Original subtitles

Episode 4

Mistress.

Your brother got in a fight in a tea house.

What is it this time?

Someone from your family came

and said that he got in a fight

in a tea house over a woman.

They asked you to go take a look.

A woman again?

Why did they come to me?

Where's my father?

Your parents went to visit your grandparents.

They can't make it back.

So the servants came to you.

I see.

No wonder he's out of control.

You're dead meat. Let me tell you.

You'll all die here.

Sir, my father has long been ill.

He depends on the money I make here.

I can't go with you. I beg you.

Please let me off.

I told you. I'll take care of him

as long as you come home with me.

Is there anything else you want?

She's trying to be indirect.

Do you need her

to tell you that she doesn't like you?

Great. You just upset me.

Just you wait and see.

Brother, haven't you had enough?

Qian, my dear sister.

Thank god you came.

Are you here to help me?

They're so ignorant

that they had the audacity to beat me.

Qian, how many men did you come with?

Give them hell!

What makes you think I'm here to help you?

How dare you ask your family for help

when you are being the bully.

Do you think your family own the city?

You...

This gentleman here, you're exaggerating.

What makes you think

I'm here to help him?

We all heard him calling you sister.

Master Zhong is a brilliant man.

But he's ruining his reputation

for being unable to control his family now.

There must be some misunderstanding.

Not really.

I merely speak my mind.

It's a pity that the brilliant Master Zhong

passed off fish eyes for pearls

and got trapped by a woman.

You... I...

I've never seen them before.

They look like passersby

but they sound like they knew

how I married Zhong Yelan.

Who did my brother mess with?

- Qian, careful. - Who is he?

That's...

Who the hell are you?

Are you out of your mind?

There are so many guards here.

I don't see why they need

a tea house waiter to help them.

Men, tie him up!

Who are you to tie me up?

Well, you maligned the Zhong family.

I didn't!

And tie him up, too.

Take them to the courthouse.

Qian, are you making a mistake?

I'm pointing at you.

Spending some days in jail

will help you fix your fault.

I...

And you.

I'm not the magistrate

so I can't judge this case.

But you offended me repeatedly.

My temper isn't exactly great myself.

So

you can explain yourselves to the magistrate

together.

Qian...

What's your name?

Rongzhou...

Rongzhou...

Zhou Yong, right?

Thank you for your kindness.

You look young.

Remember to protect yourself

before helping others.

Nothing can be more important

than yourself.

The Zhong family will pay for your treatment.

No matter if you were just going with the flow

or trying to leave an impression

I know you did it to protect me

and I appreciate your kindness.

But you should know

that not everyone

would do what I'm doing for you.

Qian... I was wrong.

I'll never do that again.

I don't want to go to the courthouse.

- Get off me. - No. Never.

Hold on, Mistress.

I apologise on behalf of my brother

for offending you.

He's outspoken and forthright

which makes him easily misled.

Don't let him get to you, Mistress.

Don't apologise to me.

I'm staying out of this.

Just explain to the magistrate.

How about this?

The two of us will apologise to you

and let this matter slide.

This was just an argument.

It's better not to take it to the courthouse.

Exactly.

I think the gentleman makes sense.

I can let it slide.

But it is not your choice to make.

It depends on the person involved.

If Mr Hua stops badgering me

I-I-I'll let it go.

I won't badger you.

Never. Go... hurry up.

Send my brother back

and ground him

before my parents return.

- Yes, Mistress. - Qian, you...

Sir, please.

Go.

Who are they?

Qianzhi.

Send someone to follow them and see...

You impressed me, Mistress.

Lord.

I was watching you from upstairs.

You're different

for being so decisive.

You're too kind, Lord.

A girl changes after getting married.

Why didn't my senior come with you?

This is my family matter.

It's better that he doesn't come.

I see.

I've been out for so long.

Time to get back.

Can you give me a ride home?

What?

My carriage is too small for two.

If you're not averse to the humble carriage

this way, please.

Did you go out alone today, Lord?

On foot?

Stop embarrassing yourself.

Come on. Not a single word?

How odd.

I'm his sister-in-law, to some extent.

Isn't it inappropriate to share my carriage?

What does he want?

Sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law.

Excuse me.

For what?

We've arrived at Zhong's Garden.

Thank you for the ride, Sister-in-law.

He'd fall for Mu Yao in the future.

What was I thinking about?

Let's go.

Have you ever seen the two men before?

No.

They may be passersby in the city.

Sure doesn't look like it.

Do we need to arrest them?

What for?

They did nothing wrong today.

Why are there so many people and things

that had never appeared before?

Did my life change

along with my new choices?

But the important things may not change.

Wouldn't you like some more food, Mistress?

Housemaid Li

when will the ancestral worship take place?

It's over two months away.

Is there anything you need, Mistress?

Fortunately

it's not too late for me

to make my plan.

Mistress, Master Zhong's here.

Master.

I told you not to be so formal with me.

Her Highness ordered me

not to break the rules.

I just came back and haven't had dinner.

Perfect timing.

Why are you eating so little?

I've had some food

before you came.

Have I neglected you these days?

Why didn't you come to me

for your brother's problem today?

You have to get on

with a lot of things every day.

I won't trouble you

as long as I can handle it.

We're husband and wife.

Why treat me like a stranger now?

His problem was too absurd

for you to handle it personally.

Or others would regard us as bullies.

He listens to me.

So, I can handle it myself.

Qian.

You seem distant

since we got married.

You're overthinking this, Master.

Now that we're married

I should fulfil my duties.

It was my fault

to have ignored you since our wedding.

I'll be nicer to you from now on.

What about Mu Yao?

How would you treat her?

I'll bear my responsibilities

since I've married you.

I'm not asking for that.

Why not take your time to think

instead of making a decision hastily?

Or it may be unfair for all of us.

- Qian... - It's getting late.

Have an early night, Master.

Master Zhong wanted to stay.

Why did you drive him away?

You know it.

He's thinking of someone else.

Mistress, you're married

to him.

You can't require him to think about you

every minute.

Being a wife is different from being a girl.

You must weigh the pros and cons

instead of your feelings.

I understand what you said.

But I don't want to...

make the same mistake.

You're getting more skilful at being a maid.

Thank you for taking me in, Master.

How long are you going to stay?

Don't tell me you like being a maid.

Until I find the one who set my family up.

You insisted on staying

only to investigate the case of your family?

Qian doesn't want to be involved

in disputes.

You were good friends.

Why can't you let her go?

Did I say Hua Qian was the one

who framed up my father?

You know it better than anyone else

and are just lying to yourself.

I won't argue with you.

Qian's my wife.

She's innocent.

If you insist on being against her

then I can't let you stay here anymore.

I took the risk

and took you in

on account of the old days.

Now you can say whatever you want

to others when you leave.

I was once deceived

by the innocence you claimed she has.

Now I have seen her true colours

but you haven't.

For me

Hua Qian is as vicious as a snake.

- You... - Three months.

If I can't prove that

my father was set up in three months

I'll leave Huangcheng

and never come back.

And I won't say anything bad

about you or her.

If you trust her

why would you worry about my investigation?

I also want to know

whether she set me up

or that I've misunderstood things.

I did investigate.

No one from her family

was involved in your case.

The one who brought the case has nothing

to do with her and her family.

Of course, you have no idea what she said

between me and her.

And you won't believe me even if I told you.

I can't let you stay around her

with a mind like this.

I swear

I only want to uncover

the truth of my family's case.

I'm not trying to frame her.

If she has nothing to do with the case

I won't hurt her.

If I should break my vow

I'll die and rot in hell.

Fine.

I'll give you three months.

This Qianhua perfume

smells different this time.

It was newly made with

the same fresh jasmine flowers.

It's a bit different from

what we're issued with.

I'll stop using this one

if you don't like it.

No, it's okay.

How long have I been married?

About a month.

Time passes by so slowly.

How so?

I think this month just flashed by.

You won't understand.

When is the ancestral worship?

There're 49 more days to go.

It's the 24th time

that you've asked me, Mistress.

So slow.

How slow it is.

Why so eager to attend the ceremony

this time, Mistress?

You'd always faked being ill

to avoid it.

It's different.

The ceremony this year is a big deal.

It was their chance to pledge their love.

But now

it's my only opportunity

to correct the mistake.

Pledge their love? Who?

Secrets mustn't be revealed.

You worry about all things

except for what's truly important, Mistress.

It's been a month since your wedding.

But the master sleeps at the study every day.

If this gets out...

Mistress, Nanfeng is here.

Greetings, Mistress.

What do you want this time?

Mistress, the master ordered me to send it here.

What is it?

A guqin.

It's late.

Why aren't you staying here, Master?

Did Mistress tell you to leave?

That's understandable.

After all, you didn't come back

on the wedding night.

And you left her alone to visit her family.

Did you just learn how to talk?

Master, I didn't ask for that.

Why not take your time to think

instead of making a decision hastily?

Or it may be unfair for all of us.

Tell me. How can I make it up to her?

You finally see sense, Master.

Well, it's simple.

Mistress is a kind person.

You can do it

by finding out her hobbies.

Find out her hobbies...

The guqin was made by Chang Jing

the best craftsman.

It's the only one in the world.

You're well-known for your guqin skills.

Master managed to find it for you as a gift

since you can make the best use of it.

Help me thank him for that.

Yinxing, put it in storage.

Won't you try playing it, Mistress?

I'll try it another day.

I'll take my leave.

You used to get so excited

when you see a great guqin.

It seems that

you're not interested in it at all.

I noticed that

you seem to dislike Nanfeng.

Because he always brings bad news.

Once on your wedding night

and the day you visited home...

Qianzhi, that's ridiculous.

I think he's a nice guy.

Mistress

this board is made of fine torreya wood.

Both the pieces and the box

are made of natural jade.

Master managed to find it for you as a gift

since you can make the best use of it.

Mistress, Master took great effort

to find this hare-hair brush.

You have great handwriting

and will make the best use of it.

It's the best paper and inkstone in the city.

You can paint with it

and make the best use of it.

Put them in storage.

Put them in storage.

Put them in storage.

Mistress, Master is so nice to you.

He knows that you're good at literary arts

and prepared these for you.

Just put them in storage.

She put everything I sent in storage?

- Yes. - She didn't even touch them?

Yes.

You said she would calm down

if I found out her hobbies.

Maybe it was

because you acted too late.

Yes. After all, it's been a month

after the wedding.

Maybe all she needs is to see you

instead of these gifts.

I don't even know

why I sought your advice.

Not bringing anything with you, Master?

- I don't need to. - Bring something, Master.

Take something with you.

I remember you have a sweet tooth.

So I brought you some dessert.

She suffered from toothache before marriage.

The physician said she shouldn't

eat dessert any more.

You're so kind, Master.

I'll put it on the table right now.

Is there anything wrong

that brought you here, Master?

Don't you...

like those gifts?

Of course, I do.

Then, why...

I cancelled the workshop inspection today.

Is there any place you want to go?

Work is more important.

You should take care of

official matters first, Master.

You always stay here in the residence.

I'm afraid you'd feel bored.

No, I won't.

I often hang out when I'm free.

Then, where do you want to go today?

I'll go with you.

I'm good.

What?

Is there any place I can't visit?

Zhong's Garden

Your Highness, Mistress is here.

Greetings to you, Your Highness.

Why did you come to visit me?

Did anything happen between you and Yelan?

It's been a long time

and I miss Your Highness so much.

So, I came to visit you.

Take a seat.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness, Lord's here.

Greetings to you, Mother.

Come. Sit here.

You called in a physician yesterday.

Are you feeling ill?

It's nothing.

I just had indigestion.

You watch your health.

As the lord

you should

eat dessert in moderation.

Mr Gao

you once worked

in the palace before coming here with me.

You don't need me

to remind you that, right?

Yes, Your Highness.

I understand, Mother.

Your Highness

Yaxiang has something to report.

Greetings to you, Your Highness.

What is it?

The spices sent by the comprador

have been sorted.

Here's an inventory for you to go over.

I remember that you had reported

on this matter yesterday.

Why are you here again with the inventory?

Additionally

the gale these past few days

has damaged flowers in the courtyard.

Shall we buy some more flowers

of the same species?

You can ask the butler about these trifles.

Leave if there's nothing important.

Yes, Your Highness.

My courtyard

becomes lively every time you come.

Your Highness, Miss Hua Man is here.

You rarely visit me these days.

So I sent someone this morning

to invite her over

so I can speak with her.

Since you're here

I shall tell her to leave.

Let her come in since she's here.

Let her come in.

Yes, Your Highness.

Why so stubborn?

It seems that

Father has given up on her.

Or she won't be acting unusual

and appear meek.

Greetings to you, Your Highness.

Aren't you Mistress' cousin?

But I rarely see you visit each other.

She used to live with my uncle in town.

We only visited each other during festivals.

Now that she has become

a maid of the lord

I can't bother her shamelessly.

Qian, it feels estranged for you to say so.

Why do you seem distant from your cousin

Mistress?

Of course not.

We're family

no matter how estranged we feel.

By the way, you can let me know

if you need anything here

in Zhong's Garden.

I'll do my best to help you

if you need me.

Mistress, she's just the daughter

of Butler Qi who works in Zhong's Garden.

But she seems to have made it her home.

How rude she was.

Don't mess with her.

One of these girls

may become the Lady here one day.

What a silly girl.

Do you think Her Highness

keeps these girls here

only because she feels bored?

Miss, Mistress was so bold

to claim connections with Hua Man

in front of Her Highness and the lord.

That's the clever bit.

Have a look. Incense burners.

- Show me this one, please. - Sure.

Are you tired, Mistress?

Of course, I am.

I even had to cover my mouth when I laugh

in front of Her Highness.

Why did you decide

to go to Zhong's Garden today?

It was rare that the master was nice to you

and even wanted to hang out with you.

I'd rather stay with Her Highness.

Why?

Her Highness was from the palace.

She's reasonable.

There's no harm

if I can gain her favour.

I thought about it.

The courtyard of Princess Royal

is the only place that Master can't go with me.

I see! Is it what you said

about loosening the reins

only to grasp him better?

You're so smart.

He'll miss you even more now.

No wonder Nanfeng told me

secretly before we go

that Master will take half a month off

to spend more time with you.

Half a month?

Your Highness.

Mistress is here.

Greetings to you, Your Highness.

Lord, Mistress is here.

Your Highness

Mistress is here again.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Your Highness, how's your day?

Lord, Mistress is here.

- Your Highness... - Mistress...

I'm here to see you again.

What are you up to?

Let me help you.

Lord.

Lord, Mistress is here again.

Again?

Yiyang Hall

Mistress, these beads were made from

a block of incense

that was consecrated by a senior monk.

Do you like it?

That's thoughtful of you.

What's going on with you

for these two weeks, Mistress?

Why did you come here every day?

Master always said that Her Highness

treated him as her son when he was young.

He's busy now.

It's my duty to spend time with her

on his behalf.

What a nice couple.

You're making the rest of us jealous.

Yelan has been too busy these days.

I'll tell him

to care more

about his family.

He should pay more attention to his career.

Don't bother yourself, Mistress.

Do you mean it?

Sure, I do.

Please don't tell him to do otherwise.

Your Highness, the queen mother ordered people

to send these lychee from the south.

It must have taken time and energy

to deliver these lychee

in this season.

The queen mother dotes on Your Highness.

Not me.

Her grandson loves lychee.

Send them to Xiwu.

Yes, Your Highness.

Su Wuniang seems busy.

I'm free now.

So I can take them to the lord.

You do avail yourself of every opportunity.

How dare you take credit

for Her Highness' offer?

Miss Qi, you've wronged me.

I-I just want to help Her Highness.

Sure enough, the bigger the residence

the more schemes there'll be.

Mistress, you're free now.

Why don't you help me deliver the lychee?

Me?

What a smart move.

Her time in the palace taught her well.

She solved their conflict in just one action.

Yes, Mistress.

Lord.

Lord, Her Highness ordered me

to bring the lychee.

Do you know how to read ledgers?

Have a look at them.

It keeps cash withdrawal records

your brother made from the shop

in your father's name.

Do you think your father knows?

I also heard other butlers say

that your brother often spends lots of money

at brothels.

Did your father not educate him properly?

Or does your father do the same thing, too?

Lord, my brother has been frivolous since young.

My father has been busy working at the shop.

So he's failed to educate him properly

and let him slip through the cracks.

How do you think

I should punish him for what he did?

Shen's my elder brother.

He's my family.

Even if he made many mistakes

I don't know how to punish him

since he's my elder

and I'm just a woman.

You're wise and know what to do.

It's improper of me to make any suggestions.

Butler Hua always boasts

that his daughter's perfect.

Why are you so restrained before me?

Parents would regard

their children as the best.

It's inevitable that they exaggerate.

Bonus footage

You're back, Lord.

Mistress asked about you earlier.

I went out secretly.

You caught me again.

Keep it a secret for me.

Did you go buy desserts for your mother?

That's the only excuse

I get to wander out.

How could you go out alone?

You should have brought some guards along.

I did have guards.

They were hidden.

I won't be free

if I'm with a group of guards.

Okay. I shall make my way home.

See you, Senior.

Senior.

Your new wife has changed a lot.

I met her today.

She reminds me of her father now.