Original subtitles

♪The moon sinks, ripples dance, violet stars awaken♪

♪As time dissolves without a trace♪

♪Frosted memories scatter; silk cannot veil the past♪

♪Fate is drifting in silence♪

♪Let winds and sands accompany the road ahead♪

♪Looking back, joys and sorrows linger, no regrets remain♪

♪Breaking free from the depths of darkness♪

♪Like pearls of tears, we swirl with fate's embrace♪

[Adapted from "The Legend of Kunshan Jade" by Tan Tianyin]

[The Story of Pearl Girl]

[Episode 6]

You spent so much money,

but only brought me these?

Yan Zijing colludes

with the head of Guangzhou's guild Pan Xinglu,

and buys Guangzhou's stock of pearls

in bulk with treasure jewelry.

Yan Zijing appears to backstab us

and force Cui's Pearl Farm to die.

Cui's Pearl Farm can be considered one

of the top merchants in the jewelry industry,

so how can we be under the control

of a nobody from Western Regions?

Did my brother write back after I

asked you to write to him?

Not yet.

So what if he's powerful now?

Relationships in this place are deeply intertwined,

and everyone has his or her own path.

Cui's Pearl Farm has been here for years,

so he should know something about it.

Let's go meet Yan Zijing.

Yes.

Lady Shijiu is no worse than a man.

As a woman, you show up

and dedicate yourself to the family business.

I admire that.

Men and women are both born and raised by their parents,

so what's the difference?

Master Yan is a business wizard.

How can you be so biased?

I'm sorry if I'm being rude.

Do you realize you're about to be in big trouble?

I'm just a law-abiding businessman,

so why would I be in trouble?

You bought the pearls at a low price,

but you don't know

that the pearls are needed by Special Envoy Xu,

who is highly respected by Prince Tan.

If you have offended him,

how can you continue to trade here?

So in your opinion,

how can I make amends?

If you can offer the pearls

to Special Envoy Xu

and we persuade him in your favor,

then the problem can be solved,

and Special Envoy Xu will surely promote you.

Offer it to him?

I thought you came here today

to talk business with me.

Business is a transaction.

Offering him pearls is an expression of your loyalty,

so it's more important than business.

If you have contacts in officialdom,

you won't fear any business difficulties.

The official world might be better suited to the Cui family.

I am a stupid businessman

who is profit-oriented.

You're so smart

that you predicted we'd get involved in officialdom.

In that case, name your price.

I like that.

Kang Ju.

I have

many pearls,

but

I don't dare sell them.

A Qizhen pearl

is worth two million mace.

If it's a tael pearl plus a Babao pearl,

it's worth 2.2 million mace.

Are you having a price hike

because you think Master Shijiu doesn't know the market?

The price of jewelry depends on the market,

so why is this a price hike?

You're just being quibbling.

You think we...

Tong.

Don't lose your manners.

Lady Shijiu.

Since you are no worse than any male,

I need not be too polite to you.

If you can't make the decision,

then ask the head of the Cui family to step in

so as not to break the rules

or influence the market.

Since I'm sitting here,

I can make a decision for the Cui family.

You hoard commodities so much,

so aren't you afraid of losing everything then?

I won't bother you with that.

This price

is very good.

Of course.

Look at that.

What's that?

What's that?

That's the fabric store.

There, the fabric store.

It's beautiful.

Look at that.

It's awesome.

There's a fire show over there.

You can try it.

Sir, I'll take these.

Come on, you can try some.

Give me a few more.

Which one do you want?

This one.

Okay.

Give me one of these, please.

And this one.

No problem.

Duanwu, give me one.

It's so good.

It's delicious.

Please come and take a look.

Come. Look at the hairpin.

Look. This is a nice hairpin.

There's also rouge here.

If you like it, you can try it on.

This one is beautiful.

I'll try it on for you.

There's a bronze mirror.

It's beautiful.

I'll try this on for you.

Come on.

It's nice.

How much is it?

It's nice.

It's made of pure coral.

50 cash.

How much is it?

50 cash.

Wait a minute.

It's obviously coral trimmings,

so how can it cost so much?

Stop.

Are you buying?

Yeah, sure.

Let's go somewhere else.

Duanwu.

Let's go somewhere else.

Let's go.

Go that way.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Shrimp.

OK.

Special Envoy Xu is really not here.

Master Shijiu, please return.

Master Shijiu.

This...

Special Envoy Xu's place is so noble

that even Cui's Pearl Farm doesn't deserve to be here.

Xu Lin.

You can tell lies

or put on airs

elsewhere,

but why do you dare

to stop Master Shijiu even here?

Ask Master Shijiu to take his seat.

Aye.

I was uninformed,

so I apologize to you.

Please be seated.

I came here today

because I had a chance

to try this pastry and thought it was good.

Then I brought it here

for you to try it.

I am new to Guangzhou,

so I rely on your help.

After all,

I don't know what I should do

if something happens to the Cui family

and involves you.

Master Shijiu, you are overstating it.

You also know that I

have always favored the Cui family,

but lately,

Zhang Jinran has been keeping an eye on me.

If I insist on

favoring you for a while,

I may

be criticized and hindered.

Regarding Zhang Jinran, I'll do something.

I like dealing with smart people.

You're just in time.

In a few days, come with me

to meet the head of Guangzhou's guild.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Special Envoy Xu.

See you later.

I suddenly remembered something

and would like your help.

Please let me know

if you need anything.

I recently

acquired a white jade Guanyin

and would like to dedicate it to Prince Tan as a birthday gift,

but it lacks

a pearl lotus flower base to complement it.

It's a pity that it's not as beautiful

as it should be.

Special Envoy Xu.

The immediate priority is

to resolve the matter of the tribute pearls.

Aren't we working

on your tribute pearls?

Prince Tan's needs are no small matter,

so the pearls must be of the highest quality.

Don't worry.

I will pay

for the pearls.

Think of it as me

buying them from Cui's Pearl Farm.

Of course.

See you.

Buy?

When has he ever paid for anything?

What a greedy vampire.

But we have no choice.

Now the tribute pearls are imminent,

so I still need this treacherous guy

to maneuver through it for me.

After this is over,

we can't have any more dealings with this man.

Aye.

Shrimp.

Shrimp.

Shrimp.

Come on.

Come on.

Look.

Does this look like a peach blossom?

Yes, it does.

Doesn't this look better than the one we saw on the street?

Look.

If I add a little more tassel

down this branch,

do you think

this hairpin will look good?

Yes,

but Duanwu,

why did you draw this?

You mean this?

I want to make hairpins.

Since we have jewelry,

we can just make a hairpin

out of this scrap jewelry.

Some girls will love it.

But now,

we only have these jewels.

What can we use

for the main part?

Wood?

Wood will crack in water,

so wood definitely won't work.

Duanwu, wait a minute.

What's this?

It's old ship wood.

Duanwu, don't underestimate it.

old ship wood

is top hardwood.

Soaked in seawater,

it'll never get soaked or cracked.

Then I'll try it with this.

Look.

Duanwu.

Help me...

Duanwu.

Dear Hu, why are you still up?

I heard

that Overseer Cao received

the Coral Pearl trafficking assignment from Assistant Pang

and was allowed to enter the trading convoy

after the job was done.

Why would someone

as shrewd as him

keep this greedy lapdog with him?

Coral Pearl?

Thank you.

I think Coral Pearl

might be a good way for us.

Hello, Accountant Wei.

Hello, Assistant Pang.

Assistant Pang.

Sorry to bother you.

I heard Overseer Cao say

he's selling Coral Pearl for you.

Can I try?

What?

You want to sell Coral Pearl?

It's Coral Pearl,

not scrap.

If you lose it,

you'll suffer more than a whipping.

It would kill you.

My life isn't worth much,

so I hope you'll give it a chance

and let me try.

Whether you care about your own life or not,

you have to know the product first.

Have you seen

Coral Pearl?

Is Assistant Pang selling this batch of Coral Pearls?

It's dyed

and inferior.

It's worthless.

Duanwu.

Do you want to join the trading convoy?

Of course.

It's not up to me.

Not up to you?

But Overseer Cao said

it's your call

to join the trading convoy.

When did I say that?

Everyone in the lower deck knows that.

Overseer Cao is a slave,

even though he's the head.

If you don't keep your word,

the slaves in the lower deck will know about this

and the whole ship

will be unsettled.

Duanwu, you know what?

Assistant Pang.

A businessman

must keep his word

after saying something.

Makes sense.

How about this?

Whoever gets the order first

joins the trading convoy.

Thank you, Assistant Pang.

Thank you, Accountant Wei.

Also,

I'm going to bring out a box of fine Coral Pearls.

It costs 200,000 mace to buy,

so its selling price should be at least 500,000 mace.

We know you love incense,

so we have prepared a small gift for you.

Please accept it.

I've seen

a lot of nice things

along the way

from Chang'an to Lingnan,

but I can't get enough

of the Lingnan Pearl.

I'm glad you like it.

But recently, I heard that some people

want to compare Western Regions colored stone

with Lingnan pearls.

Is this true?

The seniors of several jewelry stores and I

did recently purchase a batch of Western Regions colored stone.

After Hepu's accident,

the pearl market is slightly depressed.

Colored stone is a rarity locally.

But even so,

it's a minority item

and not of grace.

Mr. Pan.

You've just become the head of Guangzhou's guild,

so it's best not to rush into things

until you know what's going on

so you don't end up making everyone unhappy

or bringing shame to Lingnan Pearls.

You're right.

Lingnan pearls are rare,

so I don't want them all

to fall into other people's hands.

I understand.

Do you all understand?

Yes.

That's good.

[Zhuobao House]

Nuts. Nice and big.

Boy, come on.

Taste it.

Nice, big, and crunchy nuts.

Taste it.

You'll be satisfied.

Taste it.

Is it good?

Yes, it is.

I want it.

OK.

How much is it?

Ten cash.

There you go.

Sir.

I'd like to ask you about this store.

It looks very luxurious.

This store is called Zhuobao House.

It's the most luxurious

jewelry store in Guangzhou.

So Overseer Cao is going to sell Coral Pearl here.

The most famous person

in this store is actually

the owner's daughter.

Lady Wu.

Why?

The price of this will be different.

I'll take another pack.

Okay.

Here you go.

Lady Wu

had two marriages,

but one fiancé fell off a horse

and died,

and the other died of a disease.

A fortune teller said

she was a plague on her husband.

If I'm really ill-fated,

I might as well be a female Taoist priest.

She has been praying

to the gods for several years

and is very depressed.

[Zhuobao House]

Thank you, South Sea God.

Thank you, South Sea God.

I've come to return the favor.

Thank you, South Sea God for blessing me

and giving me Blessing Red Coral

that let me have a good man

and a good marriage.

Thank you, South Sea God.

Thank you, South Sea God.

Hello.

What is Blessing Red Coral?

Miss.

I come from a bad background

and have a bad fate,

so I pray to the South Sea God every day.

Perhaps because South Sea God

was moved by my devotion,

I found

such a fine Coral Pearl.

I brought the Coral Pearl with me to worship every day,

but I didn't expect that my luck would really turn around.

Thank you, South Sea God.

Can I

see

your Blessing Red Coral?

Of course.

Please.

Thank you very much.

Miss, where did you

buy this Blessing Red Coral?

I didn't buy it.

I polished it myself.

To show my sincerity,

I made the Coral Pearl

and the pin myself.

Miss.

You're very kind.

Can you give me

this Coral Pearl hairpin?

I'm just like you.

The fortune teller said I'm a plague to my husband.

We're both in the same boat.

Can you help me?

I'm the daughter of the proprietor of Zhuobao House, Lady Wu.

I will never treat you badly.

Nice to meet you, Lady Wu.

I'm Duanwu.

I'm sorry I can't give this to you.

I'm just holding it

for peace of mind.

I'm sorry if I'm being abrupt.

I have a box of Coral Pearl.

If you would like...

May I purchase it from you?

Sea God.

Someone's full of nonsense,

so what do we do?

Do you know this man?

No, I don't.

Sea God.

Someone's full of lies,

so what do we do?

Lady Wu.

Come with me.

Duanwu.

Why are you here?

Do you really know each other?

No.

Yes.

We met in Hepu.

We're old friends.

Lady Wu.

At first...

How dare you lie to me?

Wait a minute.

- Lady Wu. - Duanwu.

I...

What's wrong with you lately?

It's how I survive.

I've always been like this.

But no matter what,

it's wrong to lie to people.

Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry.

I lied to you at the poetry gathering.

I saw Cui Ding

on the boat,

but Cui Ding was killed by himself,

not Yan Zijing.

Cui's Pearl Farm

uses ordinary people as slaves

and sets up their own torture chambers.

The lives of slaves are nothing,

and no one cares about them.

Mr. Zhang, I'll be honest with you.

Even if this isn't Yan Zijing,

I won't let him go.

What good is the law

if everyone thinks like you?

I see the world

differently from you.

It's like you think a fish jumping out of the water

is a beautiful sight,

but they fight to the death

underwater.

I'm sorry, Duanwu.

You're living a life

I've never experienced before,

so I can't empathize.

Today, I'm overthinking,

but I sincerely hope you

don't do anything against your will

for anyone or anything.

I know.

Today,

I didn't do the right thing,

but I can't help it.

Mr. Zhang, I can't help it.

I wanted to sell Coral Pearl to Zhuobao House,

but I'm new here,

so why would they do business with me

or trust me?

Noble people will do what is right.

A businessman will say nice things

in order to make a profit.

Yan Zijing

spent ten taels of pearls

to start a pearl poetry gathering.

It's the same thing

as your promotion of Blessing Red Coral,

but you can only fool some people for a while

if you use blessing as a gimmick.

If Lady Wu doesn't get lucky later

and gets angry,

will she hold it against you?

Yan Zijing's business

is a deadly fight.

It's too aggressive,

but Duanwu, you're different.

You have to keep your heart true.

A utilitarian approach

won't last long.

If you are sincere

with Lady Wu just now,

maybe she'll give you more business

and become friends

with you later.

She won't.

How can someone

like me be her friend?

You will.

Today,

you told me the truth

about Cui Ding,

so we are still friends.

But how can I apologize to Lady Wu?

I'm just like you.

The fortune teller said I'm a plague on my husband.

That fortune teller...

Is it really her destiny?

Come on.

Thank you.

Come again. See you.

Miss, what kind of clothes do you want?

Ma'am,

do you have any fine clothes?

A new shipment just arrived today.

Come on. Take a look.

This is the most fashionable fabric

and the latest style.

All the famous nobles here want it.

Do you like it?

That fortune teller is only for the rich.

Yes.

Yes.

Madam.

Could you rent it to me for half a day?

We sell all our clothes here.

Miss.

Are you going to see your lover?

No.

I want to make amends to a lady

by doing something for her.

Okay, then.

Since you want to make amends,

I'll do what you want this time,

but please keep it safe.

Let me wrap it up for you.

Here you go.

Lady Wu.

I'm Duanwu.

I'm...

What?

How dare you even come to my house?

It's not what you think.

I've come to apologize to you.

I did have the wrong idea today

and wanted to approach you with the red coral.

I'm one of Yan's Trading Convoy,

so I have Coral Pearl

and want to sell it to Zhuobao House.

That's why I did such a stupid thing

and made you sad.

I'm very sorry.

You're honest,

but my father is in charge of business,

not me.

You're talking to the wrong person.

It's not about business.

It's not about business

or red coral.

It's about you.

I want to help you.

Do you think I'll ever trust you again?

I was born with bad luck,

so it's no wonder you've come to lie to me too.

I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry.

I know you're a little depressed,

but I'd like to say

that luck doesn't depend

on things

but on people.

Please believe me

for the last time.

Master.

Master.

My friend is the ninth daughter of the Pan family.

I'm a distant cousin of a jewelry shop in Guangzhou.

I've heard that you're skillful in reading fortunes,

so I've come

to ask you to read my fortune.

You are good-looking.

I can tell you're from a rich family.

But there's a curse

on your forehead,

so you're destined for a disaster.

Master,

what is it?

Miss.

The fairy said

your husband

died because of you.

I knew

I caused my husband's death.

If I had known I would live

such a lonely life,

I should have died with you.

Is that okay?

Don't be too sad.

Your husband...

My husband was most worried

about me before he died.

Now he has passed away,

but he is still worried about me.

Today, knowing I've come to ask for your help,

he came with me.

Came with you?

My husband

is right behind you.

How dare you be so rude?

I've never been married,

so how could I have a husband?

Aren't you the ninth daughter of the Pan family?

Why do you know about the ninth daughter of the Pan family?

I'm just a slave.

Knowing some news

of famous families,

you're swindling everywhere.

And you told Lady Wu's fortune

and said she was a plague on her husband.

Of those two,

one fell off a horse and the other died of disease.

What does that have to do with Lady Wu?

Do you know how many rumors

she suffered because of you?

Are you really telling fortunes?

You're trying to kill people for money.

Miss.

My fortune-telling in the past was pure nonsense.

I was just making some money.

Please spare me.

Please spare me.

Don't dirty my clothes. I'll give it back.

Get her.

Let go of me.

Please spare me.

You're a fraud and a disgrace to the gods.

Take her to the official.

Yes, Madam.

Please forgive me.

Please forgive me. I won't dare to do it again.

Lady Wu.

You saw that just now.

I wish you all the best in the future.

Goodbye.

Duanwu.

How are your new clothes?

Don't worry.

It's not dirty.

I can return it.

Thank you.

I'm not in a position to accept your thanks.

It's my fault in the first place.

I should apologize.

I'm sorry to say that,

but a woman shouldn't be bound

by her so-called destiny.

Remember.

Don't look back.

Dark clouds can't hide the sun.

From now on,

you don't have to wear a veil.

Do you still want to sell Coral Pearl?

Thanks, Dad.

Duanwu.

Thanks, Mr. Feng.

Thanks, Lady Wu.

This is my first order

in my life.

If this sells well,

I'll come back and order from you.

Okay,

Duanwu.

You can call me Wu from now on.

Wu.

Mr. Feng, we...

This is...

Don't break it.

Duanwu.

You...

This is the slave on our ship.

It's the same if she signs it or I do.

It's not the same.

Duanwu negotiated this order with me.

Duanwu.

30% of the profits

from slave Duanwu's jewelry and other items

go to Yan's Trading Convoy.

Is this true?

A deposit from Zhuobao House.

We can deliver the goods tomorrow.

Do you still think

this is false?

It's great.

I sold Coral Pearl,

so can I enter the trading convoy?

This requires Master's approval.

Master's approval?

We had a deal,

and that's not what you told Overseer Cao.

Master's approval?

When will he approve?

Wait a minute.

It's...

No way.

You're being greedy on both sides.

You're selling goods under the trading convoy name

while stealing from the trading convoy

to sell your own goods to your clients.

I'd like to know how she explains about this.

The mica on the hairpin

is scrap that I bought.

The wood on the hairpin

is old ship wood that was abandoned on the ship.

Why do you say it's stolen?

Even if these were yours,

you sold them

under the name of the trading convoy.

30% of the sales

of these things

have been agreed upon to be divided amongst the trading convoy.

It is very clear.

I...

Stop.

It's no one else's fault if you can't sell.

At Yan's Trading Convoy,

whoever can sell is the boss.

Overseer Cao,

if you like this pin, tell me.

I'll make one in your size,

okay?

Don't forget

to let me into the trading convoy.

It's really difficult to invite Master Yan.

Special Envoy Xu sent out the invitation,

so how dare I disobey?

Master Yan, you've been

so successful and popular

in Guangzhou these days

while

I've been having

a hard time.

You are flattering me.

Haven't you already instructed Mr. Pan?

However,

business is business.

Since we placed the order and signed the contract,

we have to act according to the contract.

Special Envoy Xu.

Are you keeping an eye on the jewelry shop

in Guangzhou for the officials

to mess up your own business?

The business of jewelry in Guangzhou

belongs to jewelry shop owners

instead of me.

That was my mistake.

But Master Yan, are your recent moves

for monopolizing the Guangzhou market,

suppressing Lingnan pearls

with Western Regions colored stone,

and messing up the local jewelry business?

Even if there is no Western Regions colored stone,

Hepu pearls cannot be handed over.

When you talk about others,

you'd better see if you've taken care of your own business first.

We are here for a drink.

We don't have to

talk business now.

Come on.

Master Yan has come a long way,

so I must not let you go home empty-handed.

For this,

I'm well aware,

but Hepu Pearl is a local industry,

and you want a piece of it.

You're too ambitious.

This is my only shortcoming.

Businessmen are driven by profit,

but yes,

I want Western Regions colored stone

and pearls.

Western Regions colored stone

and pearls?

Fortunately, my words carry weight

in Guangzhou's jewelry industry.

So you mean...

Three days from now is the South Sea God Festival.

According to local customs,

we have to place a high-priced treasure at the bottom of the lake,

and then

it's Shark Hunting.

What is Shark Hunting?

Each party can send their skilled men to pretend to be sharks

and go into the water to capture the treasure.

The winner is the one who gets the treasure

within half an incense stick's time.

I know

that both of you

want full rights

to the purchase of Hepu Pearls,

so let's use Shark Hunting

to determine

who's qualified.

Okay?

No problem.

I just love

taking someone else's treasure.

I've paved the way for you.

The rest

is up to you.

Don't worry.

On that day, the bottom of the lake will be covered with sharp blades.

Participants are responsible for their own lives.

At Shark Hunting,

Cui's Pearl Farm will win.

Anyone who tries to go

against us will disappear.

Xu Nanying wants to help Cui's Pearl Farm buy tribute pearls

and use Shark Hunting to force me out,

but how can I let him do that?

Our trading convoy is full of northerners.

They're not good swimmers,

so they don't stand a chance

in the water.

In this South Sea God Festival,

Master Yan intends

to select slaves for Shark Hunting.

If you can capture the treasure,

you will regain your freedom

and

can take this one million mace to live a good life.

That much money?

Don't talk.

♪Life flows like a boat, navigating joys and woes♪

♪Longing for distant shores♪

♪Aware this moment may tear my heart apart♪

♪Better to roam alone♪

♪Many depart, none return♪

♪How can we resist gazing at each other amid the blooms?♪

♪Your face glows like lanterns in the night♪

♪Love fades on the stone bridge, yet bonds remain♪

♪How can we endure the binds of longing?♪

♪Like a grand dream, a lone cup of wine♪

♪May this world hold♪

♪Both sorrow and warmth♪

♪To hide a broken heart away with laughter and tears♪

♪A debt across time awaits♪

♪A simple tale unfolds♪

♪Nothing compares to soft rice and sweet tea♪

♪May this fate intertwine♪

♪Half in regret, half in longing♪

♪Radiant memories tint your gaze♪

♪The world's bitterness♪

♪Still accompanies my dreams♪

♪Drifting afar on the shore of your life♪

♪Quietly watching over you♪