01x09 - Episode 9

[bunniefuu]

=Against The Current=

[Adapted from He Yanshan's novel,
Orchid Fragrance Fate]

=Episode 9=
[This drama does not correspond]

[to any real historical dynasty.]

[The systems, culture, attire and other
dynastic elements have been adapted.]

[Ten Thousand Volumes Library]

Where is Scholar Shouyi?

Old Master said
he wanted to look around.

I'll go get him.

No need.

I'll find him myself.

Scholar Shouyi.

The Zhongfu Hexagram.

The second yang line.

Very good.

Taken from heaven and earth,

and returned to heaven and earth.

Sir,

what does this hexagram mean?

A gentleman stays within his home.

When he speaks,

if his words are good, they will
find accord a thousand miles away,

let alone nearby.

He stays within his home.

When he speaks,

if his words are unkind, they will
meet opposition a thousand miles away,

let alone nearby.

I don't understand.

Sir,

what does that mean?

When you're at home

and say kind things,

even people a thousand
miles away will respond in kind,

let alone those nearby.

When you're at home

and say unkind things,

even people a thousand
miles away will oppose you,

let alone those nearby.

I still don't understand.

Good girl.

Say you know when you know,

and say you don't when you don't.

Good.

My young friend,

do you understand now?

Be careful with your words.

Say more kind things

and build goodwill.

Don't speak carelessly,

or you'll face the consequences.

I understand.

Who taught you

yarrow-stalk divination?

I was often ill as a child.

When I stayed at a nunnery,

I watched the master perform divinations
and learned a little.

Unfortunately, I only learned
how to cast a hexagram,

not how to interpret one.

Fengtai.

Young Master.

I came across

two young friends trying
their hand at yarrow-stalk divination.

Grass, old, and sun

together form
the character for "yarrow".

It piqued my interest,

so I asked them to divine

the matter at hand.

Old Master Lin runs his household well.

Even the maids here
are quite perceptive.

You flatter us, Scholar Shouyi.

The banquet is about to begin.

Let's go.

My young friends,

if you ever come to Qixia Mountain,

[Qixia Academy, Fang Yu]
bring my calling card

and come find me at Qixia Academy.

Thank you, sir.

Why are you here?

Young Madam wanted to look around

and told us to wait for her here.

Young Madam sent me
back to get her shoes.

I couldn't find them, so I hurried back.

Xiaolian said Young Madam
told us to wait here,

so Xiaolian and I practiced
yarrow-stalk divination

while waiting for Young Madam.

There's no need
to wait for Young Madam.

Go find First Madam

and follow her instructions.

Yes.

♪See the long road winding on♪

♪As all the noise falls silent♪

♪The keepsake rests against my chest
as I wait with lowered eyes♪

♪See how the passing years wear away♪

♪As even deep affection fades♪

♪The past is like fallen leaves
scattered into dust♪

Fengtai.

Lanxiang.

How did you know

Scholar Fang would join us
in yarrow-stalk divination?

♪The wind scatters the clouds,
the rain turns to mud♪

[For great matters,
use tortoise divination.]

[For small matters,
use yarrow divination.]

[Tortoise shells are used to divine,]

[while yarrow st*lks
are used to cast hexagrams.]

These yarrow st*lks
are firm yet flexible.

In a thousand years,
they grow three hundred st*lks.

Their roots have grown old,

so they are said
to tell good fortune from bad.

You little rascal.

Fang Shouyi begged me to teach him,

but I never did.

Yet you fell asleep listening to me.

All divination
has its roots in the Book of Changes.

I thought I'd teach you the basics,

so the next time you returned home,

you could play yarrow-stalk divination

with your friends.

You'd beat them every time.

But instead, you're dozing off.

Grandfather,

I'll learn.

Really?

[These are]

[fifty yarrow st*lks.]

♪See how the passing years wear away♪

♪As even deep affection fades♪

When I used to
deliver meals to Rongbao Pavilion,

I once heard some scholar mention

that Scholar Fang was devoted
to the Book of Changes.

He especially admired
King Wen of Zhou and Confucius,

who were both
skilled in yarrow-stalk divination.

I saw some yarrow by the vat,

so I thought I had nothing to lose

and pulled out
some dried st*lks to give it a try.

Bodhisattva, please bless us.

Bodhisattva, please bless us.

Lucao, who was
slacking off in the kitchen,

has already been tied up.

We'll trade her to merchants
from the north for furs.

But there are still two maids
who have been staying with my sister,

Xu Lanxiang and Du Xiaolian.

Those two maids

have already caught
Fang Shouyi's attention,

and he even gave them his calling card.

It's already become
a favorite story at the banquet.

If they suddenly disappeared,

wouldn't word of it

draw even more attention?

But what if
they find out about my sister...

Idiot.

Lin Jinqi has k*lled people
with his own hands.

He's far more ruthless than you.

If those two maids notice anything,

Lin Jinqi will deal
with them sooner or later.

Why dirty our own hands?

You're right, Father.

We lost a son-in-law today,

but gained Fang Shouyi's help.

At least we'll have something

to tell Old Master in the capital.

Now we still have
Qian Shaoze to deal with.

Master.

Qian... Qian Shaoze escaped.

Useless.

You couldn't even
keep watch over one man!

We can't exactly report this
to the authorities now.

Good that he escaped.

After all, he holds the rank
of a scholar.

It would've been rather inconvenient

to deal with him inside the residence.

Then, Father, you mean...

Even if he's running away,

is he supposed to run away on foot?

A carriage, a horse, or a boat...

Which one doesn't cost money?

I'll go find my sister.

She must know

where Qian Shaoze keeps his money.

Hyah!

If you want to live,

hand over all your money.

Sirs...

Sirs...

I'll give you all my money.

I only ask that you show mercy.

Please spare my life.

Young Master Qian,

you've been
making usurious loans for years.

How could this be all you have?

Who are you?

Who are you?

Who are you?

Who are you?

I'll...

I'll give you the money.

Here.

Please spare my life.

Just as you said,

we had men watch outside the bank,

and sure enough, Qian Shaoze showed up

in disguise to exchange
his money for silver.

We followed him
all the way out of the city

until we found a deserted mountain road.

Only then did we get our chance.

It's exactly 4,000 taels, not one short.

Now that you're back home,

you don't have anywhere
to spend money anyway.

So this money...

I'll keep it safe for you for now.

We had an agreement.

I told you how to catch Qian Shaoze.

You get Qian Shaoze,

and I get the money.

Yes.

I'm only keeping it safe for you.

I never said I'd take your silver.

Why are you acting like this?

You'd better not.

Master.

[Separation Agreement]

You shameless wretch.

You've utterly disgraced

this entire family.

This is your separation agreement.

Keep it safe.

What about my dowry

and the silver in my room?

You wretch!

Master!

Old Master Lin already said

your dowry
and everything in Zhichun Hall

that wasn't purchased
with the Lin family's common funds,

whether people or possessions,

will all be returned
with you to the Zhao family.

You wretch!

Move.

Master.

Move!

Because of your scandal,

we've been running around all day,

smiling and bowing,

doing everything
we could to cover it up.

Now that we're back,

you don't even ask whether
we're hungry, tired, or cold.

All you talk about is money!

If I asked,

wouldn't you still
think I've disgraced you?

You want to marry me off
as soon as possible?

To some old man who could benefit you,

so I can be his second wife?

I'll beat you to death, you wretch!

Calm down, Master.

Master!

I'll beat you to death!

In this world,

men who speak sweetly
but harbor cruel intentions,

and parents who keep
saying it's for my own good,

as far as I'm concerned,

aren't as dependable
as cold, hard silver

that can't even speak.

I'll beat you to death!

Master, take care of yourself.

You wretch!

My sister is talking nonsense.

Besides,

why would you lower yourself

to argue with a woman?

Xingtang, apologize to Father at once!

You useless woman!

Look at her!

Look how badly you've

spoiled this wretch!

Master, please calm down.

Let me tell you this.

I'm your father.

I gave you life,

and I raised you.

Never mind your silver

and your dowry.

Even you

belong to the Zhao family.

Only what the Zhao family
chooses to give you

is truly yours.

Never mind your silver.

Even if I beat you to death today,

the world would only
call you disobedient and unfilial.

Go.

Take her silver

and her dowry

and put them into the family estate.

Store them away.

Master.

Master!

The Three Obediences and Four Virtues
have always bound me,

and I have no power to resist.

But today...

Master,

either

you beat this unfilial daughter of yours

to death right here

and take back the life
you and First Madam gave me,

or...

My dowry

and my silver

must be returned in full!

Otherwise,

as long as I still draw breath,

I'll tell everyone.

Everyone!

I'll tell them why
Grand Secretary Zhao's

eldest granddaughter
cannot have children,

and why the Zhao
and Lin families agreed to a separation!

Didn't you tell me

that we must stand together as one?

That when one prospers, we all prosper,

and when one suffers, we all suffer?

If I have to suffer,

then no one

in the Zhao family
will have an easy life.

You've gone mad.

Madwoman.

You're a madwoman.

And let me tell you this.

If it weren't for Old Master,

today,

I'd k*ll you with my own hands.

Please calm down.

Careful.

Everything here has been inventoried.

You can move it out now.

These were brought from the Zhao family

by the eldest daughter
of the Zhao family.

They'll now be returned
to the Zhao family with her dowry.

Yes.

These were purchased by
the eldest daughter of the Zhao family

with the family's common funds.

They'll now be sold,

and the proceeds
will go back into the common funds.

Two of you, move these out.

Is that about everything?

Pretty much.

What should we do?

Let's clean up.

Whether we stay or leave,

there's no harm
in keeping everything clean.

Lanxiang is right.

Instead of waiting around anxiously,

we might as well find something to do.

I'll fetch some water.

The water is cold.

I'll do the washing.

Baogai,

when we worked in the tea room,

you looked after me very well.

I don't remember

anything else.

We were all just trying to survive.

Let's do this together.

All right.

I'll use this cloth.

♪Through rise and fall, people meet
and part as they always do♪

I'll wipe this.

You wipe here.

All right.

♪Flowers drift with the ties of fate♪

♪Plum blossoms bloom,
enduring the frost♪

♪Yet their proud spirit
fades with wind and snow♪

♪Bamboo shadows
embrace quiet contentment♪

♪Only orchids dwell in secluded places♪

♪Watching the old
and new take turns in this world♪

Here.

First Madam, watch your step.

First Madam is here.

- First Madam.
- First Madam.

Gantang

will be promoted to second-class maid.

Thank you, First Madam.

Together with Xiaolian,
Lanxiang, and Baogai,

that makes four second-class maids.

Add eight more third-class maids.

Have Madam Han come help,

and assign a cook

and a few honest women
for the heavy chores.

That should be enough staff

for Zhichun Hall.

But finding a first-class maid
who can manage things

and is both loyal and dependable

won't be easy

on such short notice.

Jinqi has already made arrangements.

That boy always thinks ahead.

As his mother,

I'm both relieved and concerned for him.

Young Master is simply being filial.

You have nothing
to worry about, First Madam.

First Madam.

She's here.

First Madam.

[Yuchan]

First Madam just said

Young Master had already arranged
for someone to manage Zhichun Hall.

I was wondering who it could be

that both Young Master
and First Madam could trust.

So it's Yuchan.

Thank you, First Madam,
for making an exception for me.

Only then

was I able to come back.

Now that you're back,

manage this courtyard well

and serve Young Master properly.

I will do my utmost

and not let First Madam down.

First Madam, rest assured.

With Yuchan and me here,

we'll make sure Zhichun Hall

is properly taken care of

so Young Master
can be as comfortable as before.

But let me make this clear first.

Young Master
is busy with official duties.

If any of you are unruly

or careless in your work

and cause trouble in Zhichun Hall,

I will not let it slide.

You four stay.

The rest of you follow
Madam Han's arrangements.

You few, come with me.

My name is Yuchan.

I was originally a second-class maid
serving First Madam.

First Madam thought
I handled things reliably,

so she assigned me to Young Master

as the senior maid of Zhichun Hall.

Later, when Young Lady Zhao
managed the household,

she arranged for me to marry

the foolish son of Shopkeeper Liu
from the rice shop.

A few days ago,
Shopkeeper Liu's family was sold off.

I separated from my husband
and left the household,

then begged First Madam
and Young Master for mercy

and was allowed
to return to work at Zhichun Hall.

I'm a few years older than all of you.

From now on,
you can just call me Yuchan.

- Yuchan.
- Yuchan.

On my way here,

Madam Han told me about all of you.

But I still want to hear it
from you yourselves.

What can you do?

What are you capable of?

What do you want to do?

If you've managed to survive
under Young Lady Zhao until now,

each of you must have
your own way of getting by.

Things are different now.

Young Master
is the only master in this courtyard,

and First Madam
is in charge of the household.

You should all go back
and think carefully

about how you want to live from now on.

Once you've figured it out,

come and tell me.

Yuchan,

I'm not very clever.

What if I can't figure it out?

Among the girls in Zhichun Hall

who were sent away by Young Lady Zhao,

I wasn't the only one.

Yet now I'm the only one
who escaped that misery

and managed to return to Zhichun Hall.

Why do you think that is?

Because First Madam and Young Master

think you're capable.

You're all still young,

so you don't yet understand
how hard life is for women,

especially women like us

who serve as maids.

Our lives are even harder
than those of other women.

If you want more choices

and more freedom,

you need to be capable,

to be able to serve your masters well

and earn their regard.

If you're fortunate,

you may not only
receive your master's favor

and regain your indenture,

but also build a life of your own.

Even with average luck,

you can still follow your heart

and choose whom to marry.

And even if you're unlucky,

like me,

and end up suffering
for years after marrying a fool,

you can still receive your master's help

to separate from your husband
and leave his household.

From today onward,

we all belong to Zhichun Hall.

We live under the same roof.

I want a fresh start

and a better life than before.

I hope all of you
can have a better life, too.

[Spring Breeze Carries the Seasons]

Baogai and I are all settled in.

What about you?

We're all settled in, too.

We were just about to sleep.

Gantang,

why don't the two of us

go ask Yuchan

to let us switch rooms?

No.

I want to share a room
with Lanxiang, too.

This really feels like a dream.

When we first came here,

I wondered how long it would take

before we could
become second-class maids

like Lucao and Jinzhan.

Xiaolian.

Don't bring up the past again.

I didn't mention it
in front of anyone else.

I'm only talking
about it among ourselves.

You.

Don't mention it again.

Outsiders don't know the details

of Young Master
and Young Madam's separation,

but those of us in this courtyard

all know something wasn't right.

I won't ask what happened
at the Zhao Residence that day.

And none of you
should mention it to anyone,

or you'll only invite trouble.

Gantang is looking out for us.

Xiaolian.

The people and things from the past

are best forgotten completely.

I understand.

Even when it's just us in private,

I won't mention it again.

You.

You may not be very quick-witted,

but at least you listen to advice.

You two are clever.

Tell me what Yuchan meant when she said

the more capable we are,

the more freedom we can earn.

Four third-class maids share one room.

Two second-class maids share one room.

A first-class maid
gets a room to herself.

If the three of us
were still third-class maids,

then four of us
would have to share one room.

Then we definitely couldn't

talk as freely as we do now.

I think that's what freedom means.

Then what does it mean
to be more capable

and have more choices?

Third-class maids

receive five hundred coins a month.

Second-class maids

receive eight hundred coins a month.

First-class maids

receive one tael of silver a month.

When you earn
five hundred coins a month,

you want to send the money home

and can't bear to spend any on candy.

When you earn
one tael of silver a month,

you can still do what you did before

and send five hundred coins home.

Then you'll still
have five hundred coins left.

You can buy candy if you want,

or flowers if you want.

You'll have many more choices.

Exactly.

Back when I was promoted
to second-class maid...

Lanxiang.

Now that Young Madam is gone,

First Madam won't make us
bear children, will she?

Of course not.

Let's just focus on being maids.

Why?

Right.

Why?

A family like the Lin family

cares greatly about propriety.

They would certainly take
a wife before any concubines.

Before, there was a Young Madam,

but she had no children for many years.

Taking concubines or chambermaids

wouldn't have been improper.

Now that Young Madam is gone,

First Madam will surely
wait until things settle down

before finding Young Master a new wife.

Otherwise,

respectable families
who cherish their daughters

would be reluctant
to marry them into this family.

Bodhisattva, please bless us.

That's a relief.

Quick, cover it up.

Then from now on,

I'm going to work hard
to become a first-class maid.

You little monkey
really know how to aim higher.

You once said

you'd be satisfied if you could become

a second-class maid.

And now?

You're actually dreaming
of becoming a first-class maid.

Everyone should hope

that each year
will be better than the last.

Even if that hope never comes true,

it's still nice to dream about it.

It's so cold outside.

I'll sleep here tonight.

The three of us can sleep together.

All right.

[Jinling Ministry of Revenue Office]

Everyone says Lin Fengtai is shrewd.

I think he's a fool.

Young Lady Zhao is beautiful,

and she's
Grand Secretary Zhao's granddaughter.

Yet he would even separate

from a wife like her.

Even if she couldn't bear him children,

he could have taken concubines.

[Dai Rong, Sixth-Rank]
How do you know

Lin Fengtai wanted the separation?

[Registrar, Jinling Ministry of Revenue]
Maybe Young Lady Zhao insisted on it.

That's impossible.

The Lin family
is a prominent Jiangnan family,

and Lin Fengtai
is young and accomplished.

If she remarries after a separation,

she'll never find another man
with such an outstanding

family background and character.

Why is that impossible?

If Young Lady Zhao would rather
separate and remarry,

then Lin Fengtai is most likely
all show and no substance.

Someone!

Congyi.

Lin Fengtai!

How dare you let your subordinate
openly as*ault an official!

Registrar Dai,

shall we report this to the authorities?

Why would I stoop
to arguing with a rough soldier?

Besides,

Fengtai and I
are both officials of the court.

For your sake, I'll let this go.

What brings you here today, Fengtai?

Come.

Fengtai, please sit.

Quick. Bring
Assistant Commander Lin some tea.

No need for tea.

I'm only here to ask you, Registrar Dai,

with the year-end almost upon us

and the offices about to close,

and after two rounds of snow,

why haven't we seen
any of the padded coats,

combat boots, and fur hats

the Ministry of Revenue promised us?

Could it be that

[Rations]
the rats in this office ate them all?

[Salaries]
The padded coats,

combat boots, and fur hats

were supposed
to have been distributed long ago.

But the Grand Secretariat
just changed the rules.

Winter supplies
for the Garrisons in Jinling

must now be dispatched from Huguang.

As soon as I received the directive,

I urged the local authorities
along the route

to recruit laborers
to haul the supplies.

But with all this heavy snow,

supplying them has been difficult.

Just wait a little longer.

We've already waited a month.

If we wait any longer,

are we supposed to wait
until spring, when the ice melts

and the weather warms up,

before transport is no longer difficult?

Fengtai,

I'm truly not trying
to make things difficult for you.

But I have to say,

my superior

is a disciple of Grand Secretary Zhao.

Usually, you don't even need to ask

for him to give you
priority in everything.

But now that you and Young Lady Zhao...

The rules from above have changed,

and there's nothing I can do about it.

Registrar Dai,

the rough soldiers don't understand
the chain of command.

When we lose our temper,

we only know
how to take matters straight to the top.

=Against the Current=
[Next Episode's Preview]

- Drop a fortune.
- Drop a fortune.

- Cats come, dogs come.
- Cats come, dogs come.

- The God of Wealth comes to our home.
- The God of Wealth comes to our home.

- Great ingots come rolling in.
- Great ingots come rolling in.

- Little ingots squeeze through the cracks in the door.
- Little ingots squeeze through the cracks in the door.

One, two, three.

♪Spring slips from the
branches once more♪

♪Flowers bloom unseen,
as they have before♪

♪All the joys and sorrows come and go♪

♪While loss leaves winter in the heart♪

♪Though all the world may fade♪

♪Time rolls on as
countless lives rush by♪

♪Night winds wander
through the halls of long ago♪

♪No page could hold the
longing words can never show♪

♪Every joy and sorrow
in this fleeting life♪

♪Fades into the past
as new wounds rise♪

♪While whispers of perfume
linger beneath the eaves♪

♪Let the cold wind rage,
let the wild rain fall♪

♪Let sorrow spill like shadows over all♪

♪Let love fall to pieces,
let old anger burn away♪

♪Let the past die with yesterday♪

♪One last fire, one last cup of wine♪

♪And silver moonlight to
guide me through the night♪

♪Let beginnings fade
as endings come to call♪

♪From this endless dream,
there's no return at all♪

♪Let the cold wind rage,
let the wild rain fall♪

♪Let sorrow spill like shadows over all♪

♪Let love fall to pieces,
let old anger burn away♪

♪Let the past die with yesterday♪

♪One last fire, one last cup of wine♪

♪And silver moonlight to
guide me through the night♪

♪Let beginnings fade
as endings come to call♪

♪From this endless dream,
there's no return at all♪