Original subtitles

♪Having survived the winter I'm expecting the flower season♪

♪Smiling in a spring breeze I'm immersed in it♪

♪Whose breath warmed my cold heart♪

♪And stirred up ripples♪

♪A figure may be reflected in my eyes♪

♪Bring back numerous memories♪

♪Through my life I've endured hardships for love♪

♪With you My mind is still and peaceful♪

♪Don't blame fate and providence♪

♪And the merciless fortune♪

♪Wandering in the world of mortals like it's a game♪

♪Risking my heart♪

♪Isn't to be regretted♪

♪I'll exchange it for the love of my life delightedly♪

=A Dream of Splendor=

=Episode 22=

Yes.

I still have some secrets,

but they're too complicated.

I can't tell you all of them yet.

But trust me.

I promised I would cherish you.

It won't be a hollow phrase.

I'm patient. I'll wait for you.

Flowers for sale!

Strew petals!

♪A feeling of depression♪

♪Falls on those will part just like moonlight♪

♪How can we forget each other♪

♪Wind blows and time flies♪

♪An ever-lasting hope♪

♪Makes my eyes glow for you♪

♪I don't fear the endless road♪

♪For you I'd endure hardships of the journey♪

♪A thousand miles apart I wish you're safe and sound♪

♪At the old place I'm pining for you♪

♪The tenderness in your eyes♪

♪Eases my pain of missing you♪

♪Stars wink for you♪

♪Romance is crazy about you♪

♪Who even waits for you♪

♪Until the end of her life♪

♪When I look back one day♪

♪I'll let go of everything♪

♪I'll hold your hand♪

♪And never let you down♪

♪When our eyes get wet with tears♪

♪For each other♪

♪I'll enjoy a simple life♪

♪With you♪

Go away.

Do you want it to choke?

Sir,

is the cricket worthy of five strings of coins?

I bought the valuable Yutoutuo specially

to coax Haohao.

Go away.

Where is the cricket?

Where is my cricket?

Help me find it.

Where is it?

Zhao Pan'er?

Why does bad luck come upon me every time I see you?

Why are you here?

Gu Qianfan?

Why are you here, too?

Why can't I be here?

Do you know each other?

No.

Did you say you don't know me?

Xiao...

Gu Qianfan,

I've known you since you wore open-crotch pants.

Dare you say you don't know me?

I haven't finished yet.

Stop.

I wonder why I had bad luck today.

It turns out my two deadly enemies

have hooked up together stealthily.

You...

You collude in doing evil,

stoop to secret dealings,

wallow together in the mire,

and join each other in your evildoing.

Not bad. You blurted out so many idioms in one breath.

Congratulations.

You seem to know more than 100 characters now.

How dare you laugh at me?

I knew you used to punch like that since we were children.

I remember it.

Don't stop me.

I'll help you to remember it more clearly.

Stop.

Stop. Don't go. Let's fight.

Let go.

Let go.

I won't.

Sir.

- I won't. - Let go.

I won't.

Let go.

I won't.

Give me back my shoe.

A great person doesn't harbor grievance.

We're acquaintances.

Please be easy on us.

Who is your acquaintance?

Give me back.

No. No. Behold.

Sir, what did you do?

We've found your cricket.

Where is it?

Sir.

Yes.

I found it.

My Yutoutuo.

Why did it lose a tentacle?

Yutoutuo?

You haven't seen Yutoutuo, have you?

Yutoutuo has a red head,

a bluish green neck, golden wings,

and a forehead with gold and silver lines.

Look at the thing in your hands.

It doesn't look like a Yutoutuo at all.

Is it a dung beetle?

Why do you bother to tell him so much?

Everyone in the city knows

he is the easiest to be fooled.

Is it worthy of five strings of coins?

It doesn't even worth 50 coins.

You're lying!

Don't mind him.

Don't touch it.

Yes.

It doesn't look expensive, does it?

Put me down. I can walk.

What about this?

How do you like it? Does it fit?

Yes.

Sir.

Thank you.

Why are you smiling?

I was thinking

you must look imposing when you fought with Chi Pan

in open-crotch pants

as a child.

Don't be mad at me.

Why did he call you Qianfan?

It sounds like you were close.

He lived next door to me when we were children.

He is a notorious rascal

in the Eastern Capital.

How come you had dealings with him?

He was no match for me in kicking balls

and rolling dices.

So he became angry from shame.

Except for crickets,

you also know well about kicking balls and rolling dices?

We haven't married yet.

It isn't late if you go back on your words.

No, I mean,

I like kicking balls and rolling dices, too.

If you like,

shall we compare notes next time?

Sure enough, you and Chi Pan were childhood friends.

You're birds of a feather.

(Cai River)

With my connections with the Music Administrator,

it's easy for me to help you

drop the performer status,

let alone offer you a chance to perform for His Majesty.

Yinzhang.

Yinzhang.

Come and lend me a hand.

While I was free today,

I made a summer robe

for my son, Zifang.

The robe

will be softer

after it's washed and dried.

I wonder if his father

has prepared him summer clothes.

When Zifang grows up,

he'll beg you to forgive his mistakes.

I hope so.

Tell me the truth,

where did you go the other morning?

And what were you thinking just now?

All right. You don't have to tell me.

Help me collect the handkerchiefs.

Sanniang.

I have a question.

Go ahead.

Someone told me

he could use his connections to help me drop the performer status.

Do you think he was lying?

Is his surname Shen?

No.

Yinzhang,

you mustn't be fooled again.

Don't believe the outright lies of men.

Have you forgotten what Pan'er said before?

Women should be independent.

Dropping status isn't that easy.

Don't expect

those dignitaries to help you.

They said that

because they had ulterior motives.

I wasn't talking about me.

It's Haohao.

The other day when I was backing her with pipa,

she told me Chi Pan was trying to

help her drop the performer status.

That's possible.

Chi Pan

likes Zhang Haohao very much.

And he is rich.

If he manages to grease the wheels,

the Music Administrator may say yes.

I also heard

Landlord Sun's wife

was a singing performer before.

He helped buy her freedom back.

But they're different

with us.

Don't worry.

Gu Qianfan

will help you get your freedom sooner or later.

Deputy Commissioner Gu?

Is he willing to help me?

Of course.

Pan'er said he promised her.

So, be patient for a while.

You'll be fine.

OK.

Are you going to investigate the Hat Demon case tonight?

We're about to pull in the net.

In fact, the suspects are a bunch of people

who differ from Xiao Qinyan.

They made troubles in the name of the Hat Demon.

Xiao Qinyan is supposed to

be granted as the Prime Minister after his birthday banquet.

The case may ruin

his chance to assume the post.

You should focus on the case

and don't meddle in other business.

Once you meddle in politics,

it won't be easy to get out of it.

OK.

Honey, thank you for teaching me how to be an official.

Deputy Commissioner Gu.

Why are you here again?

Well,

I ran into your sister on the road.

So I walked her home.

By the way, last time I gave you a score of an ancient tune.

How's the practice going?

I've almost mastered it.

Come with me. I'll play it for you.

Forget it. Deputy Commissioner Gu has business to do today.

Let's take a rain check.

But,

I'll perform at Minister Duke Xiao's birthday banquet

the day after tomorrow.

I want Deputy Commissioner Gu to listen to it first.

I'll be quick. Just one part.

Sanniang, come and listen to my new tune.

(Liangzhou)

Great!

Yinzhang, you played well.

Yinzhang, it was great.

Deputy Commissioner Gu, I'm expecting your comments.

Do you want me to tell the truth?

Please do.

I think you did

a lousy job.

Pipa speaks for the player's heart.

The inferiors show their skills.

The masters build artistic conception.

Complete Song of Liangzhou was a famous tune at the northern-frontier.

It described a scene of warriors drinking their fill

before they went out to battle.

It's like a slender but unyielding plum tree.

Yuan Zhen, the poet of the Tang Dynasty said,

Complete Song of Liangzhou is loud, hurried and complicated.

But what did you do?

You didn't convey to us the feeling of shining spears and armored horses,

instead, you showed us a delightful,

soft and tender little woman.

It's a big mistake.

Mr. Xiao is a master player of pipa.

If you want to perform at his birthday banquet,

I suggest you choose another tune.

Otherwise, you'll be laughed at by experts.

Practicing pipa is like practicing martial arts.

Move forward or you'll fall behind.

There are many masters in the Music Division,

who have many different abilities.

In my opinion,

you've been

resting on your laurels recently.

That's why you played so badly.

I was wrong.

I'll remember your instruction and practice hard.

Try to do your best.

Don't fail to live up to your duty as the coach of Pipa Branch.

Don't fail to live to people's expectations for you

and my good intentions of giving you the music score.

Deputy Commissioner Gu,

she'll do better

after more practice.

Give her some time.

Don't you have business to do?

You should get back to work.

Pan'er, walk Deputy Commissioner Gu out.

OK.

Yinzhang, it's fine.

You just need to practice more.

You've been tired recently.

Go back to your room and have a rest.

Help her.

Let's go to your room, Yinzhang.

I've tipped you many winks.

Was I wrong?

Don't you think she did a lousy job?

You should be careful to tell the truth.

You know she's always preoccupied.

I don't think she is a sister to you.

She is more like a daughter to you.

Moreover,

I just did my duty as her brother-in-law.

By scolding her and clearing her head,

I protected her from

being embarrassed

in front of the guests at the birthday banquet.

All right, you're reasonable.

You should go back now.

Go ahead.

Take a break first.

Put the pipa down, OK?

Can you hear me?

Take a break.

She's been behaving strangely after Gu Qianfan criticized her.

She wouldn't let go of the pipa.

What did you do?

Don't worry. I called back her spirit by scaring her.

Look, isn't she all right now?

She is.

Yinzhang,

would you like some pastries

or some tea?

Are you hungry?

I caught a fish.

Sanniang can cook it for you.

Let's go.

Where did you go?

I couldn't find you anywhere.

I went to clean up the pond silt.

I also caught a fish.

We'll have fish for dinner.

Did you hang out again?

I didn't hang out. I was making money.

If there is too much silt in the pond,

fish won't grow fat.

So we must clean it in time.

I earn 500 coins a day.

Chen Lian found the job for me.

Even the foreman dares not pocket my money.

From now on, when the teahouse is closed,

I'll work there.

The job is much easier than those at the wharf.

Chen Lian? Did you make up with him?

Why do you work so hard?

We paid you enough, didn't we?

Yes.

But nobody thinks he has enough money.

I'm saving my dowry money.

Dowry?

How old are you?

Why are you so anxious?

Of course I'm anxious.

Women in Great Song

must have large dowries if they want to live a happy life.

My mo...

My...

My friend in Liangzhou told me,

because she only

had a dowry of 10 strings of coins,

she's been bullied by her husband's family.

She was also given a nickname

called Wife of Ten Strings.

I calculated it carefully.

If I work here for five years,

I'll earn 70 strings.

If I make some extra money,

I'll save 100 strings.

In that case, I can straighten my back

in my husband's family.

You're quite far-sighted.

Of course.

Didn't Pan'er say

a man without distant thought must have sorrows?

I'd better prepare everything in advance.

Though I don't know who I'll marry,

it's always right

to save up enough dowry

with my own hands.

You are smarter

than Yinzhang.

She always thinks of

finding a good husband so that she'll get rid of her status.

That's why she made such a huge trouble.

To live a happy life,

women must rely on themselves.

How can they pin their hopes on men?

You're right.

Why are you smiling?

Don't be mad at me if I tell the truth.

Shoot.

You usually say that you used to force Zifang to study

because you wanted him to be a Presented Scholar

and become an official,

then you would be

a madam wearing a chaplet and official robes.

But isn't it relying on men

if you rely on your son?

Sounds fair.

Pour me the water.

Pan'er,

was my playing really that bad?

In my mind, your pipa skills

are still the best in the world.

Don't give up.

Didn't Gu Qianfan suggest you

choose another tune to perform at Xiao's Mansion?

Don't listen to him.

Keep practicing this one.

Practice hard.

I believe you'll astound the guests with your skills.

At that time, we'll ask him to take back his words

and apologize to you.

What do you say?

She's been playing for a long time.

The porridge is getting cold.

She keeps playing

and doesn't eat anything.

What if her hands get hurt?

Let her go her own way.

She is proud.

Only in this way

could she ease her anxiety.

I think Yinzhang plays well.

Stop.

Don't run.

Stop.

Stop.

Be careful.

Move.

Sir.

This is the first suspect caught alive

since we began to chase the Hat Demon.

Interrogate him carefully.

Make sure he confesses.

Remember,

don't torture him.

Don't let him commit suicide.

Yes, sir.

Chief,

the Office of Imperial Guards asked to fetch him for interrogation.

Commander Cui came.

He came to pick up the prisoner?

The prisoner is very important.

I can't turn him over to you.

Deputy Commissioner Gu, you've gone too far.

With the letter of Mr. Yang, our inspector-in-chief,

can't I transfer

a petty swindler?

If I remember correctly,

the Office of Imperial Guards

is in charge of prisoners

that committed felonies.

Why do you come specially for a petty swindler

in the middle of the night?

(Commander Cui, Office of Imperial Guards)

Deputy Commissioner Gu,

what do you mean?

We've been working hard for half a month.

As soon as we caught the suspect,

you came to transfer him.

I wonder what's your intention?

Shut up.

You don't get to talk.

I must take the prisoner away tonight.

Deputy Commissioner Gu,

don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.

I've been working here for more than a decade

without drinking a forfeit.

Really?

Enough.

Mr. Commissioner.

We're all colleagues.

We should be kind to each other.

Mr. Lei.

Sir.

At ease.

Gu,

the Office of Imperial Guards informed me in advance.

You should let them pick up the prisoner.

They'll take the responsibility if something happens.

Since they bothered you,

I surely won't turn the prisoner over to him.

Mr. Lei,

that's how you do your business?

Mr. Cui, wait for a minute.

Gu Qianfan, come with me.

Gu, don't be so arrogant.

I allow you to take charge of the South Section at will,

but you shouldn't...

Sir,

who told you they would come to

pick up the prisoner?

Mr. Guo, the Commander-in-chief.

Actually, I found that

the man behind the Hat Demon case

was related to those who framed Minister Duke Xiao.

The Office of Imperial Guards is the Emperor's own troop.

Mr. Guo is of the Second Rank.

Instead of sleeping without anxiety,

why would he rather

owe you a favor and send his man here

to pick up a petty prisoner in the middle of the night?

I don't know what Mr. Guo

gave you in exchange for the favor.

I just don't want you

to be involved in their conspiracy

for no reason at all.

Don't wait any longer.

Mr. Lei is gone.

Please leave.

Deputy Commissioner Gu,

I'm sorry I offended you.

But I'm under strict orders.

I must take the prisoner away.

Please do me a favor.

Deputy Commissioner Gu,

we both take orders secretly from

Qi Mu, the Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Why do you make it so hard for me?

What did you say?

(Qi)

This is Mr. Qi's signature for secrets.

I bet you've seen it.

I see.

Please leave.

The matter is of great importance.

If Mr. Qi really wants the prisoner,

why didn't he tell me personally?

Why did he send you?

I swear by my life I wasn't lying.

You tell Mr. Qi after you return

that the prisoner is kept under my own guard.

I would never let him

say anything that shouldn't be heard of.

And I wouldn't do any harm to him.

If he needs anything else, he should tell me personally.

See you.

Go.

(Flourishing Trees Outside the Gate)

(Meet me tomorrow at Xiao's birthday banquet.)

(Meet me tomorrow at Xiao's birthday banquet.)

(Qi)

This is Mr. Qi's signature for secrets.

I bet you've seen it.

Princess Anding presents the white jade Maitreya

to congratulate Minister Duke Xiao on his birthday.

The white jade Maitreya is so big.

- Really? - Let's go have a look.

I only saw small ones before.

Maintain your decency.

Don't disturb the honorable guests.

Are you nervous?

Don't worry.

You'll soon get used to it.

I'll give you hints later.

Thank you.

Imperial edict from His Majesty.

Please receive.

Imperial edict?

His Majesty sent a messenger to congratulate Mr. Xiao's birthday.

It's a huge compliment to him.

By the grace of Heaven...

Look, that's Minister Duke Xiao.

That's Vice Censor-in-chief Qi.

On the right is Mr. Ke, the former Minister Duke.

(Ke Zheng, Former Chancellor) He's Mr. Xiao's deadly enemy.

He was dismissed from the post of Chancellor.

Now he has to leave the capital and take office as a local official.

Xiao Qinyan, receive the imperial edict.

Yes, sir.

My gratitude to His Majesty.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Keep it safe.

Please.

Congratulations.

Thank you, everyone.

Please come in.

By the way,

that's Inspector Gao, elder brother of Consort Gao.

These officials

are at each other's throats in private,

while in public,

they seem to be polite and pleased.

I wonder if their gifts are poisonous.

Why haven't you got changed yet?

I'll get changed now.

Are you ready?

Yes.

Come. It's our turn now.

Evade.

Come with me to get changed.

Have you put away the imperial edict?

Rest assured, Master.

Hasn't Qianfan come yet?

Yes.

I told the doorman,

as soon as Deputy Commissioner Gu arrives...

Enough.

He really cherishes his reputation.

In order to keep a distance from me,

he'd rather not give me a birthday present.

Fine.

I don't care if he comes or not.

Anyway,

keep the quiet seat

beside the column for him.

Prepare him some cushions.

And his favorite southern pastries,

remember to get them ready.

Master, rest assured.

Who?

Father, it's me.

I come to get changed, too.

With my absence,

you left the guests behind and came here.

Do you want all the officials to laugh at our family

for neglecting the guests?

I dare not.

I bet you dare.

His Majesty's imperial edict,

I received it respectfully with my both hands

before I asked you to keep it safe.

But you

banded it over to him casually in public

with one of your hands.

And you dared take it out on Mr. Ke.

You were arrogant enough that people might think it was your birthday.

I was wrong.

I dare not do it again.

But I feel aggrieved for you.

You are the newly granted Prime Minister.

Mr. Ke is just a loser

who has lost His Majesty's favor.

He has been downgraded to Prefect,

yet he dares to be rude to you in public.

Even though I defeated him this time,

he is still Ke Zheng.

Do you know why I can defeat him

and become Prime Minister this time?

Because I can swallow insults.

Ke Zheng and his like

hate me to the core.

But do you know

why they still come to my birthday banquet?

Because they must save their dignity.

The harsher they are to me,

the kinder I'm to them.

They'll have to suppress their anger.

Only by enraging them

and flustering them,

could I have the chance to get rid of them all.

Do you understand?

Yes, I understand.

All right, go to the kitchen

and check if the humps are ready.

Remember,

if you do anything wrong again,

I have other sons to rely on.

(If he is one-tenth talented as Qianfan,)

(I won't be worried.)

(Duke of State An)

There may be some delays inside.

We have to wait a little longer.

It's almost been an hour.

I can hardly hold it.

Put it on the ground.

Pick it up. Don't forget yourself.

The doorman of the Prime Minister is equal to an official of the Third Rank.

Servants are difficult to deal with.

Though the dignitaries are polite to us usually,

after all,

we are of pariah status.

We should remember our status.

We should remember our status.

♪A feeling of depression♪

♪Falls on those will part just like moonlight♪

♪How can we forget each other♪

♪Wind blows and time flies♪

♪When the splendor fades away only the smell lingers♪

♪In the corner of memories there are sad moments♪

♪Emotions go on and on♪

♪Because time is short but love is hot♪

♪Stars wink for you♪

♪Romance is crazy about you♪

♪Who even waits for you♪

♪Until the end of her life♪

♪When I look back one day♪

♪I'll let go of everything♪

♪I'll hold your hand and never let you down♪

♪Ah Ah Ah♪

♪When our eyes get wet with tears for each other♪

♪Ah Ah Ah♪

♪I'll enjoy a simple life with you♪