1
00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:32,700
=The Road to Splendor=

2
00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:34,760
(Adapted from China Literature author
Zhizhi's novel of the same name)

3
00:01:35,140 --> 00:01:38,000
=Episode 2=

4
00:01:38,459 --> 00:01:40,459
I heard your wife's elder brother

5
00:01:40,739 --> 00:01:42,099
holds office in Tong County.

6
00:01:42,700 --> 00:01:43,500
Would you

7
00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:45,099
write me a letter

8
00:01:45,099 --> 00:01:45,980
of recommendation

9
00:01:46,580 --> 00:01:47,420
and have him vouch for me?

10
00:01:49,940 --> 00:01:50,340
(My)

11
00:01:50,819 --> 00:01:51,620
(brother-in-law?)

12
00:01:54,620 --> 00:01:55,620
Would it be out of line?

13
00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:09,259
This young lady

14
00:02:09,460 --> 00:02:10,220
is of the Fu family.

15
00:02:10,659 --> 00:02:12,259
Sir, would you read
her Eight Characters?

16
00:02:12,419 --> 00:02:14,659
Will she bring me good fortune

17
00:02:14,659 --> 00:02:15,500
and bless me with sons?

18
00:02:17,579 --> 00:02:18,940
Can she lend me support

19
00:02:18,940 --> 00:02:19,699
for my imperial exams?

20
00:02:20,139 --> 00:02:21,859
Without her exact hour of birth,

21
00:02:22,060 --> 00:02:23,340
I cannot read
your marriage compatibility.

22
00:02:24,259 --> 00:02:26,419
I suspect you have not obtained
her family's consent

23
00:02:26,659 --> 00:02:28,139
(Zuo Junjie and Fu Tingyun)
and sought this divination in secret.

24
00:02:28,140 --> 00:02:29,856
(Zuo Junjie,
Madam Zuo's younger brother)

25
00:02:31,220 --> 00:02:32,340
(Scoundrel.)

26
00:02:35,099 --> 00:02:36,020
They speak of

27
00:02:37,139 --> 00:02:38,900
the Ninth Young Lady, do they not?

28
00:02:40,539 --> 00:02:41,940
Mr. Zhao, please do not misunderstand.

29
00:02:42,139 --> 00:02:43,500
This man is nothing but a rogue.

30
00:02:44,139 --> 00:02:44,859
Tingyun

31
00:02:45,220 --> 00:02:46,780
has never been betrothed to anyone.

32
00:02:46,780 --> 00:02:48,460
Don't get so worked up.

33
00:02:50,940 --> 00:02:51,460
Listen.

34
00:02:51,940 --> 00:02:53,060
She was born

35
00:02:53,180 --> 00:02:55,379
around the 18th day of the 4th month,
Fifth Year of Dacheng.

36
00:02:55,979 --> 00:02:56,740
On that day,

37
00:02:56,740 --> 00:02:58,500
all the magnolias in our home bloomed.

38
00:03:00,139 --> 00:03:00,819
Sir,

39
00:03:00,940 --> 00:03:01,740
please check it for me.

40
00:03:01,859 --> 00:03:02,900
This...

41
00:03:03,419 --> 00:03:03,940
Forget it.

42
00:03:04,139 --> 00:03:05,419
Sir, examine mine first instead.

43
00:03:06,099 --> 00:03:07,940
You have a fine nose.

44
00:03:08,180 --> 00:03:08,940
In years to come,

45
00:03:08,940 --> 00:03:10,900
you are destined
for a high official post.

46
00:03:11,780 --> 00:03:12,379
Sir,

47
00:03:12,699 --> 00:03:13,900
I've known since childhood

48
00:03:13,900 --> 00:03:15,180
that I am bound for high office.

49
00:03:15,539 --> 00:03:16,099
Someday,

50
00:03:16,259 --> 00:03:17,419
once I attain high office,

51
00:03:17,539 --> 00:03:18,979
I shall give you a shop.

52
00:03:19,379 --> 00:03:20,259
Splendid.

53
00:03:20,780 --> 00:03:21,460
Farewell.

54
00:03:51,539 --> 00:03:52,419
Who are you?

55
00:03:52,419 --> 00:03:52,900
How dare you

56
00:03:52,979 --> 00:03:53,740
strike me!

57
00:03:53,979 --> 00:03:55,220
I am Zuo, a scholar!

58
00:03:55,220 --> 00:03:55,579
Take this!

59
00:03:55,579 --> 00:03:56,900
I am Zuo, a scholar!

60
00:03:57,379 --> 00:03:58,379
My elder sister

61
00:03:58,659 --> 00:04:01,060
is the daughter-in-law
of the Magistrate's elder brother!

62
00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:02,300
Stop hitting me!

63
00:04:18,899 --> 00:04:19,660
He's still alive.

64
00:04:25,620 --> 00:04:26,219
Come.

65
00:04:26,459 --> 00:04:27,620
Many thanks, Mr. Zhao,

66
00:04:28,060 --> 00:04:29,540
for helping me settle the score.

67
00:04:30,180 --> 00:04:31,420
Indeed.

68
00:04:31,740 --> 00:04:32,139
Here.

69
00:04:34,139 --> 00:04:35,139
No need for small cups.

70
00:04:35,819 --> 00:04:36,940
I'll drain an entire pot.

71
00:04:41,660 --> 00:04:42,459
Tingzhuo,

72
00:04:44,060 --> 00:04:45,219
earlier you said something

73
00:04:46,139 --> 00:04:47,219
about Tong County,

74
00:04:48,459 --> 00:04:49,860
and my elder brother-in-law?

75
00:04:52,100 --> 00:04:53,819
What brother-in-law?

76
00:04:54,139 --> 00:04:55,819
I don't recall.

77
00:05:01,060 --> 00:05:01,779
Wait a moment.

78
00:05:05,379 --> 00:05:06,740
You...

79
00:05:11,259 --> 00:05:11,980
From now on,

80
00:05:13,579 --> 00:05:15,339
I'll be your elder brother-in-law.

81
00:05:18,620 --> 00:05:19,860
Look at the Fu family,

82
00:05:19,980 --> 00:05:21,620
a house full of hollow lotus roots.

83
00:05:23,019 --> 00:05:25,100
How could they produce
such a genuine soul?

84
00:05:31,019 --> 00:05:31,899
If you ask me,

85
00:05:32,219 --> 00:05:33,940
let's settle this marriage, then.

86
00:05:34,699 --> 00:05:36,459
The dowry we swindle over

87
00:05:37,259 --> 00:05:38,139
can serve as salt trade capital,

88
00:05:38,300 --> 00:05:39,540
and we'll gain a sister-in-law to boot.

89
00:05:41,819 --> 00:05:42,940
Mark my words.

90
00:05:43,620 --> 00:05:45,219
We agreed we're only after money.

91
00:05:45,980 --> 00:05:47,259
Don't even think
about tricking her into marriage.

92
00:05:49,060 --> 00:05:50,300
Look at us right now,

93
00:05:52,060 --> 00:05:53,139
living hand to mouth.

94
00:05:55,779 --> 00:05:56,699
We have no right to ruin

95
00:05:56,699 --> 00:05:58,060
an innocent young lady.

96
00:05:58,940 --> 00:05:59,860
Look at yourself.

97
00:06:00,259 --> 00:06:01,339
You are no longer young,

98
00:06:01,740 --> 00:06:02,620
yet still unwed.

99
00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:04,699
I just fear...

100
00:06:07,779 --> 00:06:09,459
I fear if I meet someone

101
00:06:14,019 --> 00:06:15,259
from a household like the Fu family,

102
00:06:15,699 --> 00:06:17,899
where everyone plots
and schemes all day long,

103
00:06:18,139 --> 00:06:19,660
weighing pros and cons in every matter,

104
00:06:19,660 --> 00:06:20,779
haggling over gains and losses,

105
00:06:21,139 --> 00:06:22,620
calculating how much dowry she'll bring,

106
00:06:22,620 --> 00:06:24,139
and how much betrothal gifts
I must offer.

107
00:06:25,860 --> 00:06:26,540
Tell me,

108
00:06:29,139 --> 00:06:30,219
is this a marriage,

109
00:06:34,339 --> 00:06:35,620
or merely a transaction?

110
00:07:02,940 --> 00:07:03,860
Is this

111
00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:05,219
Ground Snow?

112
00:07:07,819 --> 00:07:08,699
Look into it.

113
00:07:14,420 --> 00:07:15,500
Tingyun, there you are.

114
00:07:25,940 --> 00:07:27,060
What a righteous man.

115
00:07:27,980 --> 00:07:28,860
Last night,

116
00:07:29,019 --> 00:07:30,019
Mr. Zhao and I

117
00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:32,060
thrashed that scoundrel Zuo Junjie good.

118
00:07:32,259 --> 00:07:33,259
That Mr. Zhao

119
00:07:33,500 --> 00:07:34,660
has a chivalrous heart.

120
00:07:35,219 --> 00:07:37,060
He even stood up for you.

121
00:07:37,740 --> 00:07:38,540
Grandmother,

122
00:07:38,620 --> 00:07:40,379
Uncle and Aunt have been misled

123
00:07:40,540 --> 00:07:42,180
for the sake of their own gain.

124
00:07:42,819 --> 00:07:45,259
But what made you fall
for Zhao Ling's tricks?

125
00:07:45,379 --> 00:07:47,180
Just because you two fought
side by side once,

126
00:07:47,180 --> 00:07:48,100
you become friends?

127
00:07:48,779 --> 00:07:51,139
Of course I only want you
to have a good match.

128
00:07:51,459 --> 00:07:52,459
Mr. Zhao

129
00:07:52,459 --> 00:07:53,180
is handsome and virtuous,

130
00:07:53,180 --> 00:07:53,940
and has a noble birth.

131
00:07:54,540 --> 00:07:56,300
If trouble ever comes your way
in the future,

132
00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:57,740
he will surely keep you safe.

133
00:07:58,300 --> 00:07:59,139
He's truly

134
00:07:59,139 --> 00:08:00,540
an ideal husband.

135
00:08:01,540 --> 00:08:03,139
What a pity you are not a woman.

136
00:08:03,860 --> 00:08:04,980
If you were, you could marry him,

137
00:08:05,180 --> 00:08:06,579
and it would be ideal for both sides.

138
00:08:11,899 --> 00:08:14,500
Why did you bring
a magnolia sapling, Ninth Young Lady?

139
00:08:15,219 --> 00:08:16,100
I have taken

140
00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:17,540
a fancy to you at first sight, Madam.

141
00:08:18,139 --> 00:08:20,139
There are many tangled outside affairs

142
00:08:20,259 --> 00:08:21,379
I cannot make sense of.

143
00:08:21,899 --> 00:08:24,100
I truly have no one
to turn to for advice.

144
00:08:26,980 --> 00:08:28,180
What would you like to ask?

145
00:08:28,540 --> 00:08:29,699
I would like to ask

146
00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:31,660
about Mr. Zhao.

147
00:08:33,739 --> 00:08:35,020
You're quite sharp-witted

148
00:08:35,780 --> 00:08:37,180
to have come to me.

149
00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:38,380
Have a seat.

150
00:08:42,420 --> 00:08:43,300
Salt administration

151
00:08:44,020 --> 00:08:45,459
bears heavily on people's livelihood,

152
00:08:45,940 --> 00:08:47,260
and even more on military
and state governance.

153
00:08:47,859 --> 00:08:49,380
Officials dispatched to oversee the work

154
00:08:49,459 --> 00:08:50,979
are mostly high-ranking and powerful.

155
00:08:51,780 --> 00:08:52,859
If a salt shortage

156
00:08:52,859 --> 00:08:54,260
escalates into a grain famine,

157
00:08:55,219 --> 00:08:57,300
could a mere local Imperial Salt Censor

158
00:08:58,619 --> 00:09:00,260
shoulder such grave responsibility?

159
00:09:01,619 --> 00:09:03,380
(He truly is a fraud.)

160
00:09:05,739 --> 00:09:06,579
Madam,

161
00:09:06,579 --> 00:09:07,459
didn't you say

162
00:09:07,459 --> 00:09:09,219
you'd stay out of
the Fu family's affairs?

163
00:09:10,819 --> 00:09:12,260
The magnolia itself is splendid,

164
00:09:14,420 --> 00:09:15,780
yet its original pot

165
00:09:16,940 --> 00:09:18,219
is a burden.

166
00:09:19,859 --> 00:09:21,540
I acted on impulse back then

167
00:09:21,540 --> 00:09:23,020
and put her in a tough spot.

168
00:09:23,099 --> 00:09:24,699
So I offered her some guidance.

169
00:09:26,060 --> 00:09:27,819
How much she can take to heart

170
00:09:29,060 --> 00:09:30,579
depends on her own fate.

171
00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:33,499
It is also a test for her.

172
00:09:35,660 --> 00:09:36,260
My Lady,

173
00:09:36,339 --> 00:09:37,459
I've checked at the salt shop.

174
00:09:37,619 --> 00:09:38,739
It's the finest top-grade salt,

175
00:09:38,739 --> 00:09:39,339
Ground Snow.

176
00:09:44,420 --> 00:09:46,219
All Ground Snow from Huaying

177
00:09:47,020 --> 00:09:48,780
was confiscated by Eldest Uncle.

178
00:09:49,499 --> 00:09:50,739
How could he still have any?

179
00:09:53,780 --> 00:09:55,180
Aside from the Imperial Envoy,

180
00:09:56,219 --> 00:09:58,099
no one else can get Ground Snow.

181
00:09:59,300 --> 00:10:00,660
He is Jiuweijiao.

182
00:10:05,180 --> 00:10:06,260
The eyebrow-height staff won't suit me.

183
00:10:06,420 --> 00:10:07,140
I'd rather wield a blade.

184
00:10:07,660 --> 00:10:08,819
You want to wield a blade again?

185
00:10:09,339 --> 00:10:10,739
How many times have I told you?

186
00:10:11,099 --> 00:10:12,260
When roaming the jianghu,

187
00:10:12,699 --> 00:10:14,579
a few self-defense skills
are all you need.

188
00:10:16,859 --> 00:10:18,660
Your hands have never been stained
with blood.

189
00:10:19,300 --> 00:10:20,540
If you ever get the chance,

190
00:10:21,180 --> 00:10:22,819
you can still choose the right path.

191
00:10:25,739 --> 00:10:26,859
I heard

192
00:10:26,859 --> 00:10:28,180
Feng Laosi, the salt merchant,

193
00:10:28,180 --> 00:10:29,420
has bad blood with Jiuweijiao.

194
00:10:29,859 --> 00:10:31,420
Why don't we turn the situation
to our advantage?

195
00:10:32,140 --> 00:10:33,020
We'll claim

196
00:10:33,099 --> 00:10:34,699
Jiuweijiao disguised himself
as the Imperial Envoy

197
00:10:34,699 --> 00:10:35,579
and infiltrated the Fu family.

198
00:10:35,780 --> 00:10:37,619
We'll let someone else deal
with the fraud for us.

199
00:10:39,499 --> 00:10:40,459
Mr. Zhao.

200
00:10:40,540 --> 00:10:42,180
Miss Fu requests your presence.

201
00:10:42,339 --> 00:10:43,380
She has something important to discuss.

202
00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:46,260
What matter?

203
00:10:46,619 --> 00:10:48,660
It's regarding arranging funds for you.

204
00:10:52,020 --> 00:10:52,859
Miss Fu

205
00:10:52,859 --> 00:10:54,739
also wants to contribute
to the fund raising.

206
00:10:54,739 --> 00:10:56,380
She hopes to ask you a few questions.

207
00:10:57,940 --> 00:10:58,859
Please go ahead.

208
00:10:59,459 --> 00:11:01,060
Mr. Zhao, have you ever seen

209
00:11:01,219 --> 00:11:02,380
ten thousand taels of silver?

210
00:11:04,739 --> 00:11:05,979
How many chests would it fill?

211
00:11:12,979 --> 00:11:14,260
If two men carry one,

212
00:11:14,540 --> 00:11:15,420
can they manage it?

213
00:11:24,140 --> 00:11:25,020
It's those two men.

214
00:11:26,540 --> 00:11:28,619
Who might these guests be?

215
00:11:30,219 --> 00:11:32,699
You are the Jiuweijiao spoken of
across the jianghu.

216
00:11:33,499 --> 00:11:35,979
So you're nothing but a weak scholar.

217
00:11:37,540 --> 00:11:38,219
Take them down!

218
00:11:40,020 --> 00:11:40,579
Mr. Zhao,

219
00:11:40,940 --> 00:11:42,300
we're badly outnumbered.

220
00:11:43,219 --> 00:11:44,619
That's the jianghu way.
Run when you must.

221
00:11:45,579 --> 00:11:47,219
Only those who know when to run
can survive the jianghu.

222
00:11:48,699 --> 00:11:49,219
Understood.

223
00:12:09,859 --> 00:12:11,339
Interesting.

224
00:12:11,979 --> 00:12:12,660
After them!

225
00:12:12,660 --> 00:12:13,540
Don't let him escape!

226
00:12:14,060 --> 00:12:14,619
Halt!

227
00:12:14,619 --> 00:12:15,219
Seize them!

228
00:12:24,020 --> 00:12:24,979
I closed the window.

229
00:12:24,979 --> 00:12:25,940
How did it open again?

230
00:12:33,060 --> 00:12:34,180
What's this?

231
00:12:36,819 --> 00:12:37,780
My Lady.

232
00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:40,339
Ground Snow.

233
00:12:43,420 --> 00:12:44,579
What do we do, My Lady?

234
00:12:45,380 --> 00:12:47,140
He'll come to seek revenge on us.

235
00:12:52,979 --> 00:12:54,579
(Ninth Young Lady, you seek
a prestigious high-status marriage.)

236
00:12:54,699 --> 00:12:56,339
(Yet your family lacks
the virtue worthy of such standing.)

237
00:12:56,339 --> 00:12:58,699
(Beware the fall
from lofty hopes and empty dreams.)

238
00:12:59,099 --> 00:12:59,940
Scoundrel.

239
00:13:00,499 --> 00:13:01,420
My Lady,

240
00:13:01,900 --> 00:13:03,300
what could he mean by this?

241
00:13:03,819 --> 00:13:05,099
(Fu Residence)
Will he seek revenge on us?

242
00:13:05,180 --> 00:13:06,300
Whatever his intentions may be,

243
00:13:06,859 --> 00:13:07,739
we only need

244
00:13:08,380 --> 00:13:09,859
to capture him as soon as possible.

245
00:13:10,300 --> 00:13:10,859
What

246
00:13:10,859 --> 00:13:11,940
about the salt?

247
00:13:17,180 --> 00:13:18,499
Report this to the authorities.

248
00:13:19,380 --> 00:13:20,739
Offer a hefty reward for his capture.

249
00:13:20,979 --> 00:13:23,380
Claim he attempted to swindle
ten thousand taels of silver.

250
00:13:23,380 --> 00:13:23,780
Understood.

251
00:13:23,979 --> 00:13:24,579
Wait.

252
00:13:25,819 --> 00:13:26,940
Change "attempted to swindle"

253
00:13:27,499 --> 00:13:28,660
to "swindled".

254
00:13:31,420 --> 00:13:33,339
(Wanted Notice)
Zhao Ling and his accomplice

255
00:13:33,339 --> 00:13:34,900
infiltrated the Fu Residence in Huaying

256
00:13:35,180 --> 00:13:37,020
and fraudulently obtained

257
00:13:37,020 --> 00:13:37,859
ten thousand taels of silver.

258
00:13:38,579 --> 00:13:40,380
Anyone who reports their whereabouts

259
00:13:40,380 --> 00:13:41,859
shall receive a reward
of one hundred taels from the Fu family.

260
00:13:42,020 --> 00:13:42,979
Whoever captures them

261
00:13:42,979 --> 00:13:43,979
will be awarded one thousand taels.

262
00:13:44,420 --> 00:13:46,099
(Swindled?)

263
00:13:46,180 --> 00:13:47,219
A thousand taels?

264
00:13:47,219 --> 00:13:47,979
That's a fortune!

265
00:13:49,339 --> 00:13:50,260
Make way!

266
00:13:50,819 --> 00:13:52,140
Who is Zhao Ling?

267
00:13:52,140 --> 00:13:53,060
How dare he cheat the Fu family.

268
00:13:53,060 --> 00:13:54,020
Never seen him before.

269
00:14:00,260 --> 00:14:00,979
My Lady,

270
00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:03,060
why did you change
"attempted to swindle"

271
00:14:03,060 --> 00:14:04,339
to "swindled"?

272
00:14:06,300 --> 00:14:07,579
All under heaven hustle,

273
00:14:07,579 --> 00:14:08,660
drawn by gain.

274
00:14:09,020 --> 00:14:10,260
All under heaven bustle,

275
00:14:10,420 --> 00:14:11,499
chasing profit.

276
00:14:12,020 --> 00:14:12,979
Grandmother once said,

277
00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:14,579
those wanderers of the jianghu

278
00:14:14,739 --> 00:14:16,459
claim loyalty
and righteousness come first.

279
00:14:16,579 --> 00:14:17,099
Mr. Zhao.

280
00:14:17,099 --> 00:14:18,579
Yet in the end they still

281
00:14:19,099 --> 00:14:20,660
cannot escape the lure of profit.

282
00:14:20,819 --> 00:14:21,540
This is

283
00:14:22,660 --> 00:14:24,180
human nature.

284
00:14:24,420 --> 00:14:25,739
We're all like brothers here.

285
00:14:26,060 --> 00:14:26,660
Come and eat.

286
00:14:27,380 --> 00:14:28,140
It's not much.

287
00:14:28,140 --> 00:14:28,940
Mr. Zhao, you go first.

288
00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:30,060
Bao,

289
00:14:30,219 --> 00:14:31,900
when have you ever seen
Mr. Zhao keep all the food to himself?

290
00:14:32,499 --> 00:14:33,099
Here.

291
00:14:33,660 --> 00:14:34,499
Let's eat together.

292
00:14:57,699 --> 00:14:59,339
You two haven't been with me long,

293
00:15:00,380 --> 00:15:01,780
so you don't know one of my rules.

294
00:15:03,459 --> 00:15:04,979
Whoever prepares the meal

295
00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:08,260
takes the first bite.

296
00:15:08,940 --> 00:15:10,459
Only then can I eat in peace.

297
00:15:14,260 --> 00:15:14,979
Go on, eat.

298
00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:29,140
You poisoned the food!

299
00:15:33,579 --> 00:15:34,699
Trying to run?

300
00:15:36,699 --> 00:15:37,300
Mr. Zhao.

301
00:15:37,420 --> 00:15:38,300
He must be punished.

302
00:15:39,900 --> 00:15:40,619
Mr. Zhao!

303
00:15:40,979 --> 00:15:42,420
Spare my life, Mr. Zhao!

304
00:15:42,819 --> 00:15:43,739
Mr. Zhao!

305
00:15:44,739 --> 00:15:45,540
Mr. Zhao!

306
00:15:49,819 --> 00:15:50,660
Mr. Zhao!

307
00:15:57,300 --> 00:15:58,219
Do you know why

308
00:15:58,219 --> 00:15:59,219
I love red-stalk greens?

309
00:15:59,380 --> 00:16:01,140
Wild greens like these
grew everywhere in the old days.

310
00:16:02,099 --> 00:16:03,540
They were all we had
to fill our bellies.

311
00:16:04,020 --> 00:16:05,900
But you've only been
with me a short while,

312
00:16:06,660 --> 00:16:08,739
so there's no way you'd know
my fondness for this dish.

313
00:16:09,660 --> 00:16:10,979
But why

314
00:16:16,780 --> 00:16:18,979
did you choose to poison
this soup of all things?

315
00:16:20,380 --> 00:16:21,459
Yuanbao,

316
00:16:22,459 --> 00:16:23,780
there is a kind of person in this world

317
00:16:25,339 --> 00:16:26,579
who can only share hardship,

318
00:16:27,979 --> 00:16:29,099
not prosperity.

319
00:16:33,099 --> 00:16:33,819
Prosperity?

320
00:16:36,819 --> 00:16:38,619
All these years by your side,

321
00:16:39,060 --> 00:16:40,540
I've lived in constant fear.

322
00:16:41,579 --> 00:16:42,420
Where's the prosperity?

323
00:16:43,380 --> 00:16:45,300
You believed that lie
about the swindled silver?

324
00:16:46,859 --> 00:16:47,459
I did.

325
00:16:57,380 --> 00:16:58,459
I will make up

326
00:16:59,940 --> 00:17:01,140
that five thousand taels to you.

327
00:17:02,859 --> 00:17:03,579
Leave now.

328
00:17:09,180 --> 00:17:10,539
I've stuck with you all these years

329
00:17:11,940 --> 00:17:12,860
only for money.

330
00:17:15,380 --> 00:17:16,219
It's a deal.

331
00:17:26,699 --> 00:17:27,979
You, Chuan, and Biao

332
00:17:30,380 --> 00:17:31,620
head back to Yongning Prefecture first.

333
00:17:32,739 --> 00:17:33,459
Mr. Zhao,

334
00:17:33,979 --> 00:17:35,299
are you staying here alone?

335
00:17:35,940 --> 00:17:37,140
At first, I thought

336
00:17:37,580 --> 00:17:38,940
if we lost that money,

337
00:17:39,660 --> 00:17:40,820
then so be it.

338
00:17:43,779 --> 00:17:45,420
But after what happened today,

339
00:17:46,340 --> 00:17:47,820
I can't just let this go.

340
00:17:49,620 --> 00:17:51,180
Now that the label of "swindled"

341
00:17:51,180 --> 00:17:52,779
has been placed upon my shoulders,

342
00:17:54,299 --> 00:17:55,539
I won't bear it for nothing.

343
00:17:57,940 --> 00:17:59,019
No matter what it takes,

344
00:18:00,420 --> 00:18:02,739
I will get the money back.

345
00:18:07,499 --> 00:18:09,660
(I live in a humble cottage
of brick and clay,)

346
00:18:10,180 --> 00:18:12,539
(while that young lady dwells
in rich, ornate towers.)

347
00:18:13,340 --> 00:18:15,259
(I dress plainly in black robes
and white socks,)

348
00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:17,420
(yet she adorns herself
in vibrant reds and greens.)

349
00:18:17,940 --> 00:18:19,580
(I stay alone in an empty chamber,)

350
00:18:19,660 --> 00:18:21,940
(but she may seek a fine match,)

351
00:18:21,940 --> 00:18:22,820
(and from now on,)

352
00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:25,100
(will have company every single night.)

353
00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:27,900
(Aren't we all flesh and blood,)

354
00:18:27,900 --> 00:18:30,019
(walking within these courtyard walls?)

355
00:18:31,940 --> 00:18:33,459
(They treat me this way)

356
00:18:33,539 --> 00:18:35,459
(only because I am lowly.)

357
00:18:36,180 --> 00:18:37,860
(But what if)

358
00:18:38,620 --> 00:18:41,539
(I hold their vital weaknesses
in my grasp?)

359
00:18:42,979 --> 00:18:44,059
You wretch!

360
00:18:44,059 --> 00:18:45,180
Have you lost your mind?

361
00:18:45,180 --> 00:18:46,620
You're a widow!

362
00:18:59,340 --> 00:18:59,940
You...

363
00:19:00,180 --> 00:19:01,660
What do you want?

364
00:19:09,140 --> 00:19:10,620
I want Tingyun.

365
00:19:12,979 --> 00:19:13,940
Grandmother,

366
00:19:14,299 --> 00:19:16,580
Tingyun is old enough to marry now.

367
00:19:16,940 --> 00:19:18,219
My younger brother Junjie

368
00:19:18,340 --> 00:19:20,499
grew up right before our eyes.

369
00:19:20,499 --> 00:19:21,459
We know him through and through.

370
00:19:21,459 --> 00:19:22,940
He is diligent and eager to learn.

371
00:19:22,940 --> 00:19:24,779
I beg you to grant them

372
00:19:24,779 --> 00:19:26,100
your blessing for their marriage.

373
00:19:26,340 --> 00:19:27,100
My sister-in-law,

374
00:19:28,979 --> 00:19:30,180
what

375
00:19:30,539 --> 00:19:32,219
is all this fuss about?

376
00:19:32,539 --> 00:19:33,420
Tingyun

377
00:19:33,660 --> 00:19:35,620
is your niece after all.

378
00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:37,140
How could you bear to do this?

379
00:19:37,779 --> 00:19:38,539
Well,

380
00:19:39,380 --> 00:19:41,059
I speak

381
00:19:41,059 --> 00:19:42,259
only for Tingyun's good.

382
00:19:42,739 --> 00:19:44,420
Two match proposals have fallen through.

383
00:19:44,860 --> 00:19:46,180
First you sought a second-rank official,

384
00:19:46,620 --> 00:19:48,420
yet the Yu family turned you down.

385
00:19:48,660 --> 00:19:49,860
Then you found a censor,

386
00:19:49,860 --> 00:19:51,380
only to discover he was an impostor.

387
00:19:51,380 --> 00:19:51,660
You...

388
00:19:52,219 --> 00:19:53,420
Would you really let the girl

389
00:19:53,420 --> 00:19:54,779
waste away her youth like this?

390
00:19:54,860 --> 00:19:55,259
You...

391
00:19:57,380 --> 00:19:58,140
Mother,

392
00:19:58,660 --> 00:19:59,860
anyhow,

393
00:19:59,860 --> 00:20:02,340
I will never consent to this marriage.

394
00:20:02,860 --> 00:20:03,660
Alright,

395
00:20:04,420 --> 00:20:06,140
since you refuse,

396
00:20:06,420 --> 00:20:08,660
we may as well ask Tingyun's will.

397
00:20:09,459 --> 00:20:11,180
She's grown up now.

398
00:20:11,539 --> 00:20:12,660
For all matters,

399
00:20:12,739 --> 00:20:14,180
she can make her own choices,

400
00:20:15,059 --> 00:20:16,940
lest she scheme behind our backs,

401
00:20:16,940 --> 00:20:18,420
and act first and report later.

402
00:20:18,900 --> 00:20:21,100
Take exposing
Zhao Ling's fraud for example.

403
00:20:21,499 --> 00:20:22,900
If she disliked the match,

404
00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:24,660
she could have spoken to her elders.

405
00:20:24,660 --> 00:20:26,739
Instead, she brought outsiders
to stir trouble at home,

406
00:20:26,820 --> 00:20:28,580
making us a laughingstock.

407
00:20:28,699 --> 00:20:29,539
Who, in this household,

408
00:20:29,539 --> 00:20:30,620
holds the authority?

409
00:20:35,499 --> 00:20:36,539
Still, that incident

410
00:20:37,180 --> 00:20:38,219
is Zhao Ling's fault,

411
00:20:38,820 --> 00:20:40,140
not Tingyun's.

412
00:20:41,779 --> 00:20:42,940
Grandmother!

413
00:20:43,979 --> 00:20:45,019
Grandmother.

414
00:20:46,380 --> 00:20:48,499
Life as a widow is unbearable.

415
00:20:48,660 --> 00:20:51,140
I can barely hold on any longer.

416
00:20:51,420 --> 00:20:53,580
I need something to hope for.

417
00:20:54,100 --> 00:20:56,219
If Tingyun marries into the Zuo family,

418
00:20:56,420 --> 00:20:57,739
no matter how many more years I endure,

419
00:20:58,180 --> 00:20:58,900
I swear

420
00:20:59,059 --> 00:21:01,660
I will bring honor to the Fu family
by remaining chaste.

421
00:21:03,900 --> 00:21:05,019
What are you saying?

422
00:21:05,340 --> 00:21:06,699
People are living beings,

423
00:21:07,180 --> 00:21:08,499
yet memorial arches are lifeless stone.

424
00:21:09,259 --> 00:21:11,019
Is my own daughter

425
00:21:11,739 --> 00:21:13,620
worth less than a mere arch?

426
00:21:14,380 --> 00:21:15,180
Sister-in-law,

427
00:21:15,660 --> 00:21:16,380
our family's honor

428
00:21:16,380 --> 00:21:18,340
rests on these chastity arches.

429
00:21:19,180 --> 00:21:20,860
Look at Zuo.

430
00:21:21,299 --> 00:21:23,100
If she causes any trouble,

431
00:21:23,779 --> 00:21:25,620
it will ruin
not one chastity memorial arch,

432
00:21:25,620 --> 00:21:26,900
but four!

433
00:21:35,620 --> 00:21:36,860
Madam Yu has arrived.

434
00:21:44,779 --> 00:21:45,699
Madam Yu.

435
00:21:47,739 --> 00:21:48,820
What's going on here?

436
00:21:49,380 --> 00:21:50,860
Have I come at a bad time?

437
00:21:51,299 --> 00:21:53,100
Madam, you've come
at just the right moment.

438
00:21:53,259 --> 00:21:54,380
Please take a seat.

439
00:22:07,539 --> 00:22:08,580
This poor girl

440
00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:10,259
dreamed last night

441
00:22:10,259 --> 00:22:12,499
of her beloved late husband.

442
00:22:12,860 --> 00:22:13,979
She cried bitterly.

443
00:22:14,180 --> 00:22:16,219
She was just pouring out
her heart to me.

444
00:22:16,979 --> 00:22:18,259
Poor girl.

445
00:22:18,259 --> 00:22:19,100
Stand up.

446
00:22:24,979 --> 00:22:26,100
Grandmother is right.

447
00:22:26,499 --> 00:22:27,539
My late husband appeared
to me in a dream.

448
00:22:27,739 --> 00:22:29,420
He doted on Tingyun from childhood.

449
00:22:29,420 --> 00:22:30,499
He cannot bear the thought
of her marrying far away.

450
00:22:30,860 --> 00:22:33,380
He bade me do all I can
to keep her close by.

451
00:22:33,940 --> 00:22:35,259
I beg you to grant
your blessing, Grandmother.

452
00:22:35,779 --> 00:22:36,580
Tingyun

453
00:22:37,380 --> 00:22:38,820
is the Zuo family's only choice.

454
00:22:39,739 --> 00:22:40,699
We'll talk

455
00:22:41,340 --> 00:22:42,620
of this later.

456
00:22:43,059 --> 00:22:44,180
You may withdraw first.

457
00:22:44,699 --> 00:22:45,779
Look how tearful you are.

458
00:22:45,779 --> 00:22:46,940
How can you receive guests?

459
00:22:50,100 --> 00:22:51,180
No need to trouble yourselves.

460
00:22:51,979 --> 00:22:53,820
It seems I truly came
at an awkward hour.

461
00:22:54,219 --> 00:22:55,459
I shall speak my piece
and take my leave.

462
00:22:56,059 --> 00:22:56,900
Earlier,

463
00:22:56,979 --> 00:22:58,259
I had servants move the bed

464
00:22:58,259 --> 00:22:59,420
to the west wing.

465
00:22:59,860 --> 00:23:01,739
Yet Jingxiu could not rest easy there.

466
00:23:01,940 --> 00:23:03,019
So I thought to myself,

467
00:23:03,259 --> 00:23:04,459
"I ought to shift the bed

468
00:23:04,699 --> 00:23:06,219
back to the east wing instead."

469
00:23:09,900 --> 00:23:10,779
Old Madam Fu,

470
00:23:10,979 --> 00:23:11,940
Fifth Madam Fu,

471
00:23:12,420 --> 00:23:13,620
do you understand

472
00:23:13,940 --> 00:23:15,019
what lies in my heart?

473
00:23:18,019 --> 00:23:18,820
Madam Yu.

474
00:23:19,100 --> 00:23:20,420
Your family is a noble house.

475
00:23:20,420 --> 00:23:22,340
You could find
any daughter-in-law you wish.

476
00:23:22,340 --> 00:23:23,499
Tingyun has a headstrong temper,

477
00:23:23,499 --> 00:23:24,340
and shows no respect to her elders.

478
00:23:24,340 --> 00:23:25,940
Only my younger brother
would take her without disdain.

479
00:23:26,900 --> 00:23:28,259
Are you out of your mind?

480
00:23:35,539 --> 00:23:37,219
A fine young lady attracts suitors
from a hundred homes.

481
00:23:39,420 --> 00:23:41,299
Ninth Young Lady is blessed
with both virtue and wisdom,

482
00:23:41,499 --> 00:23:42,699
fit to bring peace and prosperity
to any household.

483
00:23:42,979 --> 00:23:45,059
I hold genuine affection for her.

484
00:23:48,860 --> 00:23:49,779
Old Madam Fu,

485
00:23:49,779 --> 00:23:50,580
Fifth Madam Fu,

486
00:23:51,100 --> 00:23:52,539
if you see fit to consent,

487
00:23:52,539 --> 00:23:54,140
send word to me
at your earliest convenience.

488
00:23:54,140 --> 00:23:55,860
I will send a letter
to the capital straight away

489
00:23:55,940 --> 00:23:57,539
to settle this marriage proposal.

490
00:23:58,539 --> 00:23:59,459
Very well.

491
00:24:00,019 --> 00:24:00,660
Farewell.

492
00:24:03,100 --> 00:24:03,979
Madam Yu.

493
00:24:04,259 --> 00:24:05,019
Madam Yu.

494
00:24:05,019 --> 00:24:05,459
Madam...

495
00:24:08,940 --> 00:24:09,620
Mother,

496
00:24:09,979 --> 00:24:10,860
please help me.

497
00:24:11,219 --> 00:24:12,019
Mother.

498
00:24:12,620 --> 00:24:14,059
- Mother, please help me.
- Someone.

499
00:24:14,499 --> 00:24:16,340
Drag this vile woman
to the ancestral hall,

500
00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:18,739
and leave her there to fend for herself.

501
00:24:19,019 --> 00:24:19,699
Mother!

502
00:24:20,699 --> 00:24:21,620
Mother!

503
00:24:21,620 --> 00:24:22,860
Mother, please help me.

504
00:24:22,860 --> 00:24:23,299
Move!

505
00:24:23,499 --> 00:24:24,420
Mother!

506
00:24:28,340 --> 00:24:30,219
I renounce

507
00:24:30,820 --> 00:24:32,259
the fourth memorial arch.

508
00:24:33,900 --> 00:24:36,539
(This betrothal to the Yu family)

509
00:24:37,059 --> 00:24:38,459
(shall secure)

510
00:24:38,459 --> 00:24:40,019
(our family's future.)

511
00:24:43,059 --> 00:24:43,860
Hurry up.

512
00:24:43,860 --> 00:24:44,340
Move.

513
00:24:44,459 --> 00:24:45,699
Seal everything off completely.

514
00:24:47,140 --> 00:24:48,100
My Lady,

515
00:24:48,180 --> 00:24:49,340
it's pouring rain.

516
00:24:49,340 --> 00:24:50,779
What brings you to such a place?

517
00:24:50,940 --> 00:24:52,979
You ought to head back, My Lady.

518
00:24:54,299 --> 00:24:56,739
This foul, unholy place
is no fit spot for you.

519
00:24:56,820 --> 00:24:58,059
Please return at once.

520
00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:01,820
Well...

521
00:25:10,499 --> 00:25:13,259
When I first married
into this household,

522
00:25:14,580 --> 00:25:16,739
I only cared for the eighty taels
of betrothal silver

523
00:25:17,380 --> 00:25:19,340
and three taels of monthly stipend.

524
00:25:20,219 --> 00:25:22,019
I truly thought

525
00:25:22,380 --> 00:25:24,499
being a widow was well worth it.

526
00:25:25,340 --> 00:25:26,900
Yet by the third year,

527
00:25:27,979 --> 00:25:29,140
I could bear it no longer.

528
00:25:29,739 --> 00:25:30,860
I begged to dissolve the marriage,

529
00:25:30,860 --> 00:25:31,900
to return to my home.

530
00:25:32,739 --> 00:25:34,259
(Fu Family Academy)
Grandmother then sent servants

531
00:25:35,180 --> 00:25:37,140
to fetch my younger brother
to keep me company.

532
00:25:38,059 --> 00:25:39,620
She enrolled him in the clan school,

533
00:25:39,820 --> 00:25:41,739
promising him a bright future.

534
00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:44,580
So I thought it was a fair trade.

535
00:25:45,779 --> 00:25:47,459
But my brother

536
00:25:48,660 --> 00:25:50,580
was never cut out for studying.

537
00:25:51,180 --> 00:25:52,580
By the fifth year,

538
00:25:53,420 --> 00:25:55,219
it was clear he would never pass
the imperial exams.

539
00:25:55,979 --> 00:25:57,459
Regret gnawed at me again.

540
00:26:01,380 --> 00:26:03,340
Then Grandmother made me another vow.

541
00:26:04,420 --> 00:26:06,459
Every year
at the Flower Goddess Festival,

542
00:26:07,380 --> 00:26:09,019
I would preside over the rituals.

543
00:26:09,820 --> 00:26:12,019
She said it would let me stand
in the limelight

544
00:26:12,779 --> 00:26:13,699
to ease my loneliness.

545
00:26:19,180 --> 00:26:20,299
How foolish I was.

546
00:26:22,660 --> 00:26:24,420
I actually believed her words.

547
00:26:24,940 --> 00:26:27,660
I actually thought
I had a place in this family.

548
00:26:29,019 --> 00:26:30,860
But in this family,

549
00:26:35,299 --> 00:26:38,059
not a single soul
truly holds me in regard.

550
00:26:40,019 --> 00:26:40,940
If they did,

551
00:26:46,739 --> 00:26:48,620
why would they begrudge my brother

552
00:26:48,620 --> 00:26:50,459
a Fu young lady?

553
00:26:54,299 --> 00:26:55,100
Zuo.

554
00:26:56,539 --> 00:26:59,059
You once held me on your lap
and played with me.

555
00:27:00,019 --> 00:27:02,019
But as your temper
grew bitter and twisted,

556
00:27:02,940 --> 00:27:04,259
you came to loathe me more and more.

557
00:27:05,059 --> 00:27:07,100
I am not the cause
of all your suffering.

558
00:27:07,940 --> 00:27:09,499
Why must you fixate your hatred on me?

559
00:27:11,820 --> 00:27:13,219
Through endless lonely nights,

560
00:27:13,739 --> 00:27:15,259
ten years of my youth,

561
00:27:16,459 --> 00:27:17,499
all I earned

562
00:27:18,299 --> 00:27:21,059
was nothing but praise
for the Fu family's pure moral code.

563
00:27:23,539 --> 00:27:25,140
So when your marriage
was being arranged,

564
00:27:27,180 --> 00:27:29,180
they added a generous entry

565
00:27:29,860 --> 00:27:31,420
to your dowry inventory.

566
00:27:49,900 --> 00:27:51,539
They used my betrothal

567
00:27:52,259 --> 00:27:54,180
to smooth the path for your match,

568
00:27:55,499 --> 00:27:57,219
then leveraged your marriage

569
00:28:00,739 --> 00:28:03,499
to further the Fu family's rise
in the bureaucracy.

570
00:28:04,380 --> 00:28:05,860
Do you truly believe Grandmother

571
00:28:07,380 --> 00:28:09,380
plans for you out of genuine care?

572
00:28:10,340 --> 00:28:11,979
She only coaxes you

573
00:28:13,180 --> 00:28:15,019
into blind obedience.

574
00:28:21,299 --> 00:28:22,420
Don't believe a word she says.

575
00:28:23,180 --> 00:28:24,820
Old Madam has always doted on you most.

576
00:28:26,100 --> 00:28:27,140
She speaks such words

577
00:28:28,340 --> 00:28:30,259
only to grieve your heart.

578
00:28:31,140 --> 00:28:33,100
It was so close,
just a hair's breadth away.

579
00:28:34,779 --> 00:28:36,940
That cursed Madam Yu.

580
00:28:38,660 --> 00:28:40,539
It was only barely out of my grasp.

581
00:28:44,620 --> 00:28:47,820
Yet that old hag seized
the opportunity in the end.

582
00:28:51,900 --> 00:28:53,739
We are cut from the same cloth.

583
00:28:54,059 --> 00:28:56,019
Why do you bloom like a magnolia
on the branch,

584
00:28:56,019 --> 00:28:58,259
while I am but mud beneath your feet?

585
00:29:02,420 --> 00:29:03,100
Hurry!

586
00:29:03,100 --> 00:29:03,820
Stop her!

587
00:29:03,940 --> 00:29:04,900
Hold her back!

588
00:29:05,699 --> 00:29:06,979
Have you lost your wits?

589
00:29:06,979 --> 00:29:08,059
Crazy woman!

590
00:29:08,219 --> 00:29:09,259
Let go of me!

591
00:29:09,699 --> 00:29:10,739
Let me go.

592
00:29:10,900 --> 00:29:11,779
Are you all right?

593
00:29:13,299 --> 00:29:15,219
What a loyal hound you are.

594
00:29:15,739 --> 00:29:16,860
So eager to defend your lady.

595
00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:19,380
Has she fulfilled your wish,

596
00:29:19,739 --> 00:29:21,699
matching you up with Fu Tingzhuo?

597
00:29:22,739 --> 00:29:25,180
How are you any different
from my brother?

598
00:29:25,499 --> 00:29:26,380
Do you truly think

599
00:29:26,380 --> 00:29:27,340
that meekly obeying every order,

600
00:29:27,340 --> 00:29:28,259
letting others manipulate you,

601
00:29:28,259 --> 00:29:29,699
will earn you a share of the spoils?

602
00:29:30,059 --> 00:29:31,180
Don't delude yourself.

603
00:29:31,380 --> 00:29:32,380
In the Fu family's eyes...

604
00:29:32,380 --> 00:29:33,019
Watch your tongue!

605
00:29:33,019 --> 00:29:35,180
You're merely another Zuo Junjie.

606
00:29:35,539 --> 00:29:36,779
Even your father,

607
00:29:36,779 --> 00:29:37,940
a renowned great scholar,

608
00:29:38,019 --> 00:29:39,380
has served the Fu family
for over a decade,

609
00:29:39,380 --> 00:29:41,219
yet he is no more than an extra entry

610
00:29:41,219 --> 00:29:42,219
added to her dowry inventory.

611
00:29:48,340 --> 00:29:49,180
Yake.

612
00:29:59,140 --> 00:30:00,019
Drag her away.

613
00:30:00,380 --> 00:30:01,140
My Lady,

614
00:30:01,140 --> 00:30:01,779
Miss Fan,

615
00:30:01,900 --> 00:30:03,580
please hurry back to your chambers.

616
00:30:03,860 --> 00:30:04,660
- Let go!
- Get up.

617
00:30:05,019 --> 00:30:05,979
Don't leave.

618
00:30:06,420 --> 00:30:07,499
Don't go.

619
00:30:07,860 --> 00:30:09,140
Drag her inside at once!

620
00:30:09,259 --> 00:30:09,900
Shut the door!

621
00:30:09,979 --> 00:30:11,219
Nail it firmly shut!

622
00:30:11,860 --> 00:30:12,739
Hurry, let's go.

623
00:30:23,259 --> 00:30:24,100
A big world

624
00:30:24,100 --> 00:30:25,499
brings all kinds of people.

625
00:30:25,779 --> 00:30:26,900
Madam Zuo should remember

626
00:30:26,900 --> 00:30:28,259
where her brother comes from.

627
00:30:28,459 --> 00:30:29,900
He only stands
thanks to the family's support.

628
00:30:29,900 --> 00:30:31,299
Yet he acts as if he belongs here,

629
00:30:31,380 --> 00:30:33,420
reaching far above his station
for the Ninth Young Lady.

630
00:30:40,299 --> 00:30:41,219
(Above his station?)

631
00:30:41,820 --> 00:30:43,539
(I brought two pots of narcissus today.)

632
00:30:44,219 --> 00:30:45,539
(When you see him,)

633
00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:47,140
(you could give him one.)

634
00:30:59,580 --> 00:31:00,380
Where is she?

635
00:31:03,660 --> 00:31:05,219
She was here just a moment ago.

636
00:31:17,940 --> 00:31:18,820
Tell me,

637
00:31:20,459 --> 00:31:22,620
was Moxiang just insulting Zuo Junjie,

638
00:31:24,140 --> 00:31:25,219
or was it me?

639
00:31:26,860 --> 00:31:28,499
The Ninth Young Lady went too far.

640
00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:31,059
You even took a hit
from that hairpin for her, Miss,

641
00:31:31,180 --> 00:31:32,499
yet she did nothing for you.

642
00:31:35,420 --> 00:31:36,940
She must think I am unworthy too.

643
00:31:39,219 --> 00:31:41,660
Everyone calls me another Zuo Junjie.

644
00:31:44,019 --> 00:31:45,580
Even she sees me the same way.

645
00:31:59,699 --> 00:32:01,100
Mr. Yu, you work far too hard.

646
00:32:01,420 --> 00:32:02,779
Madam will grow worried
if you stay any later.

647
00:32:03,820 --> 00:32:04,499
It is fine.

648
00:32:04,860 --> 00:32:06,539
I was fully engrossed in discussion
with Master Fan.

649
00:32:06,820 --> 00:32:07,860
Words flowed freely,

650
00:32:07,979 --> 00:32:08,860
and I had to speak my mind.

651
00:32:13,219 --> 00:32:14,499
Where did this potted flower come from?

652
00:32:17,660 --> 00:32:18,900
I reckon no one wants it.

653
00:32:20,940 --> 00:32:22,059
I find it quite elegant.

654
00:32:24,059 --> 00:32:25,900
Most plants grow in soil,

655
00:32:26,340 --> 00:32:27,580
yet this one thrives in water.

656
00:32:28,420 --> 00:32:29,900
It holds an air of pure, refined charm.

657
00:32:31,059 --> 00:32:31,979
Fetch a new vessel,

658
00:32:32,660 --> 00:32:33,660
and bring it back to tend to.

659
00:32:34,340 --> 00:32:34,779
Understood.

660
00:32:40,219 --> 00:32:40,699
Wait.

661
00:32:41,340 --> 00:32:42,219
What are you doing?

662
00:32:42,820 --> 00:32:43,779
Mr. Yu,

663
00:32:43,779 --> 00:32:45,380
Madam specially sent for servants
from the Fu family

664
00:32:45,380 --> 00:32:46,860
to move the bed back to the east.

665
00:32:52,940 --> 00:32:54,340
It was moved from east to west,

666
00:32:56,340 --> 00:32:57,860
then west back to east again.

667
00:32:58,380 --> 00:33:00,860
I cannot even decide where my own bed
shall be placed.

668
00:33:11,420 --> 00:33:12,140
Yake,

669
00:33:12,860 --> 00:33:13,900
are you all right?

670
00:33:16,699 --> 00:33:18,259
I never gave your daffodils

671
00:33:20,860 --> 00:33:22,620
to Tingzhuo.

672
00:33:23,620 --> 00:33:25,420
You know Grandmother's temper.

673
00:33:25,580 --> 00:33:27,219
She values family honor
and tradition above all else.

674
00:33:28,620 --> 00:33:30,180
I feared if I acted rashly,

675
00:33:30,180 --> 00:33:31,539
it would only backfire.

676
00:33:34,459 --> 00:33:35,860
You've misread me, Tingyun.

677
00:33:37,140 --> 00:33:38,699
That was never my intention.

678
00:33:39,660 --> 00:33:41,299
Your family
has shown me kindness for years.

679
00:33:43,380 --> 00:33:44,539
That pot of daffodils

680
00:33:45,059 --> 00:33:46,979
was merely a small token of thanks.

681
00:33:47,779 --> 00:33:49,660
I give such gifts to more
than just Seventh Young Master,

682
00:33:51,660 --> 00:33:53,420
let alone to express secret feelings
through flowers.

683
00:33:57,019 --> 00:33:57,699
(Fu Family Academy)
Master Fan,

684
00:33:58,259 --> 00:33:59,380
I have a question,

685
00:33:59,660 --> 00:34:00,860
but I cannot seem to find an answer.

686
00:34:01,459 --> 00:34:02,580
May I ask for your guidance?

687
00:34:03,499 --> 00:34:04,259
What is it?

688
00:34:04,620 --> 00:34:05,459
It is often said

689
00:34:06,059 --> 00:34:07,259
that filial piety stands foremost
among all virtues.

690
00:34:08,619 --> 00:34:09,499
As a son,

691
00:34:10,179 --> 00:34:12,380
one ought to heed
all his mother's instructions.

692
00:34:14,340 --> 00:34:15,139
Yet suppose

693
00:34:16,260 --> 00:34:17,300
there is a matter

694
00:34:18,459 --> 00:34:20,220
on which the son wishes to go
against his mother's will.

695
00:34:21,900 --> 00:34:23,179
Does that make him unfilial?

696
00:34:24,900 --> 00:34:25,780
(Fan Kun, a Renowned Scholar)
It depends

697
00:34:26,220 --> 00:34:27,420
on the matter in question.

698
00:34:27,979 --> 00:34:28,740
If trivial,

699
00:34:28,740 --> 00:34:29,539
it is not worth dwelling on.

700
00:34:29,979 --> 00:34:30,940
It is...

701
00:34:32,979 --> 00:34:34,059
the important matter of marriage.

702
00:34:37,179 --> 00:34:38,780
Suppose the bride Mother chooses

703
00:34:40,340 --> 00:34:41,820
is not to the son's liking, what then?

704
00:34:43,900 --> 00:34:44,659
Yake.

705
00:34:46,179 --> 00:34:47,220
Suppose in the future

706
00:34:47,539 --> 00:34:48,780
the husband I pick for you

707
00:34:48,780 --> 00:34:49,820
fails to win your heart,

708
00:34:50,420 --> 00:34:51,340
what would you do?

709
00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:53,900
Who have you chosen for me?

710
00:34:55,019 --> 00:34:56,579
I'm merely speaking hypothetically.

711
00:34:57,139 --> 00:34:58,860
A student came to consult me
on this question.

712
00:35:02,459 --> 00:35:03,459
The answer is plain to see.

713
00:35:03,900 --> 00:35:05,619
Empress Lv forced her son
Emperor Hui of Han

714
00:35:05,619 --> 00:35:07,340
to wed her niece Zhang Yan.

715
00:35:07,659 --> 00:35:09,900
Afterwards, the Emperor
doted solely on a palace maid

716
00:35:10,380 --> 00:35:11,499
and passed away young from melancholy.

717
00:35:12,499 --> 00:35:14,420
Emperor Hui bore no dislike
toward Zhang Yan herself.

718
00:35:14,900 --> 00:35:16,539
He merely resented his mother.

719
00:35:17,579 --> 00:35:18,659
No wonder.

720
00:35:19,539 --> 00:35:21,099
His question was never about marriage,

721
00:35:22,300 --> 00:35:23,539
but about filial piety.

722
00:35:27,659 --> 00:35:28,700
I wonder which young master

723
00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:29,940
would share

724
00:35:30,179 --> 00:35:32,420
such private matters with an outsider.

725
00:35:33,820 --> 00:35:34,860
Who else could it be?

726
00:35:36,179 --> 00:35:37,740
There is only one young man

727
00:35:38,820 --> 00:35:39,740
whose marriage is being discussed.

728
00:35:40,059 --> 00:35:41,539
Could it be Mr. Yu?

729
00:35:42,539 --> 00:35:44,260
Tingyun curries favor with Madam Yu,

730
00:35:45,499 --> 00:35:46,900
yet shuns Mr. Yu.

731
00:35:48,460 --> 00:35:49,840
(Fu Family Academy)

732
00:35:58,780 --> 00:35:59,380
Master Fan?

733
00:36:14,420 --> 00:36:16,139
I grew them without much thought.

734
00:36:17,059 --> 00:36:18,940
No need to examine them
so closely, Young Master.

735
00:36:21,860 --> 00:36:22,740
Forgive my rudeness, Miss.

736
00:36:22,860 --> 00:36:23,579
No matter.

737
00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:28,900
I came to bring Father his meal.

738
00:36:29,979 --> 00:36:30,900
I shall leave after setting it down.

739
00:36:41,380 --> 00:36:42,979
Are you fond of flowers, Young Master?

740
00:36:44,139 --> 00:36:45,099
Not exactly.

741
00:36:46,780 --> 00:36:47,860
It was merely a coincidence.

742
00:36:48,579 --> 00:36:50,019
I picked up a pot the other day.

743
00:36:51,619 --> 00:36:52,940
It's grown the very same way.

744
00:36:53,579 --> 00:36:55,659
Could this flower belong to Miss Fan?

745
00:36:56,539 --> 00:36:58,539
In the entire Huaying,

746
00:36:58,619 --> 00:36:59,820
only she grows flowers

747
00:36:59,940 --> 00:37:00,860
in water.

748
00:37:01,700 --> 00:37:03,300
If you take a fancy to it,

749
00:37:03,940 --> 00:37:04,979
you may take it.

750
00:37:05,820 --> 00:37:07,019
Tend to it well.

751
00:37:07,979 --> 00:37:08,619
Miss,

752
00:37:08,740 --> 00:37:10,780
Narcissus is your given name.

753
00:37:23,099 --> 00:37:24,139
Greetings, Madam Yu.

754
00:37:24,740 --> 00:37:25,900
At the Flower Goddess Festival,

755
00:37:26,139 --> 00:37:27,499
I am grateful for your kindness, Madam.

756
00:37:28,139 --> 00:37:29,539
You gifted me a smooth jade bracelet.

757
00:37:30,340 --> 00:37:31,579
I have no worthy repayment to offer.

758
00:37:32,059 --> 00:37:33,579
I stitched an aromatic sachet with care.

759
00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:34,820
Please forgive

760
00:37:35,260 --> 00:37:36,340
this humble offering, Madam.

761
00:37:37,499 --> 00:37:39,499
I've heard you excel at gardening.

762
00:37:40,220 --> 00:37:41,579
I invited you here today

763
00:37:41,659 --> 00:37:43,220
to seek your advice.

764
00:37:43,700 --> 00:37:44,740
Where is the best place

765
00:37:44,979 --> 00:37:46,420
to grow narcissus?

766
00:37:49,340 --> 00:37:50,820
Narcissus...

767
00:37:53,139 --> 00:37:55,260
Narcissus dislikes prolonged sunlight.

768
00:37:55,499 --> 00:37:56,579
The water must stay clean.

769
00:37:56,900 --> 00:37:58,139
Otherwise its roots will rot.

770
00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:00,940
Truly, the water must remain pure.

771
00:38:02,220 --> 00:38:03,740
Just as one's heart ought
to stay untainted.

772
00:38:05,380 --> 00:38:07,059
May you be like this narcissus,

773
00:38:07,340 --> 00:38:09,099
blooming gracefully,
never seeking praise.

774
00:38:09,420 --> 00:38:10,340
Miss Fan,

775
00:38:10,420 --> 00:38:11,459
what do you think?

776
00:38:16,420 --> 00:38:17,700
Narcissus is delicate and fussy.

777
00:38:18,260 --> 00:38:20,099
I fear it does not suit the Yu family.

778
00:38:20,860 --> 00:38:21,979
You had better take it back,

779
00:38:21,979 --> 00:38:23,539
and tend to it yourself.

780
00:38:27,019 --> 00:38:29,179
The jade bracelet
I gave you is fine quality.

781
00:38:29,740 --> 00:38:31,579
You need not trouble yourself
with gifts in return.

782
00:38:32,099 --> 00:38:33,539
By the time

783
00:38:33,700 --> 00:38:34,900
you find a rare trinket as this,

784
00:38:35,619 --> 00:38:37,619
my son will likely have passed
the imperial exam.

785
00:38:39,820 --> 00:38:41,499
Madam Yu lacks the insight
to see its worth.

786
00:38:41,619 --> 00:38:44,220
She fails to see all the care
you put into this sachet.

787
00:38:51,179 --> 00:38:52,179
Tell me.

788
00:38:54,499 --> 00:38:56,659
Tingyun's hairpin stirs wicks often,

789
00:38:57,740 --> 00:38:58,940
yet it never tarnishes.

790
00:39:00,300 --> 00:39:02,019
Mine, though, has faded like this.

791
00:39:02,220 --> 00:39:03,619
True gold fears no fire.

792
00:39:03,860 --> 00:39:04,900
The Ninth Young Lady

793
00:39:04,900 --> 00:39:06,099
must wear a golden hairpin.

794
00:39:06,619 --> 00:39:07,099
Indeed.

795
00:39:09,780 --> 00:39:11,860
Silver is inherently lesser than gold.

796
00:39:13,820 --> 00:39:16,260
No wonder Madam Zuo
laments the unfairness of this world.

797
00:39:17,139 --> 00:39:19,099
Tingyun is a golden hairpin by birth,

798
00:39:20,740 --> 00:39:22,099
while I am only silver.

799
00:39:24,019 --> 00:39:26,300
Without elevating my station
through marriage,

800
00:39:27,619 --> 00:39:28,820
I shall never earn

801
00:39:31,300 --> 00:39:32,619
genuine respect from others.

802
00:39:36,860 --> 00:39:38,499
There will be a poetry gathering
in a few days.

803
00:39:39,300 --> 00:39:41,179
Old Madam Fu and I
have come to an agreement.

804
00:39:41,619 --> 00:39:43,340
You shall meet Ninth Young Lady there.

805
00:39:43,940 --> 00:39:45,459
You must present this poem then,

806
00:39:45,459 --> 00:39:46,579
and claim the top prize.

807
00:39:46,820 --> 00:39:48,740
Two champions shall form a match.

808
00:39:48,979 --> 00:39:50,499
It would be a lovely tale to tell.

809
00:40:21,260 --> 00:40:21,860
Mr. Zhao.

810
00:40:21,979 --> 00:40:22,700
It's me.

811
00:40:23,940 --> 00:40:24,820
What are you doing here?

812
00:40:26,099 --> 00:40:27,420
Didn't I order you to be sent off?

813
00:40:28,820 --> 00:40:30,579
How could I leave you all alone?

814
00:40:30,579 --> 00:40:31,820
So I slipped back.

815
00:40:32,019 --> 00:40:33,539
Who's really worried about who?

816
00:40:33,780 --> 00:40:34,380
How old am I?

817
00:40:34,380 --> 00:40:35,019
And how old are you?

818
00:40:35,420 --> 00:40:36,220
Enough of this.

819
00:40:38,579 --> 00:40:39,740
Just finish this one errand.

820
00:40:42,380 --> 00:40:43,539
There will be an event here shortly,

821
00:40:44,380 --> 00:40:45,700
a poetry gathering.

822
00:40:57,780 --> 00:40:58,539
Where's the censer?

823
00:40:59,139 --> 00:40:59,940
Over there.

824
00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:00,940
Bring it over.

825
00:41:10,659 --> 00:41:11,780
Don't let go, My Lady.

826
00:41:11,979 --> 00:41:13,179
When Mr. Yu draws near,

827
00:41:13,300 --> 00:41:14,579
waft the incense scent toward him.

828
00:41:18,380 --> 00:41:21,700
Greetings, Madam Yu and Old Madam Fu.

829
00:41:27,780 --> 00:41:30,059
Once you enter today's poetry gathering,

830
00:41:30,420 --> 00:41:32,220
all blossoms will pale in comparison.

831
00:41:32,420 --> 00:41:33,780
Not to mention Mr. Yu,

832
00:41:33,900 --> 00:41:35,179
even the finest noble households

833
00:41:35,179 --> 00:41:35,860
would be fortunate to have you.

834
00:41:37,099 --> 00:41:38,059
Enough of your flattery.

835
00:41:41,459 --> 00:41:42,659
Insolent! Where are you from?

836
00:41:42,659 --> 00:41:43,619
Have you no sense?

837
00:41:44,499 --> 00:41:45,179
Let it be.

838
00:42:06,700 --> 00:42:07,499
Stay quiet.

839
00:42:11,179 --> 00:42:12,420
I've come to strike a deal

840
00:42:12,860 --> 00:42:14,179
with you, Ninth Young Lady.

841
00:42:14,340 --> 00:42:15,260
My Lady.

842
00:42:15,260 --> 00:42:17,019
Your family owes me
ten thousand taels for the salt trade.

843
00:42:19,260 --> 00:42:20,860
Would you do me a kindness

844
00:42:21,459 --> 00:42:22,539
and gather the sum for me?

845
00:42:23,979 --> 00:42:25,740
Weren't you so powerful before?

846
00:42:27,579 --> 00:42:28,979
Take me if you must.

847
00:42:29,740 --> 00:42:31,380
My lady and I share a deep bond.

848
00:42:31,380 --> 00:42:32,940
She would never abandon me.

849
00:42:32,940 --> 00:42:34,380
She will surely pay the ransom for me.

850
00:42:34,499 --> 00:42:35,740
She is merely a maid.

851
00:42:38,220 --> 00:42:39,300
She's not worth such a sum.

852
00:42:39,700 --> 00:42:40,700
My Lady.

853
00:42:41,260 --> 00:42:42,420
Leave me here.

854
00:42:43,059 --> 00:42:44,220
Send her to gather the money.

855
00:42:45,619 --> 00:42:47,300
Quit playing tricks on me.

856
00:42:47,940 --> 00:42:49,740
I want those silver notes right now.

857
00:42:51,139 --> 00:42:52,019
At once.

858
00:42:53,459 --> 00:42:54,179
Yuwei.

859
00:43:01,420 --> 00:43:02,659
I shall go raise the funds at once.

860
00:43:02,740 --> 00:43:03,459
But there is one request.

861
00:43:03,740 --> 00:43:05,459
I beg you, sir, do not make a commotion.

862
00:43:06,059 --> 00:43:07,220
My lady

863
00:43:07,499 --> 00:43:08,619
is in talks of a marriage match.

864
00:43:09,099 --> 00:43:11,380
If anyone finds her alone in a room
with an unrelated man,

865
00:43:11,740 --> 00:43:13,619
her entire life will be ruined.

866
00:43:16,659 --> 00:43:18,659
It all depends on how quickly
you can get the money.

867
00:43:44,288 --> 00:43:46,640
(Next Episode)

868
00:43:48,019 --> 00:43:48,900
My Lady,

869
00:43:49,340 --> 00:43:50,340
Old Madam Fu

870
00:43:50,340 --> 00:43:51,940
will let us leave safely, right?

871
00:43:52,260 --> 00:43:54,099
If the charge of adultery sticks to me,

872
00:43:55,059 --> 00:43:56,979
the three chastity memorial arches
standing before the Fu Residence

873
00:43:56,979 --> 00:43:57,820
will all crumble.

874
00:43:58,499 --> 00:43:59,979
This concerns
the Fu family's reputation.

875
00:44:00,539 --> 00:44:01,499
It won't be that simple.

876
00:44:02,499 --> 00:44:04,099
All ancestors awarded chastity arches,

877
00:44:04,659 --> 00:44:06,940
along with widows maintaining
their chastity now,

878
00:44:07,539 --> 00:44:09,099
have come to demand an explanation.

879
00:44:10,579 --> 00:44:11,740
As for Ninth Young Lady's disgrace,

880
00:44:12,019 --> 00:44:14,179
a decision must be made at once.

881
00:44:14,579 --> 00:44:15,619
(Eight-Character Slip)
What

882
00:44:16,059 --> 00:44:17,539
becomes of this girl

883
00:44:17,940 --> 00:44:19,979
is entirely up to you, Madam.

884
00:44:32,121 --> 00:44:36,441
♪The past brushes by
like a falling leaf♪

885
00:44:40,041 --> 00:44:44,401
♪So light, yet my steps still pause
for you♪

886
00:44:46,521 --> 00:44:51,161
♪Through every rise and fall,
our memories remain without regret♪

887
00:44:51,401 --> 00:44:54,201
♪Carved into the rings of time♪

888
00:44:55,361 --> 00:45:00,001
♪How I wish I could stay
a little longer, but I can't♪

889
00:45:03,201 --> 00:45:10,041
♪I turn away, afraid goodbye will fill
my eyes with tears♪

890
00:45:10,921 --> 00:45:17,441
♪Etched deep within my heart,
yet buried without a word♪

891
00:45:18,401 --> 00:45:21,841
♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

892
00:45:22,361 --> 00:45:26,561
♪Still makes us want to believe♪

893
00:45:26,841 --> 00:45:32,521
♪One promise for a lifetime,
echoing long after we part♪

894
00:45:44,641 --> 00:45:48,521
♪For one fleeting moment, I found you
in the crowd♪

895
00:45:52,441 --> 00:45:56,441
♪Without a word, you lit up
half my life♪

896
00:45:58,161 --> 00:46:02,841
♪In silence, a love too deep for words♪

897
00:46:03,161 --> 00:46:05,841
♪Kept close within my heart♪

898
00:46:06,921 --> 00:46:11,761
♪From now on, no one else
is worth waiting for♪

899
00:46:15,281 --> 00:46:22,201
♪I turn away, afraid no one
will ever come home to me again♪

900
00:46:23,081 --> 00:46:29,561
♪If we can build our future together,
no storm can chill my heart♪

901
00:46:30,441 --> 00:46:33,961
♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

902
00:46:34,401 --> 00:46:38,761
♪Still makes us want to believe♪

903
00:46:38,961 --> 00:46:44,681
♪One promise for a lifetime,
echoing long after we part♪