Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Destined]

[Episode 11]

Young Madam Gu,

what are you doing?

Don't scare

a well-behaved business-doing

weak lady like me.

Young Master Fan here

can't pay the gambling debt.

Young Master Gu insisted

on standing up for him.

So we're playing another set of dice rolling.

We haven't finished yet.

So many people are watching.

How can we possibly stop the game?

That's right!

You agreed to the gamble.

Otherwise,

that young master needs to pay.

Everyone, am I right?

Yes!

He needs to pay!

Yes.

Who said we're stopping?

Mr. Gu.

I’m already grateful that you came.

But

this bet is a serious matter.

Besides, your wife is here too.

I think we should forget it.

Don't worry.

I always call the shots

in our family.

If I ask her to go east,

she wouldn't dare to go west.

Come here.

Come here.

I was wrong.

But saving him is more important right now.

Give her a smile first.

Be natural.

Young Madam,

what do you think?

My husband knows what he's doing.

I trust him.

There must be a reason.

Why?

What reason?

I'm just a woman.

Everything is up to my husband's decision.

Was this Madam Gu

not the legendary strict wife

who hunted her husband with a big sword?

Why did she suddenly change?

Lady Xifeng, let's continue.

[Big]

[Small]

Go ahead.

The fifth round of dice rolling.

One, three, and three. Small.

Lady Xifeng won.

Young Master Gu lost.

It’s already the fifth round.

Yeah.

We already lost

over 60,000 taels.

No matter how rich our family is,

that's not

a small amount.

Let's hope that the Young Master will

give up and stop here.

This is interesting.

Young Master Gu.

Why don’t you admit defeat earlier?

Since we've come this far,

another two rounds won't matter.

What? You've been in the

gambling business for many years.

I'm not afraid yet.

But you're already afraid?

I’m just

worried for you, Young Master Gu.

You have lost five rounds in a row.

The wager for the next round is

4.2 billion taels of silver.

Is he really going to do it?

Do you really want to keep going?

Even you dare to

gamble with your hard-earned

family assets on the line.

I didn't earn any of this money myself.

Why wouldn't I dare?

Count me in this time.

If Mr. Gu loses the bet,

even if I lose everything,

I'll pay for it.

No need, no need.

I know what I'm doing.

Wait.

I suddenly realize that

the gambling house and gambling tools are all yours.

Isn't it a little

unfair to me?

How about this?

Starting from the sixth round,

we will let my wife

roll the dice instead.

You worry too much, Young Master Gu.

My reputation as

Lady Xifeng of Lanxiao House

is out there.

I would never

do anything shady.

Since you're upright,

you shouldn't care

who rolls the dice.

My wife is a noble lady.

She has never touched a die before.

She's most unlikely to cheat

compared to all the pros here.

In my opinion,

it's most fair

to let my wife roll the dice.

Everyone, am I right?

Yes.

You.

Yes, you. Teach her a little.

Yes.

Harder.

These two are acting so strangely.

They must be up to something.

Young Master Gu, you first.

Letting me go first?

[Big]

[Small]

The sixth round of dice rolling.

Two, two, and three. Small.

Lady Xifeng won!

Young Master Gu lost.

It's already the sixth round.

Young Master Gu lost again.

I’m so unlucky today.

Come on, let's continue.

The next round is the seventh round.

If you lose,

no one can afford to pay it.

According to the rules,

your limbs will be chopped off.

Young Master Gu.

Are you sure you want to continue?

Yes.

Yuru.

Let's begin.

After this round,

we can go home for dinner.

Wait.

What’s wrong?

Young Master Gu.

Your gambling skills are always excellent.

Even when you played against me on other days,

we would take turns winning and losing.

Today,

you lost six rounds in a row for no reason.

So?

Young Master Gu, you've put your life and wealth on the line,

yet you're so calm and composed.

I really admire

your composure.

You flatter me.

In gambling,

you'll win some and lose some.

When it comes to dice rolling,

the outcome isn't decided until the last round.

The seventh round hasn't started yet.

How could you say that

I've already lost my life and wealth?

There are so many people watching.

Don't waste our time.

Let's begin.

No, wait.

He lost every single round.

Could it be that he was

luring me to the last round?

He listened to the dice

and made six wrong choices on purpose.

He succeeded each time.

This means

his skill is unfathomable.

This must be a trap.

If I admit defeat now, it would be a tie.

But if I lose the last round,

[Small]

I will...

I'll lose everything.

If that happens, how will I face Master?

[Big]

I admit defeat.

Admit defeat?

I quit the seventh round.

Lady Xifeng.

This is the last round.

Before we started the game,

we agreed that

anyone can admit defeat anytime

during the seven rounds.

The result of the seventh round isn't revealed yet.

I didn't

break the rules.

You've won six rounds in a row.

You're on a roll.

You're really stopping here?

Young Master Gu.

We’ve known each other for years.

Let's forget about it today.

As we agreed before,

if I lose,

it will cancel out Young Master Fan's debt

from losing six rounds of dice rolling.

We'll be even.

Sounds good?

How disappointing.

Let's go, my lady.

Let's go home for dinner.

Let's go.

Yu. Thank your savior.

Thank you for saving us!

You...

Learn to be good.

Don't come to gambling houses.

Study hard, okay?

I never thought there'd come a day

when I would say something like this.

We're not very familiar

with Yangzhou.

My only friend here

is Boss Liu.

But Boss Liu

is a lady.

She must not be familiar

with gambling houses.

So I took the liberty

to ask you for help, Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu and I

had never met before.

I thought

Mr. Gu wouldn't come to help.

I didn't expect him to come immediately.

My wife's friend

is my friend.

No need to be shy if we're friends.

Didn't you say

to drink together last time?

Let's get drunk tonight.

Alright. Thank you so much.

Mr. Gu, you were willing

to risk your life and wealth

to help us.

I...

No.

The whole Youzhou

will surely remember it.

Tell me.

Mr. Zhou is so sensible and reliable.

Why does he have

such a insensible cousin?

What cousin?

You really believed it?

They seem

to be brothers.

Mr. Zhou is also in charge of him.

But in fact,

that child is the young master.

His surname is Fan.

He's about the same age.

Which means, he's most likely the

son of Fan Xuan, the Commissioner of Youzhou.

The son of the Commissioner?

Isn't that the same as Wang Rong?

That's different.

Wang Shanquan has 19 children.

Even he can't remember all of them.

But Fan Xuan

has only one precious son.

He is the young master of Youzhou.

How did you know

about all that?

I read some idle books.

The ones you confiscated.

You're smiling.

You're not mad at me anymore?

Yuru.

When you heard that

I went to gamble,

were you really scared that

marrying me was a mistake?

Yes.

I was very scared.

But you still chose to trust me.

You are an optimistic person.

So you dare to gamble

and you enjoy it.

But I'm always pessimistic.

So I don't dare to gamble.

I'm afraid of gambling.

In fact, I hate gambling.

Whatever I do,

I must be extra careful.

I believe that slow and steady is the only way.

I'm afraid of the unpredictable.

That's because I can't afford to make mistakes.

Now that I think about it,

I have only gambled once in my life.

And that was marrying you.

I bet that you're loyal.

You won't abandon me.

I bet that you are responsible.

You won't put me in danger.

I also bet that you'll succeed in the future.

So I could depend on you.

At least,

before our divorce,

as long as I'm your wife for one day,

you can shelter me from

the rain for one day.

I wagered everything

on this bet.

So I have to trust you.

I can only trust you.

Do you regret it?

I want the truth.

The truth?

I don't know.

I always found you to be smart

and knowledgeable.

Why were you

fooled by

such a trick today?

I was careless

and affected your plan.

I failed to capture the young master of Youzhou.

Please punish me.

Forget it.

It's not your fault.

If it only took a few rounds of gambling

to turn

the tides of the world,

I wouldn't be here in Yangzhou.

Go.

Don't mess up again

in the future.

Yes.

Mr. Gu.

It's all in the wine.

[Gulin Hall]

Mr. Gu.

In the North,

if we use such a small cup

to make a toast of gratitude,

people will laugh at us.

That's why I changed it to a big bowl.

Okay.

I’ll accompany you.

Brother Gu,

how did you manage

to lose six times in a row today?

This is the brilliance

of Mr. Gu's plan.

He knew

he can't win Lady Xifeng

in gambling.

So in the six rounds,

Lady Xifeng betted first in the first three rounds.

Then, in the last three rounds,

Mr. Gu just needed to bet on the opposite.

That's right.

When it comes to listening to the dice,

I can

win one or two rounds occasionally.

But I most definitely

can't win every round.

But Lady Xifeng can do it.

Back in the gambling house,

she once won all ten rounds

and never failed even once.

Lady Xifeng could be considered

the goddess of gambling in Yangzhou.

What about the sixth bet?

Actually, by that round,

winning or losing didn't matter anymore.

If Mr. Gu lost,

Lady Xifeng would think that

Mr. Gu was a great gambler,

and that he deliberately lost to her

to set her up.

And if Mr. Gu won,

Lady Xifeng would think

that he wanted to turn the tide.

So that's why you pretended to be relaxed.

You told me to smile at her

and let me roll the dice

to distract her.

You acted recklessly,

diverted her attention,

and remained calm despite losing six rounds in a row.

You even included me,

a innocent-looking newbie

who had

never entered a gambling house.

All of it was to

mess with Lady Xifeng's judgment.

So,

under the strong pressure,

she could only choose the safest way

and give up on the seventh round.

If it weren't for you

playing along with my

strategy today,

I wouldn't have been able to fool Lady Xifeng.

The two of you

worked together seamlessly

and pulled off the plan perfectly.

It wasn't exactly seamless.

When I stepped into Lanxiao House today,

I didn't know

what he was up to at all.

So...

It was all improvised?

What a great display of tacit understanding.

You trusted me that much?

Actually, at the beginning,

I was shocked too.

But when I calmed down and thought about it,

I managed to figure it out.

If you were really going to gamble,

why did you ask Munan

to inform me?

Besides, Mr. Zhou is a respectable man.

Since you did it to help him,

you must be doing something serious too.

He is a respectable man.

Am I not respectable?

In that case,

Lady Xifeng was betting on points.

But Mr. Gu was betting on people's hearts.

Brother Zhou knows me well.

Here, a toast to you.

Here.

Brother Gu, a toast to you too.

Okay.

Why are you drinking?

You're still young.

Have you forgotten

what your father told you?

You're not allowed to drink.

I'm not young anymore.

You're not young?

Would an adult do the things

you did today?

Don't worry about the things

you did in Yangzhou.

I will tell your father

all about it.

Well, we're here to enjoy ourselves.

Let's not talk about this.

Young man.

Come on. Let’s drink together.

Brother Zhou.

Okay.

[Gulin Hall]

Now that I think about it,

Yangzhou

is indeed full of formidable individuals.

Lady Xifeng

is indeed extraordinary.

Lady Xifeng

came from a brothel.

I don't know

how much suffering

and pain she had to endure

to finally

afford the Lanxiao House.

That's how people are.

The harder they worked for something, the more they fear losing it.

I made use of her weakness.

But I shouldn't have.

Mr. Gu comes from a prominent family,

but you still have such a kind heart.

It’s hard to find someone like you.

Mr. Zhou.

Don’t praise him so much.

With his nature,

he could barely settle down for a few days.

If you praise him too much,

he'll become proud and unruly again.

Hey.

Why are you always tearing me down

in front of other people?

My words come from

the bottom of my heart.

None of it is fake.

Mr. Gu, with your talent,

you'll achieve fame sooner or later.

Here, Brother Zhou.

Cheers.

Here.

But people seek fame

merely to earn more money.

They want to climb higher

so others would think highly of them.

But I was born

the son of the richest person in Jiangnan.

There's nothing I can't buy,

and nothing I can't get.

Why do I need to climb higher?

Climbing higher

is not for money or power.

But the higher you go,

the more you can do for the people.

Look at the moon in the sky.

Only when it's high up

can it light up the wider mountains and rivers.

Maybe

it's just what I think.

Youzhou

is not rich like Yangzhou.

Externally, we're constantly at war.

Internally, we battle with poverty.

Our resources are not as rich as Yangzhou too.

Sometimes,

even finding drinking water is a struggle.

My trip to Yangzhou this time

has helped me realize that

Yangzhou is truly the bustling capital of the world.

The people here live in comfort

and lead a joyful and peaceful life.

If one day,

Youzhou

could become like this,

I could die with no regret.

Actually, the resource shortage in Youzhou

is not only limited by its landscape.

It's mainly due to the underdeveloped trade

infrastructure that prevents it from connecting with

the outside world.

Mr. Gu, go on.

If Youzhou could have

developed land and water trade

routes as Yangzhou does,

we can transport the cow and horses from the north

to trade for rice and grains in the south.

We can also trade the northern fur and herbs

for Jiangnan's silk and satin.

If this goes on,

the advantage of Youzhou will be utilized.

Then Youzhou will be rich.

You're right.

Whether it's war

or business,

transportation is of utmost importance.

Actually, the situation in Northern Liang

is the same.

If they can learn how to farm

and consistently

produce something

to trade with Darong,

they could be self-sufficient in terms of food supply

and won't have to instigate war all the time.

In the end,

everyone's fighting to live.

You're right.

The war between Youzhou and Northern Liang

persists because

everyone wants to

live a good life.

Mr. Gu,

you live a good life

and you're in a high position.

Yet, you can see through people's hearts

and be considerate of the people.

I'm glad to be able

to call you my friend.

We're all human. What's there to not understand?

In the end,

I just got lucky

when I was reincarnated into this life.

For me, my wish

is for

the people to be fed and clothed.

So they won't freeze

or starve to death.

I hope they could lead a good life

and live with dignity.

Then I wish you get what you want.

Don't worry.

I won't let you down.

Let's drink.

Cheers.

Here.

-Here. -Cheers.

Actually,

I was greatly influenced by

the words of my father,

and Commissioner Fan, my uncle.

Although they have

never said it out loud,

everything they do

is for the people.

They work very hard

and always put the people first.

I also heard that

Youzhou may be in a remote area,

but the governance is upright

and the people live and work in peace.

The people there are more united than in other states.

So it's because

there are diligent and people-loving civil servants

like the commissioner and the general.

That's right.

Since I was young,

I learned from their words and actions.

For me,

my father and Uncle Fan

are my role models.

You've been discussing this for a long time.

Where should we

move our business operation to?

Is there a conclusion?

In the end,

nowhere else is suitable for us.

Youzhou.

The Youzhou that everyone overlooked.

Mr. Gu.

It's hard to find a bosom friend.

I'm not talented.

But I wish to be

sworn brothers with you.

What do you think?

I'd love to.

I wanted to ask the same thing just now.

But I was too shy.

Okay.

I'm two years older than you.

From now on, we'll call each other brothers.

Brother Zhou.

Brother Gu. Here.

Wait.

We can't just change how we call each other.

I read in the novels that

there should be a ceremony to become sworn brothers.

What else do you want?

We have the moon, some wine,

and some trees over there.

This is enough to be considered a ceremony.

When Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei became sworn brothers,

they prayed to a peach tree.

We happen to have a peach tree here.

How about we pray to the peach tree too?

Okay, as you said.

Let's pray to the tree.

-Let's go. -Let's go.

Let's pray to the peach tree.

Why are you sitting here?

Come on. Let's do it together.

I'm just a lady.

The two of you are becoming sworn brothers.

Why should I go?

Who said girls can't be sworn brothers?

Come on. Let's do it together.

Today,

we are all brothers.

Yes.

Slow down.

There's a doorsill.

I, Gu Jiusi,

have been gambling for so many years.

Be it losing my limbs

or going bankrupt,

I'm not afraid of her.

I know, I know.

How dare she gamble with me?

-Lady Xifeng. -Slowly.

I don't care if she's Lady Xifeng

or Lady Dongfeng.

They'll all lose to me.

Watch your step.

How dare they gamble with me.

I'm not afraid of anyone.

Be careful. Sit.

I'm not afraid of anything.

Wait for me here.

I'll get you some hangover soup.

Wait.

I've been gambling for so many years.

I've never been afraid.

But I was afraid today.

Because I have you now.

Liu Yuru.

I will be capable

and responsible.

I will protect you

so that you can rely on me.

I won't let you lose.

Then can you

not regret marrying me?

Can you

not regret marrying me?

♫How many people are sinking in the mud♫

♫Or struggling for survival in the fire♫

♫How many people are surrounded by fame♫

Say something.

♫We may travel together for thousands of miles, yet I have nothing for you♫

Don't regret marrying me.

♫I have nothing except my loyalty♫

Don't regret marrying me.

Okay.

♫So take my painstaking effort♫

I won't regret it.

♫To light up a lamp♫

♫And bring prosperity to the world♫

I won't regret it.

♫My passion remains burning♫

♫May you remain a youth♫

Yuru?

Mother.

I've made up my mind.

I want to leave Yangzhou

with you.

Also,

I have a suggestion for

where we could move our vast

business operation to.

Good child, there's no hurry.

Let's talk inside.

[Wanjuan Pavilion]

[Money Helps the World]

Madam, look.

I have listed out all the goods

we can take along with us

from all our shops.

The goods listed on the right

are valuable and convenient to carry.

These on the left

are of equal value,

but are large and bulky.

They are not convenient to carry with us.

Please have a look.

Let's cash these ones out

and take the money with us.

The auspicious time has come.

Pray and kowtow.

Rise.

Pray.

Rise.

Pray.

Rise.

Pray.

Rise.

What are you praying for?

Jiusi.

You came at the right time.

We are praying for you.

Come and pray.

Praying for me?

The examination

is a test of the results of my studies.

There's no need to pray.

Don't talk nonsense.

Be good.

-Come on. -No.

Let them go.

It's scary.

There's no harm in praying.

Yes.

I'd rather believe it

than believe in nothing.

Are you guys taking the exam

or am I?

Of course it's you.

It'll only work if you pray yourself.

Come on.

No.

You go ahead.

Jiusi!

Let's not delay the auspicious time.

Let's continue.

Rise.

Pray.

Gu Jiusi.

Come here.

Look at your handwriting.

The more you wrote, the uglier it got.

Even I can write better.

And then there's the ink.

Sometimes it's dense, sometimes it's light.

People can go blind from reading this.

If I were marking this script,

based on the handwriting alone,

I won't have a good impression of you.

Why am I being bothered

wherever I go?

What's wrong?

I came to see you out of kindness.

But you don't appreciate it?

What kindness?

I think you're making things worse.

I think you're feeling guilty.

Why would I be guilty?

I know what you're capable of.

You seem to have changed.

But there's no way you can pass the exam.

Stop finding excuses

for your failure.

Is this what a father should say to his son?

What if I pass?

What then?

Enough. Don't flatter me.

We don't produce scholars in this family.

Goodbye.

What's wrong?

Jiusi.

All I did was nag at you a little,

and now you're running away?

Why are you shouting?

Jiusi is right.

Don't disturb his studies.

You should stop nagging at him so much.

He finally has the resolve

to study hard.

You should encourage him.

Okay.

This is the paper written by your son.

Have a look.

Good luck encouraging him.

Little brat.

I wonder

how his studies are going.

Why are there so many fallen leaves today?

What has fallen?

What has fallen?

Master.

From now on, stop using the word "fallen".

You have to say "high pass".

You're so clueless.

Don't question me.

Pass my message.

From now on, no one in the mansion

is allowed to say "fallen" or "low"

You have to say "high" and "pass".

Do you hear me?

Master.

If it rains

or if someone has lost something,

how should we say it?

Yes, Master.

How should we say it?

It's hard to get used to the sudden change.

Cut the complaints.

Just do as I said.

Get back to work.

Young Master.

This again?

Even if it's tasty, I can't eat it everyday.

Young Master, this is called a high-pass cake.

It's auspicious.

All the students in the city

are eating this recently.

This must be my mother's idea too.

She likes these.

I don't want it.

But...

This brat

is always against us.

Jiusi

won't listen to anyone else now.

He only listens to Yuru.

It's not hard to get him

to eat the cake.

Just ask Yuru to help you.

I need my daughter-in-law's help

to get my son to eat some cake?

After all, I'm the head of the Gu family.

What of my pride and image?

I prepared the cake myself.

Don't tell anyone about this.

[Examination Hall] [Talented Men Will Be Favored]

Such a big scene.

All right, you don't have to see me off.

I'm not a kid.

Okay, I'll listen to you.

The weather

is getting colder day by day.

You have to stay there for nine days.

Fortunately,

I prepared some thick clothes for you.

They are all in your book case.

There are also some of your favourite snacks

in the lowest compartment of the case.

Don't eat too much or it'll be troublesome.

Alright.

You nag at such a young age.

What will become of you when you grow old?

Ow ow ow.

I need this hand for the exam.

I'll teach you a lesson after your exam.

Everyone,

wait for my good news.

Goodbye.

Take care of yourself.

Go back.

[Achieve a swift victory]

[Pass with flying colours]

Yuru.

Today is a big day for Jiusi.

Don't frown.

Mother, do you know

what he told me last night?

What did he say?

He said he has memorized

all the Confucian classics.

He can rank first in the Provincial Examination this time.

Really?

I wonder

where he got the confidence.

But I didn't want to discourage him either.

It's a good mindset.

But his words were too confident.

I can't help

but feel uneasy.

Who doesn't feel uneasy?