Original subtitles

=Against The Current=

(Adapted from He Yanshan's novel, Orchid Fragrance Fate)

=Episode 44= (This drama does not correspond)

(to any real historical dynasty.)

(The systems, culture, attire and other dynastic elements have been adapted.)

Keep looking.

Check over there.

Nothing here.

I'm just an innocent passerby.

We're the victims whose lives are at stake.

Those bandits kill without hesitation.

We won't put your life at risk.

We'll part ways here.

May our paths never cross again.

Young Lady,

you can't outrun those bandits.

If you trust me,

there's a little-known path here.

You should hide behind the reeds.

I'll draw the bandits away.

- Nothing. - Nothing here.

Nothing here.

I trust you.

His dagger was made by the government.

Let's go.

Over there.

Help!

Murder!

Shut up!

Help! Murder!

Sir, don't be alarmed.

We're merchants from southern Fujian.

They're guards we hired.

They only look intimidating.

My brother and I came to Jinling

but didn't make any money.

To save on expenses, we're spending the night here.

But the cook traveling with us

stole our money and ran away.

Sir,

did you happen to see two women?

I've read so much

that my eyesight has grown poor.

I did see someone just now

heading that way,

but I couldn't make out their appearance

or tell whether it was a man or a woman.

Thank you, sir.

There's no need to rush.

My cousin is the magistrate of Shangyuan County.

My cousin and I

arranged to meet today

at Bali Pavilion nearby.

That fire was quite bright just now.

My cousin must have seen it.

He'll surely bring the constables with him to meet me.

When he arrives,

he'll certainly be able to help you

bring those two female thieves to justice.

Every word I've said is true.

I haven't lied to you.

If you two don't believe me,

why not sit down

and wait here for a while?

Money is only a worldly possession.

It comes and goes.

There's no need to dwell on it.

The moon is especially beautiful tonight.

It shines upon past and present alike.

Gentlemen,

we shouldn't let such a night go to waste.

We still need to pack our belongings

and hurry back to southern Fujian,

so we won't disturb your enjoyment, sir.

Second Chief,

why aren't we going after those two weavers?

No, Second Young Master.

Young Master said the weavers are as insignificant as ants.

They don't matter.

But that pedantic scholar is from the Xie family of Jinling.

If we kill him now, we'll draw the attention of the authorities

and Jinling's prominent families.

That would put us at a disadvantage.

Leave no loose ends. Get out of here as soon as possible.

Leave no trace.

- Yes. - Yes.

Hurry.

The ones in the back, move it. Keep up.

Move out.

Clean and precise.

Killed with a single strike.

The killer was highly experienced,

and someone accustomed to killing.

Why would someone so experienced

kill a coachman

just

to abduct two weavers?

An enemy of yours, Your Lordship?

If this were an enemy of Jinqi's,

why go out of their way

to abduct Xiuwan?

They should have gone after Lanxiang

or Zhangcheng instead.

The kidnappers

don't know Xiuwan's true identity.

If they did,

they would never have left the coachman's body

lying carelessly in the woods.

The kidnappers must have assumed they were two ordinary weavers.

Even if they went missing,

the authorities wouldn't take it seriously.

They would only send ordinary constables to investigate.

The wound on his neck alone

doesn't reveal much either.

You already know who the kidnappers are, Your Lordship.

More than half a month ago,

the Longjiang Garrison was escorting tribute goods to the capital

when they encountered river bandits on a tributary of the canal.

Everyone

aboard was killed.

Their wounds were similar?

I heard those river bandits were exceptionally brutal.

Xiuwan...

Xiuwan...

(Zezhi Workshop)

We're finally back safe and sound.

Second Young Lady.

Come here.

Second Young Lady,

we mustn't tell anyone

about what happened to us.

Why? I was thinking we could go report it to the authorities later

and have the kidnappers arrested.

No, we can't. My husband and mother-in-law already disapprove

of me working outside the home.

They say I'm never home.

If they find out I was abducted by bandits

and didn't come home all night, they'll surely think

I've been dishonored.

Then the neighbors will gossip

and call me an indecent woman.

I can put up with what they say about me.

After all, I've spent my whole life being looked down on.

But my daughter will soon be discussing marriage.

I can't let this ruin her reputation.

Please take my advice, all right?

I'm sure your mother would rather suffer herself

than let you become the subject of gossip

and have your reputation ruined.

Those kidnappers were clearly the ones who did wrong.

Why should we be the ones ashamed to face others?

Because we're women.

We were born to suffer.

No wonder Gantang always says it's hard to recruit workers.

I never understood

why those women

would rather humble themselves and ask men for money

than go out and earn their own living.

I thought they simply lacked ambition.

It turns out it's simply because...

we're women.

Xiuwan.

Madam.

Lanxiang.

It's all right now.

Go back to work at Zezhi Workshop without worry.

I already told Gantang yesterday

to keep this quiet and carry on as usual.

If anyone asks about last night,

just say

Madam wanted to inspect the new loom,

so the Second Young Lady took you straight to the Lin Residence.

You accidentally missed the curfew,

so you and Shopkeeper Zhou

spent the night at the residence.

You're so compassionate, Madam.

Thank you very much.

I went to the residence to report back yesterday

and missed the curfew,

so I stayed there overnight.

You were with me.

Are you still thinking about what Lady Peng said?

If a man encounters criminals

and manages to escape with his life,

everyone would be happy for him.

But for women,

it's as if we're the ones who've done something wrong,

terrified that anyone might find out.

When a man brings money home,

everyone praises him as a good husband and father.

When a woman works hard and brings money home,

not only does no one praise her,

but people also gossip about her.

What infuriates me most is

that it's bad enough for men to think that way,

but even women themselves believe it,

thinking that showing themselves in public

and working to earn money

makes them inferior.

If a gentleman wishes to enlighten the people and improve their customs,

he must begin with education.

Women aren't ignorant or foolish.

No one has simply ever told them

that going out to earn money

and supporting themselves

is nothing to be ashamed of.

That makes sense.

Jade left uncarved

cannot become a useful vessel.

A person without learning

cannot know the way.

But that's simply the world we live in.

Lanxiang, you want to become

a teacher who enlightens women?

It's not just me.

There's also you.

Me?

You defied what others might think

and went to work at Zezhi Workshop,

earning your own living.

That's teaching by example.

Gantang even said

that since you joined Zezhi Workshop,

the women there

have been laughing and talking more than ever.

I...

I just talk a lot,

and I haven't had much schooling.

How could I ever teach others the way?

The scriptures say,

"From one lamp, many lamps are lit,

until ten thousand lamps shine bright."

From one lamp,

many lamps are lit,

until ten thousand lamps shine bright.

The light of a single lamp is faint

and can illuminate only a small space.

But if I light one lamp,

and you light another,

and Yuchan, Gantang, Baogai, Xiaolian,

Furong, Ji'er, and the others

each light one, too,

then even the faint glow of fireflies,

when gathered together,

can illuminate an entire street

and show women traveling through the dark

the way forward.

♪Deep within the lights lies a truth that came too late♪

And there's Mister Shen Rugu.

Though he isn't a woman,

he helped light the way for us too,

and his lamp shines especially bright.

It was after seeing a play he wrote

that I resolved to leave the confines of my home.

I'm hungry.

We'll eat when we get home.

His Lordship is back.

Where's Xiuwan?

Aunt Lingxiao took her away in tears, of course.

Old Coachman Yue was killed.

I've already instructed Head Butler Yang

to make proper arrangements for his family.

You must catch the killer, Your Lordship.

By the way,

this is a clue about the kidnappers left

by the righteous man who saved Xiuwan.

What's his name? Where does he live?

I'll visit him tomorrow to thank him in person.

Xiuwan said

he left after escorting them to the city gate.

She didn't understand why at the time,

but only realized afterward

that he must have guessed they wouldn't report it to the authorities,

so he left this letter.

He said it contained portraits of the kidnappers.

They could be handed over to the authorities or burned.

There are plenty of people in this world who blindly follow convention

and seek fame under false pretenses.

I never expected this man

to be not only noble in character,

but also open-minded and adaptable.

He truly is remarkable.

His brushwork is masterful,

and his skill at drawing is exceptional.

I'll give the order now

to post notices for the criminals' arrest.

If you let word of Xiuwan's ordeal get out,

Aunt Lingxiao will surely go to the family shrine,

bring out the instruments of family punishment, and come after you.

I should have explained it clearly to you.

It's them. They robbed the tribute goods bound for the capital

and killed Commander Ding

and every soldier aboard.

No wonder they abducted the weavers and stole the loom.

They must be colluding with an overseas kingdom

that covets our realm's weaving techniques.

You guessed right.

They're not river bandits.

They're pirates from the sea.

They usually hide out at sea.

No wonder Jiugao and Nanke

have been investigating for over ten days without finding a single clue.

Why would pirates come to Jinling?

Even if they wanted to abduct weavers,

Songjiang Prefecture is closer to the coast than Jinling.

Bring them back.

Once we interrogate them, we'll know.

(Wanted)

Come take a look!

Look.

Anyone who reports their whereabouts

will be rewarded twenty taels of silver.

Twenty taels?

That's a lot.

Twenty taels!

Let's go.

The authorities have already posted notices at the city gate,

offering a reward for our capture.

(Wanted)

Chief,

we should hurry back out to sea.

Chief...

No... Young Master!

I was wrong.

I won't do it again.

Young Master, we were wrong.

We were wrong.

We really were wrong.

It was our fault.

It was all our fault.

We really were wrong.

The authorities are looking for pirates.

You're all respectable merchants with clean records.

What are you afraid of?

Yes.

You're right, Young Master.

We're not afraid.

Not afraid.

Get out, all of you.

Thank you, Young Master.

You want to serve me?

Yes.

Finish the job,

and then clean yourself up and come serve me.

Xie Zhao,

I underestimated you.

(Wanted)

Lin Jinqi.

Xu Lanxiang.

It's been sixteen years.

You don't even

recognize me anymore.

(Glorify the Family Name)

Xiuwan.

Wrong.

Xiushu.

Wrong again.

Xiuru.

Lanxiang, you're biased against me.

Can't I laugh and joke around

like Xiuwan and Xiushu?

I was being unfair.

Forgive me, Xiuru.

What are you thinking about, Lanxiang?

You were so lost in thought

you didn't even hear us come in.

In the letter left by the righteous man who saved you,

he drew portraits of three pirates.

One of them had half his face covered.

For some reason,

I keep thinking about him.

I feel as though I've seen him somewhere before.

But when I think carefully,

I've never seen a man who looks like him.

What about you, Xiuwan?

Me? You know me.

I can't even remember what the kidnapper

who chased me with a knife looked like.

Xiuwan,

you're really no help at all.

I was terrified at the time.

I was so panicked. All I could think about was escaping.

How could I have stopped to look at his face?

Lanxiang,

look at her.

Xiuru is getting fiercer by the day.

What happened to the sweet and delicate girl she used to be?

Xiuru is indeed more...

Lanxiang?

I remember

who that man looks like.

Xiuwan and I know him, too?

Du Cuique.

Back then,

Du Cuique was sentenced to exile...

Qiongzhou...

On the way to Qiongzhou,

Du Cuique fell ill with malaria after failing to adapt to the climate.

Then she encountered bandits.

In the chaos, she failed to escape

and was killed.

Du Cuique is cunning

and skilled at manipulating people.

Perhaps she wasn't killed by the bandits at all,

but instead seized the opportunity to fake her death and escape.

Lanxiang is right.

Du Cuique may have had someone die in her place

and left with the bandits.

But the pirate leader

is a man.

I had a vague feeling something was off,

but no matter how hard I thought about it,

I couldn't recall any man with a similar face.

That's because I was thinking in the wrong direction.

I simply assumed

that since the pirate in the portrait was their leader,

he must naturally be a man.

I always say we shouldn't underestimate women,

yet I let my own assumptions

blind me.

Impossible.

If it really was Du Cuique,

why would she let me escape so easily?

Du Cuique hasn't changed.

She still treats servants and commoners as if their lives mean nothing.

She probably never even looked

at the weavers they abducted.

Whether it's Du Cuique or not,

we need to tell His Lordship at once.

It's her.

It's Du Cuique.

Xiuwan.

Lanxiang and I have both confirmed it.

Jinqi has seen Du Cuique, too.

Once he confirms it,

we can be absolutely certain.

Other than Lanxiang,

what woman's face

could I possibly remember for over ten years?

I can't even remember now

whether her eyes were big or small.

Don't be afraid.

Even Xiuru has grown fierce now.

Even if Du Cuique has come back from the dead,

if we caught her once,

we can catch her again.

It's Du Cuique.

A pirate leader

wouldn't leave her hideout at sea

and risk coming to Jinling

just for the weavers.

She must be here to take revenge on Jinqi and Lanxiang.

Let Lin Jinqi and Xu Lanxiang

think I came to Jinling

for revenge.

But then again,

it's not entirely wrong.

I do want them dead.

My brother

is still waiting in the underworld

for them to answer for what they did.

(Glorify the Family Name)

I'll help you kill them.

I once went to great lengths

to marry into the Lin family.

I really did choose well.

I wasn't wrong about him at all.

Lin Jinqi was indeed made a marquis and granted a title.

What a pity.

I wasn't skilled enough

and lost by a single move.

Otherwise,

by now,

I'd be the Marchioness of Marquis Jing'an's Residence.

Why is there still no word from the north?

Once you return with news from the Zhejiang coast,

there will be good news.

Lin Jinqi.

You're highly skilled in combat.

Why would you commit such treason

and kill a court official?

On the Chief's orders,

I've come to deliver you a letter!

And take your head while I'm at it,

as an offering to Du Zheng!

Du Zheng.

I'll hold them off.

You hurry back to Jinling and report this.

(Ding Peng) I'll hold them off. You should leave.

That's an order.

Du Zheng deserved to die.

Even if I hadn't killed him,

his crimes were unforgivable.

Kill him!

Ding Peng!

Go!

Go!

Hurry!

You have plundered the people

and taken countless lives.

By law, you must be executed.

Urgent dispatch, 400 km!

Urgent dispatch, 400 km!

Urgent dispatch, 400 km!

(Jinling Defense Command)

His Majesty personally led a campaign against Wona.

After reaching Huailai,

he was misled by Wang Yi, Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Ignoring the objections of his generals,

he ordered the camp moved closer to the water.

Wona forces charged down from Yao'er Ridge.

The imperial banners fell.

The bodies of civil and military officials covered the fields.

His Majesty...

His Majesty was captured by the enemy.

That can't be!

His Majesty marched out with two hundred thousand troops!

How could these tens of thousands of Wona soldiers...

capture him?

This...

What are we to do?

What should we do now?

It is now the end of the ninth month.

His Majesty has been held captive

for over a month.

Your Grace, do you know the situation in the capital?

Has the Empress Dowager issued any decree?

The realm cannot be without a ruler for even a day.

After the terrible news reached the capital,

the Empress Dowager accepted Han Liang's proposal

and installed Prince Chen as the new Emperor.

Now, His Majesty

(His Majesty, formerly Prince Chen) has successfully ascended the throne.

Han Liang was appointed Minister of War.

Minister Han has ordered

troops from across the realm to rush to the capital

and join forces against the Wona army.

The Jinling Defense Command is hereby ordered

to allocate bows, crossbows, swords, and spears,

one million two hundred sixty thousand weapons in total,

along with four hundred thousand shi of provisions.

The Longjiang Garrison shall select two thousand elite soldiers

to escort them to the capital.

We obey.

The Wona army is at the gates of the capital.

I ask all of you

to stand together

and resist the enemy.

- Yes. - Yes.

Mother.

I want to give some to Father.

Zhangrun, don't be naughty.

Come.

Zhangrun prepared some Chinese yam cakes for you.

Really?

Thank you, Zhangrun, for the cakes.

Thank you, Zhangcheng,

for helping me pack.

This is a protective charm I prayed for.

My teacher said weapons show no mercy on the battlefield.

Father, you must be careful.

You must come home safely.

I'll remember that.

I'll be sure to come home safely.

(Blessing)

♪The moon kisses the rising smoke♪

♪Whose oil lamp burns tonight?♪

♪Peace of heart in three places♪

♪The years are calluses in our palms♪

♪And the worries etched between our brows♪

It's very late.

Zhangrun should go to bed.

Otherwise, you won't grow tall.

Go to bed now.

♪While two pairs of eyes watch from below♪

♪Flowers bloom again by the fence♪

Go on.

♪Four seasons wax and wane, year after year♪

It's dark and raining heavily.

Take a few more lanterns.

Watch your step. The road is slippery.

Yes.

Let's go.

♪The journey home always carries joy and sorrow♪

♪People gather, then part♪

The situation in the capital

is uncertain now.

And Du Cuique is still lurking in the shadows, waiting for her chance.

Yet I've been ordered to escort provisions to the capital.

The burden

on your shoulders

is no lighter than mine.

Du Zheng died because of you.

Du Cuique was convicted because of me.

I understand why she wants revenge.

But it's been sixteen years.

Why did she wait until now

when the Retired Emperor has been captured,

and the capital is under siege?

Could it be

that fortune truly favors the wicked

and handed Du Cuique this opportunity?

You suspect

Du Cuique deliberately chose this moment?

Your Lordship!

Your Lordship!

=Against the Current= (Next Episode's Preview)

Strike a man in the face and attack his sorest point.

Such underhanded tactics

would never occur to someone

of Lin Jinqi's privileged upbringing.

Only that lowly servant Xu Lanxiang

knows what I want

and what I despise.

I'll kill Xu Lanxiang for you

and wash away today's humiliation with her blood.

This time, I'll do it myself.

I'll kill Xu Lanxiang with my own hands.

♪Spring slips from the branches once more♪

♪Flowers bloom unseen, as they have before♪

♪All the joys and sorrows come and go♪

♪While loss leaves winter in the heart♪

♪Though all the world may fade♪

♪Time rolls on as countless lives rush by♪

♪Night winds wander through the halls of long ago♪

♪No page could hold the longing words can never show♪

♪Every joy and sorrow in this fleeting life♪

♪Fades into the past as new wounds rise♪

♪While whispers of perfume linger beneath the eaves♪

♪Let the cold wind rage, let the wild rain fall♪

♪Let sorrow spill like shadows over all♪

♪Let love fall to pieces, let old anger burn away♪

♪Let the past die with yesterday♪

♪One last fire, one last cup of wine♪

♪And silver moonlight to guide me through the night♪

♪Let beginnings fade as endings come to call♪

♪From this endless dream, there's no return at all♪

♪Let the cold wind rage, let the wild rain fall♪

♪Let sorrow spill like shadows over all♪

♪Let love fall to pieces, let old anger burn away♪

♪Let the past die with yesterday♪

♪One last fire, one last cup of wine♪

♪And silver moonlight to guide me through the night♪

♪Let beginnings fade as endings come to call♪

♪From this endless dream, there's no return at all♪