01x16 - Episode 16

[bunniefuu]

Mast! Lay down the mast!

Hurry up and get the rope!

Bow and stern face the banks! Quick!

Thousands of homes are brightly lit,

and the doors to them are wide open.

This is East Capital.

New wine from Sunyang Restaurant!

Welcome to enjoy it!

If you want to know what happens next,

wait until next time.

People from all over the world gather here,

and envoys from various countries come to communicate with the authorities.

[Riverside Code at Qingming Festival]

[Adapted from Ye Wenbiao's Novel Series of the Same Name]

[Episode 16]

["Power burns hot, yet hearts grow cold,]

[How much weaker are father-son bonds?" by Li Qingzhao, Song Dynasty]

Buyou!

Boss!

Buyou!

The body is that of Zou Yongjin!

Mr. Song is not dead.

Why is everyone so unhappy?

Maybe it's because

if the deceased is Zou Yongjin,

then who k*lled him

and disguised him as Mr. Song?

Earlier, Mr. Zhao Buyou said

the m*rder*r acted out of anger,

which is why they stuffed so many books

into his stomach.

Maybe the books were stuffed

to make him study more.

But,

who would do such a thing?

Song Qiyu.

Sir,

the scholar from Jinzhou you're looking for

lives in this room.

Thank you.

May I ask, are you Wang Qin from Jinzhou?

I'd like to ask you

about Song Qiyu.

I haven't seen that b*stard in ages,

and it's none of my business!

Mr. Wang!

Mr. Wang!

Mr. Wang!

I know you owe the shopkeeper two guan of wine money.

Come out and talk with me.

I'll pay it for you.

Mr. Wang!

Mr. Wang!

Let's talk here by the door.

Here's the wine money

and a family letter.

Please,

deliver it back

to Song Qiyu's home in Jinzhou.

Everyone in the Song family is dead.

Who am I delivering this to?

Young man,

you seem quite decent,

so how can you misjudge people like this,

befriending such a scoundrel?

If you ask me...

What are you saying?

I'm saying that orphaned b*stard

should've died already.

He's got the face of someone doomed to an early death.

You...

mixing with someone like Song,

you're no good either!

Flashing your family's bit of wealth,

acting all high and mighty,

looking down on everyone!

You're lying!

Mr. Song isn't like that.

He's not!

He's not!

He's not!

He's not!

I'm not lying.

The Song family has only Song Qiyu left to manage things.

At sixteen, he inherited the family estate

and started dominating the place,

which is well-known in Jinzhou!

Although I haven't seen him in the past two years,

I personally saw him on the street before,

constantly beating or scolding his servants.

In his household, there was a mule driver,

whose son was his pageboy.

This father and son were treated like dogs,

serving him day and night!

If you don't believe me,

go ask around.

If I, Wang Qin, utter a single lie,

may I choke on cold wine and die!

So, Song Qiyu

is really alive.

The dead man was Zou Yongjin.

Wen Yue,

you don't seem surprised at all.

Did you already guess it?

Judging by Mo's reaction yesterday,

I feel like

he knows something but hasn't told us.

Are you saying

Mo already knew?

Mo is simple-minded,

but not foolish.

Besides, he and Mr. Song

are such close friends.

So, where do you think Song Qiyu is now?

I wonder if Zhao Mo

is still in contact with him.

If they are,

that would be trouble.

Not reporting what you know

and harboring a runaway

are serious crimes.

Logically,

I hope

Zhao Mo cuts ties with him

and tells us the truth.

But emotionally...

That's where the difficulty lies.

Mo grew up

only close to Sun Bo and Mr. Song.

Besides,

judging from Mr. Song's behavior,

he doesn't seem like a vicious person.

There must be more to it.

No matter the hidden truth,

k*lling someone is still k*lling.

The law is impartial.

But thinking about the situation of people like Song Qiyu and Sun Bo,

I can't help but wonder...

Then how do we

deal with people like them?

Is there no justice in this world?

Can the lives of the poor

just be trampled on?

If they don't want to be prey,

slaughtered at will,

should they pick up a blade?

I really don't dare think further.

Even though things have reached this point,

I feel

we should extend a hand to help him.

You're right.

Let Song Qiyu tell the truth

and turn himself in.

I'll draft a petition for him

and submit it to the court.

This way,

we might be able to save his life.

The problem is,

how do we get Song Qiyu to speak the truth?

The only person who can get Song Qiyu to open up

in this world

is probably Zhao Mo.

This is the ancestral home of Jian Zhuang,

leader of the Seven Scholars of Dongshui.

We've been searching for him for days,

and it turns out he fled back here.

I knew you would come,

so I've

prepared everything.

Boss,

should we continue searching?

No need.

He's been waiting for us.

My family

have all been sent away.

They know nothing

of my affairs.

These

are the benefits I've gained

over the years

from arranging exam proxies.

These things have kept me on edge every day.

Now that you're here,

I actually

feel relieved.

The famous Scholar Jian Zhuang

turns out to be a man greedy for wealth!

I'm not!

They promised to find me a position after the deed was done.

They said the imperial court is full of idle officials.

But I'm old,

and I couldn't wait any longer.

That's why I believed

this was my last chance!

Jian Zhuang,

my name is Zhao Buyou.

I am also a scholar.

Do you know

that the imperial exams

are the only way for poor students

to change their fate?

What you've done today

has broken the hearts of many scholars.

You disgrace the world of academia!

I...

I...

Let me ask you,

did you k*ll those scholars too?

I didn't!

I only dealt with the proxy exams with Zhang Mei.

As for their deaths,

you'll have to ask Zheng Dun!

[Nanshan Tea House]

Jian Zhuang,

I am Gu Zhen, Inspector of Zuojun at Kaifeng Court.

These

are all the profits you gained

from arranging proxy exams for them,

aren't they?

You didn't touch a single penny

just to ensure your family's safety,

did you?

Rest assured.

Your family has committed no crime.

Kaifeng Court will not trouble them.

But as for them,

that's another matter.

My name is Wan Fu.

I've never read much,

but even I despise you.

Take him away!

That orphaned scoundrel

should've died already.

There was a mule driver,

whose son was his pageboy.

This father and son

were treated like dogs, serving him day and night!

In the end,

it was the old servant who watched him grow up.

You could see there is a father-son bond

between them.

I have people I need to protect.

I cannot take risks.

Mo,

the court has already investigated

the matter with Song Qiyu.

Do you want to know?

He...

He...

Mo,

I won't force you,

but right now, only you can save Mr. Song.

You must talk to him.

Help!

Mr. Zhao, help me!

Mr. Zhao!

- I encountered a ghost! - Mr. Chen.

What's the matter?

Mr. Chen, speak slowly.

Yes.

It really was like seeing a ghost!

Old buddies,

it's been seven days since we said our final goodbye.

Let me burn some more ghost money for you,

so you can handle things over there.

In the next life, find a good family to be born into.

This life isn't resolved yet,

how can we talk about the next?

Mr. Song,

are you a man or a ghost?

Answer me.

I won't harm you.

He asked me,

if a scholar

had come to see Ding before he died.

I told him,

yes, there was such a scholar,

a short, chubby man

with a smiling face.

He often visited Ding.

They got along quite well.

I now understand why Song Qiyu agreed.

Someone discovered his secret lineage

and blackmailed him into taking the proxy exam,

forcing him onto a dead-end path.

Mr. Chen,

don't be afraid.

There's no ghost.

What you saw was Mr. Song.

He's not dead.

The authorities have already confirmed it.

That puts my mind at ease.

Don't be afraid.

There's no ghost.

Take care, Mr. Chen.

All right.

Mo!

Mo!

Zhao Mo!

[Nanshan Tea House]

Mr. Song.

Song Qiyu!

Let me finish speaking.

I know

you would come looking for Zheng Dun,

so I came here in advance to wait for you.

If Zheng Dun were here tonight,

right now,

you would've k*lled someone again.

Yes,

because I am no longer

the Song Qiyu you once knew.

I know.

You know?

You know nothing.

I know.

I know that the man beaten to death, Ding,

was your father.

I've always regretted it.

I was right beside you back then.

If only I had realized it sooner...

It was too late.

Far too late.

[Song Qiyu]

My real name was never Song Qiyu.

Who gave you permission to study behind my back,

you wretched creature?

I'm asking you!

Answer me! Speak!

Speak!

My real surname is Ding.

- Wretched creature! - My mother came from a lowly background,

and my father was a driver for the Song family.

I was born inferior,

only fit to be a servant in the Song household.

I spent every day with the violent,

foolish Song Qiyu.

He found joy in humiliating me.

Get up!

Leave tonight.

Leave Jinzhou immediately!

But where can we go?

To the capital for the imperial exams!

Don't waste the years of secret studying

and all the suffering you endured!

Father,

I come from a lowly background.

How... how can I take the exams?

It doesn't matter.

From now on,

you will be...

Song Qiyu!

Let's leave immediately

in this heavy rain

to avoid being noticed.

Once we're gone, nobody will recognize him.

From the day you met me,

I was a fraud.

You just couldn't see through it.

Who you are

doesn't matter.

What matters is that you're alive.

Who I am,

how could it not matter?

My father was willing to pretend not to recognize me

just to send me to the capital for the exams.

Yet even so,

our secret was discovered by Zheng Dun.

He used it to blackmail me into taking the exams for them.

To be human,

but unable to use my real name...

That's fate, isn't it?

I never expected

my fate would drag my father down as well.

That old mule-driving man,

instead of knowing his place,

dared to seek trouble with me

for the sake of his worthless son.

Sir,

this shouldn't have happened!

All the blame

should've fallen on me alone!

Why did you have to ruin my son's future?

That old man dared to come here crying,

ruining your good mood.

Let them report to the authorities. We'll say I k*lled a dog.

You go to Kaifeng Court

and settle the matter.

After my father died,

I wanted to follow him.

But those hateful, despicable people

are still alive.

I must avenge my father

and drag them all to the grave with him!

Whether it's Zou Yongjin,

Zhang Mei, or Zheng Dun,

they should all face justice under the law.

And what has the law decided?

Did your complaint that day lead to anything?

Do people like us, lowly commoners,

deserve to be manipulated?

If they push a pawn on the chessboard to death,

then I'll make

the players

experience the fear of death too.

Kaifeng Court already knows

the corpse is Zou Yongjin,

not you.

And those wicked Zou family members

will soon receive their punishment.

But if you go to Zheng Dun now,

you won't walk away in one piece.

From the day I decided to take this step,

I knew there was no turning back.

Last time,

when I thought you were harmed,

my heart died once already.

This time,

I won't let anything happen to you.

Here's all my savings.

Hire a carriage

and leave East Capital immediately.

Do you remember our laminated beam arch bridge?

As long as the main beam remains intact,

the bridge won't collapse.

It's the same with people.

Everyone takes a wrong path sometimes,

but as long as you have the will to change,

as long as your core stays strong,

it's never too late to turn back.

Forget everything that happened here.

Find a place where no one knows you

and live true to yourself.

Who's there?

Zheng Dun.

Mo,

you scared me.

Song Qiyu...

Song... Song Qiyu...

What's wrong?

No!

No, Mr. Song!

I told you to leave me alone!

Spare me!

Spare me! I don't want to die!

Spare me!

If blood must be spilled today,

let me finish this for you.

No!

Mo!

you must not k*ll!

You're pure and innocent.

You still have family,

and a bright future ahead.

You're the person I envy the most.

You must not k*ll.

[Nanshan Tea House]

It's here.

Tie Chi, Fei Jian!

Got it!

Officers!

All of you officers,

you've arrived just in time!

Song Qiyu and Zhao Mo are trying to k*ll me!

What are you doing to me?

Those murderers...

they're upstairs!

The culprits are on the second floor!

Hurry!

The officers are here!

Is there another exit?

Hold me hostage.

Zhao Mo and the others want to k*ll me!

Why are you grabbing me?

The m*rder*r is upstairs!

If, from the very beginning when you met me,

you knew I was born of a lowly background,

would you still have been my friend?

No matter who you are,

what difference does it make?

Who is the m*rder*r?

It's...

Shan Shiliu.

He's the Zou family's blade in East Capital.

He kills for the Zou family.

He came to me every time.

He's the one who k*lled them.

It has nothing to do with me!

Officers, it really has nothing to do with me!

Officers!

Take him away.

Move.

Officers!

Mo!

Mr. Song,

what... what are you doing?

Song Qiyu,

put the knife down first.

Zhao Mo is your closest friend.

And we've

already considered you like a younger brother.

We just learned about your situation.

We're sorry, Mr. Song.

During your hardest times,

we couldn't be there to help.

Put the knife down first.

Mr. Song,

Mo cares about you the most.

You shouldn't hurt him.

I'd rather you all think Mr. Song is already dead.

I don't deserve your family's kindness.

Mr. Song...

Step back!

Mr. Song,

Buyou is a litigator.

No matter your grievances,

he'll help you seek justice.

Yes!

Zheng Dun has already been captured.

What's urgent now

is getting him to reveal the truth about the proxy exams

and expose their entire network.

Only then can we

wipe them out completely.

That's how we get revenge!

Up to the second floor, quickly!

Yes!

- Hurry! - Mr. Song.

Give me the knife

or it will be too late.

My name is Ding Dan.

Everything from the past...

I ask for your forgiveness.

Qiyu!

Song Qiyu!

Song Qiyu!

All officers of Kaifeng Court,

please bear witness here!

It was solely my decision to k*ll Zheng Dun!

It has nothing to do

with Zhao Mo!

Song Qiyu!

Everything that happened today

was done by me holding him hostage!

Song Qiyu, Zhao Mo!

Both of you, come down!

Kaifeng Court is willing to go easy on you!

Song Qiyu, open the door!

Open the door!

Mo...

Mr. Song...

Meeting you in this life

has been enough.

I...

I'm sorry.

The lock...

this...

Help me undo it...

Thank you.

I'll undo it.

If you wish to carve a tombstone for him,

you should first write the message,

then use red ink to outline the characters.

Paste the paper onto the stone,

then carve the words.

That's the only way to preserve his dignity.

Buyou,

just a few days ago,

he and I

were drinking together.

A perfectly fine person,

suddenly,

reduced to a handful of dirt.

I have also experienced

that feeling you have.

With an old friend,

sharing drinks joyfully one day,

only for the next meeting to be a farewell.

I've felt that sense

of powerlessness.

Ding Dan has died twice

in front of me.

Aside from carving his tombstone message,

there's nothing more I can do for him.

But I don't even know how to carve.

Don't blame yourself.

Didn't you compile that poetry collection for him?

That's a comfort for him in the afterlife.

Buyou,

do you ever feel

like we're living on a chessboard?

Following the rules,

being manipulated

like chess pieces from birth to death.

No.

Humans shouldn't be chess pieces.

Though

life may be like chess,

are we really pieces on a board?

I don't think so.

Chess is played by people.

Where you place a piece,

it stays there.

Humans are different.

Humans can choose, advance, or retreat.

Even if the big picture is hard to change,

we can still choose our fate.

Take Ding Dan,

wasn't he always trying

to change his destiny?

Even though his methods were questionable,

he refused to be someone else's pawn,

even as a scholar.

I truly respect

such a person.

Mo,

finish carving the message.

Let's toast him together.

How about that?

[Tomb of]

[Ding Dan]

I'm a scholar taking this year's exam,

working as an inspector in the news bureau.

If I truly pass the exams and get appointed,

I will become an official

who ensures the people have enough to eat

and someone to rely on.

It's fortunate that you and I

are willing to fight for the people,

to enter service for the sake of their well-being.

Mo!

Mo!

My name is Ding Dan.

Everything from the past...

I ask for your forgiveness.

[Ding Dan]

Buyou,

will he remember me?

He will.

[Tomb of Ding Dan]
Ding Dan wanted to change his destiny,

but in the end, he was still manipulated.

He untied the lock

but deliberately left it for me.

He wanted to show me his helplessness.

Mo,

I don't understand what you meant just now.

Inside the lock I gave Ding Dan,

I found this note.

[The one who exposed your true identity is still alive...]

[If you don't believe it, ask Chen Baoshan at Great Shop of Mules and Horses.]

"The one who exposed your true identity

is still alive.

He's still hidden among the Seven Scholars.

If you don't believe it,

ask Chen Baoshan

at the Great Shop of Mules and Horses."

True identity...

What does it mean?

Song Qiyu's original name was Ding Dan.

Recently,

the mule driver k*lled by the Zou family was Ding Dalang,

his biological father.

Which means,

the real instigator

has been watching from the sidelines,

manipulating

Ding Dan into k*lling.

That's roughly how it seems.

What we know for sure now is

the instigator isn't Shan Shiliu.

Shan Shiliu k*lled Xiao Yishui

only because Xiao Yishui

ruined the auspicious occasion

and disrupted Zou Mian's plans.

Even if Shan Shiliu isn't the instigator,

he can't just be let off.

Don't worry.

Inspector Gu will catch him,

right?

Where am I supposed to catch him?

Everyone who should be dead is already dead.

He wouldn't still be in East Capital,

waiting for me to catch him.

What if someone who should be dead isn't dead?

What kind of idea are you cooking up now?

Let's hear it.

If Shan Shiliu thinks Song Qiyu is dead,

he'll assume the job is done and leave,

right?

The news of Song Qiyu's death

is only known to a few of us.

We shouldn't let it out.

Issue another wanted notice for Song Qiyu

to lure Shan Shiliu out.

Taking advantage of the thick morning fog in the woods recently,

we can capture him.

I'll go too.

I want to catch Shan Shiliu.

You...

just sit down.

Who asked for your opinion?

Can Wen Yue go?

Of course not.

She's a delicate woman.

What's the point of her going?

Mo,

do you realize

how dangerous

this is now?

No matter how dangerous, I have to go.

Before Ding Dan died, he returned the lock to me

so I could know that the ones

who caused his death

were the people in the Zou family's proxy exam network.

And Shan Shiliu was their k*ller, silencing people for them.

I can't let Ding Dan

or those candidates

die in vain.

We must catch Shan Shiliu.

Inspector Gu already knows this.

You just wait for our news.

Either way, you can't go.

Buyou...

Enough!

Zhao Buyou,

don't you know your younger brother's nature by now?

Mo,

sit down.

Stop indulging him.

You should just stay home

and wait for my updates...

Since that's the case,

then for everything,

you must listen to your brother and sister-in-law.

Don't act impulsively

and lose your life.

- Mr. Zhang, farewell. - Take it.

Farewell.

Kaifeng Court decree:

Effective immediately,

the entire city must capture the runaway

Song Qiyu.

Song Qiyu...

Kaifeng Court Announcement:

[Wanted Notice for Song Qiyu]

As per the laws of the Great Song Dynasty,

to calm public anger

and punish the true culprit,

this court hereby issues a wanted notice.

Shh.

Don't make noise.

Mo!

Where's Zhao Mo?

Mo!

Let's go find him.

It's fake?

Wen Yue.

Are you all right?

I'm fine.

You better behave yourself.

Remember,

in less than three days,

I'll be released.

That will be your death day.

I'll come back and finish you off!

You're with the Zou family, aren't you?

The Zou family certainly has influence beyond measure.

Since the law doesn't apply to you,

I'll enforce justice on behalf of Heaven

and send you to serve the Zou family as a ghost.

[Kaifeng Court]

You seem to have a lot of free time.

The case is solved.

My superior let me

take two days off.

Two days off?

Recently, a fire broke out

at the Office of Justice,

My superior also told me to take a couple of days off.

I still haven't been asked to report for duty since.

Watch yourself.

Ever since the Mei's Boat case,

this city has been far from peaceful.

Such a big case,

quickly closed,

no further investigation allowed.

Settled as a personal grudge.

Your superior's methods

are brilliant.

Let me ask you something.

Was the seizure of Jian Zhuang's estate

your superior's idea too?

What do you think?

Gu,

just judging by the way it was handled,

I knew it was your style!

Brilliant move.

Jian Zhuang, that miser,

saved up money for half his life,

only to have you expose it in one fell swoop.

As they say, robbing the rich to help the poor!

After seizing Jian Zhuang's money,

how did you divide it?

After seizing Jian Zhuang's money,

I gave it all

to the truly

needy families of martyrs.

You donated it?

What are you doing?

Nothing for me?

Didn't I

give you a reward before?

Enough.

I understand.

We're even.

All right, get busy.

I came to find you today

because of a new matter.

I don't want to hear it.

I'll pay you.

Speak.

In the abandoned house

in the southwest burial ground,

Shan Shiliu has been spotted.

My superior doesn't allow me to pursue it now.

You go investigate for me.

[Fashion in Song Dynasty]

[Song Dynastypedia]

[The fragrance of history reaches the Song Dynasty. Narrator: Lin Jiachuan]

It turns out the Song Dynasty had a culture of fragrance.

During the Song Dynasty, fragrance culture reached its peak.

Incense became a beloved element in the lives of Song people.

In the Song Dynasty,

there was a luxurious and popular incense product in Bianjing,

the Fourfold Noble Incense.

[Agarwood, sandalwood, borneol, musk]

It was made using agarwood, sandalwood, borneol, and musk,

four extremely expensive ingredients.

So, can you guess

how much it cost to buy a single

Fourfold Noble Incense in Bianjing?

A single liang of Fourfold Noble Incense

would take this tea stall's

costs more than your tea stall earns in a month.

That expensive?

♪Freezing rain lingers for months♪

♪Followed by cold snow♪

♪Through boiling waters and raging flames♪

♪Chase eastward along the Bian River♪

♪Time flows day by day, month by month♪

♪Feign joy with drinks before the camps♪

♪Stagger home after the drinking games♪

♪Such is the state of the world♪

♪In the years of displacement♪

♪Heads are bowed to the ground in poverty♪

♪Burning desires unveil sorrow and joy♪

♪Despair everywhere♪

♪Hidden within the painting♪

♪A lifetime feels so long♪

♪Yet life itself is so short♪

♪Seeing mountains first as mountains, then as more♪

♪Dreamlike, yet not distant♪

♪Parting the clouds reveals a clear yet cold sky♪

♪Oh, the mortal world♪

♪A lifetime feels so long♪

♪Yet life itself is so short♪

♪Seeing mountains first as mountains, then as more♪

♪Dreamlike, yet not distant♪

♪How painful it is to see unrest beneath prosperity♪

♪Whoo, whoo♪

♪How brief a sweet dream is♪