Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 37]

I thought to myself back then

even if it meant falling into hell and never getting out,

I couldn't stay poor.

Father!

You told me...

your mother has forgiven me.

What about you?

I pity you.

Father.

Father.

Father.

If you don't want to stay here,

you can go down the mountain too.

Father...

Let's go down the mountain together.

You don't need to care about these things.

Father.

Look.

You and I—

aren't we doing just fine?

That bastard Gu

and that crazy woman—

we don't even know them.

He's just

an exile from Ningguta,

a dirt‑poor tea farmer.

But you're Li Million.

You are...

Father.

You're the wealthiest man

in the capital's business world,

a businessman with a red official's hat

who is trusted by the imperial court.

Father.

Forget all of this.

Just be my father, and mine alone.

Alright, Father?

Let's go down the mountain.

A mistake this big is too much

to make even once, let alone twice.

Now do you see

why I didn't let you

associate with that Gu?

Child,

you truly are clever,

but far too competitive.

The family wealth I'm leaving you

is enough for you to live a lifetime in comfort.

Don't go into business.

Go back to the capital

and do whatever you want except that.

Father...

You want me to go back alone?

I don't have the strength

to step out this door.

Coming here

at this time

was heaven's will.

I will die here,

live through 10 lifetimes,

and end up becoming the most lowly dust.

[Composure and Equanimity]

Repay my debts,

make amends,

and atone.

The person who set me up in the imperial examination back then

was you.

I knew you came to the capital.

I was afraid if you really passed the exam,

the show couldn't go on.

You just think I can't

compete with Gu Pingyuan.

You underestimate me.

Let me make a bet with you.

I'll compete with him fairly

in business.

When I crush him

and make his entire family

disappear,

I'll come to pick you up.

[Li's Draft Bank, Nanjing]

Sir.

I want to make a deal with you.

I'm just a small merchant.

How dare I do business with you?

You must be joking.

Am I joking with you,

or are you joking with me?

I heard your father

became a monk and is now living in seclusion.

You're in charge now.

How about this?

However much your family

spent on the salt fields,

Jiangnan and Jiangxi will pay you back in full.

Go back to the capital.

Sir.

You were the one who invited us here.

This draft bank

was also opened at your request.

The Li family invested so much money

in Jiangnan and Jiangxi.

Do you expect us

to just obediently go back because you say so?

The Li family's business

doesn't belong solely to us.

If you want to get your hands on it,

you should first ask the others involved.

Stop trying to intimidate me with big names.

Indeed.

I know your Li family

has the Sixth Prince's capital behind it.

But when it comes to the livelihood of Jiangnan and Jiangxi

and the imperial court's tax revenue,

even if His Highness were here,

I doubt he could protect you.

Let me remind you of something:

the one I invited was your father,

not you, a little nobody.

Everyone abandons a sinking ship.

Without your father,

do you think the Sixth Prince will still shield you?

As for the business in Jiangnan and Jiangxi,

it has nothing to do with your Li family.

Since your father has retired,

you should go back now.

By the way,

This "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries"

is for you.

After you go back, read it, and learn some sense.

Come back

only when you've learned

how to be a proper man.

Do you understand?

Sir.

According to what you said,

our previous bet no longer counts?

You really thought you would win?

Why don't you take a look at the accounts?

That's only because

the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

has been backing Gu Pingyuan.

The Salt Monopoly and Distribution Franchise System

is an outdated system now.

It's pointless to still talk about

the legality of salt these days.

It doesn't matter if you don't accept it.

The date of our wager is almost here.

If you lose,

just hurry up and leave.

Don't forget to leave the shares to me.

Don't embarrass yourself here.

His Excellency is returning home!

[Salt Industry Guild]

This Li Qin

is getting more and more outrageous.

He even sent people

to my salt store to poach workers.

And he's already taken away

a few well-trained hands.

They say he offered them

double the pay.

Who does business

like that?

Exactly!

Exactly!

Yes.

All my staff have left.

Mr. Tu,

which are the largest salt-producing regions

in our country right now?

There are 5 major

salt-producing regions.

The Changlu Salt Region

covers Leting,

Tanghai,

Tanggu, and nearby counties.

The Fengtian Salt Region

is the largest salt-producing area beyond the pass,

though transportation there isn't very convenient.

Then there's

the Laizhou Bay Salt Region

along the Shandong coast,

which was once

the fief of Jiang Ziya

and later

the territory of the Kingdom of Qi

after the fall of the Shang dynasty.

There's also

our Lianghuai Salt Region,

and finally the well salt region

in Fushun, Sichuan.

The salt we sell

in our store today

is a mix

of Lianghuai salt and well salt.

In terms of taste,

well salt

is slightly superior.

Actually, I have some

rough ideas

and would like to hear your thoughts.

I've been thinking,

people consume salt

in limited quantities, right?

You can't possibly eat salt

as your main food for every meal.

We already have enough

salt shops now.

Opening another one

would at most

take a bigger slice of the market's profits.

It's not a wise move

and not worth doing.

The problem is Li

has already come knocking.

With his abundant capital,

if we open one new shop,

he can open two next door.

What should we do?

Do we have to

lower our prices again?

-Yeah. -We can't do that.

A price war

is just a desperate measure.

If we continue this war like this,

everyone will end up losing everything.

That's no longer business.

It's just being stubborn.

Besides,

I can't keep this up much longer.

[Tranquility of Autumn]

It got stained.

It's okay, Mother.

I'll have your son buy me another one.

Yu'er.

Let me.

Mother still refuses to drink it.

Mother,

I had someone bring

goose‑fat cakes for you from Jiangning.

Take your medicine first,

and then you can have the cakes.

I'm not a child.

Why bother coaxing me?

If something is bothering you,

just tell me.

But you must

take the medicine.

Pingyuan,

help me up.

Let me sit for a while.

Why do you look so pale?

Are you stunned?

There's been too much going on lately.

Pingwen scolded me,

saying I never should have

taken you away from home,

and that I've only harmed you by doing this.

I think he had a point.

If I hadn't insisted on going to the capital

for the imperial examination back then,

none of this would have happened.

Were you ever in control?

There's no immortal

who tells us

what we're supposed to do.

If I had known

he would never return,

I wouldn't have let him go.

Wouldn't that have solved everything?

But what's the point

of saying this now?

It's all fate.

Even if fate really exists,

I'm going to fight it.

Mother,

you must stay well.

One day you'll have

grandchildren.

You still have a long, long life ahead of you.

You can't just let go.

Be honest with me.

Do you want

that man to come back

to see you?

If you do,

no matter how I feel about it,

I can go beg him—

I can go kneel to him

and kowtow to him—

as long as it makes you happy,

I'll do anything.

What would I want him back for?

All my life,

I've been holding on

to this one thing—

I never knew if he was dead or alive,

where he died,

and whether his remains

were left out

in the wind and rain.

But as you've seen,

he's living just fine,

even changed his surname.

Isn't that

the biggest joke on me?

Pingyuan,

now that I've finally let go of this burden,

I feel empty inside.

No medicine can fix that.

Just let me be.

No.

You can't think that way.

That man changed his name,

and his heart changed too.

The person you've been waiting for

died on his way

to the imperial examination.

He is a dead man now.

But we are still alive.

We can't let a dead man

trample over us,

can we?

Pingwen.

Why do you have to be angry with me?

Take good care of Mother

these next few days.

I'm going on a trip.

Where are you going?

I'm going to Jinshan Temple.

Are you going to bring him back

or acknowledge him as your father?

It's too late.

He has a son now.

And you, Gu Pingyuan,

are nothing to him.

You think hiding away solves everything?

I've seen enough of the past,

and I don't want to look at what's ahead.

Kid...

Don't call me kid!

Your kid is down the mountain.

Seeing how devoted you are to your mother

makes me feel gratified.

When I saw her that day,

I knew

the dream had to end.

I couldn't keep pretending anymore.

What do you mean by that?

You don't want to deal with anything anymore?

I won't hold it against you

how you wronged me back then.

But now my mother's life is hanging by a thread,

and she won't even take her medicine.

As her son,

I don't know how to persuade her.

I just hope

you can go see her

and say something, anything,

to ease her heart

so she can keep living.

What did your mother say?

She said now that she's finally seen you,

her wish has been fulfilled,

and she doesn't have the strength

to hold on.

What should I say to her?

How should I say it?

Indeed.

It seems

you've never regretted

a single thing you did.

You really are shameless.

I told my mother,

"You don't need to wait for him anymore."

"He died long ago,"

"on the road to the capital"

"for the imperial examination."

"That man is dead,"

"and his heart has changed."

Well said.

Well said.

Well said.

[Tranquil Mind]

Since that's the case,

Master, I wish you a long life

and an early ascent to paradise.

[Tranquil Mind]

Mr. Gu!

Gu Tanyue!

Sir!

What happened to him?

Suicide.

How did he die?

Poison.

He carried his medicine with him.

Did he ask you to call me?

He said he wanted to give you closure.

Amitabha.

Pingyuan?

Why are you back so late?

Mother?

Are you feeling better now?

I dreamed about him last night.

He was standing at the door,

right there,

just like the day

he left,

with his backpack on his back,

his basket in hand,

and inside were brush, ink, inkstone,

and the rice balls I made for him.

He said to me...

He said,

"I failed the exam."

I told him,

"So what?"

"Our son has made something of himself."

"Isn't that even happier news"

"than you passing the exam?"

He said he was tired

and wanted to sleep a little,

and that's when I knew he was dead.

He regretted it after all.

Yes.

He regretted it.

He said

he really wanted to come back.

So I didn't wait for nothing.

There's so much temptation

out there in the world.

You took a wrong turn

but still managed to come back—

that's a blessing.

How did he die?

He...

he just died,

without pain.

I know that, of course.

What's wrong with you?

I...

I haven't been feeling well these past few days.

Yesterday I went to see the doctor.

This morning,

when I went to get my medicine,

he told me...

I'm pregnant.

What are you doing? Are you stunned?

Yu'er,

go back to your room now and rest.

When I recover,

I'll help you take care of the baby.

Mother is right.

Come on, let me help you back.

I don't need your help.

I can walk on my own.

What are you waiting for?

Mother.

Go and ask

who examined her pulse.

Well...

You...

Thank you.

Take care.

[Tongji Pharmacy]

Pingwen!

[Memorial]

The host bows in return!

[Memorial]

Pingyuan?

Pingyuan?

Pingyuan,

snap out of it.

Yu'er has fainted from crying

several times already.

What if something happens

to her child?

Mother,

wouldn't it be better if we went back to Huizhou?

The host bows in return!

[Memorial]

You haven't seen me get married yet.

Mother...

Why didn't I

stay longer in her room?

When Mother fell asleep,

she was smiling.

She passed away in her sleep.

The elders say

it was her time to go,

and that she didn't suffer.

That was the result of the blessings she accumulated in her life.

As her children,

we should be happy for her.

Ten years of wandering,

ten years of struggle.

We never had a chance to truly care for her.

I hate myself.

Even if I had the strength of nine oxen,

I couldn't

pull her back from the underworld.

She knew she was going to be a grandmother.

This child came at the perfect time,

yet also too late.

You two must stay well.

Understand?

I won't allow you to get sick.

I won't allow any misfortune.

Both you and the child

must be safe.

The host bows in return!

The host bows in return!

Young Master,

the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

has sent people to offer their condolences.

Would you like to greet them in return?

I'm not going.

They invited my father.

They didn't invite me to Jiangnan and Jiangxi.

The Sixth Prince's Mansion sent the funeral gifts.

I had the account office issue the reward money,

and in your name,

wrote a thank-you note.

Some of the old managers

who have been working

for the Old Master

want to ask you a few questions in person.

Do you have time to see them?

I don't.

If they want to ask questions,

tell them to go ask the Old Master

in the underworld.

There's one more...

Will this ever end?

Young Master,

today,

you really can't yell at me.

I've already written my resignation letter.

After the seven days of mourning,

I'll retire and go home.

This business is yours now.

You can run it however you like.

But the Old Master's spirit hasn't left yet,

and I can't ignore my responsibility.

I worked for him my whole life,

and I don't want to leave things unfinished.

The mother of Mr. Gu

has passed away.

Should we

send some funeral gifts?

The Old Master made mistakes—

it's not my place to say that—

but he did

feel regret before he died.

Sending something over

would fulfill his last wish.

You're quite thoughtful.

So tell me,

do you think my father was wrong?

If he was wrong,

that means he shouldn't have married

into our Li family.

And if he hadn't,

I wouldn't have been born.

What did I do wrong?

Why do all of you

hate me so much?

Do you have anything else to say?

The Salt Industry Guild

asked you to go for the account review.

Account review?

What account?

Back then you and Mr. Gu

made a wager for 6 months.

There's one month left.

I told them you'd go

after the seven-day mourning period.

Is Gu Pingyuan ready

to hand it over?