Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 31]

My dear nephew.

Everyone already thinks

I've made a fortune here.

If I were to arrange for

the entire Lianghuai salt business

to go to your family,

the memorials impeaching me

would pile up even higher than the city wall.

However, if you render some merit,

then others won't have anything to hold against you.

Don't you agree?

Am I right?

That's one way to look at it.

But why did you involve

Gu Pingyuan in this?

What if he wins?

What then?

Mr. Gu represents

the small merchants among the common people.

If Mr. Gu wins,

then the salt industry in Jiangnan

can no longer be dictated solely

by your Li family.

You'll have to leave some room

for the merchants of Jiangnan to survive.

If your family takes everything,

leaving me with no resource,

it wouldn't look good for me

as the Viceroy of Liangjiang, right?

Sir, I have one more matter.

If this coastal embankment

were to be funded by our Li family,

all expenses

would naturally be covered entirely by us.

But how should Mr. Gu's share

of the costs be handled?

Of course we'll wait for the imperial court's approval.

Court approval? I'm afraid that even if we wait until next year

when the floods come again, the funds still won't be released.

I understand what you mean, Sir.

I dare not delay.

I'll go to Nantong right away

to inspect the damage to the coastal embankment

and make a plan.

I take my leave.

Please proceed, my dear nephew.

I'll thank you in advance

on behalf of the people of Nantong.

Mr. Gu,

did I say you could leave?

But I need to go to Nantong for the field inspection.

Don't make excuses.

The moment you two walk out of this door,

you'll definitely start calling me names.

Come on, inside.

I'll give you the money for the coastal embankment repairs.

I've already mortgaged

all my properties in Beijing.

We may not be as rich as the Li family,

but you must remember:

the money you're receiving is clean,

and you must make sure its use is clean as well.

This...

Li Qin is right.

Even when it floods again next year,

the imperial court's money still won't arrive.

But the common people can't wait that long.

I won't let you down, Sir.

Remember this

about me:

I've been simple-minded my whole life,

and my learning and literacy have never matched others.

But there's one thing—

I take one step at a time,

neither deceiving myself

nor others,

and once I set out to do something, I see it through.

If you rush and push for progress,

it will only lead to grave mistakes.

Are you inspecting the coastal embankment or racing horses?

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

That old man is now

treating us like three-year-olds.

He's already started

sowing discord between us in public.

Here's what I thought.

After I left just now,

he definitely started muttering about me behind my back again, right?

Didn't you ask him for me

why he wouldn't help me

with the salt field matter?

I did.

He said your family

was just taking advantage of others' misfortune.

Taking advantage of others' misfortune?

Nonsense.

Merchants buy low and sell high.

This has been

the natural order of things since ancient times.

If I preach morality to them every day,

I'll be left with nothing to eat.

Let's go check the coastal embankment.

This matter is quite troublesome.

Gu,

give me your word first

so I can feel at ease.

Go ahead.

My father asked me to handle

the salt field matter in Lianghuai.

This is my only chance

to make something of myself.

So I've been thinking,

no matter what it costs,

I have to win

and get this done.

Could you give me some leeway?

It's not a matter of giving you leeway.

Well,

I've never done any salt field business before, either.

But as you said,

we're not three-year-olds.

He wants to trap us

in a chicken coop,

but we

can't just let him manipulate us,

right?

Then let's settle it this way:

for the height of the coastal embankment,

give me some concession.

The imperial court's standard

is 11 meters.

I'll raise it by

an extra 3.3 meters on top of that.

Is that acceptable?

I'll thank you in advance

on behalf of the people of Nantong then.

I am Gu Pingyuan.

I am Li Qin, candidate intendant of Jiangning.

[Marshal]

Come on in.

[Marshal]

Marshal Jiu.

Marshal Jiu.

Whenever it's time to pay the troops,

I get anxious.

You two

seem to have much free time.

Marshal Jiu.

The Viceroy of Liangjiang has tasked us

with repairing the coastal embankment in Nantong,

but now Nantong is nearly deserted.

We can't even gather enough workers,

so we've come specifically to trouble you, Marshal Jiu,

hoping to borrow some manpower.

Well, we won't be using your soldiers

for free.

Stonemasons and carpenters will be paid

300 maces per day,

and laborers 150 per day.

Paid daily for work completed,

with meals and lodging provided on-site.

Borrow soldiers?

Come on, just take them away.

Take as many as you need.

That's excellent!

I've been worried about

owing my soldiers' pay for over half a year.

They've been grumbling every day,

on the verge of mutiny against me.

If you can take them off my hands,

I'll thank you both eternally.

Please.

That's not what His Excellency said.

He told us that if we ran into manpower problems,

we should come to you.

I'm in urgent need of money now

so I can dismiss them quickly

before they cause trouble here.

Do you still dare to take them?

But...

Sir.

Then what do you suggest we do?

This isn't something money can solve.

If once the work starts,

the schedule is delayed

due to a shortage of manpower,

-wouldn't that be... -Getting impatient?

Don't be.

That old man sent you to see me—

of course I have a solution.

I knew

Marshal Jiu must have a brilliant plan.

Marshal Jiu.

Stop teasing us

and just tell us already.

The Governor's office

is holding

5 to 6 thousand old rebels

captured when Nanjing fell.

You only need to provide meals for them—

no need to pay them.

I'll assign you two units

to watch over them

while they work on the embankment.

But of course,

the soldiers' pay

will have to be covered by you.

[Nantong Coastal Embankment Construction Site]

One, two!

One, two!

One, two!

One, two!

One, two!

One, two!

One, two!

These are all good stones from Wolf Hill.

[Su Yuhua, Nantong Prefecture Magistrate]

Mr. Gu, you're really something.

Since we're repairing it,

we might as well do it properly.

Let's make sure it won't collapse for 100 years.

I also went to check

the West Coastal Embankment.

Mr. Li Qin

also did a thorough job there.

I made a bet with him.

We're competing to see who repairs faster

and who does a better job.

You know what?

Once our coastal embankment is repaired,

the salt fields in Lianghuai

will be

completely safe.

The people of Nantong know what's good for them.

Once the rice price stabilizes,

they'll

all come back.

Marshal Jiu.

I've selected over 2,000

able-bodied old rebels

and brought them all over for you.

Now you've got enough manpower, right?

Given their condition,

how are they supposed to work?

With two firearms units assigned, what's there to worry about?

Just remove their shackles later.

If even one of them escapes,

I can't take that responsibility.

They're all in squads and battalions.

If one person from a squad escapes,

the whole squad will be executed;

if one squad from a battalion escapes, the entire battalion will be executed.

In broad daylight like this,

who would dare to run?

Unlock the shackles!

Yes.

-Unlock the shackles! -Unlock the shackles!

I've said all the nice things.

Now for the harsh part.

I don't care if anyone dies,

but if anyone truly dares to escape,

you, Gu, will be considered aiding the enemy.

I wouldn't dare.

Please rest assured, Marshal Jiu.

You're smart.

Let's go!

Mr. Gu,

please give your instructions. How do you want us to work?

I have some doctors here who treat bruises and injuries.

Have the injured

get their wounds treated first.

Those without clothes,

get them dressed.

After they've eaten,

they can start working this afternoon.

No one will actually run away, will they?

Run away?

Can they possibly outrun bullets?

[Liangjiang Viceroy's Office]

[Silence] [Keep Clear]

[Liangjiang Viceroy's Office]

Alright.

Alright.

I'm the imperially appointed Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai.

[Liangjiang Viceroy's Office]

Well, well, the God of Wealth has arrived.

Pardon me for not welcoming you from afar.

Visitors should pay respects to seated hosts—

that's the proper etiquette.

Please. Please.

Please.

[Liangjiang Viceroy's Office]

I've long heard that Li Million

donated a position

as the Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai.

I didn't believe it at first.

Jiangning is a place

full of fiends—

how could anyone make a fortune here?

As the Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai,

I'm not here to seek ease and comfort.

I'd like to hear about that.

The salt industry of Lianghuai has always been

an important source of

tax revenue for Jiangnan.

I'm here on His Majesty's decree

to reorganize the salt affairs—

isn't that

exactly what I'm supposed to do?

What salt industry

is even left here in Lianghuai?

Your son has brought

so many title deeds to the salt fields.

It seems to me

that nearly 90% of Lianghuai salt fields

already belong to

you, Li Million.

I think the money you donated for this position

was a waste.

The Lianghuai salt industry

is already your private property anyway.

I'm here today in my official capacity.

Please do not mention the words

"Li Million" agan, Your Excellency.

Besides,

I'm also here

to help Your Excellency

solve your problems.

What problems do I have?

Aren't your problems significant?

Nanjing is like a powder keg.

Zeng Xiangxiang's troops

are not the imperial court's army.

How many people have they killed over the past decade?

Who among them is a law-abiding citizen?

If they start causing trouble,

Jiangnan will fall again.

Which army from the imperial court

could possibly subdue them?

That's the first problem.

Second,

how long have the officials in Lianghuai

gone without their salaries?

After 10 years of war,

military merits have been handed out recklessly.

The officers standing guard

at Your Excellency's gate

are all second-rank officials.

If they start causing trouble,

what would happen?

The coastal embankment in Nantong is in disrepair,

and the 7 subordinate counties under Nantong

are full of disaster-stricken people,

with innumerable roads and houses destroyed.

Officials,

civilians,

soldiers—

none are at peace.

Yet Your Excellency sits here

so comfortably,

telling me everything is fine.

Let me say it again.

I'm here

to ease your burden, Your Excellency,

not to cause trouble.

Look at you.

When did I ever say

that you're here

to make trouble?

My situation here

is indeed in shambles.

As for the coastal embankment in disrepair in Nantong,

your esteemed son has bravely taken on this immense responsibility

and has already gone to the site for inspection.

He's even planning to pay

out of his own pocket for the repairs.

I've already submitted the memorial

recommending him for this merit.

You may be able to fool him,

but not me.

He's not an official.

Even if a memorial for merit is submitted,

he won't receive any reward.

Your Excellency's aim

in draining his money

was to lure me out—

and here I am.

Confucius once said,

"to speak to those who cannot respond

is a mistake of words;

to remain silent before those who can respond

is a mistake of judgment."

Your Excellency,

which mistake do you plan to make?

You, oh you.

Li Million,

you're still the same as always.

Alright then.

Let's be frank and open with each other.

All the revenue from the Lianghuai salt fields

has been going to your Li family,

leaving the Jiangnan region lifeless.

At the very least, show some mercy

and leave a little for the local area.

The money made in Lianghuai should be used in Lianghuai.

Your Excellency,

please do not interfere.

Before leaving the capital,

His Highness instructed me

that as long as you can ensure this area

remains peaceful for 3 years,

he'll find a way

to get you to the capital to enjoy a life of ease.

Don't get involved

in the salt field matter anymore.

Eat slowly.

Don't bite your fingers.

Look at you,

so busy every day.

We barely even see you.

You don't know the whole story.

The coastal embankment in Nantong

has been washed away,

and the entire land

has been flooded by seawater.

The common people are fleeing everywhere

with nothing to eat.

When we first heard

you were going to Nantong,

Yu'er and I were actually happy about it.

Who would have imagined such a big city

would end up in such a terrible state?

When the major construction starts,

I'll take you both

to Nantong for a trip.

We'll also visit nearby places

like Zhenjiang

and Jinshan Temple.

Don't worry, Mother.

You want to go on a trip that much?

I came all the way here with you—

was it just to sit in a different place?

Sorry for that.

Pingyuan.

Mr. Su from Nantong is here.

Mr. Su.

-I pay my respects to you, Mr. Gu. -Mr. Su! Mr. Su.

Please get up.

If there's anything, you could have just sent someone to inform me.

Why did you come

all this way in person?

This is only right.

Well, Pingwen,

hurry and clean up these dishes.

Make some good tea

and prepare some fruit

for Mr. Su.

Mr. Su,

please wait a second.

I'll go get changed.

Mr. Su.

Apples.

Tea.

Thank you.

I'll put it here.

Please have a rest.

Let me help you.

Pingyuan.

Six apples,

eaten in one go.

Go get some more snacks.

Sorry to keep you waiting,

Mr. Su.

I've traveled hundreds of miles

and am utterly exhausted.

Please forgive me, Sir.

Please don't call me that.

I don't deserve such respect.

But it's not that far

from Nantong to Jiangning.

How could you have traveled hundreds of miles?

I've been running around borrowing grain everywhere.

This year, life in Nantong

has truly become unbearable.

I understand.

This year has indeed been full of disasters.

But since I've agreed

to repair the coastal embankment,

I'll definitely provide Nantong

with a proper solution.

Pardon me for my incompetence,

but there's one matter I can only ask of you.

Please, sit down.

Sorry for embarrassing myself.

The reason I came here

is mainly to ask you, Mr. Gu,

to submit a petition for me.

Nantong has always been prosperous since ancient times.

If not for this flood

and the collapsed coastal embankment,

we wouldn't be suffering like this.

Many people in Nantong

have started selling their children.

I understand.

So Mr. Su, what do you

specifically plan to do next?

Right now,

in this small city of Nantong,

grain merchants from 5 provinces have all gathered,

and the rice price is extremely high.

What I'm thinking is that

I hope the Viceroy can send some troops here

to post a notice,

prohibiting the merchants from hoarding grain.

Mr. Su,

I'm not an official.

But when it comes to business,

I'm not totally an amateur.

You want the Viceroy

to send troops to post a notice.

For one thing,

the Viceroy might not agree;

for another,

those rice merchants

might just pack up and leave.

The rice belongs to them,

so they can set the price

however they like.

We have no control over it.

I'm about to be

driven to death by those people.

Those rice merchants

are all extremely wealthy.

As a mere county magistrate,

I really can't afford to offend them.

How about this, Mr. Su?

Stay here

for the night.

First thing tomorrow morning,

I'll go deliver this petition for you.

And I'll talk to those grain merchants

from the 5 provinces while I'm at it.

Okay.

Pingwen.

Are the snacks ready?

Yes, Gu.

I've made a pot of plain noodles,

sliced two cucumbers,

and shredded a salted duck.

I wonder if this suits

your taste, Mr. Su?

O-Of course.

It suits perfectly.

Mr. Su.

Please.

Okay.

One really can't go without eating, right?

Indeed.

I heard the people in Nantong

have started selling their children?

Yes.

Let's go.

Take me there.

For what?

You want to draw your sword and kill some of them?

So you won't do anything about those people?

What a corrupt official.

Could you not scold me right away?

I'm not even an official—

how could I be a corrupt one?

If you're not a corrupt official,

then you're a profiteer.

If you want to talk about profiteers,

those bastards are the real profiteers.

They know clearly that the people in Nantong

are starving to death,

yet they're still hoarding goods there

without any compassion.

Tonight,

let me, the corrupt official,

think about

how to punish those profiteers carefully.

I'm so tired.

Take a look at this.

To be fair,

this Su Yuhua is a good official.

He's an old provincial candidate.

After all these years,

he's only managed to become a county magistrate.

After more than a decade in office,

all he has is this official robe.

He can't afford to give bribes,

so he can't get promoted.

He treats the common people well though.

I don't want to contradict him,

but what nonsense is he talking about?

He wants me to send troops to suppress the rice market?

Does that even make sense?

If they don't want to sell,

you might enter through the front door,

and they'd slip out the back.

What charge am I supposed to bring against them?

If you don't take care of

Mr. Su's matter,

then there's no point

in repairing Nantong's coastal embankment anymore.

What kind of talk is that?

Repairing this coastal embankment

is meant to save the people from disaster.

People in Nantong are already trading their children for food.

If you don't help them,

by the time the coastal embankment is repaired,

everyone will already be dead.

What's the point of repairing it then?

Indeed.

You have a point.

But

I really don't have any money.

I...

Could you two please...

Just...

Fine.

Go ahead and tell Su Yuhua

there's nothing I can do.

Sir. Sir.

You really can't say there's nothing you can do.

Now that we're repairing the coastal embankment here,

if the rice price is stabilized,

then when the wealthy households return,

the common people will naturally return as well.

Only after you've settled this matter

can we better gather the manpower,

right?

You want to gather manpower?

Everyone from everywhere is asking me for money.

I know the people of Nantong are suffering,

but aren't those in Jinling

and Zhenjiang suffering as well?

[Liangjiang Viceroy's Office]

His Excellency said

he'll come up with a solution soon.

He wants you to go back first

and pacify the people.

So

His Excellency

personally reviewed my petition?

Great.

That's truly great.

I'll head back right away.

[Liangjiang Viceroy's Office]

Those rice merchants are too ruthless.

If all else fails,

we could each contribute some money

to buy the rice and provide relief to Nantong.

Buying the rice is easy enough,

but for how long?

Until next year?

You expect the two of us

to support all the people of Nantong?

How rich would you have to be to do that?

Indeed.

What should we do then?

With just one trick of hoarding goods,

they think they can swallow us whole—

they're thinking way too simply.

I have an idea

that guarantees victory,

but it requires

the two of us to work together.

What, can you do magic

and make rice appear out of thin air?

Look.

Using nothing against nothing.

Everyone can perform tricks,

but the cleverness

lies in how they differ.

[Nantong Prefecture]

Sir, please give me some food

and some money.

Alright.

Here.

I want a big one.

Go now.

-Thank you, Sir. -Thank you.

I really can't bear to watch this anymore.

Even if you gave them all your money now,

it would be useless.

We need to lower the rice price first,

then we can restore peace to this area.

Those profiteers deserve to die!

Indeed they do.

[Yang Ten-Million, Rice Merchant]

I am Gu Pingyuan.

I am Li Qin.

We've come to pay our respects to you.

So it's you two young masters.

One is an exile

who escaped from death row;

and the other is

the prodigal son of Li Million.

Who are you calling a prodigal son?

That would be us.

May I ask your name,

respected elder?

My surname is Yang.

People call me Yang Ten-Million.

Just several millions more

than your father, that's all.

Yang Ten-Million.

You're a veteran in business.

We respect you.

We hope you'll show mercy

and spare Nantong,

lowering the rice price a bit

so the two of us can get our work done.

You two young heroes.

I can sell my own rice at whatever price I want.

It's not up to the two of you

to set the price for me, right?

Even the Viceroy of Liangjiang

has no authority over this matter.

You're quite unscrupulous

in doing business, I must say.

Who do you think you're talking to?

I know you're from the capital,

so what? Think you're special?

Want to compete with me financially?

Bring it on then.

However much rice you have here in your warehouse,

I'll buy it all.

What's the big deal?

In this warehouse?

Well, I have rice merchants from 5 provinces

under my control.

I make the call on everything.

Do you think you can buy it all?

In this world, as long as there's a price,

there will always be buyers.

Well then.

I'll wait for you to buy.

How about it, buddy?

Want to challenge me

like he does?

I have no money.

How could I afford to buy anything?

I'll just say one thing.

We're repairing the coastal embankment now

and need manpower.

If you don't lower your rice price,

you're our enemy.

Then don't blame us if we offend you.

Offend me?

I'm not even afraid of the official power.

Do you know who's backing me?

His Highness, Prince Chun.

Who cares about competing with you based on connections?

Mr. Yang.

Dare to make a bet with us?

Bet on what?

That the rice price will definitely drop

within 10 days.

Not only will it drop,

but it'll drop drastically.

Alright.

Alright.

As long as I don't lower the price within 10 days,

you two lose, right?

That's right.

How much are we betting?

This is the stake.

The great freshwater pearl tribute from Joseon.

There are only two in existence.

The other one

is on the Empress Dowager's headdress.

This pearl glows at night

and can repel water.

Appraise it—

do you think it's worth 2 million taels of silver?

[Xuchangyuan]

How was my acting just now?

Pretty good.

As long as it fooled him, that's enough.

[Baixiang Restaurant]

This Yang Ten-Million, I'm telling you,

is really infuriating.

We treated him like a senior,

yet he wouldn't appreciate it.

I never feel any burden about

taking money from someone like him.

When dealing with him,

you have to strip him clean down to the last hair.

What's your plan?

How much do you plan to make from him?

As much as possible, of course.

I'm thinking,

since his name is Yang Ten-Million,

let's make 10 million from him.

I'll go to Jinling to buy rice first.

And you'll go to Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui,

making a trip around the whole area.

Flaunt yourself in public every day,

saying that rice in Nantong is expensive,

and you, Li Million's son,

have been sent by the Viceroy of Liangjiang

to collect rice.

But

don't buy a single grain.

How much money

can you put together right now?

Let's pool our money.

About one million and more taels.

Is that enough?

That's enough.

This pearl

belongs to

Li Million's prodigal son.

He made a bet with me

that within 10 days,

the rice price would definitely drop.

This was his stake.

As long as

we don't sell even a single dan of rice,

how could the price possibly drop?

Within 10 days,

if even a single grain of rice

appears in Nantong,

we'll buy it all up.

Let's see how he'll force us to lower the price.

That's what we'll do.

We'll let all merchants in the world

know that Li Million

was defeated in Nantong,

defeated by me,

defeated by all of us!

Mr. Chang,

once you dress up like this,

you look exactly like

a prominent merchant.

Does it work?

Yes.

That's not right.

There should be glasses too.

Right, glasses too.

Here.

Nice.

I'm Chang Si,

from Shanxi.

I've been in the rice and flour business in Guangdong and Guangxi for years.

I'm grateful to you for all your support over the years.

As this is my first time visiting your esteemed place,

I hope I haven't caused too much trouble.

Much obliged.

Mr. Chang,

as expected from an old hand.

You look the part perfectly.

Well, you haven't seen me yet.

Mr. Liao, don't rush.

After Mr. Chang finishes his show tomorrow,

it will be your turn to take the stage.

-Be careful. -Ladies and gentlemen,

watch me.

This plaster

wasn't my idea.

Pingwen.

What's this about?

I'm your henchman,

serving as your butler.

Alright, alright.

That's enough.

Get up. Get up.

It's getting late.

Let's all rest early.

Tomorrow morning,

we'll proceed as planned.

Mr. Chang, remember this:

tomorrow, you'll be allocated

200,000 dan of rice,

at 3 taels of silver per dan.

Remember,

cash only.

Absolutely don't sell

for less than 3 taels per dan.

No problem.

[Nantong]

Sir.

I was meaning to ask you.

About the coastal embankment repairs in Nantong,

why haven't you made any arrangements for it?

I need to lower the rice price first.

This is also helping you, Sir,

to enhance your reputation.

Yes, of course.

By the way,

I've heard that

Li Qin has already gone to the Hunan and Hubei area,

and you've been buying rice

like crazy in Jinling.

I truly appreciate your efforts,

spending your own money

to handle matters for the imperial court.

But there's one thing I don't understand:

how much money do you two actually have

to save the people of Nantong?

A bit over a million taels, I suppose.

That's nowhere near enough.

Not enough?

Then why don't you open the granaries

and distribute relief grain?

I don't have any rice.

I have no grain at all.

I've worked out a strategy with Li Qin

that can bring the rice price back down.

We won't need to spend a single penny ourselves.

And meanwhile,

we can even make a profit.

What do you mean by that?

Wonderful.

That's truly wonderful.

Come on.

Look.

I don't have much money.

This is my salary from all these years,

20,000 taels in total.

Sir,

I never expected

you'd offer all your salary.

Please rest assured.

Regarding the rice price,

I will handle it properly.

This money,

I'll make sure it's spent where it counts.

You think I'm making a donation?

No way.

Count me in as a shareholder.

I want to make some profit too.

The sage once said,

if you don't take advantage when you can,

you're a fool.

The sage is truly

brilliant.

The show is already over,

yet

he's still putting on airs.

Mr. Chang.

Please sit down.

I'll get you some rice.

Where's Pingwen?

I'm here, Mr. Chang.

The two of us

came all the way here,

haven't even settled down yet,

and now we have to go back.

Isn't this Yang Ten-Million

going too far?

That's exactly right.

With all the expenses for food and lodging on the road,

if they offer lower than 3 taels,

even a penny less,

we can't sell it.

That's settled then.

As the old saying goes,

"if you can't play the part well, better not to play it at all."

Mr. Chang.

You were amazing.

Master Gu, was it good?

It was excellent.

I'm exhausted.

Pingyuan,

why aren't you praising me?

You didn't even act. Why should I praise you?

Alright, alright, good job.

Let's eat.

Everyone.

Today, with just a small trick,

we've earned

600,000 taels of silver.

Weren't you supposed to be saving the people?

How did you end up making money?

That Yang Ten-Million

feeds on human flesh and drinks human blood.

He bought up all the rice

in Nantong,

thinking

he's so capable.

Mr. Liao,

it's your turn now.

Q-Quickly, give me

your costume.

No need.

I had one made

specially for your size.

Once you put it on,

you'll look even more impressive than Mr. Chang.

This time,

we need to make two more shipments.

Tomorrow, I'll allocate 600,000 dan to you;

and the day after, a million dan.

Remember:

all have to be sold at 3 taels of silver,

not a single penny less.

That Yang Ten-Million isn't a fool.

Can he handle

buying so much rice?

He may not be a fool,

but he's too greedy.

However much I feed him now,

he'll have to swallow it all.

I'll stuff him until he bursts.

I have a few friends

in the rice business in Anhui.

They can pool

another 2 million dan.

Excellent.

Then I won't trouble another person for this matter.

From acting to pooling grain,

you handle it all.

Here's what I thought:

after we get this done,

I want to set aside 500,000 taels of silver

to buy jewelry for Miss Liao.

What do you think?

F-Five hundred thousand?

That's generous,

but with Mr. Chang here,

taking so much money

makes me a bit uncomfortable.

Then let's make it less.

No, no, no.

It's settled then.

You're selling much more than me,

so you should act more convincingly.

Today,

I finally got to see

how despicable Yang Ten-Million was.

If you didn't need to keep up this act,

I would've smashed his nose with one punch.

He's just a bad guy,

a complete villain.

After I finish eating,

I'll explain everything to you,

then you'll know how to deal with him.

Please skip the meal

and teach me now.

After you've taught me, then you can eat.

Let's go have a drink.

-Come on. -Alright, alright.

Let's go.

Come on.

Profiteer?

Time to sleep.

I knew

you'd scold me again.

That you remember quite clearly.

You think I want to keep

all this money for myself?

I just hope

the people of Nantong

can have a better life.

If every

worker repairing the coastal embankment

could earn two more candareens daily

to support their families,

once the rice price stabilizes

and the coastal embankment is repaired,

Nantong will regain its vitality.

As the saying goes,

once you set out to do something, you must see it through;

and once you get it done, you must leave a legacy.

Except for you,

I don't want to be criticized by anyone else.

Well, profiteer, you're

quite the grudge-holder, aren't you?

♪ A single straight purple bamboo ♪

♪ Give the flute made of it to the baby ♪

♪ The flute to the mouth ♪

♪ The mouth to the flute ♪

Master.

♪ A new tune flows from the flute ♪

Another rice merchant has arrived in Nantong.

He's from Anhui.

Anhui?

Don't cause trouble for me here.

How much rice did he bring?

600,000 dan.

That's quite a lot.

I heard there's

another 2 to 3 million dan coming.

600,000 dan

and another 3 mill...

Are you sure you heard it right?

Absolutely.

So it's 3.6 million dan?

So much rice—

how could the small city of Nantong

possibly consume it all?