Original subtitles

Episode 16

Master, Concubine Mu is here.

Come in.

Why did you come here suddenly?

Master

what are you going to do about Hua Shen?

What do you want?

Let him go.

What happened on the day of the wedding...

has nothing to do with him.

Okay.

Concubine Mu, what did Master say?

Will he punish the son of the Hua family?

Don't tell me Master is going to

let the son of the Hua family go unpunished?

How can this happen?

That man has offended you!

Don't you also know what happened that day?

Have you convinced yourself

that it happened when it didn't?

This money is enough for you

to enjoy the rest of your life.

Remember, you only need to lure him

to the compound I told you about.

Rest assured.

Remember, do not show your face

in Huangcheng again

and be careful not to be seen

by outsiders in this house

otherwise you may lose both the money

and your reputation.

Don't worry, Miss. I was planning to

go back to my hometown anyway

so I'll never show up in Huangcheng again.

It took great effort to lure him into the trap.

Are you going to give up now?

Yes, I am.

Isn't that a waste of time?

Don't you want the son of the Hua family

to be punished?

Why do I feel

that you hate the son of the Hua family

more than I do?

That man is notorious for his wayward ways.

He has done a lot of evil deeds

but Butler Hua has been shielding him

from getting punished

not to mention that

he has dirty thoughts about you.

Of course, I hate him very much.

Master is displaying favouritism.

He's always protecting Mistress.

Even when her relatives committed crimes

he hesitates to get them punished.

He doesn't care if you have suffered grievances.

What goes around comes around.

And it's not totally a waste of time.

Really, Concubine Mu?

How have you benefited from it?

At least I discovered

that I have a loyal person by my side.

If it goes according to the previous life timeline

it's about time

the adopted daughter of the broker

who escaped showed up.

Miss, spare my life!

Miss, spare my life!

Miss, spare my life!

Spare my life!

Broker Qian

do you think no one will recognise you

by changing your name to Su Ying?

If you were really hard-hearted

I wouldn't be able to find you.

Despite doing all kinds of evil deeds

you still dreamed about enjoying family joy.

That's too greedy of you.

Miss, you are...

I am the daughter of Mu Yunping

who was falsely accused of embezzlement

a year ago.

It seems that you remember that.

I am now seeking revenge on you.

Do you think you're being wronged?

No hatred without cause.

If you want my life

then just take it.

But I plead with you

to spare the lives of my daughter and grandson.

They are innocent.

How dare you to say the word "innocent"?

Please, Miss, spare their lives!

Just let them go.

I can let your families go

but I want you to go back to Huangcheng

and testify that

Butler Hua has framed his compeer

and forced him to his death.

What, are you so loyal to Butler Hua?

No, I am not.

It's just that Butler Hua has great power now.

If I testify against him

I'm afraid my daughter may...

If Butler Hua can be convicted

you don't need to worry about

your family's safety, do you?

Fine.

On one condition. I want you

to send my daughter

and her newborn baby away first.

Do you know where Huiyang County is?

This county is thousands of miles

away from Huangcheng.

Mistress, why did you suddenly ask about this?

Fortunately, this part didn't change.

What?

Hua Rongzhou, come in.

Mistress.

Come in with me.

Let's go.

Time is running out.

I need you to find someone

in the town of the border city.

Where? Who?

That small town is called Huiyang County.

As for the person I wish to find...

I need you to go and find out

if there is a pregnant woman

who just moved there and lives alone.

What's that woman's name?

I don't remember.

In the previous life

Mu Yao found out about the broker's

adopted daughter who had moved several times

one year after her father's death

with the help of Zhong Yelan.

They lay in wait and found Broker Qian.

It has been more than half a year

since her father was exiled

and it should be around this time

Broker Qian's adopted daughter

moved to Huiyang County

and Mu Yao probably hasn't found her yet.

I'll give you a rough description.

She is a woman who is not rich.

She might have just moved to Huiyang County

for a month or two.

She lives alone.

Her husband might have recently passed away.

She has no family by her side.

And I can't recall

how long she has been pregnant either

but I'm sure she hasn't given birth yet.

And she has an adoptive mother named Su Ying

which is a pseudonym.

But her adoptive mother could be in hiding.

The person I'm looking for is actually

her adoptive mother.

Is it too difficult for you?

This is all the information I know

which I had gathered from Mu Yao's statement

in the court in the past.

Zhong Yelan was the one who found her

but I can't ask him for help now.

Mistress.

I will find this woman.

Really?

You have provided enough information.

If you find her

I'll give you whatever you want in the future!

If I find her

do you want me to bring her back?

Don't bring her back

lest others see her.

If you find her

keep Su Ying safe in someplace.

If she won't admit her wrongdoing, then...

threaten her with the child

in her adopted daughter's womb.

Understood. I'll set off now.

It's just an empty threat.

Don't ever hurt her adopted daughter

and the child in her womb.

Remember not to frighten her too much.

If she suffers from a fright

it may affect her baby.

Understood.

Do you know what you just said?

Your Highness

please allow me to divorce Master.

If Yelan did something wrong

you can tell me directly.

There's no need to divorce him.

I didn't come here on a whim.

Master and I are not meant to be

so we should go our separate ways.

Nonsense!

You're already married.

Destiny doesn't apply to you.

Is it because of that concubine?

It has nothing to do with her.

It's my own idea.

When you took the initiative

to give Yelan a concubine

I thought you had wanted a reconciliation.

How did it get to this?

Actually...

Actually, I have long been wanting a divorce

since I took the arrow for Master.

Giving Master a concubine

wasn't what I really want.

I've now reached a point

where I don't want to live with it anymore.

You are young.

Understandably, you feel rattled.

Many of us have gone through it.

You have to learn

to accept it

instead of running away like this.

Your Highness, you won't grant me the divorce?

In that case, I have to seek Lord's help.

You!

Mistress.

Forget it.

Since you refuse to listen to my advice

I'll give you a month

to calm down and think about it.

If you still insist

I'll send someone to be the witness

for your divorce.

I will never regret it.

Mistress.

Lord asked me to come and invite you over.

He would like to discuss something with you.

Please lead the way, Steward Gao.

Mistress.

I suppose Mistress is still young.

She will understand

and accept it one day.

Your Highness, don't worry too much

about how to dissuade her.

Dissuade?

Am I right to dissuade her?

She has the freedom to make a choice...

unlike me.

My my.

Mistress, you haven't been to Zhong's Garden

for a long time.

It is much deserted here.

Thank you for taking notice, Miss Qi.

Mistress, did you just come out

of Her Highness' residence?

Yes, I was there for a while

and was about to leave.

Mistress, you are a smart girl.

Knowing that it is useless

to fawn on your husband

so you came here to fawn on Her Highness.

Sister Qi and I came at a bad time.

You're about to leave.

Sorry to interrupt.

Lord has something to ask Mistress

and he is still waiting for Mistress.

Then go. No one is stopping you.

Run along.

Mistress, if you come here for a visit again

you're welcome to come and see me.

Mistress, please.

Sister Qi, you don't seem to

like Mistress Hua very much, do you?

Yes, but so what?

Why?

Do you need a reason to hate someone?

Lord.

Mistress, I am the shopkeeper

of the embroidery workshop.

Please raise your hand.

What is this for?

I want to make a piece of clothing for her.

Seeing that you are of similar body shape

and since you are also here

I need you here to take your measurement.

You...

Why did you come here to see my mother?

Nothing much.

If you want a divorce

it will be faster to ask me for help.

Here.

Lord, it's done.

There are many maids in your residence.

There should be quite a few

who have the same body shape as Mu Yao

why do you have to use me?

Besides, she is Zhong Yelan's woman now.

It's inappropriate to desire

your senior's concubine.

Do you think

there are too many maids around me?

Mu Yao and I have many in common

so we got along

and we know each other well.

Even without Zhong Yelan

she won't want to marry into Zhong's Garden.

Why?

The Zhong family is

a century-old fragrance family

so everyone will expect a lot

from the wife of the Lord.

Her Highness enjoys the highest status here.

If Mu Yao were to marry you

she could only stay in the house.

What's more, as a woman once married

Mu Yao won't be allowed to marry you.

In addition

Mu Yao has learned the art of fragrance making

from his father.

She would wish to explore the vast world

and not waste her skills

to become a mistress who only takes care

of her household.

Do you think so?

I made speculations about Mu Yao's intentions

based on my own point of view.

Lord, if you don't believe what I said

you can ask Mu Yao yourself.

If she says so herself

it can't be false.

You may go.

Why does that man look familiar?

He seems to be a new face.

We haven't seen him much in Zhong's Garden.

Mistress, why do you think he looks familiar?

Mistress, I overheard a servant just now.

He told Steward Gao that Young Master Hua

has been released from prison.

Mu Yao sure acted fast.

Let's go home.

Lord, I have found out that

it was Master who gave the order.

He said it was a misunderstanding

and Concubine Mu wouldn't pursue it anymore

so Hua Shen was released.

Come on. Cover yourself with the quilt.

Don't catch a cold.

Be careful.

Here. Put your hand in.

Butler Hua, Mistress is here.

- Father. - Qian!

Mother.

Qian, I've been in prison for so long.

Why haven't you come to see me?

Father, I have done what I promised.

Would you listen to what I have to say now?

Come with me to the study.

Qian!

Brother, take a good rest.

I'll come and see you later.

You silly boy!

I've asked Her Highness to grant her consent

for Zhong Yelan and me to get a divorce.

Mu Yao has teamed up with Master.

Her goal is to bring down the Hua family.

You useless thing.

You can't even win a man's heart.

Father, shouldn't your first thought be

"So, this is what I get

for doing so many evil deeds?"

What did you say?

Don't think you can make accusations about me

just because you rescued

your brother from prison!

I don't think I can do that

just because I rescued my brother from prison

but I want to remind you

that the Hua family is now in danger.

I'm sure people have something on you.

In time, you will be caught

and cannot escape from punishment.

You're kidding me!

Who doesn't have something on them?

I fear nothing! Get this!

As long as I'm in the position of a butler

no one will act rashly.

From your point of view

is your power just good for suppressing others?

I don't know why you wanted to

become the head butler

but in my humble opinion

you oversee all the butlers.

You should make good fragrances

and benefit the people

and realise your ambition.

But now you're putting the cart before the horse.

You're going after for power and wealth

and starting to suppress your subordinates.

Standing on high ground

you may be able to look far

but at the same time

you're blind to things that are around you.

Don't you see it, Father?

What do you mean?

What don't I see?

The incident with my brother...

you know why it happened better than I do.

The higher you climb

the more enemies you will make

the more hidden dangers you will have

and the more you will lose

when you are under siege.

This is karma.

When my brother was locked up in prison

you couldn't find anyone to help.

That proves my point.

Why do you seem like a different person now?

You wouldn't think of this in the past.

When you're in the face of death

even the stupidest person

can see things clearly.

I'm not trying to scare you.

While there is still time

if you resign voluntarily now

the Hua family will be able to

walk away unscathed.

The world is vast.

We can change our names

and live in the countryside

and use our skills in making fragrances

to benefit the people.

That's worth considering, isn't it?

You want me to resign?

As you said

Master and Mu's daughter are coming at me.

If I resign now

won't I become prey for them?

No, you won't.

They're now trying to

sort out their relationship.

They haven't taken any action yet

and haven't gotten hold of anything on us

so now is the best time for you to resign.

And besides

Mu Yao and us do not have a blood feud.

She won't come after us

and push us to a corner.

Why should I believe you?

Because I am your daughter.

When a bird's nest is overturned

no eggs remain intact.

One month later

Her Highness will help me

divorce Zhong Yelan.

When the time comes

and if you decide to resign

I will return to the Hua family

to face everything with you.

If you're reluctant to give up your power

I will leave.

And whether the Hua family rise or fall

will have nothing to do with me.

Huiyang County

Is it too difficult for you?

This is all the information I know

which I had gathered from Mu Yao's statement

in the court in the past.

I can't ask Master for his help now.

If you're tired, take a break.

I'm not in a hurry to review this ledger.

Speaking of which

I found some new clues in the past few days.

What are they?

Although there is no trace of the broker

who bought furniture for the Mu family

I found out that she adopted a little girl

whom she tried to sell

and took her as her daughter.

Later, she married her adopted daughter

to a man in secret.

I guess she loves her daughter very much.

Where does her adopted daughter's

husband live?

They used to live outside the city

but, later on, they moved a few times.

It seems that they live in a border town now

but I don't know the exact location.

Since there is a clue about her husband

it's easier to find the broker's daughter

than the broker.

All right

leave this matter to me.

I have the resources to check this out.

All right. Thank you, Master.

Why are you being so polite to me?

I should say thank you

since I need your help.

I heard Hua Qian went to Zhong's Garden

to look for Her Highness a few days ago.

Master, do you know about this?

Yes.

Master, what are you going to do about it?

I will follow the previous plan

and wait after the case is overturned.

It's not up to her

on the matter of a divorce.

Zisu?

Who is there?

How are you, Miss Mu?

Why do you do that every time I see you?

Junior Lord Wu, you can't change

the habit of coming uninvited, can you?

Are you so keen to experience

prison life in Huangcheng?

What's the matter?

Nothing.

I missed you

so I came to see you.

You have sent someone to be by my side.

Was it also because you missed me?

I know you are smart.

What exactly do you want?

Get this.

I will not be used by anyone now.

Do you still think

that I approach you out of evil intention?

Ask yourself.

When have I used you?

You never know.

I can't read your mind, can I?

If I were the one

who caught you under the tree

would you not be so doubtful of me?

It's all your fault.

You scared my parrot away.

If you can't find it

you can forget about going back with me.

I will definitely find it!

Master...

Are you calling me?

Master...

That little heartless thing.

It saw a girl and called her "master".

- Get down here! - Master...

Get down here!

There's a snake behind you!

Get down now!

Are you going to fly away? If you won't, I'll...

Fly away!

Fly away!

Master...

Someone's coming.

Huangcheng has very strict demands

on unmarried women.

If you go directly to her and get seen by others

tongues will wag.

Strict demands on unmarried women?

She's probably a woman from a lowly family

so her behaviour is rather unruly.

I talked to you for a moment

and someone stole my chance.

Master.

Are you not looking for the parrot anymore?

I looked for you at the feast later

but I never saw you.

When I asked people about you

they all said that they had never seen you.

Miss!

Did you see a parrot around here just now?

So that's your parrot?

You saw it?

I think I accidentally scared it away.

Why don't I help you find it?

Thank you.

So she even lied to me about this.

What I said is all true.

I wasn't talking about you.

Since you know how I feel about you

would you believe me now?

Believe you?

I want to take you away.

How many days has Hua Rongzhou been gone?

About half a month.

Why hasn't he come back yet?

Look, without Hua Rongzhou

the maids in this compound all look listless.

Mistress.

Hua Rongzhou!

Mistress!

How was it? Did you find her?

Let's talk inside. No one should see this.

It's been hard on you.

Go get some rest.

Contract

Signed by Qian Ying and Mu Yunping

Father

it's up to you now.

Your Highness

this is a Buddhist sutra I copied recently.

Please have a look.

You've done a pretty good job.

Your Highness

some relatives of the two Misses are here.

Is my second aunt here?

A few days ago, she sent someone

to inform me that she might come and see me.

It is your aunt, Miss.

Miss Qi's father also sent someone

from the north with some items

for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet

in a few days.

Just go ahead.

Thank you, Your Highness.

You should also go and see

what your father sent you.

No need. I'll send someone to take them.

Miss Qi, Mr Jin who came

said that Butler Qi brought you something.

Mr Jin?

Is his name Jin Lin?

Yes, Miss.

I...

Your Highness, I want to go and see

what my father sent me.

Go on.

Sometimes I envy them.

At least they have family members visiting them

from time to time.

They are still young after all.

I brought them here from their hometowns

to Huangcheng

would they blame me in their hearts?

Your Highness, that's impossible.

Your Highness' invitation

is a great opportunity for them.

Miss.

This is Zhong's Garden. Watch what you do.

Miss...

Miss...

Bring these over there. Be careful.

Mind your step.

It's been a tiring journey.

It's been hard on you, Jin Lin.

I'm here to deliver things on behalf of Master Qi.

Wait.

This is for Miss Qi.

It's full of Miss Qi's beloved things.

I didn't expect Master Qi

to care so much about Miss Qi.

Shanzhi, bring the things to my room.

I need Jin Lin to pass a message to my father.

Are you trying to defy my order?

Brother Zhuqing...

Miss Qi, since you came to Zhong's Garden

it's better not to call me by my nickname.

Are you blaming me?

I dare not.

Do you really want to distance yourself from me?

Miss Qi, you are the master

and I am the servant.

How can I distance you from me?

If I really don't mean anything to you

you wouldn't come all the way

to deliver my things?

This is not your job.

Brother Zhuqing

I embroidered this myself.

Don't worry.

Her Highness doesn't care about me anymore.

Sooner or later, she will let me leave.

My father has arranged a marriage for me.

Bonus footage

I was sure I saw him.

That little bastard

has been wandering around the county

in the past few days.

My dear.

Is it true that the little bastard has been here?

Yes, I think so.

What should we do?

I don't think he came for us.

I have already sent someone

to follow him secretly.

His clothes are different from the past.

We have to be sure

before making any plans.

As long as he's not here for us.