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Sub by iQiyi & Ripped by skysoultan ♔ Follow @skysoultan on Instagram ♔

♪Wearing peach blossom makeup, I boil tea over the stove♪

♪With a pure heart, I embroider the brocade of time♪

♪On the short paper, affection flows in the silent moonlight♪

♪I only wish that by my side, is my love♪

♪Cool autumn wind blowing, I gaze far leaning against the railing♪

♪Sunset glow over the green hill, in formation wild geese are flying♪

♪Covering a thousand miles on horseback, for whom is he longing♪

♪He returned home in dreams♪

♪I will never forget that you held my hands♪

♪In your warm palms and we braved winds and waves♪

♪Unexpectedly, after we traveled so far and turned Grey-haired♪

♪I am still by your side♪

♪Hearts burning, we look into each other's eyes♪

♪Feelings overflowing, they don't need to be hided♪

♪No matter how time passes and life changes♪

♪Together, we will grow old♪

=The Sword and the Brocade=

=Episode 10=

You're working so meticulously

on the embroidery items for us.

I'm afraid it's not only for the purpose

of making fan embroidery designs, right?

Since you're here,

try my new tea.

Since you've married into the Xu family,

we're family now.

If you need any help

in the future,

just tell me.

Thank you, Yizhen.

I've heard

that you're going to Ci'an Temple soon

to light incense and pray.

I'm just accompanying Danyang there.

I've heard that many people pray at Ci'an Temple.

It's very efficacious.

I hope it can help her

give birth safely.

If you're interested,

you can come with us.

What I said earlier was a bit rude.

To be honest,

my mother's death

is very painful for me.

When she was killed that day,

I heard that the female members of the family

were all in Ci'an Temple.

May I ask

if you've seen anyone suspicious?

That day,

I've always stayed by mother's side.

I didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

The deceased is gone, the living must move on with their lives.

You're still young.

Don't hold on to the past.

You must seize the present.

Thank you for your concern.

All right.

Did Second Madam

notice anything?

I heard that the Second son of Xu family, Xu Ling'an,

was clever and skilled in military strategies.

He should be the head of this household.

Yizhen was able to marry him,

so she should be someone important as well.

I was careless.

Fortunately,

it seems she doesn't have any bad intentions.

However, we've almost seen all the embroidery items

of the female family members.

We still didn't find any clues.

In that case, we can only come up with another plan.

Dongqing.

Let's pick a few flowers

and put them in a vase.

It will be nice if we place them in the room.

Dongqing, that one. That one's beautiful.

All right.

Your Ladyship, I can't reach it.

My Lord.

Thank you, My Lord.

It's fine. It's nothing.

I heard that you've been busy

making embroidery designs for everyone's fans.

You've been working hard.

I have nothing to do anyway.

So I thought about doing some needlework

and putting in some effort for everyone.

Since you just married

into the Xu family,

you're not familiar with the household affairs yet.

That's why Concubine Qiao is managing the household affairs for you.

You're the Xu family's matron.

You want me to manage the household affairs?

Managing the household affairs is the matron's responsibility.

Your Ladyship.

What did His Lordship mean?

Perhaps he wants me

to become familiar with the family's household affairs

and manage the household affairs.

I originally thought

that His Lordship will be like Great Madam

and favor Concubine Qiao.

I didn't expect

that he's quite fair.

You're so clumsy.

Those are Sichuan brocades given by His Majesty.

If something happens to them,

I'll skin you alive.

Categorize them by color and class.

Tomorrow, based on the portions,

deliver them to each court.

Yes, Mrs. Zhou.

Greetings, Mother.

Sit down.

In the past few days, I heard

that Lingyi has been sleeping at Banyuepan.

Don't forget

your own duties.

Take good care of Lingyi.

You don't need

to come here and greet me daily.

Yes, Mother.

Your Ladyship.

I wonder how the embroidery designs

for the fans are going?

Don't tire yourself out

just because of it.

Mother.

I actually want to talk to you about this matter.

I've seen the embroidery items of each concubine.

They're extraordinary.

I won't embarrass myself.

That makes sense.

That should be done by the servants.

In that case,

find some embroiderers

who are skillful.

Great Madam.

Before I got married,

I always hired an embroiderer with surname of Jiang.

She has magnificent embroidery skills.

She's famous in the capital.

We can let her

handle this matter.

I'll let you take care of it then.

Yes, Great Madam.

You should really let them

see your embroidery technique.

I don't know what Concubine Qiao

is so pleased about.

Don't forget

what we came here for.

Why should we compete with them?

Even if Luo Shiyi

is the legal wife,

she's not good enough at all.

You just pulled some tricks,

and she backed off.

The wise submits to the circumstances.

She knows her capabilities well.

I've been managing the Xu household for so long.

How can she easily affect my position?

You may be managing the household affairs now,

but you don't have the official title.

In the future,

if she establishes herself in the future,

she'll still become a problem.

What if

while you still have the authority,

push your advantage?

What do you have in mind, Mrs. Zhang?

Second Madam doesn't have any intentions of managing household affairs.

Fifth Madam disdains managing household affairs.

Only that illegitimate daughter

can compete with you.

So, from the start,

some things must be set up.

Here.

These are the osmanthus puff pastry that Concubine Qiao made.

She told me to bring them for you to taste.

She remembers me?

Concubine Qiao is so nice.

I won't be shy then.

I've heard

that the Sichuan brocades are the best ones this time around.

After they get to Concubine Qiao,

I wonder

what will be left.

It's delicious.

Mrs. Zhou.

Tell me, for a long time,

Concubine Qiao

has been managing all the household affairs.

Even if she's not given any credits,

she puts in a lot of effort, right?

Right.

But once Her Ladyship married into the family,

Concubine Qiao isn't included

on anything good anymore.

I feel so bad for Concubine Qiao.

You're right.

How can ordinary people

compare to Concubine Qiao in terms of the background?

Besides, Concubine Qiao

has a kind heart.

Everyone in the family

only has good things to say about her.

I heard that His Lordship

hasn't visited

Her Ladyship for a while.

She just married into the family.

But Concubine Qiao

is favored by Great Madam.

Her good days are yet to come.

Regarding the Sichuan brocades...

Tell Concubine Qiao

that I

will take care of that.

Here.

Let me see.

Your Ladyship.

Your Ladyship.

Nanny Tao.

What are these?

Sichuan brocade from His Majesty.

Mrs. Zhou sent people to bring them over just now.

Sichuan brocade?

Let me see.

This... This isn't right.

I've been in the mansion for so many years.

I've never seen anyone

who dared to bring items with this kind of quality

to the legal wife's court.

This isn't Her Ladyship's portion.

This isn't Her Ladyship's portion?

Nice, Your Ladyship.

His Lordship just hasn't been here for a few days,

and they're already

bullying us.

This matter

concerns your status and position.

We can't make the slightest concessions about this matter.

I must go to Mrs. Zhou

and see what she's up to.

Nanny Tao.

Don't go.

We don't need to argue with people

about such trivial matters.

Your Ladyship, you're unaware.

These people

have always bullied the weak and feared the strong.

If you make concessions for the first time,

then...

They'll think

that they can bully us.

Besides,

status is the order followed by ethics and moral principles.

How can we let them

act so impetuously?

I must go to find her.

Your Ladyship.

I think Nanny Tao is right.

We must let them know

that we can't be bullied.

You think those servants

are that bold?

They're just following instructions.

Could it be Great Madam?

Great Madam won't worry

about these trivial things.

Now, the one who manages the household affairs

is Concubine Qiao.

Concubine Qiao?

If it's her,

we should make a fuss all the more.

She's so two-faced.

She's a legitimate daughter of a prominent family.

Now, she's a concubine.

She's pitiful too.

Besides, I don't care about these things.

Let her be.

Your Ladyship.

That's enough.

What a coincidence.

I don't need to go and look for you anymore.

Nanny Tao, what can I do for you?

What can you do for me?

Don't you know?

Give me Her Ladyship's Sichuan brocades.

Si... Sichuan brocades?

Didn't I already

ask people to send them to you?

What is the quality of the items you sent?

I'm just following the rules.

If you think

that I did something wrong,

complain about me to the one managing the household affairs.

Complain about you to Concubine Qiao?

You think I'm stupid?

You've been colluding together!

You're so funny.

In relying on a concubine,

you're fighting against the legal wife?

I think

you're a stupid fool!

Who are you calling names?

You.

Let me tell you.

Some people

just seem favored on the surface.

Who isn't aware?

Perhaps someday, someone will lose favor.

Who will lose favor?

Today...

Today, I'll let you lose favor first!

Stop!

Madam.

You must seek justice for me.

This woman

hit me

indiscriminately.

Look... Look at what she did.

Look.

The offender is complaining first.

Don't you know

what you did yourself?

Goodness.

If everyone can hit people

thinking that they have a good reason,

won't the world fall into chaos?

Who did it first?

Her. It was her!

Everyone saw it.

I haven't even started.

Gathering a crowd to make disturbances and creating troubles.

You should be punished according to the house rules.

Come.

Flog Nanny Tao 20 times.

Wait.

Let's go.

You... You're just

aiming at me.

You're using your authority to take revenge for personal grudges.

You think

others will be convinced about you then?

You... You can't compare

to Her Ladyship at all!

Don't think that you're the one managing household affairs now.

It won't last long!

If Her Ladyships wants the authority to manage household affairs,

she can come to me.

Why should a crazy woman like you

say that here?

You're arrogant and insubordinate.

Flog her ten more times!

Flog her!

You...

Stop.

Your Ladyship.

Nanny Tao hit her first.

Since I saw them,

if I ignore it,

and His Lordship finds out,

won't he blame me for not being strict with my management of household affairs?

Not being strict with your management of household affairs?

Is that why you're managing me

as well?

I'm just punishing an old servant

who doesn't know her place.

Your Ladyship.

Why are you blaming

such a big offense on me?

Dongqing, Amber.

Help Nanny Tao up.

-Yes. -Yes.

If Nanny Tao made a mistake,

you could report it to Western Lateral Court.

I'll discipline and punish her.

But you

didn't even inform me

and you're punishing her on your own.

I'm afraid you're not respecting me

as the matron at all.

I don't dare to do that.

It's just that Great Madam

told me to manage the household affairs.

Speaking of which, I remember

that Nanny Tao is taking care of Zhun.

And Zhun lives

with Great Madam.

In that case,

Nanny Tao is considered

as half a member of the Fushou Court.

You didn't inform me

or Great Madam at all

and punished her in private.

What's your intention?

I was rash.

Regarding the Sichuan brocade,

Mrs. Zhou

sent the portion for the legal wife

to Concubine Qiao,

and sent the concubine's portion

to Her Ladyship.

Of course Nanny Tao

couldn't accept it.

So the two of them had a fight.

What do you think about this matter?

Well...

Well what?

You've been with me for dozens of years.

What can you not say to me?

Forgive me for being blunt.

There's an order

for every wife's portions.

If they just do whatever they want this way,

won't that create chaos then?

Lianfang

is too impatient.

Yes.

Lianfang.

Shiyi just married into the family.

She's not very familiar

with the household affairs yet.

You must assist her.

Yes, Great Madam.

I'll remember that.

Two days ago, I heard

that there was a big fuss

regarding the Sichuan brocade.

Those two women

made the atmosphere here at home so foul.

How inappropriate.

It's my fault.

I didn't make it clear before.

I saw that the peony pattern

suits Lianfang,

so I made a decision

to give her that piece of Sichuan brocade.

I didn't expect

that it would create a mess.

Nanny Tao

has served Yuanniang for so many years.

She has always been honest, dutiful,

and obedient to the rules.

She never committed any mistakes.

Why did

she suddenly change?

I can't believe she even hit someone.

Mother.

I didn't discipline my servant well.

I'll surely do that when I get back.

All right.

This is the end of that matter.

It can't happen again.

Mother.

You're too kind.

You're tolerating their impetuousness,

especially Mrs. Zhou.

What do you mean?

Nanny Tao is a senior servant

who served Yuanniang before.

Even if she was inappropriate this time,

she did it to seek justice

for the one she serves.

But who is Mrs. Zhou?

It would be fine if she just explained what happened.

I wonder

who she's relying on

to dare to act so impetuously.

I can't believe she had a fight with Nanny Tao.

I think she should be flogged

to make her remember this incident well.

Forget it.

She's old.

This is what we'll do.

Deduct two months of her salary.

That's all.

Madam.

Danyang.

Have you always been this way these days?

Did you consult a physician?

Great Madam.

Madam

has been vomiting a lot in a recent couple of days.

The physician prescribed some medicines,

but she didn't feel better.

I'm so worried.

I told you already.

During this period of time,

stop coming to greet me.

There's no need to do this.

Look at you.

Mother, don't worry.

Yizhen and I already agreed

to light an incense and pray at Ci'an Temple.

Actually,

Yizhen is so kind to remind me about it.

When I first got pregnant,

I kept vomiting nonstop.

After I came back from lighting incense at Ci'an Temple,

I felt much better.

Hurry then.

Ask more servants to go with you.

Leave early, and return soon.

Your Ladyship.

Great Madam is favoring

Concubine Qiao too much.

In order to protect Concubine Qiao,

she's even disregarding statuses.

What will the people here

think about you then?

I'm so furious.

Your Ladyship.

This time, Concubine Qiao

gained the upper hand by relying on Great Madam.

If you still won't do anything,

I'm afraid that it will be harder

to suppress her in the future.

It's all my fault.

I originally wanted to teach her a lesson.

I didn't expect

that it even made her more arrogant.

What should we do, Your Ladyship?

Nanny Tao, don't blame yourself.

You all don't need to be too worried either.

Gaining or losing advantage

isn't important to me.

You don't need to mind it too much.

Your Ladyship, how can you

not mind it?

Back then, the Luo family spent so much effort

to let you marry into the Xu family.

Why is that?

Have you forgotten?

Now,

if you can't even win

against a concubine,

then...

then what will happen to Zhun?

Nanny Tao, don't worry.

I know what to do.

Sub by iQiyi & Ripped by skysoultan ♔ Follow @skysoultan on Instagram ♔

Today, Shiyi and Lianfang

were lectured by Great Madam.

What happened?

I heard

that Concubine Qiao took the portion of Sichuan brocade

that was supposed to be Her Ladyship's.

However,

it seems like Great Madam permitted it.

But Nanny Tao hit Mrs. Zhou

because of this matter.

She hit her?

Many people in the household saw it.

Clothing made from Sichuan brocade

is so nice.

Only you

deserve to wear this peony design.

I hired the best tailor in the city

to make this clothing for me.

Only his skill

deserves this Sichuan brocade given by His Majesty.

Tell me.

Will His Lordship like it?

Even if fairies come down from heaven,

you'll defeat them.

His Lordship will surely like it.

This time,

he won't reject me again, right?

My Lord, Concubine Qiao is here.

Let her in.

Yes.

My Lord.

You've always been busy with work.

I'm afraid that you'll tire yourself out,

so I especially made the tonic soup for you.

My Lord.

Drink it while it's hot.

Have you ever heard of the five poisons?

Ancient men called

desire, anger, ignorance, pride and envy

the five poisons.

Why are you mentioning that?

There are five poisons in the heart.

If you have too many desires,

you'll covet things

that don't belong to you.

From now on,

don't wear this clothing again.

My Lord, you are right.

I'll get changed when I am back.

Don't let it happen again.

Yes.

Madam, what are you doing?

Madam, don't act this way.

You'll get hurt.

Madam.

Not only won't this help,

if news about this spreads

and His Lordship finds out,

he'll only be angrier at you.

For...

For his sake,

I let go of my dignity and pride

to please him.

But he...

Why won't he

accept me?

I just want him to know

that I

am the one most suitable

to wear this clothing.

I'm the one most suitable

to stand beside him.

Yet he

used the five poisons to warn me.

What exactly did I do wrong?

Madam, you weren't wrong.

You didn't do anything wrong.

It's the fault of the Luo family's illegitimate daughter.

She took your position.

You're right.

If I

am the legal wife,

His Lordship won't slight me.

So I

must

surely become the legal wife.

Your Ladyship, His Lordship is here.

My Lord.

Why are you here so late at night?

I can't come here for no reason?

My Lord, have some tea.

Today, I heard about what happened with the Sichuan brocade.

As the legal wife,

you must have the prestige of a matron.

You can't let the servants fool you.

I just married into the family.

I don't know how to use someone else's power to throw my weight around.

But don't worry.

As long as others don't create trouble,

such incidents

won't happen again.

If you use

your sharp tongue towards me

to face others,

you won't get bullied.

After a couple of days,

according to the imperial edict,

I must go hunting with His Majesty.

You better behave yourself.

Don't cause more troubles.

Cause troubles?

May I ask what I did wrong?

Because you were a little dissatisfied,

you instructed your servant to hit someone and create trouble,

disturbing the peace in this household

and sowing discord.

Isn't that wrong?

How did you know that I instructed her to do it?

Did Nanny Tao personally tell you?

Nanny Tao is your servant.

Everything she does

is related to you.

Don't you know that?

They sent the wrong portion,

but I didn't instruct anyone to cause trouble.

You didn't investigate

and just came here to blame me.

How can you convince people

if you do things this way?

(A humble manner brings you a good result)

My Lord.

Sharp-tongued and unreasonable.

Didn't he especially come here to visit Her Ladyship?

Why did they argue again?

Your Ladyship.

You're going out?

I heard that His Lordship will accompany His Majesty in hunting,

so I prepared some clothing and items for him.

You're so thoughtful.

Lianfang.

Look.

The flowers in the garden are so nice.

It's a shame that I just love peonies.

No matter how nice the flowers are here in the garden,

I won't appreciate them.

Only Xi Shi is the most beautiful among ladies;

only peonies are the best among flowers.

But there are so many flowers in the world.

Not everyone

loves peonies.

I prefer plum blossoms,

which bloom in the cold.

I'm not interested

in peonies at all.

What do you want to say? Please tell me.

Forgive me for being slow-witted.

I don't quite understand.

Peonies and plum blossoms bloom in different seasons.

They won't really get to meet,

and they don't need to compete with each other

to see which one is better.

If you only like peonies,

then just take good care of it.

Then the two flowers will be at peace with each other.

If it must compete with the plum blossom,

then I'm afraid the peony

is a bit more fragile than it.

Think about it.

Madam, what is she talking about?

It doesn't matter.

Let's go.

Back then, in this hunting ground,

Official Hu Jin

was utterly valiant

and had great riding and hunting skills.

Very few people can compete with him.

Countless preys

went into his bag.

I didn't expect

that he colluded with others for nefarious purposes

and brought trouble to the government.

It's really impossible to judge a man's heart based on outward appearances.

Actually,

you and Official Hu

were friends in the military.

I wonder how you felt

when Official Hu was executed.

You're taking so much pleasure in someone's misfortune.

Could it be that Official Hu offended you

when he was still alive?

In saying that,

aren't you making me out to be

a villain who adds insult to injury?

I'm just happy for the government

since we were able to eliminate traitorous officials like Hu Jin.

It's like eliminating intractable diseases like cancer.

It's what everyone wanted to happen,

and it pleased everyone.

Shut up!

Even if Hu Jin made a mistake,

didn't he have accomplishments too?

After he became governor,

he quelled the bandits and relieved the flooding disaster,

letting the citizens live peacefully in the southern region.

How are you qualified to criticize him?

Why do you need to get so angry, Duke Wei?

The government had already reached a conclusion

about Hu Jin's accomplishments and offenses.

Otherwise, why was he executed?

Are you doubting His Majesty's decision?

His Majesty was deceived

by treacherous villains.

-So... -Duke Wei, mind your words.

Don't criticize the government groundlessly.

Xu Lingyi.

I originally thought

that you're a respectable man.

I didn't expect

that you're someone who just echoes the views of others.

Duke Wei, you've misunderstood.

I was afraid that your words

might reach the ears of villains

and give them a cause for gossip.

It won't be beneficial to you.

After all, executing Official Hu

was His Majesty's decision.

Will I, Ren Kun, be afraid

of those treacherous villains?

Marquis Yongping.

You and Hu Jin have been friends for many years as well.

Could it be

that you also believe

the lies they used to attack him?

Official Hu was free from corruption and bribery.

He was just and fair.

How can he be someone

who formed factions in pursuit of personal gains?

If he really had a faction,

when he was being attacked,

why didn't anyone help him?

Very few people defended him.

Duke Wei.

Treacherous officials are in power.

The government already has one less righteous person

who worked for the sake of the nation and the citizens.

I hope that you'll be cautious with your words and actions

and take care of yourself.

He was too foolish.

How can one person

change anything?

But I believe

that Official Hu wasn't foolish.

It was precisely because he was an honest man

that he knew the corrupt practices in the nation,

just like how he was the best of friends with you

because he knew the kind of man you are.

You're right.

It was precisely because

we truly knew each other

that even if our political views were different

and we often had disagreements,

we still remained friends.

Who knew

that he would die because of it?

Official Hu once told me

that even if the sea ban policy is part of the ancestral policy,

it's an outdated and bad practice.

Now,

the banditry on the southeastern coast,

the poverty of the citizens,

and the empty national treasury

are all caused by it.

Only by lifting the sea ban

and performing maritime trading

can we totally

quell the bandits and save the citizens.

Timing decides fate.

Even so,

what can we do?

This concerns the ancestral policy.

It's not something

one or two people can change.

Your Ladyship.

I checked everywhere

in the mansion.

I still didn't find any clues.

Perhaps that person

isn't a female member

of this household at all.

Since we didn't find anything through the embroidery items,

let's check the fabrics.

Your Ladyship.

Nanny Tao.

I have cooked some lotus seed sweet soup

for Zhun.

Try these too.

Thank you.

Are you aware

where the fabrics from a year ago

are kept?

A year ago?

Most of them should have already

been used up.

Even if anything is left,

it won't be kept here at the mansion.

It should be at the house in the countryside.

Your Ladyship, why do you ask?

Nothing.

I was just thinking

that it would be wasted

if it's not used.

I can get some

to make embroidery items.

Try it.

They're back.

There's no need for courtesy.

Help Danyang sit down.

What happened?

Did your trip go smoothly?

Thank you for your concern, Mother.

Everything went smoothly.

Mother.

We were lucky, we met Master Hui'en,

who was traveling here,

so we asked him to read our fortune.

What did he say?

He said

I will clash with people with the Chinese zodiac of ox.

I should avoid such people. [*Clash: The incompatibility of zodiac signs]

That's easy.

I'll ask them to list down

everyone in the household with the Chinese zodiac of ox,

and let them move

to the house in the countryside.

After you give birth

to the baby smoothly,

we'll ask them to come back.

Great Madam.

What's the matter?

It seems like Her Ladyship's Chinese zodiac is ox.

How can this happen?

Mother.

I think

this isn't a good idea.

What that master said

might not be believable.

I think we should just forget it.

We can't forget about this.

The Xu family

only has a few members.

Offsprings

are the top priority of the Xu family.

Mother, it doesn't make any sense

for Shiyi to move to the house in the countryside.

If news about it spreads,

they'll think that I'm bullying her.

That's enough.

Don't worry about it

too much.

Kuan'er.

Help Danyang back to the room.

Go.

Mother, we'll go ahead.

Take it slow.

Great Madam.

Are you really going to tell Her Ladyship

to move out?

What if she's not willing to?

Why won't she be willing to do it?

It's not like

she'll be staying there forever.

It's just temporary.

She'll be back.

If she's smart,

it will be good.

If she's immature...

Sub by iQiyi & Ripped by skysoultan ♔ Follow @skysoultan on Instagram ♔

♪In the cold darkness of midnight, a sigh is heard♪

♪Who picked up the paintbrush to draw loneliness♪

♪In my life, I can draw everything, but lovesickness♪

♪The mountain city is waiting for rain♪

♪I am waiting for you to pass in my memory♪

♪The sky is in a more lonely color than your face♪

♪The wind rises and the candle light flickers♪

♪The thin clothes can't stand the cold days♪

♪Full of twists and turns, fate is untold♪

♪I ground my thoughts into ink♪

♪But I still can't sketch your contours♪

♪How could the ink and paper exhaust our stories♪

♪Who picked up the pen to disturb the heart♪

♪Who visited to remind me of the past♪

♪If feelings can be kept in mind, but cannot be confessed♪

♪I won't escape from whatever end♪

♪In the dim lantern light, with you there is me♪

♪Who picked up the pen to set free lonely tears♪

♪Whoever visited my life, only you stayed all the days♪

♪If the moth doesn't fly into the fire♪

♪How can it be said to be persistent♪

♪Coming to the end of your story, there is me♪