Original subtitles

Episode 28

Qian!

Qian!

Qian!

"The house deed and money are yours.

If you can make this place

your permanent residence

and ensure that Hua Qian vanishes forever

the Hua family will always be safe."

Your Highness, you...

You should know that only Xiwu can take

the position of Lord of the Zhong family.

This was the very reason why the late emperor

wanted me to marry into the Zhong family.

The Zhong family runs

a century-old incense shop.

Over the years, it has saved countless lives

and healed the wounded.

That is why it is loved by the people.

There have been rumours about

the Zhong family being as rich as the country

which might be true to some degree.

Xiwu is my child.

He's a descendant of the royal family

so only he can be Lord.

Only he can keep the Zhong family going

and continue to pass down the art of incense.

Your Highness.

You don't have to tell me about this.

As Lord of the Zhong family

it's a taboo to place importance

on love relationships.

If he wants to be successful

he has to direct all his attention

to passing down the art of making incense.

He must not be swayed by one person.

Xiwu has been sensible and polite

since he was a child

but he has repeatedly broken the rules for you.

If you marry into Zhong's Garden

I'm afraid that there won't be peace.

I know what kind of a person you are

and I have no intention to pursue this matter

but he puts you before everything else.

You hurt him yesterday

but he kept it a secret.

He's still trying to cover up for you.

Please spare a thought for him.

If he wants to do well in his position

he must not have any weaknesses.

I'm telling you this as a parent.

Can you see where I'm coming from?

Yes, I can.

Thank you for taking the trouble

to clear up my doubts, Your Highness.

She may sound harsh

but she has a soft heart.

She's even giving me money and a house.

I'm alive.

It's much better than my previous life.

So be it.

How much did you pay for the vegetables?

- Three wen. - Really?

- From where? - The southern market.

I got it at the northern market for five wen!

Northern market...

You moved here a few days ago, didn't you?

We finally met you.

We were wondering if we should

come to greet you yesterday.

I live on the street ahead.

Come and visit me when you're free.

Well then, we should get going.

She's so pretty.

Yes.

Be careful with open fires

as the weather is dry.

Be careful with open fires

as the weather is dry.

Master, that man is here again.

I know.

I can go there by myself.

Close the door and go back to sleep.

All right!

The human body is made of flesh

not iron.

You are only a few years older

than my young apprentice.

You're a young man, aren't you?

You have to take better care of yourself.

Quit getting into fights.

Even if you don't mind these scars

aren't you afraid that

they may scare the girl you like?

Do the scars look scary?

Of course.

Imagine this.

A young lady looking at these scars...

Don't you think she will be taken aback?

She's not just any girl.

Do you have any medicine for scar removal?

What a silly question.

No medicine can remove scars completely.

Well...

If you want to get rid of the scars

I suggest you get into less trouble.

Even if you had accidentally offended

some nobles and they're seeking revenge on you

you should go into hiding.

Nothing beats being alive.

How long has your apprentice...

been with you?

Him?

He's the child of a relative of mine.

His family is poor

sp his parents wanted him to learn from me

ever since he was a child.

He's now 16 years old

and still a careless kid.

16 years old...

A few days ago

he gave a patient the wrong medicine.

Fortunately, it was not a serious illness.

I gave him a light punishment.

He was to skip meals for a day.

However, he seemed upset.

And this kid likes to talk back.

By society standards

he should call me Master.

By blood relations, he should call me Uncle.

He only unwillingly calls me Master

when he is scared

or when he gets into trouble.

I was also 16 years old when I met her.

I have bandaged your external injuries

but when I felt your pulses

I noticed they were disorderly.

Although you're young and strong now

you can't keep getting injuries.

So, I'm going to give you a prescription

to nurse you back to health.

My prescription...

He leaves one ingot of tael every time.

What a prodigal spender.

He left?

Yes, he left.

Old Wu...

You rascal! How many times do I have to tell you?

Call me Master.

Fine...

Master!

Who on earth is this man?

He comes here on the same day every month

covered in injuries.

This has lasted for more than half a year.

How about we report it to the yamen?

Maybe he is some fugitive.

We'd better be safe than sorry.

Don't let your imagination go wild.

Go to bed.

Report it to the yamen?

Who is it?

I'll leave him with you.

Whenever he lives or dies

it depends on you.

Your elder brother who works at Zhong's Garden

as a family physician

should have mentioned this token to you before.

Remember to keep your mouth shut.

Otherwise, you and your brother

will both be in trouble.

In Huangcheng

I'm afraid even the magistrate

wouldn't dare interfere with this.

At most, he's only about 18 or 19 years old.

But I don't see the innocent look

a teenager should possess.

What has been taken away from him

that made him so stubborn?

Miss Hua Qian, my mother made some snacks

and told me to bring them to you.

Thank you, Young Master Xu.

But I haven't finished eating the snacks

that you brought last time.

Please thank Mrs Xu for me

and tell her that I can't eat so much.

I don't want her food to go to waste.

It's all right. My mother has a lot of free time.

She enjoys making snacks

and giving them away.

She doesn't even let the servants help her.

She likes you

so she asks me to bring them over.

But it's too much trouble for you

to run back and forth.

Not at all... I enjoy running around.

Here.

Do you live here?

I just moved here.

Do you live here too?

Great. I was planning to greet the neighbours.

I'm new here

so I may trouble you in the future.

Please accept these walnuts.

No wonder you don't look familiar to me.

So, you're a new neighbour.

Great. I love walnuts.

I have some snacks in the house.

Come in and see what you like.

What about mine?

Sorry I can't take the snacks.

Please thank Madam Xu for me.

Let's go!

I...

What's so funny?

Haven't you seen a handsome man before?

I've never seen a handsome man like you

who is so eager to go after a girl.

- You... - What?

Are you embarrassed because I spoke the truth?

Xu Ming! What did you bring?

Let me see...

Please have a seat.

My name is Hua Qian. How do I address you?

Just call me Yunniang.

Wait a minute.

I don't have anything nice here.

I made these snacks when I was free yesterday.

If you don't mind having them, bring some home.

I think they taste good.

Thank you.

Are these enough? I have more in the kitchen.

- Let me get you some more. - No, thanks.

I live alone, so this is more than enough.

All right then. I live alone too.

If you need anything, feel free to come to me.

Here, have some water.

Lord, I shall take my leave.

You may leave. Move quickly.

Yes, Steward Gao.

I will hand over my duty to you now.

Steward Gao, you can count on us.

Master.

You little rascal.

I see that you were waiting for me.

You do care about me.

I'll hold the lantern for you.

Master, what day is the fifth day

of every month?

How many times have I told you?

Don't ask what you shouldn't.

But there are only you and I now.

I know you dote on me

so that gives me the courage to ask.

You just need to know

that you have to stay away from the study

on the fifth day of every month.

If you can't suppress your curiosity

you may get killed.

Zhong's Garden

Let's go.

Just leave.

After defeating Chen Yuan

you have almost exhausted all your strength.

I don't want to send you

to the medical hall again.

Come back next month.

You will fight against me.

Save your energy for next time.

Go home and have some rest.

After some rest, go in and report to Lord.

How did it go?

I lost.

It's all right. Get up.

If you can't beat him, let Lin Jiang try.

If he can't defeat him either

the two of you will then do it together.

I want to see how long he can keep this up.

Lord, the first time he came

I defeated him in less than 20 moves.

It's only been a year and...

and he has reached such a high level.

This might cause trouble for us someday.

In my opinion

we should dispose of him as soon as possible.

We can't kill him.

Leave.

Yes, Lord.

Yes, Lord.

That kid surprised me.

It's only been a year

and his skills are on par with mine.

No, his skills are above yours.

Besides...

I could tell he held back.

What nonsense are you talking about?

Don't tell me you didn't notice.

Clearly, he held back

when the two of you were exchanging blows.

He would rather take your punches

than be hurt by your sword.

He won despite being cautious and hesitant.

I should have killed him the first time he came.

He was conscious about

leaving behind sword wounds.

How annoying.

You...

Quit with your grumbling and whining.

Put more time into your martial arts training.

I don't see any sword wounds this time

but it seems that you broke a rib bone

and the scapula is somewhat misaligned.

The moon is exceptionally bright tonight.

Today is the fifth day of the month

how can the moon be bright?

Stretch out your arm...

All right.

This is going to be very painful.

Doesn't it hurt?

I'm getting one step closer.

Are there people who don't feel pain at all?

Aunt Li, look. I can't sew this part well.

Let me see.

This is correct. Continue sewing it this way.

The first step is always hard.

All right. I got it.

I'll teach you something else later.

All right.

The mandarin ducks they embroidered

are very beautiful.

- Aunt Li, are you busy? - Yes?

I'm making a coat for my husband.

Aunt Li, you've done a nice job on this.

- Pretty, right? - It's exquisite.

I put a lot of work into it.

I wish I could embroider as well as you.

Take your time.

I see you're doing a pretty good job.

It's just embroidering.

Why are you exerting so much force?

It looks like you're going to prick someone

with a needle.

It's so beautiful.

I spent a long time choosing this.

Here.

Poke it through here.

Why are your hands so callused?

Maybe it's because I have done

a lot of manual labour.

Aunt Li, I asked for your help

to get the silk thread from outside of town.

- Did you manage to get it? - Yes...

My husband just came back

from his business trip yesterday.

Come with me to get it later.

All right.

What do you mean by that?

Lord said that you had to defeat his guards

before you could enter the study.

But he never said that

it would be a one-on-one battle.

What's wrong with you this time?

Come on.

We should be able to take a break next month.

Judging by that kid's injuries

he probably needs a month or so to get better.

Want a bet?

He will definitely come again next month.

Impossible! He's not a monster.

If he isn't a monster

how could he have gone

from an ordinary guard

to a highly skilled swordsman

that I can barely beat in two years?

Our duty is to protect Lord

but for that kid...

He probably has only one purpose in life now.

If you can put your heart and soul

into just one thing

then you become invincible.

Maybe it's because we're getting old.

That's how that kid could surpass us.

Don't you think that kid

should call us "Master"?

Well, we kind of trained him.

The cheek of you to say that.

Is he having a nightmare?

Mistress!

Here.

Drink up.

I thought you had heeded my advice.

But you got injuries all over again.

And they are more serious than before.

I was too eager to defeat them.

That's how I lost.

You...

Didn't I just say

that you were more seriously injured this time?

Where do you think you're going?

Martial arts training.

Training...

Training takes time.

There's no hurry to do it right away.

I can't wait even a day.

Zhong's Garden

Your Highness, it's time for lunch.

How long has it been

since the last time Lord came to see me?

The last time was during the Lantern Festival.

It's been about half a year.

Your Highness, do you want to withdraw

the guards at Hua Residence?

Not now.

Name List

These few butlers' daughters...

I feel that they are smart and likeable.

Go invite them

to come and stay at Zhong's Garden

to chat with me if they can.

All right. I got it.

Hua Rongzhou.

How did you get hurt?

I almost didn't recognise you.

Fortunately, my mouth reacted faster

than my head and I called out your name.

Why...

are you here?

Miss gave me...

my indenture and this shop.

Miss insisted on not taking me with her

to attend that banquet in Zhong's Garden.

When the constables barged into Hua Residence

it then dawned on me that

I had nothing to do with

the Hua family's crime

since I was a free civilian.

How about chatting in the shop?

There are too many people here.

No, thanks.

I have something to do, so I'm leaving.

Hua Rongzhou.

Cuizhu got married two months ago.

The marriage was arranged by her family.

Her husband is an honest farmer

and is kind to her.

Miss kicked her out of Hua Residence

so she escaped being implicated.

We were close after living together

for so many years

so we still keep in touch occasionally.

Hua Rongzhou, just let bygones be bygones.

You have to move on.

Miss thought highly of you.

Now that you're so adept at martial arts

you shouldn't let it go to waste.

Do you know why I learned martial arts?

You told me to move on.

And what about you?

Can you do that?

Miss is the strongest person in the world.

I even saw her talk back to Lord face-to-face

so I don't believe that

she would set herself on fire.

But even though I tried

to convince myself otherwise

I couldn't deny the fact that

she didn't expect to return home alive that day.

That's why she arranged a retreat plan

for all of us.

Since you believe that she's...

Why do you bother to keep the shop going?

And why do you pretend

not to see the man who's staring at me

at the corner of the street?

Looks like you know he is there

that's why you're not turning your head.

I just want to keep her shop going

in case...

in case she does come home one day

and sees that no one is waiting for her.

She might think everyone has forgotten her.

That will break her heart.

Didn't you say that she expected herself

not to return home alive?

So, who are you waiting for now?

She already said that

she wanted you to have this shop.

If you don't want her to be upset

do as she said.

Make the most out of your life.

She doesn't need anyone to wait for her.

I will find her.

Can you find her?

Qianzhi...

You must not mistreat me.

Never.

If you mistreat me

someone will come back and protect me.

Miss Meng...

Lord is busy. He has no time to see you.

Miss Meng...

Miss Meng...

How dare you!

This is no place to be raising a racket.

Lord, are you going to have my sister

move into Zhong's Garden?

Are you questioning me?

So it is true?

- Miss Meng... - Lord!

Only one woman from the Meng family

will suffice!

You're asking the wrong person.

I believe it was Butler Meng who decided this.

Lord, are you still angry with me?

About Hua Qian, it was...

Do something! Meng Yifei forgot her manners.

And you too?

- Lord... - Miss Meng, let's go.

- Are you so ruthless? - Miss Meng.

- Let's go. - Lord!

- Come on. - Hua Qian deserved to die!

What did you just say?

Miss, let's go back.

Lord, do you remember the soup

that I made for you?

It's cold today

so Miss made some soup for Lord.

It's turned cold. Take it away.

Lord, did you try the soup

that I sent the night before yesterday?

Song An brought it to me.

- It tasted good. - I'm glad to hear that.

I was wondering if I had added too much sugar

and you might think it was too sweet.

It was a tad sweet, but I could still drink it.

It was a savoury soup.

Is that when you started to want to harm her?

Harm her?

Yes. I wanted to harm her.

I wanted to harm her.

Lord, if you had treated everyone equally

I could live with it.

But why did you only have eyes for her?

Lord, don't you see me?

Don't you see my love for you, Lord?

Why her? Did she deserve you?

Did she deserve you, Lord?

Why her? Lord!

Did she deserve you?

Meng Yifei.

You are of a marriageable age.

Staying in Zhong's Garden

will get in the way of your marriage.

Pack your luggage tomorrow

and return home.

As for the deeds you've done

I'll leave it to Butler Meng to punish you.

Fine.

Fine!

Miss...

Miss...

Zhong's Garden

Miss Meng, we have arrived.

Let's go over there. It's less crowded.

Let's go.

Hold it steady. Be careful.

Rest assured.

- Don't forget to make a wish. - Let it go.

Well done.

- All right. - Look at this.

Yunniang, why are you not making a lantern?

I don't have a wish I want to fulfil.

I'm sure you have one at least.

Perhaps it's because I wanted too much before

but I ended up with nothing.

So, I'd rather not have anything now.

Yunniang, you've moved here for nearly a year

and it seems that you have never mentioned

anything about your past.

Nothing about my past is worth mentioning.

Let's go. I'll make you a new one.

- Let's see. - I want that lantern.

I suppose you know martial arts.

I don't think the calluses on your hands

are caused by manual labour.

Fine.

It happened a long time ago

so I don't mind telling you.

What?

I was married before

but I wasn't happy.

Bonus footage

Master.

The embroidery workshop sent this just now.

They said that it took them two and a half years

and used countless brocade silks and satins.

Take it away... quick!

- What's wrong, Master? - Take it away!

What's going on?

I'm sorry to disturb you, Lord.

What is this?

The embroidery workshop sent this.

They said the dress was ready.

You imbecile!

Isn't this the dress

for the matriarch of Zhong's Garden?

If she were to put it on

she would look amazing.

Burn it.

Master, why does he want

the pretty dress burnt?

I heard from the embroidery workshop

that this dress cost thousands of taels to make.

Just burn it.

Why do you have so many questions?

Gao Yu, come with me.

Lord, where are you going?

Do you want me to get the guards?

No need.

I'm going to Star Reaching Tower.

I want to have some Yuelu wine.