Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 36]

Pierce his shoulder blade with wire!

[Hall of Loyalty]

Don't! Don't!

Let's talk nicely—

You want to pierce his shoulder blade?

Yes.

I'll do it right in front of you.

Let me tell you

what's so good about this hairpin.

Go ahead.

Tell me about it.

Look.

It's...

-Grab her! -Grab her!

Don't move!

If any of you move or speak again,

I'll pierce his other shoulder blade

as well.

With both your shoulder blades damaged,

you won't be able

to do anything for the rest of your life.

Understand?

Nod if you understand.

My goodness!

That's my knife!

What do you say now,

Boss?

You damn woman!

Even if you kill me today,

it's of no use.

My Cao Gang

has hundreds of thousands of disciples.

They could drown you with just their spit!

So you martial heroes

kill people

with spit?

I...

Release our boss!

[Hall of Loyalty]

-Let him go! -Release him!

Boss Gui.

Boss Gui.

Brothers! Brothers!

My daughter misses her husband terribly.

We made a mistake.

As for this matter,

after we go back,

we'll gather some elders

and clear this up face to face.

I will apologize—

it's all on me.

Why are you wasting words on them?

They're just a bunch of filthy thieves!

Who are you calling filthy thieves?

Who is she?

W-What do you mean?

Ms. Su. Who is she?

I told you before.

She's Ms. Su, who released the prisoners of war.

You're lying.

No, really.

Didn't you say

you would never see her again?

Why did you go looking for her again?

She's capable, isn't she?

No, I'm not saying you're incapable.

You could save me too.

I was just worried about your safety.

Martial arts matters should be settled in the martial arts world.

I don't understand martial arts matters, is that it?

Or do you think I can't save you?

I'll cut off his head

right now—

do you believe me?

Don't be impulsive! Calm down!

Don't say these things here.

Don't talk about this in front of outsiders.

I've been watching over Mother for 15 days.

As soon as Mother woke up,

she asked for you.

If you don't go back today,

I won't know what to tell her anymore.

Mother is awake?

Yes, she is.

Must've been hard on you.

Excuse me.

I'm sorry

to interrupt.

Young girl,

could you loosen

your grip a little?

I'm having trouble

breathing here.

Daughter.

How about this?

Why don't you go home?

Continue your argument there.

Let's consider this matter

settled.

Okay.

Settled?

Shall we?

Of course not.

Why did you kidnap him?

Hey, heroine!

Don't push your luck.

Boss.

-Boss Gui. -We have an important guest.

What important guest?

Where did this so-called important guest come from?

[Hall of Loyalty]

Is this the important guest you brought?

You all seem to be having fun.

Putting on quite a show.

Move aside!

-Move! -Move!

Move!

[Hall of Loyalty]

Put that knife down.

You might kill him accidentally.

You brat.

I'm settling this score

with you today.

Such a temper.

So we can't get to an agreement, right?

Definitely not!

This is a great humiliation!

If we can't reach an agreement, then fine.

Kill him. I'll talk to the Deputy Chief.

I'll give you a way out.

This man

is wanted by the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office.

A lone fighter can't win against authority.

If you don't let him go,

I'll leave immediately.

Open it and see.

Is the seal of the Viceroy of Liangjiang

[Rui Lin's Stamp]

enough to convince you?

Civilians don't fight against officials.

I

must have been blind.

Mr. Gu,

my apologies.

Mr. Chang,

my apologies.

Boss Gui,

my apologies.

Madam Gu,

you have impressive knife skills.

It seems from now on,

when I see a woman with a knife,

I should keep my distance.

You think keeping your distance will help?

Look at your candle.

Amazing aim!

[Cao]

Father,

how are you feeling?

Where are you going?

I'm going ahead to take care of something.

There's nothing for you to do there.

The old monk from Jinshan Temple

wants to hold a grand Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

I think this is a good thing.

Since our Li family

has arrived in Liangjiang,

we can't let people say

we're only here to make money.

Saying prayers for the dead,

burning incense and paper offerings,

and making the living grateful.

I think this investment

is worthwhile.

We've been spending quite a lot lately,

but I'm competing with Gu Pingyuan.

Once I win...

You think defeating Gu Pingyuan

means you've won?

Father,

if I've done something wrong,

please tell me directly.

Everything boils down to connections.

Do you think the Viceroy of Liangjiang

doesn't know Gu Pingyuan is smuggling salt?

Would he just sit by and watch you

take over all the salt fields

and become

an unofficial king of Jiangnan?

They will never allow

you to succeed in this.

I did take over

all the salt fields and stores.

But I didn't want that much.

You can't leave him without a single penny.

With the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

backing him up,

Gu Pingyuan won't fall.

Father,

do you think

I can't defeat Gu Pingyuan?

You can't defeat Liangjiang

nor the regime.

This is not how business is done.

Just now,

you really scared me.

You think I'm meddling?

No.

Didn't I tell you?

I was worried about your safety.

I was worried about your safety too.

My wife is

cool and valiant,

with unmatched knife skills.

From now on, wherever you go,

everyone would show you

some respect.

What you said is true,

but stop sweet-talking me.

If Ms. Su hadn't

arrived in time,

I really wouldn't have known

what to do next.

Let me say it again.

Even if Ms. Su didn't come,

I could still get you out of there.

I thought

you were just pretending to be jealous

to buy some time.

Is that right?

Well, I

was acting jealous.

Do you

really think I would actually

be jealous of her?

Or do you think

she would be interested in you?

No.

I'm afraid you won't be interested in me.

Are you not going

to go talk to the person in the cabin?

Then come with me.

I'm afraid my legs will go weak if I see her alone.

Stop it. Go by yourself.

Go and

thank her properly.

Ms. Su, may I come in?

Please.

Thank you for your help, Ms. Su.

When I left,

Rui Lin insisted I bring

the Viceroy of Liangjiang.

You should thank him.

If I weren't forced into this situation,

I wouldn't want to trouble them.

You're working for them,

protecting the Liangjiang salt fields

from being monopolized by the Li family.

They don't mind troubling you,

so what are you afraid of?

I'm afraid I won't be able to return to Huizhou.

In this salt field dispute,

Li Qin is bound to lose.

Your contribution is significant.

In a few years,

you'll surely become

the wealthiest man in Jiangnan.

Why return to the tiny Huizhou?

What would you do there?

Farm and sell tea?

I'm doing what I know is impossible.

I was too young before,

and thought of business too simply.

Back then, I wanted to seek truth,

believing business

could benefit the world,

help those in poverty,

and save people from hardship.

But gradually,

as my horizons broadened,

that thought disappeared.

What do you mean?

Looking at ourselves,

we're either fighting for power or internally,

ignorant of global trends,

like frogs in a well—

myself included.

On a smaller scale, I can help myself.

But on a larger scale, I can help the country.

If I could truly do something

for this country,

I wouldn't care about my personal safety.

I know this sounds presumptuous.

Please forgive my boldness.

Mr. Gu, you have a visitor.

Mr. Gu,

please.

I'll go with you.

The Cao Gang has many tricks up their sleeve.

I'm afraid you might be taken advantage of.

It's Mr. Li Qin.

It'll be fine.

Well,

be careful.

I just recovered from illness.

I'm still weak, so I'll stay seated.

Li Qin told me about it.

Please stay seated.

What can I do for you?

People who'd stayed in Ningguta for a long time

all undergo some changes.

That place

is filled with all kinds of evil forces.

You escaped unharmed

and didn't lose yourself.

That place is indeed crawling with demons.

Otherwise, why would they risk

their lives just to escape?

But the more you're in such places,

the more you understand the value of kindness.

Why should you,

when among wolves,

become a wolf yourself?

I heard you've had trouble

with the Cao Gang.

This isn't a good thing.

Even with Ms. Su

forcefully resolving it for you,

it's still useless.

You're selling salt on the waterways.

The Cao Gang doesn't even need to show up.

They just need to report you along the route.

No matter how powerful the Viceroy of Liangjiang is,

can he really reach beyond Liangjiang?

This is a dead end.

I've been in business for many years.

There are some things

you should listen to.

The worst thing in the world

is a price war.

No one can win.

It's a lose-lose situation.

It doesn't end till someone's at a dead end.

Don't continue this any further.

Let me tell you what.

The Cao Gang owes me a favor.

I'll step in

and settle this dispute for you.

You withdraw from the conflict.

As for the Viceroy of Liangjiang,

I'll speak to him on your behalf.

With all due respect, you're my senior,

and I shouldn't talk back.

But for this matter,

I really cannot agree.

Please forgive me.

You don't understand.

You're just a pawn

of the Liangjiang government office.

Do they really care

about the people's livelihood in Lianghuai?

Once the crisis is over,

you'll be discarded.

Let me be frank with you.

Rui Lin has been playing tricks

in Liangjiang territory.

He wants to become the Chief Grand Councilor,

and Liangjiang is just his stepping stone.

You're just a part

of that stepping stone.

I know.

No, you don't.

If someone

submits a petition to the government office

claiming that you, as an official,

are selling illegal salt,

the imperial court will immediately send men

to arrest you.

I'd like to see who will help you then.

The amount of illegal salt you're trafficking is too large.

No one dares to take responsibility for it.

Worst case scenario,

three generations of your family will be punished.

Best case scenario,

they'll just send you back to Ningguta.

How capable are you?

How many more times can you escape from there?

I'll help you solve your problems.

You should

take your mother

and settle down in your hometown.

We're not friends nor family,

right?

Yes.

Back in Shanxi,

I sabotaged your business.

In the capital,

I caused chaos at your Grand Tea Competition.

In Shanghai,

I broke your tea trading rules.

Now in Lianghuai,

we're competitors again.

I know I'm just a pawn.

I also know

you can crush me to dust

just by lifting your little finger.

If you wanted to harm me,

I would've been dead many times over.

But why

haven't you done so?

Don't talk to me about appreciation

or trust.

I don't believe it.

What do you really want?

We're birds of a feather—

I don't want to destroy you.

You and I are the same kind.

Compared to Li Qin,

you're more like...

you're more like me.

With your skills,

how sly you are,

by the time you reach my age,

you'd be quite somebody.

Let me be frank.

Your troubles,

I'll take care of them all.

Take your brother,

your mother, and your wife,

and return to your hometown in Anhui.

Don't you like growing tea?

Go ahead.

You like reading? Go ahead.

Live the life you want.

After I'm gone,

you can return to the business world.

The world will be yours.

People say I own half the city.

But I believe

with your achievements,

you will

far surpass me in the future.

Guangfa.

Master.

Has the letter to the Cao Gang been sent?

It has.

Those old men said

they weren't aware of Mr. Gu's noble status

and want to apologize in person.

Good.

I've met many great merchants in my life.

But only you

almost fooled me just now.

You truly are a leader.

I'm impressed.

What do you mean by that?

Coming down to it, you're half-official, half-merchant.

If the salt industry falls into your hands,

how would it be any different from before?

You can work outside

doing business for the Sixth Prince.

You can even send the Viceroy of Liangjiang

to the Grand Council

to become the Chief Minister.

And me?

I'm just an ordinary citizen.

What am I fighting for?

All I'm fighting for is

equality for all salt merchants

and freedom for salt farmers to trade.

When one family dominates everything,

common people suffer.

Rui Lin told me

he wanted to use this war

to return the Lianghuai salt industry to its people—

back to the 175 merchants

of the Lianghuai Salt Industry Guild

for them to manage it together.

I don't mind being a pawn.

Because I agree, and I believe in

what he's trying to do.

So I

willingly work for him.

It's that simple.

Goodbye.

Do you want to return to Ningguta?

Everything comes with risks.

Should I dig a hole

and hide myself instead?

Your crime will affect three generations of yours.

Your mother has suffered enough.

Even if you want to die,

wait until after she passes away.

As a son,

have you no filial piety?

I've said what I needed to say.

Whether you listen is up to you.

Master,

please calm down.

Write a letter to the Cao Gang.

Tell them

all disciples involved in today's salt raid,

regardless of rank,

must take an oath

to never reveal anything.

Check if there are any other issues

with his smuggled salt operation.

Help resolve

all of them.

Yes, Master.

Well...

What about Young Master?

Mother.

[Tranquility of Autumn]

Mother.

I heard you were awake as soon as I got back.

I just woke up.

Where did this spinning wheel come from?

I asked Yu'er to find one for me.

I guess I haven't worked for too long

and got sick from idleness.

Something on your mind?

How come

you slept for so long before?

I don't know either.

What did the doctor say?

The doctor...

He couldn't figure it out either.

Pingyuan.

Mr. Li is looking for you.

Okay.

I got it.

So you have free time now?

I brought you some

premium lingzhi mushrooms.

I heard your mother woke up.

Lingzhi powder

is best for calming one's mind.

Thank you.

Just name your price.

Let's stop fighting like this.

I don't want to be your enemy.

I'm not your enemy.

We're both just

pawns that are crossing the river.

How can we retreat?

Where can we retreat to?

Well,

then when will this fight

ever end?

The Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

will never hand over all the Lianghuai salt fields

to your Li family.

You're not fighting with me,

but with the whole government.

On a bigger scale,

you are fighting against the regime.

Can you win?

If I can win,

at least the Lianghuai salt industry

will be under my control.

The way we're burning money now

makes no sense at all.

Why not just let me

take it all?

You're too greedy.

What's wrong with being greedy?

We're merchants after all.

These are things

I knew even when

I was a kid studying.

I won't waste my breath

telling you them now too.

Come on,

[Ledger]

write down how much you'll donate.

I am sponsoring

a Water and Land Dharma Assembly at Jinshan Temple

to pray for the deceased of the Seven Provinces of Jiangnan.

Pay up!

Why are you getting even more short-tempered?

By the way,

how is your father doing?

What's that to you?

Wait.

Let's

go together

to the Liangjiang government office.

Some things

are better discussed face to face.

Let me tell you this:

I'm no longer interested

in the salt business now.

Hand over half of the salt fields

your family bought over,

and split it with the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office.

With that,

I can return to Anhui to grow tea immediately.

I've closed half

of my family's profitable shops,

offended everyone I could possibly offend,

and now you want me to give up half of my salt business?

Do...

Do you think I'm a joke?

Are you joking with me

or do you just want to see me make a fool of myself?

Li Qin.

I'm not your enemy.

Is it funny?

No.

I used to

work at a pawnshop in Shanxi.

In my opinion,

those old pawnbrokers' abacus skills

are no match

in terms of proficiency

for you, Sir.

They don't tally that many accounts in a day.

I'm managing the livelihood

of two provinces.

The officials' accounts

have to be right.

Sir.

I return this seal intact.

Thank you for your help, Sir.

Even if I hadn't helped,

they couldn't have said anything.

I just wanted that

young man Li to know

that he should consult me first

before causing trouble in Liangjiang territory.

I apologize to you, Sir.

As for the smuggled salt,

let's stop it.

If word gets out

and people learn

that people from the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

are connected to salt smugglers,

wouldn't that make you a laughingstock?

A laughingstock?

If word gets out

and people learn

that the biggest salt industry in Liangjiang

slipped through my fingers,

that would be the real laughingstock.

Don't worry,

next time,

I'll use government ships to transport them for you.

No need, Sir.

The price war—

let's not continue it.

Although it doesn't harm

the government much,

the Li family has already

sold half

of their profitable shops because of this.

It seems it's time

to convince him.

Have you convinced him?

I haven't.

The hardest thing to eliminate in this world

is greed.

[Jinshan Temple]

Tanyue,

please come in.

Thank you, Master.

I think

getting half of the salt fields is not bad.

You can't win the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office.

Father,

we've sold so many shops

and invested so much money.

How can you ask me to let go at this point?

Enough.

In front of Buddha,

don't speak

words tainted with greed.

Father,

without offerings from everywhere,

even the Bodhisattva cannot become the Bodhisattva.

I really don't understand

what you said just now.

If you're truly afraid,

I'll listen to you.

I'll go to the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office right now

and kowtow to admit my mistake.

But I don't understand

why you're so afraid.

What are you afraid of?

Mr. Gu.

How are you?

If you died, so be it.

Why are you tormenting the child?

Even if you come back and kill me,

there's no need need to harm him.

Father.

What's going on?

Every debt must be paid.

No one wants your debt.

We assumed you died in the capital.

I alone

raised two children.

The elder one was good at studying

so he wanted to go to the capital to seek a better life.

Before leaving, he told me

he was going to

find your remains for burial.

When I saw him off,

I was inexplicably worried—

I couldn't breathe.

I didn't know

what I was worried about.

Now I know.

All that nonsense about him causing chaos in the examination hall,

was all your doing.

Mother.

H-He is...

Take a good look.

This is the father that had died

for 20 years.

His surname used to be Gu!

Old Madam Gu...

Old Madam Gu...

My... My father's surname is Li.

He's the son of the Li family from the south of the city.

My mother said he married into our family

after his family fell on hard times.

I...

Father,

is that true?

So,

the person who sabotaged me at the examination hall back then

was you.

I knew you came to the capital.

I was worried if you really passed the exam,

this show couldn't go on anymore.

I changed my identity,

and reborn into a new life.

That I cut all my ties

was their requirement.

Mother...

You've mistaken him for someone else.

How could he possibly be my father?

My father died

on his way to take the imperial examination.

His remains are nowhere to be found now.

And he is nothing but

an old fool who married into

a rich family.

How could he possibly be my father?

Mother,

it's windy outside.

Let's not stay here anymore.

I'll take you home.

I'll go back with you.

Mother.

Come.

Mother.

Steady yourself.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

I'm here with you.

I'm with you.

Father.

Father.

Mother,

have some tea.

You need to believe what I said.

I want to believe you too.

But that's not true.

Mother,

let me do some math for you.

Life is only about 70 years.

With 10 years of ignorance,

and 10 years of old age and weakness,

that leaves us with only 50.

We sleep when it's dark,

and the time we're truly awake

is at most 25 years.

If we encounter illness or disasters,

running around

and suffering from heartbreak,

how much time is really left

for us to be happy?

Why torture yourself

over those troubles?

Just now,

when you said he wasn't your father,

the weight in my heart

was finally lifted.

I have you,

Pingwen,

and Yu'er—

I have so many of you.

I should say

I'm living a good life.

Of course we're living a good life.

Many families would envy what you have.

So

I won't fool myself anymore.

Decades of heartache,

and now at this age,

I can finally let it go.

I'll go see him

and tell him

that I've moved on.

Let him

see to it himself.

That's right.

That's exactly how you should think.

It's okay.

Everything will be fine.

Yu'er,

get mother something to eat.

I'll go see

if they've left yet.

What are you doing here?

Where's your father?

You need to leave.

We don't know you.

Let him in.

What happened to your hair?

I asked the abbot here

to give me the tonsure.

These 3,000 troublesome hairs

are gone, and that's that.

I'll spend my remaining years here vegetarian and chanting sutras,

atoning for my sins.

You're even abandoning your son?

My life

is over.

Yes.

It's all in the past.

Spending the rest of your life here

praying to Buddha and being vegetarian—

you have the Bodhisattva's protection.

So, no matter what sins

you'd committed before,

you won't face retribution.

What a deal.

Gu Pingyuan.

Did you come here to mock me?

You think I wanted to come?

My mother asked me to deliver a message.

She has let this matter go.

She hopes you can live well

and forgive yourself.

Stop making things sound so good here.

You have no right to speak here.

I have one more thing to say.

Even if all the gods and Buddhas

can forgive you,

can you forgive yourself?

Wait.

You don't know what I've been through.

In times of chaos,

I was robbed of everything

even before entering the examination hall.

I fell ill in the wilderness

and caught the epidemic.

I realized...

that poor people's lives

are as worthless as grass.

If you die of illness, you get eaten up by dogs.

If you get buried on the streets,

you get eaten up by ants.

I was in despair

until I met your mother.

The Young Lady of the Li family wasn't married then.

With no male heir in her family,

she managed the vast business

all by herself.

With her,

I made my first business deal ever.

I changed my name,

and abandoned my wife and children.

I lived like someone

who was born wealthy,

starting a new life.

I think you all

would have been tempted too.

I sold my soul

and betrayed my ancestors.

Son,

you were born into wealth.

All of this I gave you,

traded with my own self.

In this world,

everyone else can mock me

and curse me,

but you cannot.

I thought back then

even if I fell into hell forever,

I couldn't stay poor anymore.