Original subtitles

[Spring of The Blade]

[Episode 13]

Our family did not come this far easily.

To stop enduring humiliation,

it has always come down to one thing:

fight.

Old Madam,

Qingyuan...

Qingyuan,

get up.

Now,

I'm asking you—

will you go to tomorrow's

southern opera or not?

I'll go.

♪ In these troubled times, men are more treacherous than ghosts ♪

♪ None can compare to your own flesh and blood ♪

♪ It's hard to tell what's false and what's true ♪

♪ Evil shall meet its due ♪

♪ The vile dog is finally dead ♪

♪ Let me come closer and take a look ♪

My Lady, you're truly amazing.

When Madam Hu discovered the invitation,

I thought we wouldn't be able to come.

I never expected

that you could get Old Madam to personally

approve our coming to watch the opera.

Actually, Grandmother

doesn't want me to marry Young Master Li either.

It's just that right now,

with Concubine Mei confined to Liuhua Courtyard,

there's no one managing household affairs,

and for the moment, Grandmother can't decide who should fill the position.

If Second Sister marries well,

and I am won over by First Madam,

then Grandmother will have

no pawns left to play.

Chunzhi,

let's just enjoy the opera.

Stop looking at her.

That little vixen

was given to Lord Yan long ago.

♪ Today, Yang kills the dog ♪

Second Sister,

don't speak of her like that.

♪ Today, to save my husband from the prison ♪

Chunzhi,

let's focus on the opera.

Look.

Those two children make such a fine pair.

♪ Madam ♪

♪ Such a huge, vicious dog ♪

Alright, alright.

♪ How did you manage to kill it? ♪

Let's enjoy the opera.

♪ Wu Zhong ♪

♪ Let me tell you the whole story ♪

Madam Hu is really underhanded.

The Heir clearly invited us,

yet she deliberately seated him beside Second Lady

and put us in the back row.

It doesn't matter.

Just what I wanted.

She's saved me quite a bit of trouble.

♪ Wu Zhong ♪

♪ Let me tell you the whole story ♪

-Bravo! -Bravo!

That was really good.

Bravo!

I'm Qingyuan, the fourth daughter of Army Inspector Xie of Hengtang.

I pay my respects to Your Lordship.

You saw everything on the table, right?

I unintentionally offended Your Lordship that day,

so I made these herbal snacks especially for Your Lordship as an apology.

I wonder

how Your Lordship finds the taste.

Since they're herbal snacks,

tell me,

what formula did you use?

I decocted astragalus,

codonopsis,

pinellia,

and earthworm

into a broth, then mixed it into the filling.

Based on the formula of Blood-Stasis-Expelling Decoction,

this is meant to treat Your Lordship's

lung abscess and heart impediment,

which arise from phlegm and blood stasis

obstructing the collaterals, stagnant lung qi,

and the resulting failure of the five organs.

Not even my own son knows

that I suffer from a lung abscess and heart impediment.

Who

told you

about my illness?

That day, outside the shop,

I noticed Your Lordship's voice was hoarse,

and your fingers were clubbed.

And it was already late spring,

yet Your Lordship was still sensitive to the cold

and needed a hand warmer.

These are symptoms of

extreme internal cold and organ failure.

If my guess is right,

Your Lordship didn't withdraw from the world

because of an eccentric, reclusive nature, as outsiders claim.

Rather, 5 years ago, Your Lordship

discovered that your old ailments

had built up into a serious illness,

and that is what suddenly changed you.

How dare you!

And from that alone,

you presume to conclude that I have a terminal illness?

Not only that.

To gain an audience with Your Lordship,

I looked into your whole life.

I know you went to the battlefield at the age of 14,

suffering 6 stab wounds while capturing northern invaders.

Despite your grievous wounds,

you killed hundreds of enemies

and held the banner high

as you waited alone for reinforcements.

You were left with injuries that have never truly healed.

I know that when you sought to have the Prince of Han named Crown Prince,

you knelt through the night in the snow,

enduring the bone-chilling cold,

and contracted a lung ailment.

I also know that, to protect the people here,

you've retained command of the troops while relinquishing political power,

staying shut in for years,

refusing to see outsiders.

Who sent you?

Chunzhi,

look.

He can even do somersaults.

Oh my!

Even if you don't say it,

I know.

It's

Yan Rui.

Since Your Lordship has already guessed it,

I won't hide it any longer.

You're right.

It was Lord Yan who instructed me that,

no matter what,

I had to find a way to meet Your Lordship in person.

Lord Yan sent me

to ask you for troops.

All this time, I thought

you'd calculated every move...

in order to

marry my son.

But I never expected...

you'd become a mouthpiece

for a corrupt official

who extorts provisions

and plunders the people's wealth

everywhere he goes.

Your Lordship,

I believe

Lord Yan

isn't the corrupt official everyone takes him for.

His original aim

is no different from

what you've always stood by,

though your paths are different.

You're done?

Bravo!

Quite a fine performance, isn't it?

First time I've seen such a fine performance.

Bravo!

I am Yan Rui.

Greetings, Your Lordship.

You've shown yourself after all.

I knew all along you were here eavesdropping.

One test,

and you revealed yourself.

Your Lordship has been avoiding me,

so I had no choice but to resort to this.

Lord Yan, you

look like an old friend of mine.

Very much alike.

Is that so?

I wonder which old acquaintance

could've left such a deep impression on Your Lordship.

Hengtang has

long been rotten to the core.

No one can save it.

I concealed my illness

to ensure stability in Hengtang's military command

and prevent the region from descending into chaos.

In that way, I suppose I've done

the people of Hengtang one good deed—

at least they won't be left with nothing.

Lord Yan,

what exactly is your purpose in coming

to borrow troops this time?

I came to Hengtang

for only 3 things:

disaster relief,

bandit suppression,

and rooting out corruption.

That's precisely why I have

come to ask Your Lordship for troops.

Why should I trust you?

You have endured your illness and forced yourself to hold on for years,

refusing to see outsiders,

all to preserve peace throughout Hengtang.

Why not take this opportunity to completely

uproot the Jiangnan Transport Commissioner,

the scourge,

once and for all?

You make it sound so easy.

Whether this succeeds or not,

you could simply dust off your robes

and return to the capital to report back.

But what about me?

I'd have to remain here,

clean up your mess,

and pick up the pieces.

You extort grain, hoard wealth,

and prey upon the people.

Who in Hengtang doesn't curse you

as a corrupt official and a villain?

If I kill you here...

I'll face no consequences.

The people will even cheer.

So why wouldn't I?

This man

is truly remarkable.

His Lordship really does have a good eye.

Right?

He performs well, doesn't he?

Chunzhi,

♪ Wu Zhong, come here ♪

look.

Look, someone else is coming.

♪ Come on ♪

♪ Stop pulling ♪

♪ I'm dead ♪

Your Lordship,

I know

you never intended to kill Qingyuan just now.

It was merely to draw me out.

Now I'm right here.

Your Lordship may do with me as you please.

But even if Your Lordship kills one corrupt official like me,

can you kill every corrupt official in Hengtang?

Your Lordship,

since Lord Yan has come to borrow troops from you,

he must already have a plan.

You two seek the same goal.

One person alone may not be able to accomplish it.

But if the two of you join forces,

perhaps victory will be within reach.

Your Lordship,

it all depends on

whether you're willing to take the gamble.

Is everything you said true?

Every word of it.

That vicious girl

left our whole family homeless and without a livelihood.

Second Madam,

please look at the contents of this confession letter carefully.

That's more than enough to finish her off.

I know.

Master San,

it's been a long time.

Lord Wei,

got any good business

for us again?

I heard that you previously

looted some government grain

but have been unable to find a way to sell it.

Now there's a golden opportunity.

On the eighth of next month,

the imperial court will be collecting grain.

Master San, you have the grain,

and Lord Xie and I

have official channels for selling it.

When the time comes, you'll only need a few of your men

to pose as grain merchants

and sell the grain separately.

Once the deal is done and the money is split,

we'll have more wealth

than we could spend in this lifetime.

However, Master San,

there's one more small matter.

Once the deal is done,

you'll need to help me kill someone.

That's just routine business.

What's so hard about that?

Lord Xie,

what do you say?

Lord Wei,

secrecy is the key to success.

You've gathered this whole pack of vicious criminals.

Once things spiral out of control,

we'll all be doomed.

I'm sorry, but

I cannot participate in this.

Same old rule—

I saw nothing

and know nothing.

You and I have already entered this game—

how can you back out now?

Don't forget

whose side you're on.

Master San,

this is Lord Xie.

The road is slippery. Be careful.

Old Madam,

I really wasn't trying to find fault with Qingyuan.

It's just that Chuntai went out on errands today

and happened to run into the shopkeeper.

That's how I found out about such a serious matter.

Well...

I didn't dare jump to conclusions,

so I troubled you to come.

You must see the witnesses and evidence

with your own eyes

to determine if this is all a misunderstanding.

Enough with your attempts to sway me.

What I want to see is the evidence!

Old Madam.

Let me go!

Speak.

For these past 10-odd years, Fourth Lady

has been running cons with this woman, cheating and fleecing people

like shameless rogues.

Don't talk nonsense!

They even committed crimes in Liuzhou

and have a criminal record.

No!

Don't talk nonsense!

They also have an accomplice.

His identity is unknown.

All we know is that he's a man.

Old Madam,

when the shopkeeper first told me all this,

I was skeptical too.

But when I saw Miss Dong...

Do you still remember her?

The horses that went missing

the day our residence caught fire—

we bought them all from her.

Your Yunduo

was picked out by the Xie family.

This afternoon,

it was taken into the Xie Residence

with several other horses.

And now, Qingyuan has hired this very woman

as the new shopkeeper of her business.

Old Madam,

well...

I...

Well,

I really can't say for certain anymore.

I don't know

if Qingyuan planted spies long ago

in our household

or if there are

really

such coincidences in the world.

Old Madam,

Old Madam,

you must give me justice!

Every word I've said is true!

This confession letter

is the evidence.

[Confession Letter—Maping County, Liuzhou]

That day,

I found out

that Fourth Lady was a fraud...

What did you say?

And

she wasn't of the Xie family bloodline at all.

[Jin Yunya] [Dong Fangchun]

Then she drove me out of the shop!

Old Madam,

you must give me justice!

Don't listen to his nonsense!

Old Madam,

I know this may be unpleasant to hear,

but I said it long ago.

Qingyuan

has always been a Chen.

She's never truly been one of us.

Now it seems

she's a fraud through and through.

She doesn't even count as a real member of the decent Chen family.

Well.

Very well.

What a scheming Fourth Lady!

My Lady,

everyone is waiting.

From the day I set foot in this household,

I knew

this day would come.

I just didn't expect it...

to come so soon.

We can't blame anyone else for this.

Who would've thought

that the Fourth Lady in our household

was an impostor trying to swindle money

from our family?

It's just a pity that our real child

died in a fire many years ago.

Master,

if Qingyuan is indeed an impostor,

what should we do with her?

What is there to decide?

Drive the fraud out, of course.

We'll do as Master says.

Fourth Lady has arrived!

Father,

Grandmother,

may I ask why you summoned me today?

Qingyuan,

do you know her?

Fangchun?

Grandmother,

why have you had my dear friend tied up here?

Show it to her.

[Confession Letter—Maping County, Liuzhou]

Now, someone has just come forward testifying against you,

saying that you and Miss Dong

swindled and cheated people together in Liuzhou as children,

[Confession Letter—Maping County, Liuzhou]

and that after growing up, you schemed your way into our household.

Is that true?

Grandmother,

Father,

I grew up with Fangchun.

But I don't understand

what's wrong with that.

I lost my mother when I was very young,

and I had no home.

If Fangchun hadn't helped me,

I might have died long ago.

That wasn't her fault.

If you must blame someone, blame me.

Blame me for having no one willing to take me in

when I was wandering the streets back then.

I was on my own from a young age.

If you hadn't needed me as a charm against misfortune,

you would never have brought me back to the family.

What scheme could there possibly have been in that?

As a child,

all I ever wanted was to have a home.

But I never imagined

that after finally returning home,

what awaited me

would be nothing but suspicion.

If the real Qingyuan had spent her life wandering

without anyone to rely on,

she could only blame her mother for committing murder.

She brought it upon herself.

What? Are you going to

blame Old Madam for kindly sparing

her life back then

and driving her out of the residence?

You're here acting all pitiful,

but you don't seem to realize we already know the truth—

the real Qingyuan died in a fire years ago.

You're just an impostor!

Second Madam, why are you framing me?

Father...

They deny who I am,

and you do too?

Child,

I don't want to believe it,

but this is suspicious.

Someone's testified that you're not my biological daughter.

You must explain this clearly.

Father...

Father, you don't remember me either.

Nine years ago,

on a snowy night, I encountered you.

That was the only time I'd ever

spent with you

since I was a child.

Come on, catch me!

Little Loser,

wait for me!

Come on, catch me!

Little Loser, you...

Whose child are you?

Sir,

I'm sorry.

Little Monkey,

why are you running so slowly?

Come catch me!

Little Loser!

Come catch me!

Stop right there!

Stop!

Father,

don't you remember?

There are countless things from the past.

I really can't remember everything.

Jin Chunqing died in the fire back then.

A fire that even an adult couldn't escape—

how could you, a child,

have escaped it?

I really don't remember how I escaped!

I was so little back then.

How could I possibly remember?

Fourth Madam died in that fire.

Why force Fourth Sister to dredge up the past?

Mother,

perhaps there's a misunderstanding in all this.

Stay out of it.

Second Madam,

I know why you've staged

this whole spectacle today.

Because you're scared.

You're afraid I'll expose

what you've concealed all these years.

But today,

it is you who have forced me to reveal it

in front of everyone.

Father,

Grandmother,

my mother didn't kill anyone back then.

The one who used euphorbia

to poison Concubine Xia was her!

I didn't harm Concubine Xia.

Clean up your own mess

before you point the finger at me.

Everything Qingyuan has said

is absolutely true.

Since when do you get a say here?

It's true, I don't get a say,

but I can't bear to watch

Qingyuan suffer wrongful accusations any longer!

Today, I'll

speak for what is right.

Jin Chunqing

didn't kill her!

What do you mean?

Tell us everything.

Mother,

Master,

I've failed the family.

Back then, it was Concubine Mei

who asked me for euphorbia.

She must've given it to Cui'er.

Cui'er.

Cui'er!

Tell me,

how did Concubine Xia die?

Speak!

It was...

It was Fourth Madam who gave me a bowl of pregnancy tonic.

I didn't know it was meant to harm someone.

I never imagined

Concubine Xia would die so suddenly from it.

And Chunqing was falsely accused of murder

and driven out of the household.

I was too weak.

I never dared tell anyone the truth.

All these years,

I've lived with a guilty conscience,

tormented by it day and night.

But thankfully...

Thankfully, Heaven sees all.

Qingyuan's return to the household

finally gave me the chance to tell the truth.

Father,

Grandmother,

a few days ago,

Third Madam and I had a small get-together.

She drank too much

and let the truth about what happened back then slip out.

Somehow,

it reached Second Madam's ears.

Second Madam

then came up with this charade today.

She wants me to end up like my mother—

driven out of the household

and bearing a bad name for the rest of my life,

with nowhere to seek justice!

Now that the truth has finally come to light,

Father,

Grandmother,

you must seek justice for my mother.

Without any proof,

what justice are you talking about?

I didn't harm Fourth Madam

and Fifth Madam.

W-Why

are you all staring at me?

W-Why don't you say something about her?

A-Are you out of your mind?

Why drag me into your mess?

You told me about the euphorbia!

What are you talking about?

Enough, all of you!

What a cursed family.

Second Madam,

you claim I'm not Father's daughter.

Do you have any proof?

If those stories you made up

count as evidence,

then what Third Madam just testified

is enough to send you to prison

and make you pay with your life!

If you're so sure of yourself,

let's see your proof!

This Xie Residence is

so lively again today.

You two, get up.

I've failed in managing my family.

Servants and womenfolk are making a scene,

bringing shame upon the household,

and there isn't a shred of propriety left.

Lord Yan, no wonder

you can come and go in my residence freely,

as if walking through unguarded territory.

You put it too strongly, Lord Xie.

We both serve the Emperor.

Aren't we practically family in that regard?

On this fine day,

I've prepared

a great gift for everyone here.

What kind of gift?

Men,

bring the gift!

Last night, I caught a thief

who works for your household.

Second Madam, save me.

Chuntai?

-You... -Second Madam.

From now on,

you'd better be careful.

You should know, "The hardest thief to guard against

is the one under your own roof."

You little thing,

haven't I treated you well enough?

Yet you stole money?

I really didn't steal money.

I was just delivering money for Second Madam.

D-Delivering what money?

I never asked you to deliver money!

Second Young Master, your letter.

Read it out loud.

"Respectfully to Madam,

at 7:45 tonight.

Do you still remember

your old acquaintance, Cui'er?

Please prepare 50 taels of silver by tomorrow night.

Otherwise, we all go down together."

Who is Cui'er?

What right does she have to demand

50 taels of silver from my mother by tomorrow night?

"Otherwise, we all go down together"?

She's threatening Mother!

Second Young Master, please calm down.

I'll go find Second Madam now.

Thank you, Lord Yan,

for bringing the evidence I wanted.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

Father, Grandmother,

my dear friend can leave now, can't she?

Go.

Quickly.

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

Let me go!

Let go of me!

-Fourth Lady Xie, are you satisfied? -Let go of me!

-Thank you, Lord Yan. -Let go!

Lord Yan.

I thank you for bringing

this thieving maidservant

to our household today.

My Lord, if you have no other business,

we shouldn't keep you from your official duties.

Not at all.

With such a brilliant show,

how could I possibly leave before seeing the ending?

So, Old Madam, please don't rush me off.

Fourth Lady Xie, just now, you said

this woman is your witness.

Doesn't that mean you're in the know as well?

Lord Yan, you're right.

I wrote the letter Chuntai received.

I used the identity of Cui'er,

the medicine servant who once attended my mother,

to write the blackmail letter to Second Madam.

Cui'er

was the only witness who testified against my mother

for murder back then.

I wrote that letter

not for money,

but to set a trap

and lure out the real murderer.

Mei Yinghua,

how dare you!

You ungrateful wretch,

who gave you the nerve?

You committed such a grave offense out of your own selfishness,

and now you drag me into it?

I was wrong, Second Madam.

Chuntai,

don't be afraid.

Who exactly ordered you to do that?

Tell us the truth.

Whatever wrongdoing Chuntai committed,

you may judge and punish her as you see fit—

why pin it on me?

Besides,

we still haven't found out

whether the "Qingyuan" here is real or an impostor!

Enough!

With Lord Yan here,

you still dare act so insolently?

Fine then.

I'll decide this myself.

Donglin.

Drag this wretched maid away

and punish her according to family rules!

Yes, Old Madam.

No...

Second Madam, save me.

I didn't steal money.

Second Madam, save me.

Second Madam, please save me!

Second Madam!

Is that it?

Your Xie family is really interesting.

I thought it'd be just a petty household case today.

I didn't expect it to turn into

a serious case involving human lives.

What should we do now,

Lord Xie?

It's not that complicated.

Lord Yan, you've misunderstood.

These are merely trivial matters between the women in my household.

When my wife, concubines, and daughters

get into it with one another,

it's always a matter of life and death.

As they say, even immortals can't settle family disputes.

Fourth Madam's case back then

was already settled beyond dispute.

Now, the matter of a few servant girls

is simply a trivial household matter.

I can handle it myself perfectly well.

You needn't concern yourself with it.

Come on, hurry!

Tie them tighter!

Secure them well!

Be careful.

And over here!

Come on, let's go!

Hurry up!

Lord Wei,

I've delivered all the grain to you.

Where's the money?

Don't be so impatient.

The drum atop the city tower has already sounded.

The money

will be here shortly.

Master,

the drum atop the city tower is sounding.

Something major must be happening.

Today is the eighth—

the day the court collects the grain.

Wrong.

That's not the signal for grain collection.

It's an imperial order

to open the granaries and distribute grain.

Distribute grain?

Aren't you supposed to be collecting it?

By order of Lord Yan,

open the granaries and distribute grain!

By order of Lord Yan,

open the granaries and distribute grain!

That's the sound of grain distribution.

By order of Lord Yan...

Really?

Open the granaries and distribute grain!

That's the sound of grain distribution!

That's impossible!

The government granaries are empty.

Where would the grain even come from?

The grain's arrived!

It's really arrived! It's really here!

Right over there!

Hurry, hurry!

What did you say?

Distribute grain?

Impossible!

What grain could they possibly distribute?

They don't have any grain.

So what grain could he possibly distribute?

Whose grain is it?

My Lord,

the grain you collected has all been distributed to the refugees.

Where's the money?

I'm asking you—where's the money?

Money?

There's no money.