own life in the imperial prison.

Ninth Young Lady has been pardoned and released.

She is staying at the Xie shop for now.

So she is

truly safe.

Young Master,

shall I go to the Xie shop

and find out for you?

Have some water first,

Madam.

Tingyun,

if it hurts too much,

you can cry.

Stay strong.

How do you plan to arrange

the funeral?

We should start preparing.

I haven't given it much thought.

I understand.

Before,

you had someone

to discuss things with.

Now,

you are the only one left in charge.

But these things

still need to be arranged.

Let me help you.

Right.

Once you've done it before,

you'll get the hang of it.

Don't worry.

Madam Mo has experience.

I'll handle it.

I have experience.

When Yu Xiaoqi died,

I was alone too.

Zhao Ling

has not yet been convicted.

The funerary banner

must follow the third-rank standard.

His Majesty

has granted him a proper burial.

So the dignity he deserves

must be upheld.

Sister,

there is something else.

Don't say it.

I understand.

Now,

we are both the same.

The past

is best left unspoken.

Let's get through this first.

We women

must learn to take care of ourselves.

Zhao Ling

gave his life to protect you.

So you must live well.

You must hold on.

Just like Mo Yi

gave his life to protect me.

I must live well too.

(Coffin of the Late General Zhaoyong, Zhao Ling)

(In Memoriam)

(Spirit Tablet of My Late Husband, General Zhaoyong Zhao Ling)

My condolences.

(Xie Jewelry Shop)

Madam Yu has arrived.

(Spirit Tablet of My Late Husband, General Zhaoyong Zhao Ling)

As is customary,

I have prepared sacrificial offerings,

hand-copied rebirth mantras,

and plain white silk brocade

as my condolence gifts.

Madam Zhao,

how are you holding up?

Madam Yu,

my husband Zhao Ling

died unjustly in prison

without a proper trial.

I am his lawfully wedded wife.

One day,

I will clear his name.

Madam Zhao,

neither of us is naive.

This performance of yours today...

Is it for the funeral,

or is it an act?

We both know the truth.

If you truly wish to see this act through,

I do have something

to add to your performance.

The common folk's Chastity Tonic

has a harsh recipe.

It is too painful.

I had a milder version prepared for you.

It will make your beauty fade too soon

and make childbearing difficult.

If you insist you are a widow,

you will surely have use for it.

How dare you torment her like this?

There is no such rule in the Northwest.

My sister here

can remain a widow,

remarry,

or have children, as she pleases.

Who do you think you are

to dictate to her?

You pride yourself on your refinement,

yet you stoop to scheme with me,

offering poison as a gift

and without shame.

Madam, no.

It was just a bit of teasing.

You took it too seriously.

At your age,

who would really want to harm you?

I did not come here to fight you.

I came to offer you some advice.

The court

has seen the last of Zhao Ling.

Stopping here

is just right.

If you try to stir up more trouble,

what awaits you in the end

may be far worse than this bowl of Chastity Tonic.

Let me give you one more piece of advice.

In this life,

what you end up holding onto are these things.

If you wish to stand at the top,

and stand there long,

you must give up something,

such as kindness,

or true feelings.

If you want to stay alive,

stop here.

Right here.

What kind of person is this?

General Zhao's already dead,

and she still pulls this stunt.

Tingyun.

Found anything?

The coffin was sealed.

I didn't see Zhao Ling's body.

But that no longer matters.

It's likely a diversion.

His Majesty

has Zhao Ling working in secret.

If he finds anything,

I will be the one to die.

And Zhao Ling

bears the humiliation,

completes his mission, and repays the Emperor.

If he finds nothing,

then he dies.

The Emperor and I

can still appear to be harmonious.

For His Majesty,

there is no loss either way.

What matters now

is to find out

what Zhao Ling has really been up to.

Rest assured, Master.

I have already

had the Xie shop watched.

Father.

Mother.

Learn from your father.

What

have you been doing?

I've just been

studying the classics.

Away from the court,

I've lost my hunger for fame and profit.

I feel much more at ease.

You've never truly held power,

yet you claim to be tired of it.

I grew up surrounded by it.

Nothing about it feels new.

Anzhou,

Yuzhou,

Yongning Prefecture.

These three places,

starting today,

salt prices will rise.

At least

eighty copper coins per catty.

You've studied arithmetic

since you were three.

Reading accounts and estimating value is nothing for you.

So tell me,

after the price change,

how much more will the Yu family earn in a year?

At least

fifty thousand taels.

Good.

I say raise it by eighty.

The salt price

will not be any lower.

I say start with these places,

and no one below will dare deviate.

I say a catty is not a catty,

but one catty and seven taels.

And the world will accept it.

You were born into the Yu family.

You've known wealth and luxury since childhood.

What you possess

is what others could never earn

in several lifetimes.

You were born with it.

Do you know why Zhao Ling and I

are locked in this

fight to the death?

Is it because of that woman you've been thinking about?

Some want to climb up.

Others fear being replaced.

It's that simple.

And you,

my son,

do you wish to enjoy wealth and glory

or be pushed around?

This is the last time

I will speak to you like this.

Keep this in mind.

Yes.

I understand, Father.

My Lord.

Lord Wei from the Ministry of Personnel

has come with pastries to see you.

His father-in-law is making things difficult for me.

Why is he here?

Do you see?

Power

makes thousands come to beg you,

not

the other way around.

(Map)

(Anzhou Xie Shop)

(Anzhou) My apologies,

(Anzhou) you two.

We are closed today.

Who is it?

I'm one of you.

Do you recognize this bracelet?

Mr. Zhao.

(Shen Congsi) Previously, all letters from Lord Shen

passed through this shop

to reach you.

But two months ago,

Anzhou's mail was strictly controlled.

This letter could not be sent.

Lord Shen left it here,

and soon after,

he died suddenly.

This letter

became his final words.

(I thoroughly investigated Anzhou's corrupt salt system.)

(Besides the granary loss fraud,)

(I uncovered another monstrous scheme.)

(The official weights used in Anzhou are fraudulent.)

(Their outer shells are iron,)

(but inside, they are copper.)

(They are called Golden Weights.)

(Salt merchants deliver one catty and seven taels,)

(but it is recorded as one catty.)

(The seven-tael difference,)

(day after day, month after month,)

(ruins the salt merchants entirely.)

(They are forced to raise salt prices.)

(The common people can no longer afford salt.)

(The source of this evil lies within Anzhou's officials.)

(Shen Congsi) (But I have already alarmed them.)

(Shen Congsi) (I fear I will not survive.)

(Yet)

(to plead for the people's cause,)

(even death is without regret.)

(If anyone should read this letter,)

(Shen Congsi) (may they carry on and see it through.)

The key to this case

is still the Golden Weights.

But with our resources,

to take on such a powerful foe,

it seems we must go back to our old ways.

Young Lord Qin, we need your help.

With what?

You will go

to Minzhou

and borrow some official salt.

I beg His Majesty for mercy!

I beg you.

Spare them!

I beg you. Save Zhao Ling!

I beg you. Save him!

I granted you the courtesy name Huchen,

and I did not misjudge you after all.

General Zhao,

straighten yourself up.

That was just an ordinary tonic.

Come on.

Good.

I have observed that many couples

abandon each other in times of crisis.

But a couple like you,

who stand together

through life and death,

is truly rare.

You have integrity

and loyalty.

You are worthy of my blessing.

(Report on the Death of Imperial Salt Censor Shen Congsi)

Look.

(Report on the Death of Imperial Salt Censor Shen Congsi)

(He died of illness in Anzhou.)

They claim it was an illness,

but I do not believe it.

And

I know one more thing.

During the old salt law,

a so-called Golden Weight was used throughout the realm.

One catty and seven taels of grain

would be weighed as just one catty.

The surplus

mostly ended up in Yu Guodong's pockets.

I want to bring him down,

but he has many allies

in key positions.

So

I have hesitated.

But he has only grown bolder.

I may not have liked

Shen Congsi,

but he was an imperial censor.

They

dared to kill an imperial censor.

So you imprisoned us both,

raided the Zhao Residence,

all to...

To make a show of one thing

while secretly doing another.

Zhao Ling,

I ask you

to do what you did

in Yongning,

and bring down the Yu family.

Do you

have a way?

Since Huchen could not work,

then Zhao Ling is out too.

Since this concerns salt,

perhaps Jiuweijiao could.

Good.

Sister.

Between us,

there is no need for such formality.

Let's drink.

I want to tell you something today.

Mr. Zhao is not actually dead.

Not...

Not dead?

He left the capital in secret

to investigate the case.

But right now,

he is in grave danger.

If he cannot find solid evidence,

he will never be able

to return to the capital.

From then on,

he may have to live as a salt trader.

It's good that he's not dead.

I didn't mean to keep this from you.

I thought

the fewer who knew, the better.

The grieving act

must be as convincing as possible.

I understand.

Why don't you scold me, sister?

Please, scold me.

It may sound terrible,

but knowing someone shared my pain

somehow brought me comfort.

And now,

knowing that General Zhao is alive,

I truly feel glad.

In this world,

there is one less broken heart.

Thank you for telling me this.

Thank you.

I have failed you.

Back then,

I truly wanted to save General Mo.

But His Majesty's decision was final

and Mr. Zhao had no choice either.

I understood that long ago.

My anger toward you

was just me looking for someone to blame.

I was the one

truly to blame, for pushing him

to chase fame and status.

Fine as snow,

white as frost.

Where did you get such good stock?

Have you heard of Ground Snow?

A refining method from the Northwest.

Almost as good as official salt,

only thirty copper coins per catty.

Thirty copper coins?

This...

The current market price

is already eighty.

We're new here.

Just trying to make a living.

We want

to open up the market.

I have good stock here

for thirty copper coins per catty.

Thirty copper coins?

Don't lie to me.

How is that possible?

Not only is it over half cheaper,

but it's top quality too.

Who are you two,

daring to cause trouble in Anzhou?

You take on any business that comes your way, don't you?

Didn't you bother to ask

whose protection we're under?

You dare touch my men?

Don't you know they're under my protection?

Who are you?

Jiu

wei

jiao.

What Jiuweijiao?

Don't move.

Stay still.

Don't move!

Don't move!

Come here.

Steal our business,

and now you want to steal our goods too?

This low-grade salt of yours

isn't even fit to pave the road for us.

Someone, come here.

Dump the salt into the water.

Better to sink the boat

than lose the salt!

Don't push it too far!

Sink it.

You...

You

steal business,

and now you want to take the pier too?

Did you ask those above us?

Those above you?

Who?

Want to call them out and have a chat?

Let's see

whose backing

is stronger.

My Lord.

A salt smuggler

has recently come to Anzhou.

He goes by

Jiuweijiao.

He has good salt

and sells it cheap.

If this continues,

(Anzhou, Prefect Liu) I'm afraid

we will have little left to offer you.

(Five hundred taels)

What's the big deal?

I'll send someone to get rid of him.

Thank you, My Lord.

Who

is this Jiuweijiao?

He smuggled salt in the Northwest years ago.

He has a big name in Jianghu.

I've already sent men

to the Northwest

to look into his background.

For now,

do you think

we should

teach him a lesson?

He has good salt

and sells it cheap.

He can sell to anyone, can't he?

I've sold smuggled salt as official salt

plenty of times.

But selling official salt as smuggled salt?

That's a first for me.

Right.

Then you should thank Lord Qin.

He borrowed official salt from Minzhou for us.

His Majesty personally instructed me

to give you

my full support on this trip.

Opening a couple of salt warehouses

is no trouble at all.

Well then,

I have one more favor to ask.

What do you want?

Help me block a water route.

That's a bit much to ask.

Jiuweijiao thrived in the Northwest

because he had his own smuggling routes.

We need to show them our routes

and make the act real.

This is different from borrowing salt.

I can't just block a water route on a whim.

Please go upstairs.

Alright.

The fish has taken the bait.

Then we'll play it by ear.

You're something else.

Out here,

you are whoever you say you are.

My lord

invites you to his residence, Mr. Jiu.

(Invitation)

(Prefect Liu Wenyuan of Anzhou invites)

(Mr. Jiu for tea and a discussion.) Since Prefect Liu invites me,

I must receive him with proper ceremony.

We'll find a place

to host him.

Then

we'll invite him over.

Where will you host him?

On the An River.

On a cargo boat?

We won't just show the goods.

We also want him

to see our routes.

Without real strength,

how could we survive in Anzhou's trade?

Put everything down!

Don't move!

Patrol inspection!

Under Lord Ruan, I presume?

We're on the same side.

You should choose

a better time to move goods!

Yes.

Got it.

Let's go.

I won't ask

about your connections.

But I will tell you

who mine are.

Oh?

Thanks to the Yu family's favor,

I get to enjoy such fine food

here in Anzhou.

Now you've seen my connections.

I'll do business

with you.

But

thirty copper coins per catty

is not negotiable.

Otherwise, I can't answer to my men.

If you're not agreeable,

I can always follow the An River

and seek my fortune in Minzhou.

Fine.

Thirty copper coins, then.

But

we'll use my scale.

Deal.

(Next Episode)

No matter what,

I will expose the Yu family's lies

and give the people the justice they deserve.

At any cost,

Zhao Ling must not

return to the capital alive.

Madam,

you don't have much time left.

I beg you, Madam,

to help him through the final stretch

and see him safely to the capital.

This court

would be entirely under Grand Secretary Yu's control.

We're burning time.

She's burning money.

We'll see who gives in first.

♪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♪