01x09 - Cheng Shaoshang's Plan

[bunniefuu]

General Wan, please stay.

General Ling,

are you not staying for a meal?

Our Young Master has never eaten

at other residences.

All right, it's for the best.

General Ling, I won't see you off then.

Uncle Wan.

Uncle Wan.

Uncle Wan.

I've been driven into a corner now.

You and Qiqi are all I can turn to

for shelter now.

Excuse me, Young Lady.

Which family are you from?

Are we acquainted?

Uncle Wan, stop putting up an act.

I seem to know you but you are

I'm Niaoniao.

Cheng Shaoshang of the Cheng Family.

You're Niaoniao?

How did you end up this way?

You don't have to tell me.

I know

it must be your mother who beat you.

Fear not.

I'll talk to your father about this.

It wasn't Mother who beat me.

But why do you look glad

that I was beaten?

No, I wasn't.

I just didn't recognize you

for a moment there.

Don't hold it in.

Just laugh if you want.

Why did you laugh?

I wasn't laughing.

If Young Master said you did,

it means you did.

Niaoniao,

Qiqi is in the back hall.

Why don't you go and meet her?

I'm occupied here.

Qiqi!

General Ling.

The door is

It's getting late now.

I'm afraid dinner is not prepared

at my residence yet.

So I can only continue

to trouble you, General Wan.

General Ling, I thought

Would it be troubling you?

Of course not.

Please come in.

That wretched Wang Ling.

How could she beat you so viciously?

Look at what she did

to this pretty face.

I hope she

I hope she'll suffer

from frostbite on her face.

Why don't you stay for several days

now that you're here?

(Old Madam Wan)

(Old Madam Wan)

You can go home after your mother is no longer upset.

Thank you, Old Madam Wan.

Qiqi's elder sisters are all married.

(Mrs. Wan)

Since she returned to the capital,

she has been idling all day long.

You and your friends

should start learning to read and write now.

I don't want to learn all those.

I want to teach Shaoshang

how to ride a horse.

Besides,

can't you see

Shaoshang's face is still bruised?

Do you write with your face?

Qiqi,

when are you going to stay put

to learn to read and write?

Also,

take off all your jewelry.

Who are you showing

these jingling things at this late hour?

Don't you find them heavy?

Grandmother,

people in the capital dress

like this now.

Then bring me a lady

who dresses up this way.

Then I'll have

the exact jewelry ordered for you.

If you can't find one

who dresses up this way,

you'll have to give all of these to me.

Old Madam Wan,

it was a rough journey here.

My stomach is pretty much empty

and I'm starving.

Is there any food?

Take Shaoshang to your room

and have a meal.

And change your clothes.

So based on what Shaoshang said,

she fought with them

because of a disagreement.

If that's what happened,

how is that a conduct of a lady

from a noble household?

Even if she has suffered injustice,

there are other ways to solve it.

There's no need to go to such an extent.

Pray tell,

what can be done to solve this

in ways where she can vent her anger

while keeping the peace?

She can inform the elders.

Her mother was present at the time.

She didn't even speak up

to seek justice for her daughter.

There's no need to vent.

It's all solved if she bears with it.

Life is all about strength of character.

Losing it means it's all but dead.

If General Cheng is

someone who plays safe and is a patient person,

do you think I'd let Songbai be

his sworn brother?

In turbulent times,

what's the use of an ally

who won't step up to fight for you

at a critical time?

You're right, Old Madam.

Qiqi takes after Songbai.

Shaoshang takes after General Cheng.

They're both frank and care not

about trivial matters.

Making friends isn't just

about being sincere.

You must discern well.

I'm not young anymore.

I should be telling

these to my grandson

and teach him how to distinguish

and see through others.

Yet, I'm here nagging

at you here.

I'm to blame for not bearing

any male offspring.

General is not young

and he has no son.

Don't dwell on this matter anymore.

Who knows you might live longer

than Songbai and me.

There is nothing worried

once people die.

Old Madam Wan. Madam.

Master is drunk from drinking too much.

He rests in his study room now.

He won't be greeting you for the night.

I understand.

Has Ling Buyi left?

General Ling is still here.

I heard he's staying the night

in the guest room.

I guess he's also drunk.

General Ling didn't have a drink.

Here.

What do you think?

I got Qianlizui from my father.

It's good, isn't it?

It's strong enough.

Qiqi,

I'm curious about something.

What happened to your grandmother's ear?

Everyone knows about this.

Yet, you didn't know?

I don't know.

When my grandfather passed away,

my father was barely ten years old.

Then my granduncles came to the residence.

They insisted my grandmother would remarry

and let another man take

my grandfather's property.

No matter how my grandmother vowed,

those people wouldn't let the matter rest.

So my grandmother

cut off her left ear,

threw it directly at the person

who headed them there

and said she'd never remarry.

Old Madam Wan

is really impressive.

Grandmother also said

she comes from a humble background.

But my grandfather

was never mean to her.

He always respected her and loved her.

He used the most elaborated way to marry her.

He said

my grandmother is

the world's best woman.

Because of what my grandfather said,

my grandmother doesn't fear

even if she has to cut her flesh

piece by piece.

This is what we called,

"If the Emperor treats me

as the nation's pillar,

I shall contribute

as the nation's pillar."

Old Madam Wan is indeed

a heroine among women.

Do you think

we can find a great hero

to who we can entrust

each other's lives

in the future?

My mother never taught me

to pacify the army.

I supposed

that's because my future husband

won't be in the military.

My mother never taught me

about the aristocratic family either.

I supposed my mother knows

that I won't be marrying

into an aristocratic family.

So I can forget about heroes.

In the future,

it would be best

if I can marry into a stable family

and live a stable life.

How can you marry casually?

Would you be contented

with marrying an ordinary person?

Yes, I would naturally be contented.

Since I was born,

it wasn't up to me to decide

to feel discontent.

Yao,

(Lou Ben)

(Lou Ben)

you came home with Li.

Why aren't you resting in your room?

(Lou Yao, you shall be more brave.)

(You mustn't be lesser

to the Cheng's Young Lady.)

(At least, she dared to fight.)

Why are you standing at my door?

Brother Ben,

I came here to see you.

I

I want to break off the betrothal

with He Zhaojun.

Ben,

we have opposite personalities

and it's hard to get along with her.

Besides,

everyone in the capital knows

about the relationship

between her and Prince Xiao.

I feel miserable

and it's better to break it off sooner.

I know you wouldn't agree to it but

All right.

You

You agreed?

With me running the second chamber,

I won't let you sacrifice for a marriage.

You're right.

It's better to be decisive in this matter.

No matter who you choose

to marry in the future,

I'll fully support you.

Thank you, Ben.

I agree with your sudden decision

to break off the betrothal.

You look so happy.

Do you have someone else in your heart?

No, I don't.

If I have one,

you'll be the first person I tell.

You can go back to your room now.

For your grandmother's

birthday banquet preparation,

I can hear knocking

from early in the morning.

So this is here.

Mister,

what's wrong with this bridge?

It's Young Lady and Fourth Lady Cheng.

Greetings.

This bridge is unsteady

and unsafe to walk on.

I'm looking for someone to repair it.

But this bridge is a little strange.

No matter which piece of wood is moved,

it'll affect other pieces.

So we can only demolish this bridge

and build a new one.

I'm planning to tell General about this.

Uncle Wan really spent a fortune

in repairing this house.

Qiqi,

is the water flowing in the lake?

It flows from the outskirts

of the east side of the capital.

Father spent ten thousand cash

to construct the canal alone.

On Grandmother's birthday,

I'm going to show Wang Ling and the rest

that our mansion is not inferior

to Lord Ruyang's Mansion.

Niaoniao, what are you doing?

Follow me to the horse training ground.

Qiqi,

you know

I love building things the most.

I want to take a look

before they take down the bridge.

Come with me.

The bridge is going

to be taken down anyway.

I don't want to stare blankly at it.

I'll head to the horse training ground first.

Come over once you've finished inspecting it.

I'll teach you how to ride a horse.

I'll be there in a while.

(So that's how it's built.)

(I only need to pull this one out.)

(Then the whole bridge will)

General Ling,

I want to apologize for last night.

I had too much to drink

that I left first.

I didn't take good care of you.

No matter.

It's just that His Majesty will travel

to the west soon.

Yet, I haven't found

the geographical map of Shu.

So I'm just concerned.

It was you who recaptured Shu back then.

General Wan,

have you never seen

that geographical map?

No.

I've never seen it.

General Ling,

look around Wan's residence.

We don't lack any treasures.

Why would I keep that treasure map?

Yes, it doesn't appear to lack anything.

I did say that, right?

I'm grateful to His Majesty

for rewarding me with this huge mansion.

My family has ample food and clothing.

I can't thank His Majesty enough

for his grace.

So what can I do

with that map?

General Ling,

how about you take a look around

since you're already here?

General Ling.

General Ling, stop.

This bridge is dangerous.

It'll collapse if you walk on it.

Why don't you come this way?

The bridge is dangerous?

It turns out to be a dangerous bridge.

We should be cautious then.

Yes, we must be careful.

(Why is this fiend still here?)

(I can't seem to get away from him.)

Qiqi!

Shaoshang.

My father bought this horse recently.

It's docile and suitable for beginners.

If you like it,

I'll have someone send it over.

If you only have one,

it's better you don't give it to me.

My mother is a very fair person.

If you only have one horse,

she'll politely refuse to accept it.

Or she won't give it to me

even if she accepts it.

Good horse.

It's obedient, is it not?

Good horse.

Young Lady, Old Madam is asking for you.

All right.

Shaoshang,

why don't you ride it first?

Me? Ride it?

It's so bothersome.

When my grandmother asks me

to run errands,

she'd call for me several times a day.

I'll see what she needs

and you can ride it first.

All right, go on.

Let's go.

Come here.

Stay still.

That's more like it.

Stop. Stop.

Stay still.

I'll teach you.

All right.

It's all right now.

Don't take such a risk again next time.

A good horse knows human nature best.

If you fear it,

it'll pick on you.

If you're tenacious,

it'll fear you.

That's the way of handling a horse.

In this world,

the same thing applies to most things.

Why are you here, General?

If it weren't for me,

you'd have suffered serious injuries.

That's quite bold of you.

You have no knowledge of horse riding.

Yet, you have the guts

to ride a horse alone.

I'm not bold.

That happened

because man and woman

shouldn't be too intimate.

You were too close to me.

So I was scared.

Not because I'm scared of the horse.

You grabbed onto my arm tightly.

You were the one

who was too close to me.

Besides, if I was indeed too close to you

because I've admired you

for a long time.

Yet, you have no interest

in me at all.

Did you say you admire me?

General Ling,

I was speaking nonsense the other day.

Please don't take it to heart.

Besides,

didn't you come to our home

and tell my father

that I'm similar to the interrogators

at the Ministry of Justice?

Was I wrong?

Miss Cheng, you eavesdropped on

a military discussion under the bridge.

When you go to the Ministry of Justice,

you can only be a wanted criminal

under imperial order

and not an interrogator.

I didn't eavesdrop on

any military discussion.

General Ling,

even if I may have offended you

in some way,

you can't make a false accusation.

I admit I was under the bridge.

But I can't hear anything

from under the bridge.

Is that so?

Yes.

Ling Ling Buyi,

I didn't hear anything at all!

I really can't hear anything

from under the bridge!

Young Lady Cheng is

all bruised and swollen

from being beaten.

It makes me want to laugh

when I see her every time.

You better don't let Old Madam hear you.

She'll punish you

for disrespecting our guest.

I think you can hear clearly

from here.

When I'm nervous,

I can't hear anything.

Are you certain

you didn't hear anything?

General Wan has

the geographical map of Shu

in his possession.

I'm here to obtain it

on behalf of His Majesty.

You wanted to tell me this yourself.

I never wanted to hear it.

It's about the armament case

your Granduncle was involved in.

That batch of armaments

may have been transported to Shu.

When His Majesty heard of this,

he decided to travel to the west.

By all means, we must have

the geographical map of Shu.

Yet, General Wan is hiding

this map in secret.

Young Lady Cheng,

you must think of the connection

in this matter.

Your father and General Wan

are close friends.

And your family member

is involved in this armament case.

If His Majesty finds out about this,

how would he punish the Wan Family

and the Cheng Family?

How do you know

the geographical map of Shu

is in Uncle Wan's possession?

If I didn't know,

I wouldn't have stayed for the night.

Uncle Wan only loves wine and riches.

He would never be disloyal

to His Majesty.

He may think

He might think

that was just a treasure map.

I thought so too.

General Ling, you're capable of doing anything.

I'm sure you know

where this treasure map is hidden.

I've searched every corner

of Wan's residence.

Only Old Madam Wan's chamber

is inconvenient for me to search.

So

I can only trouble you to do this task.

Why don't you search for it yourself?

Would you believe me

if I say I don't want

to act presumptuously

because I want to protect the lives

of the whole family?

If you help me retrieve the map,

I'll be tight-lipped

about what you want to do.

What is it that I want to do?

Dangerous bridge.

So it's a dangerous bridge.

Then I shall await

your good news.

After you do me a favor today,

I shall fulfill

your wish in the future.

Old Madam, watch your steps.

Qiqi,

you're not a child anymore.

Do you still want

to play hide-and-seek with me?

I'm exhausted.

I want to get some rest.

You can all leave.

Yes, Old Madam.

Qiqi,

I forgot to remove

my pearl hairpin just now.

It was uncomfortable.

Come and take it.

And put it in the box next to the shelf.

Are you listening to me?

I'm waiting for you!

Remember.

Put it in the fragrant rosewood box

with flower carvings.

Don't ever touch the box made

from red sandalwood.

Your father left this treasured object

with me for safekeeping.

If you make a mistake,

it's a much worst mistake

than stealing his Qianlizui.

Do you understand me?

I'm talking to you.

You can leave after you keep it.

I need some rest.

General Ling.

It's done.

Good.

Drink, General Ling.

Have another drink.

General Wan,

I've been nothing but trouble

for the past two days.

I think it's time

for me to take my leave.

General Ling,

we haven't had enough drinks.

I'll be sure to attend

the Wan Family's banquet

a few days later.

General Ling.

I shall get going now.

But

Don't go.

General Ling!

They say you're hard to deal with.

So much for being cautious.

Mother!

Mother!

Mother,

can you guess what happened?

I've easily sent

that ill-fated person away.

Did he leave?

Yes.

Is he really gone?

Yes, he's gone.

Did he leave any word?

He said he'll be attending

the banquet here a few days later.

Thank you for helping the Wan Family, General Ling.

What are you saying, Mother?

Why do you need to thank that lad?

Mother.

Come here.

Come closer.

Mother.

I said closer.

Mother, what is it?

Shaoshang, why are you going home

when Aunt Yuanyi's anger

has yet subsided?

I missed my father terribly.

My father

Mother!

Stop hitting me.

Why do you have to be so fierce?

Mother?

Father?

Father.

I'm sorry.

Even if Mother beat me

to death this time,

I'll never run away from home anymore.

Niaoniao has a fright

from Lord Ruyang's Mansion

several days ago.

Now she has suffered at Wan's residence.

Besides, she already knows her mistakes.

So please don't punish her.

Only she can do something

to shock others.

Who can shock her?

Do think she suffers at Wan's residence?

How is it not so?

It's only been a couple of days.

Look at her sunken face.

It's because her swelling has resided.

You said you were wrong.

What did you do wrong?

I used to think

everything outside is the best.

So I was eager to venture out.

But I've finally understand

that no place is better

than home.

Father,

I'll never go anywhere from now on.

I'll stay with you

and serve my duty as a child.

All right.

It's not over yet.

Tell me.

What happened at Wan's residence?

Ling Buyi was there.

What was he doing there?

He said he was searching

for the geographical map of Shu.

Mother,

I didn't cause any trouble

at Wan's residence.

I only came home

because I find Ling Buyi

is scary.

You're right about that.

When I talked to Ling Buyi,

I felt

a cold shudder all over my body too.

Is it that hard to stop

your habit of eavesdropping?

I overheard it by accident.

It was Granduncle's fault

for losing the armaments.

Ling Buyi suspects

that this batch of armaments

was sold to the Shu.

He thinks Shu has second thoughts.

That's why he was searching

for this map.

Is this something

a young girl like you should be discussing?

I don't mind you talking about family matters.

But this concerns the nation.

General,

the monarchs and officials play different roles.

We must not discuss

this matter any further.

You have a point.

Niaoniao,

have you told anyone about this?

No.

I only told you and Mother.

I didn't tell a third person about this.

Niaoniao,

you must never speak of this

and tell another soul of this matter.

Helping to keep this matter

a secret is enough

to make up for your previous mistakes.

Go back to your room.

Where did she go?

I haven't started questioning her yet.

Dear, didn't you just forgive Niaoniao?

We'll just consider

that she has made up for her mistakes.

I never said that.

You just said so.

Don't you remember

what you said just now?

Dear.

Do you think

Shu will raise a rebellion?

(Geographical Map of Shu)

With this map,

we can deploy our troops in advance.

Then Shu won't be able

to cause any huge trouble.

But Young Master,

you already knew the map was hidden

at Wan's residence.

You can just retrieve it.

Why did you go through the trouble

and end up owing

Fourth Lady Cheng a favor?

Young Master thinks

General Wan would be charged

for the crime

of hiding the map

if we found the map

after searching his residence.

But it would be a different story

if Old Madam Wan gives

the map to us

through Fourth Lady Cheng.

So that's the reason.

His Majesty has a benevolent heart.

He thinks there's a misunderstanding

in this matter.

I'm afraid His Majesty's plan

to travel to the west

would raise an alert

to Shu.

If they restrain themselves

and not make any move,

it'll be harder for us

to find something to hold

against them.

We both know His Majesty's journey

to the west is mainly

to force them to yield

by showing our military strength.

But those who are afraid

of being exposed

may not surrender.

If they think His Majesty's journey is

to attack them,

what do you think they'll do?

They will be desperate and try to gain

the upper hand by attacking first.

Young Master,

what should we do next?

We'll round them up

and leave them no way to escape.

Let's make them feel anxious first.

Thief!

Catch the thief!

After the thief!

Search over there!

Why are you just standing there?

Go that way!

Your Highness,

we searched the place.

That thief was too fast.

We failed to capture him.

Useless!

You can't even catch a thief!

What's the point of taking you in?

Your Highness,

we've inspected the area.

Nothing is missing from the residence.

Your Highness, something bad had happened!

Your Highness, something happened!

Ling It's Ling Ling

Ling

What Ling?

Speak properly!

It's General Ling!

He brought the black armored guard

and surrounded us!

(Steafast Allegiance)

(Steafast Allegiance)

♪The beacon-fire has knocked

over the white snow♪

♪I caress the scars gently

from the past♪

♪Your back to the light,

your eyes contain the galaxy♪

♪I hum as the sun

and the moon mutter back♪

♪The light between your brows♪

♪Was put out and rekindled

by the secular world♪

♪The sky, the mountain, and the ocean,

whom do I part them for?♪

♪As I wake up from the blue sea,

stone steles stand like a mountain range♪

♪Under the lantern, criticisms were thrown,

the narrow door could not contain my feelings♪

♪The joys and woes of this mortal life,

we speak as we dream of the future♪

♪Both of us will be♪

♪In the sea of stars,

burning bright with our sincerity♪

♪Our sincerity