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 19]

You have to eat well down there.

Did you miss me?

You have to take good care of yourself.

Mother, I'm back.

Why are you back in the middle of the day?

Can't I return in the day?

[Grave of Fan Sizhe]

This...

What do you mean by this?

Fan Xian?

What?

Is it time for me to die?

I don't even know

what kind of image

I have in your mind.

Father!

Father, I'm back!

You!

You still got arrested in the end, huh?

In the end? What does that mean?

I knew this day would arrive eventually

after you said you wanted to assassinate Mr. Fan.

Thank you, Mr. Fan.

Thank you for sparing my son.

Father, the assassination is all in the past now.

Now, I'm serving him.

I see.

My son

is foolish and ignorant.

But Mr. Fan, you actually forgave his past mistakes

and gave him a chance.

You're truly magnanimous.

Why don't you two chat over here?

Okay.

Father,

I'm useful.

I've been lurking within the capital of Northern Qi all this while.

[Guo Youzi, ex-Minister of Rites] Why did you go there?

I was managing the secret scouts

and overseeing the collection of confidential information.

Really?

That's right, Father.

My infiltration

has been flawless.

Northern Qi,

is it going to fall?

It's not that bad.

Father,

seems like you don't trust me.

It's been many years,

yet you still don't understand what I'm capable of.

Father!

What's wrong?

This isn't a dream, huh?

I think I'm mentally drained.

How did I fall asleep and dream during the day?

But that's fine.

I can see you in my dream again.

I'm happy.

Mother,

you aren't dreaming.

I've returned for real.

They better don't wake me up right now.

Mother,

this isn't a dream.

Mother,

why did you hit me?

It doesn't hurt when you're in a dream.

Does it hurt?

It does.

My son,

you're truly back!

This is great!

Wait.

It's useless for you to hit me

when it's your dream, right?

Let me pinch you.

Don't!

Mother.

- That hurts. - One more time!

Stop crying.

I'm glad that you're back.

I'll make something nice for you.

No need for that.

You mustn't tell anyone else.

I came back in secret this time around.

I see.

Eldest Princess and Second Prince are actually allies.

This is truly unexpected.

Father,

Second Prince is in a dispute with Fan Xian.

He'll set him up during the spring exam.

You have to help him out.

He promised

that he would release you once the exam is over.

Mr. Guo, what are you doing?

Mr. Fan, I want to thank you for rescuing my son.

He's not rescuing me. He's rescuing you.

It doesn't matter whether I get out or not.

As long as my son can survive,

I'm willing

to sacrifice my life.

I'm a man of my word.

I'll definitely rescue you.

Lord Fan, you said

that Guo Zheng gave you a manual.

May I have a look?

[Details of the spring exam]

Father,

how is it?

Many of the details

listed here are correct.

So, can Fan Xian accomplish the deed

just by following the manual?

However, it doesn't contain rules

outside of the spring exam.

If so, they must be trying to harm you.

Who does Guo Zheng serve?

Judging from what I saw in the past,

it didn't seem like he was serving anyone.

His intention is well-hidden.

Father, let's forget about him, then.

Hurry and tell Mr. Fan

about the other rules.

He needs to rescue you after this.

There's no rush.

I have a question.

Mr. Fan, how many of your proteges

are attending the exam this time?

I don't have any proteges.

Not a single one?

I'm too young

to be a mentor.

It's a good thing for you

not to be involved with the candidates.

It saves you from a lot of trouble.

Mr. Fan, are you reminded of something?

I did meet some of the candidates a few days ago.

Did you only meet them?

We had a chat

and drank together.

If so, that means they're your proteges.

But they don't know who I am.

That's not important.

To other people,

those candidates are already your proteges.

Father,

forget about his proteges.

Even Master Zhuang Mohan

gave him all of his books.

He's part of the literary succession.

It's normal for him to have proteges.

Don't interrupt us.

Mr. Fan,

what do you think the candidates hate the most during the exam?

Cheating and a showing of favoritism.

Your proteges represent that.

But Fan Xian doesn't intend to practice favoritism.

Why should we worry about it?

Even if he doesn't want to do certain deeds,

other people will do them on his behalf.

Why are they helping him out?

How did you manage to infiltrate Northern Qi when you're this dense?

Father,

what has the exam got to do with Northern Qi now?

[Fan's Residence]

Madam Liu?

Sizhe?

Xian.

Do you guys need anything?

What are you doing?

Don't stop me.

What's going on?

I don't know either.

Stop messing around. Let me go.

Are you still vying for the family inheritance with Fan Xian?

What nonsense are you talking about?

That was a long time ago.

Now, we're a family.

I need him to do me a favor.

Even so, you shouldn't harm him because of it.

What do you mean?

What were you doing just now?

Sizhe is right.

You're my elder.

If people saw that you knelt in front of me,

I'll be in huge trouble.

Wait.

There are only the three of us here.

No one else saw that.

I'll do it quickly!

Don't!

I talk too fast, Mother.

I can't help it.

Madam Liu,

we're a family.

There's no need to beg me.

We can talk inside.

Let's talk inside.

Come, Mother.

Here, Madam Liu.

Have some water.

Thank you, Xian.

How do I put it?

You see,

I'm getting older and older.

Madam Liu, you're forever young.

You're so good at pleasing people.

If only Sizhe was as eloquent as you.

He was a mischievous child

since young.

Sometimes, he does irk me.

But when I don't see him,

I miss him.

I don't know if it's because I owed him in my past life.

Madam Liu, what are you trying to get at?

Can you not send him to Northern Qi again?

Madam Liu, don't worry.

I don't intend for Sizhe

to leave the Capital again now that he's back.

Really?

You haven't asked me about it.

I want to go to Northern Qi.

But Fan Xian said you didn't need to go there again.

This doesn't concern him.

I want to go there myself.

But why?

I've learned a lot from

my trip to Northern Qi.

Although it was dangerous

and harsh...

You shouldn't go there, then.

Mother, let me finish my words.

I found a reason to live.

In the past,

I always lived in the Capital.

Yes. It's safe,

and I don't need to fret.

But I only indulge myself in pleasures all day long.

What's the point of living?

When I went to Northern Qi,

at least I felt useful as a person.

Although I only did the Qing State a small favor,

I think that's enough.

I don't wish to return to the past

and become the bored

and insignificant Fan Sizhe again.

If so, are you still heading to Northern Qi?

For what?

I'll go to you.

Xian,

I heard that you're going to do business with Northern Qi

after taking over the Imperial Treasury.

That's true.

Have you decided on a manager yet?

Not yet.

I've decided on the candidate for you.

Why are you trying to take this path?

I'm a citizen of the Qing State.

I'm just contributing to my own state.

Any other reasons?

I also want to make some profit.

I wish to make some money.

Let me ask you something.

Why should I choose you?

Why wouldn't you choose me?

As brothers, we should be united.

Can you rest at ease

if you leave the post to someone else?

I can rest at ease if I leave it to you.

Yeah.

The thing is, it depends on Madam Liu's will.

Mother.

When do you plan to leave?

Is that a yes?

I want to see you grow up too.

All right. I'll pack my belongings.

I'll depart tomorrow morning.

There's no rush.

I'll hold my wedding after the spring exam.

You should attend it before leaving.

All right. That's great.

When's the spring exam?

This is bad.

I'm nervous.

I didn't sleep well last night.

Your snore was comparable to the sound of a cannon.

I was the one who didn't sleep well.

Hou,

I think I've reached a certain stage.

When I was home,

I memorized all of the books.

But I forgot half of them on my way here.

Now that I'm here,

I forgot everything.

Sober up!

The exam is nearing.

Where's Cheng Jialin?

He said he went to buy some flatbread.

He told us to go first.

Be careful!

Be careful!

There are so many people here.

10,000 carps vie in the current,

fighting for a chance to leap over the Dragon Gate!

Yeah!

The end of this road

represents the hope of all scholars!

Sorry about that.

Come.

Hou,

I think you slept pretty well.

At least you have the energy to shout.

All the squeezing is giving me energy.

Be careful.

Sorry.

[Spring Exam Exam Hall]

Mr. Fan.

Mr. Guo, why are you here?

It's almost time.

The candidates will enter the hall soon.

It's been tough on them.

They studied all their lives for the sake of these three days.

The scholars are not to leave the hall within these three days.

That's why they brought their blankets and food with them.

It must've been tough.

Since they're bringing plenty of things here,

that means they have a better chance to smuggle cheat sheets as well.

Mr. Fan, you're in charge of the candidate inspection.

This first hurdle is of utmost importance.

I'm quite worried about it.

I came here to take a look

so that you wouldn't overlook any mistakes.

Mr. Guo, you're truly nice.

It's only natural

to nurture younger generations, don't you think?

You're getting your portraits drawn again?

We're running out of time.

I have to get it drawn as quickly as possible.

Don't worry.

I've already checked the rule book.

It doesn't go against the law

or break the rules.

Mr. Guo, you do obey the rules, huh?

I'm an educated individual.

I know my limits.

Mr. Guo, what are you...

This is a work log.

Mr. Guo,

you should do it like this.

It shows more power.

Is that so?

It's more powerful.

Your emotion! That's important.

Look at the time.

Why aren't the candidates here yet?

Mr. Fan, you may not know,

but according to the established customs,

the candidates

are busy crossing the Dragon Gate Bridge at this moment.

Dragon Gate Bridge?

I'll surely pass the exam!

I crossed the Dragon Gate Bridge!

I crossed the Dragon Gate Bridge!

We'll surely pass the exam after crossing the bridge!

We've arrived!

We've arrived!

There are so many people here.

Yeah.

Here they come.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Fan Xian.

That's the Immortal Poet.

He's the future grandmaster of the literary world.

That's right.

Let me take a look.

That's the grandmaster of the literary world.

It's rare to see him.

Today's the spring exam.

That's right.

I have some wishes for you guys.

May you all carry the golden key to the treasury of wisdom,

with a mind full of ten thousand books,

wear the halo of confidence,

ride the skateboard of good fortune,

set sail with full confidence,

and sail towards the heights...

I mean, sail toward the shore of success.

You guys can do this.

Rise up!

Now that I'm done with the wishes,

I have something unpleasant to say as well.

For this spring exam,

I'm in charge of the candidate inspection.

If any of you brought something that you weren't supposed to,

please leave them here before entering the hall.

If we find such items on you after you enter the hall,

your qualifications will be canceled.

There's no room for negotiation.

I hereby

implore you all to do so.

Mr. Fan gave us the message.

We cannot bring cheat sheets into the exam hall.

Yeah. It'll affect our future.

Let's take them out, then.

[Zhang Shenglin]

Go now.

Queue over there.

One by one.

Prepare your documents

for us to confirm your identity.

All right.

This is yours. Here you go.

Next.

Over here.

Queue over here.

Who brought the cheat sheets here?

All right now. Just take them out.

It'll be terrible if they find out.

You, show me your bag.

Mr. Guo, you shouldn't stand all the time.

Get him a chair.

No need for that.

He needs to draw another portrait if I change my pose.

One by one.

Mr. Fan, you may proceed.

I'll leave once I'm done.

Thank you, Mr. Guo.

It's my duty.

Inspect everything thoroughly.

Okay.

Okay. Next.

Here you go. You may go.

Come and queue up.

Where are Jichang and Jialin?

I think they're in front.

They won't get lost.

Let's go inside.

I wonder where's Mr. Fan.

Next.

Coming.

Come. Leave your belongings here.

Someone did try to smuggle their cheat sheets.

Were we too late?

Is that why we don't get to see Mr. Fan?

We'll see him once we enter the hall.

Mr. Fan!

Mr. Fan, I know my fault now!

Mr. Fan!

Hurry!

Leave!

Mr. Fan I know my fault now!

Mr. Fan!

Mr. Fan, I know my fault now!

Mr. Fan!

I'm sure he smuggled cheat sheets into the hall too.

Shameless fool.

You deserve it.

All those years of studying were wasted on him.

It'll be our turn soon.

I heard that Mr. Fan would inspect our belongings personally.

Since he's the Immortal Poet,

what do you think he looks like?

Please give me another chance!

Mr. Fan!

I know my fault now!

Turn around.

Okay. Over here.

Leave your blanket here.

Move forward.

Excuse me.

Who's that person sitting over there?

Don't you even recognize Mr. Fan Xian?

Is he Fan Xian?

Do not raise your voice.

Turn around.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Isn't he the guy who had a chat with us?

He's actually the Immortal Poet?

It's him indeed.

[Yang Wanli]

Go now.

Next.

What is this?

Vegetable flatbread.

Mr. Fan, there's a note inside.

How could that be...

Go over there!

I didn't bring any cheat sheets!

What is this, then?

He's pretty bold, isn't he?

Does he want to fail the exam?

Sir,

I have no idea.

I truly...

I truly have no idea about this.

I can testify for him!

Yang is an extraordinary talent!

He would never commit such a deed!

What's your name?

Where do you come from?

I'm Yang Wanli.

I come from Quanzhou.

Yang Wanli?

That's right.

Mr. Fan,

isn't he your protege?

Fan Xian met them before?

Seems like these four candidates

[Cheng Jialin, Yang Wanli] are regarded highly by Fan Xian.

[Hou Jichang, Shi Chanli]

We'll start with them.

Do away with all four of them.

That's going too far.

Pick one.

Yang Wanli, then.

Mr. Fan's protege?

I'm not!

What should we do?

In my opinion,

the spring exam should be clean and fair.

It has to be fair.

If so, should we follow the rules?

All right.

Okay.

Rescind the qualifications of Yang Wanli, a student from Quanzhou.

Chase him out of the exam hall.

Ministry of Rites, record this.

He shall never be recruited!

It wasn't me.

It wasn't me!

It wasn't me!

It wasn't me!

Mr. Guo, please pardon me!

Pardon you for what?

Mr. Guo,

I stuffed the note inside in secret just now.

You stuffed

the note inside?

That's right.

But why?

I was never born to study.

I had no future.

It felt unfair to me.

That's why I wanted to trick a student for fun.

For fun?

You want to trick him?

I'm evil and devious.

If so, why are you confessing to your crime, then?

He looked pitiful.

I suddenly had a change of heart.

That's pure nonsense.

Mr. Guo,

I'm speaking the truth.

Who'll believe something like that?

Mr. Guo,

don't be angry.

You're not young anymore.

Your health will be affected.

I'm ashamed.

Shut up for now.

All right.

Mr. Fan,

Yang is not a person like that.

Mr. Guo,

I don't know the rules within the Ministry of Rites.

May I ask you something?

Ask away.

Just now, you said that you wanted to kick him out of the exam hall.

You wanted the Ministry of Rites to record it, right?

Indeed.

If so, that's quite a harsh punishment.

What crime has he committed, then?

He smuggled cheat sheets into the exam hall.

That shows his poor character.

Where's the cheat sheet, then?

This.

Mr. Fan,

everyone saw it.

I did that.

Shut up.

All right.

You were referring to this?

If you want to press charges against him,

this is considered evidence.

Why don't we open it

and see what it is?

Of course.

We have to.

I wish to see

its content as well.

Meat flatbread, two qian per piece.

Flatbread, half a qian per piece.

Vegetable flatbread...

These are just the prices of the flatbread.

Are the prices of the flatbread determined by the sages as well?

I thought it was a cheat sheet.

The menu is pretty complete.

They also sell preserved vegetables.

This is...

Since it's just the price list,

why did you hide it in the basket?

What's inside the basket?

Vegetable flatbread...

If so, is it possible

that the shopkeeper put it inside by accident?

Or, maybe I was mistaken.

Maybe the sages did say

that meat flatbread

costs two qian per piece, huh?

Mr. Guo, why don't you check the records?

You shouldn't have oily food for all three meals.

You should have some normal flatbread.

Yes, Mr. Guo.

I'll remember your words.

Go inside now.

Go now.

Let's go.

Let's go!

What's your deal?

Mr. Fan, I slept too much.

Nonsense!

The candidate inspection is a major event!

I'll deduct your salary for one month!

Yes, Mr. Fan. I accept my punishment.

Mr. Guo, what do you think?

Mr. Fan,

please tend to the affairs here.

I still need to check the exam papers.

I'm exhausted.

I have no time to be idle.

I have no time to be idle.

Thank you, Mr. Guo.

Farewell, Mr. Guo.

Who taught you to do that?

Mr. Fan, I serve Prime Minister Lin.

It was Prime Minister Lin's will.

I'll be your scapegoat

if anything happens during the exam.

What about your life?

This is my duty.

Relay my message to Mr. Lin.

Tell him that I appreciate his protection.

However, I'll deal with the exam myself.

Mr. Fan,

out of the four scholars Deng Ziyue was protecting,

only Yang Wanli was accused of smuggling cheat sheets.

Who did it?

Xie Bi'an.

I'm correct, then.

Guo Zheng belongs to Chengze's faction.

All the squeezing is giving me energy.

Stop squeezing!

Sorry about that!

Stop squeezing!

Be careful!

Guo Zheng is pretty vicious himself.

This is only the beginning.

The exam will last for three days.

Let's have some fun with Mr. Guo.

Everyone,

the exam is more than just a test of your knowledge.

It's also a test of your character.

I wish you all

a promising future.

I also advise you guys

to behave yourselves.

It's time.

[Spring exam serial number]

Where's Cheng Jialin?

He's in Room East Two.

Stop.

What are you guys doing?

Mr. Fan,

it's time to distribute the candles.

Mr. Fan, you have a great reputation,

and you have all the authority in the world.

Trivial affairs won't affect you much.

If they want to ruin your reputation,

they have to stir up huge trouble.

And, the first incident

is related to fire.

The Ministry of Rites will distribute candles to all candidates.

In terms of responsibility,

this must be handled by you.

All of the candidates are cramped together.

If they tamper with the candles,

what do you think will happen?

A fire will start.

What if thousands of rooms are on fire at the same time?

It may turn into a tragedy.

If they wish to ruin your future,

this is what they have to resort to.

I smell kerosene.

Don't distribute them for now.

Don't distribute them.

Fire prevention is of utmost importance

in the inspection of the exam hall.

However, in this manual,

Guo Zheng

just brushed things off.

I predict

that this is the trap he set for you, Mr. Fan.

These candles doused with kerosene too.

Mr. Fan,

even if the candles are doused with kerosene,

they'll only produce some sparks

when they're lit.

Such sparks

shouldn't cause any major fire.

You're wrong.

What if the candidates weren't

tending to the candle while they rest?

You do have a point.

Think about it.

Why do the candidates need the candles?

It's because the exam hall is dark.

They use the candles

to illuminate their exam papers.

That's right.

The fire doesn't need to be huge.

It's already a huge deal if it burns the exam papers.

That's a huge deal indeed.

Did you guys hear that?

This batch of candles is unusable.

But Mr. Fan,

where can we get this many candles out of the blue?

For the next three days,

the Imperial Inspectorate will supply the exam hall with candles.

And,

please deliver this

to Mr. Guo.

Thank you.

[Imperial Inspectorate will provide the candles. The sum is 200 silver taels.]

Record this in the inventory record?

What does this mean?

The Imperial Inspectorate said...

The Imperial Inspectorate

is providing candles to the candidates.

We're doing a good deed here.

However,

when it comes to business...

No,

I mean,

officialdom is officialdom.

Most importantly,

we have to obey the rules.

The Ministry of Rites

was supposed to manage the exam.

If so, the cost of these candles

should also be borne by the Ministry of Rites.

Of course,

since we're doing a good deed here,

I can give you a 10% discount

for the candles.

Officialdom is officialdom?

What kind of phrase is that?

Besides, why is the Imperial Inspectorate

interfering with the candle supply?

Didn't we have our own candles?

Mr. Fan has a message for you.

Mr. Guo,

I was suddenly inspired

for the past few days.

I did divination.

Guess what happened?

It foretold that a firestorm would happen. That's inauspicious.

Therefore, I thought to myself

that I should swap out all of the candles.

I should use the ones provided by the Imperial Inspectorate.

If anything happens,

I'll bear all of the responsibilities.

Of course,

if you're not willing,

we can inspect the candles provided by your ministry again.

If nothing's wrong with them,

we can use them again.

What do you think?

The divination part

was kind of a joke.

Besides, usually,

people say "A bloody storm would happen."

A firestorm doesn't exist.

Mr. Guo,

why don't we follow Mr. Fan's instruction

and inspect our candles again?

Lord Fan is just concerned about state affairs.

At least his intention was good.

I guess we can use the candles

that they provide.

But we have to pay for them.

Pay them, then.

Wait.

Didn't they agree to give us a 10% discount?

Why is it more expensive than its original price?

Don't forget about the delivery fee.

We can't afford to delay the exam.

Just follow their instructions.

Here.

This is yours.

Thank you.

Be careful with it.

Keep it safe.

Okay.

Be careful with it.

- This is yours. - Thank you.

Thank you.

Be careful with it.

Thank you.

Be careful with it.

Here.

- Here you go. - Okay.

Be careful with it.

Be careful.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Besides the fire issue,

there's also a water issue.

The water in the exam hall is meant for the candidates.

It serves as drinking water, and it's also used to put out fires.

If something's wrong with the water,

all of the candidates will be affected.

Mr. Fan.

Is the water poisoned?

It's not that bad.

I'm glad to hear that.

The water

has almost gone bad.

It won't last for three days.

Mr. Fan, we've brought the water tanks

from the First Division here as per your instruction.

Change all of them.

Tread lightly.

This time, don't charge them for the delivery fee.

Yes, Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan,

shouldn't we try to blow up

the issue with the tampered candles?

The candles were only doused with kerosene.

It's not a huge deal yet.

It'll only be a huge deal

when there's a fire.

But if a fire does break out,

everything will be done for.

Indeed.

But...

But have they never considered

the lives of all these scholars here?

What do you think?

I'm truly perplexed.

How could they talk about being parental officials, then?

Parental officials, my foot!

Initially, I thought I was already ruthless enough.

I never expected them to leave me in awe.

It's better for such tall-standing officials

to fall.

Think again. What other oversights are there?

We've resolved the issues with both fire and water.

Food, clothing, housing, transportation,

eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating?

The food and drinks

are brought here by the candidates themselves.

They can't just tamper with them one by one.

Where are they going?

He's going to poop.

They're heading to the loo.

Isn't there a toilet in each compartment?

We used to do that in the past.

However, the exam lasts for three days.

The terrible stench

will affect the candidates' performance.

After that, we switched to using the loo outside.

That's the one thing we cannot avoid.

♪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♪