Original subtitles

♪Who gazes at the stars in the sky?♪

♪Heading towards the shore in a broken boat♪

♪This time, I'll hold onto fate and never give in♪

♪Family bonds are hard to maintain♪

♪Who will take me to the fearless dream?♪

♪As the wind and rain come and fade♪

♪A lone sail sways♪

♪A flower blooms alone amidst the thorns♪

♪Its petals are pierced by thorns♪

♪Yet it turned into a pair of wings flying against the wind♪

♪Everything grows through the heart♪

♪Even if dreams are lost♪

♪Smoothing out the surging waves♪

♪Breaking through the tumultuous sounds of the heart♪

♪Having the courage to resist♪

♪Embracing the chant of destiny♪

♪Only love brings light♪

♪Only love embraces the thorns♪

♪Everything grows through the heart♪

♪Having the courage to resist♪

♪Embracing the chant of destiny♪

[Blossoms in Adversity] ♪Only love brings light♪

[Adapted from the novel of the same name on cmread.com]

[Episode 35]

Last night, three stars appeared along with the moon.

It was a sign of great disaster.

My heart is filled with compassion.

I set up the altar

only to alleviate disasters for you all

and to guard you safe.

- Thank you, Master. - Thank you, Master.

If you have any questions,

you may ask now.

What is your request?

Master,

my ship will set sail tomorrow.

May I ask if everything will go well?

Tomorrow is inauspicious.

There will be a storm.

Wait for three days.

Thank you, Master.

Thank you, Master.

What is your request?

Master, you have always been merciful.

Please save my mother.

Since the beginning of spring,

she has been seriously ill.

Now her belly is badly swollen

and she suffers day and night.

I'm willing to give all I have.

Please save my mother.

This sincere filial love

can move heaven and earth.

Thank you, Master.

Thank you for your mercy.

Thank you for your mercy.

Thank you for your mercy.

Commander,

Hou and the others found out

where the money from those gambling houses goes.

Before dawn every day,

they will put the money

in an iron chest and deliver it

to the Seven Stars Mansion.

In Jinyang City,

the real owner of all gambling houses

is the man known as Wealth Deity Yue.

I think this Master Haoyue is likely

just another scam of his to swindle money.

Tell her to come here.

Hua Zhi.

[Pine resin, phosphorous fire] What do you really want to know?

I don't have a request for myself.

I just want to ask a question for that man

who sought medicine.

Since it's a divine elixir,

why did he have to pay for it?

You're not from Jinyang, are you?

I came from the north.

If you have no faith in me,

why bother coming here?

Just for fun.

Three stars appearing along with the moon is just a natural phenomenon.

What does it have to do with fortune?

The smoke you descended in just now

was created by burning pine resin.

That talisman was ignited with phosphorus fire.

And that bowl of water can't cure diseases.

The only thing it does is take away people's money.

What do you want?

Return the money

to the man who asked for medicine

and tell him to take his mother

to a clinic for treatment.

Otherwise,

I will make sure everyone

in Jinyang knows about your tricks.

Do you think they will believe you?

You can try.

As an envoy from the immortal world,

I have nothing more

to explain to a mortal like you.

Someone,

return the offered money

to that person.

Yes.

I'm done.

Thank you, Master.

♪When all the lights were taken from the world♪

♪You are my only shimmering star♪

♪You save me with everything♪

♪The light of hope♪

Why are you here?

I've got work.

Thank you for earlier.

Since you have work to do,

I won't disturb you any further.

I'll take my leave.

Hua Zhi.

Jinyang is not a safe place.

Be extra careful.

Commander,

Miss Zhi is leaving alone?

Or...

Shall I go escort her?

Take him back first.

Alright.

[Shuiyun Inn]

[Yuelai Inn]

Commander.

Did you find out anything?

He insisted

that Miss Zhi was disrespectful to Master Haoyue.

He followed her to teach her a lesson.

A lesson?

He was going to kill her.

I'm afraid it's because Hua Zhi has seen through their trick

and cut off their source of income.

You've guessed right.

Hou and the others have figured it out.

Jinyang has always been prosperous in trade.

Whenever someone asks about business,

Master Haoyue would tell them

to go to the Seven Stars Mansion.

Just with her words alone,

the Seven Stars Mansion

has been making a great fortune.

With the help of this lady swindler, within just a few years,

Yue has become the wealthiest man in town.

Nobody dares to offend her

for fear that once they angered Master Haoyue,

they'd suffer retribution.

Wealth Deity Yue.

Commander,

I just knew it.

That lady swindler

is really just a cover.

This Wealth Deity Yue

is the one we're actually looking for.

This time, Hua Zhi's business

might not be an easy task.

We've already waited for an hour.

Not a single person has come

and no one has served us any tea.

Young Lady,

let's just head back.

Madam Chen.

I got a headache today,

so I got up late.

Sorry about that, Miss Hua.

If you're not feeling well,

maybe you should take some rest.

We can check out the goods another day.

Unfortunately,

I talked to my husband last night

and found out the top-quality goods

have already been reserved.

What's left are just small fishes and shrimps.

I'm afraid they're not good enough for your Zhiming Restaurant.

Well, in business,

first come, first served.

I really do

want to help you, girl.

But I...

I mean, we just can't

break the rules of the market,

right?

My headache is getting worse.

I can't stand it anymore.

Well,

see our guests out properly.

Yes.

Miss, come and take a look.

These are our new arrivals.

Madam Zhou!

Madam Zhou!

Madam Zhou?

Madam Zhou!

Madam Zhou!

Wait.

She has to go to the temple to pay respect.

We'll invite you for tea another day.

You're lying.

You've been avoiding us.

Will you ever invite us for tea?

Just a few days ago, they were so close to you

as if you were sisters.

But now,

one has kicked us out

while the other acted like we were some jinxes.

Seriously?

Let's go take a look on the street.

In Jinyang, they're not

the only business people.

These shrimps are good.

Baoxia,

we can buy some of these.

Indeed.

Sir,

how much is this dried shrimp?

Miss, you have good eyes.

These are top-grade dried goods.

Look at the size of these.

Where else could you find them?

Miss, do you want...

Are you Miss Hua?

Do you know me?

Miss,

you are a major customer.

Our humble shop

truly cannot serve you.

Perhaps you should

try other stores.

You!

Baoxia.

Go ask around.

I got it.

I told the shopkeeper

that I'm Madam Chen's new maid.

Only then did I learn

that a place called Seven Stars Mansion

has spread the word to all the merchants in town

and forbidden them from doing business with us.

We just got here

and we've offended the local tyrant already.

Young Lady,

maybe we should ask Mr. Jiang

for help.

His family is quite influential.

Regardless of whom you've offended,

he should be able to solve the problem, right?

No.

The Jiang Family holds official duties.

We can't cause trouble for them.

That would put Rong in a difficult position.

Don't let anyone else know about this.

What can be done then?

We can't return to the Imperial Capital with an empty ship, can we?

Miss Hua.

There's a young man outside.

He brought Miss Hua this

and said it was from a friend of hers.

Look!

[Wealth Deity Yue consecrated Master Haoyue]

[to deceive the common people and gather wealth]

So that's how it is.

Wealth Deity Yue?

Who sent this note?

And who is this Wealth Deity?

Yesterday,

I upset that Master Haoyue.

She is a valued guest of Yue,

the owner of the Seven Stars Mansion.

The Seven Stars Mansion

is a major business body in the city.

How come they're fooled

by a swindler?

They're not fooled by her.

They're partners.

They play tricks

and make up stories.

I think that's smart, actually.

It's all a bunch of deceitful schemes.

And you actually praised them?

Trying eagerly to do business with him

won't get us any advantage.

We need to make this Wealth Deity

come to trade with us.

Easy for you to say, Lady Zhi.

But they are about

to kick us out of Jinyang City.

Have you heard it?

The other day at the dock,

they caught a big fish

with a note in its mouth.

What does the note say?

I think it was, "Three days sunny, two days windy.

Penglai arrives at Jinyang."

The following days were all sunny indeed,

and then there were big waves for two days in a row.

Fishing boats couldn't go out to sea!

Do you guys know?

A few days ago at Qingfeng Pavilion,

there was a puff of white smoke,

and then, Penglai the immortal appeared out of nowhere.

These days,

people have been queueing up

for her divination.

She's

not a swindler, is she?

She is a real immortal!

She doesn't charge anything and only predicts the weather.

We already

have Master Haoyue.

But why can't there be

a Master Penglai as well?

You're right.

Let's go take a look.

- Bill, please. - Let's go.

Let's go.

Please.

- Please. - Please.

Penglai arrives at Jinyang.

Three days sunny, two days windy.

Penglai arrives at Jinyang.

Three days sunny, two days windy.

Master Penglai?

Commander,

I saw it with my own eyes.

Miss Hua was sitting there,

putting on her big show.

Qingfeng Pavilion is now

filled with people.

It took me great effort to get in.

I wonder

what her plan is.

Jinyang people

firmly believe in Haoyue.

If someone mimicked her,

they would believe it as well.

Haoyue has been deceiving people for years.

Yet it ended up benefiting Hua Zhi.

So, Miss Hua is simply

taking advantage of her?

Did you try to make an appointment

with Wealth Deity Yue?

Yes.

He completely ignored us.

Meeting with him is even

harder than meeting with an official.

I'm not surprised.

He is the richest man in town,

while we

are just some outsiders

with unclear backgrounds.

Commander,

if you wish to see him in person,

I'm afraid we may have to resort to force.

If we alert the enemy,

it's hard to say whether we'll catch

the real deal.

But, Commander,

this Wealth Deity Yue

rarely shows up.

And there are few in Jinyang

who have seen him in person.

Do we keep waiting, or...

No.

Let's

pay a visit to Master Penglai.

Miss Hua?

Let's also make

a move

to take advantage.

Madam.

Rong,

what's wrong?

Rong,

did you overeat behind my back again?

How come you got so sick?

I did not.

Quickly get the physician!

The physician just left.

Why call him back?

Silly,

you're going to be a father.

Really?

Rong, you...

I missed this month's menstrual period.

And I often felt sick.

So, I suspected I might be pregnant.

But I worried that maybe I was wrong and didn't want

to disappoint your parents,

so I went ahead and called

for a skillful physician to check on me.

Silly you.

I called you silly,

and you really are.

It's just a tiny baby.

You don't need to get so worried.

This is our child.

How can I not treasure it?

Rong,

ever since I first saw you,

I thought to myself

that the person I want to spend my life with

is actually so lovely.

I told myself that if I'm lucky enough

to marry you,

then in this life of mine,

you'll be the only one by my side.

And we'll have children.

Fate has truly been kind to me.

Your words are sweet indeed.

Are you hungry?

I want the sour snacks from Tang's.

Then I'll have someone get it for you.

I want you to go with me.

It's only good if it's made fresh.

You want to go shopping

when you just got pregnant?

But I want the snacks now.

Just go with me, Zhengzhi.

You, oh you.

So sour!

Isn't it delicious?

I want that!

Back at home,

I used to help my family sell them.

Then wait here.

I'll get it for you.

Mr. Yan!

I've long heard you were married off to Jinyang,

but never thought I would actually meet you.

Zhi is also in Jinyang.

Did you know?

We

didn't come here together.

I thought...

Mr. Yan.

How great it was in the old days.

Zhi has never

smiled so happily before.

Can't you two...

That's truly such a pity.

Rong,

who's this?

This is my husband, Jiang Zhengzhi.

This is Mr. Yan, a teacher from my family's academy.

He's a friend of Zhi.

Mr. Yan.

Miss Rong,

I still have work to attend to.

I'll take my leave now.

We'll talk some other day.

What's the matter, Rong?

When we get back, you must not

bring him up in front of Zhi,

in case it makes her sad.

Alright, I'll keep that in mind.

Let's go.

[Qingfeng Pavilion]

- Make way. - Be quiet.

- Step aside. - Quiet down.

I've long heard of your name.

Today, I came especially to pay a visit.

It's Mr. Yan.

My honored guest, how can I help you?

I am Lu.

My family runs a fur business.

I heard that Mr. Yue from the Seven Stars Mansion

sincerely sponsored a diviner

and thus earned a great fortune,

so I wish to follow his example

and sincerely sponsor you.

Is that so?

How do you intend to do that?

Since he has the Seven Stars Mansion,

then I will build

an Eight Winds Mansion in Jinyang.

Eight Winds Mansion?

I believe with your skills,

the Eight Winds Mansion

will certainly rival the Seven Stars Mansion

within three years.

I present you three hundred taels of gold.

Please take a look.

Three hundred taels?

Bring it in for a look.

Come on!

Hurry.

Come on.

Stop looking.

Stop looking.

Step back!

Let me have a look!

Since Mr. Lu has made such a generous offer,

I will humbly accept it.

Do you want to meet with Wealth Deity Yue as well?

You certainly know how to hitch a ride.

This is really official business.

Please lend a helping hand.

In this case,

Master Penglai,

how about we head home for a detailed discussion?

Then let's go.

Make way.

Step aside!

Step aside!

Step aside.

Step aside.

I have no idea.

What's going on?

Why did they just leave like that?

Mr. Lu!

Mr. Lu!

Miss Hua, please wait!

Mr. Zeng, I've been looking for you for days.

And now you've come to me.

Miss Hua, it's not that I have been

intentionally hiding from you.

It's just...

It's just that I have

left the city for a few days

and just got back.

It's alright.

In Jinyang,

you have to prioritize

your own business.

I wonder what kind of business

made you run

in such haste.

Mr. Lu,

please stop making fun of me.

Sorry

for neglecting you earlier.

But today,

you two must do me the honor.

[An Invitation from Wealth Deity Yue]

Wealth Deity Yue?

[I'd like to invite Mr. Lu to have a drink at the Seven Stars Mansion.]

This is

really not easy to get.

Let's speak frankly.

This is Wealth Deity Yue's golden card.

Throughout the whole Jinyang City,

those who have seen it

can be counted on one hand.

So today,

you two must

seize this opportunity.

Perhaps

from now on,

everything will go well

and you two will make a fortune.

Baoxia.

You can head back.

This really is quite a coincidence.

You two

are both from the Imperial Capital.

I was thinking

that I should set a feast someday

to introduce you to each other.

But in the end,

before I could

have the chance to throw the feast,

you two have already met.

Mr. Zeng, you're right.

In the vast Imperial Capital,

two strangers

won't encounter each other

so easily.

So, it's all fate.

Fate, indeed.

Please

come with me.

Please.

[Seven Stars Mansion]

Miss Hua,

how do you like

Jinyang's Seven Stars Mansion

compared

with your

Zhiming Restaurant?

Zhiming Restaurant is just a small tavern.

It's nothing like here.

This Seven Stars Mansion

doesn't look like a merchant's dwelling.

What does it look like then?

It's secluded and stern,

like a small palace in Jinyang.

Mr. Lu, stop joking.

Alright,

Wealth Deity Yue

is already upstairs

waiting for you two.

It's just

I'm afraid these two gentlemen

will have to...

You guys head back.

Please.

I can only take you this far.

I wasn't invited today,

so I cannot enter.

Miss Hua is a lady.

So she can enter first.

As for Mr. Lu,

you'll have to stay here

and wait for a moment.

Since we came together,

why can't we enter together as well?

Perhaps, the business

that Miss Hua wants to talk about

will interest me as well.

But Mr. Lu...

No...

Wait...

You...

It's a forecasting instrument, activated by water

and rotated by mercury.

Placed in a secret chamber,

it corresponds with the movement of nature.

It's a celestial globe.

Miss Hua.

You recognize this thing?

Mr. Yue,

I've heard a lot about you.

This move that you two made

truly gave me a headache.

Mr. Yue,

it seems I have misjudged

Master Haoyue.

I thought she was just talking nonsense

and deceiving the people.

I never expected it was you

who's been running everything here.

It turns out

that the prophecy is false

but the information is true.

Miss Hua,

you're a smart person.

These instruments are indeed special.

I wonder where you got them.

Easy.

As long as you have money,

you can get these easily.

Getting instruments is easy,

but mastering them is not.

So, I guess Haoyue

is just a cover of yours.

Whatever you tell her,

she then tells it to the common people.

Exactly.

With this observatory, one can observe

the phenomena of the sky and sea.

This doesn't really count as deception.

Miss Hua,

what exactly

brought you here to Jinyang?

You have been honest with me,

so I won't beat around the bush.

I came here for business.

I'm seeking long-term business relationships.

You are the big boss of Jinyang.

For every deal that is made here,

you must have a share of it.

Since it's beneficial for both of us,

why not bury the hatchet?

Are you really here just for business?

During the past few days I spent here,

I almost got my deals.

If I hadn't offended Master Haoyue,

I'd have already set sail for home.

If you don't believe me,

just ask any shop owner in town.

So

it was my fault.

You came all the way here,

yet I made things so difficult for you.

I shall offer you an apology.

Mr. Yue,

I don't need your apology.

I just need my goods.

That's easy.

As long as you have my golden card,

you can purchase anything from any shop downtown.

You'll get the best goods at favorable prices

and there'll be laborers helping you with the loading.

And after that,

Miss Hua,

when you're no longer mad

and have made your money,

you can stop

playing a divine lady.

I really don't want Jinyang

to have another

Seven Stars Mansion.

I'll keep your kindness

in mind.

Mr. Lu,

what brought you

here to Jinyang?

Mr. Yue, you live in Jinyang

and are well-informed.

So I've come to ask

if you have heard this ballad.

When the ruler is unjust,

the nature turns ominous.

Three years with no rain,

the crops withering in the fields.

Miss Hua,

I've promised

to give you all you asked for.

You shall go back to your business.

Be careful.

[Seven Stars Mansion]

Judging by the furnishings and the scent,

the owner of this place

should be a woman.

Haoyue is not your cover.

On the contrary,

you are hers.

Drop the act

and get your master out.

Such a clever young man.

Miss Hua, you can rest assured.

I will replenish the items

on the list for you right now.

Once the goods are ready,

I'll send someone

to deliver them to the cargo ship.

Thank you.

You're very welcome.

I just saw you

exchanging glances with Miss Hua.

I guess

you two know each other.

Did she truly come here for business?

The reason why she came to Jinyang

has nothing to do with me.

As for why I came here,

I assume you already know.

I was wondering

how come the assassin I sent after her

had gone

completely missing.

She couldn't possibly pull that off.

I thought

you were just a spy

sent by the Court.

But now,

seeing you in person,

I figure

that your status

is perhaps higher than that.

[Seven Stars Mansion] An immortal descended

to predict disasters.

But what you're doing here in Jinyang

has stirred up turmoil in the Imperial Capital.

What exactly do you want?

That ballad has nothing to do with me.

Mister,

you have sharp eyes,

and yet you're so blind.

You traveled all the way here

only to find the wrong person.

If so,

Lady Haoyue,

you'll have to come with me.

When I'm sure you're innocent, I'll apologize.

That depends on whether you can

leave this place alive!

Guards!

Kill him!

Miss Hua,

stay here!

[Seven Stars Mansion]

Commander!

[Seven Stars Mansion]

[Jinyang Government Office]

How dare you!

Who are you?

Why have you intruded without cause?

[Security Bureau]

I came to borrow the prison here.

Commander, I had no idea that you were here in person.

Please forgive me.

No need for formalities.

Today, we have apprehended a major criminal.

She'll be put in prison here for now.

Later, I'll interrogate her personally.

I wonder what crime she has committed

that even troubled you to come all the way here.

This is no small matter.

Prefect, you must speak and act with caution.

Yes, sir.

[Jinyang Dock]

Open it and let me have a look.

Miss Hua.

These must be the seafood from the Chen Family, right?

Let me help you sort them out.

Thank you so much, Mr. Zeng.

How come you have time today?

I'm not busy.

I have time.

Miss Hua,

we got to meet in Jinyang,

and I guess

we're kind of friends now.

I have a favor to ask.

I'm not sure if you could

help me with this.

Please, do tell.

I'd like to

entrust this to you.

I want you to keep it safe for one day and night.

If tomorrow morning,

I am able to come and retrieve it,

then please return it to me.

Miss Hua,

I will leave this to you.

I have business at home,

so I will take my leave.

I heard the current Emperor's nephew,

Lord Ling's son, Gu Yanxi,

has disfigured himself

and taken up the post of the Security Bureau's Commander

to show his disinterest in the throne.

That must be you, I presume.

You even know the secrets of the Palace.

It seems

that you can not only predict the weather,

but you also have informants

all over the Capital.

Now

you ask me to explain the ballad.

What's so hard about that?

The ruler is unjust,

and it brings natural disasters.

Since you are the Commander of the Security Bureau,

how can you not know

that all that blood

is now on your hands?

The one above

has his reputation unscathed.

Are you willing to spend your whole life

serving as his blood-stained blade?

You are also not a dagger.

You are also a living person with feelings.

Gu Yanxi,

if you are interested,

the Seven Stars Mansion will commit all its resources

to help you

get the throne.

Do you know

that if those words got out,

you'd die miserably?

It's just you and me.

You definitely won't

tell anyone else.

Because you don't want

His Majesty to doubt your loyalty.

I said it

with sincerity.

If you don't believe me,

I'm willing to devote myself to you.

From now on,

the Seven Stars Mansion belongs to both of us.

It'll be under your command.

I advise you

to stop wasting your efforts.

In my life,

I have seen countless corpses,

some beautiful,

some ugly.

To me,

you're no different from them.

A mere Seven Stars Mansion

sits entrenched in Jinyang,

yet it points its sword at the Imperial Capital.

If you're unwilling to speak here,

it's alright.

Come back to the Capital with me,

and then I'll show you

what the Security Bureau can do.

Gu Yanxi,

who do you think you are?

You are nothing more

than a dog of the Emperor.

When all his enemies are gone,

he'll kill you too.

You will not end well.

If you won't tell me the truth,

fine.

Do you really think that the Seven Stars Mansion

rules Jinyang City?

Even if it does,

I'll still tear it down.

♪Not a patch of land is wasted♪

♪No tea plant is left withered♪

♪The sky drops rain, birds eat worms, and chickens leave manure♪

♪Using effort and sweat to water and nourish♪

♪The tea leaves may be rustic♪

♪But the taste is of spring♪

♪Ah, in the early spring, we pick the tea leaves♪

♪Ah, let's enjoy the abundant spring together♪

♪Not a patch of land is wasted♪

♪No tea plant is left withered♪

♪The sky drops rain, birds eat worms, and chickens leave manure♪

♪Using effort and sweat to water and nourish♪

♪The tea leaves may be rustic♪

♪But the taste is of spring♪

♪Ah, in the early spring, we pick the tea leaves♪

♪Ah, let's enjoy the abundant spring together♪

♪Ah, in the early spring, we pick the tea leaves♪

♪Ah, let's enjoy the abundant spring together♪