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 37]

Why isn't she back yet?

She's been gone for so long.

[Zhenlang Pavilion]

[Clear Mind]

What happened?

Don't wait anymore. Let's go find her.

Su Muzhe's in trouble?

How do you know?

Su Muzhe and Yan Zijing joined forces

to push the Zheng family into such misery.

Do you think Zheng Shiyuan will swallow his anger?

In broad daylight, would he dare?

Why wouldn't he?

Zheng Shiyuan has always acted like a law-abiding merchant,

the head of Yangzhou Jewelry Guild.

If no one forced his hand,

he wouldn't dare take such bold action.

But Su Muzhe has been gone so long.

If no one goes to look for her,

you might as well prepare for her funeral.

Yingtao,

have Gaoshou's people go search!

Quickly!

Thank you.

[Clear Mind]

You're far too kind.

Yan Zijing and Su Muzhe are our enemies too.

Our real enemy is Zheng Shiyuan.

Get out! Quickly!

Hurry up!

Move!

Get out!

Hurry!

Who's here?

Ah, Inspector Zhang!

Where is Su Muzhe?

Where is Su Muzhe?

Su Muzhe...

She's at Clear Mind!

I'm asking you, where is she?

Where is she?

Stop pressuring me.

Su Muzhe is missing.

How would I know her whereabouts?

I didn't say she was missing.

Zhang Jinran...

Your words alone hold no weight!

You're abusing your power for personal affairs!

Mr. Zhang!

Save me!

If you kill him,

you'll truly never find her!

Mr. Zhang!

Mr. Zhang...

Take him back!

You're going to break my arm!

Zhang Jinran, you always pride yourself on your integrity.

Do you deserve the Emperor's trust now?

Slow down!

Let me go!

Jinran, it's been a while!

Prince Ying.

Yangzhou is truly a good place.

Compared to the last time you returned from the northwest,

you look much better now.

Yes.

But I have urgent matters today.

Step aside!

Jinran,

I'm just here,

and you're acting like this?

Do you know what your presence here means?

Du Ming!

The Emperor wishes to hold a Jewel Exhibition in Yangzhou.

I volunteered to attend.

For such a grand event,

Zheng Shiyuan,

the head of Yangzhou Jewelry Guild, must lend his full support.

Could you make an exception

and let him rest in his room now?

Everything is still under your control.

Prince Ying...

For the sake of our years of kinship, please.

Zheng Shiyuan bears several lives,

and is involved in multiple major cases.

If I don't arrest him today,

I would betray the Emperor above

and my conscience below.

Where is Zheng Shiyuan?

When I arrived, it was like this.

He escaped. We didn't catch him.

You, keep looking for him!

- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!

What's going on?

Where is Zheng Shiyuan?

That's what I should be asking you.

Your men brought him here!

What do you mean by that?

I told them to take him back to his room.

The Jewel Exhibition is around the corner. We can't do without him!

But with so many men at your disposal,

you let someone take him away?

Aren't you the Inspector of Huainandao?

No matter what issues exist between you two,

bring him back to me!

Du Ming,

arrest every single Zheng family servant.

I'll question them myself.

Yes, sir!

Still not talking, huh?

Beat him harder!

Mr. Zhang,

he can't even take thirty strokes!

Next!

If they won't confess, beat them to death!

You! Move!

Don't drag me!

I'll talk!

I'll confess!

This morning, the ones who went out with the Master

were those two.

You two, speak!

Speak!

The Master's men

kidnapped Mr. Qin from the glass workshop.

He wanted to meet Su Muzhe.

I'm asking you, where is she?

In a deep pit on Shu Hill!

The Master wanted to bury her alive!

Weren't you beat unconscious?

No, I wasn't.

They gagged me

right after taking me out.

It's over...

It's over...

It's all over...

Where is Su Muzhe?

Speak!

I'm dead anyway.

Having Su Muzhe buried with me isn't so bad...

Fine.

I'll send you on your way right now!

No... I'll talk!

Speak!

I'll tell you...

She's on Shu Hill.

Where on Shu Hill?

On the northwest side,

behind the graves of my two sons.

It's true...

Keep an eye on him.

♪ The pearl fades, lost in a vast crowd ♪

♪ Memories whisper, longing burns across a thousand miles... ♪

There!

Duanwu!

Duanwu!

Duanwu!

Yan Zijing!

♪ My unwavering longing turns to endless care... ♪

Duanwu!

Duanwu!

Duanwu!

♪ I can't get your love ♪

♪ We vowed to spend the rest of our lives with each other ♪

♪ Tears fall silent, love speaks no words, hoping to be by your side... ♪

Duanwu!

Here!

- Quick! - Hurry!

♪ My unwavering longing turns to endless care ♪

♪ Ah, beyond words... ♪

You're finally here.

Where is Su Muzhe?

It's been so long.

Even if Yan Zijing finds her,

he'll only find a corpse.

Get me out of here, quickly!

Hurry!

Zheng Shiyuan!

Come out!

Where is he?

I... I don't know.

You don't know?

I really don't know!

Where is Zheng Shiyuan?

We don't know.

- We don't know! - We really don't!

Drag them all away.

Question them one by one.

If Zheng Shiyuan isn't caught today,

they'll join Su Muzhe in the afterlife!

Have mercy!

Move!

I really don't know!

- Greetings, Prince Ying. - Greetings, Prince Ying.

Thank you, Li Kui, for traveling so far to Yangzhou,

and even cleaning up the Zheng family's mess.

- Prince Ying... - Master Zheng,

over the years,

Prince Ying has gone to great lengths to help you.

He's eliminated countless competitors for you,

even wiping out the Cui family.

And yet you...

now you can't even return home.

Isn't this all thanks to your brilliant schemes?

If I hadn't cleaned up after you time and again,

Yan Zijing would've killed you long ago.

You've brought ruin to my Zheng family,

and you still dare claim you're helping me?

If I wanted to ruin the Zheng family, I would've ruined you first.

What use is keeping your sons?

You'd better worry about yourself.

After Su Muzhe's death,

Zhang Jinran and Yan Zijing

will surely go mad and seek revenge on you.

Enough.

We're all in the same boat now.

Let's focus on how to handle this mess.

What happens here should be resolved here.

The priority will be uniting the two pearls

to unveil the long-lost Gulistan treasure.

The next step is in your hands, Li Kui.

Your Highness, Zhang Jinran has sealed the city.

He's conducting a nighttime search.

Prince Ying.

[Clear Mind]

[Clear Mind]

Yingtao!

My lady,

everyone...

It's alright. I know everything now.

It's alright.

The news yesterday was true.

Su Muzhe has indeed been kidnapped,

and now she's dead.

Thank you, ladies.

Follow me inside.

[Clear Mind]

My lady, are you going to mourn Su Muzhe?

If I went to mourn her,

she might just come back to life out of spite.

[Clear Mind]

Zheng Shiyuan did it?

Yes.

Inspector Zhang went to the Zheng family's house last night.

He didn't find him,

so he ordered a citywide search.

Keep watching the Zheng family closely.

Don't let anything slip.

Yes, madam.

My lady, have some water to cool down.

It's not me who's dead.

Why would I be angry?

Su Muzhe fought with the Zheng family for so long,

even Zheng Wu suffered many losses against her.

And now she's just gone?

Zheng Shiyuan has always been ruthless,

and he clearly has powerful allies backing him.

Su Muzhe was bound to lose against him.

Lose?

Su Muzhe,

once I send Zheng Shiyuan to the depths of hell,

I might come to offer you my condolences.

For this incident,

how does Clear Mind plan to respond?

Without Ms. Su,

there would be no Duckweed Society.

There's little else we can do,

but Let's make the funeral

as grand as possible!

We must let everyone know

how much Ms. Su suffered at the hands of the Zheng family.

In the past, we fought tooth and nail

to cling to the powerful.

Only Ms. Su

gave us

a wake-up call.

She united all us.

She told us we can achieve great things without pleasing others.

With Clear Mind,

Duckweed Society found its foundation.

But now...

Yingtao, pull yourself together.

Think about how much Ms. Su valued you

when she was still here.

Ms. Su!

Ms. Su!

Ms. Su!

Ms. Su!

How could you just leave like this, Ms. Su?

Ladies,

thank you all for coming today.

Clear Mind was Ms. Su's labor of love,

and it's also the foundation for all of us.

I promise to protect it.

Ms. Su always shielded me.

In this world,

she's the closest and most important person to me.

I know you all share my grief.

But right now, what's most important

is doing something for Ms. Su!

- We must avenge her! - I want to avenge Ms. Su!

I ask you all, ladies,

to help us find Zheng Shiyuan's whereabouts.

Let's find him soon

and avenge Ms. Su.

Ladies, please help us.

Help us avenge Ms. Su.

Thank you, ladies.

Please, ladies, help us...

[Notice]

Inspector Zhang of Huainandao announces to the people of Yangzhou:

Former Official Xu Nanying of the Yangzhou Grand Governor's Office,

colluding with the Black Dragon Bandits and murdering innocents,

will be executed tomorrow for public display!

[Notice] Execution for public display!

Justice served!

Has Zhang Jinran gone mad?

What nerve!

Xu Nanying, Official of Yangzhou, holds the rank of Third-Class Official.

Who gave him the authority

to publicly execute Xu Nanying?

The Zhang Jinran of the past would never act so impulsively.

But with Su Muzhe dead, he and Yan Zijing

are unpredictable now.

Cut off what needs to be cut off promptly.

Zheng Shiyuan is insignificant,

but Xu Nanying cannot die yet.

He's merely a pawn.

Why do you care?

Your Highness, someone shot this letter into the courtyard with an arrow.

I took men to pursue him, but he vanished.

Leave.

Yes.

If Xu dies,

all past dealings will come to light.

Who sent this?

And why is he threatening you?

Xu Nanying intercepted

a letter exchanged between us

and entrusted it to his servant, Xu Lin.

Back then, he betrayed Prince Tan and joined me.

I reluctantly took him in.

This threatening letter must have been sent by Xu Lin.

If this letter is exposed, it'll be trouble.

I suspect Zhang Jinran

forced some information out of Xu Nanying,

so he plans to use executing him

to stage this trap.

But my men's every move

is under his control.

Li Kui, your Black Dragon Bandits

might not be as easy for him to track.

So, you already knew it was a trap.

You refused to jump in yourself, and now want me to?

Zhang Jinran has gone mad.

You admitted it yourself just now.

If we ignore this,

they might really kill Xu Nanying.

If you can save Xu Nanying,

I'll find a way

to intercept Xu Lin, who they're trying to lure out.

Then we'll be safe.

Didn't you also say just now

that your identity is no longer a secret?

Exposing it won't change the situation.

Aren't you afraid I'll fall into his hands too,

and you'll lose another round?

You're exceptionally skilled,

and your subordinates are all experts.

You'll surely escape unharmed.

Once Xu Lin is eliminated,

I'll report Zhang Jinran's illegal execution

to the Emperor.

He'll be finished.

At that point, you can return to the West

to seek your Gulistan treasure

and live openly and freely.

What do you think?

You've hidden in the shadows for twenty years.

Do you plan to hide for another twenty?

Fine.

I'll make one last move for you.

I toast you with tea instead of wine.

May you achieve swift success.

Last meal.

Eat quickly.

What do you mean?

Is this for me?

This can't be for me, right?

Eat your fill before you set off.

Zhang Jinran!

What are you going to do to me?

I'm Xu Nanying, Official of the Yangzhou Grand Governor's Office!

You can't treat me like this!

You can't do this to me!

Zhang Jinran, I demand to see the Emperor!

You're ruthless to your senior,

ignoring the bonds of our sect!

You pervert justice for personal gain!

You collude and persecute!

I want to see Xu Lin!

Xu Lin, save me!

Ambush!

Protect the prisoner!

Protect the prisoner!

Charge!

- Kill! - Kill!

Go!

Go!

Stay back!

What are you doing?

Do you think I care whether he lives or dies?

As long as he's dead,

the letter Xu Lin holds

will naturally be made public.

You can't kill me!

Weren't you sent here to save me?

You're Li Kui!

Father!

Yuchi, long time no see.

Back then, you were only this tall.

Come here, let me hug you!

You're too heavy to lift now!

Yuchi Wuyi...

You're Li Kui?

I've been extra cautious,

and yet you still found out.

I should've killed you

along with your entire family back then.

I thought I could use you one day.

I was asking trouble.

You said that we shared the same pain,

that our fates were similar,

and you spared no effort to help me,

supporting me,

making me treat you like a brother.

It turns out you did all of this

just to win my trust,

to make me help you find the blood-stained pearl.

I was trapped in Black Dragon Cave for so many years,

and yet I never realized you were Li Kui.

I know

you hate me to the bone now,

and want to tear me to pieces.

But...

if I die,

no one can cure your poison.

The Black Dragon Cave has burned down.

The Black Dragon Spring has dried up.

In this entire world,

only I can make your antidote.

I don't want your antidote.

I only want you dead!

Don't kill him yet.

Move aside!

He has the antidote. Don't you value your life?

Yan Zijing...

Zijing...

Kill him!

Kangju, kill him...

The antidote...

The antidote...

The antidote!

I'll pour you some water.

My poison keeps acting up these days.

My eyesight...

I often can't see things clearly.

It'll be fine.

Now that we know Yuchi Wuyi is Li Kui,

we'll definitely catch him.

We'll get the antidote for sure.

I really was blind.

All these years, I never realized he was Li Kui.

We must capture him.

I'll use his life

to honor the spirits of my Yan family.

We'll definitely catch him.

Liu, this is for your child.

Thank you.

Liu, Xu Nanying of the Grand Governor's Office...

Here are your buns.

Xu Nanying?

The one who colluded with the Black Dragon Bandits?

Wasn't he supposed to be executed today?

I heard someone assassinated him.

Really?

Prince Ying is pursuing suspicious bandits.

Move aside!

Out of the way!

Prince Ying is pursuing suspicious bandits?

Why are they heading toward the Grand Governor's Office?

Take care.

To Li Kui:

The Yan family colluded with Kang and the court's nobles.

They aimed to open commerce with the Western Regions,

seeking unprecedented achievements

and everlasting benefits.

If the Yan family succeeds,

both I and Prince Tan will lose His Majesty's favor,

you will lose your advantage,

and the Zheng and Cui families will have no foothold in Yangzhou.

Therefore, Prince Tan has sent the Cuis as the vanguard,

and I've ordered the Zhengs to handle the aftermath.

You can show us your full potential.

How did you know

I have evidence?

Xu Nanying didn't bring you to Yangzhou,

because he gave you the evidence of Prince Ying's crimes

as his lifeline.

I ordered Xu Nanying's execution

first, to draw out the Black Dragon Bandits,

and second, to lure you out.

With just a few words,

and they managed to brush off

you useless lot?

There was no execution ground,

no beheading.

What's wrong with you, Li Kui?

I failed.

Xu Nanying is dead.

Would you fail so easily?

Or was it just for show?

Are you doubting me?

You're overthinking it.

I'll find the best doctor to treat you,

so you can recover completely.

No need.

It's just a minor injury.

I can treat it myself.

By the way,

may I ask, Li Kui,

the treasured pearl,

is it safe?

So you was never interested in me,

but in the pearl all along.

All this time,

the Black Dragon Bandits were just pawns

on your chessboard.

Isn't that right?

You have always been the one I relied on most.

I'm just glad you returned safely.

Take your time recovering.

The future is bright.

The future is bright.

Li Kui, undefeated in the northwest,

has suffered a loss today.

It seems he won't rise again.

Second Master, Third Master, Lady Shijiu,

the Master isn't home.

If you have any business,

please come back another day.

Insolence!

Whether to receive guests

is not for mere servants like you to decide!

I'm just a servant.

Second Uncle, Third Uncle,

Uncle is involved in a major case.

You are esteemed elders of the family,

standing righteously by my side,

yet you can't even get past the door now.

What should we do?

Before the Master left,

he specifically instructed me not to let outsiders in.

Are we outsiders?

We brothers couldn't bear to see the Zheng family in chaos.

Exactly!

We came to help our elder brother.

Even though Zheng Si and Zheng Wu made grave mistakes before,

no proper funeral rites were held.

Their memorial tablets haven't even been placed in the ancestral hall.

If this spreads,

what will outsiders think of the Zheng family?

Those who understand may sympathize with our elder brother's grief.

Those who don't

will think he's cold and heartless.

As brothers, how can we sit by and do nothing?

But...

Esteemed elders,

please take charge.

Please open the ancestral hall and place the memorial tablets.

Masters, this must not be done!

It mustn't!

Are you deaf?

Get out of the way!

Open the ancestral hall!

This... this mustn't be done!

[Graceful Harmony] - It's not allowed! - It's not allowed!

It mustn't be done!

It mustn't be done!

It mustn't be done!

It mustn't!

It's not allowed...

♪ 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 ♪