01x23 - Episode 23

[bunniefuu]

Mast! Lay down the mast!

Hurry up and get the rope!

Bow and stern face the banks! Quick!

Thousands of homes are brightly lit,

and the doors to them are wide open.

This is East Capital.

New wine from Sunyang Restaurant!

Welcome to enjoy it!

If you want to know what happens next,

wait until next time.

People from all over the world gather here,

and envoys from various countries come to communicate with the authorities.

[Riverside Code at Qingming Festival]

[Adapted from Ye Wenbiao's Novel Series of the Same Name]

[Episode 23]

[There are 3 types of deceit: deceiving for profit, which deserves punishment,]

[deceiving out of fear of punishment, which may be forgiven, and unintentional]

[deceit, which needs closer examination. - Cheng Hao from Northern Song Dynasty]

Mo.

Sorry,

I had too much on my plate and came late.

It's okay.

I asked you out last minute.

Have some tea first.

Zheng,

do you have something to say?

No,

I just feel like you're always too busy

and probably don't take care of yourself.

From now on,

you should come home for meals.

It's fine.

The Office of Justice has a public kitchen.

But the food from the kitchen

is no match for our sister's cooking.

Actually, I am wondering

is it because I moved in

and caused trouble for everyone

that you don't want to stay home?

No, Zheng.

Really, no.

Oh, right.

This is for you.

I found it while packing my things.

I took it from home when our family

fell into misfortune.

I've kept it close all these years.

You love clever objects,

so I'm giving this to you,

meaning it's somewhere where it can be a value.

This is...

a ship blueprint?

Yes.

My father was the chief shipbuilder at the Taihu Shipyard.

He handed

this blueprint to me personally before he passed.

Zheng,

this is too valuable.

I can't accept it.

No, Mo!

Now I'm with all of you,

and I have this family.

I cherish it greatly.

It's time for me to let go of these things.

Zheng,

you are Wen Yue's family,

so you're our family too.

Don't worry.

I'll keep this blueprint safe.

Then,

let's toast with tea instead of wine.

Sure.

Why not have dinner at home tonight?

What would you like to eat?

I'll pick it up on my way back.

Alright.

By the way,

don't tell my sister

about the blueprint.

I'm afraid it'll upset her.

First, heat the oil.

You need ginger to stir-fry chicken,

so it won’t have a greasy smell.

Put it into the wok!

Water, pour it in!

Pour it all?

All of it!

Cover the lid.

Ban,

do you need help with anything?

I'm done.

Take it to Wen Yue.

Ban,

go find Father and bring him back for dinner.

Got it!

Zhao Ban,

where are you going?

Zhao Mo! A surprise seeing you here.

I'm going to find Father.

Alright, off I go.

Mo's back!

Wen Yue, Buyou,

Zheng.

This is custard from the Office of Justice's kitchen.

You're just like your big brother.

You have my style!

Did you come back today because you knew

the imperial chef cooked himself?

Your cooking is getting more delicious.

I'm going to grab some clean clothes.

Go ahead.

What did he say he's getting?

Some clean clothes.

Dear,

help me stir the chicken.

Why did he come back so suddenly?

Let's add another dish for Mo.

Mo,

is there something special you'd like to eat?

Tell Wen Yue, and she'll make it for you.

Got it.

Is it cold

sleeping over at the office?

No, not at all.

Since Zheng came back,

he's been using your bed.

I'm feeling sorry about it.

I want to discuss something with you.

Look, Mo,

let's push this rack out

and place your bed here.

I'll add another board to make it wider...

Buyou, no need.

Once we move to the new house,

there'll be more space.

Okay.

When we get the new house,

I will give you the biggest room!

By the way,

I want to ask you something.

Was the old shipyard of Wen Yue's family

a private one or a government-run one?

A private one, I think.

Why are you asking about this?

A private shipyard?

What's the matter?

Come on.

Sit over here.

Buyou,

look at this blueprint.

Is it for a warship or a private ship?

I don't know how to tell.

How can you distinguish it?

This is a modification blueprint.

The ship has several rows of oars.

This is obviously a warship.

But

why would a private shipyard

have a blueprint for a warship?

Are you saying

this blueprint

is from Wen Yue's family?

Zheng said this blueprint

was handed to him by his father before he passed.

It's from their shipyard.

What else did he say?

He said he knew I was interested in these things,

and he didn't want to keep them

because they reminded him of sad memories.

So he gave it to me.

Did Wen Yue see it?

No.

Right.

It's all in the past.

Don't tell her.

I'm afraid it'll upset her.

I understand.

Zheng also explicitly told me

not to let Wen Yue know about this.

I'll take the ship blueprint and study it.

Time to eat.

Oh, you're cooking.

Inspector Gu, you arrive just in time for dinner.

Gu,

you knew we were about to eat,

so you came over!

Mr. Gu is here!

Mo,

go help bring out the dishes.

Alright.

Zhao,

Zou Mian may already be in East Capital.

Wasn't Zou Mian in the South?

In the past two days,

some high-ranking officials were accused of taking bribes,

rumored to be as much as 300,000 liang of silver.

They've all been taken in for questioning.

This includes officials from the Ministry of Justice,

the Office of Justice,

and our Kaifeng Court.

They're all responsible for handling criminal cases.

All of them are connected to Luan Hui's case.

That old scoundrel Zou Mian

must be here to save his son-in-law and daughter.

It's said that he's gravely ill in the South,

but I suspect

he's already slipped

into East Capital unnoticed.

What's wrong?

It's possible.

Something on your mind?

No, I'm listening.

Mo,

where's Zheng?

He was just here.

Getting ready for dinner.

- Zheng, come out for dinner! - Let's eat first.

We'll talk after dinner.

Mo,

hurry, bring some wine over.

I must have come at a bad time.

You all go ahead and eat.

Have you eaten?

I'll catch up with you later, Gu.

Xie Laoba

keeps asking me to drink away his sorrows.

Every time he drinks, he'll cries,

loud enough

for all of Sparrow Lane to hear.

- People even think I'm bullying him... - Alright, Father.

Father, you're back!

We're back!

I'm back!

Let's eat first, Father.

Go out after dinner.

What's for dinner today?

Today...

we're having stir-fried chicken.

Have a seat, Father.

Where's Zheng?

He's still in the room.

Zheng, come out for dinner!

I'll tell you...

Mrs. Lan...

- Coming! - She doesn't side with me at all.

- I know exactly where she's gone. - Uncle.

Ban.

Come on, dinner time!

Time to eat.

Now that Mo's back,

Uncle and Buyou should have a drink, shouldn't you?

Not today.

I'll drink.

It's all yours.

No way.

- That's too much. - That's too much for him!

This is mine.

All mine!

Mo.

- You're not eating, just drinking? - Father.

Have a bite first.

Here.

Buyou,

this bowl of wine

is to thank you for taking me in,

and thank Mo for being so understanding.

You've given me such a wonderful family.

So,

I toast to you all.

I...

Zheng,

you're being too kind.

Buyou and I

will down this drink together.

Don't force yourself.

It's fine.

It's rare for Zheng to be in such good spirits.

I'm happy to have you with us.

Come on.

Buyou, you're so bold!

Buyou,

let me refill your bowl.

- This is really good. - You all eat something first.

Alright, it's fine.

Mo.

This wine is pretty good.

Buyou...

He fell asleep.

Fell asleep...

Mo,

let's continue...

Zheng,

that's enough.

You've had plenty.

What's so special about tonight

that you're this happy?

Wen Yue,

tonight,

everyone's here.

How could I not be happy?

I've waited so long, and finally, we're all together.

Let me have just one more drink.

Alright,

then I'll come home for dinner more often.

Zheng, stop drinking.

Look, you're getting a headache.

That's enough.

Everyone, stop drinking now.

Ban,

get Buyou to bed.

Mo,

help Zheng to his room.

- Zheng, let's go. - No...

No more?

No more. Stop now.

Let's go.

I still have to go back to the Office of Justice.

Zheng.

Wen Yue.

Lie down.

Does your head still hurt?

No, just feeling a little off.

Every time I faked being sick when I was a kid,

you'd give me

that serious look to test me.

I never thought

you'd still test me as an adult.

After we grow up,

many things have changed.

Do you think I've changed

or has your affection for me changed?

If you're not feeling well,

don't wander around at night.

Don't make it worse.

And what if I don't want to listen?

You're still the same as when we were kids,

so serious about jokes.

Don't worry.

I'll rest properly.

Besides, I know

nowadays,

no matter what I do,

you'll always be there for me.

Right?

Yes.

I'll...

always be here for you.

We seek an audience with Mr. Zou.

We seek an audience with Mr. Zou.

We seek an audience with Mr. Zou.

All right.

Zou Mian,

you've finally come.

You put drugs in Buyou's wine

just for this?

Wen Yue,

I knew you'd come.

Wen Yue,

look,

Zou Mian is there!

He really snuck into East Capital.

Whether he came or not,

what does that have to do with you?

Of course it has everything to do with me.

If he didn't come,

all my careful planning before

would've been for nothing.

From the Mei's Boat case

to the Hat Demon case,

to the Imperial Exam case

and the Fan Tower case...

Wen Yue,

haven't you always been with me throughout?

I planned the Mei's Boat case,

intentionally leaking Zou's plan to present an auspicious sign

to his enemies.

The auspicious sign turned into a bad omen,

giving the old scoundrel a warning.

In the Hat Demon case,

my aim was to strike at Zou's monopoly

over the property brokers in East Capital.

In the Imperial Exam case,

I sought to expose Zou's network

of corruption in the exams.

In the Fan Tower case,

I wanted to completely destroyed

Zou Mian's base for colluding with influential officials in East Capital,

[Yayuan Mansion Expense Ledger]

retrieving evidence of collusion among these corrupt officials,

tearing apart Zou Mian's network in East Capital,

one at a time.

[Wen's Umbrella Shop, submit in 25 days]

These accomplices of the old scoundrel deserve their fate.

I want to ruin their reputations,

make them experience the pain of losing their families

their power,

making them turn against one another

[True Identity]
and taste the fear of despair!

From the beginning of my plan...

This is the bounty.

I deliberately sent bounties to you,

so you wouldn't miss

the grand scheme I painstakingly laid out.

So, it was you.

You're the one who sent me the bounties.

And Chi Liaoliao

is nothing but your puppet.

That's right.

But she should thank me.

Her entire family was slaughtered by the Zou family,

leaving no trace of their remains.

I gave her the chance for revenge.

We need revenge too.

Wen Yue,

our family's tragedy

wasn't caused by mere bandits.

The real culprit behind our parents' deaths

is that old scoundrel,

Zou Mian.

Back then,

Father discovered

Zou Mian had messed with the ship blueprints,

converting warships

into stone transport ships for personal gain.

Because of this,

Zou Mian

sent people

to k*ll our entire family.

How do you know this?

Not only do I know,

but Buyou does too.

I sent you bounties

to lead you step by step to the Zou family

to uncover the truth.

But Buyou

has deliberately hidden it all along,

blocking the truth.

Wen Yue,

shouldn't you ask him yourself

why he did this?

Father.

You're finally awake.

Have I been sleeping the whole day?

That's right.

No one could wake you up.

Where is everyone?

They all went out.

My head hurts.

Hurts?

Alright,

here,

I've prepared for you

a special Five-Element Revival Soup,

straight from the imperial recipe

to cure hangovers.

Will it work?

Will it work?

I'm telling you

that I've also got

an imperial

secret formula

for conceiving a boy.

If you want to use it,

pay for it...

Father,

don't tell me you drank that formula

and made me.

Such disrespect!

There's food left on the stove for you.

Eat

whatever you like.

I'll tell you this.

There are newcomers at Xianhe Residence,

and someone invited me over.

Take care, Father.

I've got medicine.

[If you wish to know the true k*ller of the Su family,]

[meet me at the water stage in the business center.]

"If you wish to know the true k*ller of the Su family,

meet me at the water stage in the business center."

I'm here to keep the appointment!

I've arrived!

Come out!

Show yourself if you've got the guts!

You're not the one I'm waiting for!

Who are you?

Show yourself if you dare!

Why did you send bounties to my wife?

Why did you send bounties to her over and over again?

What are you after?

Didn't the notes in Dong Qian's journal and secret letters

make it clear?

Wen Yue, Dong Qian

and the Zou family

share irreconcilable blood feuds with one another.

I don't know what you're talking about!

No need to be nervous.

No need to deny it either.

There's no one else here.

Why don't we talk about

where you put Dong Qian's journal?

I don't know what journal you're talking about.

There is no journal at all!

Then I assume

your younger siblings don't know

they're Dong Qian's children either.

You're talking nonsense.

Zhao Buyou,

you don't dare avenge your family

and you hide the truth from them.

What gives you the right to make decisions for them?

It's not your place to judge me!

What am I supposed to tell them?

My wife raised my younger siblings with her own hands,

and now should I tell her

my siblings' biological father

is Dong Qian,

the very man who massacred her Su family?

He's her sworn enemy!

Is that what I should say to her?

Who are you?

What exactly do you want?

Dear.

It's me.

I want to hear you say it yourself.

Wen Yue,

I've completed the task you gave me.

So, I'll take my leave now.

Thank you.

Buyou!

Zhao Mo!

Buyou!

Buyou!

Buyou!

Mo!

What you just said... Was it all true?

Ban, Mo...

Why are you here?

Zhao Mo!

Mo!

Ban!

Zhao Mo!

Zhao Mo!

Zhao Mo!

Zhao Mo!

Zhao Mo!

At a time like this,

can't you stop leaving me behind?

Ban,

I want to be alone for a while.

Go home first.

Go home?

You're telling me to go home alone?

If what Buyou said is true,

then both of us are Dong Qian's children.

This is something

we need to face together.

Ban,

do you know?

Ever since I joined the Office of Justice,

I've been reading

Dong Qian's case files almost every day.

In my mind,

he's incredible!

I've always hoped that one day

I could become someone like him.

But I never imagined

he could do something like this.

He m*rder*d Wen Yue's parents.

Wen Yue raised us,

but we're his children!

What's even more pathetic

is that I used to look up to him as my role model.

Then let's go home together

and let's apologize to Wen Yue together!

That was a m*ssacre!

Why does she have to forgive us?

Ban!

Mo!

You sent Mo and Ban

to the water stage, didn't you?

Wen Yue,

tonight

they aren't ready to face you.

I still want to take you to visit a place.

Ban,

this is something

I need time to process.

Zhao Mo,

from now on, I'll stop going against you.

Whatever you want me to change, I'll listen to you!

Mo,

I don't want to go home alone!

I don't know how to face Wen Yue!

Mr. Zhao?

Where have you been this late at night?

You're soaking wet!

Mo,

can you stop ignoring me?

You're making me so worried.

Why are you looking for me so late?

What happened?

...my siblings' biological father

is Dong Qian...

He's her sworn enemy!

That was a m*ssacre!

Why does she have to forgive us?

Have some tea.

I added something to calm your nerves

and warm you up.

Dear!

Wen Yue!

Wen Yue!

In this life,

having your own goals is a good thing.

I support you.

I'll spend my life with you.

I'll never leave you.

Let it out and cry if you want.

You'll feel better if you cry.

It's okay, Ban.

No matter what we face,

we'll always find a way through.

Yes...

There's always a way through...

There's always a way through...

This will all pass...

It'll all pass.

You ungrateful child!

You still remember this home, do you?

At this late hour,

I wanted some hot soup noodles,

and no one's here to make them.

In such heavy rain,

why are you the only one back?

Where's Wen Yue?

Where's Ban?

Where's Mo?

Where is everyone?

Father,

I'll go make you some food.

Go ahead.

None of them are coming back.

This family is falling apart.

Father,

I'm really tired today.

I won't cook for now.

Did you eat anything then?

It's been years since I last cooked.

I wonder if it still tastes the same.

Father,

you always said this family was falling apart.

I never thought it would actually happen.

Back then,

when you brought those two kids home,

I disagreed.

You sat there in silence all night.

I told you

that you had to properly

deal with those two burdens.

I didn't expect

that you took them out of the city

and brought them back home.

Later on,

you looked for several families,

but none were willing to take them in.

I knew,

deep down, you couldn't let them go.

After all, they were two

living, breathing lives.

So,

I came up with an idea.

Why not leave these kids

to me?

Zhao Li,

you scoundrel!

Back then, what sweet words did you use to coax me?

I must have been out of my mind

to leave these kids behind for you!

Don't lay a hand on me now!

Everyone, look closely!

From today onward,

these two kids...

Will take the Zhao surname.

Father,

that event really made you suffer unfairly.

Suffer?

I actually think

you were the one who suffered.

My tarnished reputation

doesn't matter.

But how could we support these two kids?

I never expected it,

Buyou,

but you pulled it off.

Through all the mess

and hardship,

you really raised them.

Later,

when Wen Yue married into our family,

she put in so much effort to manage everything.

Our days were tough.

The five of us

shared just this pot of soup noodles.

Mo and Ban were especially sensible.

They fought over the soup,

pushing the noodles

into my bowl.

This meat is for you.

Go ahead, you all.

But...

I couldn't swallow

those noodles...

Let's not talk about this anymore.

I just feel like...

I've let Ban down,

I've let Mo down,

and I've let my wife down, too.

Nonsense.

You raised those two kids well,

better than I did.

You've done your duty.

In this family,

you haven't let anyone down.

In truth,

sibling quarrels

never last overnight.

Listen to me,

eat your fill

and get a good night's sleep.

I'll go with you to find them tomorrow.

To be honest,

I keep bringing up

how this family

might fall apart.

But deep down, I'm truly afraid

that it really will.

If the two kids

ever find out the truth about their identities,

won't this family

really fall apart?

And besides, you don't even have a child of your own.

Buyou,

I'm getting old.

How many more times can I make soup noodles for you?

Father, I'm full.

Father.

When did Mo come home?

And how did he end up going out with Ban?

I saw

Mo come back with that young man surnamed He.

He whispered a few words

into Ban's ear,

and then they went out together.

[He Residence]

This is my residence.

Yes.

Someone as capable as you,

how could you not have a place to stay?

Why endure living in our small house?

Wen Yue,

please follow me.

I want to show you something.

Look at this pavilion.

Does it look familiar?

I rebuilt it exactly like the one

from our old home by Taihu Lake.

Do you remember that night?

I narrowly escaped with my life.

From then on,

I had to live on my own,

scraping by in this world.

For over twenty years,

aside from seeking revenge,

my biggest hope

was to see you again.

But when I finally saw you again,

you already had new siblings

and a new family.

And I...

I could only stay with this pavilion alone.

Zheng,

you've already reunited with me as you wished.

Why drag Ban and Mo into this

to hear those things?

At a time like this,

you're still calling them

Mo and Ban so affectionately!

Have you ever considered

how I, your real brother, feel about this?

Yes, I did it on purpose.

Am I wrong to treat our enemy's children this way?

And yet, you're here blaming me on their behalf!

I can't understand it.

I can't make sense of you.

You say

the Zhao family gave you hope for a new life.

But that hope

was built on lies!

That's not your real family.

If you can't bear to tear it apart,

then I'll have to.

Su Zheng,

the grudges of the previous generation

should not be borne by Ban and Mo.

The dead take their debts with them.

If we exact vengeance on the innocent,

our hearts will be just as ruthless

as those evildoers.

Wen Yue,

now you're accusing me of being ruthless?

Everything I've worked so hard for

is to clear the Su family's name

and seek justice for our wrongfully slain parents.

Wen Yue,

if you think I'm wrong,

then k*ll me now!

That way,

the one sending the bounties will disappear for good.

You'll have no more worries

and can return to the Zhao family...

to live out the rest of your days as if nothing happened.

[Fashion in Song Dynasty]

[Song Dynastypedia]

[An In-Depth Look at Welfare Systems in Northern Song. Narrator: Lin Jiachuan]

Did you know the Song Dynasty made efforts

in social welfare?

In the drama, the welfare center where He Huan works

was a government-run institution

providing aid for childbirth for the poor

and taking in abandoned infants and orphans.

Not only that,

in the booming real estate market of the Song Dynasty,

low-rent housing also emerged.

The central government even regulated

housing prices several times,

preventing rent

from skyrocketing too quickly.

Though reality was tough,

the Song Dynasty's humanistic ideals

were quite progressive.

♪Rowing across the river with a load of fish♪

♪Paddling the oars while singing a song♪

♪Guests travel with lanterns under moonlight♪

♪In the corridor, joy fills the table♪

♪Come and enjoy the cool under the canopy♪

♪My new hometown brings peace to my heart♪

♪I love the city hustle and bustle, and the grass in mountains♪

♪Walking down roads, strolling along alleys♪

♪Look, the swallows glide with a beakful of spring mud♪

♪With hope, they gently take off and fly away♪

♪Guests come from far and wide♪

♪A bowl of wine, a mouthful of ambition♪

♪Eyebrows unfurl, for prosperity awaits ahead♪

♪Singing loud happily, you get to pick the broad road you want♪

♪Under the immense sky, dusts dance with the wind♪

♪Your root is where your original aspirations lie♪

♪A thousand households are brightly lit♪

♪Bursting into song, they set off for another journey♪

♪For youngsters, their ambition is burning bright♪

♪Just seize the opportunities and make adventures♪

♪For youngsters, their ambition is burning bright♪

♪Just seize the opportunities and make adventures♪