Original subtitles

♪As flowers bloom and wither♪

♪May we pass by the magnificent scenery♪

♪Contemplate the vastness of Heaven and Earth♪

♪Could it be that both of us are filled with desolation?♪

♪As flowers bloom and wither♪

♪May we lead such a life♪

♪Contemplate the vastness of Heaven and Earth♪

♪Turning back, you and I♪

♪Seize the current moment♪

♪The sky is painted with a gentle pallet of pastel colors♪

♪Let's walk together♪

♪Even if♪

♪The snow in front of us♪

♪Will dye our hair white♪

♪In an instant♪

[Joy of Life Season 2]

[Adapted from Mao Ni's Joy of Life on Yuewen Group's Qidian platform]

[Episode 15]

Is it wrong that I gave away my own things?

I don't have a say in this.

The thing is, the court is investigating corruption

to preserve clear governance and strengthen law enforcement.

At this point,

I wouldn't dare to accept gifts.

Your Majesty,

may I explain myself?

Your Majesty,

do these accessories

look familiar to you?

Your Majesty, you rewarded them to me.

Although I didn't do much,

Your Majesty, you always rewarded me handsomely.

I'm truly grateful to you.

But I fear as well.

You took the rewards I gave you and gave them to someone else.

What do you mean by this?

He's my junior after all.

I dare not give him inferior gifts.

What about Chen's Manor, then?

I'm just living there temporarily.

The title deed isn't under your name?

No.

Your Majesty, such a scheme is pretty common.

Some people don't write their names on their title deeds.

They'd say that they were renting or borrowing it.

But it's hard to say if we keep investigating it.

Mr. Chen, can you explain to us

who you borrowed Chen's Manor from?

It's a property of the imperial family.

His Majesty

allowed me to stay there temporarily.

I do have some savings as well.

You may check all the sources

of my savings as well.

Fan Xian, are you happy now?

Yes, Your Majesty. I'm done.

Lai Mingcheng.

Your Majesty.

What charges are you accusing Fan Jian and his son of?

Your Majesty,

the Fan family is involved in the case of Baoyue Pleasure House.

As court officials,

it doesn't make sense for them to operate a brothel.

The Fan family failed to educate their child well.

The reputation of court officials has been damaged.

Fan Jian and his son should be held accountable for it.

I think someone died as well.

Your Majesty,

Second Prince is involved in the murder case.

I wish to go through them one by one.

Fan Jian.

Yes, Your Majesty.

What do you have to say?

Your Majesty,

my second son, Fan Sizhe, was stubborn and foolish.

He was duped.

He's indeed the owner of Baoyue Pleasure House.

I failed to educate my son well.

I have nothing to say about that.

Luckily, my foolish son

turned back before it was too late.

He deeply regretted his action.

He sealed off Baoyue Pleasure House long ago.

I've also punished him according to our family law

and chased him out of the Capital.

He is to head to a barren land

to train his body and mind.

National laws come first!

Family rules come after that!

My foolish son, Fan Sizhe, isn't a court official.

Although it was inappropriate of him to operate a brothel,

he didn't actually break the law.

If that's the case,

all the court officials here

have their own families

and relatives.

If all of them do what they desire

and exploit their positions

for personal gains,

the dignity of Qing State's imperial court will cease to exist!

Your Majesty,

Fan Jian is his father

while Fan Xian is his eldest brother.

Both of them should be held accountable for this.

How do you think they should be held accountable, then?

They should be demoted and severely reprimanded!

Prime Minister Lin.

Your Majesty.

What do you think?

I don't understand.

Didn't a murder occur in Baoyue Pleasure House?

He hasn't even explained the case to us yet,

but now, he's talking about family rules?

I agree.

After all, human lives are at stake.

You have a point.

Human lives are at stake, and no concrete evidence has been found.

Regarding the Fan family,

we can talk about them later.

Your Majesty,

initially, I wanted to proceed with the cases in accordance

with their severity.

However, it's fine for us to talk about the murder.

Mr. Fan.

What are you after here?

You're an inspector of the Imperial Inspectorate.

Why are you targeting your own superior?

Of course I'm trying to eradicate corruption here.

Mr. Xin, if you practice corruption,

I'll target you too.

I was just joking.

Let's enjoy the show.

As all of you know,

the three culprits in Baoyue Pleasure House

were arrested by the Imperial Inspectorate.

After that, the swordsman, Fan Wujiu,

assassinated the culprits outside the Capital Magistrate.

According to investigation, the culprit is Second Prince's retainer.

I, Lai Mingcheng,

accuse Second Prince of silencing the witnesses!

I wasn't strict with my subordinates.

I trusted the wrong individuals.

However, I'm unable to bear

the charge of silencing the culprits.

Fan Wujiu already confessed to his crime.

He was the one behind all the evil deeds.

I was duped by villains as well.

It's too late for me to regret it.

Mr. Lai,

the law of Qing State

emphasizes witness and concrete evidence, right?

That's right.

Your Majesty,

under your grace, the Imperial Procuratorate

is investigating and eradicating corruption.

Now, we have clues.

After our thorough investigation,

we discovered the names

of another 15 corrupt officials from the previous name list.

Your Majesty, please take a look.

[[Name List of Corrupt Officials in the Capital]

Your Majesty,

after Fan Xian returned from Northern Qi,

he once mentioned

the smuggling case in Northern Qi conducted by Second Prince

and Eldest Princess.

If it was true,

where did the money that they'd embezzled go to?

These 15 officials

have procured a huge sum from unknown sources.

And, all of them are close to Second Prince.

Now, I have a question.

The money that you'd earned from smuggling goods,

did you spend them on bribing the other officials,

Second Prince?

Such audacity!

Your Majesty.

I hereby request

a thorough investigation

of Second Prince and Eldest Princess's smuggling case in Northern Qi.

No.

Your Majesty, please think twice!

The smuggling case

contained no concrete evidence.

They're purely speculations.

The case will end here now.

Your Majesty,

maybe the evidence is right in front of us.

Fan Wujiu is Second Prince's retainer.

If we interrogate him,

firstly, we can find out the truth behind the murder.

Secondly, we can gather clues related to the smuggling case.

Your Majesty, please permit us!

You must investigate the case!

You're right!

You have to investigate it!

I support you wholeheartedly.

As for the interrogation of Fan Wujiu,

I'll support it as well.

Mr. Lai, with you around,

I'm sure we can get to the bottom of Baoyue Pleasure House's murder.

I'm sure you can prove my innocence!

Your Majesty,

I have one more thing to say.

I cannot contain myself.

Speak.

Just now, Mr. Fan said

Baoyue Pleasure House has been sealed off.

I was worried when I heard that.

Within Baoyue Pleasure House

are tens of courtesans and workers.

They're the people of Qing as well.

How will they survive

after the closing of Baoyue Pleasure House?

Where should they go?

In my opinion,

the Fan family was the reason

Baoyue Pleasure House was founded.

The Fan family should take care of them.

You have a point!

I'll help them settle down.

I have a question.

Will you still do the same business?

Of course not. I won't turn it into a brothel again.

I'm glad to hear that.

Li Chengze.

Relay my order.

You are to be placed under house arrest for six months.

- I... - Reflect upon your actions.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Fan Jian, Fan Xian.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Six months' worth of salary will be deducted from you two

to serve as a warning for the rest.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Lai Mingcheng.

Your Majesty!

Mr. Lai.

Are you happy now?

Your Majesty.

Fan Jian and his son have damaged our reputation as officials.

A mere salary deduction

is too light of a punishment!

People will not be convinced!

What else do you want?

Strip them of their titles!

Although their family isn't strict with their upbringing,

I don't think we need to resort to that.

Your Majesty,

please think twice!

Are you forcing me to change my order?

I dare not do so.

What do you dare not do?

You dare do anything.

Second Prince is already placed under house arrest for six months.

Even so, you're still not content.

Enough already.

The cases today already had conclusions.

All of you are dismissed.

Your Majesty,

I'm not done yet.

Your Majesty.

I'm not done yet.

Fine.

Who will you target next?

Your Majesty,

my next target is Chen Pingping.

Now, I'm not targeting corruption.

I'm targeting the rules that are unclear.

I'm not just targeting Chen Pingping.

I'm targeting the entire Imperial Inspectorate.

The Imperial Inspectorate?

What is he doing?

Has he lost his mind?

He must've lost his mind.

This is ridiculous!

What is he doing?

Your Majesty,

ever since the Imperial Inspectorate was founded,

the people who worked there were of mixed quality.

And, they've acted erratically and were rebellious.

In court,

beyond the borders,

they're involved in everything.

Their power rivals yours.

Your Majesty,

I have a question.

Throughout history,

is there any precedent for this?

This is ridiculous!

Your Majesty,

Mr. Chen had spent a lot of effort

to render all kinds of merits for the state.

Without the Imperial Inspectorate,

the Qing State wouldn't be as peaceful as it is.

You!

How dare you target the Imperial Inspectorate?

That's right.

Even ancient practices

might not be entirely correct.

However, no matter how colossal it may be,

with all the affairs of the world,

each department shares the burden together!

That's more than just an ancient practice.

That's common sense as well!

Your Majesty,

please hand the records of the Imperial Inspectorate

to the Six Ministries

and let them handle it.

Do you mean

you want the Six Ministries to handle more of their responsibilities?

It's more than that.

I want Chen Pingping to retire!

What did he say?

Such nonsense.

What is he saying?

The officials still think that the Imperial Inspectorate

has more pros than cons.

That means there's confusion within the Six Ministries.

Mr. Lai,

the Imperial Inspectorate

did contribute a lot to the state all these years.

However, the rules that govern it are unclear.

It might spell endless trouble.

Your Majesty,

is Chen Pingping still under the jurisdiction of law?

Are you saying that everyone in the world is drunk

and that you're the only sober person around?

Your Majesty, please think twice.

Has he ever been this bold?

You see, Mr. Lai

always targets everyone he sees.

His Majesty can't say anything about it either.

Enough.

The affairs of Imperial Inspectorate cannot be decided in one day.

I'm a little tired now.

That's all for today.

Your Majesty, I'm not done yet.

Fine.

Who else will you target?

Your Majesty,

this is the last one.

Speak.

Your Majesty,

the Imperial Inspectorate is above the Six Ministries.

The obscure personnel decisions

are just superficial issues.

As the saying goes, rectify the issue by purifying the roots.

The officials are responsible for the imperial court's errors.

However, that doesn't address the root issue.

As the saying goes,

fish begins to stink at the head.

The last person I will target is...

He is...

Tell me. Say it with courage.

It's you, Your Majesty.

Such heresy!

How dare you target His Majesty?

He has lost his mind.

He has lost his mind indeed.

Your Majesty,

to err is human.

Who can be without faults?

Those who make mistakes without knowing are lacking in wisdom.

Those who don't change are lacking in courage.

The foundation of Qing State isn't the Imperial Inspectorate.

It's the civil and military officials.

It's the conscience of the world!

Your Majesty,

it's not too late for you to turn back!

Everyone in the world was wrong.

The Six Ministries and all officials were blind as well.

Have you guys heard him?

Mr. Lai was saying

that you all weren't the only ones who were in the wrong here.

I was in the wrong as well.

Such audacity!

He and his misleading words!

How could you say that?

Your Majesty, you're heroic and exceptionally talented.

But humans aren't perfect.

How can I, as a subject, know of a wrong and not advise against it?

Your Majesty!

Lai Mingcheng tried to target you!

He has no respect for the ruler!

He's arrogant beyond redemption!

He's...

He's literally an animal!

Your Majesty!

I can't stand it anymore!

Your Majesty, you work tirelessly every day

all for the prosperity and peace of our state.

But this person!

How dare he insult you as such?

My...

My...

My heart is aching!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty! Your grace shines more brilliantly

than the Sun and the Moon!

Your Majesty, your grace

is like that of my parents!

Your Majesty, an insult to you

is worse than torture inflicted upon my body!

My heart is aching!

My... My heart is aching too!

Enough!

Your Majesty!

Although Lai Mingcheng was very rude,

as one of the censors,

it was his duty to do so.

Your Majesty, please pardon his crime

and let him serve the state.

That's what I thought as well.

Although Lai Mingcheng acted ridiculously,

Your Majesty's magnanimity knows no bounds.

I'm sure you wouldn't take his words to heart.

Reprimanding him would be enough.

I've heard and seen

all of your efforts.

Mr. Chen.

Your Majesty.

I was impeached as well.

I have no right to comment on this.

General Qin.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty,

Lai Mingcheng was confused.

The Imperial Inspectorate has made major contributions to the state.

He doesn't understand your pain at all.

He should be

demoted!

Prime Minister Lin?

Your Majesty, I think

everyone is right.

Everyone is right?

Although Lai Mingcheng has committed

an unpardonable crime,

Your Majesty, your grace is known by all.

Both execution and punishment make perfect sense.

Your Majesty, it depends on you whether you want to use him or not.

After much consideration,

I still think that he should be punished

for offending you, Your Majesty.

However, Your Majesty, you should decide his punishment.

In my opinion,

Lai Mingcheng

did a great job.

He did a great job indeed.

He spoke frankly and offered advice.

He does live up to his name as the top censor of the state.

He has national affairs at heart

without considering his personal interests.

All the officials should learn from him.

Seems like I cannot punish him.

I need to reward him instead.

Why are you not done yet?

Your Majesty,

I feel heartbroken yet sentimental.

I was in pain

when he targeted you, Your Majesty.

However, we do have a clear and just official like Mr. Lai.

That's why I'm filled with emotions.

At this moment,

I'm filled with mixed feelings.

I don't know whether I should laugh or cry.

Enough.

I'm considering it.

I'm considering what to reward him with.

Your Majesty,

the rewards are here.

What about the accessories Fan Xian impeached me of?

Mr. Chen, you're looking at the smaller picture here.

He's the censor of Qing State.

Why would he lust after wealth?

Prime Minister Lin.

Your Majesty.

What did all censors pursue

since ancient times?

Censors offered frank advice to their rulers.

They only seek to have their names remembered in history.

Have their names remembered in history, huh?

You mean flogging him?

Flogging him will make people remember him throughout history.

Your Majesty, please think twice.

In historical records, rulers who bestowed the act of flogging

may have had their reservations.

I know that the historians won't write good things about me

if I flog the censor.

If so, I shall incur loss

and fulfill his wish.

Everyone.

You all better learn from him.

Your Majesty, you weren't mistaken! I was mistaken!

Your Majesty!

Mr. Lai did render merit in eradicating corruption after all!

You're so protective of him, huh?

Fine.

You shall supervise his punishment.

Fan Xian, His Majesty already issued an order.

Yes,

Your Majesty!

Where's Eunuch Hou?

Where's Lai Mingcheng?

I don't know.

Where's Eunuch Hou?

Where's Lai Mingcheng?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I, Fan Xian, am tasked to supervise the punishment!

Where is Lai Mingcheng being flogged right now?

Where's Eunuch Hou?

Where's Lai Mingcheng?

Mr. Fan,

what are you doing here?

His Majesty instructed me to supervise the punishment.

No need for that.

How many more rods does he have to receive?

Did His Majesty instruct you to do anything else

besides supervising the punishment?

No, he didn't.

That means he doesn't plan on stopping.

Stop flogging him!

I'll go and ask His Majesty about it!

Mr. Fan!

It's already too late.

Mr. Fan,

we've arrived at the Imperial Inspectorate.

I think Mr. Chen is waiting for you.

I don't wish to see anyone right now.

You've never been to this room before.

Not many people can visit this room.

This treasure over here connects all eight divisions.

The secret keys of all eight divisions

will be delivered here

at the first time regardless of their sizes.

Each division is marked by a different color.

I can relay my secret order

immediately from this very area.

Your mother left behind this treasure for me.

What's wrong?

Are you in a bad mood?

I don't understand.

Why did he flog Lai Mingcheng to death?

Didn't you say

that you were fine when you reprimanded His Majesty while pointing at him?

His Majesty is magnanimous.

Not only will you not be in trouble for doing so,

but His Majesty will laugh it off as well.

If so, why did he flog Lai Mingcheng to death?

His Majesty is fine with Lai Mingcheng targeting him.

However, no one must touch his bottom line.

Is the Imperial Inspectorate His Majesty's bottom line?

The restoration of Qing State is His Majesty's bottom line.

If so,

could it be that all those who dared to impeach

the Imperial Inspectorate all died?

There were plenty of censors who did the same.

But Lai Mingcheng is the first one to be flogged to death.

What's the difference between him

and the others, then?

Did Lai Mingcheng find you before this?

He did.

Did you two investigate the case together?

It's not a secret for the Imperial Procuratorate

to retrieve some case files

for their case investigation.

Did His Majesty flog him to death because of that?

The Imperial Inspectorate is independent of the Six Ministries

to prevent people from overstretching their reach.

I shouldn't have promised him.

I was the reason he died.

It's not you.

Your answer doesn't matter.

When Lai Mingcheng chose

to approach you,

that was the end of his life.

Him approaching me

was the cause of his death?

Think deeper.

Why did His Majesty instruct you to supervise the punishment?

Do you still admire Lai Mingcheng?

I do.

Did you know?

When the censors in the Imperial Procuratorate

were collecting Lai Mingcheng's body,

they hated you to the core.

From today onward,

no one in the Imperial Procuratorate

will be your ally.

You have to take over the Imperial Treasury.

You have to take over the Imperial Inspectorate.

An official with such heavy responsibilities

is unprecedented throughout history.

I can only be a lone official.

The ruler's power is unfathomable.

His intentions are as deep as the abyss.

Remember

these two sentences.

Allying with the Imperial Inspectorate,

impeaching the Imperial Inspectorate,

and finding me,

those are the causes of his death?

Our emperor

cannot accept it

when someone slips out of his control.

But I don't understand.

No matter if it's the law of the state or the Imperial Inspectorate,

weren't they established for the sake of the people?

Between the people and the emperor, who's more important?

You must bury these words

deep inside your heart.

Do not ever utter them again!

I know the answer now.

I won't ask it a second time.

There are always people

who will travel on a different path from His Majesty.

Is it my mother?

She's dead.

Yes.

Your mother is already dead.

But the path is always there.

You should go home.

You're drenched.

Go and get changed.

Warm yourself up.

Xian?

There's no rush in studying.

You should take a break when you're tired.

That won't do.

I haven't memorized all of them yet.

I think these are my books, right?

Yeah. All of these are your medical books.

I was wondering where all of my books went.

What's with the sudden mood to study medicine?

I want to help you out.

Help me out?

When Father pretended to be sick,

we managed to avoid trouble all thanks to your poison.

After that, I inquired about it.

Toxicology

is a branch in the medical field.

Therefore, I'm studying medicine.

If we need to pretend to be sick

and you're not home,

at least I can do it myself.

Learning medicine is tough.

I'm not afraid.

I've memorized half of them.

There's no rush.

Xian, why don't you test me?

No need for that.

You can get back to your memorizing.

I'll just hang out for a while.

Xian?

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

I just feel troubled.

I want to seek some solace here.

Why don't you tell me about it?

There's nothing I can share with you.

It's just stupid palace affairs.

Xian,

why don't you quit being an official?

What should I do, then?

Anything else is fine.

Traveling every day seems fun.

What if I run out of money?

I can support you.

I'm learning medicine right now.

I've already inquired about it.

Physicians make a lot of money.

You want to support me?

Yeah. And Wan'er too.

I'll support both of you.

You're just saying that to make me happy.

I'm serious.

I'm truly serious.

Okay.

If, one day,

I do become desperate and have nowhere to go,

I'll be depending on you.

That day won't arrive.

But if it does happen,

I'll protect you.

It's a promise, then.

Only dogs break their promises.

Memorizing books isn't the way to master medicine.

Wait here. I'll find something for you.

[Fan's Residence]

To learn medicine, you must first accept the sight of blood.

Firstly, cut open its abdomen.

After that, suture the wound.

With this?

It's much better than what I used.

I did it with human bodies

when my master taught me back then.

Did you do it while they were alive?

Doesn't that hurt too much?

Chloroform.

It's a special anesthesia created by the Third Division.

The patient won't feel anything.

[Baoyue Pleasure House]

Everyone, look closely.

[Indenture]

These are your indentures.

Those are our indentures indeed.

Why does he have it?

I don't know.

From now on,

you all will only sell your crafts for a living.

However, you're free now.

Free?

We're free?

We're only selling our crafts for a living?

If so, will people still be our patrons?

Indeed.

From now on, the future is unpredictable.

That's why Mr. Fan is allowing you all to leave or stay as you please.

If so, may we leave now?

Of course.

Please.

Are we truly leaving?

What about us, then?

We have nothing left anyway. Let's go.

Let's go.

Mr. Fan could've ordered us to stay.

There was no need for us to make our own decisions.

Our fates were always in the hands of others.

We were already used to it.

He said he didn't like that.

Mr. Fan even said

that you all should decide your own fates.

Decide our own fates?

I wish to stay here and give it a try.

All right.

Let's welcome Miss Sang Wen to Baoyue Pleasure House.

I wish to stay and give it a try as well!

I wish to stay and give it a try as well!

I wish to stay and give it a try as well!

It's the first time I'm deciding my own fate.

We're willing to believe Mr. Fan!

We're willing to stay!

Feather duster for sale.

Perfumed sachet for sale.

Take a look. Feather duster for sale.

We sell everything you need.

Come and take a look.

Fresh mutton soup for sale.

Sir, give it a try.

Our mutton soup is fresh.

All right. I want a bowl.

Mr. Fan,

something seems off.

They're here to stop me.

Why don't we take a detour?

Continue forward.

Since they're already here, there's no need to avoid them.

All right.

Take a look.

Come and take a look.

Make way!

Get out of the way!

Make way!

Run!

Get out of the way!

Who's that?

The one sitting inside, you better show yourself!

Mr. Fan,

these youngsters have quite the background.

Their fathers are either dukes or marquises.

♪The youth raises his head♪

♪As he moves toward his moon♪

♪People tease him for being delusional♪

♪Wondering why he is so unconventional♪

♪Wearing a white robe when crossing a muddy pond♪

♪How could it remain unstained?♪

♪If silver tael has a value♪

♪Who can truly be carefree?♪

♪All of you are right♪

♪He said: "Please"♪

♪"Make way"♪

♪"Let me drink until I drop"♪

♪On the court♪

♪I recite several verses♪

♪Let me wear a white robe♪

♪And cross the alley filled with insanity♪

♪To scoop up the moon's reflection in the muddy pond♪

♪Sirs, please forgive me♪

♪Your words of advice♪

♪I understand, but I don't want to pretend♪

♪People search for the golden land♪

♪While I search for the moon♪

♪Why should we travel together?♪

♪Thank you♪

♪Excuse me♪

♪You are you♪

♪I am me♪

♪Thank you♪

♪Excuse me♪

♪You are you♪

♪I am me♪

♪Wearing a white robe when crossing a muddy pond♪

♪Remarkably worldly-wise yet hopelessly romantic♪

♪Know what you love♪

♪Don't change♪

♪If one has witnessed both light and shadow♪

♪Yet retains their innocence♪

♪They shall be cloaked in moonlight♪

♪As they journey through the night♪