Original subtitles

[Love of Petals]

[Episode 4]

Let's not wait anymore.

Let's begin the proceedings.

The top litigator in the capital, Mr. Lyu, has arrived.

So this is Mr. Lyu.

♫You effortlessly♫

♫Shatter the world's beauty♫

♫Your eyes hold endless tenderness♫

♫I write only for you, thoughts folded into a letter♫

♫The prologue begins with love at first sight♫

Mr. Lyu.

He is truly deserving of the title of the capital's top litigator.

Such presence,

it's truly something extraordinary.

Indeed.

Master, you're here.

[Unparalleled]

What does this mean?

Let me tell you,

with my 500 years of experience wandering the mortal world,

there's an unwritten rule in this world.

You may lose the battle, but never lose morale.

It doesn't matter if you don't know how to handle a case.

You must remember,

you are a litigator,

the most renowned litigator in the capital.

You must intimidate the magistrate with your presence alone.

Whatever grand entrance you can muster,

just go for it.

You just...

You just act magnificently.

Why is he drinking tea now?

What does this mean?

Master,

what are you doing?

We may lose the battle, but not our morale.

What are you doing? Take it away immediately!

You think I'll just take it away because you say so?

Where's the dignity of the top litigator in the capital?

Are you taking it away or not?

Honorable Magistrate.

Mr. Lyu has just arrived from the capital.

He's not yet familiar with our local customs.

I'll have him take it away right away.

Master,

you've just arrived in the mortal world.

There are many things you don't quite understand.

No one would have a tea ceremony in the courtroom.

Will you listen to me?

Ye You.

Next time, I'll strangle him.

Someone come here!

Take it away, please.

Someone come!

Hurry, hurry!

Thank you for your hard work.

So-called top litigator in the capital,

it's not a big deal to make a fool

of yourself.

Just don't

delay the important business of the trial.

Master,

we don't argue with mortal people.

Today we will hear

the case of the murders of Si Shulun and Lai.

The Si family accuses the suspect Sun Pingkang

of poisoning the page boy Lai,

and conspiring with others to kill Si Shulun.

Bring the suspect Sun Pingkang to the court.

Sun Pingkang.

Did you poison the page boy Lai?

Honorable Magistrate.

I have never poisoned anyone.

Please investigate thoroughly.

The coroner found

firefly mushroom in Lai's stomach.

Was that firefly mushroom

given by you?

I did give firefly mushroom,

but I...

Honorable Magistrate.

the coroner examined Lai's stomach.

Did they examine other organs

in his abdomen?

Lai died of poisoning.

Why examine anything other than his stomach?

We all know that firefly mushrooms aren't lethal.

But Lai died from poison.

What was the poison?

And where was it administered?

I've examined Lai's body.

His death was horrific.

His body was covered in frost.

It looked like he was poisoned with some kind of cold toxin.

But firefly mushrooms are known for their heat.

How could it present

symptoms of cold poisoning?

Firefly mushrooms are heat-producing.

How could it be cold poison?

It's impossible.

Otherwise, why couldn't it be detected?

Honorable Magistrate.

Lai ingested an extremely cold substance.

What kind of extremely cold substance?

It's

water hemlock.

Water hemlock?

They've discovered the matter of the water hemlock.

Is this what you call

closing the case quickly?

I clearly drained all their blood.

How could this happen?

That little girl, Gu Qingcheng,

is well-versed in all kinds of herbs.

How could she not know

the nature of the water hemlock?

If because of you,

that person's grand plan is ruined,

do you know the consequences?

Master.

Master.

Please, give me one more chance.

Nonsense!

The magistrate just said

there was only firefly mushroom in Lai's stomach.

Where did this water hemlock come from?

Who says that just because it's not in his stomach,

he hasn't eaten it?

It it's not in his stomach,

where else could it be?

When water hemlock is made into medicinal powder,

it dissolves very easily.

It can be traceless and invisible in the stomach.

How can you prove it?

It's simple.

Autopsy.

Last night,

there was a fire in the morgue.

The body was burned to ashes.

How can we perform an autopsy?

Lord Si, you seem so calm about this.

I'm afraid this fire

was set by you, wasn't it?

Nonsense!

Don't you dare slander me!

How could I burn my own son's body?

How dare you spout such nonsense

and waste time here?

Without a body,

how can an autopsy be performed?

Since Mr. Lyu has said so,

I am also very curious

to see what can be discovered from the autopsy.

Lord Si, you've lost your beloved son.

I will ensure you receive a fair explanation.

Since it has come to this,

let's allow Mr. Lyu to perform the autopsy.

Please, everyone,

let's move to the front courtyard.

Lord Si,

please.

Mr. Lyu,

where is the body?

Rest assured, My Lord.

Everything has been handled as you instructed.

Lord Si.

This is what I call "repairing the road in the open,

while secretly moving troops through Chencang."

Move.

-Quick, this way. -Someone's coming.

Take Lai's body away from the ground.

Hurry!

What about the other one?

The one you burned last night

was just a piece of wood.

You dare to steal bodies from the county office?

This is utterly lawless.

Honorable Magistrate.

You interrogate prisoners in the dead of night,

without a proper trial,

attempting to extract false confessions.

Isn't this disregard for the law?

Sun Pingkang, a man of scholarly merit,

subjected to torture.

Isn't this also a blatant disregard for the law?

Everyone, please look.

Look at the injuries on Sun Pingkang's body.

Do you see them?

This is too much.

Isn't this forced confession?

They're forcing confessions.

Does it hurt?

Yes, indeed.

This is a disregard for human life.

I had the body detained.

The magistrate said last night that he wanted to interrogate the suspect.

I was afraid the evidence might be destroyed.

That's why I arranged for the body to be kept.

Sir, please continue with the interrogation.

Very well.

I'd like to see

how you're going to find

from this corpse

the water hemlock.

Miss Gu from the Sun Family

has been well-versed in the nature of plants since childhood.

I would like to invite Miss Gu

to explain to everyone.

The powder of water hemlock dissolves easily,

but it's not easily absorbed by the body.

Although it's not in the stomach,

it remains in other parts of the body.

So before the court session,

I performed a steam bone autopsy.

Steam bone autopsy?

Using hot steam

to expel impurities from the body,

then wrapping it with a cold straw mat

to condense into dew,

forming the medicinal powder.

This is the powder of the water hemlock.

So,

the real cause of Lai's death

was eating

the incompatible firefly mushroom and water hemlock together,

which amplified the cold nature of the water hemlock,

leading to death from cold poison attacking the heart.

Moreover, according to our investigation,

you, Lord Si, never brought

firefly mushroom from the capital to Si Shulun.

That day,

Sun Pingkang on the road

didn't knock over firefly mushroom,

but rather what Si Shulun takes daily,

the water hemlock.

The water hemlock?

I understand now.

That day,

they were deliberately giving me a hard time.

They wanted to use water hemlock to trick me out of my firefly mushroom

to help him pass the imperial examination.

That day, Lai

picked up the powder,

which was water hemlock.

The maid at Si's Mansion said

that Lai has always been unclean

and has a habit of sucking his fingers.

So I deduce

that Lai that day, out of pity

for the herbs fallen on the ground,

wanted to pick them up.

Combined with his habit of sucking his fingers,

he ended up licking

the water hemlock powder off his fingertips.

Although the water hemlock is an extremely cold substance,

if its toxicity is suppressed,

it becomes an excellent herbal medicine.

I just don't know

why Young Master Si would take this medicine.

Because the effect of this medicine is...

What's its effect?

Specifically treating

stagnation of yang energy in the body

which leads to

impotence.

Shut up!

Young Master Si needed this medicine?

This is such a disgrace to the family.

No wonder he pretended to be taking firefly mushroom.

Our Si family is a scholarly family.

Our family rules are strict.

My son died tragically.

The murderer is unknown.

And yet, people still spread rumors about him.

You framed him for taking

water hemlock and dying from it.

But

why are there no signs of cold poison in him?

This is clearly a conspiracy to tarnish his reputation.

Such malicious intent deserves punishment.

Is that so?

Then, Lord Si, please take a sniff

to see what this is.

My Lord.

Blood.

That's right, deer blood.

Just as Miss Gu said,

the water hemlock has remarkable medicinal properties.

It contains an extremely cold poison.

But this deer blood is an excellent substance for suppressing the toxicity.

Stop beating around the bush.

What exactly are you up to?

Young Master Si goes to Tianxiang House every day.

Surely you must know, Lord Si.

The signature Xiaoyao wine at Tianxiang House

is mixed with deer blood.

It's written on Tianxiang House's menu.

Lord Si, feel free to investigate.

Lord Si,

you hold an esteemed position as an imperial official,

yet your eldest son frequents brothels,

indulges in aphrodisiacs,

and revels in debauchery.

Lord Si.

I'm afraid you need to discipline your household.

You...

So,

the true cause of Young Master Si's death

is nothing else.

It's due to his daily consumption of

the Xiaoyao wine with deer blood in it and water hemlock,

which led to the depletion of his yang energy,

excessive indulgence,

and ultimately, his death from physical exhaustion.

The Si family, known for their scholarly tradition,

has encountered a great disgrace.

Lord Si,

you fear the truth coming to light,

affecting your family's official prospects and reputation.

You even went to the county office at midnight to steal the corpse.

You're talking nonsense!

If we were to go to the Si family ancestral grave now,

we might still be able to see

the newly buried Young Master Si, I suppose.

How dare you!

In this court,

you've repeatedly insulted us,

and now you even want to dig up our family grave?

Lord Si,

if we find Young Master Si's body,

we can conclude

that the arson case is undeniably linked to the Si family.

Ridiculous.

This is slander.

Your Highness,

please do not believe

the words of these villains.

My son died tragically.

I have already become

an old man burying the young.

And now

I suffer such a great insult.

Lord Si,

no one will disturb your family's graves.

But to prove your innocence,

with the magistrate and me present,

we only need to check if there are any new graves.

What do you think?

This...

Lord Si.

Do you dare or not?

Sir,

I believe the truth of this case has come to light.

Can we close the case now?

Yes.

Your Highness.

Do you really want us to dig up your family's graves

to find your son's body

before you'll let this go?

After the trial in this court,

it has been confirmed that

the cause of Lai's death

was due to accidentally consuming water hemlock,

followed by ingesting firefly mushroom.

The incompatibility of these foods

led to accidental poisoning and death.

As for Si Shulun's death,

it was caused by excessive indulgence leading to weakened qi and blood,

resulting in death from exhaustion of vital energy.

Sun Pingkang is innocent

and is hereby released in court.

At least we didn't wrongly accuse an innocent person.

Thank you, Honorable Magistrate.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Pingkang,

are you alright?

We owe a great deal to Mr. Lyu this time.

Thank you very much, Mr. Lyu.

You must be the impressive friend

Qingcheng mentioned, right?

[Eating one grants inner clarity; seven make the heart fully transparent. One can then read in the dark.]

[It actually tastes like grass. It is as small as a bean and has purple flowers. At night, it glows.]

[Firefly mushroom]

Mr. Lyu, welcome to my residence.

I have prepared some modest wine

to express my gratitude.

Please don't stand on ceremony, Mr. Lyu.

Make yourself at home.

Yes, Mr. Lyu.

Please make yourself at home at our mansion today.

Be sure to enjoy the food and drinks.

Eat well

and drink well.

Mr. Lyu, I am grateful for your kindness in saving my son Pingkang.

I will always remember this.

This glass of wine

is to toast to your noble character.

Father,

I'd like to toast you with this glass of wine.

You've been working so hard lately.

Good, good, good.

In the future,

if there's anything I can do for you,

please don't hesitate to ask, Mr. Lyu.

What can you do for me?

Father,

Mr. Lyu is from the capital.

His lifestyle and way of expression

are quite different from ours.

I see.

I apologize for not greeting you from afar today, esteemed guest.

Mr. Lyu,

I'd like to propose a toast to you.

Mr. Lyu, your great kindness to our family

deserves a generous reward.

But Qingcheng said you don't care for gold and silver,

so I offer this wine to express my gratitude.

Mr. Lyu.

I will never forget the kindness of saving my life.

Come on, have a seat.

Qingcheng,

serve some dishes for Mr. Lyu.

Having a drink in the mortal world

is not an easy task, is it?

Qingcheng.

This time, why would the Princess

intervene on our behalf?

My brother's case is indeed a miscarriage of justice.

Your Highness, I implore you to investigate thoroughly.

I beg you to look into this matter.

My brother has truly been wrongly accused.

I beg you to investigate.

I beg you to investigate.

Your Highness, please help me.

Your Highness.

Your Highness,

did you really help Gu Qingcheng

just for a pot of flowers?

She's just an ordinary commoner,

yet for the sake of seeking justice for her family,

she dared to risk her life

and trespass through three gates of my mansion.

This shows she has courage

and is a person of loyalty and righteousness.

If Sun Pingkang's case

truly involves an injustice,

how could I stand by and do nothing?

Very well, very well.

I see now.

Our Qingcheng has really grown up.

Father, after this incident,

everyone in our mansion will be safe from now on.

Let's toast to the safety of our Sun family.

Come, let's drink to that.

Cheers! Cheers!

At this point,

the matter of Tianxiang House harvesting Yang energy

will be exposed sooner or later.

Now that person is in seclusion for cultivation,

we can't stop supplying Yang energy.

Since we can't stop Lyu Gengyun,

we might as well eliminate him

to prevent future troubles

and also avenge

the 500-year-old grudge for that person.

But,

Master has said

that Lyu Gengyun's magical powers are strong.

I'm afraid he won't be easy to deal with.

No matter how powerful his magic is, he must have a weakness.

And you

need to discover it.

Master,

I know Lyu Gengyun's weakness.

It's been a long time since you came back.

Here.

Have some more dishes.

These are all your favorites.

As expected, my mother's cooking is excellent.

You all eat too.

This one seems to be your favorite.

If you want, I'll make it for you every day.

Thank you, Mother.

Master,

just treat today as if you're dining with family.

Don't be so formal.

I forgot.

You can't eat these things.

How about later, after the banquet is over,

I'll help you gather some fresh dew.

It's alright.

It's just

it's been a long time since I sat together with family.

I miss it a bit.

Mr. Lyu,

from now on, the Sun's Mansion is your home.

Come anytime you want to eat something.

Mr. Lyu, don't be polite, eat more.

Try this dried tofu.

Come, Mr. Lyu, try everything.

This will be your new home from now on.

Eat more.

Make yourself at home.

May we all have days like this every year

and moments like this every day.

Good, good, good.

[Sun's Mansion]

Let's have a toast.

Cheers!

Come, cheers!

Cheers!

As you said,

Lyu Gengyun's interference in mortal world affairs

must bring him weaknesses.

He has close dealings with the people of the Sun's Mansion.

If we want to deal with him,

we just need to make use of the people from the Sun's Mansion.

This time,

we can't let it be like the Black-jointed Grass incident.

[Half a month ago]

[Sun's Mansion]

Hurry up.

[Peace and Clarity]

Sir,

so many people with swords and guns,

what is this about?

[Arrest]

There's a report saying

that someone in your mansion

has been seen wearing

an item with this Liuli grass mark.

Mr. Sun,

Mrs. Sun,

have you ever seen it?

We really haven't seen this before...

I have seen it.

I'm very familiar with it.

This is the mark on Gu Qingcheng's

cloth bag.

She just likes this kind of

unsightly wild grass.

Really?

This mark belongs to the notorious floral thief.

What?

What?

My Lady, something terrible has happened!

My Lady, something terrible has happened!

The officials are here to arrest you!

Why do they want to arrest me?

They say

that you're the Floral Thief.

The Floral Thief?

My Lady,

what kind of pose is that?

Master, they can't see you.

My Lady.

You all,

who is Gu Qingcheng?

Sir,

there's no

Gu Qingcheng here.

Right?

Master...

It's

me.

I am the Commander of the Prince's Guard.

I'm here on orders to arrest

the thief who stole the tribute.

If you dare to resist,

don't blame me for being merciless.

Honey.

Sir.

This must be a misunderstanding.

Bring the suspect to me.

Father!

Qingcheng!

Qingcheng!

Qingcheng!

You, young lady,

are the one who snuck into the prince's mansion

and stole the Black-jointed Grass,

the Floral Thief?

Impossible!

That's impossible!

I... I didn't steal any tribute.

I've never even seen Black-jointed Grass.

It wasn't me.

This is the night suit

found in your room.

What do you have to say for yourself?

Commander,

this isn't a night suit.

It's the work clothes I wear when gardening.

That's right.

Yes,

it's just work clothes.

The evidence is irrefutable.

You still dare to quibble?

Guards!

Seize her!

Take her back to the prince's mansion for rigorous interrogation.

Yes, sir.

I didn't do it, Commander.

It really wasn't me.

There's a misunderstanding.

I'm truly innocent.

Commander,

I'm really being wrongly accused.

You can't arrest Qingcheng. No way!

Master.

The Flower Spirit is still inside her.

I can't let anything happen to her.

What's going on?

What's happening here?

Boss,

we found in the Sun family's greenhouse

the flowers reported missing in the city,

and damaged Black-jointed Grass.

Impossible.

Everyone knows that Black-jointed Grass is a tribute item.

How could I possibly damage it?

Right.

Moreover,

I couldn't even steal it.

This young lady is quite something,

stealing all the precious plants for herself.

These bite marks are clearly the work of a demon beast.

Could it be...

The Commander wants the Black-jointed Grass taken out.

Yes.

Take everyone from the Sun's Mansion into custody.

Qingcheng, quickly explain everything to them.

If you don't explain soon,

our whole family will be dragged down because of you, Qingcheng.

I'm truly innocent.

Think of something quickly!

Qingcheng!

Let me go!

Don't touch my father! Don't touch my father!

Stop

it!

What?

You shouted so loudly.

Are you confessing to the crime?

Commander,

this matter arose solely because of me.

It has nothing to do with anyone else in the Sun's Mansion.

But now that the tribute has been stolen,

and the time for presenting it is approaching,

if we miss the deadline,

we may be guilty of deceiving the emperor.

Do you think

what the princess is most concerned about now

is the thief who stole the tribute,

or the tribute itself, the Black-jointed Grass?

The little girl has found the key to the problem.

What the princess wants right now

is naturally

the Black-jointed Grass.

Alright.

Commander,

please give me three days.

Within three days,

I will surely revive the black knotgrass.

You'll also be able to give the princess an explanation.

As for the thief who stole the tribute,

we can search for them later.

What do you think?

Very well.

Then I'll give you three...

Three days.

If you can't resurrect the Black-jointed Grass,

I'll hold the entire Sun's Mansion accountable.

Guards!

Surround the Sun's Mansion.

Until the Black-jointed Grass is resurrected,

no one from the Sun's Mansion

is allowed to leave.

Yes, sir.

Well...

Mother.

Qingcheng.

Father.

Are you alright?

My Lady, I was so scared.

It's okay now, it's okay.

Qingcheng.

Can three days really be enough?

Father.

I will do my best.

Don't worry.

[Peace and Clarity]

Young generals,

our lady can't fly,

you've surrounded the Sun's Mansion completely.

Are you afraid we'll run away?

We are ordered to guard.

If we delay reviving the Black Jiecao,

we'll all be in big trouble.

How about

you guard outside the courtyard gate?

What do you think?

Let's go.

It's all turned black.

You want to revive it?

Isn't that just a fool's dream?

Shut your mouth!

I'll do my best.

Qingcheng,

if you need anything,

just say it.

We'll all cooperate with you.

Yes, Qingcheng,

everyone in the Sun's Mansion,

all their lives

are in your hands now.

That's right, Gu Qingcheng.

Please hurry and fix it.

Stop making such a racket.

Everyone, disperse now, disperse.

Qingcheng,

we're heading down now.

Don't worry, Father.

My Lady.

Can you really revive this Black-jointed Grass?

Zisu,

don't you believe in me anymore?

No, no,

of course I believe in you, My Lady.

It's just...

This concerns everyone in the entire household,

everyone's lives.

I'm a bit scared.

Don't be afraid.

Let's do our best and get to work right away.

Hand me that shovel.

Here, be careful.

The rhizome of this Black-jointed Grass is damaged,

♫Wind follows water, asking the flower spirit♫

nutrients can't be transported to the flowers and leaves.

We need to nourish the roots first,

♫Years pass, yet we are fortunate to reunite♫

then graft new flower stems at the damaged areas

to supply nutrients to the main stem.

♫A blessed land, moonlight shines on two shadows♫

♫Love fills the city, inseparable like shadows♫

♫Evergreen like the bond we share♫

♫Liuli grass sways, carrying my longing♫

♫Fate turns, time flows like a waterwheel♫

♫Peonies bloom, stars shine deep in the clouds♫

♫Seasons change, but my love for you stays♫

♫A gentle smile binds our hearts forever♫

This Black-jointed Grass was destroyed by a monster.

♫Cicadas in summer, snow in winter, our souls rest in dawn and dusk♫

It's not that easy to save.

♫Through countless journeys, we cherish each other still♫

I'd better go check on it for this foolish disciple.

Fortunately, the places bitten by the monster

will all retain its aura.