Original subtitles

=The Rise of Ning=

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

=Episode 16=

Second Uncle wouldn't even let him enter the home academy.

How could Luo Shenyuan...

Pay no attention to others.

You

just need to think about

why you couldn't write good poems

despite the efforts

Mother put in for you.

My dear sister,

literature isn't my ambition.

If it were about martial or military knowledge,

I'd triumph over everyone.

Shanyuan.

Yiyu.

Your guzheng playing earlier today

was elegant and refined.

Even a fairy musician

couldn't compare to you.

Thank you for your compliment.

We haven't met in a few days.

You seem to be cold toward me.

Are you drunk, Mr. Cheng?

We are merely connected through our elders.

We are not that familiar.

Why would you say that, Mr. Cheng?

Also,

please stop saying things

like the fairy musician anymore.

People might

misunderstand it.

Shan,

Yixiu isn't feeling well.

Mother wants us

to return to look after her.

To think

that the Luo's Residence illegitimate son

will soon rise to fame in the capital.

He has such great patience.

The third son of the Luo Family is not someone to be trifled with.

Seventh Lady.

Your pipa playing earlier

doesn't seem to have been taught by a female master.

What do you mean, Marquis Lu?

Such ferocious ambiance

shouldn't belong to a woman.

Have you not heard

about the story of Lady Duchess of Qiao State?

Female generals

haven't been a rare occurrence since ancient times.

Also, the ferocious ambiance

is not exclusive to men.

What a spirit, Seventh Lady.

Ladies usually play songs

that are peaceful and elegant.

You played a song with such profound sadness

as if you had experienced it yourself.

Is that a compliment, Marquis Lu?

If that's not your favorite song,

you better not play it.

Isn't that too much to ask,

Marquis Lu?

Whether I like it or play it

has nothing to do with you.

The Literary Feast has ended.

You may take your leave soon

as you have many official duties at hand.

Are you trying to send me away?

I wouldn't dare.

The Luo's Residence has a century-old garden,

but I suppose it holds no interest for you.

I need to go return gifts to the guests.

Please excuse me.

Your Lordship,

is Seventh Lady

the person you have been looking for?

She's like her,

but not entirely.

By the way, any luck with Chen Daoyan?

Not yet.

Come with me.

(As humble as hollow bamboo)

Be gentle with it.

Congratulations.

These are precious.

Put them to...

Congratulations on seeking a great apprenticeship.

This Literary Feast is a success.

I didn't expect to see

such a fruitful occasion

after so many years.

This is truly rare.

It's all thanks to you, Mr. Sun.

Not at all. Please stop here,

Registrar Luo.

Please wait a moment, Mr. Sun.

Butler Bai.

Yes.

Your Lordship, this chest of gifts

seems a bit suspicious.

Examine the chest.

Yes.

No.

No, Registrar Luo.

Mr. Sun, these are some writing supplies.

It's a small token of appreciation.

Registrar Luo,

attending the Literary Feast

has been a great pleasure for me,

as for this...

Mr. Sun, to be honest,

my mother was glad to hear

that you accept students

regardless of their status and refuse gifts.

This is just a small gesture.

Please accept it.

In that case,

I will accept this.

I shall thank Old Madam Luo

on behalf of students from humble roots.

Hurry and carry it to the carriage.

I will take my leave, Registrar Luo.

Take care, Mr. Sun.

Hold on!

I apologize

for startling you, Mr. Sun and Second Master Luo.

Commander Ye,

what is this about?

There's a criminal at large.

The Imperial Guards have been ordered to arrest him.

Someone spotted

the criminal here,

so Marquis Lu commanded us to search.

Please forgive us.

Since this is an official duty, please help yourself.

This is my duty.

Come.

Open the chest.

- Yes. - Yes.

Hold on.

Commander Ye,

this chest

is a gift we return to Mr. Sun.

Commander Ye,

this chest contains the writing supplies

Old Madam Luo gave me.

I think it should be all right.

Mr. Sun,

this is my duty.

I wouldn't dare overlook anything.

These are elegant objects.

How could you...

This is humiliating.

Please pardon me.

You dare defy me?

Search!

How dare you!

Don't be rude.

Greetings, Marquis Lu.

Please pardon

their disrespectful actions.

Marquis Lu,

your subordinate

is very diligent.

We are decreed

to capture the criminal.

I'm doing this in regard to laws.

I'm truly sorry.

Marquis Lu, this chest

only contains writing supplies.

It's better not

to ruin such an elegant gesture.

They certainly are elegant,

but the one who ruins them

isn't me.

I'm also

protecting your reputation, Mr. Sun.

What will you do if you don't

find the criminal inside?

If that's the case, I will send you a gift of apology.

Come.

Yes.

Open the chest.

Yes.

It would be better not

to open the chest and sabotage this elegance.

Pay no mind to my impudence.

Please pardon me, Mr. Sun.

This is ridiculous.

I bid you farewell, Marquis Lu.

Please see your way out.

We have plenty of time ahead, Third Young Master Luo.

Your Lordship.

How was it?

I followed Sun Jie's carriage

to the academy

and watched them unloading all the gifts

until the carriage left.

We didn't find anything suspicious.

All guests and carriages

leaving Luo Residence

were thoroughly searched.

Aside from Sun Jie,

did the Luo's Residence return gifts

to anyone else?

Return gifts?

They returned gifts to Cheng's Residence.

It's said

that Mr. Cheng brought plenty of fine gifts

to Luo's Residence.

This time,

they also returned

a few chests of gifts

to Mr. Cheng.

Did you search their carriages thoroughly?

I ordered them

to search all the carriages.

However, concerning Mr. Cheng's relationship with you,

they wouldn't dare

disturb the Cheng's Residence carriage.

Careless.

Are you saying

that the man left together with Cheng Residence's carriage?

I will send my men to pursue him.

No need. It's already late.

Be that as it may, just as I expected,

we are up against

a rival to be reckoned with.

It seems

I have underestimated him.

(Cheng)

Come

and unload the chests.

(Cheng)

(Jimo House)

Congratulations, Third Brother.

You made an impression today.

You will surely achieve your goal in the future.

I believe Senior Daoyan

must've escaped by now.

For this,

I must thank you, Seventh Sister,

and Qing Qu.

My brilliant mind

is certainly because of

my intelligent third brother.

Of course,

thanks to your strategy as well.

Your prediction of Lu Jiaxue's suspiciousness

gave us this opportunity.

Lu Jiaxue will

figure it out sooner or later.

We can't fool him for so long.

Do you suspect

that he will target you?

Well, he and I

will eventually

end up in a desperate fight.

What I'm worried about is you.

Me?

Somehow,

Lu Jiaxue

is paying extra attention to you.

Perhaps you played "The Conqueror Disarms"

too impressively.

Maybe

the song is filled with killing intent

that resonates with him.

That's why I caught his attention.

If so,

I won't play that song again.

By the way, Third Brother,

where

did your senior hide

when he was here?

This is a secret chamber.

Third Brother,

what is this secret chamber for?

Of course, it's to prevent

another incident like today's.

You are telling me now.

Aren't you afraid that I will tell others?

Aside from Shao'an,

you are the one I trust the most.

Ouch.

So in your heart,

I'm not as important as Shao'an.

Uh, let me put it this way.

I trust no one more than you.

That's better.

Oh, right.

Ms. Zheng wrote back the other day,

saying that she would be returning soon.

There are some things

that should faced head-on

rather than avoided.

Yining,

trust me.

I will stay with you

through everything you are going through.

(Luo Residence)

Father?

You are awake.

The physician said you are fine,

it was just exhaustion.

It seems

you have worked very hard

for the Literary Feast.

Thank... Thank you for your consideration, Father.

I couldn't sleep well

these days,

that's why I made a mistake.

Shut it.

Hardworking

is the least a scholar should do.

Going all out to study despite hardships

is simply common.

The literary gathering is the battleground for scholars.

You should charge forward bravely

when confronting strong enemies.

Yet you fled in fear.

That's cowardice!

Do you know

that your behavior

has made the Luo Family a laughing stock?

This is merely

a small literary feast,

but you couldn't even handle it.

How are you going

to deal with the upcoming imperial examination?

Tell me!

I will definitely do my best

and not

fail...

I used to think

that you were a driven person

since you were a kid,

but it turns out

you are so immature.

Useless fool.

Father...

Send for a physician to check on him.

Are you all right, Xuan?

You are the one to blame!

You always urged me to study

day and night,

that's why I became nervous and made

a fool of myself in front of many people.

How could you say that?

I'm doing this for your own good.

For my own good?

All you care about is yourself.

I became a joke in the entire capital.

Even that fellow

from Jimo House

outperformed me.

Happy now?

Xuan...

Let me alone!

That boy

truly caught me off guard.

This Luo Shenyuan is strange.

How could he be able...

I have noticed

something different about him a long time ago.

He may be quiet

and looks like a pushover,

but his eyes

give off a stubborn feeling.

I just didn't expect him

to hide his talent so deeply.

He's just a lowly person

who made up a nonsense poem.

I don't think

he's any better than Young Master Shan.

Still, the second home

got lucky

at the literary feast this time.

If Mr. Sun said it's good,

then it's good.

I just can't tolerate this.

The second home

has always had the upper hand over these years.

It's merely because Second Master

is an official in the capital,

while First Master has been posted outside the capital.

I received news

from my maternal family.

First Master

is soon returning to the capital.

That's good.

Madam Chen,

you no longer have

to be alone

and suffer quietly.

(Haitang Abode)

Young Lady,

Qing Qu went to the gate to fetch her.

They will be arriving soon.

Ms. Zheng.

You're finally here.

I have been waiting for you.

Please come in.

Ms. Zheng, there's no need for formalities.

You were with my mother since she was little

and accompanied her

to marry into this family

until she passed away.

You don't have to bow to me.

When I left the Luo's Residence,

you were a baby,

but now

you have already grown into a young lady.

Qing Qu wrote to me,

saying that you are not feeling well.

Allow me to check on you.

Before this,

let's visit Grandma.

My apologies.

I have already forgotten the rules.

Yes, Young Lady.

Grandma.

I, Zheng Rong, offer my greetings, Old Madam.

Get up.

Thank you, Old Madam.

It has been many years.

How's your health?

Indeed, it has been many years.

I don't understand.

Yining was just a baby that year,

and you were the most capable

and reliable maid besides Minglan.

I implored you

to stay to look after Yining,

but you left the Luo's Residence

without turning back.

But why

are you back now?

Grandma,

I invited Ms. Zheng back.

I thought that Ms. Zheng had looked after my mother

until her passing

and also cultivated Qing Qu for me,

so I asked Qing Qu

to invite her back

to have some fun in the capital for some days.

Old Madam,

I had my reason back then.

Please don't blame me.

Well.

I don't want to rake up the past.

Thank you, Old Madam.

The past

is in the past.

(Liuhe Tavern)

"I would rather die

than crouch in shame.

Eagles do not blend with the flock,

standing alone, proud and lofty."

Daoyan, your calligraphy

is as strong and peculiar

as it were.

"To depart from trouble

is to depart from suffering."

Daoyan.

You just got rid of trouble.

Why don't we

relax a bit tonight?

Senior Daoyan,

Shenyuan is here with us.

Come try my cooking.

It has been years

since we have all gathered together.

What's wrong, Daoyan?

Perhaps he hasn't recovered from his old injury.

Daoyan, I will send a physician for you.

No need.

Just a throat issue, nothing new.

Seventh Lady.

Ms. Zheng.

Seventh Lady,

you still keep

your mother's belongings.

When my mother passed away,

Mistress Qiao

sold all of her dowry.

Even the Minglan Hall was torn down.

Now,

these are the only things left.

Mistress Qiao is indeed wicked.

Grandma must've told you

not to tell me too much.

Mistress Qiao

has received her retribution.

We will let bygone

be bygone.

Yes, it's all the past.

As long as you are well,

Madam Gu will rest in peace.

Young Lady,

let me take your pulse.

Qing Qu wrote in the letter

that you are not feeling well.

Though I'm not inept at healing,

I will try my best

to heal you.

Ms. Zheng,

I was

feeling unwell before,

but I have recovered

these past few days.

But Qing Qu said...

I lied to you.

I asked Qing Qu to lie to you, so that you would return here.

Ms. Zheng,

to be frank, I have something to ask you.

How much do you know

about my mother's death?

I will tell you

as much as I know.

Back then, Father favored Mistress Qiao.

My mother couldn't endure such humiliation,

so she moved to the side yard

and asked Father for a divorce.

Is this true?

Yes, it is.

Your father favored the concubine and neglected his wife.

Besides, Mistress Qiao

often used cunning tricks.

She spread rumors

and slandered Madam Gu for endangering her.

Madam Gu had a lofty character

and didn't want to compete with her.

If not for you,

Madam Gu

wouldn't have returned to the Luo's Residence.

If so,

did Father visit her

after Mother returned?

He came once.

It was when you were just born.

At that time,

your father bought some tea leaves

that your mother liked.

Tea leaves?

Yes.

I remember clearly

that your father

was unexpectedly friendly

that day.

He played with you.

Your mother noticed that,

so she didn't turn him away

and took a few sips of the tea he brought.

Yet after a brief conversation,

he was actually coveting

the dowry Madam Gu prepared for you.

He wanted Madam Gu

to buy him a position in the court.

Madam Gu was furious

and poured the tea into the hardy begonia.

Unexpectedly,

the root of those hardy begonias withered.

Hardy begonia?

But Grandma told me

it was because of the Mongolian milkvetch

and peony tonic.

That's an excuse

your mother told Old Madam

as she didn't want to drink

the tea your father brought.

Tea leaves?

Yes, this is that one.

This is the tea

Second Master gave to your mother.

I can't believe it still exists.

Will my mother's death

be related

to Father?

Of course, it's related to him.

If not

for his cruelty,

your mother wouldn't have fallen ill

and passed away

at such a young age.

Send Senior Daoyan away

as quickly as possible.

Don't let Lu Jiaxue's men find out.

Yes.

Qi An will handle that.

No, I will do it myself.

Daoyan is the proudest student

of Master.

He passed the exam when he was a teenager

and was personally appointed as an official by His Majesty.

Yet he has to live on the run now.

It's my fault.

It has been three years,

and I still haven't achieved anything yet.

Young Master, you run Liuhe Tavern

and the sea transportation business,

have protected all your seniors and juniors,

found Li Yinglong and Lu Jiaxue,

and even obtained the statement from Old Madam.

How could you say you have achieved nothing?

Third Brother.

Seventh Lady, the tea is ready.

Have you made up your mind?

It seems

everything is all right.

(No animals were harmed during the making of this series.)

It's poisoned.

Yining.

Father.

Where's your handmaiden?

Why aren't they with you?

It's already late at night.

What are you doing here?

I was on my way to see you, Father.

Lately, I have been sorting things out,

and saw Mother's belongings.

They bring back memories of her,

so I came out for some fresh air.

She's already at peace.

It's all in the past.

Digging up these things

will only add to your sorrow.

Have you already forgotten

the people and things from the past?

But I still can't forget

Mother's voice and face.

So

I would like to ask you...

Seventh Sister,

what are you doing here?

Father.

That's rude.

Don't think that because you wrote

a good poem at the Literary Feast

and people

started calling you "Third Young Master Luo",

you can act as you please.

Know your place.

I'm now

Mr. Sun's student.

I don't have any other identities

other than that.

You are talking back to me?

Stay in Jimo House

these days

and don't leave.

Am I under house arrest?

But Mr. Sun told me

to attend a literary gathering with him.

In that case,

I won't go.

Go.

You have to go.

Perform well.

Yes.

Yining, what was it you wanted to ask?

Get rest early.

I understand how you feel.

But the poisoned tea

doesn't prove anything.

If it was him,

he wouldn't tell you

the truth

if you had no evidence.

Third Brother,

what should I do?

I thought

my heart was cold enough

to bear every consequence,

but...

♪Stirring up trouble, loneliness, stirring up a sky full of fireworks♪

♪Through the trials, who set it, and who bore the consequence?♪

There, there.

You still have me.

I'm with you.

If it's truly him,

just follow your heart.

♪Afraid of missing out and mistakes, of begonias blooming and withering♪

Even if you go against the entire world,

I will definitely

be on your side.

♪Your gentle presence leaves a trace of ink in my heart♪

♪An overlapping shade of us spreads across my life♪

♪Though countless faces pass me by, I seek only you♪

♪Love is a lifelong promise, regardless of what may come♪

This is my mother.

Is she pretty?

She's pretty.

So, am I pretty as well?

Yes.

You are the prettiest one

in this world.

Third Brother,

until I figure out

whether Father

was involved,

I won't be able to rest easy.

Please.

Sorry to disturb you again.

Physician Zhao,

I have a doubt.

I'd like to seek your guidance.

Have you discovered

any new clues, Seventh Lady?

I asked the old maid who used to serve my mother before.

She said before my mother passed away,

she was in great pain.

Her mouth and tongue were numb,

her whole body was stinging,

and she couldn't speak clearly.

Are these symptoms of certain illnesses?

I have never heard of Madam Gu

having such symptoms.

From your description,

it sounds more like she took the wrong medicine

or was poisoned.

This is the tea leaves

she drank before.

I tested it.

It's poisonous.

Please help me to find out

what poison it is.

Daoyan,

we are parting ways now.

Please take care.

Yuan,

I hope the next time we meet

will be the day when Master's case is reopened.

Rest assured, Daoyan.

I'll make sure all the seniors and juniors

get rid of the life on the run.

Qi An,

stay alert along the journey.

Look out for my senior.

Yes, Young Master.

Young Master,

the thing Seventh Lady needs is ready.

(Luo's Residence)

Father.

You are here, too, Yining.

Mother.

I came to pay my respects.

Sit.

She came here early in the morning

for breakfast.

I really like the food prepared by Grandma's kitchen.

I heard they had served

the seasonal osmanthus cake recently,

so I came to try it.

If you like it,

I can have the cook

send some for you.

But it tastes better

when I come here to enjoy it.

It tastes better to eat it here?

This girl.

You make such a mischievous excuse

for the food.

Grandma,

I didn't come empty-handed.

I brought

some fine tea here.

It's already roasted and ground

into tea powder.

Since Father is here too,

let's try it together.

Xue Zhi.

I have something

to attend to later,

so I'm not drinking the tea.

Since you are all right,

I will take my leave.

Father, please stay.

This tea is special.

I hope we can savor it together.

I have tried all kinds of tea.

Chengzhang,

just stay and drink it.

It won't affect your appointment.

I wonder

what she's going to show us.

♪South wind weaves a brocade tapestry of lives♪

♪Begonias lean on each other in front of a turquoise pond♪

♪The tea fragrance wafts along the long street♪

♪A bright heart will radiate the world♪

♪Family is the safe haven surrounding me♪

Grandma,

this is the smallest portion,

so it won't affect your nap.

Father,

I know

you are a tea expert.

This cup contains the tea's original taste.

Please try it.

♪Red strings on the eaves, bind two devoted hearts together♪

♪Through half a lifetime and sweet dreams♪

Father,

what do you think about this tea?

This is the Dragon-Phoenix Tea Cake.

You still remember this?

You gave this tea cake to my mother

back then.

This tea is

left by Minglan?

Grandma,

when I found this tea

from Mother's belongings,

I was so excited,

so I immediately brought it to Father

to ask him about it.

You came to me that night

because of this tea?

The Dragon-Phoenix Tea Cakes is rare.

It's also hard for the royals

to even get one.

It took me a lot of effort

to get just a little.

I remember

Minglan and I had a fight that day.

I thought

she had already

thrown this tea away.

Unexpectedly,

she had kept it for over a decade.

Why did you fight?

Was it about

Mistress Qiao again?

No.

At that time,

I encountered some problems in the court.

Father was upright

and refused to help me,

so I thought

about spending some money to resolve the issue,

so I asked your mother

for some of her dowry.

How foolish!

How could you think about bribery

and even using

Minglan's dowry?

Mother, you are right.

I deeply regretted it.

I wouldn't dare

think of doing it again.

If your father were to find out about this,

he would definitely punish you severely.

I wasn't thinking straight at that time.

But fortunately, I didn't disgrace the family.

Thank you for getting

this decade-old Dragon-Phoenix Tea Cake for me.

Without it,

I wouldn't have had the opportunity

to test Father's reaction.

You feel relieved now, right?

Father didn't seem like

he was behind this.

If he feels guilty about it,

he will surely show some signs.

But

if it's not him,

who could it be?

Perhaps the situation becomes clearer

after Physician Zhao

uncovers the poison.

Even if it was him,

I don't think you could bring yourself

to sever ties with him.

As terribly wrong and disappointing

as he may be,

he's still

your father.

What about you?

Do you hate him?

I did,

but children

can't choose their parents,

so I just do

what I should do.

The autumn examination is nearing.

Your name must be registered

in the family register soon.

Even though

Father has softened toward you,

it's only because

of Mr. Sun.

If we want Father to allow you

to be registered in the family register,

we will have to give it a push.

Mother, you are good at doing business

and managing accounts.

If you hadn't married into the Luo Family,

you might've become

a successful businesswoman.

At this age,

even if I hadn't married into the Luo Family,

I would have married someone else.

Women obey their fathers before getting married

and their husbands after.

No one could tell

which fate could've been better.

Compared to other places,

marrying into the Luo Family

has been pretty good.

At least you are with me.

Besides,

Old Madam has been nice to me.

Mother,

do you plan to continue living like this

with Father?

Your father and I

both live separate lives

and don't interfere with each other.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Why are you asking this all of a sudden?

Of course, I will support

any choice you make,

but I think

it's better

to plan for the future.

What if

I get married

and Mistress Qiao

returns here?

What do you mean?

Mother, ever since the Literary Feast,

even though Father

doesn't like Third Brother,

he has had to acknowledge

in front of everyone

that Third Brother is part of the Luo Family.

If you take him as your son,

you will have a legitimate son.

You can rely on him

in the future, right?

Besides, Third Brother is kind

and knowledgeable.

If he successfully passes the triennial palace examination,

you'll be the mother of a palace graduate.

If he tops in the final palace exam,

you're the mother of the honorary principal graduate.

You make it sound

like passing the examination is easy.

Besides, he's an adult now.

I don't think I can be a good mother to him.

If you can't

do it well,

no one else in this residence can.

Ever since you took over the household management,

you have always left a share

for him in everything.

Being fair to everyone

is the way it should be.

Besides,

when you sprained your foot

at the estate last time,

Third Brother offered to carry you all the way back.

That's how a mother and a son do.

Well,

I used to think he looked gloomy,

but this time,

I realized that he's actually kind.

Besides,

he's a grateful person.

He will surely be nice to you.

Regarding this,

I need to discuss it with your father.

As you know,

your father

might not be easily convinced.

♪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♪