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♪

[Based on the novel The Story of Pearl Girl by Tan Tianyin]

[The Story of Pearl Girl]

[Episode 13]

Who's so bold

to dare deceive Master Yan?

You.

Me?

Master Yan, you must be joking.

I obtained a batch of fine jade

from Master Zhou,

thinking it was foolproof.

But unexpectedly,

it turned out to be fake jade.

He told me this jade came from the Yue family,

and if I want compensation, I should come to you.

He was also deceived by you.

Nonsense! He knew perfectly well...

Knew what?

In any case, this receipt from Master Zhou

clearly states it's from the Yue family.

So, you need to compensate me.

I have no money.

If you're broke, then I'll have no choice but to report you.

You...

Oh, right!

In that dowry you gave me,

there were also several boxes of jade.

I honestly can't tell if they're real or fake.

How about we send them all to the Prefect's Office?

But who knows

if the governor will trust his own young master

or stand for your Yue family's justice?

If this ruins your family's reputation,

you'll have no place left in Shaozhou.

Yan Zijing,

I have no past grievances nor recent enmity with you.

Why are you scheming against me?

Clearly, you made the fake jade.

Why accuse me of scheming against you?

Master Yan,

whatever the case,

we'll be family soon, won't we?

Aren't you going to marry Yunxiu?

As for the price,

we can negotiate.

Master!

Did you find the back door?

Yes, it's over there.

Let's go, quickly!

Duanwu,

I just saw the Master

bring a lot of men to the Yue residence.

Loud,

find a safe place to settle Lady Shiqi,

and find the best doctor in Shaozhou to treat her hand.

Let's go.

Don't be afraid, they'll take good care of you.

I'll handle things with your father.

Go now.

Let's go.

Duanwu...

Let's go, Shrimp.

Go, quickly!

Take good care of her!

I...

I can give you Yunxiu.

No payment needed.

She's my blood sister,

and it's not your place to offer her.

Master Yan...

Master Yan...

Please, have mercy on me!

Master Yan...

I ask you,

how did Yue Yunxiu come to the Yue family?

How is she your blood sister?

She's my elder brother's illegitimate daughter.

Your elder brother?

Yes.

After my elder brother died,

his mistress brought Shiqi to Shaozhou,

seeking my protection.

Later, I saw she had a talent for carving jade,

so I kept her by my side.

Where did that jade pendant come from?

The jade pendant...

I picked it up.

Back then,

I thought it was quite interesting.

Quite interesting?

Then,

where is the girl with the jade pendant?

I'm asking you, where is the girl with the jade pendant?

She... she's dead.

How did she die?

I'm asking you, how did she die?

She fell from a horse.

Cui Ding had me guard outside the Yan family villa,

but then,

her nanny took her and ran.

So I chased after them...

chased after them...

And then?

Master,

let's not ask anymore.

Let's not ask.

I'm asking you, what happened next?

She... she...

Then she fell from the horse

and died.

He told me

my sister was dead.

Do you believe him?

Master...

Master!

Master!

Spare me!

Move aside.

Move aside!

Master!

Master!

Master!

Stop him!

Master!

Master!

Master!

Master, don't kill him!

Calm down!

Master!

Do you all believe him?

♪Looking back at the snowy peak, how many travelers shed tears?♪

♪Twin stars shine across the endless road♪

♪Sighing over the vast sea, my longing unfulfilled♪

♪Can't escape destiny's grasp♪

♪From withered memories, new years sprout♪

♪Shattered, yet never destroyed♪

♪The purple star has no regrets, as it reflects in the lake…♪

I don't know much about the Yan family in Yangzhou.

Do you know, Master?

The entire Yan family in Yangzhou

has been completely wiped out.

♪Mortal life is but a few fleeting words...♪

Not a single one survived.

I made this for my sister. Is it beautiful?

Yes.

The two of them make a pair.

Do you like it, my dear sister?

Look, your brother treats you so well.

Here, Zijing.

Let me put this on you too.

♪May we reunite someday♪

Why does everyone want to destroy the Cui family?

Master Shijiu,

when we return,

how should we explain this to the family head?

Return?

We can't go back.

We should just go back to Yangzhou, Master Shijiu.

The family head won't blame us.

But I can't forgive myself,

nor can I face Father.

Then where can we go?

Wuling.

Wuling?

Master Shijiu,

we can't go to Wuling.

Master Eight of Wuling once fought

for the family head position with our head.

If we go without warning,

he will definitely

try to harm us...

Wuling has always been our Cui family's asset.

Now that our family is in trouble,

he must lend a hand.

As long as there's a sliver of hope for our family,

what's there to fear in death?

Oh...

Stop drinking.

You can't keep drinking like this.

It's fine, come on.

I told you, I'm fine.

What about your health?

What if your old illness returns?

Don't worry about me.

Stop drinking!

I'll drink with him.

They say

this is the best wine in Shaozhou.

Let me pour you a taste.

If you can't drink, then don't.

If it makes you feel better, drink.

When I escaped from the pearl farm,

I realized Lady Eight was my mother.

The moment she died before me...

perhaps that's exactly how you feel now.

Whether she's with us or not,

I know she'd hope

that I live well.

So your mother, your father, and sister

would wish the same.

Right.

Here.

[Shaozhou Inn]

I have a younger sister.

She's my adoptive parents' child.

I don't know where she is now,

or if she's doing well.

I have a sister too.

I remember back then,

she was so very small,

and her cheeks always rosy.

She was always smiling at me,

and always nagging me to take her out.

I feel sorry for you.

What's there to feel sorry about?

What was the pearl farm like before?

Back then,

though pearl diving was tough,

it was voluntary for those able and willing.

And my father was so kind back then.

He never forced anyone.

So later,

our whole family went to the Western Regions for trade,

and we gained a foothold in Yangzhou.

That's wonderful.

They say we all live in darkness.

But look,

if you look up, there's light.

You're such a kind soul!

Thank you!

Please, have mercy.

I have no money.

Please, pity us.

Thank you!

It's terrifying!

Give us some food.

Please, give us some food.

A bit of food, please.

Thank you!

Isn't Wuling known for its Wuling stones?

Each piece is worth a fortune.

Why are the townsfolk here living in such misery?

Is Master Eight truly wealthy?

The price of Wuling stones has never gone down.

How could Master Eight not have money?

He hasn't become the family head

because he's too selfish.

I just didn't expect him to be so selfish.

Show some mercy, two hundred mace.

- Get lost! - Two hundred mace and take her away!

Get lost!

Master,

please, take her with you.

- I'm hungry... - Please, Master!

- I'm starving... - I beg you.

Thank you, Master!

Thank you, Master!

Thank you, Master!

- Thank you! - Thank you, Master!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Here...

Take it and go home.

Hurry, thank the Master.

Dear, thank the Master.

- Thank you! - Thank you, Master!

- Thank you - Now, get going!

Prepare some herbal brews to guard against miasma.

We all need to drink it.

Also,

get some lantana flowers ready.

Yes, sir.

My apologies, my dear niece,

for making you wait so long.

I heard you were here,

so I spurred my horse,

rushing back from the mines.

Greetings, Master Eight.

Shijiu, no need for formalities.

What guidance do you have for us this time?

I can't offer guidance.

I've come with a message from my father.

My father is gravely ill,

and the Cui family elders have sent me here

to request your return to Yangzhou.

The Cui family elders?

Since when did they remember me?

Shijiu, you should know

I am a disgraced man,

banished to Wuling in defeat.

But ever since I was a child, my father would tell me

how you and he overcame

the poisonous miasma here in Wuling,

how you built the mines and stone quarries,

and how, using Wuling stone,

you opened the stone-carving market.

You followed him through thick and thin,

expanding territories,

even at the cost of your own health.

All these years,

he's only ever

spoken well of you.

you truly have a silver tongue.

If he remembered me so fondly,

then why, after all these years,

has he never set foot in Wuling

or called me back to the ancestral home in Yangzhou?

Back then, when you fought for the family head position,

it caused quite a stir,

and the Cui family elders held a grudge.

My father felt he wronged you,

and has spent all these years trying to mediate.

So this time, taking advantage of his illness,

he persuaded the elders

and specifically sent me to bring you back.

Truly?

I wouldn't dare lie to you.

It's the absolute truth!

Very well.

Then I shall arrange a banquet

to welcome you.

During the feast,

I will inform the stewards

of the family head's directive.

Please rest assured.

Master,

the family head truly is in poor health this time.

It seems

she hasn't lied to me.

But I still find Lady Shijiu's visit

rather suspicious.

Perhaps we should place her under house arrest first.

No rush.

Let her bring out

the family head's token at the banquet,

and we'll act after that.

A young woman

can't stir up much trouble.

Understood.

Master Shijiu,

this place looks like a den of bandits.

Every guard has a fierce look

and carries such a long blade.

We'd better leave quickly.

Besides,

we don't actually have the family head's decree.

If I say we do, then we do.

But...

No "but".

If we don't see each of the stewards,

how can we reclaim control over Wuling?

Wuling has long been out of the Cui family's hands.

With Master Eight here,

I fear

those stewards won't listen to us.

Then we'll make him disappear.

Where are the items I asked you to prepare?

They're all ready.

Good.

Now tell me,

everything you've done,

and everything you know.

The Cui family commissioned me

to make a replica of the Apsaras statue.

They promised that once it was done,

I'd get to keep the original,

and they even offered me

ten taels of pearls annually as hush money.

I...

I really didn't know that the Apsaras statue

was a tribute gift to the court.

Otherwise,

no matter how much you threaten me,

I wouldn't have dared to forge it!

You said the Cui and Yue families have no connection,

so how did he find you?

Just by chance.

I'll talk.

I'll talk.

It was

Master Eight who introduced me to the Cui family.

That's all...

Speak!

It was...

it was Black Dragon Bandits.

They were the intermediaries.

Black Dragon Bandits?

If Master Eight was so powerful,

why would he stay hidden in Wuling?

He's been helping the Cui family trade along the Western route,

and incidentally helping me get goods.

He thought that this would give him control over the Cui family.

but in the end,

he still couldn't beat Cui Jingchu,

so he retreated to Wuling.

Then...

There's been a complaint against the Yue family for selling fake jade,

and I am here by order to investigate!

Search!

Mr. Zhang, you truly are an upright man,

with a keen eye for detail.

You've come at just the right time.

The Yue family

also deceived me of my money.

How will they compensate me?

After we liquidate the Yue family's assets,

all claimants will be compensated.

But with so many victims,

can one Yue family really afford it?

However, I have an idea.

I've heard

that you're an old friend of Master Eight.

I wonder

if he'd be willing to help you.

Lady Shiqi.

Duanwu!

What's wrong?

Duanwu, I've waited for you for so long.

I heard my father was involved in jade forgery.

Is there hope for him and the Yue family?

Don't worry.

Is there?

No.

I...

I also heard

that my hand issue...

was caused by my father.

Why...

why would he do this to me?

He took me in as his daughter,

treated me as his own.

Why would he do this to me?

What did I do wrong to deserve this?

You did nothing wrong.

None of this is your fault.

I always thought, despite my unfortunate origins,

that I have found someone

who understood me,

who taught me to carve jade,

who passed on his skills.

He said he's the light on my path, shaping me into jade.

He also said I was his finest work.

But I never imagined

he would destroy me to achieve his own success.

Yes,

I was always an unwanted,

unloved orphan.

You are not an orphan,

nor anyone's "work".

You are Yue Yunxiu,

the Jade Goddess of Shaozhou.

No, I'm not.

My hands are ruined,

and I can't do anything now.

I'm nothing but a useless wreck.

The doctor said,

if you take care of them properly,

there's a chance of recovery.

Believe me.

Duanwu.

Yu Shi's Apsaras statue?

The original?

Yes.

Give me the blood-stained pearl.

The blood-stained pearl.

There were originally two of them.

Where is the other one?

It could be lost in the desert,

or maybe someone else has it.

I don't know.

The blood-stained pearl,

the Apsaras statue.

What does all this mean?

Haven't you figured it out?

Yu Shi was my father?

Yu Shi is in the Western Regions,

so I can find him there,

right?

Your father's...

already dead.

It was related to the Apsaras statue?

Yes.

And also to the Cui and Yue families?

Yes.

And the Yan family of Yangzhou.

Yes.

What happened?

At this point,

why carry this burden?

I just want to know.

Yu Shi

was the chief jade carver of the Yan family in Yangzhou.

Lady Eight

was originally Lady Yan of the Liu family,

the matriarch of the Yan family,

and my mother's personal maid.

They grew up together as friends.

Your father died

because of the Yan family.

Have you avenged all your grudges?

The Cui and Yue families are merely merchants.

Escorting tribute gifts

is a critical task.

How could a few merchants accomplish it alone?

There were others,

weren't there?

You don't have to tell me.

I can investigate on my own.

It was the Black Dragon Bandits.

Black Dragon Bandits?

They're desert bandits from the Western Regions.

Then why would they do this?

Power, greed, human nature.

These things

are more vicious than the whips

you endured at the pearl farm.

So, you're going to the Western Regions

to find the Black Dragon Bandits?

Yes.

I'll go with you.

Alright.

I'll take you with me.

This was left by your dad.

Keep it safe, and find him in the Western Regions.

Remember, find him in the Western Regions.

Mom...

I'm sorry.

I can't find Father.

I thought that once I found him,

I'd no longer be alone.

But in the end, I must keep walking this path alone.

Mom...

have you seen Dad?

Are you both watching me from above,

worried I'll never find a home?

Yan Zijing,

now I understand

why you feel there's nothing left to hold onto

in this miserable world.

♪Snow falls, cold wind rises, waves forge pearls♪

♪Shining bright♪

♪Facing the light, crossing rugged paths, never giving up♪

♪Wrapped in silk, stepping into the world, creating a legend of life♪

♪Alone, forging ahead♪

♪Gazing at the stars above, longing fills the vast land♪

♪My fate is forged, like a pearl shining bright♪

♪Struggling through trials with a vow never to let go♪

♪This resilience will be forged into a song♪

He told you everything?

Don't resent him.

When he saw the blood-stained pearl,

he recognized you right away.

You only know the cruelty of the pearl farm,

but not the dangers of the world.

He's been protecting you in his own way.

That's the only way he knows,

because that's how he survived.

From the moment I boarded that ship, I was prepared.

I have no regrets.

I don't resent him either.

I'm sorry.

I overthought things.

Actually...

I think you two are very similar.

Yes.

We both live only for hate,

consumed by vengeance.

He is,

but I believe you are not.

Miss Duanwu,

what's wrong?

Why are you here?

Are your hands hurting again?

I heard...

you are leaving here soon.

Merchants are like that,

never staying in one place too long.

We're preparing to leave Shaozhou.

I know what you're worried about,

but the Master has arranged everything for you.

He's found a good family in Shaozhou for you.

You can stay there in peace.

Can I go with you?

I don't want to live with strangers.

But we're heading to the Western Regions.

I'm not afraid.

If my hands recover,

I can help you carve jade.

If they don't,

I can learn and do anything.

Esteemed stewards,

tonight's banquet

is to welcome Lady Shijiu.

This is her.

Cui Shijiu, the direct daughter of the Cui family head.

Greetings, everyone.

Honored stewards,

you've all worked alongside my father here in Wuling,

giving your all for the Cui family.

On behalf of my father, I thank each of you.

And of course,

my deepest gratitude goes to Master Eight.

He has fought alongside my father,

and is the elder I respect most.

This is fine wine I brought from Yangzhou.

A toast to all of you.

And a special toast to Master Eight.

I'll drink first to show my respect.

Honored stewards,

I toast you all.

To Master Eight!

Shijiu,

didn't you have a decree from the family head

to convey to the stewards?

Yes.

The Cui family head decrees...

[Cui]

Seeing the family head's token is as if seeing the family head!

Seeing the family head's token is as if seeing the family head!

The Cui family head decrees

I am to take over Wuling.

- Master Eight! - Master Eight!

Master Eight!

- Master Eight! - Master Eight!

Someone,

help him back to his room to rest!

Go call the doctor!

How did he collapse all of a sudden?

Indeed.

Be careful with him.

How did he suddenly collapse?

With Master Eight unwell,

it's fortunate the family head had foresight,

and arranged for me

to come here and manage the Wuling mines.

Take over the mines?

How can this be?

Hasn't Master Eight cut ties with Yangzhou?

But he just acknowledged the family head's token,

so perhaps he had this planned all along.

Indeed.

As you all saw just now,

even Master Eight respects the family head's token.

I hope each of you

understands the situation.

Otherwise,

the Wuling mines belong to the Cui family,

and the Cui family can reclaim them at any time.

The Cui family is willing to stand with you all,

but if anyone has other intentions,

hand over everything given by the Cui family

and just leave.

I, Cui Shijiu,

will not stand in your way.

What should we do?

Even Master Eight bowed to the family head's token.

The Cui family has already sent someone here.

We'll follow Master Shijiu's instructions!

♪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♪