PhoenixIce - Subdl
♪Flowers falling by the river again♪
♪Turning the clear waves red♪
♪Sparrows singing in celebration♪
♪Calm years pass by the silent bustling city♪
♪Sitting at home♪
♪No one knows love's outline like I do♪
♪If one day the river breeze blows again♪
♪I won't be a mere reflection in the mirror♪
♪Dreams can shatter; Memories remain♪
♪Rich fragrance A*DS; Light ink writes♪
♪In the deep red windows lies mundane dust♪
=Are You The One=
=Episode 38=
Your jewelry is exquisite.
If you like,
I'll introduce you.
Very well.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Please.
You must be Princess of Huaiyang.
Greetings, Your Highness.
Aunt.
This is my niece,
Gai Yurao.
Nice to meet you.
If you want to pay your respects,
you should go to the West Courtyard.
It's not appropriate for you
to come here today.
Yurao is accompanying me.
Fu,
you always think of yourself
as a member of the Cui family.
How could you forget
that I'm also the daughter of the Gai family?
Come on.
Yurao,
sit here.
Your Highness, please sit.
Aunt,
that's Fu's seat.
No need to be so particular.
We're all family.
It doesn't matter where we sit,
does it?
Indeed.
It's all the same.
Very well.
Everyone, take your seats.
Home.
Are you
men of Prince Sui?
Since you know,
you should understand
what he's capable of.
Speak.
Tell Prince Sui
that if he wants to slander me
as a way to get me to join him.
In two words:
No way.
I'm no chief instructor.
And I'm not going
to be in the company of you punks.
If you want to k*ll me, go ahead.
You do not fear death,
nor do you fear us k*lling your son?
You can't do that.
If you want money,
I'll give it to you.
Five thousand taels of gold.
Five thousand taels of gold?
Five thousand taels of gold…
Son,
I'm a man of integrity.
I'm afraid I can't protect you this time.
In the next life,
we'll be father and son again.
- Help!
- Someone's coming! Run! Go!
Help!
Save me!
I'm here.
Over here.
Leave it to me.
Go after them.
Aye.
Xingzhou?
- Xingzhou.
- Duke.
Xingzhou has more and more affairs
to manage in the capital.
It seems
we should start preparing a residence.
I've asked around a few places.
It's just that I'm new to the capital
and I can't tell
the difference between locations.
So I would like to ask for your advice.
Which locations have you selected?
Let's hear it.
One is on East 4th Street,
one is in Muyuan Garden
in the south of the city,
and the other
is in Bamboo Lane.
Your Highness, that's not a good idea.
I've heard
that the Feng Shui of Bamboo Lane
is not very good
for one's career.
Is that so?
Lady Meng,
you come from a scholarly family
and even understand Feng Shui?
It's just something she heard.
But since choosing a residence
is a significant matter.
It's better to be safe
than sorry.
Madam Meng speaks wisely.
I shall give it more thought.
Your Highness.
You cannot stay here any longer.
Take this.
- Don't move.
- Don't move.
What are you doing?
Go.
Go.
Foolish girl.
Bamboo is good
for officials and wealth in Feng Shui.
Why did you bring that up?
Aren't you afraid of others
discovering the secrets of Bamboo Lane?
Mother,
how did you know
what's going on in Bamboo Lane?
If you don't want others to know,
then don't do it in the first place.
Your father discovered it.
He went to see that performer today.
He's a musician.
Call him what you will.
He's a man who seeks wealth
and will flee far away
once he has the money.
Don't be so obsessed.
What are you doing?
Do you not know
what you've done?
That's a good one.
This must be a trap
of your own making, Mr. Meng.
Is this the honor of a family
with generations of officials?
If Meng Wan knew that her father was
- trying to separate us this way...
- Silence.
How could Wan fall for someone like you?
Shut up.
I'll have your heads if you don't.
What treachery
did you plot against the Lord
during your secret meeting today?
What?
Chief Instructor,
there's no need
to play dumb before us.
Speak.
Are you men of Prince Sui?
Since you know,
you should understand
what he's capable of.
Speak.
This is outrageous.
I have lived a life of integrity.
I will never collude with traitors.
Do what you must.
Untie them.
The situation is urgent,
and I had no choice
but to take this drastic measure.
Please forgive me.
Xingzhou,
are you
testing me?
I had no intention
of prying into your personal affairs.
I beg for your forgiveness.
The mighty Lord Huaiyang
[Respect and Simplicity]
behaves like a bandit.
Your methods are as direct
as they are shameless.
It's what I've learned
from you.
So, in your opinion,
neither Duke Qing
nor Mr. Meng are suspects?
Mr. Meng
is indeed upright
and has nothing to do with this case.
His wife and daughter
are also beyond suspicion.
As for Duke Qing,
even with his son's life at stake,
we couldn't get anything from him.
As an official of such high rank,
that man seems to be penniless.
Guess he's clean.
Penniless?
Is there something wrong with that?
Today,
I saw the concubine of Guo Yi.
Gai Yurao's clothes are made
of dark-patterned cloud satin,
and her jade bracelet,
though unremarkable at first glance,
is made of extremely rare Tushan jade
from Xijing.
I've only seen it once
while on an escort mission.
There are likely fewer than three pieces
in the capital.
Yurao,
your bracelet
is quite fine,
but it doesn't seem transparent enough.
I have a few similar ones at home.
If you like,
I'll give one to you another day.
Even if this bracelet
isn't the finest,
it was a gift from Yi,
who put it on me himself.
His affection
outweighs the value.
As long as his feelings for me are sincere,
the quality of the jade
matters not.
My brother-in-law truly knows
how to cherish his woman.
But Gai Yurao doesn't recognize its worth
and merely considers it
an ordinary piece of jade.
If she knew the true value of that bracelet,
she wouldn't dare to flaunt it so boldly.
Honey,
well,
as Duke Qing
is upright,
and Guo Yi has no official position,
where did the money come from?
I didn't
bring my sister
any gifts this time.
It's my fault as a younger brother.
In the next few days, I'm going to ask Guo Yi
what my sister likes
and where I should go to buy it.
I've heard
that before your eldest sister got married,
Nanny Li and Nanny Zhou
were quite close.
Tomorrow,
let's give Nanny Li a half-day off
so she can have a drink
and catch up with Nanny Zhou.
My Chamber of Radiant
is the largest cosmetic shop in the capital.
There's a wide range for you
to choose from.
Hello.
Show us all the latest items you've got here.
Certainly.
There are so many varieties of cosmetics
in the capital.
Brother,
help me pick something.
You must be well aware
of my sister's preferences.
Then...
This one.
This looks good.
It has a hidden part.
It contains four colors of lip balm
and a powder box in the center.
Fu will love it.
Mr. Guo has good taste.
This Five Blessings is a new product.
Since you're a regular customer,
I'll only charge you five guan.
Five Blessings.
Great.
It has a good meaning as well.
By the way.
Among the cosmetics that Mr. Guo bought
for his wife previously,
are there any of excellent quality?
There are.
But those were for...
Just bring them out
and stop talking nonsense.
He's not very good at talking.
In fact,
these are quite nice too.
You...
Brother,
you do have good taste.
My sister always says
that new things can't compare to the old.
She's a sentimental person.
Instead of giving her
these trendy items,
it's better to gift her
something that brings back fond memories.
Okay.
This is it.
All right.
Mr. Guo,
it's a bit more affordable now.
One guan cheaper.
Now it's just two taels of gold.
Same arrangement as before?
Of course.
Put it all on my tab.
No way. That's inappropriate.
I'm buying this gift for my sister.
How could I let you pay for it?
No, no. I insist.
We're family.
No need to be so formal.
Since it's for Fu,
it's only right that I cover the cost.
From now on,
if you have anything that catches your eye
in the capital,
just put it on my tab.
You're too generous.
Well,
I won't refuse then.
Please
get five boxes in different colors
to make a "Five Blessings" set.
- All right.
- Wrap them up.
These are quite interesting.
Your taste is truly unique.
Truly unique.
What a sin.
When Fu got married,
her dowry
filled two entire boats.
But now,
not even half of it remains.
Isn't she in charge of the household?
How could Guo spend her dowry
so recklessly?
He has others
bring the bills directly to Fu
and take the money from the household expenses.
Although she manages the household,
the key to the storeroom
is still with the Duke's wife.
In the end, the money spent
can only be covered by her dowry.
Why didn't she tell Duke Qing?
Fu knows
the Duke's family is of significance
and doesn't want to escalate the matter,
which could affect the relationship
between the two families.
So...
So she just
holds her tongue.
Have you heard anything else?
That's right.
Nanny Zhou mentioned
that three months ago,
Guo started reducing his expenses
and stopped borrowing money.
It seems he did some business
and earned some money.
Fu even thought
that maybe he'd mend his ways
and wouldn't use her dowry anymore.
But after a few days,
he was at it again.
The money he's spent on Gai Yurao
is worth over a thousand taels of gold.
What kind of business could he have done
in such a short time
to earn so much
that he doesn't even care
about the dowry anymore?
Three months ago,
the unrest in Dongzhou was quelled.
And this month,
he started
using her dowry again.
Why?
His Majesty found out
about the chief instructor,
and Prince Sui
became wary.
So,
Guo Yi's business outside
suddenly came to an abrupt end.
[Respect and Simplicity]
If you were Prince Sui,
who would you appoint
as the chief instructor?
If I were him,
I'd pick a family member of a political rival.
Catch them off guard
and cause internal strife.
The so-called traitor
is Duke Qing's negligence
in guarding his own son.
Exactly.
That's a blind spot.
You can't see it coming.
But we don't have concrete evidence yet,
so we must be careful not to alert them.
It doesn't matter.
If there's no evidence,
I'll make them
bring it to me.
I'll break his leg
and see if he'll give it to me.
My eldest sister has endured so much
for me
and the entire family.
She does it for you,
just as you want
to stand up for her.
But if she knew
you were acting so impulsively
for her,
she'd be upset.
Yes.
You're right.
There must be another way.
Of course.
Guo Yi
is your sister's husband.
Whatever his fate,
your sister
naturally has a say in it.
The powder from the Chamber of Radiant.
It is as famous
as the Scent Store in the South.
I've seen this kind before.
It's expensive, is it?
Well,
there's money to be spent.
One box would be enough.
Don't be wasteful.
Sister,
it wasn't me.
It was my brother-in-law.
At least he's thoughtful.
But let's not give him too much credit.
If you think about it,
it's all your money anyway.
You…
Why did you…
Did Liu Miantang
say something to you?
I know all the grievances you've suffered
over the years.
Sister,
Miantang and I have discussed it.
We'll make sure
he slips up.
But in the end, he's still my brother-in-law.
I must hear what you think.
Ever since that Gai Yurao came,
there's been no affection left
between Guo Yi and me.
He gave Gai a great deal of favor,
yet in front of others,
he acts like
we're the perfect couple.
The Duke's wife turns a blind eye,
and I can only swallow my bitterness.
Xingzhou,
I once thought
patience was my only option,
that I'd have to muddle
through life this way.
Thank you for showing me
there's another way.
Don't say that.
As long as I'm here,
everything will get better for you.
How has His Majesty been treating you lately?
The same as usual.
A few days ago, he even had people
prepare for my birthday.
The same as usual?
You're being modest.
From what I see,
he seems to be showering you
with affection.
You were nearly made Empress, weren't you?
Your plans are my priority.
I dare not
think of anything else.
I know you're filial.
But he's been
pressing me hard,
almost accusing me
of insubordination at the Three Bureaus.
I'm here today to remind you
not to be lulled into complacency by him.
I understand.
My husband said
that we've been living
in the West Courtyard for quite some time
and haven't hosted a banquet yet.
That's inappropriate.
So today,
I brought a small gift
for my eldest sister and Yurao.
I hope you can forgive me.
Nanny Li.
Sister.
Yurao.
I'm new to the capital
and don't know what to give.
I had to ask around at other noble families
and chose two hairpins
according to the proper etiquette
for the wife and concubine.
Sister,
this night-glowing pearl is quite a rarity.
There shouldn't be more than two
in the entire capital.
Hope you like it.
I do.
Such a dazzling hairpin.
Any woman would love it.
I like it very much.
Yurao,
I'm sure you've never seen
a pearl with such luster, have you?
I...
I don't want it.
It's important to know your own worth.
There's a difference
between what you want but can't have
and what you can have but don't want.
This is the only heirloom
of the Cui family.
You must take great care of it.
I definitely will.
Sister, you must keep this a secret
from the Consort Dowager.
Sorry.
I apologize.
I don't have
any night-glowing pearl hairpins here.
You don't?
Isn't it the best jewelry shop in the capital?
- That's right.
- If you don't have it,
where is the other one?
Yeah.
Forgive me, madam.
I truly haven't seen it.
That's a pity.
- Looking for a night-glowing pearl hairpin?
- Well, then, let's...
Who are you?
I'm a traveling merchant from Beizhou,
and I happen to have
a night-glowing pearl hairpin.
I wonder if it's what you're looking for.
Exactly.
What are you doing?
Since I'm dealing in your shop,
I'll give you a share of the profits.
Please, take a look.
Truly unique.
But unfortunately,
it's already been ordered by a lady
for three hundred taels of gold.
Three hundred?
If I offer five hundred taels,
will you sell it to me?
Certainly.
Honey.
Am I
being too indulgent?
No.
If you like it, you have to pay more
to get it.
However,
five hundred taels of gold
isn't a small amount.
That's true.
I see.
After all, the money is in Fu's hands.
I don't want you
to have to ask her for it.
Although she's in charge,
she's using the family money.
Why would I need to care about her opinion?
All right.
Get me a brush and paper.
- Sure.
- Wait a minute.
What did you say?
Aren't you paying now?
This is how it's done. Don't worry.
Duke Qing's Mansion always pays.
You can go there tomorrow and find Nanny Zhou.
Very well. Please.
This way.
[Contractor: Guo Yi]
I've heard
that your mansion was attacked.
I didn't expect it to be so serious.
The family's coffers
had been completely drained
by the two wars.
My mother
even had to pawn
her trousseau.
We borrowed a lot of money
from Lord Zhennan
just so I could get married.
It's so hard
for me to say.
But now the repairs to the mansion
require a lot of money.
As the head of the family,
it's so hard for me to raise money.
It's truly embarrassing.
A man doesn't easily shed tears.
Xingzhou.
You truly are
a filial child.
It's not your fault
that you're short of money.
Well...
I'll let Fu
do her filial duty
and take her dowry to help her brother.
No, no, no.
That's not right.
Xingzhou, just accept it.
We don't covet
the daughter-in-law's dowry.
Fu's dowry
is hers to manage.
I believe
Fu is a sensible person.
She will surely
be willing to help.
Thank you, Duke.
But I'm sorry.
I need one more favor.
If word of this
gets out,
it will damage the reputation of my family.
So, please
keep this matter discreet.
Of course.
I understand.
You really went all out
for this act.
Let me tell you,
lying with a straight face isn't hard.
The hard part is not laughing
when you see the Duke's serious face.
Today, I heard from the eldest sister
that the money Guo Yi owes this month
is already at this amount.
I was thinking,
why not add fuel to the fire?
Honey.
Honey.
We've been in the capital for so long,
and I haven't taken you out
to show you around.
Where would you like to go?
I'm new to the capital.
I'll take your advice.
Good girl.
I'm here.
There he is. Go.
That's him.
Get him to pay.
- Give me my money.
- Pay up.
Pay up now.
- Money. Now.
- What's that for?
Do you know who I am?
A debt must be repaid.
Give me back my five hundred taels of gold.
- And mine.
- When did I owe you money?
- And mine.
- Pay up.
Pay up now.
It's you.
Fine.
Fine.
- Just you wait.
- Pay up.
I never say I won't.
What?
You gave your entire dowry
to your mother's family?
It's...
The Mansion of Lord Huaiyang was damaged.
My brother couldn't
gather the money for repairs,
so he had to take it from my dowry.
What?
Have you
lost your mind?
You gave him all the money,
so what about me?
I had no choice.
Father approved it.
Father?
He came to me in person about it.
I couldn't possibly tell him
that you've been
using my dowry
to cover household expenses.
You...
What should we do now?
The debt collectors
are at the gate.
Look what they did to me.
They beat me up really hard.
I...
Tell me.
What should I do?
Don't worry.
I have a plan.
You vile woman.
How dare you do this to me?
Insulting the head lady.
It's not too much to have you sold off.
Don't you dare.
Guo Yi won't let you off.
Guo Yi is right here.
Yi?
Honey.
Gai's profligate spending
has caused so much trouble for the family.
If Father finds out,
you should know
what will happen to her.
Yi.
Yi.
Say something.
Yi bought
those pieces of jewelry
for me out of affection.
Don't...
Yi.
Why are you just standing there?
Yi, please.
- Stop yelling.
- Yi.
What if my father
finds out about this?
Yurao,
let's just deal
with what we've got here.
Give me that night-glowing pearl hairpin.
Return it and we'll be fine.
Ma'am, I found it.
How did the pearl
get shattered?
- No.
- What happened?
It wasn't me.
No. How...
You...
How vicious.
You wretch.
You framed me.
It's...
You've brought disgrace to the master
and acted recklessly.
How dare you argue?
- Nanny Zhou.
- Yes.
Slap her.
Yes, ma'am.
No, don't.
I'll find a way to get the money.
You don't need to worry about it.
I hope
you keep your word.
Nanny Zhou.
- Let's go.
- Yes, ma'am.
Wait.
We're closing for the night.
Please come back tomorrow.
It's night already?
Let me light a lantern for you.
I have many kinds of lanterns.
Which kind would you like?
Well,
a long-lasting
home lantern, then.
[Landownership Papers]
[Draft]
We've already closed.
- Don't move.
- Don't move.
What are you doing?
- Don't move.
- Don't move.
What do you want?
Shut up.
[Landownership Papers]
That's right. It's the traitor's property.
Who was that?
What's he got to do with you?
I confess.
About three months ago,
he started selling me the deed to the house.
I don't even know his name.
I just called him
the chief instructor.
After Guo Yi met the debt collectors,
he didn't go back to his study
or any other suspicious place.
Where would he hide the ledger?
Sister, think carefully.
Has Guo Yi shown
any unusual behavior recently?
I can't think of anything else.
He seldom comes to my room.
[Quiet]
I don't see him often,
so I haven't noticed anything unusual.
[Tolerance]
There is one place
we haven't searched yet.
You mentioned
that my brother-in-law
takes me seriously.
He even mounted
my calligraphy works.
The mounting must have
been done by him personally,
right?
Such ironclad evidence
is right there
in plain sight every day.
This ledger
implicates seventeen officials,
including Chief of the Court
of Judicial Review,
Minister of Justice,
and Deputy Censor-in-Chief.
These are the officials in charge
of the Three Bureaus.
Yes.
Even if we hand over the evidence
along with Guo Yi,
the officials of the Three Bureaus
won't proceed with the trial.
Prince Sui's influence
in the court is far greater
than you realize, Your Majesty.
They are truly a group
of corrupt bureaucrats.
They can't be easily replaced
even we know their doing.
The Three Bureaus are so interconnected
that one move affects the whole system.
[Virtuous and Disciplined]
Replacing them won't make a difference.
The leaders are corrupted,
and the situation inside can be imagined.
It has exceeded my expectations.
Let me think about it.
[Respect and Simplicity]
His Majesty
can't do anything about Prince Sui now.
It's all my fault.
I shouldn't have dragged you into this,
causing you such distress.
Don't underestimate me.
[Respect and Simplicity]
I didn't realize
it was all for naught
in the end.
I can't even get the case to the Three Bureaus.
Had I known it would be like this,
I would've left you
in Zhenzhou.
A scolding from you
would have been better
than what's happening now,
where there's not even a way back.
- Look at my lantern.
- It's beautiful.
I like the pink one.
Where did you buy it?
We bought it at that stall around the corner.
Let's go take a look.
- Let's go.
- Come on.
Look how carefree
they are.
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.
I remember back in Mount Yang,
whether it was the Shangsi Festival
or the New Year,
we would always use sky lanterns
to halt the battles.
Once, I caught one of your men,
thinking he was a deserter.
When I checked
his cart,
it was full of sky lanterns.
I thought to myself,
even with the battle
so intense,
this Lu Wen
still has the leisure
to watch sky lanterns.
Of course.
There's more to life
than just battles and hatred.
I fought with you
so that those around me
can live a peaceful and stable life,
with feasts during festivals,
new clothes to wear,
and the joy of witnessing
grand lantern displays.
Lantern displays.
I know you've long been worried
and prepared for battle,
but I don't want you to forget
that worry and toil are not what we are after.
We should enjoy our lives.
So,
no matter what Prince Sui
or Three Bureaus may do,
spending a happy holiday
with the loved one
is what truly matters right now.
- Take a look.
- Buns. Tasty buns.
- These are the specialties of Xijing.
- Meat buns.
It's all good stuff.
- It's good for you.
- Fresh steamed buns.
I'd like a bag of walnuts.
Okay.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Okay, take care.
- Madam, have one of these.
- Yes, please.
Try this.
Thank you.
- Is that enough?
- Thank you.
Honey.
Come on.
Excuse me.
If you want couplets,
I'll write them for you at home.
This scholar's calligraphy
is the finest around.
There's no way
you can compare.
Although it's neat,
it's too uniform.
The horizontal strokes lack arrangement,
[All]
and vertical lack hidden strength.
It's far inferior to yours.
With such insight,
you must
be a good calligrapher.
Please enlighten me, madam.
What's the matter?
Are you afraid?
Enjoying lecturing others?
That's absurd and insulting.
Exactly.
All right.
Let me borrow your brush.
Please.
Since he is curious
about my wife's calligraphy,
why not
show them a little?
Come on.
Please.
Writing together?
Nothing good could come from that.
I'm a bit selfish.
I can't let other men
see my wife's calligraphy.
Let's just write
last year's New Year's greeting.
♪Flowers falling by the river again♪
[Year]
The way you wrote it is excellent.
Truly well done.
♪Calm years pass by the silent bustling city♪
♪Sitting at home♪
[Days]
♪If one day the river breeze blows again♪
♪I won't be a mere reflection in the mirror♪
[Like this]
May each year bring us days like this.
I'm so surprised
- All right. Fold it.
- at how good his calligraphy is.
♪Lies mundane dust♪
Your calligraphy
has really improved.
- Thank you.
- Much appreciated.
♪The boat drifts,
bringing back the sunset♪
♪When we reunite, we still joke
about the cause and effect♪
♪Who passed by, the crabapple
falls with a turn♪
♪Loving rightly but choosing wrong♪
♪With joys, sorrows, partings and reunions♪
♪Everyone travels far, seeing clouds and snow♪
♪Always hard to stay, yet easy to part♪
♪Crossing spring waters and autumn trials♪
♪A couple under the moonlight,
can stay together♪
♪Long hidden in the eyes,
flickering in and out♪
♪Let go of the flowers blooming
in the yard last night♪
♪Let go of the waves in the stream
in half a lifetime♪
♪Let those dust and chaos go on endlessly♪
♪In this lifetime, my wish is to the vast sky♪
♪There are many more♪
♪Everyone travels far, seeing clouds and snow♪
♪Always hard to stay, yet easy to part♪
♪Crossing spring waters and autumn trials♪
♪A couple under the moonlight,
can stay together♪
♪Time flows as we dream through four seasons♪
♪I wish to journey with you forever♪
♪Year after year♪
♪For many years to come♪
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