Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Destined]

[Episode 17]

It's almost impossible

to do business now.

[Fortune and Longevity]

Mother.

In the eyes of the government,

we merchants are the most useless.

People like us

don't make money

by farming land.

It's acceptable in times of peace,

but the country is in chaos now.

In the eyes of the locals of Youzhou,

we're just

a bunch of freeloaders

who made no contributions

to producing food.

You're right.

We

have to

figure out a better solution.

Yuru,

you're now far more

insightful than me.

Not at all, Mother.

I just got nothing to do at home

and did some thinking.

The current situation

is worse

than we expected.

Let me think about it.

-Thank you, sir. -Thank you, sir.

Here, this is the last one.

Thank you.

Sir,

if you want to do something like this again,

please cut me in.

You asked so many questions today

because you want to make your mark in Wangdu, right?

I grew up

begging on the streets of Wangdu.

I know everyone and everything here.

You'll need eyes out there

and someone to run your errands.

You're quite smart.

Here, the deposit.

Thank you, sir.

Young Master,

we spent the whole day

listening to those poor people chatting.

Would that do us any good?

Of course it would.

But all I heard

was gibberish and complaints.

But did you hear any complaints

against the commissioner of Youzhou

and the government?

No.

They just mentioned

that they were righteous and honest.

That's it.

The dignitaries can't tell us

how the government rules.

No one knows that better than the poor.

Youzhou is under clean governance

and the people here are kind and genuine.

It's way better than Yangzhou

which appears prosperous but is rotten inside.

Let's go.

Jiusi.

Where did you go today?

I just hung out on the street.

You look upset.

Did you get in trouble with the government?

Not really.

When we were in Yangzhou,

I always knew how to take the next step.

But here in Youzhou,

every step leads to a dilemma.

I can't even see

the road ahead.

I don't know

where the ship of the Gu Business

will sail.

Mother.

I'm fine.

I just got emotional.

Youzhou and Yangzhou

are completely different places.

I don't know much

about business,

but I know that old ways

won't work in new environments.

Don't worry. Take it easy.

My son has grown into a man.

I wonder how your uncle is doing.

Uncle and Lord Liang are close.

In the current situation,

no news

is the best news.

Mother.

Since Father won't be back,

it's time for us

to make a cenotaph for him.

How can you be sure that he won't come back?

You just said that he disappeared in the fire.

Did you see him die

or spot his dead body

with your own eyes?

If you didn't,

he must still be alive.

Anyway,

unless I see

his body with my own eyes,

I won't believe he's dead.

Mother.

Enough.

Never

mention this matter again.

In the past few months,

people kept saying

that there were wars everywhere

and you two were completely out of touch

because you were dead.

I never believed them.

I was sure

that you'd come back.

Look.

You two

came back to me

safe and sound.

Langhua will surely be back too.

As long as there's hope,

I'll wait for him.

But if he never...

If he still hasn't come back

by the time I die,

you'll bury his clothes

with me.

By the way,

I've been thinking about one thing for days

and have made up my mind.

There's no time like the present.

So I'll tell you about it now.

Yuru,

you'll be in charge of this family from now on.

You'll decide everything

about the Gu Business in the future.

Tomorrow morning,

I'll tell my decision

to every manager

working for us.

No, Mother.

I can't do it without your guidance.

Yuru,

you're gifted

and have been learning from me for so long.

The conventions in Youzhou

and how business works here

are all new to me too.

There's nothing you can learn from me now.

But I'm too young.

When I started doing business,

I was about your age.

Being young

means being brave.

I'll count on you to make our family thrive.

I'm old.

I don't have the energy and courage for that anymore.

In the future,

I'll just take care of the plants

left by your father.

They are his treasures.

If I don't take good care of them,

when he comes back,

he'll hit the ceiling.

Yuru.

The weight of our family

is on your shoulders now.

Yes.

Mother.

Jiusi.

You need to help Yuru.

From now on,

you'll look out for each other

and put each other before yourselves.

You must do your best

to keep her safe.

Yes.

I've been thinking a lot lately.

I'm tired.

I'm going to rest.

Youzhou and Yangzhou

have very different climates,

but Mother managed

to keep these plants thriving.

It's not hard to see how much effort she put into it.

Mother is wiser than most people.

She knows everything.

If she needs to believe

that Father will come back

to feel better,

so be it.

We all need to believe something

to go on with our lives.

Life is peaceful now,

but at night,

I think of my father,

Wenchang, my master,

and other innocent people who died.

It's been eating at me.

There's one thing

I don't understand.

If Wang Shanquan just wanted money,

why was he dead set

on killing us all?

Perhaps because of jealousy.

The Gu family was prominent.

Back in Yangzhou,

when I was still a maiden,

I often heard people say

that the Gu family ruled Yangzhou.

Even the commissioner

had to listen to the Gu family.

But Wang Shanquan is

a narrow-minded rat.

He's too greedy and foolish

to amount to much.

It's not very likely

that he set Yangzhou on fire.

Yangzhou is in chaos now.

Don't be afraid.

You're just

an innocent person dragged down by the Gu family.

Perhaps,

someone

plotted all this behind him.

It was my birthday when things went south.

Do you remember?

After celebrating my birthday,

you hurried back downtown

and asked Chen Xun to stay with me in the suburb.

At that time,

were you told

that Wang Sunquan surrounded our house with troops?

Yes.

It was dangerous,

so I left you in the suburb.

After you left,

Luo Zishang appeared.

Luo Zishang?

What did he want with you?

He said if I left with him,

I wouldn't have to die.

He also told me

that after that night,

the Gu family and Gu Jiusi

would no longer exist in this world.

By that time,

the mutiny hadn't happened,

but he seemed to know it would.

I investigated him once

but couldn't find any useful information.

So,

he plotted all this

behind Wang Shanquan.

If that were the case,

he'd deserve to die.

Sooner or later,

I'll make him pay

for every life he took.

Master, what are you thinking?

If she were alive,

she'd hate my guts

and see me as an implacable enemy.

Master, you never allowed yourself

to wallow in grief.

Why do you make an exception for her?

Xifeng.

Do you remember how we met?

Yes.

Back then,

I was reduced to prostitution and tried to kill myself.

You saved me

and bought my freedom

so that I could keep on living.

Never wallow in grief.

You mean I'm cold-blooded, don't you?

Yes.

I came back

from hell.

Of course I'm cold-blooded

and callous to everyone.

I showed you sympathy

back then

because of her.

If I hadn't met her,

I would've become

a downright monster.

If only she were not

Young Madam Gu.

Unfortunately,

she must have died

with Gu Jiusi

during the trudge.

The desert in Qingzhou stretches for 200 miles.

It's a barren place

where numerous people starved to death.

She looked

so fragile.

Master, I've got news.

Gu Jiusi is still alive?

Really?

Yes.

He and his wife

have arrived at Wangdu.

They actually

crossed the desert

and reached Youzhou on foot?

But it's not a big deal.

He's just a runaway small-timer.

Better off dead

but no threat alive.

My lord, don't you know

that the weeds not uprooted

will grow again?

Gu Jiusi

was a notorious toff in Yangzhou.

He was spoiled

and knew nothing but cock fights and dog races.

Now that his father is dead,

what big changes can he make?

I'm afraid

you've underestimated Gu Jiusi.

Mr. Luo,

you seem to think highly of him.

I just know him better

than most people.

The Gu family

has moved half of their property away.

Now in Youzhou,

they're still big names.

If the Gu family…

Mr. Luo.

I intended to forget this matter

yet you brought it up.

I could've had all the Gu family's fortune

in my pocket.

If you hadn't insisted on

killing every one of them

to settle a personal feud,

it wouldn't have taken so long

and the Gu family

wouldn't have gotten the time

to move half their property to Youzhou.

Our plan was foolproof.

If your son hadn't made them suspicious…

Don't change the subject!

You insisted on

wiping out the Gu family.

I've fulfilled

my every promise to you.

But I only got

half of what you promised.

So in the future,

I won't take your words seriously again.

Don't tell me what to do.

Mingyi.

Let's go.

Wang Shanquan

held you in high regard

when he needed your advice.

Now that things settled down

and he has Yangzhou in his control,

he changed his attitude immediately.

What an ingrate!

It's no surprise.

I chose Wang Sunquan to help me

not only because

he's greedy and profit-driven.

I needed someone

as short-sighted and foolish as him.

He caused a bloodbath in Yangzhou

and sparked outrage.

Once the dust settles,

many people

will come to settle the score with him.

If he treats me well,

people will know

that I colluded with him

and helped him.

By then,

I'll be blamed

for the bloodbath in Yangzhou.

You mean…

He wants to bite the hand that feeds him.

Then I'll help him bite off the whole hand.

I'll show the world

that Wang Shanquan

is mean and cruel to me as well,

and that I'm a victim like everyone else.

It's the only way

to make everyone bow to me

when I take over Yangzhou.

Jiusi.

I have something to discuss with you.

Forget it.

Let's talk about it another time.

Well,

I've got something to say too.

It's really important.

Go ahead.

Never mind.

You may beat me up.

Are you still

thinking about divorcing me?

No!

What are you thinking?

Then why would I beat you up?

How about

we say it at the same time?

OK.

One, two, three.

I want to give our family fortune to the government.

We're in sync.

Mother,

I want to talk to you about something.

What's it? Go ahead.

I want to give away all our fortune.

All of it?

Whose idea is this?

Although Yuru runs the house,

it's my idea.

Yuru.

You agree with him?

Yes.

Actually,

it's my idea

as much as Jiusi's.

Mom, I'm so sorry.

♫Tear stains on the letter♫

♫The blurred contour of your face♫

♫Remember you'll always be missed♫

Mother, please punish me.

Get up.

You're in charge of the family.

♫The world is so big♫

What we should do

is totally up to you.

♫You're my sun and moon♫

♫Lighting my way through the dark♫

Sit down and eat.

♫How can I forget you♫

♫Forget us, and forget the days we spent together?♫

♫How can I move on as if you were never in my life?♫

♫I miss you♫

♫I still love you♫

♫But I can't hold you in my arms again♫

♫Will it be like the first time we met?♫

For god's sake.

How are we going to survive?

It can't be serious.

How are we going to get by?

[With wealth and benevolence, we'll make the world a better place.]

Munan.

Go get some tea for the managers.

Yes.

Wait.

Don't you need to donate the tea too?

I can do without tea.

Everyone here is older than me

and has made great contributions

to the Gu family.

The Gu Business is the Gu family's business

but has only gotten so successful

because of your efforts.

Stop. You're giving us too much credit.

Who are we?

To put it bluntly,

they're just a bunch of workmen.

In the bosses' good graces,

we got to be dressed nicely,

but we'd be damned if we forgot our places.

Yes.

So save those pleasantries

that can't get us anywhere.

Yeah.

Fine.

[With wealth and benevolence, we'll make the world a better place.]

I got a math problem here.

If you can give me an answer,

we won't have to donate a dime

and no one will be dismissed.

At this time last year,

there were 3.3 million people in Youzhou

and more than 350 million kilograms of crops were yielded.

They were just enough for the locals to eat,

seed, and pay taxes.

There would even be extra food.

But after the war broke out,

tens of thousands of people flooded into Youzhou.

Most of those people

are rich merchants,

the gentry, and their servants.

Those people don't work on farms

but all need food to eat.

Youzhou's soil is infertile and the farmland is limited.

How should we

feed the extra population?

With the money we make,

we can go outside to buy food.

Yes.

But war is raging across the whole country

and has displaced countless people.

Every adult male

has been drafted to fight.

Commissioners

are also scrounging for food

to feed their armies.

Can you tell me

which state has extra food now?

You're being melodramatic, Young Master.

There were bad harvests due to floods

and plagues of locusts in the past.

Food shortages are nothing new.

We just have to buy food at a higher price.

Every state made up excuses to evade taxes every year.

They all have stores of food

and are waiting for the price to rise.

Once the price rises,

there'll be supplies.

I've been doing business for half of my life.

Business is all about demand and supply.

I know how the two

affect each other.

But Manager He,

you seem to have forgotten something.

[With wealth and benevolence, we'll make the world a better place.]

Food

is different from other products.

When the price of cosmetics rises,

one can wait to buy them next month.

But when the price of food rises,

one can't wait to eat next month.

If the supply of cosmetics is 10% short,

the price will increase by 20%.

But if the food supply is 5% short,

people will freak out

and panic-buying will be triggered.

The price will then

increase by ten times, a hundred times,

or even a thousand times.

Think about it.

If the food supply is cut off for three days,

what will happen?

That

will throw Youzhou into chaos too!

The people will become the mob.

In a time of unrest like that,

how people like us

who have money and stores of food

will end up

is not hard to guess, right?

So I suppose

even if we don't donate everything,

within two or three years,

we'll be deprived of everything.

We don't have two or three years.

The war

has affected the spring plowing.

If we don't save ourselves now,

we'll be doomed

in less than half a year.

Well…

Do we have to donate everything?

Well,

is giving away all our fortune

in exchange for safety

the only option we have?

I'm afraid the war

will take a toll on everyone.

Young Master,

we were too angry to mind our manners just now.

Please forgive us.

You…

Managers,

there's another important thing we need to do.

Please come with me.

What's he going to do?

Let's go.

You all have a share

of the Gu family's fortune.

As the Young Madam,

I'm sincerely grateful to you.

Every manager

can have 3,000 taels of silver

as the capital to start your own business

to make a living.

Besides,

all your assistants,

accountants, and buyers

can have 300 taels

as severance pay.

You've worked hard for so many years.

We're forever in your debt.

This is the least we can do for you.

How can we take the money?

Yeah.

Thank you, Young Master.

Thank you, Young Madam.

W-What's wrong

with you guys?

Have you never seen money before?

A little bit of money

is enough to make you relent?

The gibberish

of two young people

has convinced you to part ways?

Manager He,

Young Master had a point.

You…

I've been through

thick and thin

with the Gu family.

How old are you two?

How in the world

can you donate your family fortune so easily?

A little money is all I got

for years of hard work?

You're right, Manager He.

Managers,

some of you worked for the Gu family longer than others

and contributed a lot more

to the Gu Business.

Manager He,

Manager Xue,

and Manager Gao

have more seniority

and made more contributions.

They deserve a bonus.

I've asked someone to make calculations.

Do you expect me to thank you?

Should I feel honored

to be given so much money?

I don't want the money.

You can either keep it

or give it to them.

Leave as you please.

Part ways if you want!

As long as I'm still breathing,

the Gu Business won't go under!

-Manager He! -Manager He!

Jiusi.

Do you think we made the wrong decision?

You know the answer.

We made the right decision.

But everyone is so sad.

What Manager He said today

was indeed too harsh.

I don't blame him.

Manager He is very loyal.

He just doesn't want to leave.

Today,

when everyone's eyes

were fixed on me,

I felt

I was doing something unforgivable.

Fortunately,

Mother supports us.

Mother is taking it hard too.

The more she supports me,

the more apologetic I feel.

Jiusi.

We broke Mother's heart.

Do you know

why she let you take charge

of the Gu Business at this time?

Was it because of Father?

She's overwhelmed with grief

and doesn't have the energy to do business anymore?

Things like that can't defeat her.

Mother always protected her children and subordinates

under her wings.

Under no circumstances

would she leave

all the hard work to you

to seek pleasure herself

when the future is full of uncertainties

Then what's the real reason?

She needs you to make the hard decisions.

Our elders

started this family business

from scratch.

Mother knows

that her past experience

will become her restraints.

In the new environment,

we have to give up all we have

and start over.

Only in this way

can she let you make the right choice.

Also,

we

made this decision together.

Don't put so much pressure

on yourself.

Boss Liu,

since Mother let you take charge,

you just need to loosen up

and muster the courage

to do whatever feels right to you.

No matter what the result is,

we'll stand together as a family.

Can't believe I said that.

I'm indeed

the best man in the world.

You're so lucky

to be my wife.

Don't be such a bragger.

I said so much

but didn't get any compliments from you,

so I have to flatter myself.

I'm also handsome,

dashing, and debonair.

With wealth and benevolence,

we'll make the world a better place.

That's the Gu Business's motto.

Yeah.

I've read it thousands of times

and known it by heart,

but I didn't realize until today

that I never understood its true meaning.

Young Master.

I'm so sorry.

I was so rude yesterday.

I apologize to you

and Young Madam.

You don't need to apologize.

I do, Young Master.

You and she reminded me

of this family motto.

I kept saying

that I'm devoted to the Gu Business,

but I forgot

the fundamental of the Gu Business.

With wealth and benevolence,

we'll make the world a better place.

Old Master Gu

wrote those words himself.

I heard from Mother

that when Grandfather

made this plaque,

the Gu Business was very small

and the money they earned was only enough to pay the rent.

Yes.

At the end of that year,

after your grandfather

gave out rewards and dividends

and paid the taxes,

he used

the little bit of money left

to buy this rosewood plaque

and wrote this family motto.

He asked me to use the rest of the money

to buy bread

for the poor.

Really?

Back then,

right under this plaque,

your grandfather

told everyone working in the Gu Business

to keep in mind

the meaning of this motto.

Business should not

just benefit one person or one family.

It should benefit the world

and everyone living in it.

Young Master, you're right.

The war will take a toll on everyone.

You donated the family fortune

to the commissioner of Youzhou

not just for self-protection.

You did it

also for the peace of Youzhou.

You're so young

but way more far-sighted

than an old man like me.

Manager He,

the one visionary is Yuru.

I'm just supporting her.

It surprises me

that you

had the strongest objection at first

but understood our intention best

in the end.

Young Master,

I feel ashamed.

Mr. Nie, you've been working so hard.

Young Madam.

I'm just doing my job.

We went over

the numbers yesterday.

There are no mistakes.

Why are you...

I just want to check them again.

I've spent half of my life working

as an accountant in the Gu Business.

This is the last time I do calculations here.

I just want to

take it slow

and do the accounting one more time.

I see.

I'll leave you to it.

Take your time.

Take care, Young Madam.

Young Madam.

Her Ladyship wants to see you in the greenhouse.

Okay.

Why do you look so timid?

Mother,

I thought

you wouldn't want to see me again.

Silly.

You're not only as decisive as me when doing business,

but also as silly as

I used to be.

When I first took over

the Gu Business,

I was around your age

and faced a similar dilemma.

At that time,

the textile industry in Yangzhou

was embarking on a new era.

Silk reeling, spinning, weaving, and embroidering

developed into separate trades.

I was young and ambitious.

I was sure

that we needed to make changes

to survive in the new era.

So, once I took charge,

I bought

ten stores and an embroidery workshop.

In one night,

I spent all the Gu family's savings.

I even mortgaged

the Gu family's ancestral house.

If I had failed,

the whole family

would've become homeless.

Tell me.

Wasn't that

very similar

to your donating all our fortune?

You've always been cautious and stable.

I'm surprised to know

that you once went out on a limb.

I'm cautious and stable

because I'm old.

When people get old,

they tend to be uptight

and bigoted.

Then what happened?

What happened later?

Later,

shops sticking to the old ways

closed down one after another,

while the Gu Business

went with the tide

and grew bigger and bigger.

At that time,

my decision was opposed by almost everyone

just like yours is.

Only my father-in-law, Old Master Gu,

supported me.

He said

that he had faith in the one he chose.

He believed

that I was the future of the Gu family.

Yuru.

Now I believe

that you're the future of the Gu family.

The Gu family

will surely

emerge stronger from the crisis.

Mother,

I won't let you down.

Remember,

we're a family.

We support each other

when bad things happen.

Have you taken care of

all those managers and assistants?

Yes. Rest assured, Mother.

That's good.

In times like this, we have to get used to saying goodbye.

No matter what,

we need to survive first to hold out hope.

I just wish

that it could work out for everyone.

The Gu family used to be

a shining moon held high by all of us.

Now that we've become a scatter of stars,

a new story will begin.

I just wonder

whether

I can meet them again before I die.

Since you care about them,

why don't you say goodbye to them personally?

No need.

It would just make everyone sad.

Parting is too heavy

for someone my age.

Madam.

Madam.