Original subtitles

♪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 forgetthat you held my hands♪

♪In your warm palmsand we braved winds and waves♪

♪Unexpectedly, after we traveled so farand 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 passesand life changes♪

♪Together, we will grow old♪

=The Sword and the Brocade=

=Episode 41=

I heard that in order topersuade Mother to change her mind,

you had been givena good dressing down by her.

Don't mind it, Lingyi.

Being scolded by Mother

is nothing to me.

I have got used to it.

While Mother wasin the heat of the moment,

why must you contradict her?

There is somethingyou don't know.

After what happened to Xiaolan,

I came to realize that

rules can restrict people,

but can't control people's feelings.

And in a love relationship,

there can't be a third person.

Lingyi,

I can see that Shiyiis special to you.

To protect your conjugal bond with her,

as far as I am concerned,

you should considerthe matter prudently.

I will never takeDongqing as my concubine.

There is no room for discussionregarding this matter.

Mother is determinedto make this happen.

So she won't give uptill she attains her aim.

But she is doing thisfor the sake of our Xu family.

You can't disregard herfeelings completely.

If I were you,

I would not know what to do, either.

If Mother can see sense,this matter will turn out well.

If she persists with her decision,

I won't give in.

But you need not worry.

I won't make it hard for Mother.

And I won't hurtShiyi's feelings, either.

I believe that

there will always bea solution to this problem.

Your Ladyship.

You have been shirking your meals

over the past two days.

For whatever reason,

you can't starve yourselfand impair your health.

I want to see Dongqing.

Your Ladyship,

I failed you.

I believe what you said.

You need not apologize to me.

You have been treated unfairly.

Rise to your feet.

Your Ladyship,

I am afraid that I will let you down.

What do you mean by saying this?

There is one thingI have been hiding deep in my heart.

I have no intentionto let it known by others.

But under the current circumstances,

I have to speak my mind.

Since I came tothe Mansion of Xu with you,

I have been able to seeHis Lordship day in and day out.

Unconsciously,

I took a fancy to His Lordship.

I love His Lordship.

What did you say?

I said I have a crush on His Lordship.

But His Lordship onlyhas eyes for you.

He never sees me.

So I took His Lordship's belt secretly

and kept it as areminder of the owner.

Your Ladyship,

please fulfill my wish

considering that

I have been serving youfor so many years.

If I become His Lordship's concubine,

I won't vie with you for anything.

And I will obey you in everything.

Based on what you said,you have a thing for His Lordship

and you want to be

his concubine.

I know it is improper for meto have such thoughts,

but I just can't control my feelings.

Please fulfill my wish, Your Ladyship.

Your Ladyship,

you look pale.

Is anything wrong with Dongqing?

Do you know what Dongqing said to me?

She asked me to grant her wish

and allow her to becomeHis Lordship's concubine.

Dongqing has worked as my maidfor so many years.

I used to think thatI know her very well.

But I still can't guess right

what she is thinking.

Your Ladyship.

Don't get excited.

Just sit down to have a rest.

You've beenso nice to Dongqing.

But now, even she...

What are you planning to do,Your Ladyship?

Amber.

Be seated.

Yes.

I can do nothing.

I can't sit idly and watch

Dongqing get sold to others.

Besides,

it is a fact that she longsto be His Lordship's concubine.

Once His Lordship accepts her,

we will harbor hard feelings

toward each other forever

for we love the same man.

In the coming days,

we will clash with each other

due to conflicts of interests.

I feel afraid even thinking of it.

Your Ladyship.

I have never seen you look so upset.

I prefer what you used to be

when you were doing thingsin Xianling Pavilion.

Back then,

you were free and unrestrained

as well as glowed with a radiant look.

But now,

you are making concessionsfor the common good

and are out of spirits.

It is hard for me to imagine

you are living such a constrained life

in this mansion

after losing Xianling Pavilion.

Yes.

It is such an honor to bethe wife of Marquis Yongping.

But I think

the three yearsI spent in Yuhang

have allowed me to enjoy more freedom.

Your Ladyship, do you really think

you were happierliving in Yuhang in the past

than living here now?

Even if I think so, what's the help?

I can't go back to the past.

Your Ladyship,

you can't give up so easily.

You always strike meas a courageous person

who is brave enoughto take control of your own fate.

You even dared to doan earth-shaking deed

like escaping marriage.

However,after you married into the Xu family,

you lost your courage gradually,

became afraid to move forward

and kept deviating from your past self.

Are you really willing to

be manipulated by othersthroughout your life?

What?

Xu Lingyi is going totake Dongqing as his concubine?

This is going to happenin the next couple of days.

Shiyi has to accept Dongqing,

who is like a sister to her,as her husband's concubine.

How can she survivesuch an emotional blow?

What has she done on earth

to make the Xu familyforce her like this?

How about Marquis Yongping?

Has he done nothing

and just watched Shiyi suffersuch unfair treatment?

His Lordship has said loads of things

to appease Her Ladyship.

But if he dares toneglect his filial duty

and disobey the Great Madam,

he will be denouncedby the scholars

in both speech and writing.

In the end,

he still can't stop this from happening.

She must be very sad now.

But I can do nothing to help her.

Since Her Ladyshipmarried into the Xu family,

she hasn't enjoyed any peaceful days.

I can't bear to

see her be treated so unfairly anymore.

I beg you to help Her Ladyship, Mr. Ou.

If I can help her,

I will definitely do my utmost.

But this is an internal affairof the Xu family,

I can't interfere in it.

If it is an internal affairof the Xu family,

it is natural thatyou can do nothing about it.

But if Her Ladyship

leaves the Xu family...

She will leave the Xu family?

I will be honest with you.

I know Her Ladyship is in possession of

a Divorce Agreement

signed by His Lordship himself.

I have heard of the whole thing.

It was caused by me.

I didn't mean to causeyou such great trouble.

I am really sorry.

Mr. Ou, you need not blame yourself.

Even without you,

things will turn out this way.

Since I married into the Xu family,

I have been aware of

the things awaiting me ahead.

I once had the naive thought that

as long as I made efforts,

I would be able to make a difference

and would be able toget the life I want.

However, unknowingly,

I sank into theplight I am in now.

Well, what is your plan now?

Will you really give into Great Madam Xu

and resign yourselfto their arrangements?

Of course I won't.

But if I want to keep Dongqing,

this will be my only choice.

I know in your mind,

there is a different world.

If you compromise now,

you will be confinedto the household affairs

and all your talent will be wasted

with all your wishes going up in smoke.

Don't you feel sorry for yourself?

If you don't make compromises willingly,

how can you swallow the bitterness?

Shiyi,

you always say that

a person's destiny

should be takeninto one's own hands, right?

If you want to leave the Mansion of Xu,

I will give you a hand.

Do you know what you are saying?

Don't worry.

I didn't say thiswith any selfish motive.

I just want to try my best

to help you out of the plight.

Then, in the coming days,

you will be likethe fish swimming in the vast sea

and the bird flying high in the sky.

You will feel free tolive the life you want.

Right, Your Ladyship.

Mr. Ou said the right thing.

If you continue stayingin the Mansion of Xu,

I am afraid thatyou won't be able to enjoy any peace.

Your Ladyship!

Your Ladyship!

Your Ladyship!

It doesn't matter.

Sorry to let you see this.

Go fetch my outer gownfrom the carriage.

Yes, Your Ladyship.

Please allow meto think about it carefully.

Madam.

This is the camelliajust delivered today.

Put it there.

Yes.

Go back to your work.

(Luo Shiyi and Ou Yanxingmet as planed.)

The two of them met so soon.

It seems thata great drama is going to unfold.

Where is Shiyi?

Report to you, My Lord.

Her Ladyship wentout with Amber.

I don't know where they've gone.

(Ou Yanxing: Please meet meat Mingyang tea house.)

My Lord.

You went to see Ou Yanxing?

Yes.

You know clearly that our family

doesn't want to see youassociate with Ou Yanxing.

Why did you act arbitrarily

and meet him in secret?

He asked me to meet him suddenly.

I worried thatthere might be something urgent.

Now our whole mansion is in a mess.

Could you please bear in mind that

you are Marquis Yongping's wife.

Marquis Yongping's wife!

So what?

You only want a womanto bear you children

and manage your household affairs.

You only want a toolwho obeys you in everything.

I am fine to give up the title!

How could you say such words?

I am always forced by you to

make one choice after another.

None of you cares about my feelings.

Amber.

Pack my things.

What are you going to do?

I am going to leave thisplace and leave you.

You can't leavehere as you like!

My Lord, don't you remember that

you have given me aDivorce Agreement.

Zhaoying.

My Lord.

Go find the Divorce Agreement.

Yes, My Lord.

My Lord,

I can't find it.

From today onward,

without my consent.

You mustn't leave your room.

Shiyi has been groundedby His Lordship.

How come this happened?

Since she married into our Xu family,

she has been causing trouble constantly.

As the matron of our Xu family,

how could she act arbitrarily?

It is time to rein in her temper.

Darling.

How do you like my writing?

Master Lixing.

(All is ready except what is crucial.)

The fish has bitten.

We will be able tobring in the net soon.

Ask our people

to keep watching the Xu family.

Yes.

What we have planned

is going to be achieved soon.

Darling.

Why aren't you happy?

Yes, I am.

Of course I am happy that

your plan can work.

But as far as I am concerned,

to be the master of the family

is not the most important.

For me,

the most importantthing is that you can be

safe and sound.

Rest assured.

I will definitely stay by your side

world without end.

Our good life is on the way.

(Virtue of Modesty and Patience)

(Now Her Ladyship)

(can't even get out of her room.)

(How can she go meet Mr. Ou?)

(I must figure out a way.)

Madam.

What did you say?

His Lordship has written aDivorce Agreement to Her Ladyship.

Yes, he did.

But he didn't allowHer Ladyship to leave.

As I see it, His Lordship

is giving Her Ladyshipa hard time intentionally.

Madam,

I guess you are very clear about

what happened to my sister.

And you know the best

what kind of person His Lordship is.

Her Ladyship won't be happy

staying in the Xu family.

Madam,

now you are the only person

who can help Her Ladyship.

Well...

What are you doing?

Don't let others see this.

What do you want me to do?

Could you please

help Her Ladyshipget out of the Mansion of Xu?

It is possible for Her Ladyshipto leave the Xu family.

But you must think it through.

Once she leaves,she won't be able to return.

Madam,

Her Ladyship will never want to return.

(Virtue of Modesty and Patience)

(Divorce Agreement)

Your Ladyship.

(Xu Lingyi)(Luo)

(Xu Lingyi)(Luo Shiyi)

Fire!

How come there is a fire?

Why are you still standing here?

Hurry to put out the fire!

But His Lordship ordered us...At such a time,

if you let the fire spread,

it might reach this courtyard

and hurt Her Ladyship.

By then, how can youanswer to His Lordship?

Well, we will come back soon.

Hurry up!

The time will come soon.

The time will come soonfor everything to come to a close.

Giddyup!

Marquis Yongping is here!

Shiyi!

Shiyi!

My Lord,

I have signed the Divorce Agreement.

From now on,we will have no ties with each other.

Without my permission,

you can't leave.

Marquis,

Shiyi is no longer your wife.

Please don't do improper things.

You were lucky last time.

This time, I won't go easy on you.

You can't protect her.

If you wish her the best,

you shouldn't stop her from leaving.

Xu Lingyi, let go of him!

You are courting death!

Who are you people?

Ou Lixing,

I can see thatyou have been plotting this for long.

I don't find it odd thatyou want to kill me.

But it surprises me that

you also want to killyour brother.

A man doing great thingsdoesn't care about small matters.

Ou Yanxing,

you have abandoned yourself to vice.

So you don't deserve to beone member of our Ou family.

I will just take this chance to

rid our family of its black sheep.

Lixing,

though we don't see eye to eye,

we are still siblings.

How could you be so cold-blooded?

If you devote yourselfto doing business outside,

I won't give you any trouble.

But you returned to our family.

Then you have beengoing against me in everything.

You just get yourself killed!

If you kill the officialsof the imperial court,

His Majesty will hold you accountable.

By then, can your Ou family affordto face the consequences?

That's not true, Marquis Yongping.

My brother and your wifelove each other dearly.

They decided to elope.

You burst into anger learning of it.

You chased and intercepted them here.

Then you killed them cruelly.

Tomorrow,

across the capital,

the stories about my brother and you

who killed each other for a woman

will go around.

How pathetic and sad!

So you planned to kill the three of us

at the very beginning.

By doing this,

Shiyi won't find out

the cause of her mother's death;

I, the enemy of your Ou family

will be eliminated;

More importantly,

you can eliminate your brother.

Then he won't be able to

vie with you for the titleof the heir apparent.

This is killing three birdswith one stone.

Shiyi's mother isreally killed by you?

Why did you kill her?

You will join her inthe nether world soon.

If you want to know the reason,

you can ask her yourself.

My mother happened to

see you meet the pirates secretly.

So you killed her.

Right?

Even if you find out the truth,

what can you do to me?

It's her fault.

She shouldn't have seen

what she was not allowed to see.

Break into the jail?

Do you thinkthe jail of the Ministry of Justice

is similar to the prisonof the county government?

Even if I muster troops here,

it is impossible for usto rescue the prisoners.

While Xu Lingyi were taking you back

to the capital,I sacrificed my informant

that I planted in hisbarracks many years ago

to rescue you from his hands.

I didn't expect that you two

would fall into his hands

for a second time.

I won't leave

unless you rescue my elder brother.

Remember that

over all the past years,

your Ou family has made a lot of money

with our help.

Stop!

Catch her!

I didn't expect that

she would leave evidence behind

and the evidencewould get obtained by you.

You killed innocent people

to eliminate the evidence

proving you colluded with the pirates.

So it is true that your Ou family

has been colluding with the pirates.

No wonder you have beentrying to stop us

regarding the sea banin every possible way.

I have been listening for quite a while.

It is late now.

It's time for you

to embark on your tripto the nether world.

Master Lixing!

Ou Lixing.

You finally admitted your crime.

Ren Kun!

Why are you here?

Xu Lingyi.

You made a mistake

using my maid for you conspiracy.

Rise to your feet first.

We grew up together.

I know you better than others.

You are very kind.

It is impossible for youto have done that.

What is your reason for doing that?

Tell me.

Your Ladyship.

I...

Silly girl.

As long as I can help you,

I am willing to do anything.

Help me?

Who taught you to say those words?

This matter might concern

the fate of the Xu family.

You must come clean with me.

It's Amber.

Amber said that

only by saying those words,could I help you.

It is impossible for Amberto intend to harm me.

It is more unlikely thatshe allied herself with the Ou family.

I am afraid that she has falleninto others' trap.

If our relationshipis jeopardized,

nobody will benefit from it.

The wirepullermust have subsequent plans.

Well, what should we do for the next?

This stratagem seems to

depend on Dongqing.

But actually, it is up to

your reaction and action.

You'd bettertake a wait-and-see approach

to gain the initiative.

I will arrangetrustworthy people of our family

to coordinate with you.

Are you suspecting Amber aswell, Mr. Ou?

Going through so many things,

I have faith in the personalityof Marquis Yongping.

Even if he is condemned byeverybody, he won't

take Dongqing as hisconcubine to hurt you.

Based on your personality,

even if you have to leave the Xu family,

you won't turn to me for help.

Because if you do that,Marquis Yongping will be hurt.

So it is confusing for Amber

to take this action.

Mr. Ou still held expectations for you

at first.

He thought you wouldnot be so vicious.

It is a pity that

he thought too positively of you.

Ou Yanxing,

how could you colludewith the Xu family to frame me?

Lixing.

Believe it or not,

I never meant to hurt you

and to fight for power with you.

I hope strongly that

Marquis Yongping has misjudged you.

I didn't stop hoping till now that

you would not show up.

It is you who forced yourself

to take this road of desperation.

Don't be phony!

If you don't want tofight for power with me,

why have you given upyour life of sightseeing

and returned to our Ou family?

Why have you showed up

time and again in front of our father?

Why have you reminded father that

he has failed your mother?

Why,

why have you turned father against me?

I am not turning father against you.

It is you yourself.

If I can stay alive,

I will kill you with my own hands.

Ou Lixing,

you will have no chance to do that.

Now we have bothhuman witnesses and material evidence.

What awaits you ahead is onlythe severe punishment by laws.

Move! Retreat!

Protect Shiyi!

Be careful, My Lord!

Linbo, the bow and arrows!

You kept a private army,colluded with the pirates,

as well as tried totrap and kill court officials.

You can't be absolved from your crime.

Ou Lixing,

you have committed such serious crime.

Marquis Jingyuan is ina hopeless situation now.

You want to bring downmy family using me.

Move!

-Get on your knees!-Kneel down!

In father's eyes,

I am much inferior to you.

See clearly now

who deserves to bethe son of our Ou family!

Lixing!

Lixing!

Lixing!

My dear wife,

I will break my promise.

Are you all right?

Linbo,

take all captivesto the Ministry of Justice for trial.

Yes, My Lord.

They all committed suicide, My Lord.

Now we lost all witnesses.

Will Marquis Jingyuanmake countercharges against us?

If he doesn't want to be accused of

maintaining an army for rebellion,

he won'tmake this matter public for sure.

I am sorry.

I never expected this matter

would end up like this.

We intended to subdue him

and bring himto trial pursuant to the law.

- It is unexpected that...-I know.

He has got what he deserved.

He is a real man.

It is a pity thathe was born into the Ou family.

It is really surprising that

Luo Shiyi

has done such an indecentand shameless thing.

If I had known this,

I would not have allowed her

to marry into our Xu family.

This matter is still unclear.

His Lordship has goneto chase Shiyi.

Let's wait for them to come back.

If this matter turns out to be true,

I will not forgive her, no matter what.

(Mansion of Xu)

Great Madam, His Lordship is back.

Mother, His Lordship is back.

Greetings to you, Mother.

Why do you stillhave the face to come back?

Servants!

Drive her out!

Lingyi.

How could she do such a thing?

Why are you still defending her?

Mother.

There are reasons for her to do that.

Shiyi ran away purposefully.

It is our plan.

Just now,

Ou Lixing died.

An unjust man is doomed to destruction.

Ou Lixing just got thepunishment he deserved.

Shiyi,

I have granted youthree days to think about it.

Now I want to know your choice.

Mother.

I know you are determined to

safeguard our Xu family.

But Dongqing is my maid.

Whether she will be married off or sold,

only I can decide that.

I won't exchange herlife for anything.

Lingyi.

What is your thought?

She is my wife.

Of course,I will respect her decision.

You can't forget that

the ethical rulesgoverning human relations

were passed down tous by our ancestors.

It is the foundation for our Xu family

to survive in this world.

Mother, please make wise judgment.

As the saying goes,as time goes by, things change.

So the rules must be changed over time.

We mustn't apply ancient rulesto modern times.

Otherwise,

back then, father and Ling'an

needn't have opposed firmlythe ancestral policies

and advocated persistentlythe lift of the sea ban.

Mother, do you think

father and Ling'anwere also wrong?

Do you think I am wrong, too?

Lifting the sea ban is for the goodof our state and people.

It is a lofty deed.

It can't be put on a par with

the small Xianling Pavilion.

Don't do bad thingseven if they are petty.

Don't hesitate to do good thingseven if they are minor.

In Xianling Pavilion,

Shiyi helped the refugees,

taught them embroidery skills

and enabled those homeless people

to be skilled in some kind of work

and to make a living.

This has also ridded the imperial court

of extra worries and troubles.

Isn't such a deed

also in the interestof the state and the people?

Why must Shiyi be fetteredby old conventions

just because she is a woman?

Will this really be conducive to

the prosperity of our Xu family?

Mother, please lay your handon your heart and ask yourself.

After Shiyi managedthe household affairs,

has she ever neglected her duties

because of Xianling Pavilion?

Why must youforce her to give it up, Mother?

So do you mean that

I am wrong?

Dongqing is a pure-minded maid.

But you forced Shiyi

with Dongqing's fate as the chip

to achieve you aim.

This is a wrong deed.

I,

I did this for the sakeof our Xu family.

You must rememberI am your mother.

Mother,

I am not only your son,

but also Shiyi's husband.

Hereby I vow that

in all my life,

I won't take any concubines.

Mother,

I also vow that like Lingyi,

I will not take any concubinesfrom today onward

and will be devoted to Danyang.

Why are you also doing this?

Mother.

To bring glory to our Xu family,

Lingyi has sacrificed a lot

and has shed blood and sweat.

Doesn't he deserve a chance to

decide his own matter?

Lingyi has risked his life

to earn today's status of our Xu family.

In terms of feelings, reason or justice,

Mother, you must listento Lingyi this time.

Mother, after Shiyimarried into our family,

she got deprived of herpower by Qiao Lianfang

and became the laughingstockof the capital.

But she never complained.

And in the case of the moldy rice,

she sold her dowry

to help our Xu family out of trouble.

She requited injustice with kindness.

Zhun is your eldest legitimate grandson.

If Shiyi hadn't

found the cause of his diseasein a timely manner

and taken care of him carefully,

he would not have recovered his health.

Later, Shiyi also

revealed the truthof late Her Ladyship's death.

She also helped the refugeesin Xianling Pavilion

to bring honor to our Xu family.

Can't all these gooddeeds get her rewarded

with a life she wants?

Mother,

aren't you too harshon her by doing this?

Mother.

Since Ou Yanxing

has withdrawn from Xianling Pavilion,

I beg you to allow Shiyi

to continue with her work there.

Yizhen.

Am I,

am I really wrong?

As a matter of fact,I am not against

Shiyi's work in Xianling Pavilion.

Back then,I was just worried that

she might betaken advantage of by others.

Now I can see

she and His Lordship are of one heart.

So nobody can affect them.

The Ou family has reaped what it sowed.

Based on the current situation,

I have nothing toworry about anymore.

Mother.

I really see our Xufamily as my own home

and treat all members of our Xu family

as my own family.

I will never do thingsdetrimental to them.

Mother, please believe me.

Though Shiyi is thematron of our Xu family,

I am also a daughter-in-lawof our Xu family.

I can't sit idle and do nothing.

From now on,

I will assist Shiyito manage the household affairs.

Please give it your consent, Mother.

Such being the case,

just do things as you like.

-Thank you, Mother!-Thanks, Mother!

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

♪Who picked up the paintbrushto draw loneliness♪

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

♪The mountain city is waiting for rain♪

♪I am waiting for youto pass in my memory♪

♪The sky is in a more lonely colorthan your face♪

♪The wind risesand the candle light flickers♪

♪The thin clothescan'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 inkand paper exhaust our stories♪

♪Who picked up the pento 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 pento 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♪