Original subtitles

=Against The Current=

(Adapted from He Yanshan's novel, Orchid Fragrance Fate)

=Episode 1= (This drama does not correspond)

(to any real historical dynasty.)

(The systems, culture, attire and other dynastic elements have been adapted.)

(The Capital)

♪Only when you reach your mid-thirties♪

♪Do you learn how vast the world truly is♪

♪You worry about your aging parents♪

♪And your children yet to find their way♪

=Against the Current=

(Adapted from He Yanshan's novel, Orchid Fragrance Fate)

(Shen Jialan)

(Cui Xuemei, Shen Jialan's mother)

This protective charm is for Jinqi, isn't it?

Mother.

The Lin family is one of Jiangnan's most distinguished families.

And Jinqi's grandfather

is the Minister of Personnel.

Once you marry into their family,

you'll have duties toward his parents.

You won't be as carefree as you are at home.

I had hoped

that after you came of age,

you could stay with us for another two years.

But by then,

Jinqi will already be over 20.

I'm afraid the Lins

will be eager for the wedding.

Worry not.

You are the eldest daughter of Grand Secretary Shen's household,

and the apple of your parents' eyes.

Our family may not come from generations of high officials,

but our name still carries considerable weight.

Whether you marry sooner or later,

you'll always have our family behind you.

Out! Get out!

Go!

Get out!

This is a pharmacy,

not a charity.

If you can't pay, you don't get treated.

Physician!

(Xu Wanquan, Xu Lanxiang's father) Please, have mercy! Please!

Please save my daughter!

Please show us some compassion!

(Xue Guihua, Xu Lanxiang's mother) We'll do anything you ask.

We'll spend our lives repaying you!

Go on, get out!

Get moving!

I don't need your family working for me!

Physician!

I...

Please...

I'm begging you!

Please!

I...

She's my only daughter.

Please save her!

Please!

I've told you.

Stop disrupting my business!

Now get out of here!

Please, I'm begging you!

Get out!

Please!

She's our only daughter!

Have mercy!

Let go of me!

I'm begging you!

Please, we beg you!

Don't go!

What rotten luck!

Don't go!

Please don't go!

Have mercy! Please save our child!

Please save her!

(Xu Lanxiang)

Someone, please save her!

(Yong'an Pharmacy) Please, we're begging you!

We'll do anything you ask!

Please, we beg you!

Save our daughter!

Stop.

Please!

This way.

(Sun Wujing) Madam, this family

(Madam Cui's housekeeper) of three is registered servants.

Their daughter has been ill for years.

Fearing it might spread,

their master sent them away.

But the girl's condition

has taken a turn for the worse.

Poor child.

Give them ten taels of silver.

Yes, Madam.

Here.

Take it.

Thank you, Madam!

Thank you so much!

May you and the young lady

be blessed for your kindness!

Thank you, Madam!

Thank you!

Thank you, Madam!

Bless you both!

Please, get up.

Thank you, Madam!

Hurry and take your daughter to a physician.

Thank you, Madam!

Thank you so much!

Thank you, Madam!

You're so kind, Madam! Thank you!

Thank you, Madam!

Give them my spare set of clothes, too.

(Qiukui, Shen Jialan's personal maid)

Thank you, Madam!

You're so kind!

She can be saved!

- Our daughter can be saved! - Yes.

Thank you!

These are our young lady's spare clothes.

She saw how thinly dressed your daughter was,

so she wanted her to have them.

Thank you.

(Shen Residence, the Capital) (Virtue Brings Honor)

- First Madam, Young Lady Jialan. - First Madam, Young Lady Jialan.

First Madam, Young Lady Jialan.

- First Madam, Young Lady Jialan. - First Madam, Young Lady Jialan.

Father.

The final volume of my "Statutes Explained"

("Statutes Explained") has gone missing.

(Shen Boru, Shen Jialan's father) Did you

(Fifth-Rank Deputy Minister of Justice) take it?

There's something

I'd like to ask you, Father.

Go ahead.

What makes someone a slave?

What makes someone a slave?

A slave

is chattel.

In other words,

slaves are no different from livestock.

They're their master's property,

to do with as the master pleases.

However,

as their masters,

we're still bound by law and propriety.

We must teach them loyalty, duty, and integrity.

That's the foundation of a well-run household.

I understand.

Our Jialan is such a bright and eager student.

The Lin family is lucky to have her.

In a few days,

we'll host a tea gathering

and invite the Lin family over.

That'll give you and Jinqi a chance to meet.

(Ever Mindful of the Future)

(Lin Zhaoxiang, Lin Jinqi's grandfather, Second-Rank Minister of Personnel)

(Lin Changzheng, Lin Jinqi's father)

(Seventh-Rank Registrar, Court of Imperial Ceremonies)

Grandfather.

Father.

(Young Lin Jinqi)

You sent for me, Grandfather.

What can I do for you?

Many years ago,

Grand Secretary Shen and I

urged the deposed emperor to strip the regional princes of their power.

Our proposal was rejected.

So much time had passed

that I thought the matter was behind us.

But now,

someone has dredged it all back up.

His Majesty is furious.

You were only doing your duty.

There was nothing wrong with advising the emperor

to curb the princes' power.

That may be true,

but His Majesty was once a regional prince himself.

He may use this

to settle the score with our family.

Father,

please tell us

what we're supposed to do.

There's only one thing we can do.

You and I

must submit our resignations at once

and seek refuge in Jinling.

I've appealed to Grand Secretary Zhao, one of His Majesty's closest advisers.

If I submit

"A Memorial on the Deposed Emperor's Misrule,"

Grand Secretary Zhao will intercede for us.

It should...

It should be enough to save everyone in our family.

All right.

I'll draft my resignation at once.

Right now.

Grandfather,

shouldn't we warn Grand Secretary Shen first?

After all, I'm engaged to his eldest daughter.

We'll be lucky to save ourselves.

We can't afford to worry about another family.

I understand.

(Virtue Brings Honor)

The orchid symbolizes grace and integrity.

Our family has always prized scholarship and propriety.

Our daughters are raised by those same principles.

(Gu Xuan, Shen Jialan's grandmother) Every one of them is well educated,

(Matriarch of the Shen family) with the grace and strength of an orchid.

They're every bit as capable as any man.

Exactly.

- Yes. - Indeed.

Didn't I say not to serve the peach pastries?

I'll remove them at once.

Jialan, why can't we

(Shen Jialian, Shen Jialan's cousin) have the peach pastries?

Is there something wrong with them?

There's nothing wrong with them.

They just shouldn't be served today.

I hear the Lins' fourth daughter is allergic to peaches,

so she can't have anything containing them.

These pastries

are made with flour and preserved peaches.

If she eats one by mistake,

we'll have a real problem.

Jialan really does think of everything.

(Xu Chun, Shen Jialan's second aunt)

(Second Madam of the Shen family) From now on,

(Shen Qi, concubine) you should learn more from your cousin.

(of Shen Jialan's second uncle)

That's not fair!

Grandmother and I love peach pastries.

Let's do as your cousin says today.

We can have them another day.

They won't taste the same another day.

You're right.

I've had some peach pastries

sent to your room.

We can stay up by the fire and talk tonight,

and you can eat as many as you like.

It's a promise then.

I'll see you tonight!

I'll be there.

Grandmother,

your digestion is weak,

so you should eat small meals more often.

I've asked the cook to prepare peach pastries,

an almond drink, and preserved plums

for you to enjoy after the tea gathering.

They'll be soothing and nourishing,

and they'll help your digestion.

(Chu Heng, Shen Jialan's third aunt) See?

(Third Madam of the Shen family) No one is as thoughtful as Jialan.

She certainly takes after you, Xuemei.

Speaking of being thoughtful,

none of us can hold a candle to

Mother's sharp mind.

It's all thanks to Mother's teaching.

Exactly.

Xuemei is right.

(Mid-morning) It's already midmorning.

Why isn't the Lin family here yet?

Madam.

These are Young Lady Jialan's betrothal papers.

And this other document...

(Betrothal Papers)

(Lin)

(Notice of Dissolution of Betrothal)

(The birth charts of Lin Jinqi and Shen Jialan are incompatible.)

(Their engagement is dissolved, and they can seek other matches.)

(Signed, Lin Changzheng.)

The Lin family

is breaking off the engagement?

The Lin family has gone too far!

I'm going there to demand an explanation.

Prepare the sedan chair!

(Virtue Brings Honor)

Over there!

Yes!

Stay close!

Make way!

Move!

Out of the way!

Go!

(Integrity Above All)

Hurry!

Father.

(Shen Qihan, Shen Jialan's grandfather) The Imperial Guard is here.

(Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Hall Second-Rank, Minister of Rites)

What are you doing?

We're here under imperial orders to seize the Shen Residence.

Old Madam Shen.

Madam Shen.

Forgive me.

Grand Secretary Shen Qihan

has deceived the throne and betrayed His Majesty's trust.

He is guilty of disloyalty to the realm.

Every male member of the Shen family is to be executed.

The women are to be enslaved and sent to the Imperial Music Bureau.

All family property is to be confiscated by the state.

Move in!

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

What do you want from us?

Let go of me!

Keep your hands off my daughter!

What's going on?

Let go of my mother!

Stop!

(Integrity Above All)

(A Clear Conscience Before Heaven and Man)

Old Madam,

what exactly happened?

Why is His Majesty

accusing Father of treason?

When His Majesty was still a regional prince,

the Old Master urged the deposed emperor to curb the princes' power.

Now His Majesty wants him

to denounce the deposed emperor as an unworthy ruler.

But the Old Master refused to betray his conscience.

Your father did nothing wrong.

Grandmother,

what are we going to do now?

What can we do?

This is

the Imperial Music Bureau.

They may call it

a place for music and dance,

but in truth,

it's nothing but a state-run brothel.

For over a century, our family

has been known for scholarship, propriety, and an untarnished name.

The Old Master lived a life of unwavering integrity

and earned the respect of honorable men throughout the realm.

As women of the Shen family,

we'd sooner die with our honor intact

than live in disgrace.

Old Madam.

I'm not afraid to die.

But Jialian...

She's only ten.

Grandmother.

I'm not afraid.

Grandfather always said

the Shen family would rather break

than ever bend.

My brave girl...

This...

I had it prepared for myself.

I thought His Majesty might show some mercy

and punish only the Old Master.

Mother...

If he had, old as I am,

I'd have followed him in death.

But I never imagined...

Grandmother.

Mother.

Don't cry.

Jialan.

I'll go on ahead.

When we meet again in the next world,

let's share some peach pastries.

Jialian...

- Jialian... - Jialian...

Jialian...

- Jialian! - Jialian!

Jialian!

Jialian!

Jialian!

Mother...

I'm here, darling. I'm here.

- Jialian... - Jialian...

- Jialian... - Jialian...

Jialian!

I'm coming with you.

Chun!

Aunt Chun!

Don't leave me, Jialian!

Jialian!

Aunt Chun!

Jialian...

Use me as a step.

I can't do that!

Mother...

Let me be the one to see you off.

The Shen family has failed you in this life.

In the next,

we'll repay you.

Mother.

Let me

do my duty to you one last time

and help you go in peace.

Then I'm afraid...

I'll have to trouble you one last time.

My child...

I'm the one...

who gave you life.

Now...

Will you let me take you with me?

That way,

your soul

will always remain by my side.

We'll stay mother and daughter through every lifetime,

and we'll never be parted again.

Thank you for everything

you and Father have done for me.

In the next life,

I hope I can be your daughter again.

♪A lone figure wanders down the old lane♪

♪The heart remembers what time cannot erase♪

♪One thought brings sorrow, another dreams of brighter days♪

♪I never ask how long the road will be♪

♪Or what changes fate may bring♪

♪I only wish for one gentle ray of light♪

♪Step by step, page by page♪

♪The portrait of my youth takes shape♪

♪Let every doubt and restless turn be carried on the wind♪

♪Chapter by chapter, journey by journey♪

♪I watch the bustling world come and go♪

♪And quietly wait for the light♪

(May Mother and Father Be Safe and Well)

(This protective charm is for Jinqi, isn't it?)

(Mother...)

♪Step by step, page by page♪

♪The portrait of my youth takes shape♪

♪Let every doubt and restless turn be carried on the wind♪

♪Chapter by chapter, journey by journey♪

♪I watch the bustling world come and go♪

♪And quietly wait for the light♪

Heavens!

I was hoping

to take the young, pretty ones

and train them myself.

But now look at this...

The Shen family...

What a stubborn family.

Old Madam Shen.

The eldest Shen daughter.

Third Madam Shen.

Shen Jialian and her mother.

Shen Jialan and her mother.

They're all here.

Child, you...

Let me die!

Let go.

Let me die!

Let me die!

- Please let go. - Let me die!

- Let go. - I want to be with my mother!

Listen to me.

Please listen to me!

What's going on?

- Let me die! - Let go.

Xu, come here!

What's happening?

I want to be with my mother! Let me go!

If anyone aboard hears you...

- Let go! - We'll all be killed!

Mother...

Why did you leave me behind all alone?

My dear...

If there'd been even the slightest hope,

no mother

would ever willingly watch

her own daughter die before her eyes.

I can never repay you in this life.

If we meet again in the next,

I swear I'll repay the kindness you've shown me today.

Please don't say that, Madam.

By heaven's grace,

we happened to be lodging at the Imperial Music Bureau, doing odd jobs.

That's how we found you.

The money you gave us

couldn't save Lanxiang,

but it allowed her to spend her final days

in comfort.

She was wearing

the beautiful clothes your daughter gave her

when she passed, happy and at peace.

Go, quickly.

Someone could come at any moment.

Guihua...

Don't worry.

When I reach the other side,

I'll take good care of Lanxiang

and love her as my own.

My daughter, Lanxiang...

Her father's carrying her

on his back.

We left Lanxiang's body in your place.

Now our daughter

is lying there beside your mother,

with no one to lay either of them to rest.

If you kill yourself,

you'll be betraying your mother's sacrifice,

and Lanxiang's as well.

And if you really do die

here on this boat,

and word gets out,

we'll probably be killed as well.

Madam asked me

to give this to you.

(May Mother and Father Be Safe and Well) (LIVE)

(May Mother and Father Be Safe and Well) (LIVE)

=Against The Current= (Next Episode's Preview)

Heaven above,

and Earth below, bear witness.

Today, honorable men have recovered the remains

of the Shen family and Lanxiang

and laid them all to rest.

I owe them a debt beyond measure.

I'll never forget what they've done,

and I swear I'll repay them one day.

♪Spring slips from the branches once more♪

♪Flowers bloom unseen, as they have before♪

♪All the joys and sorrows come and go♪

♪While loss leaves winter in the heart♪

♪Though all the world may fade♪

♪Time rolls on as countless lives rush by♪

♪Night winds wander through the halls of long ago♪

♪No page could hold the longing words can never show♪

♪Every joy and sorrow in this fleeting life♪

♪Fades into the past as new wounds rise♪

♪While whispers of perfume linger beneath the eaves♪

♪Let the cold wind rage, let the wild rain fall♪

♪Let sorrow spill like shadows over all♪

♪Let love fall to pieces, let old anger burn away♪

♪Let the past die with yesterday♪

♪One last fire, one last cup of wine♪

♪And silver moonlight to guide me through the night♪

♪Let beginnings fade as endings come to call♪

♪From this endless dream, there's no return at all♪

♪Let the cold wind rage, let the wild rain fall♪

♪Let sorrow spill like shadows over all♪

♪Let love fall to pieces, let old anger burn away♪

♪Let the past die with yesterday♪

♪One last fire, one last cup of wine♪

♪And silver moonlight to guide me through the night♪

♪Let beginnings fade as endings come to call♪

♪From this endless dream, there's no return at all♪