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 36]

Gu Yanxi.

Who do you think you are?

You're nothing but a henchman

of the Emperor.

Someday,

he will kill you once you are no longer in use to him.

There will definitely be no good end for you.

It doesn't matter

if you don't want to talk.

Do you really think

that you own Jinyang?

Even if it's so,

I will make you lose everything.

What are you doing?

[Account book]

[Qingxiang Shop]

Go.

Take them away.

I was wronged, sir!

I was wronged!

I was wronged, sir!

Sir.

There are so many people here.

It will take us forever to interrogate them all.

We can't question them here,

because we can't stay here long.

Even if it's the prefectural prison,

I'm afraid it's full of informers.

Whatever we say,

those people in the Jinyang City will know immediately.

If there are any who slip through the net,

they will make a desperate final fight.

It's not surprising if anything happens.

I was wronged, sir!

Then...

Escort them back to the Imperial Capital and interrogate them?

It's the only option we have.

Go to Prefect Huang,

ask him for a cargo ship,

and borrow 20 constables

disguised as ordinary porters

to escort them along with the ship.

Tie up all these people,

disguise them as goods, and get them on board.

Cover them up tightly.

Our business trip to Jinyang

can be considered a success now.

Understood.

Mr. Lu.

We've been going after you for the whole night,

and somehow you've managed to escape.

You are really

a lucky man, huh?

No.

Spare my life!

Spare my life, please!

I cross my heart.

I will never say a word to the others

about the relationship

between your master and Seven Stars Mansion.

Please show mercy

and let me live.

I have a big family to support.

I am the only one

who they can rely on.

If I die,

they won't

survive a single day.

Please spare my life!

Don't worry.

You'll be reunited soon.

Fine.

I have done so much

for him before.

And now,

you want to burn the bridge?

Listen carefully.

I've transcribed the ledger

that had gone through me before

and entrusted it to someone.

If I stay alive,

no one will get into trouble.

But if I die,

those deep and dark secrets

will become public right away.

Anyway,

it's a lose-lose situation.

Tell me!

Where is the transcription?

Okay.

I'll take you there.

I'll show you the way.

He's dead?

Master.

I failed in my duty

and caused Zeng Ming's death.

Please punish me.

What's done is done.

Master.

Before Zeng Ming died, he confessed

that he had a transcription of the ledger.

He had some nerve to have a card up his sleeve.

Get on with it right away.

Find out after Haoyue was thrown into prison,

who Zeng Ming met with

and what he has given away.

Every person who has met with him,

don't let them live.

Yes.

As you command.

Be careful, fellows.

Gently.

It's alright. Take it slow.

Slow down.

Take it slow.

Be careful.

Sir.

Do we need to disguise that woman as a cargo

and bring her onto the ship?

These people can be escorted by the constables.

You and other Guards

guard the prefectural prison.

Bring Haoyue on our boat,

and I will escort her myself.

Okay.

Then when do you want this ship

to set out?

Sharp at noon.

No problem.

Why wasn't Zhengzhi

home all night?

And Zhi.

She came all the way here to Jinyang,

but I haven't seen her much.

I didn't even get to have the chance

to tell her about my good news.

Madam, there's no need to rush.

After three months,

the situation of the baby will be more stable.

You can tell her by then.

Zhengzhi.

Look at him.

He just ignored me.

Madam Rong, don't be angry.

It's not good for the baby.

Master.

Master.

I have already found it out.

Zeng Ming carried a wooden box

and went to the wharf yesterday.

He handed the box over to Miss Zhi.

Get the wooden box back.

And Miss Zhi...

Understood.

Wait.

Make it look like an accident.

Do not make Rong get suspicious.

Understood.

Father, please rest assured.

I handled Zeng Ming properly

and also sent people

to silence those who knew about this.

It's pointless.

There was a manhunt raid in Jinyang City last night.

Do you know how many people

were captured overnight?

Haoyue is now

also in their hands.

I feel like

I am a sitting duck here.

I only wish

I hadn't been beguiled by her

and put the entire family in danger.

It's not that bad.

Father.

You are the Chief of Canal Grain Transport.

Who would dare to provoke you?

Child.

You have no idea

what business the Seven Stars Mansion does

or who is in charge of the case now.

When Haoyue arrives in the Capital

and testifies against me,

there is only one way out for our family,

that is death.

The person in charge of this case

is the Commander of the Security Bureau.

He is the real

the second most powerful man.

Let alone a mere Chief like me,

he even has the power

to execute the nobles and dignitaries.

The Commander of the Security Bureau?

How could there be no stir at all

if such a high-ranking official is here?

In the Imperial Capital,

he never shows his true face.

And this time,

he came to Jinyang incognito,

which made his whereabouts even more secretive.

I just got his portrait last night.

We could die eventually anyway.

How about we just throw the handle after the blade?

As long as we finish the Commander

and the investigation stops here.

Even if His Majesty wants to find the culprit,

he doesn't know where to start.

He survived the siege without a scratch

at Seven Stars Mansion.

It's almost impossible

to get him killed.

Miss Rong.

I still have things to do.

I shall take my leave.

It's him.

Rong knows him.

Look again.

Have you mistaken someone else for him?

Rong is very familiar with him.

This scar.

I won't mistake it.

We could use this woman as bait

to kill the Commander.

Absolutely not.

Father.

Rong is my wife.

Child,

are you going to sit and watch

our entire family be annihilated

just because of a woman?

We'll surely think of another way.

Father.

Son!

I have been informed

that the government office has already prepared the ships.

And the people caught last night,

aside from Haoyue,

have all been escorted onto the ships.

They will go to the Capital

once the inspection is finished.

Our doomsday

is right at the corner.

Madam Rong is sulking.

You didn't come home last night.

She was happy to see you in the yard,

but you didn't reply when she called you.

So she got angry.

You can go.

Rong.

Rong, don't be mad at me.

This morning I was thinking about how to help Zhi.

I went to ask Father to pull some strings,

so Zhi's cargo ships

could pass the inspection easily.

That was why I didn't hear you.

I apologize.

I didn't know, sorry.

Why are your hands so cold?

Did you catch a cold last night?

It's nothing.

I met someone today

on the way back to the city.

Who was it?

The man we ran into on the street the other day,

Mr. Yan.

He's taking a ship back to the Imperial Capital today,

and now he's already at the wharf.

Zhi

will often do business in Jinyang from now on,

so we'll be able to meet often.

But once Mr. Yan leaves,

I'm afraid it'll be hard to see him again.

Rong.

Do you want to go see him off?

Of course.

But

he's already on board.

I have to hurry.

But I can't

go empty-handed, right?

Let me think.

I need to prepare some gifts for him.

Don't worry, Rong.

I...

I have prepared something for you.

These

are some Jinyang local snacks

prepared by Mr. Zhengzhi.

They can't eat that in the Imperial Capital.

Madam Rong, do you still remember

when you first arrived,

Mr. Zhengzhi taught you

about what types of food

should be dipped in what kinds of sauce.

If you get the wrong sauce,

the food will taste totally different.

When you see Mr. Yan,

you must open the food box in front of him

and teach him personally.

So he can know

this is our little token of goodwill.

Madam Rong.

Before you get there,

you'd better not open it.

That would be bad if you spill the snacks.

I'll set off right now then.

Rong.

You need to have a good rest.

You don't have to come with me.

You've only been pregnant for a short time.

I don't want you to go alone.

Then let's walk faster.

[Shuiyun Inn]

Hurry up.

Search the place!

Jian.

We're leaving tomorrow.

What do you think of Jinyang City?

I don't like it.

Why?

It's lively here,

and even more prosperous than the Imperial Capital.

But

there are also many more poor people than in the Imperial Capital.

The rich drink and gamble day and night.

When they can't finish the food,

they just dump it into the gutter

and beggars will jump in to snatch it.

Yesterday,

I saw a woman

selling her child

for one guan only.

You are right.

The rich have fields that extend for miles,

while the poor don't have a place to stand.

Such prosperity is like a bubble

and it cannot last long.

If every place is like this in the entire Daqing territory,

then that would be a disaster.

Sir.

I see.

The trouble lies not in scarcity but in uneven distribution.

You know this saying?

You are such a smart boy, Jian.

Let's go.

Make way!

This is awful.

Jian, let's go.

Wait.

Wait.

Hua Zhi.

Why are you in a hurry?

Zeng Ming was killed.

We can't stay at this inn any longer.

We need to leave now.

What about the goods in the back?

Young Lady.

Nothing matters more than people's lives.

What is on this?

The Seven Stars Mansion used Zeng Ming's business as a cover

and bought off the Jiang Family.

There's too much money involved.

The Jiang Family is part of this?

In order to protect himself,

Zeng Ming transcribed the ledger.

I'm afraid his death was not an accident.

Sooner or later, the Jiang Family will find out

I have the transcript ledger.

Young Lady.

You keep the account book for me.

Where are you going?

Meet me outside the city.

Let's go.

Get in.

Zhengzhi.

Are you tired?

I told you to rest at home.

I can take care of myself.

The wharf is not far away.

I can't get lost.

Ever since you came to Jinyang,

I came along every time you went out.

Besides, today is special.

Today, you're meeting an old friend.

How can I not come along?

Mr. Yan is a very nice man.

I am pretty looking forward to the day

when he becomes my brother-in-law.

By the way,

I really want to go back to the Capital with Zhi

and visit my maternal home.

After the child is born,

we go back together, okay?

By that time,

they must be overjoyed about the baby

and prepare all sorts of

baby clothes and little socks.

When Yuan was one month old,

my family prepared so many things for her.

Our baby

will be the second newborn after Yuan,

and it'll be so wonderful.

What's wrong?

People are watching.

You walk so slowly.

When you get there,

Mr. Yan may have already left.

I will take the snacks there for you.

It's improper.

Mr. Yan also recognizes me.

As a husband,

I am just sending a gift on behalf of my wife.

What's improper about it?

After you see him off,

come home early.

And help me buy a bag

of the Tang's sour pastry.

I've been craving them since last night.

Okay.

I will.

Rong.

Hurry home.

And don't catch a cold.

Then I'll wait for you at home.

Why did you come here alone, Miss Zhi?

I'm free today.

So I want to go out with my sister

for a stroll.

Since she kept saying

that I was too busy

to spend time with her.

That's a pity.

Madam Rong and Mr. Zhengzhi

have just left together.

They said they were going to

the wharf to see off a friend.

The wharf?

[Jinyang Wharf]

Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan, do you remember me,

Rong's husband?

What brings you here?

Rong heard that Mr. Yan was leaving.

So she selected some Jinyang snacks

and insisted on giving them to you as a farewell gift.

She's with a child

and she walks slowly,

so she asked me to deliver them on her behalf.

Mr. Yan,

please do accept

the gesture of goodwill from Rong.

Gu Yanxi.

Gu Yanxi.

We need help here!

Madam Rong.

You are home.

Miss Zhi has come and looked for you.

She wanted to go out with you for a stroll.

Where is she now?

After I told her that you and Mr. Zhengzhi

had gone to the wharf,

she left in a hurry.

How could I have missed her?

Why did he also go?

Exactly.

You...

Why did you come back?

Bad news!

Explosion at the wharf killed people!

Explosion at the wharf killed people!

Explosion at the wharf killed people!

Explosion at the wharf killed people!

Zhengzhi.

Catch her!

Catch her!

Madam Rong.

Grab her.

Bring her inside.

Let me go!

Let me go!

I need to find Zhengzhi!

He is still at the wharf.

Let me go. I need to find Zhengzhi!

He is still at the wharf.

Let me go!

I need to find Zhengzhi!

You wretch!

It's you.

You are the reason why Zhengzhi died.

My child!

My child!

Who was it?

Who died?

Zhengzhi

cherished you so much.

You just came back alone

and left him there, huh?

No way. I don't believe you.

You're our bad luck!

Bad luck!

If it weren't for you,

Zhengzhi wouldn't have sacrificed himself

and left me and his mother behind.

If you still have a conscience,

stay healthy

and give birth to the child

of our family.

Zhengzhi

should be

rest in peace.

My son!

My dear son!

Master.

They have found Miss Zhi

at the wharf.

Did they kill her?

That woman

jumped into the water

and didn't come back up.

She must have drowned herself.

Drowned?

Zhengzhi.

Zhi.

I'm so sorry.

♪When all the lights were taken from the world♪

♪You are my only shimmering star♪

♪You save me with everything♪

♪Protecting me by my side♪

♪Refusing to give up♪

You're still alive.

I am.

♪Just to seize♪

And you are fine too.

♪The light of hope♪

Just some scratches.

At that time,

Jiang Zhengzhi looked off,

so I guessed something was wrong.

And luckily,

I didn't get killed,

so I could grab you in the water.

Then the rip currents

took us out of the city,

and I pulled you out of the water.

We're in the middle of nowhere.

Are you cold?

I only know

we can see the stars now.

Gu Yanxi.

I regret it.

When I was in the water

and couldn't find you,

I was so regretful

that I wanted to kill myself.

I regret breaking up with you.

I regret not turning around

even though I knew

you were right behind me.

I also regret not having a few more words with you

in front of the Seven Stars Mansion

before we parted.

So...

I didn't feel much fear

when I was sinking in the water.

In this world,

if death couldn't scare me,

what else would?

I don't want to be apart from you from now on.

Okay.

How did you get involved?

Jiang Zhengzhi's father has always abused the power

to facilitate things for the Seven Stars Mansion.

And in return, the Seven Stars Mansion rewarded them handsomely.

Before Zeng Ming died,

he passed the account book to me.

Jiang Zhengzhi's father holds a high position.

Money probably won't sway him.

He sent his own son on a suicide mission.

I'm afraid it was not just as simple as bribery.

I can only find out the reason

after I catch Chief Jiang.

Rong is still in the Jiang Mansion.

We must think of a way

to get her out.

Hope she's still safe.

We need to find a way to get back to the city first.

But now your appearance

has been exposed.

It must have caused a stir in the city.

How could we go back?

Run.

Chen Qing.

Zhi.

Young Lady.

How are you? Are you alright?

I'm fine.

We're both fine.

Sir.

How come you're together?

After the explosion at the wharf,

you just vanished.

Many people in Jinyang City

are searching for Miss Zhi with her portrait.

I thought something must have gone wrong,

so we all got out of the city.

Once we left the city, we ran into the Sixth...

Six and Mr. Shen Qi.

Where is Haoyue?

Sir.

About that,

I'm not boasting here.

But I do think I handled it pretty well.

I thought

the prefectural prison might be compromised.

So I took the initiative

and smuggled Haoyue out.

It was not easy for you to run away from there.

But unfortunately,

we have to go back again.

Go... Go back?

Haoyue.

You...

How did you get out of prison?

How dare you come back?

Prefect Huang.

Official salary isn't enough for you?

You also enjoy

a second income from the Seven Stars Mansion.

Please spare my life, Commander!

Please spare my life, Commander!

Please spare my life, Commander!

Hand over the prefect's official seal,

turn yourself in, and await judgment.

I will do it!

It can't just disappear like that.

We must find

my account book

even if you have to turn Jinyang City upside down.

Commander!

I should have greeted you in person.

Please pardon my offense.

So you do know that I am the Security Bureau Commander.

You encountered danger in Jinyang City.

The whole Daqing knows about it now.

I'll ask you just once.

Where is Hua Rong?

I truly don't know.

Answer me.

I will tell you.

I will tell you.

At the mass grave in the west of the city.

We are now ordered by the prefect

to raid the Jiang Mansion.

Yes.

[Jiang Mansion]

Where is Rong?

I didn't see her.

Hua Rong...

Something bad happened.

Rong.

Look at you.

Your face is dirty

like a tabby cat.

I will wash your face for you, okay?

Is this water cool?

They say

you used the hairpin on your head

to kill yourself.

Are you silly?

That hairpin was so blunt.

You must have exerted so much effort

and it must have hurt a lot.

When your mother knows about this,

she will also feel pain for you.

Mother.

I really want to return to the Imperial Capital.

I miss you.

I also miss Bolin, Duo, and the others.

I don't know anyone in Jinyang,

and only Zhengzhi treats me well.

I'm not used to the food here,

so Zhengzhi always buys different food

for me to try.

I swallowed the food

and pretended that I liked it.

In fact,

I don't like the food.

It is him that I like.

Before I got married,

you always worried that I would meet a heartless man.

Mother, you can be at ease now.

Zhengzhi truly loved me,

but I caused his death.

If Zhi hadn't come to Jinyang to see me,

nothing would have happened to her.

I'm sorry.

Mother.

I'm sorry.

I can't live anymore

and leave my child with those villains

since I am already dead inside.

Zhengzhi is still waiting for me.

I'm going to meet him now.

Hua Rong's last words.

Hua Rong.

Good girl.

I will take you home.

We're going home right away.

Hurry, unlock it now.

Just within a short time,

Prefect Huang and Chief Jiang

were both murdered.

Our people were guarding the door.

But they didn't hear anything.

Why didn't they make any sound?

Because they thought

that the assassins were there to rescue them.

Sir.

We've searched Jinyang City inside and out

for several times.

How come there are still fish that slipped through the net?

The person behind all this

seems to be outside Jinyang City.

The people involved were all dead,

except Haoyue.

All the witnesses have been silenced.

Do not forget the most important matter.

Almost there.

Take care.

Yes.

Hou and these Security Bureau Guards

will escort you all the way.

I have to escort a major criminal by land,

so I can't be with you this time.

Take care on the road.

I'll wait for you in the Imperial Capital.

You take care too.

[Imperial Government Office] Sir.

That woman

has already been locked up in the cell.

No matter how scheming she is,

she won't be able to escape.

We heard that you have returned.

It must have been a tiring journey.

Does His Majesty want to see me?

His Majesty wants to meet

Master Haoyue.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Aren't you afraid?

Since I dared to divulge the will of heaven,

I knew long ago

I would die for that one day.

What's there to fear?

♪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♪