Original subtitles

Episode 3

Hua Residence

Hungry?

Sir, Master Zhong is here.

Good.

- Master. - My apologies.

I got tied up, so I'm late.

It's okay. Work is more important.

Take a seat.

Yes, come take a seat.

Since you're late

you must drink a cup of wine as a penalty.

Here. I'll pour you a full cup.

This is a bottle of well-aged wine...

We haven't started the meal yet.

No wine for now.

Okay.

Master, you must be hungry.

Have some food first.

Right... eat something.

Okay. Let's eat.

- Yes, let's eat. - All right, let's eat.

Do you like the food?

Very much so.

Here...

Let me toast my brother-in-law.

Drink up, Brother-in-law. This is good wine.

My father has been saving it.

I'll go first.

How is it?

Let's eat...

One more.

I save this for special occasions.

Have some food, my dear.

Come on... Brother-in-law.

Let me toast you again.

Make yourself at home.

- Eat your dinner. - Okay.

Let's dig in. Have some more food.

Try this.

Come on...

Brother-in-law, let me toast you again.

I'm telling you

when I first met you

I thought you and my sister

were a match made in heaven.

Come on, drink up.

Make yourself at home.

We're family now.

Agree? I...

My sister met the right man.

You must be nice to her.

Here, one more cup. Let me toast you again.

Your brother

is trying to set you up for success.

As the Mistress of Zhong Residence

you will meet many girls in the future.

Find a nice girl for your brother.

- Do you hear me? - Come on.

Your brother is already 23 years old

and should settle down quickly.

There must be dozens of concubines

living in his quarters, right?

And I heard he bought a lot of maids.

If he gets married lawfully

there won't be space for all of them.

You can't say that.

Every man has several concubines.

But a lawful first wife is a must.

Is that so?

Why didn't you get any for Father?

Don't be silly.

Qian.

What did you say?

Nothing.

Eat your dinner.

Brother-in-law.

We're now family.

Listen, do you have enough domestic staff?

If not, you can tell me.

I just bought a lot of beautiful maids

If you like them, I'll send them all to you.

Huang, Shen is drunk.

Help him to his room.

- You must treat my sister well. - Yes, sir.

Do you get it? I...

Sir, let's go.

Go away. I don't get to speak

to my brother-in-law much.

You... let go of me.

Let go of him.

Get the ruler that I use for physical discipline.

R-Ruler...

Pardon me, for I'm tipsy.

I shall take my leave now.

- Shall we... - Father.

It's getting late. We must get going.

See you.

Come visit us frequently.

Have a safe ride.

It's all your fault.

Why did you bring up the ruler?

You ruined the meal.

I haven't even spoken to him.

I haven't even had a drink.

Drink up then...

Enjoy it by yourself.

Why did you leave in such a hurry today?

Did you not want me to talk to your father?

All he talks about

are work related matters.

Although you and I are married

we should not mix work with family.

Thanks for your consideration.

If only my father could

stop thinking about forming cliques

that'd make things easier for me.

Being seen as an eyesore by the Zhong family

makes life difficult for me.

Father's ability is beyond doubt.

Since he agreed to the matter on Mu Yunping

I should...

I'd like to see Mu Yao.

Master, the guard reported that

Miss Mu has escaped.

You should go if you need to.

I can continue on my own.

I'll be waiting at Hua Residence.

Sorry.

Prison

Hold it.

What are all of you up to?

Master, we're on our way

to track down the Mu family.

- What can I do for you? - Carry on.

I need to talk to your warden.

Yes, sir.

Follow me.

What?

Do you want to share a cell with your father?

How many people do you think

you're going to fool with this look?

My father is innocent

so I'm going to find out the truth.

Not many people would believe you.

Well, do you believe me?

Were you on your way to your in-laws'?

This is not the place to talk.

What's wrong? Am I not allowed to see her?

That's not it.

Mu Yao and I were like sisters.

She's in trouble now

so naturally I'm very worried.

That's why I want to see her.

You know about everything?

Qian, believe me.

I only did it as she's an acquaintance...

You don't need to explain it to me.

I know that you and Mu Yao got along well

and were once good friends.

I just need to speak to her.

I'm not trying to question you.

All right.

Qian, I did this just as a friend.

When you kept vigil at the funeral with me

I vowed to only love you in this life.

Thank you for the assurance.

But that person who did that wasn't me.

Even if it were

it wouldn't have stopped you

from falling for her eventually.

I was the one who stood in the way.

After speaking to Qian today

I noticed she's more mature now.

That makes me feel relieved.

Indeed, she's changed a lot.

She used to call me "Papa".

Now she's all grown up

and calls me "Father".

Think of it this way.

One day, she'll become

the Mistress of the household

so it would do her well to mature sooner.

Just three days into her marriage

and she's already so formal with me.

She was even tense

when she spoke with me today.

I don't even know her already.

She feels like a stranger.

I don't believe you.

She's always been rambunctious

in front of you.

How can that be?

You must be confused.

That was in the past.

Forget it...

She's married into another family now.

Well, that means

we can worry less

about our children now.

Right.

Shen should settle down

at his age already.

Huang.

Where are you sneaking off to?

Come here.

Sir, Master Hua...

What has he done?

Tell me.

Sir...

He said he couldn't sleep after drinking.

So he asked me

to invite some girls from Baihua Court

to join him.

Save the trip.

Bring me the discipline ruler instead.

Don't...

My dear

he drank to be a good host to Master Zhong.

Perhaps he just drank too much.

It's late.

Just let it go.

I'll go get it myself.

You spoilt him.

My dear...

You...

You'll get it from me tomorrow.

My dear...

My dear...

My dear...

All I want is to survive this time around.

I don't need to rack my brains

to bury the hatchet.

If I kill the one

that's threatening my survival

I won't need to...

What's wrong with me?

Wasn't my last death bad enough?

How can I harbour such thoughts?

If innocent people have to pay the price

for my own survival

I'm just repeating history...

Hua Qian, you...

You're up.

I heard that you're here

so I came to see you.

Why?

So you can brag about your victory?

That was indeed my intention

when I did this the last time.

Hua Qian, listen to me.

Even if you deny what you did

sooner or later

I'll expose how vicious you're to the world

and the hypocrisy of your family.

What goes around comes around.

Your family will never live in peace.

I don't want to talk about the past

but I can assure you right now

your family will be fine.

What game are you playing now?

So, tell me.

You pretended to be my confidante.

What else is there from me

that you can use for your advantage?

I'm not trying to use you for anything...

Do you think you can still fool me?

What I have experienced in the past few days

is enough to show me your true colours.

You pretend to be weak

but have the heart of a devil.

Right from the start

you knew what you wanted from me.

Miss.

Did you see a parrot around just now?

Was that your parrot?

Did you see it?

I just accidentally scared it off.

Let me help you find it.

That'd be very kind of you.

You're welcome.

Find out who she is.

How dare she seduce Master Zhong?

Yes, Miss Hua.

I know you won't trust anything that I say

about the past.

But right now, I've no intention to hurt you.

Do you expect me to believe you now?

Hua Qian, your broker sent over

furniture stuffed with agarwood incense

to our house.

And now my family is sentenced

with embezzlement.

I spoke to you about it several times.

Not only did you deny everything

you even reported me to the authorities.

What is it now?

Are you trying to change your story?

Try to calm down.

Mu Yao, a lot of what happened

are out of our control

and incongruent with my state of mind now.

I can't change everything all at once

so I can only do so bit by bit.

I understand why you don't trust me.

But I promise you

everything I say from now is the truth.

Save me this nonsense.

My father has been sentenced to exile

and I'm a wanted criminal.

Why should I trust you?

I heard something fall.

Your face...

Face?

Did she slap you?

No... she didn't.

I was kind enough to take you in.

How dare you hurt Qian?

Master, you made a mistake.

This has nothing to do with her.

I know you're kind.

You don't need to plead for her.

I guess I shouldn't have helped...

I did it to myself

Yes, that's right.

There was a bug on my face.

Qian, you don't need to be so nice.

Master, don't think too much.

Mu Yao did not hurt me.

Put yourself in her position.

Girls are most afraid of being wronged.

So you should apologise to her.

By bringing them together

I hope it takes away the resentment

when I caused them to break apart.

Do you see me

as a girl who's so insolent

and unreasonable?

Anyway, it doesn't matter.

I'm leaving.

Where do you think you're going?

Are you going to break into the prison?

That's better than sitting around.

Exile is no better than a death sentence.

How can I watch my father die?

I took the risk

to help you

since you were friends with Qian.

There's no way I can do that now.

I've never asked you to save me

or help me plan a prison break.

Right now

I just want you to stop being a busybody.

Is that how you see me?

If it weren't for what I did, you'd have...

Are you sure it's from Jiaozhi?

Yes. Most of the agarwood incense

is shipped from Qiongzhou.

It was hard to get so much of it from Jiaozhi.

Come with me to Zhong's Garden.

Butler Hua, what do you mean?

Lord, Supervisor Mu did not embezzle.

Look.

These agarwood incense

come from our workshop.

The staff might have gotten it mixed up

thus resulting in

him using the wrong type

to make the agarwood balls.

Do you believe this account?

It's not impossible for inexperienced workers

to pick up the wrong ingredient.

Didn't they find the agarwood incense

in his house?

But, Lord...

m-maybe that's from his own collection

and this is the material used by us.

Please take a closer look.

This is shipped from Jiaozhi Country, right?

It smells different

from those sourced in Qiongzhou.

Weren't the raw materials

that he was responsible for

produced in Qiongzhou?

Yes.

Well...

What's going on?

Lord...

Lord, just treat these

as the agarwood incense

that Supervisor Mu is responsible for.

I've been working with him for a year

and we work well with each other.

Besides

he's worked here for decades

and has managed our business in the north

very well.

He deserves credit for that.

Although he did something wrong

we have the missing ingredient now.

Exile is akin to the death penalty

I hope that you can plead

to Magistrate Wang to reduce his sentence.

Lord.

The same person who raised a ruckus

about this embezzlement case

is now using his own money

to plead for Mu Yanping.

Looks like he's got a finger in every pie

even the Zhong family's matters.

Get out.

Mistress.

Really?

Are you sure you heard correctly?

Did Magistrate Wang

really reduced Mu Yunping's sentence

to exile for three years?

What I heard is absolutely true.

The Lord wanted to forgive him

given his contribution to the family

so he pleaded

to Magistrate Wang for leniency.

Now everyone

is praising the Lord for his kindness.

Exile for three years...

Mu Yunping is unlikely to kill himself

out of desperation then.

The future lies ahead

Take care of yourself

Put on your hood

and pay someone on the street

to deliver this letter to Mu Yunping.

Remember, don't let anyone know who you are.

It's very important

so don't ask any more questions.

And remember, if this gets out

then I'm done.

Mistress, I swear on my life.

What's wrong?

N-N-Nothing.

She's a maid after all.

I guess I'll have to look out

for more capable people.

Mistress.

What's wrong with Qianzhi?

Nothing. She's just too young

to handle something serious.

Take a look at that ledger.

Leave it here.

I haven't seen you in a few days.

You've lost weight.

Father...

Thanks to the Lord for showing grace

so I was spared.

And though the land is barren

three years should go by quickly.

I can manage it.

I've already made some arrangements.

They shouldn't treat you too harshly.

I wrote to your uncle in the north.

You can stay with him

for the next three years

until I return

to look for you.

Although your life is spared

our family name is still smeared

and you're still bearing

the embezzlement sentence.

I want to stay here

to find out the truth

and restore our family's reputation.

That won't do.

You're just a girl.

How would you overturn the case?

I'm thankful as it is

that you're not implicated.

You often said

that I grew up in the north

and was a wild child.

I'm not like other girls.

So, don't look down on me

as a girl.

Rest assured.

I'll uncover the truth

and restore our family's reputation.

Then I'll bring you back to the city.

Thank you for your kindness, Master Zhong.

And for letting me see my father again.

I can repay your kindness

by working as your maid

in your family.

That's not necessary.

I should repay you for your kindness.

I said no.

We're not short of staff anyway.

After all, we were friends.

We might fight often in the past

but I have respect for you.

Take care of yourself.

If you refuse to accept my offer

I'm afraid I might spill the beans

when I'm on the loose.

It was all thanks to you

that I could avoid being arrested

when my family was on the run.

Are you threatening me?

No.

That's not my intention.

I'm just asking you

to let me repay your kindness.

Repay my kindness?

Is that how you do it?

You've every right to be angry.

But since you chose to help me

I should repay you for that.

It's my fault.

I should never have caught you.

Miss Mu, the banquet is in the back.

What are you doing here?

If my father hadn't forced me to

I wouldn't be at this banquet.

Miss...

I cannot get along

with those who follow the rules.

Why do I have to get into their circle?

Miss, if you insist on doing this

I'll report it to Supervisor Mu.

I mean it.

Master.

Master.

Master...

Are you calling me?

Master...

Zhong's Garden is so unusual.

Even a bird can speak.

There's a snake behind you.

Get away now. Don't stay there.

Move. Or fly away.

No... I might hurt it.

Wait!

Have we met before?

Just another girl trying to get close to me.

Your father

has a lustrous career in this city.

Yet you're so ready to be my maid.

Fine.

Let's see what you're made of.

Thank you, Master.

Nanfeng, keep moving.

Yes, sir.

All of this was caused by the Hua family.

Hua Qian.

I vow to expose your wrongdoing one day.

Come here. Put them here.

On that chair.

Put them inside the house.

Leave those here.

Put them here.

You bought a lot of things.

I didn't buy them.

These are from my dowry.

I almost forgot about them.

Mistress, there's one thing today

you can no longer sit idly by.

What's the matter?

That girl named Mu...

She...

Mistress, Master is here.

Qian.

Master.

What are they up to?

Qian.

Our household has never kept idle.

I've brought you a maid.

Look at this full house of people.

I don't need another maid.

One more won't hurt.

She wants to be a maid, anyway.

I don't need more maids.

The last time I went to your study

it seemed to be poorly staffed.

You should let Mu Yao serve there.

It's up to you.

Mistress.

She clearly has designs on Master.

I couldn't even bear to watch that.

Right, Mistress.

Why didn't you just say yes and let her...

be your maid

so that I can teach her a lesson?

- Banxia. - Mistress.

Come help me with my hair.

Greetings, Mistress. I'm Yinxing.

Where's Banxia?

Something happened in her family

so she took a leave of absence.

She will be gone for a while.

Butler Ji sent me here.

I'm good at hairstyling and embroidery.

Okay, you do it then.

Lord, the desserts are packed to go.

Just stay for a little longer.

Lord, Her Highness might question us

if we return too late.

It's just a little longer.

My mother won't blame me for this.

Sir...

Sir, please...

- Sir... - Who's he?

- Sir... - Looks like a bossy man.

- Sir... - Don't you know him?

His father is Butler Hua

and his sister is now Master Zhong's wife.

Everyone is afraid to provoke him now.

Poor girl.

- Look. - Sir, I beg you.

He's grabbing her.

Sir, I can't go back with you.

Sir, I beg you.

Sir, my father is waiting for me at home.

I can't go back with you.

You should be honoured.

It is your luck that I chose you

to get into our family.

Move it.

- Sir... - Just go.

How did Hua Wen'ang raise such a son

to ruin Zhong family's reputation?

You usually work undercover.

But go downstairs and help the pipa player.

Let's see how arrogant Hua Shen can get

and how much of a troublemaker he is.

Yes, sir.

I just asked you to play for me.

What are you doing?

Just go.

Sir...

We're in broad daylight and public.

You shouldn't force her to do what you want.

Who said I'm forcing her?

I like her. That's her blessing.

It's none of your business.

If you don't want to die, stay out of it.

We hate to see others being bullied.

So I guess we'll get involved.

Let's see if you can steal her from us.

You're out for trouble.

Take them down!

Sir, my teeth got knocked out.

- Miss... - Let's go.

Get up, you...

You, stay there.

Get this, I'm the only son of Butler Hua

and my sister is Master Zhong's wife.

That makes me Zhong Yelan's brother-in-law.

Make an apology and get out of here or...

Bonus footage

Little bird...

Little bird...

Sir, do you want me to ask some girls

to come over to play dice with you?

Not dice again!

I'm tired of it.

I've been locked up for three days

and now the sound of dice makes me sick.

Can't you find me something new?

Butler Hua and Mrs Hua are out of town

and have grounded you.

Sir, just hang on.

They'll be back home soon.

Huang.

You've reminded me of something.

Come close.

That night, I asked you to go to Baihua Court

to get some singers to come over.

You brought no girls, but my father instead.

That was quite something you did there.

You caused me to be punished.

And now I'm grounded.

Huang, how will you make it up to me?

Stop running. Stop.

Sir.

Butler Hua caught me going out

and I didn't dare to hide the truth.

Don't you dare talk back!

I'll beat you to death.

I'm out of breath.

Take a rest.

Have some water.

Let's see where you can run now.

Go on.

Do you think you did wrong...?

Yes, I did wrong. I'm sorry.

I'm bored. So very bored, Huang!

Do you get it?

Do you get it?

I want to go out and have some fun.

But I'm afraid of my father.

And my father's not home...

My father's not home.

I'm going out!

Sir, where are you going?

Butler Hua said you're not allowed to

go to Baihua Court again.

Who said I'm going there?

I'm just going out for some tea.

Please don't! Sir!