Original subtitles

♪As flowers bloom and wither♪

♪May we pass by the magnificent scenery♪

♪Contemplate the vastness of Heaven and Earth♪

♪Could it be that both of us are filled with desolation?♪

♪As flowers bloom and wither♪

♪May we lead such a life♪

♪Contemplate the vastness of Heaven and Earth♪

♪Turning back, you and I♪

♪Seize the current moment♪

♪The sky is painted with a gentle pallet of pastel colors♪

♪Let's walk together♪

♪Even if♪

♪The snow in front of us♪

♪Will dye our hair white♪

♪In an instant♪

[Joy of Life Season 2]

[Adapted from Mao Ni's Joy of Life on Weyden Group's Qidian platform]

[Episode 26]

Shall we begin?

Matters concerning the ancestral temple,

hereby passing on to the future generations.

Abiding by the ancient rites,

a pact is formed.

From today onward,

bride and groom shall be of one heart.

May death do them part.

Bride and groom, proceed with the ceremony.

First, bow to Heaven and Earth, and the ancestral temple.

This rite is the base of all rites.

Bow.

Second, bow to one's parents and the grand hall

as a sign of respect towards the rites of the tribes.

Hold on.

Madam Liu,

sit there.

I can't do so.

I'm not the female head of the Fan family.

I cannot sit there as per the rites.

If the rites don't acknowledge you,

I will.

Come, have a seat.

Second, bow to one's parents and the grand hall

as a sign of respect towards the rites of the tribes.

May their families be harmonious.

Rise.

Bride and groom, bow to each other.

Bow.

Rise.

Now, the bride and groom completed the ceremony.

The pact is completed.

[Fan's Residence]

Take a look.

There are so many people here.

It's just like a temple procession.

Under Heaven's mandate, the emperor's decree is as follows:

"The Fan and Lin family have a marriage alliance.

It is done under auspicious timing under Heaven's will.

A handwritten scroll shall be rewarded to them

as a blessing.

That is all."

[100 Years of Union]

[Fan's Residence]

Do you need me to send you back to your residence?

No need for that.

Thanks.

Why are you thanking me?

You didn't tell her about Lin Gong's incident.

I promised you that I wouldn't ruin her wedding.

I had to keep my word.

Anyway,

thank you.

It's difficult for Wan'er

to get to where she is today.

Wan'er is my younger sister after all.

I'll make a move now.

Take care.

Did you

forget something?

You're alone.

I should send you back.

That'll do.

I'll leave my life

to you now.

Wan'er.

You, come out.

Stop hiding under the bed.

We heard you.

Xian.

Sizhe?

Wan'er.

Congratulations.

All right.

May you two have a child soon.

All these stupid rites and customs.

I'll beat him up later.

Throughout the entire day,

I was only thinking of one thing.

What was it?

I wanted to see you.

I haven't seen you the entire day.

Who's there?

Dabao?

Dabao,

you should go back.

Little Xian, I'm different from that brat.

I'll go back

after seeing you kiss Wan'er.

Dabao, be a good boy.

Return to your room.

Someone might steal your hawthorns from you.

You're right.

Father gave me those hawthorns.

Little brat!

Little brat!

It's already nighttime.

What's with the endless events?

What was that?

Nothing.

Wan'er, I'm sorry.

I have to go. I'll be right back.

I'll explain myself when I'm back.

Mr. Wuzhu, it's been so long.

Where have you been?

I fought with Ku He.

I know. You did it for my sake.

Besides fighting him,

I also asked him about the past events.

[Wuzhu] I forgot many things.

[Servant of Fan Xian's late mother]

I wish to recall them.

What did Ku He say?

Regarding Young Lady's past,

he wasn't willing to talk about it.

My mother came from the temple.

The temple?

Ku He and the rest were heading northward back then.

They saw my mother leaving the temple themselves.

Mr. Wuzhu, say,

were you from the temple as well?

The temple?

I can't remember anything.

It's fine. We can head northward.

Let's look for the temple together.

You might remember something once we find the temple.

That won't happen.

But why?

You're married.

Even so, it won't affect me.

I can take Wan'er together with us.

Mr. Wuzhu,

I was thinking about this during the bowing ceremony.

If you were around,

Wan'er and I would've bowed to you.

Why didn't you ask me where I went

after fighting Ku He?

Where did you go?

I went to the south.

Are the streets empty?

Yes.

So they didn't return to the Imperial Inspectorate

just because they wanted to eat?

Mr. Chen.

One of you leads the Third Division while the other leads the Sixth Division.

[Shadow, Division Supervisor] Both of you are

[of the Sixth Division] the institute's backbones.

[Fei Jie, Division Supervisor of the Third Division]

But you two actually fought on the streets this late at night?

If news of this gets out,

the institute will be humiliated!

It's not that bad.

Who said so?

Even if someone were to be humiliated, it wouldn't be me.

I wear a mask every day.

No one in the Capital or the Imperial Inspectorate

knows my real name.

So, are you hiding your identity

just because you can go all-out during fights?

He started it first.

No.

Do you know what day it is today?

It's my disciple's wedding.

I know that.

Look at him and his shifty eyes.

I'm sure he's up to no good.

I had to keep an eye on him.

How could you tell that I had shifty eyes?

Your posture alone gives yourself away.

You can remove your mask

when you eat, you know?

Just eat properly.

It's not like I never saw your face before.

And there's no one else in the streets.

Why are you still hiding your face?

Finish your noodles!

Did you go to Fan Xian's residence?

He stopped me.

Why?

Today's Fan Xian's wedding.

Mr. Wuzhu would surely visit him personally.

My lifelong wish

is to learn the essence of martial arts from him

and spar with him.

You're seeking your own death here.

This is the way of the martial artist.

I might die, but I won't have any regrets.

Fei Jie,

when did you return to the Capital?

I rushed here.

I just arrived not long ago.

I haven't even had dinner yet.

I missed the noodles here when I went to the south.

The noodles in the Capital are the best.

According to the rules,

you should've visited me in the institute immediately.

Yes, Mr. Chen.

But I told you already.

Today's my disciple's wedding.

I have to visit him no matter what,

am I right?

Of course, I won't bother him.

Even if I'm not bothering him,

I won't allow anyone else to bother him.

Was that why you were keeping guard over Fan Xian's residence?

That's right. At least it was worth it.

I managed to stop him.

Fei Jie,

you were pursuing the culprit.

And, you came from the south.

Be honest with me.

Was Wuzhu the culprit?

I didn't manage to identify the culprit.

Of course, I don't believe

that Mr. Wu would kill people casually.

But,

just look at how the murders were conducted.

Who else besides Mr. Wu

could commit such acts?

Coincidentally,

Mr. Wu was in Jiangnan when the murder

occurred.

Why was Wuzhu in Jiangnan?

I have no idea.

Back then, Young Lady and I went to Jiangnan before.

I wanted to re-visit the roads and places

we used to take.

I'm trying to find the past that I've lost.

Did you get any results?

No.

Many people died in Jiangnan.

I...

I've heard of it.

It wasn't me.

So it wasn't you?

That means someone is trying to frame you.

If we follow this train of thought,

firstly,

we need to consider who can benefit from framing you.

Secondly,

we need to know your itinerary at the south.

Thirdly...

But it can only be me.

But why?

I examined the victims' bodies in secret.

The person who did it

was a grandmaster.

If so, that means one of the Four Grandmasters

is trying to frame you here.

Was it Sigu Jian?

The killer didn't use any qi flow.

Skills of a grandmaster,

yet the murders were committed without the usage of qi flow.

Who else but me

could achieve that?

But you said

that it wasn't you.

Yes.

I remember that I didn't do it.

That's more than enough.

The loss of my memories,

since it already happened once,

it might happen again.

I cannot trust myself.

Fan Xian.

Yes, Mr. Wuzhu.

Logically speaking,

I shouldn't see you again.

That doesn't make sense.

I left the past behind,

and it's hard to find them again.

Right now,

I only have one goal.

That is to protect you.

If I hurt you when I lose control of myself,

I'll stay away from you immediately.

I will never appear before you again.

Mr. Wuzhu, you can't just abandon me.

Look closely.

At what?

I can't see.

Is there blood on it?

No.

If my memories were distorted

and I forgot about the past,

reality would at least have some traces of it.

I took a close look.

It's clean.

There's no hint of blood at all.

I refrained from letting it

get into contact with water all this while.

That means it's not you.

My memories are no longer trustworthy.

Reality is no longer trustworthy.

Even I'm no longer trustworthy.

Now, I'm standing before you

because I trust you.

Mr. Wuzhu,

you can trust me forever.

All right.

I have to go.

Where are you going?

Don't vanish on me again.

I won't leave the Capital for now.

It's a promise, then.

You're married.

From now on,

you'll have your own family.

Do you still need me?

I need you forever.

Forever doesn't exist.

Yes.

Forever doesn't exist.

But you mustn't be absent

from my life.

After your wedding,

take the box that Young Lady had left behind for you

and live in Mount Cang for some time.

Mount Cang?

Who was that?

That's my elder, Mr. Wuzhu.

Why didn't he come inside?

He has an eccentric personality.

Why did you unveil yourself?

I was startled just now.

I was worried that you might be in trouble.

I'm sorry.

Although today's our wedding,

it's been quite a mess.

Let's do it again.

This is good enough.

I have to give you

the perfect wedding today.

Trust me.

I've been living in the palace since young.

It was inconvenient for my parents to visit me.

Every night,

I would be all alone

in a gigantic room.

From that moment onward,

I love to stare at the starry sky.

It's because there is nothing else for me to see

except for the starry sky.

I felt like something was lacking

during the bowing ceremony.

It was imperfect.

Why do you say so?

Only my father and Madam Liu were present at the hall.

It lacked your testimony.

My parents were unable to attend it.

It's fine.

But the starry sky is always here.

I remembered every word

you said.

The starry sky that you've given to me,

it's always around.

It witnessed how lonely you were.

It's time for it

to witness your happiness.

From now on,

you're no longer alone.

A ring?

What's the use of it?

I made it myself.

A newlywed couple uses this to prove

that they'll share the rest of their lives together.

Where does this saying come from?

From the world in my memory.

Later,

I'll tell you all about

those memories,

okay?

Here. It's your turn to put it on for me.

That's right. The ring finger.

The pact is completed.

The starry sky is our witness.

From now on,

we no longer need to walk alone.

I like this promise.

Did Mr. Wuzhu watch over you as you grew up?

He watched over me from Danzhou to the Capital.

I'm sure you have plenty of stories related to him.

I'll tell you about his stories in the future.

This isn't the time for stories.

What should we do, then?

Good question.

[Fan's Residence]

Mr. Fan, you're awake?

Come.

Madam, come.

Come here.

Come here.

What are you doing?

Mr. Fan, have a seat.

Madam, please have a seat.

What's the matter?

Have a seat.

All of you, come here.

Did something crop up in the First Division?

Why are all of them here?

Mr. Fan,

today's your wedding day.

We should come and pay our respects.

Madam,

I, Wang Qinian,

hereby greet you.

Madam, I, Deng Ziyue, and the rest of the First Division,

are here to greet you.

That's enough.

We're fellow colleagues. Spare the formalities.

Why are all of you this sleepy?

What did you all do last night?

Mr. Fan, you may not know,

but it was chaotic

outside the residence last night.

I told our brothers

from the First Division to come

and maintain order.

We stayed up the entire night.

How could you do so?

The Imperial Inspectorate isn't your private property.

Wang,

I'll deduct half a month's worth of wage from you.

And, I'll reward our brothers with it!

Excellent!

Mr. Fan, you mustn't do so!

Thank you, Mr. Fan!

- Stop cheering. - Thank you, Mr. Wang.

Stop that!

Mr. Fan, our brothers came here to maintain order

of their own accord.

They don't expect anything in return.

Mr. Wang, we expect a reward from you!

We should reward them.

However, Mr. Wang shouldn't be the one forking out the money.

We should fork out the money instead.

You mustn't do so!

Thank you, Madam!

Good job, everyone.

It's our duty to reward you all.

Please don't do that! We'll skip the reward!

My husband often told me

that if he was alone,

he could never establish a foothold in the Capital

no matter how capable he was.

He's only able to get to where he is today

all thanks to you all.

Here, I would like to thank you all on my husband's behalf.

Madam, please accept our bow.

Mr. Wang.

Madam, please don't call me that.

You may call me by my name.

Please call me Wang Qinian.

You may even call me Little Nian

if you like it.

Mr. Wang, my husband talked about you often.

He said

Wang Qinian knew how to adapt to his situation accordingly.

He has benefited from your assistance greatly

in the Capital.

Mr. Fan is too humble.

However, that's not the true reason that touched his heart.

He said

he had an eccentric temper

and a stubborn personality.

Due to that, he didn't have many friends in the Capital.

But Wang Qinian was one of his friends.

You two aren't a master and his retainer.

Or a superior and his subordinate.

You two

are close friends.

You two are kindred spirits as well.

Mr. Wang,

thank you

for supporting my husband all along.

Madam,

let me kowtow to you!

What do you think?

Isn't my wife eloquent?

She's a level above my wife.

Mr. Fan is so lucky.

Mr. Fan, you're so lucky!

The First Division has plenty of affairs to attend to.

You all should get back to work.

Mr. Fan,

you don't need to hide it anymore.

We heard that you're going to take over the Imperial Treasury.

Hurry and give us our instructions.

What instructions?

Of course it's to seize assets.

Look at all the corrupt officials in the Capital.

They're despicable.

We'll seize their assets once you give us the instructions.

We have to prepare for it. I'm serious.

Stop messing around!

The First Division has their own affairs to handle.

I'll deal with my affairs myself.

Don't act on your own initiative.

No, Mr. Fan. I'm serious.

Let me put them in their places.

What nonsense was that? Just go already.

Go back and work.

Farewell.

Stop messing around.

All right. We'll go now.

Mr. Fan, I won't act on my own initiative, then.

All right.

- Let's go. - Don't try anything stupid.

All right. We won't.

Wang, look.

Mr. Chen gave me this wedding gift.

[Hall of Joy]

Hall of Joy?

Isn't this the business brand that Ye Qingmei registered back then?

Back then, it amassed all the wealth in the world.

I've heard about it too.

Her properties

became the foundation of the Imperial Treasury.

The imperial family did take over her properties.

But back then,

all the shopkeepers

who started the business brand with Ye Qingmei,

they're still in the Capital.

They're handling Hall of Joy right now.

Is Hall of Joy a shop?

They don't

open shops themselves.

They charge rent from the people who rent the shops.

They're essentially

shopkeepers.

They're professional managers, huh?

Not bad at all.

Come again?

It's nothing.

But after Ye Qingmei's death,

is there still a feud

between the Imperial Treasury

and the shopkeepers?

That's the riddle Mr. Chen gave me.

I have to go and take a look.

[Hall of Joy]

You're here to greet us yourself, huh?

This is the head shopkeeper of Hall of Joy.

This is the inspector of the Imperial Inspectorate,

Mr. Fan Xian.

Please come in.

Sirs, please follow me.

Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan, these are

the shopkeepers of Hall of Joy.

They're happy to see you.

What are they happy about?

Over here, please.

Is this

a funeral?

What do you mean?

Mr. Fan,

something feels off.

[Memorial Tablet of Ye Qingmei]

Ye Qingmei?

Young Lady,

Young Master has returned.

Young Lady, Young Master has returned.

Young Master has returned.

[Head Shopkeeper of Hall of Joy] Young Master has returned.

Young Lady, Young Master has returned!

Enough already.

I'll chat with Young Master.

You all should stop

startling him.

If so, we'll leave for now.

Farewell.

Sir,

you should have a seat as well.

That's right. Please.

As she's our mistress,

you're the young master.

When you're around,

I have no reason to sit.

Ye Qingmei is my mother.

Ye Qingmei

is your mother?

Is he trustworthy?

Well, sir,

we've known each other for many years.

I've always been...

I only trust

Young Master.

He's trustworthy.

Young Master,

actually, we knew you were here

when you first arrived at the Capital.

We even sneaked a peak at you

on the streets.

So you knew that I was her son long ago?

Young Lady told us herself.

How? Did she tell you in a dream?

Young Lady told me about it when she was still alive.

She was also the one

who named you.

She named me?

Fan Xian?

That's right.

That doesn't make sense.

I haven't been born yet.

How would she know that my surname was Fan?

Mr. Fan,

your father's surname is Fan

no matter if you're born or not.

Of course your surname is Fan.

Young Lady once said that she might not live for long

before her passing.

If she survived,

it'd be hard to say

what your surname would be.

But if she passed away,

your name would definitely be Fan Xian.

If she passed away,

my name would definitely be Fan Xian?

I still don't get it.

How did she pass away?

After Young Lady passed the message to me,

she gave the business brand

to the imperial family not long after that.

After that, I never saw her again.

As for how she passed away,

I'm not too sure either.

I've been in the Capital for a long time.

Have you not thought of meeting me in person before?

Young Master, you might not know,

but we're

under surveillance.

His Majesty issued an edict.

The old retainers of the Ye family

are not to leave the Capital.

The imperial family fears us.

Do they fear you all?

They fear Young Lady.

Although Young Lady had passed away

for many years,

they still

fear us.

Even people like us

who worked under her in the past

were kept under surveillance as well.

We dared not look for you.

We were afraid

that we would cause you trouble.

However,

we knew everything that happened to you

after you came to the Capital.

So, have you been working for her back then?

Young Lady trusted me.

She made me the manager

of our branch in the Capital.

What kind of person was she?

In the current world,

there's no one as dazzling as her.

[Ye Qingmei] She was

perfect.

Besides managing businesses,

she knew everything there is to be known in the world.

She knew why the sea had ebbs and flows.

She knew why the moon had different phases.

Young Lady could also compose poems.

Young Master, your poem,

"A thousand miles from home, I’m grieved at autumn’s plight,"

that was a great poem.

However, Young Lady's poems

were different from usual poems.

To be honest,

she even composed a poem for me before.

Recite it for me.

Staring eyes

like copper bells.

A lightning-fast mind.

Ears that perk up like antennae.

Alert to all suspicious sounds?

Young Master,

do you have any questions?

Young Lady explained the term

"antennae" to me before.

The thunder from the Ninth Heaven descends to the mortal world,

with a silver streak hanging vertically,

resembling a line suspended from the sky.

It signifies keen senses

and the ability to perceive everything.

Was that her explanation?

When the business brand was first established,

Young Lady and I traveled the world.

We once captured several thieves.

Due to that,

she composed that poem for me.

That was the best gift

I've ever received in my life.

That poem

is unique indeed.

I guess I know

the type of person she was now.

Sir,

there are more than lyrics to the poem.

There's also a song as well.

I'll teach you about it in the future.

All right.

We were prepared for the loss incurred

by the Imperial Treasury long ago.

Do you all have that much money?

We don't have any money.

But the shops in the Capital do possess that kind of money.

Which shop?

None of the shops has that much money.

However, if you include all of the shops in the Capital,

we'll be able to fill this hole.

All of the shops?

All of us

are shopkeepers of the shops in the Capital.

We were diligent, and we were never greedy.

We finally made a name for ourselves

after all these years.

Right now, any shops that are famous in the Capital

all employ

the shopkeepers of Hall of Joy.

Let me put it this way.

If those shops have

any dirty secrets,

we know them better

than the shop owners.

So you people have the goods on them?

Young Master,

just give us ten days.

We'll work together

and accumulate the money

bit by bit.

I'll make sure

they gather you 20 million taels

as your wedding gift.

Mr. Fan,

this idea might work.

Young Master, don't worry.

Just leave the debt collection to us.

Your reputation won't be affected.

You're coercing the shop owners to pay you by force?

How will you all clean up the mess?

It doesn't matter. At most, we'll resign from our posts.

Merchants prioritize profit above all.

If you don't handle it well,

they'll employ hitmen.

By then, all of you will be in danger.

That's fine.

We've already lived long enough.

- We're already content... - No way.

Do you think my mother would do the same

if she were in my shoes?

Your eyes were gleaming

when you talked about her.

You sounded so proud.

If she were in my shoes,

I don't think she would do this.

But Young Master, we're in a dire situation.

Had my mother not encountered

any dire situations back then?

Had she ever compromised before?

Regarding the loss that the Imperial Treasury had incurred,

I'll handle it myself.

Young Master, it's over 20 million taels.

You can't resolve the issue by yourself.

No matter how difficult it is,

I have to give it a try.

As her son, I can't afford to bring shame to her name.

But I do need your help with something.

Write down the names of all the shop owners

in the Capital.

Make a name list for me.

Yes, Mr. Fan.

Everyone,

I appreciate

your kind thought.

Young Master, you're too courteous.

Sir, I'll see my way out.

Mr. Fan,

I think Head Shopkeeper's idea

is viable.

If the merchants do try to kill them,

we can instruct our peers from the First Division

to protect them.

If you push someone to the abyss

before pulling them up,

the nature of the situation will change.

Young Master is truly a kind child.

Initially, I thought

the light had been extinguished

after Young Lady's death.

It turned out

that light can be inherited.

Why are you still standing there?

Make yourself at home. Have a seat.

Aunt,

this is my home.

Why are you being courteous, then? Sit anywhere you like.

What are you doing right now?

I have nothing to do anyway.

I'm mixing a new rouge color.

Didn't you bring all these flowers here

to deliver them to Fan Xian?

He didn't want them.

Why don't you take them?

I dare not take them.

I'm here to thank you.

For what?

♪The youth raises his head♪

♪As he moves toward his moon♪

♪People tease him for being delusional♪

♪Wondering why he is so unconventional♪

♪Wearing a white robe when crossing a muddy pond♪

♪How could it remain unstained?♪

♪If silver tael has a value♪

♪Who can truly be carefree?♪

♪All of you are right♪

♪He said: "Please"♪

♪"Make way"♪

♪"Let me drink until I drop"♪

♪On the court♪

♪I recite several verses♪

♪Let me wear a white robe♪

♪And cross the alley filled with insanity♪

♪To scoop up the moon's reflection in the muddy pond♪

♪Sirs, please forgive me♪

♪Your words of advice♪

♪I understand, but I don't want to pretend♪

♪People search for the golden land♪

♪While I search for the moon♪

♪Why should we travel together?♪

♪Thank you♪

♪Excuse me♪

♪You are you♪

♪I am me♪

♪Thank you♪

♪Excuse me♪

♪You are you♪

♪I am me♪

♪Wearing a white robe when crossing a muddy pond♪

♪Remarkably worldly-wise yet hopelessly romantic♪

♪Know what you love♪

♪Don't change♪

♪If one has witnessed both light and shadow♪

♪Yet retains their innocence♪

♪They shall be cloaked in moonlight♪

♪As they journey through the night♪