Original subtitles

[Spring of The Blade]

[Episode 4]

-Please! -That corrupt official brought no rice!

You corrupt official!

Protect His Lordship!

Catch him!

Let me go!

I know you've suffered a lot.

I also know this world is unfair to you.

Trust me.

I will

definitely help you.

You're awake.

How am I still alive?

His Lordship

is the top interrogator in the Criminal Justice Office.

If he didn't want you dead,

he wouldn't miss by half an inch.

Now drink your chicken soup.

It's made with premium ginseng and silkie chicken.

With just a few superficial wounds like yours,

2 or 3 months' rest and you'll be fine.

I'm not drinking it.

There are still many people who have nothing to eat.

Before His Lordship came here,

he swore an oath to His Majesty

that from this day forth,

there will be no more corrupt officials in Hengtang.

Now that he's here,

those who gave you stale rice

and left you starving

will surely pay

for what they have done.

So,

just keep the money,

focus on recovering,

and wait for the news.

Leave the rest to us.

Now drink your soup.

I can do my part, too.

[Zuixian Tavern]

I've invited you all here today

to ask for a favor, to be honest.

Help me collect grain.

At 3 times the market price.

I hope I can count on your support, gentlemen.

Money

will certainly not be an issue.

This will allow me to answer to the imperial court.

I see.

I'll be counting on

your guidance in the days ahead, Lord Wei.

Lord Yan,

you're too kind.

We're the ones who'll be counting on you.

Right?

-Yes, yes. -That's right.

Alright,

enough shop talk.

Let's begin.

Come on.

To Lord Yan. To Lord Yan.

-Fire! -Fire!

-Put out the fire! -Put out the fire!

Fire!

Put it out!

To Lord Yan. To Lord Yan.

Come on.

Oh no!

Help!

Where's the fire?

It seems to be the Xie Residence.

Go help put out the fire!

-Yes. Got it. -Go. Hurry.

I'll take my leave then.

Follow me!

Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Fan Zhong.

Follow them.

Yes.

[Xie Residence of Hengtang]

Lord Yan,

I've long heard of

your remarkable bearing.

Seeing you today,

I see the rumors were true.

Old Madam, you flatter me.

I came here today because

I heard there was a fire at your residence.

I wanted to see

if there was anything I could do

to help.

It was only a small fire.

Hardly worth troubling you over,

Lord Yan.

By the way,

I heard Lord Xie has taken ill,

and His Majesty has allowed him to return home to recuperate.

I wonder when he'll arrive?

I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Lord Yan.

Shu has

an old injury in his back

and cannot sit in a carriage for long,

so he hired a boat

to travel by water.

This detour

will likely

take some time.

That's truly a pity.

It seems

I won't have the chance to meet him after all.

I see the fire did quite a bit of damage.

You must've suffered some pretty heavy losses.

So, Zhengjun,

why don't you consider

selling your family's grain reserve to me?

It might help make up for some of your losses.

Your Lordship,

it's not that I'm unwilling to sell.

We simply have no surplus grain left.

Don't try to fool me.

Just a few days ago, you had 30 boatloads of fresh grain.

It's true—we transported the grain

out of the city overnight yesterday.

Those 30 boatloads

have already passed Menghu Gorge.

What, you don't believe me?

Look,

I even have the travel permit here.

[Detailed Grain Shipment Record]

[Xie Residence of Hengtang]

My Lord.

Go check immediately

to see whether the amount of grain listed on the Xie family's travel permits

matches the quantities recorded in their ledgers.

Yes.

My Lord, are you suggesting

they might've been swapping the grain,

using the Xie family's caravans

to smuggle relief grain out of Hengtang in batches,

sell it, then bring back the same amount of stale rice

to distribute to the refugees?

That's what I suspect.

Hengtang has suffered disasters year after year,

yet the Xie family is constantly shipping out dozens,

even hundreds, of boatloads of grain.

Where is all that grain coming from?

And why have the court's relief officials

repeatedly failed to make any headway?

Something's not right.

I have a feeling

that the Xie family is the breakthrough

we need in this embezzlement case.

[Xie Residence of Hengtang]

Your Lordship.

You're personally adorning the Buddha with auspicious markings.

Heaven will surely be moved by your sincerity,

driving away evil spirits and watching over us,

keeping us safe and blessed.

Yes, indeed.

Lord Wei?

Your Lordship?

Don't panic, you guys.

Your Lordship.

Why don't we just

trade our grain

with him for money?

Trade? How much are you planning to trade?

Would any of the grain we have left

survive scrutiny?

What if Yan Rui turns on us and denies everything?

We'd have far more to lose.

Exactly.

At a time like this, handing over grain

would be far too risky.

We can't afford to take that gamble.

Yeah, we can't afford it.

Lord Wei,

what do you think?

Your Lordship.

Your Lordship, please say something!

County Sheriff is absolutely right.

Yes.

Yan Rui

is determined to investigate the Xie family estate manager's case.

If he's only after some grain,

that's no great concern.

What worries me is that he may have another motive,

so we must not let our guard down.

But for now, gentlemen,

stay calm.

Go home and await word.

-Well… -Await word?

Please, Buddha, bless us!

Please let that demon Yan Rui

get the hell out of Hengtang as soon as possible!

Ji San,

go get Guo Baofeng.

My Lord.

We've found the murderer of the estate manager.

But he'd already been silenced by the time we found him.

My Lord,

we've hit a dead end.

There's very little information on this guy.

We only found that he'd gotten into trouble in the northwest.

Nothing else.

Those hands...

He used to be a carpenter.

Changyan.

Come up and talk.

Alright.

Changyan,

you're really

getting the hang of it.

Baofeng.

I heard

it was you who killed that estate manager?

Yes,

I killed him.

You killed him?

Yes.

You're really something else.

Nothing gets past you.

Why did you kill him?

Who ordered you to kill him?

Who ordered you to kill him?

Changyan! Changyan.

Changyan.

That wretched servant worked at the Xie Estate

and secretly kept a ledger of our dealings.

My men learned he was going to report it to Yan Rui,

so I had no choice

but to strike first!

You fool!

Yan Rui is notorious.

Think about it—

why would that estate manager

choose him to expose the truth?

Have you ever wondered why?

You mean Yan Rui is hiding something from us?

Changyan! Changyan!

I acted rashly.

I was only worried

that once the ledger was exposed,

you'd be implicated, Changyan.

Where's the ledger?

Changyan!

The ledger fell into the river

the night the estate manager died

and was swept away by the current!

No one knows where it went!

[Respectfully Awaiting Your Presence at the Shangsi Gathering]

[Presented by the Founding Count's Family to the Esteemed Xie Household]

You could've simply

sent a servant to deliver the invitation.

There was no need for you, Lady Prefect,

to come in person.

The invitation may be a small matter,

but the banquet is not.

[Lady Prefect]

Well, you're aware

why this Spring Banquet is being held.

It concerns the selection of the Founding Count family's Head Madam,

so we must take every precaution.

Indeed.

We'll just have to see

which young lady

can win Her Ladyship's favor then.

By the way,

are the introductory gifts for the Spring Banquet ready?

Which young lady made this?

It's exquisite.

These Go stones are beautifully polished.

Founding Countess

adores playing Go,

so this gift

is sure to please her.

Eldest Lady made this in her spare time.

And look,

Qingrong's embroidery, "Spring's Unparalleled Beauty",

is quite elegant too.

Why don't I see Fourth Lady's gift?

Qingyuan went out to run an errand for Old Madam.

She only recently returned to the family

and still has much to learn,

so she didn't have time

to prepare a gift.

Please forgive

our lack of manners.

They're all fine young ladies,

and the gifts are all lovely.

Even if Fourth Lady is busy,

it's the thought

that counts.

Of course.

Please take a seat.

Put it down!

Shut up!

A born wretch like you

thinks you're fit to use Go stones?

I'd say the mud at the bottom of the pond

suits you better.

I polished them myself!

So what if you polished them yourself?

Who do you think you are?

Second Sister,

please.

I won't fight you over anything.

Everything's yours.

I'm begging you.

Stop throwing them!

I'm begging you!

You're just like your mother—

both utterly beneath notice.

Second Sister.

Is this a copy of Zhao Chang's painting?

It's beautifully done.

Put it down.

Yes.

You...

My hand slipped.

Don't listen to her nonsense.

She only knows how to play innocent.

-How dare you... -Second Sister. Third Sister.

You both know how to protect your own hard work,

so why treat Eldest Sister's

hard work

as worthless?

You little wretch.

How dare you lecture me?

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

Let go!

What are you waiting for?

Get her!

-Throw her into the water! -Let go of me!

-Let go of me! -Second Sister!

This has nothing to do with Fourth Sister!

Let her go!

Let me go!

Let go!

Today, I'll show you

who rules this Xie household!

Push her in!

Stop!

What are you doing?

Put it down.

Yes.

You...

This is perilla candy Granny taught me to make.

Please accept them, Lord Yan.

My Lord.

My Lord, are you taking medicine?

Are you sick?

I'll go get a doctor.

No need.

Any leads?

I found a flower token on the murderer

and traced it back.

Only Zuixian Tavern

uses this kind of premium flower paper,

with a delicate

little wine jug painted on the back.

One token is given for every 50 taels spent.

Every official at the Hengtang county government

has one on their desk.

And Second Young Master Xie is a regular there.

The Xie family again.

My Lord, are you waiting for

Xie Shu to return to Hengtang?

What if he doesn't come back anytime soon?

What do we do then?

Wine, women, wealth, and power.

There's plenty I can do.

Isn't the Spring Banquet for the Shangsi Festival coming up?

Let's just wait a little longer.

W... Wait?

Wait until this rain falls

and the waters of Hengtang turn murky.

Once the waters turn murky,

we can start fishing.

[A Legacy of Virtue for Eternity]

It was all my fault.

I shouldn't have argued with Second Sister.

Just now,

you took all the blame upon yourself...

I'm fine.

You needn't worry about me.

When you go back, remember to comfort Third Madam.

Don't let her worry.

But in these inner quarters,

the truth is often the least important thing.

I only hope

I can live peacefully with my mother

here at Hanxiang Parlor.

Is that so?

My mother used to think the same way.

But you've all seen

how it ended for her.

Second Sister and Third Sister

can afford to be so spoiled and overbearing

because they have Head Madam's protection.

But what about you?

When your mother was wrongfully accused,

there was nothing you could do.

Because you simply didn't stand high enough.

Even if you keep yielding,

again and again,

you and your mother

will still be bullied

and humiliated.

Eldest Sister.

Are you truly

willing to be a discarded pawn?

You still have a choice

in which path you take.

[A Legacy of Virtue for Eternity]

Lord Yan.

Are you going to keep investigating the estate manager's case?

I need to notify the government

and make the necessary arrangements.

You may leave us.

I couldn't care less

how the estate manager died.

What I care about

is the grain he had that's now missing.

You mean the grain?

Exactly.

The relief grain we've received is nowhere near enough.

If you gentlemen

weren't hoarding your grain so tightly

and refusing to sell it to me,

I wouldn't have to keep

squeezing grain out of the Xie family day after day.

Luckily, I've come into

a little extra money today.

If you gentlemen trust me,

I'm willing to double the price

I pay for the grain.

All I ask

is that you help me out of this urgent situation.

Nice wine.

Since you're being so generous, Lord Yan,

we can

hardly refuse.

Gentlemen,

if you'd like to trade your grain with Lord Yan,

please feel free to do so.

Great. Excellent.

In that case...

Sheriff He.

Your Lordship.

Just find some excuse

and close the case of the estate manager's death.

We can't let the Xie family's money

go to waste,

can we?

I understand.

Come on,

a toast to Lord Yan.

Come on.

-To Lord Yan. -To Lord Yan.

[Wuzhu Courtyard]

Qingru may be thoughtless,

but you should know better!

With such a distinguished guest present,

how could you be so lacking in tact?

You're right, Mother.

I was wrong.

But it was

that wretched girl who started it.

She was the one who tore Second Sister's painting first.

Even so, it was not your place to teach her a lesson.

Madam.

Qingyuan took all the blame upon herself

and begged Old Madam to release Qinghe.

Old Madam agreed,

but she was furious that she had been embarrassed in front of Lady Prefect.

Madam,

you know what Second Madam is like.

She's taking this opportunity

to have Nanny Rong handle this matter.

With all these old and new grievances,

there's bound to be a commotion.

Let's just sit back and enjoy the show.

How dare you smile?

Old Madam may have spared you,

but I certainly won't.

Go and copy the Heart Sutra 100 times.

Got it.

I took all the blame

so Old Madam would feel even more sorry for me—

and so that those with ulterior motives

would willingly walk into my trap.

[A Legacy of Virtue for Eternity]

Fourth Lady.

Please come to the front hall.

Everyone's waiting.

Very well.

It may seem as if I've fallen into the hands of a wicked servant like you,

but this is also my chance to turn your own blade against you.

Fourth Lady, please.

[Jingmu Hall]

Old Madam punished me by making me kneel in the ancestral hall,

but she never said I'd be flogged.

Are you taking advantage of the situation, Nanny?

How could you say that, Fourth Lady?

I'd never dare to abuse my position to settle a personal grudge.

According to the Xie family rules,

for disobeying your elder sister and offending a distinguished guest,

you deserve 10 lashes.

Old Madam

simply forgot.

So as the governess,

I'm merely helping to enforce the rule.

Do the family rules specify

that the cane must be dipped in salt water?

You're indeed smart, Fourth Lady.

You even know this is salt water.

The rules only say 10 lashes—

they never specify what kind of whip to use.

Fine.

Since it's a family rule,

then you may carry it out, Nanny.

But let me remind you:

however many lashes you strike me with today,

I will

return them in full one day.

Fourth Lady,

that's quite a bold claim.

[Jingmu Hall]

Did you all hear that?

Look who's talking.

First survive

these 10 lashes,

then we'll see.

Take her away!

[Jingmu Hall]

Xie Qingyuan,

look at you now!

Back off.

Maybe we should call it a day.

Keep this up and you'll kill her.

Since when do you get to lecture me?

Xie Qingyuan.

You've got quite a stiff backbone, don't you?

Much tougher than your mother was

back then.

[Jingmu Hall]

Why don't you follow your mother's example and bow your head in apology?

Then I might let you off the hook.

Very well, very well.

Since you refuse to take the easy way out,

I'll teach you a lesson

the hard way!

[Jingmu Hall]

Lord Yan.

I had no idea

the rules of the Xie household

were set by a mere servant.

Lord Yan,

this is a private family matter—

Lord Yan, you…

Since you're so fond of rules,

I'll let you experience your own rules firsthand.

Fan Zhong.

No, no, no...

Lord Yan.

Lord Fan.

I was simply following orders.

-I can't possibly stand your whipping... -You're so skilled at interrogation.

It's a waste of your talent to stay with the Xie family.

Why don't you come work for the Criminal Justice Office instead?

You can have a proper discussion

with my subordinate, Fan Zhong.

Yan Rui!

You're being utterly presumptuous!

Keep beating her!

Old Madam!

Save me!

What on earth is going on?

Lord Yan.

Our Xie family is a prestigious clan, after all.

Do you truly intend to

show such disrespect to our patriarch?

Your patriarch?

I answer only to His Majesty.

Even a feudal prince

has no hold over me.

If you think invoking Xie Shu will intimidate me,

perhaps you've grown senile.

You...

Fan Zhong.

Keep her alive

and take good care of her.

Yes!

Save me, Second Madam!

What a joke!

I'd like to see who dares step out that gate today!

Do you truly think you can bully our Xie family

just because there's no one here to stand up for us?

How formidable, Old Madam.

Looks like you've been letting these lackeys

throw their weight around in your name for quite some time.

No wonder they've all grown so full of themselves.

I happen to have some free time tonight,

so I'm kindly teaching them a lesson for you.

Aren't you worried I'll file an imperial petition

-and bring you before His Majesty? -Go ahead.

But you'll have to take a number.

There must be hundreds of petitions filed against me before His Majesty.

One more won't make a difference.

It's just Lord Xie's been

working diligently to build his career in the Northern Frontier,

only to have his reputation ruined

by these ignorant women at home.

What a shame.

You...

You...

You...

Xie Qingyuan

is a key witness in a case under my authority.

I'm taking her into protective custody.

Any objections?

Even if there is,

I couldn't care less.

Thank you for saving my life, Lord Yan.

But it's so late.

What brought you to the Xie Residence?

If you hadn't gone to such great lengths

to make those poisoned candies for me—

causing my heart to race uncontrollably, my inner energy to stagnate,

and even making me cough up blood—

how could I have been so rude

as to go to the Xie Residence to look for you, lady?

Poison?

Your Lordship, give me your hand.

Your Lordship, I'm afraid you've misunderstood.

Did you perhaps

channel your energy or practice martial arts

after eating the perilla candy?

It's my fault for not explaining this clearly to Your Lordship.

This perilla candy is meant to refresh the mind and sharpen the senses,

so it contains not only mint and ice leaf,

but also a small amount of

toad venom

to invigorate blood circulation and dispel blood stasis.

Both ingredients

are extremely potent.

Within 8 hours

after taking the medicine,

you must not practice martial arts

or channel your energy.

Ordinary people

won't have any problems after eating it.

If Your Lordship doesn't believe me,

you can test it yourself.

Now you

believe me, right?

It is my fault

that Your Lordship had to suffer like that.

But you accused me of trying to harm you—

how could I have known

when you'd take the medicine

or practice martial arts?

Since that's the case,

may I get off the carriage?

Xie Qingyuan.

You certainly have some nerve.

Of all the things you could have done,

you chose to try your tricks on me.

I don't care why you're so determined

to stay in the Xie family,

but remember this:

if you ever provoke me again, I'll formally

send a proposal to the Xie family to take you as my concubine,

then lock you away in the Yan Residence

and make sure you never set foot

in the Xie Residence again.

Let me get off.

Old Madam!

You must stand up for me!

Even when you beat a dog, you have to consider its owner, right?

Look what Lord Yan

did to me

just for the sake of Fourth Lady!

If you'd arrived a bit later,

I'd never have been able to serve you again...

Old Madam,

just look at her.

Whether we brought in a mascot or a jinx,

we have to judge by the events.

With all the commotion tonight—

the chaos and uproar—

how are we, the Xie family, supposed to hold our heads up

anywhere in Hengtang now?

Mother.

Lord Yan is, after all, a rising star at court.

Perhaps...

Perhaps he simply couldn't control

his feelings for Qingyuan

and, out of concern for her safety,

resorted to this absurd behavior.

My dear Head Madam.

You think Qingyuan is some priceless treasure?

To be snatched away

by a stranger in the dead of night…

Sorry, I misspoke.

I mean, she was "escorted away."

If word of this gets out,

the whole of Hengtang

will laugh themselves sick.

No one will say your daughter

is a virtuous maiden worthy of a gentleman's courtship.

They'll only say our Xie family

-has raised a shameless little... -Enough.

Old Madam!

Old Madam!

A letter from Master.

Young Master!

[Zuixian Tavern]

I want to go back to the tea house.

If you go back looking like this,

Granny Chen will be worried sick.

Fine.

Then I'll just stand out here all night.

Xie Qingyuan.

You've always prided yourself on being able to see through people, right?

How come you can't tell

that I mean you no harm?

At least, not for now.

Mother,

what did Jingzhi say in the letter?

A few days ago,

I sent someone

to deliver a letter to Shu,

informing him of Qingyuan's return

and Yan Rui's arrival in Hengtang.

I asked him to look into

Yan Rui's background thoroughly,

so we'd know

how best to deal with him in the future.

This reply

has certainly made things clear.

Old Madam,

so Master...

Yan Rui

is a close confidant of His Majesty,

serving at His Majesty's side

and enjoying

His Majesty's profound favor.

He has received countless lavish rewards,

enjoys free access to the imperial palace,

and travels with a large retinue.

Everyone at court

knows the extent of his power and influence,

and none dares take him lightly.

Moreover, Yan Rui

has amassed a considerable faction of his own.

Corruption runs rampant among his associates.

Though some officials have voiced quiet objections,

they fear his power too much

to speak openly.

Most keep silent or flatter him

to protect themselves.

So Jingzhi and Brother can't do anything about it, either?

Never mind your brother and Shu—

even Shen Run, His Majesty's trusted confidant

and the Commander of the Palace Guard,

submitted 18 memorials in succession

and petitioned the Censorate,

and all Yan Rui got for it

was the cushy assignment of overseeing disaster relief

in Hengtang.

Mother.

Since our Qingyuan

has caught Lord Yan's eye,

why don't we

make the best of the situation?

I'm just worried that Yan Rui,

who's always been reckless with women,

only wants a fleeting affair.

Preposterous.

She's a daughter of our Xie family, after all.

How could we let him treat her so casually?

Prepare the red stationery.