Original subtitles

Episode 11

Why don't you take the carriage?

I have something to ask you, Master.

What?

What did you mean

when you said what you said in Zhong's Garden?

Anyway

thank you for not sending me

to the Junior Lord of Wu family.

But you already have a wife.

You can ask me to do anything in return

except marrying you.

What if I don't have a wife?

I married Hua Qian because she drugged me.

I was forced to take responsibility.

I had no knowledge of me being drugged.

I've never touched her.

She admitted to it herself.

That sounds like something she would do.

Now I know what I want.

Give me some time.

After your father's case is settled

I will formally divorce her.

After all...

this is her wish as well.

Her...

wish?

Do you know the Junior Lord of Wu family?

No.

I just met him once

and I didn't know his identity then.

I never thought we would see each other again.

How is the investigation

into your father's case?

In addition to mentioning

how the Ge family committed the fraud

my father told me in a letter

that when he was in prison

he received an anonymous letter saying

"There is ample time ahead.

Take care of yourself."

This person must know

some inside information

but I haven't found out who he is yet.

Why didn't I hear you mention it before?

I...

You thought I wasn't worthy of your trust?

By the way, I managed to reach

a former maid of mine a few days ago.

She provided me with a lot of information

but most of it is useless.

Your maid?

She used to be a servant of my family

but was sold to someone else.

It took me a lot of effort to find her

but she refused to be my maid again.

Why?

Who knows?

After all, to each their own.

Nothing can be forced.

Forced?

That's right.

It's me.

Can we talk first?

I have nothing to say

to the Junior Lord of Wu family.

Are you angry

because of my identity

or because I kept my real identity from you?

What do you mean?

Aren't they the same?

Nothing.

I was just teasing you.

What's your motive for coming to me?

I swear

I fell in love with you at first sight

and can't stop thinking about you.

Stop that!

I'm serious.

It's like fate.

I can't forget you since our first meeting.

If this is all that you want to say today

then I suggest you leave now.

You really want to be with Zhong Yelan?

It beats being with you.

He already has a wife.

Are you leaving or not?

What if I told you

I could clear your father's name?

Do you think I will believe you?

I'll count to three.

If you don't leave, I'll scream.

Are you really going to do this?

One.

Haven't you wondered why I keep pestering you?

Two.

You will come to me in the future.

Three.

Master.

Do I still need to send the invitation card

to Mistress Zhong?

Seems like she really doesn't know.

Yes. Send it to Zhong Residence

early tomorrow morning.

What? Is there anything else?

Master.

You have found out the truth.

Are you still going to take her away?

Yeah. She intrigues me

more and more.

But Mistress Zhong is a married woman.

I'm afraid she won't come out to meet you.

I'm sending her a proper invite

and she's not an unmarried woman.

There's no reason why she won't meet me.

Just send the card.

What if she ignores it?

Then keep knocking on her door

until she agrees.

After all, she and I have the same goal

not to mention how Zhong Yelan embarrassed her

at the banquet that day.

I don't think she will turn down

an ally like me.

Go on.

Mistress, the Junior Lord of the Wu family

sends another invitation card.

Just ignore him and toss the card aside.

Mistress

why does he keep trying to cotton up to you?

Maybe he thinks

we suffer the same fate

and that we can do something together.

Don't listen to him, Mistress.

He seems scheming.

Of course not.

How can I not see it

since even you have realised it?

I have rejected him so many times

but he just won't give up.

No one loved him in the previous life.

Serves him right.

Mistress.

Is that medicine for your skin?

But it smells a little different.

Don't get so close.

Look how ignorant you are.

Qianzhi.

Mistress made it herself

so, of course, it's different.

You're amazing.

You are good at everything, Mistress.

By the way, Mistress, have you heard?

What?

I heard Hua Man and a low-rank maid

at Zhong's Garden made a blunder

and Lord gave them away to a coachman.

They left the city quietly

early yesterday morning.

I guess they won't be able to come back ever.

Even the maid?

Yeah.

It seems that they made the blunder together

so they were both punished.

I heard the coachman came from

a nomadic tribe far away from here.

This is his last delivery here

and he will not come back again.

Mistress, what's wrong?

Don't you hate Hua Man the most?

Get back to work.

Mistress

Hua Man has herself to blame for attacking...

Lord.

She deserves it.

Otherwise, she would be kicked out at most.

I'm going inside.

It's a bit cold here.

Lord.

After the incense banquet was over

all the butlers left one after another

within ten days.

But the Junior Lord of the Wu family

remains in the city

and pays a visit to Mistress Zhong every day.

She refused to see him

but that didn't stop him.

His intention is unclear.

He asked for a maid at the banquet

and now he's trying to approach Mistress Zhong.

He is a hard-to-read character.

Lord, should I...

How many days will Wu Shuomo be staying?

Lord, he originally planned to come here

for a one-month study tour.

But ten days have passed.

Ignore him then.

I want to see what he's up to.

- Five. - Mistress, let's go.

Seven. Eight.

Mistress, don't stay in the room all day.

You should go out for a walk.

- Eleven. - As you know

that Junior Lord Wu is waiting outside

eager to form an alliance with me.

I'm afraid to go out.

I don't want to run into him.

But you can't sit in the room all day.

Why not kick the shuttlecock with us?

Maybe it will cheer you up.

Seeing you depressed every day

makes us feel terrible.

Yeah.

Join us.

- Right? - Let's play together.

Join us, Mistress.

Come on...

Do it, Mistress.

Over here.

Are you all right, Guard Hua?

- Yeah. - Go!

Let's go.

Are you sweating?

It's a scorching day today.

Mistress, if you feel hot

go inside and rest.

I've been staying in the room for too long

and my body is getting weaker.

It's good for me to enjoy the sun here.

All right then. Let me put this in there.

All right.

Can one of you get Hua Rongzhou over here?

Let me...

Let me do it.

Greetings, Mistress.

Make yourself comfortable.

You don't have to bow to me

when there are only us.

Nothing much.

It's just I see you

guarding the entrance here every day

and no one takes turns with you.

I just want to tell you

that you can come here once every other day.

I am the guard of your compound, Mistress.

How can I leave my post without authorisation?

It's all right.

There are so many guards coming and going.

Nothing bad will happen.

Life is short.

And you are so young.

There must be something that you want to do.

Don't waste your time working as a guard.

Something I want to do?

Yeah. Do what you want to do.

If I'm in need, I'll send for you.

How rare!

I didn't expect to see him here.

Yeah.

I thought he was too afraid to come here.

He already looks like a woman

and he hangs out with women every day.

- Want to spar? - Sounds good.

Bring it on.

Care to join them?

- Yeah. Easy does it. - Stop!

Not me. I'm not going to spar with you.

Nice moves!

I knew that you were good during recruitment.

Let me spar with you

and see how much progress you have made

in the past few months.

Yes, Chief.

The needle should go in here.

Make the snitch smaller.

Mistress, how about taking a rest

and carrying on another day?

Mistress.

Mistress.

I heard a fight went down at the training ground

and Guard Hua was so skilful

that he even defeated the veterans.

Really?

He's only been here for half a year, no?

You will be surprised, Mistress.

Even Master praised him today

saying that he drew with Nanfeng

after learning just a few moves from him.

The moment I laid eyes on him

I knew he was an extraordinary man.

That was because Nanfeng held back.

You're an unmarried girl.

Don't you feel embarrassed saying those words?

Nanfeng is the highest-ranked guard

so he must be good at martial arts.

Yeah.

So it means Guard Hua is really outstanding.

How shameless.

- Don't say that! - You are shameless.

- Don't say that! - You are shameless.

- Stop saying that! - You are!

You... that's not true at all.

Hua Rongzhou, come here.

Mistress.

Did something good happen?

You seem to be in a good mood.

You finally remember my name, Mistress.

Have I ever forgotten it?

I heard from Cuizhu

that you drew with Nanfeng

in a sparring session.

I think that was because the chief held back.

Not only are you talented in martial arts

but you're also modest.

Cuizhu has good taste.

Mistress.

Do you know

where the best artisan shop in the city is?

I heard that there was a female craftsman

named Wei Xian.

She was the most skilled.

A female craftsman?

I have never heard of this person.

You don't know her, Mistress?

All the girls admired her.

Unfortunately, she passed away a while ago.

I don't know about other stores.

Shall I ask Guard Hua to ask around?

No. Don't tell him.

Go and ask around yourself

and be quick.

All right.

You're back from the training?

We're eating and drinking.

Do you want to join us?

Are you sure you don't want some?

- Have some. - Have some with us.

Look at how defiant he is.

What else can we do?

He's proficient with martial arts.

I'd say it was because the chief was lenient.

He held back, that was how it ended up in a tie.

I feel it's unclear who held back.

Let's drop it.

Enough about that grumpy man.

Come on. Drink up.

Speaking of the chief

have you heard the rumour?

You mean the one related to Mistress?

- Lower your voice. - No need.

Everyone in the house knows about it.

- Keep it down. - But yes.

When Master ordered to cut spending

the chief immediately went to Butler Ji

to reason with him.

He's Master's personal guard. How could he...

It's really unbelievable.

Enough...

It's not a good thing.

Don't talk about it anymore. Let's drink.

She still won't see me?

No, she won't.

Mistress Zhong says she's not well enough

to receive guests.

She's unwell?

But she looked energetic when I saw her.

Before coming to Huangcheng

you swore that you would just come here

for the formula

of the Zhong family's Jiayin Pill.

Half a month has passed.

Instead of searching for the formula

you're searching for someone.

If the Senior Lord knows about this...

Don't use my father to threaten me.

Who is your master?

Of course, it's you.

But we have to go back in ten days

so let's just forget it.

I'll find someone else who can lend me a hand.

Enjoy and drink as much as you like.

This is my treat.

Your generosity befits your status

as the son of the butler of the Zhong family.

I'm the only son of my parents

and everything my father owns

will be mine.

Treating you to a meal is nothing to speak of.

That's right.

It's really rare to see Miss Jiaojiao.

You're incredible! I'm impressed.

Jiaojiao.

You haven't been around. This is nothing.

What audacity! Who are you?

It's you, Junior Lord Wu.

It's really you, Young Master Hua.

I thought I heard it wrong

when I was standing at the door.

This is the Junior Lord of the Wu family.

- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

- Please take a seat. - Please.

Be quick.

Young Master Hua

you left a deep impression on me

at the incense banquet.

I wanted to make friends with you

but couldn't find a good way to approach you.

Oh, I'm flattered.

I also felt like you were an old friend

at the first meeting.

Exactly.

- Yes... glad to meet you. - Cheers.

Come on.

Jiaojiao, go serve Junior Lord Wu.

- No need. - Junior Lord Wu.

This kind of uncultured woman

is not my type.

Go back to where you were.

Come on, let's drink.

Junior Lord Wu, are you saying

you can't forget

the maid of Master Zhong?

It was a pity

that someone stopped me.

I think

my brother-in-law went too far.

She's just a maid.

Why can't he give her to you?

He already has my sister as his wife.

Why does he still think about other women?

Exactly.

Mistress Zhong is the most talented woman

in the city

and is famous all over the world.

Master Zhong has bad taste.

It's a pity I came here late

and she's already married to him.

Otherwise, I would compete with him.

I couldn't agree more.

My sister is the prettiest girl in the world.

Who can compare to her?

Can you?

You're stating the obvious.

Anyway, if my father hadn't stopped me

I would have rushed into Zhong Residence

and give Master Zhong a beating.

My sentiments exactly!

Speaking of which

I want to talk to Mistress Zhong.

If she allows me to take away the maid

that will pull out the thorn in her side

and she will live more comfortably

in Zhong Residence. Am I right?

My sister is smart

but I don't think she can make decisions

for my brother-in-law.

It's not hard

to find a way to satisfy both of them.

But Mistress Zhong has been

staying in the house for some time.

I wonder, Young Master Hua...

Brother Hua...

if you can introduce me to her.

Look at your face. It's so red.

Furong is quite pretty.

I beg to differ.

- She's mine. - There are prettier ones.

She's mine.

Junior Lord Wu

are you really not going to my house?

No.

We're leaving then.

- Goodbye. - Goodbye.

- Goodbye. - Goodbye.

- Go... - I'm telling you

Huang has prepared dinner for us.

Let's continue drinking.

- Let's drink! - Furong is mine.

- Right. She's yours. - Master.

- How is it going? - She's mine.

Brother Hua, could you introduce me to her?

I can't make decisions for her.

She is a very independent woman.

If I do it without telling her

she will be angry.

She isn't an ordinary woman.

If Jiaojiao is angry

all I need to do is buy her some makeup.

But my sister is different.

If I make her angry

she'll ignore me

no matter how much jewellery I buy her.

He looks stupid

but actually, he's not.

If there is no other way

I'll have to sneak into Zhong Residence myself.

Zhong Residence

Since you are here today

let's spar another round.

This time I won't show mercy.

He is Master's personal guard. How could he...

It's unbelievable.

All right.

Remember.

We will stop before going too far.

No.

Well done.

Just as I expected.

You didn't give it your all the last time.

Why?

Please forgive me, Chief.

Tell me. Why did you hold back

the last time you sparred with me?

The person

who taught me martial arts

told me to do that.

Your martial arts teacher?

What does he do?

Forget it. I'm going to tell Master right now

that he has recruited a martial arts prodigy.

Come on! Welcome back, our victor!

Welcome back...

You're awesome, Guard Hua.

All right.

Mistress, you have something to tell me?

Yes. We all heard

that you defeated Nanfeng today.

Yeah. So we're celebrating for you.

- Qianzhi. - Yes, Mistress.

Mistress.

This is a reward for you.

Open it.

This is custom-made

from the best store in the city.

I noticed you were still using

a house-issued sabre.

You're now the only guard in my compound

not to mention

that your skills are on par with Nanfeng's

so we can't have you using an inferior weapon.

You work for me

and I promise you won't be disappointed.

You can get whatever you want.

What did you do? Who did this?

Why are there so many petals on the ground?

I merely went out for a while

and you turned this place upside down.

Hurry up and clear up the mess.

- Right away! - We'll do it now.

Get a broom.

Go, go. A broom.

Yeah. Be quick.

These girls...

are really a pain in the neck.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mistress.

It's all right. Hope you like it.

This is the first time I received a gift.

I like it very much.

Nothing has changed in the last half month?

Yes.

It seems that Master and Mistress

haven't spoken much to each other these days.

They are still angry with each other.

I don't know.

Go tell Qian

to come over tomorrow.

I'll ask her about it.

Your Highness, didn't you say

it was Master's own business?

Are you going to do something about it now?

Your Highness.

Is the wedding banquet over?

I heard Master got drunk

and slept in his study last night.

He can't blame that on anyone.

He was pretty dumb to fall for that trick.

Since you know about it

why didn't you tell him, Your Highness?

Maybe he would change his mind.

It's his own business

and he is convinced that

the daughter of the Hua family

is innocent and kind.

I have no evidence

so what can I say?

It is not going to be easy for Master.

Let's hope that Hua Qian will stop

doing things like that

and will not bring us trouble again.

How did a young lady like her

learn these dirty tricks?

Now that they are married

I suppose she will gradually

become more mature and demure.

We shall see.

When they come here to greet me tomorrow

I will see how mature she has become.

Most people come to my place

because they want something.

There's rarely someone

who doesn't want anything.

All she does is talk with me.

I can speak freely with her.

All right.

I will get someone to tell her.

Go ahead.

Is this piece of news reliable?

Master, yes it is.

That's great.

I guess she has nowhere to run this time.

Greetings, Mistress.

Take a seat.

Yes, Mistress.

I heard that you hadn't been

out of the house in the past few days.

I felt tired

so I just stayed in the house.

That's not good.

As Mistress of the Zhong family

you have the duty to enhance Yelan's reputation

so you should go out and socialise more often.

A mistress

should not stay confined to her compound.

She should often interact

with the wives of other distinguished men.

Yes.

One more thing.

You should pay more attention

to what Yelan did

at the incense banquet.

You are too young.

There are many things you don't understand.

Feelings of love or gratitude

between a couple

tend to fade over time.

Holding power firmly in your hands

is key to a long-lasting marriage.

Thank you for your advice, Mistress.

That maid is called Mu Yao, right?

How are you going to deal with her?

Master likes her.

I don't wish to go against his will.

You have to keep a close eye on things at home.

Otherwise, even a maid

could crawl onto her master's bed.

Mu Yao is not that kind of person.

Your Highness, you have no idea.

Mu Yao has never once seduced Master.

You'll stop thinking this way

once you meet Mu Yao.

Why are you still taking her side?

I'm just stating the facts.

I don't want you to misjudge anyone.

How come you have become so soft?

That's the reality.

There's no point in me putting up a fight.

You almost lost your life saving Yelan.

He went too far this time.

You are his legitimate wife

so he shouldn't have done this to you.

If you feel you can't speak up

I'll talk to him for you.

Mistress, you know how

I managed to marry Master, don't you?

You...

Don't change the subject.

I'm talking about the maid.

As his legitimate wife

you should assert your authority.

You shouldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Mistress, may I ask you to pass down an order?

What order?

Master and Mu Yao are in love with each other

so could you give the order

to make her Master's concubine?

You...

Do you...

Do you really mean that?

Yes.

She will just be a concubine.

You're his legitimate wife.

I'll leave it to you to decide.

But could you please do it for me?

Otherwise, Master might get the wrong idea.

All right.

Your wish is granted.

I'll send someone to Zhong Residence tomorrow

to pass down the order.

Thank you very much, Mistress.

Have some of this.

You have a good appetite today, Your Highness.

A weight has been lifted off my shoulders

so I feel much better.

Since she suggested that

Yelan marries a concubine

it means

she wants to get back together with him.

That's true.

Mistress is truly giving.

She has to figure out

how to run the household by herself.

We all learn from painful experiences

I can give some advice at most.

I'm glad she heeded my advice.

Yes. Your Highness, you offered her

invaluable advice.

Stop buttering me up.

Mistress, why did you ask Her Highness

to take a concubine for Master?

You're too kind to Mu Yao.

It just occurred to me

that there was a simple and direct way

to make Zhong Yelan understand something.

Understand what?

There's no room for two of us.

I'll even make it a grand wedding

when he takes her as his concubine

then he will know

he cannot avoid the problem.

He knows that

Mu Yao and I can never share a husband.

So if he wants to live a chaotic life

he can continue to keep me in Zhong Residence.

Mistress, why don't you just drive her away?

Why must you take it lying down

and make her happy?

Drive her away?

It's easier said than done.

They are like two magnets.

The more you try to separate them

the tighter they get.

Is it Mistress Zhong in the carriage ahead?

Lord, they've been dealt with.

Go to the physician and get me

another bottle of Jinhua Powder.

Do you feel unwell, Lord?

I'm fine. It's just...

for emergencies.

Give Lin Jiang my order.

Steward Gao, are you sure about this?

Lord has made up his mind

and we should not question him.

Just do it.