Original subtitles

(Joy of Life Season 2)

(Episode 35)

Do masters always give such precious gifts?

You are Ye Qing Mei's son after all.

My teacher said that this technique originally belonged to your mother.

Now, it's simply returning to its rightful owner.

It seems my mother is everywhere.

You are fortunate.

I should thank you for your assistance earlier.

You shouldn't thank me.

The real trump card was Shadow, who was hiding in the water.

Did you already know Yun Zhi Lan would come?

I didn't even know that Shadow was in Jiangnan, let alone Yun Zhi Lan.

You didn't know?

That's strange.

The position of the ambush in the water was too perfect.

Someone must have leaked the information.

I really didn't know. I'm more puzzled than you are.

Forget it, it's none of my business.

Dig in!

How have you been since you got married?

Quite well.

That puts my mind at ease.

Si Li Li wanted me to ask.

How is she doing?

- Don't ask. - Who is Si Li Li?

For her, the greatest comfort is no longer hearing from you.

Why don't you figure out if this is duck or goose meat?

- You don't know her? - I meant this.

Isn't this a chicken?

Salted chicken, right?

All right, run slower.

Don't fall.

All right, stop running.

Mother, Lord Fan has arrived.

Why didn't you inform me earlier?

I should have gone out to welcome him.

Lord Fan came alone?

Despite the chaos in Jiangnan, the Ming family remains safe, right?

The Ming family will protect Lord Fan to the death.

Go and greet Lord Fan.

Lord Fan.

Good kids, I didn't bring any sweets today.

I'll make it up to you later.

Now, off you go.

Mother.

Are you not done yet?

Just a couple more bows and the ceremony will be complete.

My Lord, please have a seat.

I'll keep you company for a while.

What is this ceremony?

It's an adoption ceremony.

Adoption?

Yes.

He is of my clan, so he is like a cousin to me.

From today, he will be adopted into my mother's household,

making him my younger brother in name,

even closer in relation.

He is lucky indeed,

having you witness the ceremony.

It's an honor for his family.

Please, have some tea.

All right.

The ceremony is complete. No need for more bows.

Come. Come on, get up.

Here, take it.

From now on, we are brothers.

As your elder brother, I should show a token of appreciation.

I'm getting old, not as thoughtful as you.

If my mother has to worry about such small matters,

then I'm failing as the head of the family.

Look, Mother has spoken.

Take it quickly.

There are gifts for the children too.

Come.

I have gifts for the children too. Come here.

Go ahead.

From now on, I am your uncle.

I will make the decision from now on. I have the final say.

Did you hear that?

- Come, everyone gets something. - Thank you, Uncle.

- Come. - Thank you, Uncle.

Take it and buy some sweets.

Off you go.

Mother.

Now that family matters are settled,

let's get to business.

You are the head of the family.

It's your call.

Lord Fan.

Please take the seat of honor.

Now that the ceremony is over, why are you still kneeling?

This morning at the dock,

I promised to give you an explanation

before nightfall.

My Lord, this person is the culprit who greedily issued the bounty.

Him?

The culprit?

Isn't he your newly adopted brother?

What was his motive? Greed?

Perhaps he wanted to curry favor.

Your journey south has disrupted certain interests.

He might just be a pawn.

Disrupted the Ming family's interests?

The Ming family is insignificant.

My Lord, the Three Great Workshops belongs to the royal family.

The Ming family is just a helper on errands.

All equipment, personnel, and management

are overseen by the Transport Department.

Even in trade, the profits ultimately go to Princess Yun Rui.

To put it bluntly,

the Ming family are just the watchdogs.

It doesn't matter to us who holds the leash.

- Isn't that right? - Dogs bite.

Only stray dogs bite.

Watchdogs

are loyal.

How about this, My Lord?

Today, I speak for the Ming family.

My Lord, you are here by royal decree, legitimate and proper.

The Ming family will fully support your reclaiming

of the Three Great Workshops.

Our head's promise is the Ming family's word.

Good.

Now that the explanation is given

and the stance is clear,

what do we do with him?

Issuing an illegal bounty and attempting to assassinate an official

are capital offenses.

Lord Fan,

the Ming family will never bend the law for the benefit of relatives.

Please administer justice against the criminal,

My Lord.

At least send the children away.

They are all watching this.

If he is a criminal, why adopt him?

Though he deserves death,

the children are innocent.

By adopting them, after he is gone,

I can ensure they are cared for as my own grandchildren.

He will not die with regrets.

Mother's kindness is boundless.

If I were him,

I'd indeed rest in peace.

Lord Fan.

Please administer justice.

- This is the culprit? - Indeed.

Driven by greed?

Yes.

- Do you plead guilty? - I plead guilty.

If you plead guilty, you will die.

Please grant me this!

I refuse to do so.

Whether you die or not will be determined after investigation.

I will take you to the capital magistrate for a thorough investigation.

Brother.

Can you send the children away first?

Submit to the investigation and cooperate fully.

Don't worry about your family.

I will take care of the children.

There won't be any accidents.

Servants.

Escort him to the capital magistrate.

Lord Fan, watch out!

This...

So, he committed suicide to escape punishment.

Are you all right, My Lord?

Did any blood get on you?

You shielded me from it.

How could I be stained?

This...

If it doesn't wash out, I have to throw this away and get new clothing.

Such a waste.

Look at this mess, what a waste of good food.

My Lord.

Are you taking the body back for an inquest?

He committed suicide to avoid punishment.

Why would I need a corpse for interrogation?

In that case,

I'll take my brother's body out for a proper burial.

I will be back soon.

Lord Fan.

Your generosity in raising money to send the victims home is admirable.

The Ming family mustn't fall behind in doing such noble acts.

Let's talk about good deeds later.

The blood isn't even cleaned up yet.

Dear folks,

I've explained everything.

The Ming family's good deeds can't be delayed.

Let's all drink up.

Drink up.

Master Ming.

Master Ming.

These villagers have all volunteered themselves?

Yes.

Why do so many of them look familiar?

They're all here for the sake of the Ming family.

Elder, please sit down.

Thank you, Master Ming.

Thanks for your hard work.

Ming Qing Da

thank all the villagers

on behalf of the Ming family.

Integrity is the pillar of character.

Dear folks,

the Ming family keeps its word.

After this bowl of wine,

your families

will become part of the Ming family.

We can't promise much,

but as long as the Ming family exists,

we'll keep them well fed and clothed.

Folks.

See you in the next life.

Thank you, Master Ming!

Thank you for your great kindness!

There's much to say,

but the auspicious time has arrived.

Everyone,

farewell.

Lord Fan, do you think it's clean now?

It seems you've done this a hundred times.

Many have died in the family, right?

In large families, births and deaths are frequent occurrences,

so we've become accustomed to it.

Make sure the numbers are correct.

Rest assured, Master Ming.

Including the one you brought, it's the exact number.

Have you made all the follow-up arrangements?

Yes, everything is arranged.

They all came willingly.

If not for the limited number of spots,

there would be many more willing to die.

After all, once their family is taken in by the Ming household,

their fortunes change.

It's beyond their wildest dreams.

Hurry and load the carts.

Time waits for no one.

Yes, we'll send them to the Transport Department immediately.

Such sin.

Move faster.

Move faster.

Mr. Xie.

You were looking for me?

No, I wasn't.

Mr. Xie.

You need to

open the windows frequently.

This room needs more ventilation.

Mr. Xie, have a seat.

Please have a seat.

I heard Fan Xian is here.

Yes.

My mother insists on giving him an explanation.

She says if the bounty issue isn't resolved soon,

our Ming family will face extermination.

Mr. Xie, to be honest, I've already tried to convince her.

Officially, I'm the head of the family,

but my influence is limited.

My mother

calls the shots on everything.

Your mother's words aren't entirely wrong.

Mr. Xie, you misunderstand.

One should act with integrity.

We mustn't be indecisive.

Since the Ming family has pledged allegiance to Princess Yun Rui

and Prince Cheng Ze,

we cannot have further dealings with Fan Xian.

We must avoid suspicion.

It's good that you understand this principle.

I never forget it.

Don't worry, sir.

The Ming family's dealings with Fan Xian

are merely superficial.

With my resolute nature,

even if it costs the Ming family our lives,

I wouldn't give him a kind face.

Don't worry too much about it.

Let me give you some inside information.

In two days, Fan Xian will be dead.

Two days?

What do you mean?

Princess Yun Rui has visited, and the matter is settled.

Then...

Who will kill Fan Xian?

Don't ask too many questions.

Just wait for the result.

I understand.

After hearing that,

I'm completely relieved.

The head of the Ming family is really careless.

A man just died over there,

and you must be disgusted.

It's a bit cleaner here.

My Lord, you're raising funds and doing good deeds.

Despite the Ming family's difficulties,

we're willing to donate 200,000 taels to support the cause.

The leading family of Jiangnan faces difficulties?

To be honest,

the Ming family was entrusted by Princess Yun Rui

to handle the sales of goods from the Three Great Workshops.

It's constantly in deficit.

The Ming family constantly injected funds to cover the losses.

The goods of Three Great Workshops are all monopolized.

- How can you be losing money? - Monopolized?

Monopoly means exclusive control of all the secret techniques.

But

there are too many unscrupulous merchants.

It's hard to negotiate the price,

and the supply is getting more and more expensive.

Besides...

You all may excuse yourselves.

Not to mention the money goes through Princess Yun Rui

before it goes into the treasury,

so our internal treasury inevitably

faces deficits.

Madam, you're saying that

Princess Yun Rui is profiting from this.

I didn't say that.

Understood. You didn't say anything.

I'll just infer.

Fortunately, you are here.

The Three Great Workshops finally has hope.

I thought you might try to obstruct me on behalf of Li Yun Rui. Will you?

Why would you say that?

The Three Great Workshops doesn't belong to the Ming family.

Who controls them makes no difference to us.

A long delay in your journey south means trouble.

Tomorrow, I'll have Qing Da accompany you to the Transport Department

to expedite the handover.

Once the Three Great Workshops is rightfully under your control,

there will be no further concerns.

Tell me, what do you want?

Someone will need to oversee the Three Great Workshops in Jiangnan, right?

My Lord, what do you think?

Interesting.

This business is losing money every year,

yet you're eager to take it on.

It's about serving the kingdom.

We don't care about personal gains or losses.

The Ming family's success isn't by luck.

It's all thanks to the kingdom's prosperity and your good fortune.

What fine tea.

What fine tea.

Why are you still here? Isn't Fan Xian waiting?

Entertaining Lord Fan is just a formality.

A quick greeting will suffice.

Besides,

with my mother around,

there won't be any problems.

Mr. Xie, please have some tea.

What's going on?

This...

What's going on?

The sky is burning red.

Didn't you see?

It looks like there's a fire.

Lord Fan.

This...

Lord Fan.

Something big happened.

I sent someone to check.

It seems that there was a fire in the Transport Department.

- Imperial Treasury of the Transfer Department? - Exactly.

All the goods from the Three Great Workshops,

along with the workers, are in the Transport Office.

But don't worry, My Lord.

Before reporting to you,

I already sent the entire Ming household to help extinguish the fire.

Master Ming, who do you think started this fire?

This

can't be an arson, can it?

After all,

burning down the Transport Department benefits no one.

Luckily, I'm at the Ming Residence tonight.

Otherwise, I might suspect the Ming family for arson.

Lord Fan.

Even if the Ming family had the courage of a bear,

- we wouldn't dare do such a thing. - I know.

Of course, it wasn't the Ming family.

After all, I'm a witness.

No.

It's hard to say about the entire Ming family.

After all, it's a large family with many members and deaths.

At least both of you are innocent.

I swear by my honor,

no matter what, I will help you uncover the truth.

The fire is so bright,

it lights up the night.

Moon Embracing Pavilion is no longer a brothel.

What's the use of running it now?

Our teacher thinks further ahead than us.

He hasn't mentioned what will happen to those girls.

He didn't say.

He probably wants to decide after securing the Three Great Workshops.

Have you heard about the fire last night?

The Transport Department was burned to ruins.

The Three Great Workshops is gone.

The timing is too convenient.

It just so happened when our teacher came to Jiangnan.

Without the Three Great Workshops,

the Imperial Treasury can't hold on any longer.

It's too much of a coincidence.

I don't believe the fire will take place at such a convenient time.

Also, we found out the whereabouts of Yuan Meng in Jiangnan.

Aren't you going to capture her?

Our teacher has his own arrangements.

It's a bit deep.

(Moon Embracing Pavilion)

My Lord, I'm back.

It's so unlucky.

I went around the fire site.

The warehouse of the Three Great Workshops is burned down.

Nothing is left.

The cause of the fire is hard to determine.

- Where are the people? - All dead.

But I checked the number of bodies,

and it matches the number of workshop personnel.

Not a single one is missing.

In other words, there are no survivors.

I examined the bodies too.

I found something odd.

I checked two bodies in total.

There was no soot deep in their throats.

This means they were burned after they died.

But I didn't want to raise suspicion,

so I only checked those two.

This fire wasn't an accident.

Are there any specific clues?

Everything's burned clean. Nothing left.

No clues at all.

What do you think the Three Great Workshops represents?

Imperial Treasury and endless wealth.

So who benefits from burning them down?

No benefit

to anyone.

So this fire was just to burn down the name of the Three Great Workshops.

You mean, there's more to this.

Qi Nian, keep the back door secure.

If there is something strange about this fire,

we'll get news soon.

I'll get right on it.

Fan Xian returned to his residence and hasn't left since.

He hasn't taken any action.

- Where's he staying? - Moon Embracing Pavilion.

It's the brothel in the capital.

Yes, the Jiangnan branch of the brothel in the capital.

I've never been there.

It's just hearsay.

It seems even the righteous Lord Fan

can't resist the temptations of wine, women, and wealth.

I thought he would investigate this fire with great fanfare.

This fire burned everything thoroughly.

Even if he wanted to investigate, he'd have no leads.

I don't think he's easy to fool.

Suspicion is inevitable.

But logically,

we have no reason to risk our family's destruction by setting this fire.

Without motive,

suspicion won't fall on the Ming family.

That is impossible.

If it's discovered, the whole family would be executed.

The Ming family are not fools.

Why is it impossible?

Money can work wonders, Your Highness.

What does that have to do with setting a fire, Senior?

- I'm playing black. - Why are you playing black, Your Highness?

Because you're the prince.

All right, let's see who goes first.

I still think that fire was an accident.

But I think it was set by the Ming family.

The Ming family has had a hand in the Three Great Workshops for years.

With our teacher taking over, the Ming family wouldn't be happy.

But he has already arrived in Jiangnan.

Whether it's handed over or burned,

they no longer belong to the Ming family.

Why would they take such a risk?

It's a capital offense.

What if the warehouse had been emptied bit by bit by the Ming family?

Does that make sense?

Teacher, I understand.

The fire was set by the Ming family to mislead everyone.

They wanted to transfer the Three Great Workshops

and then monopolize the wealth.

How can they be so greedy for wealth?

And it caused so many lives.

Don't they fear the laws of Qing?

That's the powerful Ming family of Jiangnan.

Why do you think so poorly of them?

It's not that I think poorly of them, Your Highness.

People die for money.

That's human nature.

You have no evidence. I don't believe it.

- Does such a thing exist? - Yes!

Your Highness, you may not know this.

That's what happened to me,

and my hometown,

Shijia Town.

That's exactly how it got burned.

The official disaster report said

it was a dry spell and an accidental fire.

It was the whole town, Your Highness.

Everyone died.

Wouldn't they run?

They brushed it off as an accident.

I don't believe it.

What do you think?

Do you think it was an accident?

Or man-made?

Sorry, Senior.

I didn't know about that.

Sorry to bring up your painful memories.

There are many things you don't understand.

Money can work miracles and dehumanize people.

What about Xie Bi An's side?

Xie Bi An had no suspicions either.

After all, rumors have been circulating for years that

you and I

are fighting over the position of the head of the family.

But in reality,

we are harmonious.

Princess Yun Rui wouldn't expect that

this time, we are working together

on such a grand scheme.

Make sure there are no mistakes at the fire site.

Don't worry.

Even if investigated, the blame will fall on Li Yun Rui.

After all,

during the fights of the powerful,

who would pay attention to merchants like us?

They say a thousand miles of dike can be destroyed by an ant's nest,

but who truly

watches the ants?

Get the large boats ready in a few days.

Everything is ready.

But for now, the situation is too tense to make any moves.

Once everything is settled

and Fan Xian returns to the capital,

I'll use the boats to transport the goods and workers

out to sea.

Beware of human mishaps.

I've bribed two key officials.

They thought this grand scheme was arranged by Li Yun Rui.

The workers are obedient.

Once everything is out to sea,

it'll all be settled.

It seems you need me less and less.

You've arranged everything yourself.

All thanks to Mother's teaching.

I have no credit at all.

My leg is getting worse.

It's getting harder and harder to bend it.

I guess I'm just useless now.

Mother, why call yourself useless?

Come, let me carry you on my back.

You're getting more stable as the head of the family.

Without your guidance,

being the head of the family is just an empty title.

What do you think is Jiangnan's biggest problem?

The Ming family.

No.

Princess Yun Rui and Prince Cheng Ze.

No.

Who else could it be?

Sometimes, the problem isn't a person, but...

Human nature.

For so many years, the Ming family has dominated Jiangnan,

leaving other merchants with no chance.

The Ming family is rich, but the counties are getting poorer.

So the Ming family should be replaced.

Replacing them won't change anything.

In a few years, there will be a new Ming family.

During my trip south, I heard a saying,

if there's no Ming family, there will be another family.

The Three Great Workshops is like a treasure trove.

Whoever controls them will become the next Ming family.

So the name of the Three Great Workshops doesn't matter.

What matters is its essence.

What essence?

It holds the most profitable craft inheritance in the world.

I know that.

Glass, sugar, cotton weaving, perfume, and more.

They are all top secrets.

I want to release them.

Release what?

All the secrets of the Three Great Workshops.

I'll let them all out.

Make them public? Where?

To all the shops in the world.

Sharing the techniques.

Sell them at a high price to cover treasury debt.

We will charge for it,

but it's not for the treasury debt.

I never thought about selling it at a high price either.

Each trade will have a set fee.

Shops that want to use it will pay an annual fee.

It's a steady stream of revenue.

This is called intellectual property.

But won't that mean the imperial treasury's secrets are gone?

But it will give hope to the people.

The Imperial Treasury belongs to the royal family.

Aren't the people also belong to the royal family?

That

seems to make sense.

I chose intellectual property

because real wealth shouldn't belong to one family or a royal shop.

Rather,

we should advance together with the people and enrich the kingdom.

If this path works, it might give weight

to those ignored lives.

Teacher,

does Father know about this plan

to enrich the people?

Get it done first, then report back to the capital.

Teacher.

I think you should seek permission first.

Doing something like this before seeking permission,

I'm afraid

Father will get mad.

We mustn't be worried if we want to be successful.