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 21]

Stop calling me savior.

Understood,

Mr. Fan.

What do you understand?

From now on,

I will only keep my gratitude

deep inside.

I will not

mention it ever again.

Show me the way.

I have a lot on my plate.

This way, please, Mr. Fan.

Fan Xian exposed the tampered ranking list

to His Majesty?

That's not all.

His Majesty then tasked him

with the past exam corruption investigation.

After all, your disciple

is involved.

Mother,

I think Fan Xian is right.

This is not my doing.

It could be a potential danger,

so it's better to bring it to light.

As for the disciple,

I have plenty of them.

Be that as it may,

your reputation has been affected.

What reputation do I have?

You are the Crown Prince.

Precisely because of this identity,

I can't regard my reputation too highly.

[Imperial Inspectorate]

Where are they?

Who?

Didn't you order Deng to take them and seal the exam hall?

Oh, right.

I'm so forgetful.

Give them to me.

Please don't, Mr. Fan.

I'm good.

Let me carry the things from the palace

for a while more.

I need you to send a message to Deng Ziyue.

The result announcement mustn't be delayed.

What about the ranking list?

We need to change Yang Wanli's name back.

Who will do that?

No way.

Wait.

There are so many characters.

Can't we cross off this name

and add Yang Wanli's name?

That sounds quite right.

Still, this is the honor roll.

I don't think it's appropriate

to make amendments to it.

True, though.

The thing is...

What if I make a mistake?

Qinian, look on the bright side.

What bright side?

For instance,

you are the first man

to handwrite the honor roll in history.

That's true.

But I...

Wait. But if I make a mistake...

Deng, you do it.

That won't do.

Mr. Fan gave you this task.

No. Your handwriting is better than mine.

I'm also luckier than you.

I don't have to do this.

You!

By right,

the Ministry of Rites should take charge of this.

Mr. Fan said

the Ministry of Rites

handles this every year.

They are tired.

So this year,

we shall share their burden.

Why do we need a huge canvas?

Mr. Fan also said

the current spring exam

must be fair.

This huge canvas is used

to declare the absolute fairness of the exam.

Since this honor roll is so important,

Mr. Fan should write this himself.

Try thinking before you speak, will you?

You see, Mr. Fan's chicken scratch...

Indeed.

It could be quite a disgrace.

Besides,

Mr. Fan is busy.

His Majesty tasked him

with all the spring exam corruption cases.

He is working on that at the moment.

These are old cases.

Where should he start?

Can you stop talking?

You are affecting me.

I'm worried about Mr. Fan.

He's in the dungeon.

Dungeon?

Which dungeon?

First Division's.

Just shut up already, please.

Look. Is it skewed?

Qinian, there is nothing to tell.

Can't you see?

I really can't.

Whatever.

Why are you here?

Me?

To keep my father company.

No,

I mean, how did you get in the dungeon?

I talked to Wang Qinian.

And he let you in?

He didn't agree at first.

And?

Then, I posed some questions.

I asked him,

"Is this a secret mission that I returned to the Capital?"

Of course.

He said that too.

Then, I asked him again,

"If that's the case,

I mustn't let anyone find me.

Isn't the dungeon a suitable place?"

How could you say such...

Such a reasonable thing.

I also told him

that Fan Xian is seeking my father's help now.

In case he wants to kill my father after the deal is done,

I shouldn't run away.

So I want to stay with my father

in the dungeon.

If you really plan to kill him,

this just works out for us both.

Father, please.

Hence, Wang Qinian let me in.

Please drink some tea.

Aren't you afraid that I will kill your father?

You are not that kind of person.

You seem to have much trust in me.

It's not about trust or anything,

I just want to be with my father.

Mr. Fan, I shall thank you

for transferring me here from the Ministry of Justice.

The First Division is more comfortable.

You won't stay here for long.

Don't worry.

I won't kill you.

In fact,

I do know a thing or two

about these cases.

Do you suggest I investigate them?

Yes.

But?

But there isn't much you can do once the truth is uncovered.

When all is said and done,

only a few can pull the string in the spring exam.

The Crown Prince, princes, the Elder Princess,

Prime Minister Lin, Mr. Chen,

and General Qin.

None of them

can be penalized.

Don't worry. I'm not that clueless.

I don't want to pull these big shots into the mud.

You are wise, Mr. Fan.

Those big shots are untouchable.

But there are these errand runners.

They act on the big shot's behalf

and take bribes.

It's plenty of them.

I will target some.

At the very least, this might discourage

those with ill intentions for a few years

and uphold fairness to some extent.

Those errand runners in question

are mostly from the Ministry of Rites.

Are there more honest or corrupt officials among them?

Mr. Fan,

does taking fewer bribes make them honest officials?

Please don't joke, Mr. Guo.

You started this first.

If so, I will investigate them one by one.

I won't let any guilty hands

off the hook.

In that case,

I will provide you with a list.

It will be less taxing

to start with those careless ones.

Thank you for your trouble.

In fact, the victims in these cases

deserves more attention.

What victims?

Candidates who are being framed,

bribed,

and having their names substituted

are the victims.

After all,

someone needs to be held accountable for the tragic case.

Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Guo.

No need to thank me.

It's those candidates

who need to thank you, Mr. Fan.

That's too much.

Eradicating inherited problems

and restoring justice to all candidates,

no words are too much

to express their gratitude.

Who asks for me?

He's at the entrance.

Little Xian!

Dabao?

Come on in.

[Lin Dabao, eldest son of Lin Ruofu] Come out.

Come in.

Come on out.

Come on in.

Please come out!

I will come out if you come in.

But I can't! Please come out.

Chop-chop.

Why didn't you go in there?

I can't.

This is your workplace.

If I do silly things inside there,

people might laugh at you.

You will be embarrassed.

Nonsense! No one is laughing at you.

Let's go inside.

No.

I can't go inside. I just came here to visit you.

Who brought you here?

Yuan!

It's Mr. Yuan.

Only him?

Father doesn't worry if Mr. Yuan accompanies me.

I bet he does.

Little Xian, do you have time now?

Father wants to treat you to some tea.

If Mr. Lin wants to see me,

he could've sent for me.

Dabao doesn't have to come here personally.

Dabao misses you.

Dabao is simple.

He might get picked on easily.

Mr. Fan, please look after him

in the future.

Does that mean something else?

No, you have overthought.

I have an errand to run.

Mr. Fan,

please accompany Dabao home.

Sure, go ahead.

Don't worry.

I will protect Dabao

even if you didn't say so.

What's wrong with Mr. Yuan?

He seems weird today.

Is it because

his sugar doll is too small?

Maybe.

His Majesty assigned you

to look into the unresolved spring exam corruption cases.

Word spreads fast, indeed.

Truth be told,

over the past years,

I did have slotted quite a few of my men

into the honor roll.

If you are to investigate, start with me.

Stop staring at me.

I'm not testing you.

I'm serious.

Seriously?

News started circulating in the Capital

right after you picked up the slack. Do you know why?

His Majesty is preparing you for the Imperial Treasury takeover

with this influential case.

I know.

Mr. Chen reminded me

in the inner hall this morning.

What are you going to do?

If you were to investigate this,

who would you look into?

It will be a huge trouble in any event

and might end up making lots of foes if you are careless enough.

If that's the case,

why don't you investigate me?

I will prepare a few people in advance

for you.

So that you can answer to His Majesty

and

I won't go too harshly on you.

Tenacious officials

always end up

with a grim fate.

Mr. Lin, you are like a candle.

What is that?

You burn yourself to light my way.

Load of bull.

Nonsense.

I haven't had a chance to thank you, Mr. Lin.

You were so considerate during the spring exam.

You did a good job.

You didn't use

any of my arrangements.

It's the thought that counts.

I'm in the second-highest position

in the country.

I will try my best to protect you while I still can.

You need some time

to take root

and branch out widely

before you can protect the Lin family.

I will not let you down.

No need to take it too seriously.

I won't stand down so soon.

Don't worry.

I will always be there for you.

Where did Mr. Yuan go?

I'm waiting for him to finish this game.

If I withdraw this stone,

I might win the game.

Mr. Yuan went out for an errand, didn't he?

What errand?

I don't know.

Wasn't that your order?

Was he meeting a man or a woman?

Search me.

Mr. Yuan

may appear decent,

but I know him to be otherwise.

Do you think

he hides a woman outside?

Um...

Do you have a mistress outside?

No!

I only like Wan'er.

Si Lili?

No!

Haitang Duoduo?

No!

And Yuan Meng of the Baoyue Pleasure House?

It just can't be her!

It can't be her?

Neither the first two!

Mr. Lin, that was a quick bluff.

Finally, you came.

Did it exhaust you so much?

Of course.

It was a huge canvas.

I was writing each stroke with great tension.

A tiny mistake...

Oh, this is not tiny.

The pain eases all of a sudden.

Did you finish all the names?

Yes.

Finally, Yang Wanli's name

returns to its place.

Good, then.

Announce the results as planned.

Don't you take a look at it?

No need.

But this is important.

I believe you.

Hearing what you said,

I feel

like a sinking boat met a floating plank.

Like encountering a warm sun in harsh winter.

Enough of pleasantries.

Mr. Fan.

I found something about the Yingzhou case

you requested.

Back then,

the entire Chen clan was eliminated.

All right.

Besides,

news about you taking charge of the exam corrupt cases

has been

making the rounds among the people.

Mr. Fan,

all literary men regard you

as the savior of the world

and the eternal light.

That's a bit of a stretch.

The thing is,

it seems that these rumors

came from the Imperial Inspectorate.

His Majesty instructed Mr. Chen

to do so.

Mr. Fan,

is this an opportunity given to you

to lead the literary community?

I really can't tell.

Offering such a prestigious reputation

to an isolated official,

I wonder what His Majesty wants to do.

Wang,

I used to think I could run intellectual rings

around other people.

However, His Majesty

is a real mystery.

Your Majesty,

Fan Xian has taken the unsolved spring exam corruption cases.

The witnesses are ready to show up at any time.

Your Majesty, when will you need them to appear?

Don't affect the results announcement.

Understood.

I will do it after the announcement.

Can Fan Xian handle

the consequences of the investigation?

He has no choice.

Why don't you offer some advice?

You didn't give any orders.

It's not like you are a puppet.

I

can be a puppet.

Out of the nine arrows,

all of them missed.

Well,

I will

give you one more arrow.

Didn't you say you would obey my order?

Take this.

I

order you

to throw it into the pot.

I'm

not good at this.

Throw it.

Your Majesty,

bingo!

It's already this late.

You must be tired, Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen, I can see that you are in a good mood today.

You can see that?

You have keen eyes.

You flatter me.

Let me escort you out of the palace.

I know the way.

An attached heart

can only

be a nuisance.

Be patient.

With your knowledge,

you will definitely succeed.

You flatter me.

Shi,

isn't too late

to read now?

You are right.

Shi.

You are here.

Where is Cheng Jialing?

It's crowded here. I don't know where he is.

Don't worry, he must be here.

You know what?

The Imperial Inspectorate announces the result without the Ministry of Rites.

This is unprecedented.

With Mr. Fan's endeavor to preserve clean governance,

the Qing State has undoubtedly been reinvigorated.

Yang Wanli?

Is it Yang Wanli?

Yes, it's him.

Are you sure?

- Exactly. - Yang.

I got wind

that the Imperial Inspectorate is announcing

because they added his name back.

This place was his in the first place.

Someone replaced him.

Mr. Fan found it unfair,

that's why the fuss.

I see.

No wonder.

I told you so.

This is unprecedented.

Uh...

Don't believe in street rumors.

So Mr. Fan sought an audience with His Majesty because of you.

It's just street rumors.

Do you know

who wrote Yang Wanli's name

back on the honor roll?

Who was it?

Mr. Fan?

It's His Majesty.

His Majesty personally corrected his name back on overnight.

Who told you this?

Everyone is saying this.

Yang,

this is impressive.

These are just baseless rumors.

Baseless rumors.

I'm just lucky.

They are here.

They are here!

Mr. Deng is here.

I wish you a dream come true!

It's going to unroll!

Don't you think the characters are kind of skewed?

Who cares?

It seems this ranking list

is fair enough.

I made it!

I made it!

I failed again.

I made it too!

Yang!

Yang Wanli!

Where is my name?

The metropolitan graduate ranked fifth!

You are in the front row!

There is no ranking

in the metropolitan exam.

Just shout it out as you want.

Don't you think

[Yang Wanli of Jiangnan Circuit in Quanzhou] that three characters look particularly different?

It seems so.

It's full of vigor.

It must be written by His Majesty.

His Majesty wrote it.

The ranking list is fair enough.

It's over for me!

I have tried for years but still end up failing.

What a frustrating life!

I made it too!

My efforts have paid off!

Old man!

Don't let your success go wasted!

Hou,

your name is also in the front row!

Where?

Hou Jichang!

[Hou Jichang of Hebei Circuit in Jingzhou]

I can't believe I made it!

Let's look for yours

and Jialing's name.

Right.

I made it too!

I made it!

You made it!

I made it!

You made it through the exam!

Your name is on it!

I passed!

Shi... Shi...

Shi Chanli.

Cheng Jialing!

It's Cheng Jialing.

He's made it to the cut-off!

I almost overlooked his name.

As long as he passed.

- Shi. - Shi Chanli.

Shi Chanli.

Shi... Shi Chanli.

Calm down.

Perhaps we missed it.

Let's try again.

Right.

Let's look for your name again.

Double-check.

Shi Chanli.

Shi Chanli.

I made it too!

I passed!

I passed!

No, please.

Congratulations

on your success.

If you study hard again,

you will surely make it

next time.

Thanks for the encouraging words.

Yang.

Now that the results are out,

everything has settled down.

It's time to pay Mr. Fan a visit, right?

Of course.

If so,

we can visit him

without concerns.

I'm going to find Jialing.

Jialing!

You made it!

Cheng Jialing!

I will join you.

Even though I failed,

I should go and thank him.

Of course you should.

Let's rehearse again.

No need. We have already done that many times.

He's here.

Three, two, one.

Greetings...

Greetings...

Greetings...

Mr...

Mr...

Mr...

Fan...

Fan...

Fan...

You two were not in unison. You can't blame me for that.

We had a joyful conversation last time.

Why are you so nervous now?

We didn't know you were Mr. Fan.

Yes.

Still, I'm an ordinary man.

No, you are not.

You are the Immortal Poet.

Shi Chanli.

What's wrong?

No need for the long pause.

What brings you here?

Mr. Fan, you are the supervisor of the spring exam.

We should

pay our respect to you as students.

Are you seeking an apprenticeship?

Mr. Fan, you are mighty

and courageous

to combat the corruption in the exam.

You deserve our respect.

The four of us truly admire you

and would offer our services.

Four?

The crowd injured Cheng Jialing while checking the ranking list.

He can't move right now.

He asked us to convey his respect

to you.

Three of you made it.

The final ranking will be determined after the palace exam.

But before that, you are officials now.

I couldn't accept the bow without returning favors.

I prepared some guidance

of being an official

for you.

I have written what I want to say

on it.

You may go.

Mr. Fan...

Sir,

I shall take my leave.

Sir, I shall take my leave.

Shi Chanli.

You stay.

[Fan's Residence]

Be an honest man.

Be an honest official.

As expected of Mr. Fan.

What a choice of words.

Precise

and profound.

Hou.

You see, the word "man"

is written before the word "official".

Yang, from today on,

we are the disciples of the Fans.

We should keep this in mind

and not disappoint Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan.

I failed.

I know.

I have let down your guidance.

No need to feel ashamed if you have done your best.

You are right, Mr. Fan.

Do you keep me here

for any orders?

What's your next plan?

Well,

I will leave the Capital in a few days.

I'm going back home.

You can't.

The Shijia Town was burned to the ground.

This is the disaster report

issued by the local yamen.

Have a look at it.

This fire

might not be a natural disaster.

[Shijia Town]

Mr. Fan.

He Zongwei requests an audience.

Take him somewhere else.

I will see him later.

Yes, Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan.

He Zongwei,

we met again.

"Educated men

can't bend their knees,

nor should they."

I'm much enlightened

by your reprimand.

Hence,

I would like to express my gratitude here.

I didn't see you during the spring exam.

I should've taken the exam.

However, something in this world

is more important than that.

You studied for years to become an official.

Is there something

more important than this?

Needless to say,

it's an unjust

death!

You should go to the yamen.

Yes, we should've gone there.

But we heard that you are handling the spring exam corruption cases.

Only you

could help us with our grievance.

It concerns the spring exam?

The husband of this woman

was a candidate who failed the last spring exam.

This aggrieved man should've been admitted for his great talents.

Ironically,

someone replaced him and stole his position.

And worst of all, he found out about that.

He couldn't accept the reality

and wanted

to seek justice for himself.

Go on.

The impostor

turned out to be a disciple of the court official.

Unexpectedly, the official

killed this candidate.

As of now,

only his widow remains,

who never gives up

to seek justice for her late husband.

He Zongwei,

does this case

concern you?

I have a conscience.

Upon hearing this,

I left the Capital immediately

and went to great lengths to find this widow

and bring her here.

Mr. Fan,

among all officials,

only you

stand up for the candidates.

So I brought her here.

Did you give up the spring exam

because of this?

An innocent man died unjustly,

how could I back off?

Do you know

which court official killed your husband?

I do.

Tell me.

The murder behind the spring exam corruption,

who killed my husband, was

the current prime minister,

Lin Ruofu.

Everyone admires you

for your justice action.

The impartial official who would forsake personal relationships

for justice

is only you, Mr. Fan Xian.

Surely, an isolated official.

Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan.

What's the matter?

[Imperial Inspectorate First Division]

A student brought the victim's family

to accuse Prime Minster Lin of murder.

I learned of the case.

Why did you ask for me here?

The deceased isn't in the Capital.

I need assistance from the Fourth Division.

Not enough.

You also need the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review,

and the Capital Magistrate.

I won't hand over the victim.

I know.

The Imperial Inspectorate will lead the case.

I'm not familiar with other departments.

How about this?

You will deal

with these departments.

Have you thought

about what you would do

if the accusation proved to be true?

You chucked the Elder Princess out,

and now it's Prime Minster Lin.

How are you going to face Princess Lin?

What do you suggest?

Hand the case over

to me.

Are you worried about me?

No, you might show favoritism.

Thanks.

But this case

must be handled by me.

Reason being?

His Majesty appointed me to investigate the spring exam corruption.

I can't withdraw from it.

Do you think His Majesty knows

about Prime Minster Lin's case in advance?

Perish that thought.

It's too dangerous.

Where are you going?

The Prime Minister's Residence.

Are you sure you want to go there now?

Please come in.

Here you go.

Have a good day.

Sure. I will wrap it up for you.

[Tingyu Restaurant]

Mr. Yuan, you are here. Please come in. There is a premium seat.

Please have some tea.

Nice tea.

Yes, it tastes fresh.

Ornament for sale!

Ornament!

Mr. Yuan,

there's a premium seat here.

No need.

Waiter, two orders of beef.

Sure, sir. Right away.

Yogurt for sale!

I will sit here.

Sure.

A pot of tea and two orders of nuts.

All right.

Is it going to rain?

Why are the windows closed?

There is a river down there

swarming with mosquitoes, so we had them closed.

Open them.

Flowers for sale!

Fresh flowers.

Do you plan to stand there all day long?

Don't pull a long face.

Young man,

you can't afford to be down.

Someone reported you to me.

Was it about me silencing someone?

I've heard about it.

Did you do it?

♪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♪