Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[The Ingenious One]

[Episode 32: Forever Farewell to Old Friends]

Leave!

Leave!

That brute gave the order.

I'll have to kill myself after killing you.

I can only live if you're alive.

Leave.

Go!

Ten Taels of Gold. Kill him.

Mr. Yun is here.

Let's go. Hurry.

Mr. Yun, what's going on?

Jin.

Don't come near me.

Let's go!

I've come to a dead end

but you haven't yet.

Run!

Let's go together.

You're so astute.

You should know one of us dying is better than all of us dying.

You should also know what I want to entrust.

Jin.

Get lost!

-Mr. Yun. -Mr. Yun.

Ten Taels of Gold. Kill him.

Kill him.

Kill him.

What kind of poison is this?

Kill him.

Kill him!

Kill him!

Let's go.

Leave, Mr. Yun!

-Let's go, Mr. Yun! -Leave!

Hurry!

It's good that you escaped.

It's good that you escaped.

Don't leave yet.

I'll make you another bracelet.

Boss, no need.

I still have the one you made for me last time.

Listen to me.

You still have to be careful no matter how skilled you are.

You all have to live well.

Jin.

I'll wait for you.

[Chunming Gate]

Lead the way.

Lady Kou.

Lady Kou, let me report to you.

Judging from the traces,

a total of three people broke into Datong Firm at night.

The traitor should be Yan San, who acted in concert with them from the inside

and attempted to steal the ledgers.

Yan San.

Do you know this person?

Go on talking.

Yan San was already killed when we arrived.

So we went after the swordsman immediately.

But we didn't expect that the swordsman has such great skills.

Approximately more than 20 people altogether died by his sword.

Have you checked

if the ledgers indeed haven't been swapped?

We've checked them carefully

and have destroyed them all.

What are the characteristics of the person who escaped by boat?

He's around 30 and looks like a scholar.

I haven't seen him fight.

I don't think he knows martial arts.

Has he been injured?

No.

But he's quite good at running for his life.

Lady Kou. May I ask where you're going?

Do I need to report to you where I'm going?

That's not what I meant.

It's just that such an incident happened,

why don't you stay in Yangzhou

and take charge of the situation for us?

Is this your thought

or Nangong Fang's thought?

Mr. Nangong sent us a letter a few days ago,

saying that if you come to Yangzhou,

you may as well stay for a few more days.

The name of the swordsman you saw last night is Jin Biao.

He's known as the Best Swordsman of Yangzhou.

He charges ten taels of gold for a single deal.

That's why he got the name "Ten Taels of Gold."

I've never had a chance

to compete with him.

I heard that he alone killed more than 20 of you.

I wonder how many I could have killed

if it were me.

[Cao]

Where is he?

When we arrived at the pier,

we saw blood everywhere.

The dead bodies were all cleared away.

We only found this sheath on the riverbank.

Mr. Yun.

You lost one thing.

Your favorite sword.

I only found the sheath,

but I don't know where I can go

to return it to you now.

You also lost one more thing.

You lost your life.

I don't know what I should give to you in return.

You once said that I'm warm-hearted.

I know it clearly

that I only care about my own interests.

I'm afraid of death.

I have absolutely no idea what brotherhood is.

Let Heaven be the witness.

I, Yun Xiang,

would like to become sworn brothers with you, Jin Biao,

known as Ten Taels of Gold,

at this moment of the day.

From now on, we'll trust each other with our lives,

share weal and woe,

and become sworn brothers.

How many times have I told you?

You're still so garrulous.

You and I have been like brothers long ago.

There's no need for such formalities.

Here.

[Shao's Residence]

Stop knocking. There's no one in the courtyard.

Prince Fu left Nandu yesterday morning.

How could it be?

I haven't given him the register yet.

You and Lord Liu came to Nandu.

Who exactly do you want to investigate?

Lord Liu wants to see you.

I've gotten some results on the matter you asked me to investigate.

Thank you, Lord Liu.

I've also found out something during this period of time.

The mastermind behind the east-coast land purchase case back then

was Nangong Fang.

Maybe it was Nangong Fang.

But we should put the saddle on the right horse.

According to the clues I've been following and investigating,

the person behind him is your real enemy.

Fang Mingru, Censorate Censor,

was killed by bandits on his way back to his hometown.

No one from his family was spared.

Zhong Jingshan, Censorate Censor,

was convicted of collusion with the rebel party.

His three clans were exterminated.

Fan Zhishu, Censorate Censor,

was convicted of forming a private clique, taking bribes and perverting justice.

His three clans were exterminated.

All of them are officials in the Censorate.

Li Bo,

skip the ones in the middle.

You just need to know that I've found out about eight people in total in my investigation.

They all suffered the tragedy of family extermination.

Go on.

Luo Sizhong, Censorate Censor,

resigned from the official post in the 26th year of Tianqing

and returned to his hometown, Luo family's village in the east coast.

In the autumn of the same year,

the villagers of Luo family's village colluded with the pirates and disturbed the coastal defense,

so the Nandu Criminal Investigation Service Office sent troops to eliminate them.

Upon investigation,

the evidence was solid and the case was closed.

Luo Sizhong

should count as your granduncle from the same clan.

Do you still remember him?

Those censors all suffered family extermination.

I wanted to find out what they had in common.

In the end, I found that everything

can be traced back to the 21st year of Tianqing.

My lord,

are you really going to tell him about these?

I think, next, Lord Liu is going to talk with me

about the third deal, right?

Since you've guessed it,

why not go on to guess

what the third deal is?

You've come to Nandu this time

for more than simply investigating the water ghost robbery case.

Why did you say so?

Lift up the fishing rod.

With Prince Fu's influence,

if he wants to deal with Nangong Fang,

he can have lots of means to do so.

Why did he choose me?

Because I myself was too eager for seeking revenge.

But then again,

why didn't Prince Fu ask you to do it?

After all, you've been his retainer for ten years.

How dare you!

In this case, it seems that there's only one answer.

That is, he's afraid of you.

And the real purpose of your trip to Nandu

is to investigate Prince Fu.

Such a smart person you are, Young Master Xiang!

Talk about it then.

Why do I need to investigate him?

Things that need you imperial guards to get involved

can only be important state affairs.

What counts as important state affairs then?

Plotting a rebellion.

The phrase determines the life and death of so many people,

but you were so indifferent

when you mentioned it.

By convention,

princes are not allowed to hold power.

But Prince Fu is a rare exception.

Back then, Prince Fu made every effort to help govern the country

and did his utmost to carry out reforms.

He once had the ear of His Majesty too.

Unfortunately, he went too far.

The new policy drafted by Prince Fu was too radical

and made too many enemies in the imperial court.

In the 21st year of Tianqing,

eight censors from the Censorate led officials of all ranks

to submit a joint report to the throne

that enumerated the mistakes of Prince Fu.

That was how the fief of Yangzhou came from.

And Prince Fu can never be in the imperial court again.

Now I understand

why you told me

that the third deal would kill me.

Now, the military power has long been in Prince Fu's hands.

Not only the officials in Yangzhou,

but half of the officials in Nandu also colluded with him.

He has already taken control of two strong cities, Jiangnan and Jiangbei.

He can both attack and defend.

Of course the imperial court can't allow him to rebel.

But once a war starts

and rages on,

those who are going to suffer the most are the common people.

So you want to join hands with me

in order to draw support from the Yuntai Sect?

I just want to do my best

to nip the upheaval in the bud.

Don't you Yuntai disciples also see it

as your duty to protect the common people?

You want to make an alliance with the Yuntai Sect.

Then, Lord Liu, how much do you know

about Prince Fu?

At most

fifty percent.

At most ten percent.

That's good then.

It means it's a wise move to choose to ally with you.

Mr. Yun, please tell me everything you know.

There are at least 100 businesses in Nangong Fang's name.

If we want to take all of them away overnight,

two thousand people won't be enough for the task.

Lady Kou.

Lady Kou.

Uncles, no need to stand on ceremony.

Why are you all here today?

Lady Kou, you've come at the right time.

There's a godsend.

We've been subject to Nangong Fang for so many years.

Finally, we can hold up our heads.

Yuanjie brought back the register of Nangong Fang's businesses?

Lady Kou,

how did you know?

No matter what order Madam Kou gave,

please give me a moment.

I'll go and discuss it first. It won't be late to obey the order after that.

Thank you.

It's right to take our time when the matter is urgent.

But Yuanjie got the register.

It's indeed a good opportunity for us to get rid of Nangong Fang.

Why wait any longer?

I don't think she has any new ideas.

Sister,

put aside your selfish motives

and talk about how well I actually did this time.

Mother.

I'm incompetent.

Although I've been following Nangong Fang all the time,

I failed to get a glimpse of his private thoughts.

I just feel that his behavior has been too abnormal recently.

He must have some evil intent.

If we go along with it,

I'm afraid we'll fall into his trap.

Mother, there are things that you don't know.

In order to protect this register

from falling into others' hands,

I had no choice but to kill Ten Taels of Gold and Yun Xiang.

One of them is my sister's friend,

and the other is my sister's true love.

I think she must be heartbroken now.

So she simply wants to ruin my plan.

How foolish you are.

You said you have everything well-planned.

Are you sure they are both dead?

Of course.

I've never failed in using the Heart Devouring Powder.

But when I went to the pier to clean up the dead bodies,

I couldn't find Yun Xiang.

Later, I heard that he has fled back to Nandu by boat.

Mother.

Yun Xiang has an extraordinary retentive memory.

He must have memorized the ledgers clearly.

For the Lingyuan Sect, a slight move may affect the whole situation.

Mother, please make a careful decision.

If Yun Xiang is still alive,

we'll need to make our move even sooner.

I was hesitating over

whether we should directly rob Nangong Fang of his assets

or nurture a business talent in the sect

and gradually take over his businesses.

Mother.

Don't think too much if you want to make great achievements.

The Yuntai Sect has already known the details of Nangong Fang's businesses.

They'll definitely do something.

A delay would lead to changes in the situation.

Under the current circumstance,

it's about making a move sooner and faster than the other.

Mother.

I'm willing to go to Nandu personally and kill Yun Xiang

and then take over Nangong Fang's businesses

so that our sect will have no more future trouble.

You're no match for Yun Xiang.

You…

Enough.

Mother.

We've had more than ten captains

and their elite subordinates this time.

There's no need to let Yuanjie take a risk.

Mother, I…

Alright. Stop talking.

You can't go.

Sir, do you need a prescription for clearing summer heat?

It's not Minor Heat yet.

A country with two rulers will be dogged by misfortune. But there will be no shortage if you store supplies for future use.

You can feel at ease if you have a dose of medicine.

He wants me to return to the main altar immediately?

Since I've delivered Master's order,

I'll leave now.

Senior.

A few days ago, Master urgently summoned Mr. Mo back.

And now you have to come here personally.

Was I left out last time?

Last time, Master only asked me

to summon back Mo Bufan and Kang Qiao.

He didn't mention you, Mr. Yun.

Then why did he leave me here for a few more days?

Master's order isn't something you or I can speculate.

Yun Xiang.

Even if you're Master's favorite direct disciple,

you can't be arrogant

or break the sect rules.

Yun, you want to see us?

In the past, you were most annoyed with these gamblers.

Why are you watching them so attentively today?

Mr. Yun is probably not watching them having fun.

It just suddenly comes to my mind

that there were several times that I was standing here,

watching Jin bickering with her.

At that time, Mr. Su

was still pursuing Miss Ke.

I couldn't stand the scene of bustle and excitement

back then.

But I don't know since when

I started to crave for such bustle and nuances of life.

I used to think that numerous bright stars

can't compare with the lonely shining moon.

But in the end, in the whole Nandu City,

only the noisy Liansheng House

can make me feel a little sense of liveliness.

It's still lively here,

but things have already changed.

Everything has fallen apart.

Yun.

At least Menglan and I are still here.

Follow me.

Yun.

Are you leaving?

Do you remember we bought Liansheng House together at auction?

But you are the ones

who have been managing and operating it all the way.

Today, I'll transfer this asset to you,

so as to avoid a sense of guilt in my heart.

[Title Deed]

Where are you going?

Are you coming back?

I also have a 30% share in the property of Tang's Gambling House.

I'll transfer it to you too.

According to Jin, these two assets

are enough to cover the expenses of Jishan Hall

for more than a hundred years.

Mr. Yun.

Jin once told me

that he wanted you to personally educate the kids

in Jishan Hall.

I'm too ashamed

to face Tianhu and those kids.

I'll entrust Jishan Hall to you two.

You are more reliable than me.

Next, I have a few words

that I hope you two can keep in mind.

I tried in every way to come into contact with the Su family

because I had no one to rely on

when I first came to Nandu City.

So I could only pretend to be friendly.

But then I turned around

and burned Yufeng Warehouse,

inducing the Cao Sect to fight with you.

By the time when you woke up to it,

it was already too late,

and you had no choice but to join hands with me.

All the deals after that,

I either lured you into them with benefits

or forced you into them with harm.

My relationship with the Su family

is not master and apprentice, let alone friends.

Everything in the past was about profits.

That's not the truth.

That's not the truth.

I caused all the trouble.

But now, you're the only ones

who are closest to me.

Maybe only when I completely break up my relationship with you

can you be kept safe.

But remember,

in the future, if anyone wants to give you a hard time,

you must tell him what I just said.

[Liansheng House]

I will say goodbye

to you two here.

Mr. Yun,

I will always keep your room for you.

Please come back often.

Mingyu,

you've matured a lot after several experiences,

but I've never seen a trace of worldliness from you.

Manager Ke is a person of great strength and softness.

She is also an extraordinary lady.

Jin always talks about money

but keeps righteousness in his heart.

I used to pride myself on understanding everything in the world thoroughly.

I thought all interactions are about profits.

Thank you.

You made me understand

that the most precious thing in the world

is friendship.

I've been feeling guilty for what I did in the past for a long time.

Yun, please don't feel so.

Take care.

Yun.

This won't be the last time we see each other, right?

Things in the world are unpredictable.

I hope when we meet again,

the war will have ended and the world will be at peace.

As long as you're willing to come back,

even if the world isn't at peace by then,

you and I can work side by side

and deal with everything together.

[Liansheng House]

Seniors, how have you been?

Mr. Yun, I heard that you returned with accomplishments.

Congratulations.

I'm not talented.

I wonder what I have accomplished?

That's wrong.

I think he's clearly here to apologize.

What exactly did I do wrong?

Please feel free to tell me.

I've been down the mountain for just a few months.

It seems that a lot of things unknown to the public

have happened in the sect.

No.

Everything in the mountain has stayed the same.

However,

things that have stayed the same for years can change in an instant.

I just left a few days ago.

How come so many changes occurred?

You're meticulous in planning.

Why did you become as impetuous as me?

I still remember when Mr. Wen went down the mountain,

we said our farewells here.

He told me then

that if I insist on taking revenge,

I'll bring myself an unbearable price.

Later, I was involved in a series of danger

but I managed to get through it every time,

which made us drop our guard.

Later I realized

that it was Nangong Fang

who deliberately made us drop our guard

and made a scene in Nandu City.

Gradually, we began to be arrogant and willful.

Good trick.

He sought survival from death

and victory from defeat.

Doesn't such a ruthless trick

look like what you would use?

These don't matter anymore.

Mr. Mo.

Did anything unusual happen these days

since you came to the sect?

I was about to tell you about this.

Now, important people placed by the sect

in every government office

were all summoned back.

Such many people are involved.

Is it just to announce the identity of the sect master?

What matters is

what he exactly wants to do after announcing his identity.

I've asked a few close fellow apprentices.

They also think Master's arrangement

is very strange.

So, Mr. Mo,

have you ever thought about who Master really is?

Madam Kou.

Madam Kou.

We had more than 2,000 elite subordinates. All of them were annihilated.

All of them were annihilated?

Here's a secret letter from Yuntai.

Yuntai.

You really have a very careful plan.

I wonder how shocked the Kou family would be

after hearing the news.

If it were me,

I definitely wouldn't have concluded that Kou Yuanjie sneaked back to Nandu this time

in order to join hands with Yun Xiang.

You took advantage of this relationship

to convince them of the theft of the ledgers.

Therefore,

Kou Yan dispatched all her elite subordinates.

Then the defense soldiers of Yangzhou besieged them and annihilated them with firearms.

I clearly told you

not to give Yun Xiang a hard time.

But what did your men do?

They almost killed him!

Please calm down.

Something must have gone wrong when transmitting the order.

I'll go back and investigate it now.

If only something had gone wrong.

Now the arrangement has been made.

I need to say no more

about what to do next, right?

Yes.

Mingzhu.

Come in.

Here, have a seat.

How much of the conversation did you hear just now?

Father,

did you know long ago

that Nangong Fang is from the Lingyuan Sect?

Not only did I know

but I was exactly the one who ordered him to join the Lingyuan Sect.

Mingzhu.

I've been hiding a lot from you these years.

But from now on,

I'll gradually tell you about it all.

Father,

what exactly do you want to do?

Come here.

Sit down.

What do you think?

If there's really such a day

that I'm going to stage an uprising,

what will you do?

Mingzhu, as you know,

I've been summoned to Beidu many times over the years.

How could I not know what's in His Majesty's mind?

But I never told you,

not because I couldn't tell you,

but because I didn't have the heart to do so.

His Majesty is not feeling well lately.

The Crown Prince is still young.

Now

I've become the biggest hidden trouble of the imperial court.

I'm now the target of public criticism in the imperial court.

It's impossible for me to escape.

Father.

I already lost my mother.

I can't afford to lose you, Father.

Just because I've promised your mother

I must protect you and let you grow up safely,

I have no choice but to do so.

Now, only if I take over the territory

and become the emperor

can you continue

to live a safe and carefree life.

Father.

You're not doing it for me.

We can forget the bubble reputation

and live in seclusion.

We can live a simple life too.

I just want you to live well, Father.

Mingzhu.

We can only live if we win.

Now, even if we flee to the end of the world,

it would be useless.

We might still survive only if we stage an uprising.

If we follow the prescribed order,

when the Crown Prince ascends the throne,

to avoid any future trouble, the imperial court

will never allow me to keep my family line.

I can give up my life for this,

but how can I bear to lose you?

Is there no other way for us?

Being in the imperial family,

lots of our choices are involuntary.

You can still shed tears to the fullest today.

But in the future, you'll need to be tough.