01x09 - Episode 9

[bunniefuu]

[Pursuit of Jade]

[Episode 9]

[Xigu Lane]

Dry weather!

Beware of fire!

I have experience in these matters.

There's no need to rush it.

Silly girl, what do you know?

Men's prime is shorter than women's,

you know?

When young, they have the desire
but not the guts

because they're poor.

In their prime,

they have the guts but not the desire

because they're busy.

By the time they have
both the desire and the guts,

the abilities are gone.

So you must act early

in order to have good babies.

Mrs. Zhao.

Fine.

Let me give you another trick.

During the day, I washed the bedding

you use on the floor.

He won't let you
sleep on the bare floor, right?

Come here.

Me?

Why would I go there?

There's only one quilt.

If you don't sleep here,

you're going to catch a cold.

I'm not afraid of the cold.

Come here.

If you don't come sleep here,

Mrs. Zhao won't sleep a wink all night.

Just as I predicted.

She has to sleep in the bed.

You always come up with bad ideas.

If she really freezes,

I'll have to take care of
another sick person.

You're spitting all over my face.

Don't worry.

I don't have any
inappropriate thoughts toward you.

Don't blame Mrs. Zhao for meddling either.

She means well.

I know.

What are you doing?

We have to put on a full act.

We

shouldn't let Mr. and Mrs. Zhao
wait outside all night.

It worked.

You said young people
have the desire but not the guts

and older people

have the guts but not the desire.

If you ask me,

there are plenty of young people
with both the desire and the guts.

I just made a passing remark,

and you're rambling on and on.

Wait.

You damn old man.

You heard that by eavesdropping outside.

I...

You're the pot calling the kettle black.

Aren't you eavesdropping too?

I just enjoy this sort of thing.

None of your business!

I only learned of your background

after Mr. Sun came.

You're going to leave sooner or later,

aren't you?

I won't cling to you.

You can leave whenever you want.

For now...

I can't go yet.

That works.

I have something to do.

I have to stay here

to do it.

Let me be on top.

You get some rest.

That works.

There's still a big bowl
of braised meat rice in the kitchen.

If you're hungry, I'll heat it up for you.

I'm not hungry.

I wonder if Changning is sleeping well.

She loves kicking off the covers at night.

I haven't fed the falcon yet either.

If you want to talk,

can I ask you a few questions?

Go ahead.

What kind of people were your parents?

Good people.

How did they treat you?

Just as well as ordinary parents

treat their own children.

If one day,

they wanted to harm you,

what would you do?

When I was little,
my mother used to beat me.

She'd hit my left hand, then my right.

She was heavy-handed.

It really hurt.

But every time she finished,

she'd still buy candy
for Changning and me.

I'm not asking about

such trivial grievances.

I understand.

What I mean is...

People close to you

won't ruthlessly hurt you.

Even if there are arguments or conflicts,

afterwards,

they'll still buy candy
to quietly comfort you.

But if someone

genuinely wants to harm you,

fundamentally speaking,

that person isn't close to you anymore.

Did you eat tangerine peel candy?

You smell like tangerine peel candy.

Did you have a nightmare?

♪ The scenery is as clear as me ♪

Eating candy

helps me sleep.

♪ With very pale colors ♪

♪ Just like the outline in the mirror ♪

If you want more when you return,

♪ I think that's me, being naive ♪

I'll buy you some.

♪ Unlocking my heart ♪

♪ I hid you in my soul ♪

Do you...

want some now?

♪ The moon is as quiet as me ♪

♪ The light shines ♪

♪ It illuminates
the turbulence in my heart ♪

♪ It seems to be the fire of love ♪

♪ Just a few sparks ♪

♪ Let me hide in your heart ♪

♪ I pray that our love ♪

♪ Will never end ♪

♪ It's worth my foolishly waiting ♪

♪ For a lifetime ♪

♪ Clear and quiet as me ♪

♪ So what if we encounter difficulties? ♪

♪ I pray that our love
will not be like sand ♪

♪ Slipping into the sea ♪

What exactly are you looking for
in the Fan's house?

Mr. Li?

Run!

No need.

Seize them!

I'll ask you one more time.

What exactly does the Fan family have

that's worth the Wei family's
Iron Suicide Warriors coming here for?

Who exactly are you?

How do you know who I am?

Marquis of Wu'an?

Why are you here?

I've pried open the mouths

of countless spies in the army.

If you want to try,

I can oblige you.

It was the Prime Minister.

He sent me to find a letter.

What letter?

Speak.

You know the Prime Minister's methods.

Why make things difficult
for a nobody like me?

What else did the Prime Minister say?

Mrs. Fan, are you hurt?

Mr. Li.

I'm sorry.

May I ask your name, My Lord?

I will set up a memorial tablet for you.

It's my duty. There's no need for that.

My lord is
the Martial Commandant of Jizhou,

Li Huaian.

Thank you, Lord Li.

I am humbled.

The rebels are rampant.

After Mr. Mu He of Jizhou

went to guard Lucheng personally,

I was ordered to come here
to assist in suppressing the bandits.

But why were these men in black

hunting you down?

I don't know either.

Oh no. Yan Zheng!

Follow her.

Changyu is back.

Changyu!

Are you and Yan Zheng hurt?

What's with the dead bodies at the door?

I'm fine.

Mrs. Zhao, please look after Changning.

Okay.

Don't let her get scared.

Go inside, quick.

Quickly.

Don't come out.

My Lord, you...

You're that gentleman from last time?

I was sent by the Jizhou Prefecture
to investigate the case.

My Lord, you must investigate thoroughly.

The Fan family is so unlucky.

Yes.

Yan Zheng!

Move!

Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng, wake up!

Get up.

Get up.

-Yan Zheng!
-Changyu!

Changyu!

Mr. Zhao,

come and check on him.

Don't move him.

Don't make the injuries worse.

Let me take a look.

Yan Zheng, wake up.

Yan Zheng.

Did your husband

k*ll this one

and the men in black downstairs?

My husband used to be an armed escort.

He's quite skilled in martial arts.

Officer,

you must uphold justice for us.

This girl has a hard life.

Her parents just passed away last month.

She finally found a husband
to marry into the family.

But now,

he's been injured by these th*gs too.

If we can't find out
where these criminals came from,

how will she survive in the future?

My Lord!

My Lord, there's a survivor downstairs.

Don't worry.

Okay.

Mr. Zhao, take another look.

Let me check again.

Let me check again.

My Lord, this matrilocal husband
is very suspicious.

Shouldn't we take him back
for questioning?

No rush. I know what I'm doing.

Let's go check on that survivor first.

Yes,

My Lord.

If I had known,

I would have written the divorce papers

and let you recover somewhere else.

Then you wouldn't have to
suffer like this.

I was ordered to k*ll
the Fan family's daughter

and retrieve the letter.

The letter?

Fan Changyu!

He's covered in blood

and looks like he's badly hurt,

but his pulse isn't weak at all.

But he's lost so much blood.

Strange.

There are no new wounds.

This blood

is from old wounds reopening.

Let me check the wound on his back.

You're awake.

Yan Zheng, you're awake?

♪ In gold-thread dress,
with moth or willow ornaments ♪

I'm fine.

It's all blood from other people.

Help him onto the bed.

Careful, careful.

♪ Giggling, she melts into the throng
with trails of scents ♪

Slowly, slowly.

As long as you're okay.

♪ But in the crowd once and again
I look for her in vain ♪

As long as you're okay.

♪ But in the crowd once and again
I look for her in vain ♪

♪ When all at once I turn my head ♪

♪ I find her there ♪

Yan Zheng!

♪ Where lantern light is dimly shed ♪

Don't worry. I'm okay.

♪ But in the crowd once and again
I look for her in vain ♪

♪ But in the crowd once and again
I look for her in vain ♪

Changyu, the soldiers need a statement.

♪ When all at once I turn my head ♪

♪ I find her there ♪

Go ahead.

Take care of yourself.

♪ Where lantern light is dimly shed ♪

[Travel Permit]

[Yan of Yan Village,
Changle County, Xuzhou]

[This is a formal report]

[While escorting a convoy to Chongzhou,
he encountered bandits]

[and was stranded in
Lin'an Town, Qingping County, Suzhou]

Changyu.

What does the Martial Commandant do?

Mrs. Zhao, my surname is Li.

Lord Li.

Lord Li.

Before, I thought

you were just a frail scholar.

I didn't expect you to be
a high official from Jizhou.

Since I've come this time,

I will definitely
identify all the criminals

and bring justice to the people.

The survivor

has been taken back for interrogation.

Just wait at home for news.

Once the case is resolved,

the authorities will inform you.

Lord Li,

if those people come back for revenge,

what should we do?

I know I shouldn't
ask too much about the case,

but my sister is still young.

I was thinking

we could leave after the New Year
to lie low.

You want to leave Lin'an?

Is this your husband's idea?

It's my idea.

I'm the head of the household.

I want to leave

because I fear something like tonight
might happen again.

Your parents and uncle
were k*lled one after another.

Although you are the victim,

you are also a witness.

Until the case is solved,

you cannot leave Lin'an.

But rest assured.

I will station
enough soldiers in the village.

Naturally, we will protect you

and your family until the case is solved.

Lord Li, you are truly a saint.

We are relieved to hear you say that.

Search every house! Quickly!

Within this county,

I will absolutely not allow anyone
to harm the innocent.

I will definitely
give the people an answer today.

Search carefully!

Don't let a single criminal escape!

-Yes!
-Yes!

Lord Li.

Greetings, Lord Li.

I heard criminals were causing trouble
in Xigu Lane,

so I personally led men to take them down.

I didn't expect to meet you here, Lord Li.

Please forgive me

for not welcoming you sooner.

My Lord!

My Lord!

My Lord.

I found a memorial tablet for
the Marquis of Wu'an in this courtyard.

Please look, My Lord.

How dare they

privately mourn the Marquis of Wu'an?

Look, My Lord.

[Xie Zheng, Marquis of Wu'an]

Who is it?

Whose house is this?

My Lord, this is my house.

You?

Fan Changyu?

You again?

My Lord,

does the Legal Code of Great Yin state

that paying respects to
the Marquis of Wu'an is forbidden?

You plebeian,

how dare you talk back?

Men, tie her up and take her back.

Take the memorial tablet too.

You're caught red-handed this time.

Why am I not aware

that the Imperial Court forbids
paying respects to the Marquis of Wu'an?

Well...

My Lord, you are a top scholar.

Surely you know

that the Marquis of Wu'an's evil deeds
are despised by civil officials?

I also heard
that about him massacring a city,

Grand Tutor Li...

The Marquis of Wu'an's
past merits and faults

will be judged by future generations.

He fought for the country.

He died honorably.

Well...

Paying respects to him is not a crime.

Thank you, My Lord.

My Lord, you truly enlightened me.

I was too narrow-minded.

In that case,

Lord Li, please return to town first

so I can report on the case.

After you, My Lord.

Please.

Please.

[Northwest Inn]

Watch out, My Lord.

Mind the steps.

General, please stay.

No need to see me off.

Take care, My Lord.

Forgive me for not walking you out.

Say, this Li Huaian

was expressionless the whole time.

Why is that?

Grand Tutor Li's faction
and Prime Minister Wei's faction

have always been at odds.

Every official in the court knows it.

But when it comes to Lord Li,

why did he speak up for
the Marquis of Wu'an?

[Northwest Inn]

Exactly.

Think about it.

If they've always been enemies,

then why would Grand Tutor Li

let his eldest grandson

study under He Jingyuan
of the Wei faction?

Is that so?

Could there be a past connection?

Who can guess what these
powerful officials are thinking?

I am

stuck in this backwater town.

Even if the court farts,

the stink is gone
by the time it reaches Lin'an.

I say,

this mess is all your fault.

You gave me bad advice.

I tried to flatter him
and got on his bad side instead.

Yes, yes.

It's my fault.

It's all my fault.

Enough, enough.

Let's go back and rethink our plan.

Finally got rid of
that bootlicking magistrate.

My Lord.

We found that

these assassins
all carried a black iron whistle.

Black iron whistles...

The capital...

Committing suicide upon failure...

It does resemble

the style of the Wei faction's
rumored Suicide Warriors.

Who would have thought

that the Marquis of Wu'an we searched for
on the front lines

became a matrilocal husband in Lin'an?

Who?

He is the Marquis of Wu'an?

That's impossible.

The Marquis of Wu'an
has such a fiery temper.

Never mind that he's in trouble now,

but even if His Majesty
threw him in the Imperial Prison

to force him to marry the Eldest Princess
and join the imperial family,

he still wouldn't agree.

When we were young,

we studied martial arts
and strategy together with our teacher.

Though we haven't met in over a decade,

and his appearance has changed,

I am 60 percent sure

that it was him.

Whether it was him or not,

deliver this quickly Yanzhou

and we will know.

[Xigu Lane]

That's all.

The harvest is bad this year.

It's the same for every family.

Have you heard?

People died at the Fan's house again.

After Fan Erniu and his wife

died because of Changyu's bad luck,

their family hasn't known peace.

I heard her matrilocal husband
was badly hurt.

Who knows if he can still
perform as a man.

That Fan Changyu

is a jinx.

Scholar Song

was lucky to break off the engagement.

He escaped disaster.

Scholar Song

is the Star of Wisdom incarnate.
He's blessed.

Yes.

Yes.

Who is that?

I don't know.

What do you want?

We should be asking you.

Where are you from?

Why are you eavesdropping?

We are from Jizhou Prefecture.

We are old friends of the Fan family.

Hearing news about them,

we couldn't help but be concerned.

Strangers prying
right after the Fan family incident?

They must be up to no good.

I say we report
to the officials immediately.

Judging by his looks,
he doesn't seem like a bad person.

Villains don't have labels on their faces.

I certainly won't

waste everyone's time for nothing.

Let me tell you.

I know.

I'll talk.

Martial Commandant!

Hello.

You're still in the village?

You haven't left yet?

Yes, yes.

What's going on?

What... Who is this?

He's a big official from Jizhou
to investigate the case.

A big official?

I still have some questions.

I don't know them well!

Take it back.

We haven't asked yet!

Honestly.

Mrs. Zhao.

Sir,

do you still want this?

Zhao.

Zhao.

That...

What does that Commandant guy do?

I don't know.

But even the magistrate is polite to them.

Ladies.

Don't ask us.

We don't know.

We're not close to the Fan family.

Not close.

Just one question!

Sir, I'd like to ask...

I don't know.

My Lord, I didn't find out much.

No one is willing to talk.

I only know Mrs. Fan
wanted to keep her property,

so she took in an outsider
named Yan Zheng as a husband.

He was injured by bandits

and saved by Mrs. Fan.

Based on the travel permits we checked,

there's nothing suspicious.

If the Marquis of Wu'an planned all this,

we certainly won't find anything.

Why not ask the Zhao family again?

Mrs. Zhao looks shrewd,

but her husband seems easy to talk to.

Given their relationship with Changyu,

their testimony might be biased.

True.

My Lord.

You want to know about the Fan family?

I actually know quite a lot.

It's just that...

My Lord,

that Fan Changyu

is cursed.

She didn't just curse
her parents to death.

She even cursed her uncle to death.

And that husband of hers

is quite handsome,

but he has no backbone at all.

During the wedding ceremony,

he actually swore
to obey Fan Changyu in everything.

He just lives off her.

You mean he publicly acknowledged Mrs. Fan
as the head of the house?

All the villagers saw and heard it.

I'm not making this up.

My Lord,

I'll tell you another secret.

That Fan Changyu

and her matrilocal husband
are likely just putting on a show.

They haven't shared a bed yet.

Fan Changyu is still a virgin.

Watch your filthy tongue.

Do not defile My Lord's ears.

It's fine.

Let her speak.

What's there to be ashamed of?

Her brows are still tight

and her steps are light.

If that doesn't make her a virgin,

then what is she?

Understood.

We've heard enough.

Thank you for the information.

My Lord, My Lord!

You must not tell anyone

that I was the one who told you.

You know,

Fan Changyu used to be a butcher.

She has immense strength.

I've experienced it.

My Lord.

All right, enough.

-I have more.
-Thank you, madam.

Stop following us.

I haven't finished yet!

How could the dignified Marquis of Wu'an

publicly acknowledge a woman as his master

and become a matrilocal husband?

My Lord, how certain are you now?

Seventy percent.

Seventy percent?

How come it went up?

[Changzhou Magistrate]

The terrain east of Chongzhou
is precipitous.

Easy to defend and hard to attack,

it is a natural barrier.

[Magistrate]

If the enemy holds their ground here,

our army will struggle to cross.

[The world is benevolent]

General,

perhaps we can go through
Mount Heng's ravine

to launch a flanking maneuver.

[He Jingyuan, Prefect of Jizhou]

We can bypass their front defense line

and attack their flank or rear directly.

Why is the magistrate's open office

closed so tightly during the day?

Or does

[Wei Xuan, son of Wei Yan]

General He have some unspeakable secret?

Why did that rascal Li Huaian
go to Lin'an Town?

Is Old Man Li

targeting my Wei family again?

Bandits are rampant around Lin'an.

I sent him to suppress them.

He encountered a m*rder case in town,

so he was delayed for a few days.

He will return
once he finishes investigating.

General He,

stop protecting your good student.

A sixth-rank commandant

going to a remote backwater town
to capture bandits?

He clearly wants to use this chance

to smear the Wei family's name.

Watch your words, Eldest Young Master.

Eldest Young Master,

you already control
the military in Yanzhou.

Why did you suddenly change course

and come here to Jizhou?

Xie Zheng has always been arrogant.

Naturally, his soldiers
don't listen to orders.

If I go to take over...

I'm afraid something might go wrong.

General He.

Subdue Xie Zheng's Yanzhou troops for me.

Then we'll press on

and take Prince Changxin's Chongzhou City.

Once we succeed,

we'll be the greatest heroes
in my father's eyes.

Eldest Young Master,

Prince Changxin suffered setbacks
against the Marquis of Wu'an.

He lost several major battles,

and retreated to Chongzhou,

but his main force is intact,

and he still has capable generals.

Eldest Young Master,
you've traveled a long way.

We shouldn't rush into battle.

Quite the opposite.

Prince Changxin
has lost consecutive battles,

and the Chongzhou army's morale is low.

This is the perfect time to strike!

General He,

I respect you as a veteran general
under my father,

which is why I came here personally.

This is an order,

not a suggestion.

I expect your cooperation, General He.

[Chongde Hall]

Prime Minister Wei!

What is the matter, Grand Tutor?

Prime Minister Wei,

in the Battle of Jinzhou years ago,

General Xie died in battle.

More than a decade later,

the fate of the Marquis of Wu'an
is still unknown.

Yet you still sent your only heir

to the Northwest.

When it comes to loyalty to Great Yin,

no one compares to you,
Prime Minister Wei.

There is an ancient saying:

"Though our country is vast,

not an inch shall be yielded."

The sons of the Wei and Xie families
can die on the b*ttlefield for this

with no regrets.

Then we shall await the triumphant return
of Eldest Young Master Wei.

I congratulate you in advance.

Then I must also congratulate you,
Grand Tutor.

Your grandson has been promoted
to Martial Commandant.

Sending him to the Northwest
for training at such a young age

was great foresight.

When he returns,

he will surely be a pillar of the state.

For 16 years,
my original intention has not changed.

I work solely for Great Yin.

I am open and honorable.

Open and honorable?

The Grand Tutor from 16 years ago

could not bear the weight of those words.

Hey...

The Northwest Army
belongs to the Great Yin Dynasty.

Does he think the Northwest
is the Wei family's backyard?

Wei Yan is too arrogant.

[To Prime Minister Wei of Great Yin]

It is time to hand it over.

[To Prime Minister Wei of Great Yin]

When you handed it to me back then,

you knew this day would come.

You wanted me

[To Prime Minister Wei of Great Yin]

to take good care of your two daughters.

Pei Yi.

This is urgent.

Deliver this to Prime Minister Wei
immediately.

Yes, sir.

Come out.

At the council hall this afternoon,

I knew you were hiding nearby.

I was afraid I came at the wrong time.

After all, my identity is sensitive.

Wenkan,

I sent you to suppress bandits.

What is there to be afraid of?

I am worried that my identity
as a member of the Li family

will bring criticism upon you.

In front of Prime Minister Wei,

it would just add to the gossip.

Wenkan,

count carefully.

How many years have you been with me?

Since I came to the Northwest as a child

and learning military strategy from you,

it has been 16 years.

Then you should know that

in my eyes,

there is no conflict
between the Li and Wei families.

There is only the army of Great Yin

and the people of Great Yin.

If you have a clear conscience,

there is no need to avoid suspicion
because of your surname.

By the way,

have you made any progress
on the matter I asked you to investigate?

I discovered

Prime Minister Wei's Suicide Warriors
raided the Fan family twice.

They are obviously looking for something.

Fortunately,

Mrs. Fan was not harmed.

However, they already have thoughts

of leaving Lin'an.

I stopped them under the pretext
of investigating the case.

I have asked Zhuoran
to protect them in secret.

It is safer this way.

How are Mrs. Fan and her sister doing?

They make a living butchering pigs.

She just took a husband in.

Master,

I have a lead on another matter.

If the Marquis of Wu'an

truly were alive,

what should we do?