Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 24]

You all, sit down!

I know

that wearing this outfit

dishonors our fallen brothers.

But if I don't wear it,

I'd be betraying the friends who risked their lives to save me.

Neither could I save you all!

I know none of you fear death.

Back on the day the city fell,

we had already

given up our lives.

But today is different—

the battle is over.

The battles of our entire lives are over!

From now on,

none of you are allowed to touch weapons again.

Wash yourselves clean,

shave your heads,

and go home.

Those who were craftsmen, return to your craft.

Those who were farmers, go back to farming.

The land has been left fallow.

You'll need to plow it thoroughly.

Sow the seeds,

and live to see next year.

You must believe—

believe that there is justice in this world.

If you don't believe it,

then treat it this way.

-General! -General!

Thank you for your hard work, Marshal Jiu.

I'll go handle the aftermath.

Hold on.

Thirty li to the west,

there's one of my camps.

The travel permits and money have been prepared.

They can shave their heads, change clothes,

take the money, and go home.

No one will stop them.

Marshal Jiu, thank you for keeping your word.

Li Cheng... I mean,

General Li. I still need his head.

After all, I was the one who took him away.

If the higher-ups ask about it,

I won't be able to handle it.

Of course.

General Li's head

is worth a red official's hat.

By order of Marshal Jiu:

the main force is to move 30 li west.

Shave your heads, wash your faces,

collect your travel permits and expenses,

and then return to your respective hometowns.

Yes.

I've already made all preparations.

Ms. Bai.

If you feel sad, it's okay to cry.

I won't cry.

I always knew

this day would come.

He got what he wanted.

I'm happy for him.

He gave up his life

so that everyone else could survive.

Such compassion

is something you should tell your child about someday.

Someone!

Take him away!

What are you doing?

Where are you taking him?

Where are you taking him?

They will give him a proper burial!

No, they won't!

They won't!

Put him down!

-Where are you taking him? -Gu Pingyuan!

All they want is his head!

Those despicable people!

Where are you taking him?

You...

Where are you taking him?

Let go!

Ms. Bai still hasn't woken up,

and Pingyuan won't do any work either.

The whole household is relying on me alone right now,

using me like an ox.

If my legs were in good shape,

I'd be the one taking care of things.

Nagging so much.

You see, when others become officials,

it's all fancy sedan chairs

and mountains of gold and silver.

But what about Pingyuan?

Becoming an official

almost killed him.

He just doesn't have a brain like mine.

If I, Gu Pingwen, were to be an official,

not to mention anything else—

I'd first get myself two concubines.

Go dream on.

Mother,

can I discuss something with you?

You know,

I'm a grown man,

and taking care of a female guest every day—

it's also inconvenient for her.

If you ask me,

we should invite Miss Liao to come help out.

It would be better for everyone.

Doctor,

thank you for your hard work.

Please,

come and have some tea.

Doctor,

how's her condition?

Her lungs and internal organs

are cold above and inflamed below.

The inflammation won't break out.

Ms. Bai just refuses to wake up.

She's heartbroken.

You're just a kid.

You wouldn't understand.

Go check on Ms. Bai.

Doctor,

is there any good solution?

Her pulse

is even weaker than an 80-year-old man's.

When someone wants to die,

even legendary physicians like Bian Que and Hua Tuo

would be at a loss.

Ms. Bai.

It's okay. It's okay.

Ms. Bai.

It's okay now.

It's okay.

Father.

Father,

I finally get to see you.

Father.

Silly kid.

Why are you crying?

Did you have a nightmare?

Yes.

Where am I?

Don't you recognize it?

All over this mountain

is our family's tea plantation.

I often drink tea here.

You'd promise

to play Go with me,

but before we could set up the pieces,

you'd fall asleep.

Did I sleep for long?

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

What's wrong?

What did you dream about?

I dreamed that

suddenly there was chaos and war.

Yimei!

I was captured

and taken to the enemy's military camp.

I dreamed that Gu came back

and rescued me from the camp.

I dreamed...

It really is you.

I prayed to it every day...

I dreamed...

Just to let me see you again.

For that, I'd even accept the fate

of being torn into pieces with no regrets.

I fell in love with a general.

All of you...

All of you were mad at me.

Later, he died.

Everyone died.

And I was pregnant with his child.

Father.

All of that was just a dream,

right?

I've never had

such a long dream before.

I was terrified.

Now I feel

as if I've been reborn.

Father.

I won't make you angry

ever again.

Good girl.

Let me ask you something:

if that general were to come back,

you would still go with him, wouldn't you?

Even though it was a dream,

your feelings were real.

Kid.

I won't be angry with you.

No matter what you do,

as long as you live this life in peace,

my wish will be fulfilled.

Who is it?

Coming. Coming.

Mr. Hou Er.

Old Master Hu.

My brother isn't feeling well.

He can't receive visitors.

We came here

specially to see Mr. Gu.

Since that's the case,

I won't go in.

Hou Er.

The gifts.

Old Master Hu.

[Fortune and Peace]

Mr. Gu.

You...

Why are you up?

Weren't you feeling unwell?

This is...

Old Master Hu,

sorry for neglecting you.

Come on, let's talk inside.

Alright, alright.

Old Master Hu,

whatever you have to say,

please speak frankly.

I heard

you have an old connection

with Li Wantang's family in the capital?

I wouldn't call it an old connection.

I am somewhat acquainted

with his son, Li Qin,

but Li Wantang

is the wealthiest man north of the Yangtze River.

How could I ever associate with someone of his status?

I see.

Your "Top Tea Under Heaven"

has really angered him.

He's gathered many tea merchants,

and now they're all united against us.

Not a single tael of Anhui tea

is allowed to be purchased this year.

Li Wantang actually has that much influence?

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

Well, Mr. Li Million

is prominent and wealthy.

And we

have known each other for quite some time.

How about we

ask Mr. Li to come out and mediate?

After all, Gu Pingyuan's matter

is his personal affair.

Dragging all of us

Anhui tea merchants into it

seems rather inappropriate, don't you think?

-Yes, exactly. -That's right.

His personal affair?

This plaque is hanging here in the Tea Merchants' Association.

How do you explain that?

No, no, no.

It's not what you think it is.

The Empress Dowager

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

bestowed this plaque upon us.

We didn't ask for it.

It's like a pie falling from the sky and hitting us on the head—

we've got no say in it.

Well...

And now, it's brought resentment

against us Anhui tea merchants.

We feel wronged too.

That's right.

Exactly.

I understand

your reasoning,

but those tea merchants won't accept it.

They lost so much money,

and your Anhui tea got all the glory.

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

In times like these,

with war and chaos everywhere,

wherever you go,

money does all the talking.

My father

doesn't have that much influence.

I've come here this time

to discuss

with all of you.

If, in the future,

you still want to work

with the Li family,

you'll have to give us a discount

on this batch of spring tea.

That Li Wantang has connections with foreigners.

They've secretly

formed some kind of

offense-defense alliance.

Those foreigners

aren't buying even a single tael of tea from us this year.

This is really bad.

Hold on, Old Master Hu.

Though my family has grown tea for generations,

I don't have

much experience in selling it.

I'll need you to teach me.

Well,

in previous years, our Anhui tea

had three destinations.

First,

it went to tea shops across the country.

Second, a portion

was sold to Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang.

And third—

which is the majority—

was shipped to Guangzhou,

where the 13 Trading Houses would handle

consignment sales to the foreigners.

Our entire Anhui Province's tax revenue

and the people's livelihood

depend on this.

Now that we're at war,

the imperial court has allowed us

to ship it to nearby Shanghai.

But this year, the Shanghai contract

has been delayed.

After looking into it,

we found out that it had been

intercepted by Li Wantang.

He's obtained the exclusive right to trade tea,

so the foreign merchants won't do business with us anymore.

We've thought about it again and again,

and there was really no other way.

That's why they sent me to come talk to you.

What's the point of talking to me?

I've never dealt with foreigners before.

You're different from us.

After all, you hold an official position.

You could at least mediate for us

and help us Anhui tea merchants

to...

To overcome this crisis.

As a Pacification Commissioner,

I do have to deal with

officials,

but I myself

am not an official.

As you know,

I'm an exile

who escaped from Ningguta.

I've been through hell and back.

Now that I've finally made it back to Huizhou,

just being able to enjoy peace

and take care of my mother at home

makes me completely content.

As for becoming an official,

or being like you,

managing so many tea merchants,

I truly have no such ambition anymore.

Please understand.

I see.

Well then...

Sorry for disturbing your rest.

I'll be on my way.

Old Master Hu.

What is Li Wantang

really up to,

bullying us Huizhou merchants like this?

He says your Top Tea Under Heaven

has stolen his thunder,

and if you don't die,

he won't rest easy.

Did he really say that?

He won't rest easy until I'm dead?

Well then.

I'll make him even more uneasy.

This matter needs to be handled fairly,

so my father can have more credibility out there.

So how much of a discount do you want?

Just tell us.

Say it.

80% off.

80% off?

Why don't you just rob us then?

Yeah, might as well be robbery!

How can you do business with no conscience?

Everyone, please.

Everyone!

Everyone.

Don't rush.

One at a time, please.

My father isn't the only one in this world

who knows how to sell tea.

You've been in the tea business

your entire lives.

Each of you is an expert.

Logically speaking,

even if I rushed to learn, I wouldn't qualify.

But there's one thing.

The Li family,

blessed by His Majesty's favor,

represents the imperial court

in overseeing

all foreign trade of tea.

Any fluctuation in this business

could bring serious trouble.

Using the imperial court's power

to force people into doing business

is hardly the act of a true man.

Old Master Hu.

I knew it was you.

Last time you informed Yu'er and Mr. Chang

to come and save me,

and I haven't had the chance to thank you in person.

No need for that.

So,

you've made up your mind

to get involved in this mess?

Everyone.

For Gu Pingyuan's sake,

I'll take 10% off

the original discount request.

But that's as far as I'll go.

You're quite full of yourself.

I'm afraid I can't agree with you, buddy.

Then we'll see about that.

I'll stay at the inn for 3 more days,

and then I'll return to the capital.

I'll wait for your news.

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

Listen to me.

Come on.

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

Everyone.

I've invited Mr. Gu

to come handle this matter.

Does anyone

have any objections?

If he really takes advantage of the imperial court's power,

I'm afraid even Mr. Gu wouldn't be able to win.

So what if we can't win?

Should we just end our own lives?

80% off.

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

All the tea farmers in Anhui

might as well hang themselves

and starve themselves to death.

I think no matter what,

we have to stand up

against them.

This 80% discount

was set by Li Wantang himself.

The imperial court can't possibly manage

such specific details.

Li Wantang has powerful connections.

There are so many tea farmers north and south of the Yangtze River,

and those big tea merchants

hate us now.

How can we possibly fight against them?

Exactly.

Unlike before,

[Top Tea Under Heaven]

the Guangzhou 13 Trading Houses

are no longer the only channel

for doing business with foreigners.

I want to make a trip there

and pave the way.

Whatever Li Wantang is capable of,

we can do it too.

Is that almost enough?

This is only half a bucket.

Far from enough.

Ms. Bai needs water to wash herself,

your mother needs water to brew medicine,

and we need water to drink.

Why are you so lazy?

You want me to go instead?

It's so hot today.

Let's take a break.

Take a break too, will you?

I don't have your luxury.

That pharmacy down the mountain

sells ready-made medicine.

Why don't we just buy some?

Buying ready-made medicine costs money, okay?

It's easy for you

to just flap your lips.

Alright then.

I'll go buy it.

Give me the money.

That's all I've got.

I still have some at my shop down the mountain.

I'll go get some more for you.

Get back here.

Come on.

Take this.

Why give me money?

Didn't you ask for it?

You'd just give it to me because I asked?

What am I to you?

Just leave it there. I'll do it.

Well, I... I can do more.

Come here.

If you can do more,

help me with this then.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

How strange.

I'm usually quite clever,

but whenever I see you,

I can't seem to find the right thing to say.

Come on.

Let me help you.

No need. No need.

This is my livelihood after all.

Yes, of course.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

Take care.

Thank you. Thank you.

Boy.

What were you doing just now?

Well, I just came back from work.

I said the kudzu powder

could be bought from down the mountain,

and Ms. Su got upset.

Of course she's upset.

She's helping you take care of a patient,

yet you're making her use her own money

to go down the mountain and buy medicine for you.

Aren't you going too far?

No, I-I was paying for it.

I already took out

the money just now.

I don't believe you.

How did you take it out?

How...

I-I-I...

I just...

I just gave it to her like this.

There you go.

That's easy to fix.

I'll give this to my daughter

and let her go down the mountain to get the medicine immediately.

Don't worry.

This is life-saving money.

I won't spend it elsewhere.

Mother, you called me?

If anyone comes to visit your brother again,

turn them away at the door.

That won't be necessary, Mother.

Without Pingyuan,

are we not doing business anymore?

If they have matters to discuss,

they can talk to me.

I have matters!

I have matters to discuss with you!

You...

You always say your eyesight is poor,

but your aim is quite accurate.

Don't forget

Ms. Bai is still recovering next door.

Whose wife is she?

And whose child

is she carrying?

Pingyuan went through so much trouble

to save her life and bring her back.

If anyone

has bad intentions and says something wrong,

using two lives

to gain promotion and wealth for themselves,

then all Pingyuan's efforts

would be in vain.

How should our family survive then?

You could have told me earlier.

It's not like I'm unreasonable.

In my opinion, on this matter,

Pingyuan made a mistake.

Even I, Gu Pingwen, am smarter than he is.

Right.

You're smart.

You're clever.

I think we've done

more than enough for the Bai family.

That Bai Yimei.

She...

She owes us too much.

That engagement since childhood,

right?

She ran off with that commanding general

and even got pregnant with his child.

Pingyuan spent so much effort and money

and almost lost his life

just to save her from death.

It's not worth it no matter how you look at it.

Yes, right.

So you're smart!

You're smarter than Pingyuan,

aren't you?

Look how smart you...

Stand up and look at yourself.

Look at all this dirt from kneeling.

All this dust. Look at you.

Don't pull me in broad daylight.

How inappropriate.

Easy now. Easy, easy.

Where's my father?

Where is he?

Haven't seen him.

He went to buy medicine.

Buy medicine?

He had no money. How could he buy medicine?

H-He came by earlier,

asking what I was doing.

I said I was back from work,

and that I told you

I was going down the mountain to buy medicine.

He said... He said he would go instead,

so I gave him the money.

How many times have I told you

not to give him money?

He won't come back until he's gambled away

everything down to his pants.

I've told you so many times.

Why can't you remember?

No, it's not like that.

Isn't he your father?

Just consider it my way of showing respect to him,

okay?

Otherwise, if he

gets angry

and doesn't approve of our marriage,

what am I supposed to do then?

You

are in for trouble.

I brought you two cans

of such fine tea,

yet here you are, drinking wine.

Tea only makes you more sober.

Why don't you join me for a drink instead?

Here.

Try this wine the foreigners gave me.

Such a good thing you have here.

Try it.

If you like it,

I have plenty.

I'll have someone deliver a few barrels to your home.

Well, how about

introducing me to some foreign merchants as well?

If I did that,

my father would beat me

to death.

I'd be biting the hand that feeds me.

Your father is always so harsh

when dealing with me.

After all, I'm his junior.

If you ask me,

my father has been quite nice to you,

not harsh at all.

At that Grand Tea Competition,

my father spent money like water

and finally built a stage,

only for the whole thing

to become your one-man show.

He doesn't just hate you—

he even wants to eat you alive.

I think this time, buddy,

you've stirred up a hornet's nest.

So many tea merchants

and so much money

all ended up benefiting the Anhui tea merchants.

What even is that "Top Tea Under Heaven"?

I've never heard of it.

You must be joking with me.

My father

arrived with his head held high,

yet left completely dejected.

If people start saying

that even Li Million has times

when he can't be counted on,

wouldn't that ruin his reputation?

Who else should he get back at if not you?

He won't be able to explain it.

What's the deal with

the Anhui Tea Merchants' Association?

Are they determined to turn against the Li family?

Your father is too ruthless,

trying to buy their spring tea

at 20% of the original price.

It doesn't even cover labor costs.

About this matter,

I have no say in it.

I'm just delivering the message.

Do you know why he sent me?

Four words:

to take the blame.

That's refreshingly honest.

Indeed it is.

I actually came here

planning to have

a proper competition with you.

But in this situation,

it would be too unfair.

Maybe next time,

when I have my own

business.

So when will you

have your own business?

My father said,

once the south is reclaimed,

he'll let me manage

our family's

salt business.

That's over 300 salt shops

in 7 southern provinces and 6 northern provinces.

Actually, I don't need all 300 shops.

Just one.

Just one would be enough.

As long as I can make my own decisions,

instead of following him around

all day long,

doing these thankless jobs.

Where are you going?

To find some foreign merchants.

I can't really be driven to death

by your father, can I?

But you don't know anyone. How do you want to find them?

Do you know Hart,

the Customs Commissioner?

Do you know Richard

from Xianghe Trade House?

Have you ever been to

the Shanghai Bund?

If you ask me,

this is what you should do:

go buy a rope

and hang yourself

from the beam at our doorway.

I'll take your body

to my father so he can vent his anger.

I promise to give you a proper burial.

Once you have your own business,

I'll definitely teach you a lesson.

Take care! See yourself out.

I just borrowed money from him yesterday.

Think of something.

I'll have to make up an excuse.

Otherwise,

he'll think I'm being unreliable again.

Now you know to think things over?

Pingwen.

Pack your things and come with me to Shanghai.

We're leaving this afternoon.

I'll go tell Mother.

Pingyuan, I still have something to attend to.

What is it?

Her father is being held at the gambling house down the mountain.

What happened?

I told Pingwen

not to give my father any money.

Pingwen is such a fool.

Yesterday, he gave

my father some pennies.

Guess what happened?

He didn't come back last night.

The gambling house just sent word

that he lost 500 taels,

and we must pay his ransom by this afternoon.

Two hours late

means one finger off.

We were just discussing what to do.

What's there to discuss?

I'll give you the money,

and you go bail him out right away.

I need to go on a trip with Pingwen

in the next few days.

Please take care of Ms. Bai

and my mother.

Okay.

Pingyuan, you're so generous.

Actually, we were just talking about

how to find an excuse

to borrow money from you.

You just say everything out loud!

She hits me every day.

I've really spoiled her.

Tell her that this money

is a gift to show our respect to her father,

not something she borrowed from us.

Don't say anything unnecessary.

Pack your things.

[Gu's Mansion]

Gu.

What did the doctor say?

When will she wake up?

The doctor said she refuses to wake up.

Refuses to wake up?

It's a blessing to refuse to wake up.

I don't have such blessing.

From now on, you'll be taking care of her.

Talk to her more.

I...

What should I say?

Tell her

she's still pregnant with Li Cheng's kid,

and she still needs to

raise the kid.

She has no right to die.

I...

I'll tell her exactly that?

Or what else would you like to say?

I've been through life and death so many times,

yet I still managed to crawl back.

How much do you think

it will cost to buy this ship?

How would I know?

This is the reason

why the foreigners could run amok

on our river.

Meanwhile, our merchants

are still fighting among themselves,

having the time of their lives.

How pathetic.

Pingyuan.

Can I discuss something with you?

If you don't want to be the Pacification Commissioner anymore,

let me have the position for a couple of days.

You can't even manage a shop properly,

and you want to be the Pacification Commissioner?

Look, since I

took this position,

have I had a single peaceful day?

Once we go ashore,

we'll first visit

Hart, the Customs Commissioner.

[Shanghai, Hart's Residence]

What are you doing?

His accent is even better than mine.

Our Mr. Hart

is favored by the imperial court

and oversees the Qing Empire's customs.

His son

even earned a degree in the imperial examination.

His eight-part essay was so well written

that the chief examiner was amazed.

That little bastard you were talking about

actually became a scholar candidate.

Let's see how he does in the next exam.

Mr. Gu,

if you have something to say, go ahead.

Mr. Hart,

I'd like to ask you to arrange a meeting with

Mr. Richard from Xianghe Trade House.

I want to get to know him.

Why do you want to meet him?

With the recent victory in Hefei

and the abundant tea harvest in Anhui this year,

our province is waiting for this money.

Tea farmers need to support their families,

the government needs to comfort the refugees,

and the imperial court also hopes that local regions

can recover their strength as soon as possible.

But Mr. Richard

isn't buying a single tael of tea from Anhui

this year.

I don't understand what he means by that.

Business is inherently

voluntary between both parties.

Richard is a merchant.

He works for the East India Company.

If he doesn't want to buy,

you can't force him

with your official position, right?

But I can't just go back empty-handed.

How abut this?

Please arrange a meeting with him anyway.

If I can't make a deal,

you can count it as my incompetence.

You're in luck today.

He's having tea in my backyard.

However,

I must warn you.

This man is someone you can't afford to offend.

So technically,

the whole ship

was looking at me,

and it was so funny.

And I was like,

what,

why?

Look at these guys.

-Probably asking for money. -Ladies, if you'll excuse us.

This is Mr. Richard.

This is Mr. Gu,

representing the Anhui Tea Merchants.

He came from his hometown.

Mr. Richard.

I'd like to know

why you're not purchasing

any tea from Anhui this year.

[Richard, Director of Xianghe Trade House]

Is there a problem?

I'm here representing

the Anhui Tea Merchants' Association.

I'd like to know the reason behind this.

I've signed an exclusive contract

with Mr. Li Wantang from the capital.

I only buy tea from him.

Whether that tea is from Anhui or not

doesn't concern me.

Your dispute

doesn't concern me, either.

Please don't waste my time.

We don't need to be

so confrontational from the start.

Anhui has always been

a major tea-producing province in our country.

Li Wantang can choose to give it up,

but can you really bear to give it up?

It's a huge business deal.

Though the deal is good,

I cannot afford to offend

my partner.

The Qing Empire has 18 provinces.

Losing one

doesn't matter.

That's the conclusion.

Conclusion?

Also,

don't try to negotiate with other foreign merchants.

The Great Qing Legal Code forbids Chinese people

from doing business with foreigners privately.

I advise you not to speak so absolutely.

I can give you another chance.

Chance?

What chance?

To put me on a ship back to England?

My god.

Want to make a bet with me?

I bet you'll regret it.

Pingyuan,

don't be mad.

Captain Tod wants to know

what brings you here.

Ask him

if this ship is for sale.