Original subtitles

(Guardians of the Dafeng)

(Episode 2)

Ci Jiu!

What are you doing?

Wait!

Close the door first!

Go back!

Go back!

Leave someone here! Not all of you should go and close the door!

Ci Jiu, why are you doing this?

Ning Yan! Help us out!

One, two, go!

Step on my shoulders.

Ci Jiu!

Use this as leverage!

My hair is stuck!

His hair is stuck!

The knot is gone!

I'm out.

I'm getting giddy!

He's slanting!

Aunt Ma, what happened?

It was quite noisy in there.

Is everything okay?

Everything's fine.

The bench just fell to the ground.

Goodbye.

What else is it again?

You guys left Dou Ding outside.

Just put her on the ground.

Goodbye.

My son, are you okay?

How did you guys come back?

Our neighbors didn't see me trying to hang myself, right?

No, they didn't.

I can rest at ease, then.

Xin Nian,

our neighbors said you were hanging yourself.

What does that mean?

Physician, please save my son.

He's been in a coma for days...

You guys are back.

Are you okay now?

I'm perfectly fine.

Physician,

is there anyone sick here?

This is...

Are you guys sick?

Is it serious?

Not really.

I'm glad to hear that.

I'm glad to hear that.

If so, let's go, then.

Your shirt is all dirty now.

What's going on?

The living conditions here are terrible.

How dare you steal food?

Grandma Bu will pluck your tooth for this.

But Ling Yue...

Hurry and tell Father and Mother to come to the dining table.

Father and Mother are taking care of Xin Nian.

If so, you can tell Ning Yan to come and have his meal first.

Why don't I have any memories of the host,

yet I can still remember his family?

It was hard for me to be promoted to the rank of manager.

In the end, I was sent here.

Mr. Zhu is so lucky.

I haven't finished spending the money in my bank card too.

And, I didn't even read a single chapter of the three novels I just bought.

Where exactly am I?

What dynasty is this?

They're even using sorcery.

Don't tell me that I'm stuck here forever?

This won't do.

I can't just kick the bucket without figuring things out.

Just one bite.

No! I want food from Guiyue Restaurant.

- I only want their food! - Don't move.

You're only here during mealtime, huh?

How else do you expect me to have my meals?

Ling Yue, your cooking skills have improved.

This dish is superb.

What's wrong with Xin Nian?

He tried to take his own life just now. But now...

This is called transient global amnesia.

This refers to a condition where, under specific circumstances,

if they experience a significant shock,

their memory might completely vanish.

However, their basic skills remain unaffected.

There won't be any issues with their movements either.

So, there's no seat for me, huh?

Buddy, excuse me.

I was wondering

why I felt giddy.

There's no bowl for me either, huh?

Lend me your bowl.

Oh yeah. Just rest well.

It's nothing major.

But you guys shouldn't mention the past incident.

It'll make him confused easily

and cause him to experience side effects.

(Ning Yan is being so nice today.)

(He's actually helping me out for once.)

Ling Yue,

why do you keep staring at me?

I just feel like you're different now.

The way you speak and act is totally different now.

In the past, he was never able to solve cases.

That's right. I'm perplexed too.

Ning Yan,

how did you manage to solve the case?

That's the gist of it.

That's how our family was released.

I see.

Why didn't I think of that?

You're so boorish that you don't even know how to weigh things.

Second Uncle,

were you not present when they were counting the silver?

The Lu fellow gave me a pot of osmanthus wine.

You guys know about my alcohol tolerance too.

No one can beat me when it comes to drinking.

I just took a few sips.

Why didn't you include that in your testimony?

I just thought that it was nothing worth mentioning.

Nothing worth mentioning?

The entire family was almost in trouble because of that.

How is that not worth mentioning?

I was muddle-headed.

I will never take alcohol again.

Mother,

the night sky looks beautiful tonight.

Look at all the stars.

Why did we fail again?

I told you already. It was the dosage of the salt.

I saw Senior Wan boiling the salt.

These people are actually forging fake silver.

Cai Wei? That's Senior Cai Wei!

Senior Cai Wei!

His Majesty ordered us to forge fake silver for tax.

He said that it explodes when it comes into contact with water.

But we failed all of our attempts. We don't know what went wrong.

Senior Cai Wei, please resolve our issue for us.

Senior Cai Wei, you witnessed the procedure yourself.

- So, why did we fail? - Yeah.

Yeah.

It looks fine.

That's how he did it back then.

This is ancient alchemy passed down from the past.

It's deep and complex.

It's not like you guys can figure it out with just a few tries.

A higher level of alchemy mastery is required

to achieve significant results with less effort.

I shall teach you all a mantra.

You guys have to remember this.

Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen,

fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, and phosphorus.

Hydrogen? Helium?

What does the mantra mean?

I don't know what it means either.

Anyway, Xu Qi An came up with the mantra.

He's the nephew of Xu Ping Zhi,

a Seventh-Rank Green Robe in the Imperial Sword Camp.

You guys can look for him.

By the way, he was the one who forged the fake silvers.

Master.

Cai Wei, you're here.

Master.

Sodium.

What exactly is it?

I don't know.

Master, are there things in the world that you don't know?

There are plenty of them.

I don't even know

where the crooks who attacked us 19 years ago went.

You're saying this again.

Master, you keep saying that the crooks from 19 years ago were vile.

But you never told us about what they stole from you.

They stole something extremely valuable.

Master,

you knew what it was, yet you never told us.

And now, you're acting mysteriously.

You're terrible.

So, Master,

with your level of cultivation, you can see

both the past and the present, foresee the future, and are omnipotent.

If so, I'm sure you know

why Xu Qi An knows alchemy, right?

About that...

(Today's the seventh day I've been in this world.)

(I've gradually accepted that I cannot return to my world.)

(I might've been sent to this world without a choice, )

(but I'm actively thinking about my future here.)

(All in all, )

(it's similar to my previous team.)

(My targets are within my shooting range.)

(This way, )

(I can execute my plan with peace of mind.)

(The family of the host is treating me nicely.)

(Second Uncle)

(takes me as his own son.)

(He's a Seventh-Rank Hundred-Commander Imperial Sword Guard, Xu Ping Zhi.)

(That's equivalent to a civil servant in the system.)

(He may look glorious to outsiders, )

(but he's governed by his wife.)

Ci Jiu

has expended all of the family money

in order to rescue us.

What should we do now?

Yeah. What should we do now?

Get up.

Extend your right leg.

Lift your clothes up.

I was planning to give that to you.

I'll count this

as last month's monthly allowance, then.

Count it as this month's monthly allowance.

I mean, last month.

(My aunt is hard to deal with.)

(She's just like the CFO who just left our company.)

(As for the two sisters, )

(one is a capable admin with a good personality.)

(She's well-organized and dexterous.)

(She has to handle both trivial and huge affairs.)

(She may seem mature beyond her years, )

(but in reality, she's quite childish.)

(She's at the age of experiencing her first love.)

(As for the younger sister, )

(she's basically a mascot.)

(She's basically a two-legged glutton.)

(Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the younger brother.)

(He is an educated individual.)

(But he looks like a poor man who writes articles for a living.)

Abundant wealth can be found

under the brush of a man.

(No. I have to monitor him more often)

(to prevent him from tricking me.)

(From today onward, I'm not Yang Ling.)

(I'm Xu Qi An.)

(In my previous life, I gave up on my dreams because of reality.)

(Here, as a high-quality product of nine years of compulsory education)

(and a brain filled with life hacks, )

(I can definitely realize my dreams.)

(I Want to Make Money)

How is it? I assume you guys understand me.

Anyway, this is my plan. I want to make money.

All of you should make money too.

I know that my plan is imperfect.

I'm sure you guys don't understand the concept of asset management

and joint venture listing.

But please don't worry. Please trust my abilities.

After all, many famous people were looked down upon

before they made their break.

Ling Yue, scrub the clothes well.

Understood.

Xin Nian, I heard that you're studying in a certain academy.

Yunlu Academy.

What about this? Support me by giving me some startup capital.

Once my business booms, you can stay in your room and count our profit.

Second Uncle,

I heard that you're an Imperial Guard. Is it a high-ranking position?

I'm just an Imperial Sword Guard.

Lend me a hand, and I'll make you one of my shareholders.

Dou Ding, do you have any New Year's money left. Spare me some.

I'll buy you a cart of pears once I make a profit.

Nope.

Ling Yue,

you're in charge of the family's finances, right?

Give me some money.

I'll give you a 10% dividend. What do you think?

What are you saying?

- Xu Ning Yan... - Aunt, please keep quiet for now.

I'm doing this for the family's sake, you know?

Great.

Ling Yue.

Ning Yan, here's your uniform.

What do you mean?

You owe this family decades' worth of monthly allowance.

Along with the rent for your side house,

the total is 632 taels and 5 qian.

If you truly have the family in mind,

you better change into your uniform,

return to the yamen,

and work for a living!

Work?

I will never work!

I will never work in this lifetime.

Second Uncle, haven't I made myself clear?

You should persuade your wife.

You should hurry up.

Your wage will be docked if you're late for the roll call.

You!

Ling Yue, stop pretending to be ignorant.

Help me out here.

I'll open a clothing store for you after I make a profit.

You don't need to do laundry by then. You can wear something nice...

Ling Yin,

go and play with the wooden horse.

Xu Ning Yan.

Help!

She's trying to murder me!

Stop running! You brat!

Aunt! Save me!

Stop her!

(No one can stop me from making money.)

(According to my speculation, )

(today should be the fifth day of the third month, )

(in the Year of the Rat.)

(My business plan officially begins today.)

(They actually build houses with cement in this world?)

(There are actually mirrors too?)

Why don't you buy one?

(Now, I finally understand why I can't achieve success with inventions.)

(It's because Astronomical Bureau has already invented everything.)

(Even if inventions don't work, I can still do business.)

(I believe that I can have a bright future ahead)

(not long after this.)

You better think twice before you speak.

I have limited patience.

Mister,

I have limited patience too.

Are you buying them or not?

You've already finished one jin of them.

These are all just shells!

They are just shells!

I'll buy them. I didn't say that I wouldn't buy them.

So, how much is your profit? Boss, tell me about it.

My cost is 15 wen. I sell them for 20 wen.

So, your profit is only 5 wen?

(I have a new idea.)

(If I can write out the wuxia novels and online novels from my world, )

(I can make money without doing anything.)

(My goodness.)

(I gave up.)

(One novel alone has millions of words.)

(I have to write them out with a brush.)

(It's not realistic at all.)

(And, I can't remember all of the plots and content.)

(Fine. I'll put aside my plan for now.)

(Changle County Yamen)

Actually, doing business isn't as simple as it seems.

I should plan this out.

Hurry!

Yes, ma'am!

(Fair and Just)

Xu Qi An, constable of Changle County?

Fine. I'll go to work today and see what it's like.

One can only discover business opportunities

by integrating themselves into the lives of Dafeng people.

I'm quite lucky.

I found money on the ground.

Did someone lose this?

Did someone lose this?

Did someone lose this?

I'll keep it since there's no reply.

I'm so unlucky.

Not only did we not solve the cases,

but I also lost my money for no reason.

The one who picked up my money better pray that he doesn't encounter me.

I'll kick him to death.

Xu Qi An?

(Constable Wang)

Why are you back?

I thought you were banished.

So,

the tax case has been solved?

Ning Yan, you have no idea.

When you were in prison,

a murder occurred on Kangping Street.

The victim was an influential merchant.

The county magistrate lost his temper.

He reprimanded Constable Wang every day.

He even ordered us to solve the case within a time limit.

Constable Wang was so anxious that he couldn't sleep well.

But don't worry.

Ning Yan, you weren't around before this.

This case has nothing to do with you.

I'll make a plea for you in front of the county magistrate.

No matter what,

I'll make sure you stay here.

I swear to go through thick and thin

with my brothers.

Why don't we

slack off?

Slack off?

So, you guys slack off too?

I mean,

since the case is difficult to solve,

and, since it's just a job,

why don't we slack off and make things easier for everyone?

Let's make things easier.

Slacking off is a great idea.

Ning Yan,

you're right.

It's just a job.

We should make things easier for ourselves.

Don't worry.

We'll be choosing a scapegoat

from the vile beings who committed rape and serious crimes.

All of them are scums of the earth.

(Here, slacking off means finding a scapegoat, huh?)

Boss.

Although they're terrible,

they don't deserve death, don't you think?

Weren't you the one who came up with the idea?

Why don't you

show me the case file?

Constable Xu,

who's the culprit, then?

Where is he?

The victim, Zhang You Rui,

(Zhang You Rui, Merchant)

He's a wealthy merchant from Kangping Street.

His wife died early, leaving him with a sole son.

After that, he married a woman who was 20 years younger than him.

20 years younger than him?

Have you found a clue?

He does like his woman young, huh?

Xu Qi An!

However,

it's wrong to commit murder.

How did you two murder Zhang You Rui?

- Confess! - My Lord, what makes you say so?

Why would I murder my own father?

Let me ask you this.

Where were you when the murder was being committed?

I was in the study room.

Why weren't you in the bedroom with your wife?

I was checking the accounts.

Do you have any alibi?

It was past midnight.

How could I have any alibi?

Mrs. Zhang,

you and Zhang You Rui were married for ten years and had no child.

But how come you're pregnant now?

You better confess.

Did you do the deed with his stepson and murder him?

My Lord!

I'm innocent!

I had a weak constitution.

I had to tend to my health every day.

It was difficult for me to be pregnant with his child.

My Lord, how could you malign me?

You said you saw a dark shadow scaling the wall after the murder.

If so, why couldn't the constables find any footprints

or any trampled plants in the garden?

- This... - My Lord,

how could Mother have any idea

how the thief infiltrated the house?

My Lord, are you pushing the blame on us

because the constables cannot solve the case?

(His sense of reasoning is articulate.)

(And, he actually turned the tables.)

(Zhang Xian looks like a difficult person to deal with.)

How dare you still deny your crime?

- Someone! - Yes, My Lord!

Flog them!

Yes, My Lord!

My Lord! I'm innocent!

My Lord,

are you trying to torture us until we confess?

My uncle is the supervisor of the Ministry of Rites.

My Lord,

aren't you afraid that you might be impeached?

Such audacity!

So what if you're the nephew of the supervisor?

The supervisor...

The supervisor?

Even the nephew of the supervisor

shouldn't act like this in court.

You, leave.

County Magistrate Zhu wanted to torture us until we confess.

- I'm sure all of you guys saw that, right? - We did!

You shouldn't do that to them!

Release them!

This won't do.

I have an idea.

All right.

Don't be nervous. I'm here to help you.

You may call me

Xu Sir.

Okay, Xu She.

On the night of the murder,

you had an affair with Zhang You Rui's son

while he was collecting rents in the countryside.

But Zhang You Rui came back in advance and saw you two doing the deed.

Wretch! I'll kill you!

- Father! - You guys killed Zhang You Rui by accident.

I didn't.

I'm innocent.

To cover your tracks,

you guys dragged his body to the courtyard.

Zhang Xian even planted the footprints on purpose.

This way,

you guys could turn the murder into a case

of murder after failed burglary.

After that, you guys used the same excuse and told your kin,

who was an official, to apply pressure on the magistrate.

You guys could rest at ease after dealing with the constables.

You guys thought that you did a flawless job.

Actually, there were plenty of flaws.

My Lord,

you mustn't malign us like that.

Zhang Xian only planted footprints exiting the residence.

He didn't plant any footprints entering the residence.

If the thief was skillful,

he would've used his abilities when escaping.

He would never leave any footprints behind.

That's the first point.

As for the second point,

Zhang You Rui died from a blunt blow.

He died in a single blow.

We didn't find the murder weapon at the crime scene.

That means the culprit brought the weapon with him.

Why would a thief bring a blunt weapon with him when he commits burglary?

Doesn't that make things harder for him?

You can't explain that, right?

As for the third point,

when Zhang You Rui died,

he was lying face down in the courtyard with his feet pointing outward.

The fatal blow was dealt to the back of his head.

That means the culprit struck him from behind.

Therefore, the thief was in the courtyard.

And, he was right behind Zhang You Rui.

If it was a thief, he would've remained still or escaped immediately.

Why would he sneak up behind him

and murder him while he was busy?

And, the victim was killed in one blow.

How is that possible?

(I'm almost done with the intimidation.)

(Up next is the crucial part.)

Just when I was about to enter the cell,

the county magistrate gave me a written testimony.

This is Zhang Xian's testimony.

Open it!

What's wrong? You don't dare to do it?

It contains everything I said in detail.

Zhang Xian knew that he couldn't cover up his tracks.

He knew that there was no escape.

He confessed in front of the county magistrate willingly.

By the way,

he said he was innocent.

He said you forced him

to do everything.

He said

that you murdered the victim too.

Therefore, he's willing to pay him 500 silver taels

and offer him a favor from Lord Xu, the supervisor,

to end the case with this written testimony.

I told you this already.

I'm here to help you.

As long as you come clean with us,

the county magistrate promises

to spare you and your child from execution.

Really?

That's right.

(Changle County Yamen)

This is preposterous. How dare he tell me to release them?

This is within the jurisdiction of Changle County.

Even if he's the supervisor, he has no power over this area.

He's openly obstructing law enforcement in this era.

I'm sure he has some sort of backing.

I even heard

that Lord Xu went to the Ministry of Justice

ever since Zhang Xian stepped foot into the county yamen.

Now, he's still there.

This is my conclusion.

I cannot release him.

In my opinion,

we can release him first.

This way, we can kick a huge fuss over it.

Are you saying...

I heard

that Li Yu Chun and Li Yin Luo of the Night Guardians

are both fair and just officials.

If he hears about this,

he might do something about it.

Zhang Xian, you may leave now.

That's an excellent poem!

Come. I'll offer you a toast.

Ning Yan, hurry and try it.

Boss ordered this Orange Stuffed with Crab just for you.

Thank you.

Eat up.

The county magistrate said

we did a great job

with the case.

He's also giving me

some credits for this.

I've worked for him for so many years.

He has never said something like that to me before.

Fill your cups.

Brothers,

let's offer Ning Yan

a toast.

Ning Yan!

You were the main contributor

to the solving of the case.

- That's right. - You're too courteous.

- Excellent! - Thank you, brothers.

Ning Yan,

you don't show off usually.

I never expected you to be this capable.

You should tell us how you managed to solve the case.

Actually, it's nothing special.

The woman was easily persuaded.

She was easily intimidated.

When she saw...

When she saw the testimony written by Boss,

she confessed immediately.

You're so modest.

He's so modest.

- He's too modest. - I agree.

Let's continue. Come.

Boss,

I heard that Zhang Xian was released.

Ning Yan,

as constables,

we've fulfilled our duties.

We should leave the rest of the case

to our superior.

Can he handle it?

Don't worry about it. Here, I'll offer you another toast.

No. Wait.

If he can't handle it well,

Mrs. Zhang will be dead for sure.

After all, she was the one who ratted out Zhang Xian.

When I tell you not to worry, you need not worry at all.

I saw this myself.

Secretary Xu was rushing to the Tower of Valiance

with the testimony in his hand.

Tower of Valiance?

Who are you?

I'm Xu Jiu Zhi, the chief secretary of Changle County.

I'm here to seek an audience with Li Yin Luo.

Lord Li is away on official duties.

Are you sure Secretary Xu is seeking reinforcements?

A cautious approach ensures a smooth journey, you know?

Although Changle County is small,

it's adjacent to the capital of Dafeng, which is filled with noble figures.

Of course we have to act cautiously.

Who exactly is within the Tower of Valiance?

Are you sure he can topple Zhang Xian?

Are you drunk?

It houses the Night Guardians.

Night...

Night Guardians?

The weather is dry!

Beware of fire!

Was your brain damaged by counterfeit alcohol?

That's a night watcher.

Who are the Night Guardians, then?

You don't know who the Night Guardians are?

- Catch the thief! - Boss!

- Boss! - You scoundrel!

- How dare you steal from me! - You deserve it!

The Night Guardians

monitor the officials

and protect the capital.

We aspire to be heroic figures

like them.

Especially Lord Wei Yuan.

- Let me interrogate him later. - Okay.

You'll understand when you get the chance to see them in action.

His Lordship commended us for solving the case.

As a reward, he's giving us a day off tomorrow.

We should split the drinking bill later.

- But Boss... - Isn't that what you guys do?

But I haven't gotten my salary yet.

- Is it called AA? - AA.

Yeah. We should use the AA system.

Listen, AA only works for colleagues.

You're my superior, you know?

Mister,

get me a sweet beverage. Less sugar.

Mister, please wait a moment.

Here you go. Take care.

Thank you.

Why are you jittering?

(All these burly men are here at a dessert shop.)

(And, they didn't touch their desserts.)

(I'm sure something's amiss.)

(I'll render a second-class merit today.)

Take your beverage with you and scram.

I knew something was off.

I'm Xu Qi An, a constable of Changle County.

I'm conducting an inspection.

Illegal possession of weapons,

30 flogs.

Close the door!

Initiating a brawl,

50 flogs!

You're digging your own grave!

Beating up a yamen official, three years of imprisonment!

Boss, the prison cart is here.

Do it.

Freeing a prisoner, huh?

Death awaits you all.

Free the prisoner!

Boss.

Retreat!

Dying isn't that bad.

Maybe I can return to my world after this.

Kill him!

Do no evil in the middle of the night!

Fear not the Night Guardians in broad daylight.

The Night Guardians are here.

You guys better surrender!