Original subtitles

=The Rise of Ning=

(Adapted from Wen Tan's novel "Chancellor Training Handbook" from Jinjiang Literature)

=Episode 10=

(Chengjing Hall)

Greetings, Mother.

Please be at ease.

Greetings, Grandma.

Please get up.

Thank you, Grandma.

The second son of the Cheng Family

told me this morning

that he's returning home.

So I was thinking of

holding a farewell banquet

in the courtyard.

Don't worry, Mother.

I will make sure it's done properly.

Mr. Cheng

is leaving?

Mr. Cheng

came to pay me a visit

on his grandma's behalf.

He said he has many matters to handle

and can't be delayed.

All right, Hairu and I

have something important to discuss.

You are dismissed.

We will take our leave.

Hairu,

did the yamen say anything

about the burned body?

They can't identify the body.

Given that we never made enemies with anyone,

the yamen suspects

it was a thief who broke in to rob.

Do you believe that?

(Jimo Hall)

Seventh Lady,

Young Master doesn't feel quite well today.

He's resting now.

He doesn't feel quite well?

Seventh Lady.

Get up!

What's wrong, Seventh Sister?

Leave us.

Don't worry.

You are dismissed.

Yes.

Did you set the fire

at Yixin Abode?

Did you also bring that body in?

Yes.

Why did you do

such a dangerous thing?

You burned Grandpa's study

and all his legacy into ashes.

Did you forget what you have promised me?

Yining, do you trust me?

I do,

but I really can't understand

why you did that.

I did that

for the sake of the Luo's Residence

and Old Madam.

Enough questions.

Knowing too much

won't do you any good.

(Haitang Abode)

Young Lady, look who's here.

Young Lady.

Qing Qu, you are finally back.

How was your trip?

It was fairly smooth.

I got to know

the Zhang brothers from the Cao Sect.

They helped me a lot.

Cao Sect?

I ran into them halfway.

The elder brother got injured,

and I saved him.

As a thank you,

they escorted me all the way back.

Don't worry, Young Lady.

They are very reliable.

You are a discreet person,

so I certainly won't doubt you.

Well, where is Physician Meng?

He has already settled down in the inn.

The Zhang brothers are keeping an eye on him.

All right. I will go meet him now.

Mistress Qiao, Qing Qu has returned,

and she left again with Seventh Lady

after staying in Haitang Abode for a while.

Tell Fifth Master to follow them closely.

Don't mess it up.

Yes.

So beautiful.

(Liuhe Tavern)

Young Master,

Fifth Master Qiao has been watching downstairs for quite some time.

Should I go deal with him?

Just give Seventh Lady a reminder

will do.

Don't be too obvious.

As for the rest,

the Zhang brothers will take care of it.

Yes, Young Master.

Everything I said just now is the truth.

My behavior

went against my duty as a physician.

All these years,

I have always blamed myself.

Physician Meng,

will you testify for me?

Of course.

Otherwise,

I wouldn't have followed Ms. Qing Qu

into the capital.

Physician Meng, I shall thank you in advance.

Don't flatter me.

Have a nice day. Please come again.

Sir, this way, please.

We have private rooms inside.

You!

Aren't you Fifth Master Qiao?

I'm so sorry.

I was carrying the goods.

I didn't watch carefully.

Are you going in to have a drink?

Go away.

Watch where you go.

Have a nice day. Please come again.

Scram!

Is he here to kidnap the physician?

Should we find more people

to protect Physician Meng?

No need.

Ask the Zhang brothers

not to get too close to Physician Meng.

If he kidnaps the physician, catch him.

If not,

tell them to observe

what those people are up to.

Let's go.

Mistress Qiao, Fifth Master sent a message.

It's settled.

Very well.

Yiyu, you have finally recovered.

It's good that you can go for a walk.

I visited you several times a few days ago,

but I couldn't see you.

I was worried about you.

I should thank you

for your mind-calming incense.

You are thoughtful.

As long as it helped you.

Yiyu,

were you sick because of Mr. Cheng?

Yilian,

it was just a cold.

Please don't bring it up again.

Yiyu, don't be too discouraged.

Perhaps there's still a chance.

Mr. Cheng is soon leaving.

Let's stop talking about this.

Pay no mind to what I just said.

What are they doing?

Madam Lin recruited

Dongjing City's most popular theater troupe to perform.

Mr. Cheng is a distinguished guest.

Naturally, the banquet should be lively.

True.

It has been some time

since we had a fun occasion.

Let's go and take a look. Come.

What's that?

The embroidery on this silk waistband is exquisite,

especially the orchids.

The stitchwork is intricate.

This isn't something just anyone could use.

Why is it left here?

These seven-petaled orchids...

I, Lian Qing,

offer my greetings.

The silk waistband you are holding

is a gift from someone

very important to me. Please return it to me.

You are Lian Qing?

Yes, I am.

Please return it to me, Young Lady.

Thank you.

Who is this Lian Qing?

He's the most famous performer

in the capital now.

There's always a big turnout

whenever he performs.

But why did he have

such a delicate silk waistband?

Yiyu,

this silk waistband seems familiar.

I think I have seen Yining using it.

What?

You can't talk nonsense.

Is this a mistake?

Maybe.

You are right, Yiyu.

Perhaps I made a mistake.

All right.

There are many eyes here.

We better leave now.

Young Lady,

why do you look pale these days?

Are you feeling unwell?

I'm fine.

I just have a headache.

The banquet is starting soon.

Are you all right?

Perhaps the rain was heavy last night,

and I caught a cold.

Tell the kitchen to prepare some ginger soup

and bring it to the banquet for me.

All right. Let me brush your hair first.

Song Zhi,

what are you looking at?

Young Lady,

it's strange.

Why hasn't Third Young Master been

bringing flowers here these days?

Young Lady,

it was raining last night,

and the weather got cold.

Can you stand the cold?

Bring me

a cloak.

Yes, Young Lady.

Greetings, Third Brother.

Seventh Sister,

the weather is cold.

Do bundle up.

Third Brother,

you have been busy every day.

Do take care of your own health.

By the way,

stay out

of my business.

Those grudges have nothing to do with you.

Young Master,

what does Seventh Lady mean?

Did she already know

you were helping her outside?

Don't be a busybody.

This theater troupe

has been popular in the capital.

They went to great lengths to invite them.

I see.

Mother,

when will Grandma come?

I'm hungry.

Let's wait for a while more.

You are awake.

Who are you?

Who am I?

You don't know me, Seventh Lady?

Look.

You gave me a special gift.

What do you think

I want to do?

Of course I...

Seventh Lady.

Where are you going, Seventh Lady?

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Where are you going, Seventh Lady?

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Why is there a maid

peeking around?

What is she doing there?

She seems to be one of the maids from Yining's abode.

Rui Xiang,

bring her over

for questioning.

Yes.

You, come here.

Why are you running away?

Come with me.

What were you doing over there?

Seventh Lady...

Seventh Lady asked me to keep guard at the entrance

and notify her

as soon as anyone came.

What's that supposed to mean?

Where is Seventh Lady?

She's inside there.

Seventh Lady is in there alone?

And

a man...

Seventh Lady,

I have missed you so much.

This disgraceful girl!

Come out!

Why is it you?

Who do you expect, Father?

Where is Yining?

Father.

I am here.

Did you ask for me?

Yining,

are you all right?

Grandma.

Mother.

I'm all right.

This man knocked me out

and brought me here.

Fortunately, Third Brother came in time

and saved me.

Seventh Lady,

what are you talking about?

Didn't...

Didn't you ask to meet me here?

Isn't this the note

your maid delivered?

Seventh Lady ordered me

to deliver it to this man.

"I tie a love knot with this silk waistband,

carrying the warmth and fragrance.

I wish to meet with you."

Yining,

I recognize your handwriting.

You wrote this.

Is there anything you have to say?

Father,

handwriting may have been forged.

Besides,

even though she serves in my abode,

she is not my handmaid.

How could I possibly entrust her

to a private matter like this?

Exactly.

Her handmaid should be Xue Zhi.

Young Lady,

you said Xue Zhi

would draw attention,

that's why

you picked a less familiar maid.

By the way,

this is the token you gave me

when we first met.

I have been carrying it with me ever since.

Isn't this the silk waistband

I gave your mother?

I have seen this silk waistband before.

Yiyu and I

found it in the yard.

Then, this man hurried over and claimed it was his.

He said

it was given by someone very important.

Yiyu can testify to this.

I asked Song Zhi

to wash this silk waistband,

but then it disappeared.

I was really upset.

After all, this belongs to Mother.

Shut it.

Shameless.

You are just trying to deny it.

Butler Bai.

Yes.

Lock Seventh Lady and the performer up separately.

Enough.

Let Yining finish.

Thank you, Grandma.

When did I give you this silk waistband?

On that day,

someone intruded on Yuanjiang Pavilion.

You got lost, and I saved you.

How did you save me?

The weather was fine that day,

and you were wearing a pale yellow cloth jacket.

It was beautiful.

You were grateful to me,

and we fell in love at first sight.

You gave me this silk waistband

and made a lifelong promise.

You told me to come here to find you.

I saved Seventh Lady that day.

I didn't see you there.

Pale yellow cloth jacket?

Third Young Master Luo,

there's no need to help us hide it.

We met you

the next morning.

Seventh Lady told me that you are her third brother

and would always cover for her.

As of now,

there's no need

to hide our relationship anymore.

Seventh Lady, trust me.

I won't fail you.

Mother, this is disgraceful!

I'm going to beat you to death!

Stop it!

Can you think for a moment?

This matter seems suspicious.

How could you beat her without asking anything?

Mother,

the witness and the evidence are here.

If we keep digging deeper,

it will only disgrace us further.

Where in Yuanjing Pavilion

did you save her?

This was chaotic that day.

How did you manage to get out?

It was dark that day.

I can't remember

the exact place.

Dark?

You said the weather was nice.

Also, you claimed

you saved me,

but you never mentioned a word about the accident

at the peach blossom forest in the north, and we stayed

under the southern bridge to shelter from the rain.

Oh, right!

I saved you at the peach blossom forest

and took you to hide under the bridge in the south.

Your clothes

were soaked,

so I built a fire

to dry them.

You appreciated my gentlemanly behavior

and wanted to marry me.

That's why you gave me this silk waistband.

To the north of Yuanjing Pavilion is Bian River,

not the peach blossom forest.

The peach blossom forest is in the south.

There's no bridge there.

Besides, it wasn't raining that day.

You jester

surely have a way

of spinning tall tales.

Own up.

Who instructed you to frame Seventh Lady?

I...

It was my first time at Yuanjing Pavilion.

Plus, it was chaotic that day.

I can't remember clearly.

But this silk waistband

was indeed given by Seventh Lady.

Father, this silk waistband

isn't the one you gave to my mother.

Take a closer look.

I ordered two different silk waistbands

for the principal wife and the concubine.

The one for your mother

had seven-petaled orchids,

while the one for Yuechan

had six-petaled orchids...

Is this

mine?

This is impossible.

How could it be mine?

Someone must have stolen it.

Second Master,

please seek justice for me.

I thought someone wanted to frame Seventh Lady.

Yet,

I'm being suspected instead.

Right, Father.

Yiyu and I

saw seven-petaled orchids.

Yiyu also said

the orchid embroidery is intricate.

If you don't believe,

you can ask her yourself.

Bulter Bai.

Yes.

Fetch First Lady here.

Tell Mr. Cheng...

Tell him...

What can you tell him?

What is there to say?

Tell him I'm sick again,

the banquet is postponed,

and apologize to him.

Yes.

Yes.

Madam,

Old Madam is sick,

and the banquet is postponed.

All right.

Mr. Cheng,

Old Madam suddenly falls sick.

I'm afraid this banquet will have to be another day.

I'm truly sorry.

Is Old Madam's condition serious?

I should go and visit her.

Don't trouble yourself, Mr. Cheng.

Right now, her courtyard must be full of people.

I must hurry back to serve her.

In that case,

I won't disturb you any longer.

I will take my leave today.

Please send my regards to her, Madam Chen.

Thank you, Mr. Cheng.

Xiu,

return to the abode with Shan.

I want to go, too.

Let's go.

Mother,

why do you send for us?

I have something to ask Yiyu.

Yiyu,

do you remember

that we found a silk waistband while we were

taking a walk in the yard a few days ago,

and we returned it to Lian Qing afterward?

I do.

We were discussing the orchid embroidery on the waistband.

You should remember

it was a seven-petaled orchid.

I only remember it was an orchid,

but I have forgotten how many petals.

My dear,

I'm innocent.

I don't know this performer.

How...

How is this possible?

The handwriting on the note

belongs to Yining.

How do you explain this?

Enough.

Return to your abodes.

Don't come out without my permission.

As for this performer...

Let's report it to the yamen.

Let the officials interrogate him.

He will definitely confess.

This is shameful.

Don't report it to the yamen.

Do you mean

we won't interrogate him?

How can it be?

We must clear Yining's name.

You can't put it that way, Madam Lin.

This matter is unsolved.

I'm innocent, too.

Let me think.

Butler Bai.

Yes.

Lock this performer up in the woodshed.

Yes.

Father,

I will bring Mother back to her room first.

Stand right there.

Father, if you find this confusing,

let me help you.

Qing Qu.

Father, this is Chen Si,

who serves Fifth Master Qiao.

He's also the son of Ms. Lyu,

who used to serve in Muxi Hall.

That day at Jingyuan Pavilion,

he was chasing after me with a knife.

It was Fifth Master Qiao's order.

We followed Mistress Qiao's instruction

to capture Seventh Lady.

As for my mother,

it was Mistress Qiao who gave her the bag of silver

to trick the maid into gossiping.

I didn't do anything else.

Please spare me, Second Master Luo!

Don't you slander me!

Do you have evidence?

Here's the letter from Fifth Master Qiao

to run errands for Mistress Qiao.

You can compare the handwriting

with Fifth Master Qiao's previous letter.

Handwriting can be forged.

Who knows if you brided someone

to frame my mother?

Now you know

handwriting can be forged.

Chengzhang,

at this rate,

we must get to the bottom of this.

Don't cover it up again.

As you say, Mother.

Open the Ancestral Shrine.

Mother,

I will bring Yiyu back first.

My dear.

Third Brother.

Thank you so much.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady!

Where are you, Seventh Lady?

What is this?

Seventh Lady!

I want to swap this silk waistband.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady?

Seventh Lady.

You like playing games, Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

Seventh Lady.

I touched your hand.

Seventh Lady.

Mother, I didn't mean to...

Yu,

you did very well.

We should try to avoid

getting involved in their family matters.

You are indeed

my most sensible child.

You didn't disappoint me.

Yes,

I will remember your teachings.

Are you saying

that Third Young Master Luo, who looks like a gardener,

might be the one going up

against Uncle in Yuanjing Pavilion?

On the night at Yuanjing Pavilion,

there was a man and a woman.

That woman was wearing a pale yellow coat.

I will head back

and report this to Uncle first.

(Luo Clan Ancestral Shrine)

Qiao Yuechan,

over the years,

I appreciate that you gave birth

to a pair of children for the Luo Family.

Hence, I have been lenient with you.

But I have never expected you

to commit such evil acts.

You harmed your mother-in-law,

attempted to assassinate the legitimate daughter in Yuanjing Pavilion,

and now you have even tried to ruin her reputation.

Do you plead guilty?

Old Madam,

Chen Si claimed

that Fifth Master Qiao gave him orders.

But that's only his side of the story.

Fifth Master Qiao isn't here.

Does Chen Si dare to confront him?

Father,

Mother has served you wholeheartedly all these years.

She wouldn't do that.

Father,

Mother only cares about

whether you are cold

or hungry every day.

All she cares about is you.

Mother,

Yuechan does have a point.

We can summon Fifth Master Qiao here

and let them confront each other.

Yuechan, you...

Butler Bai.

Yes.

Summon a physician.

Yes.

Father,

no rush.

The physician is already on his way.

The physician is here.

Physician Chen?

I'm Meng Hetang.

Greetings, Old Madam Luo.

Greetings, Second Master Luo.

We haven't met for more than a decade,

but you still remember me, Second Master Luo.

Aren't you Physician Chen?

Why is your surname Meng?

Well, it's a shame.

My surname is Meng, and I'm from Yangzhou.

However,

Mistress Qiao intended to hide the fact

that we were acquaintances,

so I went by the surname Chen.

Please don't be angry, Second Master.

I did go to Yangzhou

to seek his treatment

because I trusted his healing skills.

I'm concerned it may raise unnecessary suspicions

about me summoning a physician from Yangzhou,

so I asked him to change his surname.

I have come to the capital several times

and helped Mistress Qiao

while she was bearing her two children.

But once,

she was overly distressed

that it affected the fetus.

Even though I did my best,

I couldn't save it.

Mistress Qiao

tried to hush me up,

she personally bought me

a house.

I wasn't thinking straight at that time

and followed her order

to accuse Seventh Lady

of causing her miscarriage.

I'm truly sorry, Seventh Lady.

Well, well. Qiao Yuechan.

You failed to keep your child,

and you blamed it

on a little girl.

You are truly wicked.

Poor Yining was sent to the side yard

and has lived there for more than a decade.

All because of you.

Slander!

You are slandering me!

You claim I gave you a house.

Where is the evidence?

I have the house deed.

Even handwriting can be forged,

let alone a house deed.

You gave me this with your own hand.

How could it be fake?

This house deed states it was the fifth day

of the fourth month in the year of Gengzi.

On that day, Lian was gravely ill.

I went to a temple to pray for her well-being.

Chengzhang was concerned about the baby in my belly,

so he accompanied me to the temple.

I remember.

That day was Lixia. [*Start of Summer]

It was the fifth day of the fourth month.

You said if the baby was born,

we could name it "Xia".

Thankfully, you remember that.

Otherwise, I would've been framed.

Ironically, the person who forged this deed

created a double of me to personally hand it over

to Meng Hetang.

What I said earlier

was Seventh Lady's order.

She gave me that house

and forced me to make up a story

to frame Mistress Qiao.

Seventh Lady, you are really something.

You are trying to destroy me.

I treated you like my own child,

better than Lian.

Why do you want to frame me?

Physician Meng,

no matter what someone has done wrong,

their family shouldn't be dragged into the mess.

Do you want to go down the wrong road?

Seventh Lady,

besides bringing the physician here,

did you also threaten his family?

Bribe?

Threaten?

Use?

Aren't those

your favorite tricks, Mistress Qiao?

Qing Qu.

Young Master, your wound is bleeding.

It will be troublesome if someone finds out.

Did the Zhang brothers hand over the people they rescued to Qing Qu?

They did, along with Fifth Master Qiao.

Young Master, Seventh Lady can manage.

We should go back now.

She can manage?

The way she did it

even landed herself in big trouble.

Young Master, calm down.

Your wound will bleed even more.

I'm fine.

Young Master, are you all right?

Yuechan,

please don't blame me.

I can't hide it anymore.

I...

I confessed everything.

Second Master.

Old Madam.

It's my fault. Please spare me.

Please spare me. It's my fault.

Old Madam,

this man is Fifth Master Qiao.

Mistress Qiao instructed him

to capture Physician Meng,

but I rescued him,

so he captured his wife and daughter from his hometown.

After Physician Meng arrived in the capital,

Fifth Master Qiao threatened him

to falsely accuse

Seventh Lady.

I have Fifth Master Qiao's statement

and the letters

Mistress Qiao wrote to give him orders.

And this woman, too.

This is Ms. Li from Mistress Qiao's abode.

She can testify

to the crime

Mistress Qiao committed back then.

Ms. Li,

didn't you fall sick and return to your hometown?

Madam Lin,

I'm fully aware of

all the evildoings Mistress Qiao did

to Seventh Lady and Madam Gu.

She feared that once I left her abode,

I would expose her secrets,

so she forced me to leave

and tried to kill me on the way.

Fortunately, Ms. Qing Qu saved my life.

Let's go.

I'm willing to testify.

Physician Meng,

after all this,

are you still not telling the truth?

Back then,

Mistress Qiao

asked me for a medical record.

There was a prescription

to falsify miscarriage symptoms

without truly hurting the fetus.

I found out about it

only after checking the herbal dregs.

But Madam Gu had left the residence,

so I didn't say anything.

Did you falsely accuse Minglan

of endangering your baby?

I mentioned

that Mistress Qiao used the miscarriage to frame Seventh Lady

when she heard she might lose her baby,

and that was true as well.

These house deeds

were also forged by her.

Fifth Master Qiao captured my family

and threatened me to slander Seventh Lady

with these deeds.

I had no choice.

Young Master,

now you can rest easy.

You did everything in your power

to help Seventh Lady.

Young Master.

- Young Master, let's head back. - All right.

Let's go.

Careful.

Luo Yining,

you have been waiting for this moment

since the day you arrived.

You get what you want now.

Mistress Qiao,

I should be the one asking that.

Ever since I came here,

you have been plotting against me.

Unexpectedly,

you ended up shooting yourself in the foot.

I'm not as cunning as you.

You exploit your privilege as the legitimate daughter

of the Luo Family.

But still, I'm nothing

compared to your cruelty.

You framed my mother before

and now me.

All of this

is of your own making.

Did you bribe

the performer

to ruin Yining's reputation?

Yes, I did.

Yuechan,

ever since we met,

you have always been understanding

and decent.

I saw you as a kindred soul.

But why have you...

Why have you become so vicious?

Just why?

All these years, I've given you

monetary support and respect as much as I could.

I have treated you fairly.

Why are you silent?

Answer me.

Answer me.

What more

can I say?

What can I say to you?

You promised to marry me as your principal wife,

but instead, you married Gu Minglan.

I don't know

what makes me inferior to her.

Is it because

I'm an illegitimate daughter?

Please tell me.

I still can't understand even now.

Is status

the only reason

you were with me?

I swallowed my pride to become a concubine.

I wanted to drive Gu Minglan away,

but then you married Lin Hairu.

She comes from a wealthy family.

How could I ever compete with that?

I deserve this.

I have done the wrong things.

As terribly wrong as I may have been,

I still gave birth to a pair of children for you.

All I care about and think of

is only you.

I have given my whole life to my children,

and I have no complaints.

I only want my children

to make the Luo Family proud.

Do you understand?

I have always wanted the best in life.

I have made mistakes,

and I lost,

but my children must not lose.

Luo Chengzhang,

our children must not lose.

You have done it all wrong.

There's no turning back.

♪It's complicated but I'm not afraid♪

♪There's light in my heart♪

♪Following the river of time♪

♪I dive into the whirlpool♪

♪For the sake of you and mine♪

♪In search of an outcome♪

♪I'm willing to risk my life♪

♪To break the chain of nights♪

♪I'm willing to fall into the abyss♪

♪In order to reveal the fate♪

♪Forget about the outcome♪

♪Let me be your shoulder to lean on♪

♪Even if things go south, so be it♪

♪Love is a voyage with you by my side♪

♪The dust eventually settles♪

♪No matter how fragile and trivial I am♪

♪I will dance and shine bright♪

♪I overcome all kinds of doubt♪

♪And obstacles♪

♪For the sake of you and mine♪

♪Committing to my promise♪

♪I'm willing to risk my life♪

♪May my existence shine on more♪

♪Let go of everything♪

♪Let the longing fade♪

♪Forget about the outcome♪

♪As long as it fulfills the vastness of love♪

♪Even if things go south, so be it♪

♪Love is you being by my side♪