01x31 - Episode 31

[bunniefuu]

=Against The Current=

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

=Episode 31=
[This drama does not correspond]

[to any real historical dynasty.]

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

If it weren't for Lin Jinqi,

how would Fourth Master
ever have been convicted?

Fourth Madam Dai.

Dai Rong took his own life
out of fear of punishment

for colluding with Wo pirates.

What does it have to do with others?

You...

That's enough.

Let's leave here.

No wonder you went
from a sparrow to a phoenix

and became Madam Lin.

You certainly know
how to get what you want.

Madam Dai.

You specifically invited me here.

Surely it wasn't to discuss

sparrows and phoenixes.

What you really want to know

is whether I know about the library.

Everyone, leave.

It's been so long.

Does it really matter

whether I know or not?

I always like to get
to the bottom of things

and know exactly what happened.

I can accept a setback,

but I need to know

exactly what caused it.

Though I knew the truth,

I never spoke of it
or mentioned it to anyone,

because I didn't want to die.

I wanted to leave
the Lin Residence alive

and reunite with my parents.

Lin Jinqi.

If you want to save Ji'er,

bring me 30,000 taels of silver.

You're the Young Madam
of the Lin Residence now.

Surely you can come up

with 30,000 taels of silver.

When you were
in charge of the Lin Residence,

could you have come up
with 10,000 taels?

You're
Grand Secretary Zhao's granddaughter,

and even you couldn't.

How could a mere maid like me

possibly come up with that much?

I didn't have an imperial decree
granting me a marriage,

nor am I Lin Jinqi's precious darling.

It seems you're not trying
to make things difficult for me.

You're trying to make things difficult
for Young Master Lin.

But Young Master Lin
doesn't even know who Ji'er is,

nor does he care.

That's what you get
for marrying Lin Jinqi.

Take your time finding a way
if you can't raise the money.

I'm in no hurry.

But I am.

That's none of my concern.

Ji'er was bought
by a shopkeeper of the Dai family.

She's a servant of the Dai family.

Even if you get the money,

it will go to the Dai family.

So it really has nothing to do with you.

I don't understand what you mean.

I'm Madam Dai.

The Dai family's money

has everything to do with me.

You're Young Lady Zhao.

Does that mean the Zhao family's
earnings belong to you?

What exactly are you trying to say?

I want to offer you an idea

in exchange for Ji'er and Xiaopu.

What kind of idea

could be worth 30,000 taels of silver?

This idea will make the money you earn

truly yours,

belonging neither to
the Dai family nor the Zhao family.

I'm your father.

Never mind your silver and your dowry.

Even you belong to the Zhao family.

Even if I beat you to death today,

the world would only
call you disobedient and unfilial.

Go.

Move her silver into the family coffers.

Have it deposited in the treasury.

They say learning teaches us reason.

But there are some things

I still can't make sense
of even after studying.

Sons and daughters
are born to the same parents,

yet sons are naturally entitled
to inherit family property,

while daughters can only gain

a small share of it through marriage,

in the form of a so-called dowry.

If her father and brothers
choose to give it to her,

only then does it belong to her.

If they choose not to,
they can take it back at any time.

For a woman in this world,

she obeys her father at home
and her husband after marriage.

No matter how capable she may be,

she must depend on a man

to have a place in this world.

Not a single coin she earns

truly belongs to her.

Perhaps it's because

throughout history, most of those
who wrote and shaped these ideas

were men.

They could never understand
a woman's hardships

or what women truly need.

Then tell me.

What can I do

so that the money
I've worked so hard to earn

belongs neither to
the Zhao family through my father

nor to the Dai family
through my husband,

but to me alone?

If what you say makes sense,

I'll give you both indentures.

I read a story in a book.

During Emperor Shengzu's reign,

the Xu brothers of Chun'an divided the
family property and lived separately.

The youngest brother's widow
received only an old servant.

The widow sold all her hairpins,
earrings, and other jewelry

for twelve taels of gold.

The old servant took the gold into
the mountains to trade in lacquer.

Twenty years later, he had amassed a
fortune worth tens of thousands in gold

and handed it all over to his madam,

making the widow

the wealthiest person in the county.

Showing off just because you can read?

The widow was treated unfairly
when the family property was divided.

Afraid she couldn't manage on her own,

she didn't dare
let her husband's brothers find out.

She secretly gave the twelve taels
of gold from selling her jewelry

to the old servant.

Twenty years later,

the old servant returned all the tens
of thousands in gold he had earned

to the widow.

It's an anecdote
praising the old servant

for his loyalty and integrity.

But from the widow's perspective,

our laws allow servants
to engage in trade,

but they cannot own private property.

Whatever a servant
earns belongs to the master.

By using the old servant
to conceal the truth,

the widow managed to amass
a fortune worth tens of thousands.

Qingxiang's indenture
isn't held by the Dai family

or the Zhao family, is it?

After being played once by that
wretched old woman of the Lin family,

you think I haven't learned my lesson?

I keep it myself.

This method

may not let you

earn 30,000 taels of silver overnight,

but from now on,

every coin you earn

will belong to you alone.

Ji'er and Xiaopu's indentures.

I misjudged you before.

It's that ungrateful Lin Jinqi

who doesn't deserve you.

How about

you and I

go into business together?

With the Zhao,

Dai, and Lin families behind us,

forget 30,000 taels.

Even 50,000 or 100,000 taels,

we could earn it.

Thank you for thinking so highly of me.

But that's not where my ambitions lie.

What a shame.

[Indenture]
I promised to return the indentures,

but I never promised

to let Ji'er leave today.

Unless you can knock
the ball into the hole.

Otherwise,

you'll have to come back
another day for Ji'er.

♪Those things I can't forget♪

♪The absurdities I can't let go
of fill every page♪

♪Building a wall♪

Lanxiang!

♪Memories hide away again♪

♪Silent, yet they never stop shining♪

♪Still burning bright♪

♪That's what made me who I am♪

You're free.

♪Etched into my heart♪

From now on,

you're free.

I'm free.

The room has just been cleaned.

The bedding is clean, too.

You three can stay here without worry.

I'll go get you some hot water
from the boiler room.

All right.

Thank you.

I'll help him.

All right.

This is Ji'er's indenture.

And this is Xiaopu's indenture.

[Indenture]

Good.

This is the Deed of Emancipation
I've signed.

[Deed of Emancipation]

Later, Yuchan will go
with you to the county office

to complete the emancipation procedures.

I can act as your guarantor,

so you can register here in the capital

with a nearby neighborhood,

or return to Jinling to register.

I don't want to register in the capital,

and I don't want to return
to Jinling to register either.

You want to find your parents?

Do you know where your parents are?

I'm not going to find them.

The only family I have is Xiaopu

and you.

Ji'er secretly left
all the tips from the guests

with her parents, hoping to save enough
to buy her freedom.

But one day,

when she went to see them,
she discovered

that over a month earlier,

they had taken Ji'er's money

to buy freedom for themselves

and their two sons,

and then secretly fled.

There's nothing to be sad about.

That money

can count as repayment
for your parents raising you.

From now on, you owe each other nothing.

You can each live your own lives.

That's exactly how I see it.

Xiaopu and I already agreed

that if we ever gained our freedom,

we'd go to Quanzhou.

Quanzhou?

The merchants who trade by sea

often talk about Quanzhou.

They say it's unlike anywhere else.

There are enormous seagoing ships,

all kinds of exotic goods from overseas,

men of different skin colors,

and even blonde women

with their legs and chests exposed.

Quanzhou

is different from the capital, Yangzhou,

and Jinling.

Women there can establish their
own households and support themselves.

What do they call it again?

Female households.

Right, female households.

In Quanzhou, once a woman
establishes a female household,

she doesn't have to depend on a man.

She can go out on her own,

run a shop, and do business.

Although they'll
be looked down upon by scholars

and ladies of respectable families,

merchants don't mind dealing with them

as long as there's money to be made.

You want to go somewhere

completely different

and start over?

[Indenture]

Not as a maid of the Lin Residence,

not as Young Lady Shuang,

not as Concubine Lv.

I want to truly live

as Lv Ji'er for once.

Can I go to Quanzhou with you?

Xiaopu and I would certainly
welcome another helping hand.

But even in Quanzhou,

women who establish their own
households and support themselves

are called shameless
and treated with contempt.

I've long since stopped caring
what people think of me.

All right.

The three of us

will go to Quanzhou together.

But

we'll still need Lanxiang's help

to get the three of us

registered in Quanzhou.

Have you all made up your minds?

Yes.

I'll find a way
to help you register there.

That's wonderful, Lanxiang.

What am I going to do?
You're too good to me.

I almost don't want to leave.

Then stay here with me.

But I won't put myself
through that again.

From this day forward,

the person who will
treat me best in this world

is myself.

Good.

You're saying the Young Madam

didn't give Madam Dai a single coin

and still brought them back?

Young Master really underestimated
the Young Madam this time.

I saw it with my own eyes.

The Young Madam spoke
with Madam Dai for a while,

and Madam Dai handed her the indentures.

I asked the Young Madam afterward,

and she said that as a fellow woman,

she understood Madam Dai's pain.

She reasoned with her
and showed her the benefits,

joking that she'd gotten what she wanted
without spending a thing.

Reason with her

and show her the benefits.

Young Master, you can rest now.

Didn't you say the Young Madam
wanted to get those three

registered in Quanzhou?

Yes.

The Young Madam
even went to the bookshop

and borrowed several books
on laws and household registration.

Did you tell her

what I asked you to?

Yes.

I told the Young Madam

that a superior you were

close to back in Jinzhou

is now Assistant Commander
of the Quanzhou Garrison.

Then tell me.

Do you think she didn't
understand what I meant?

Even I understood.

Given your

relationship with the Assistant
Commander of the Quanzhou Garrison,

getting Ji'er and the others
registered in Quanzhou

would only take a word from you.

How could
the Young Madam not understand?

Since it's on your mind,

why not offer to help her?

You'd solve
the Young Madam's urgent problem,

and you'd be able to sleep soundly, too.

Nonsense.

Even when the Wo pirates attacked,
I slept perfectly soundly.

Now that I'm in my own home,

why wouldn't I sleep soundly?

I'm going to sleep right now.

I won't wake up until morning.

It's not easy for an adult man
to establish his own household.

He needs the consent
of his senior clansmen

and a neighborhood headman
to act as guarantor.

It's even harder for an adult woman
to establish her own household.

She's lucky if she's allowed to at all.

It even says here that female households

should be abolished if they
hinder the collection of corvée duties.

A female household must be verified
to have no adult male members.

To establish a female household,
besides having no husband or sons

and truly having no adult male
in the household,

she must own taxable farmland
in the countryside

or property in an urban neighborhood

before she can register locally.

That shouldn't be a problem.

Ji'er and the others

are going there to make a living
through business anyway.

Sooner or later, they'll acquire
property in an urban neighborhood.

They just need to set aside
the money in advance.

Then what's the difficulty?

Anyone registering as a local resident

needs a respected local resident

to recommend them and act as a guarantor

before they can settle there.

Then just ask them to be guarantors.

Give them some gifts
and ask for their help.

It's not a matter of giving gifts.

Since they're respected members
of the community,

they may disapprove
of Ji'er and the others' backgrounds

and refuse their gifts outright.

If the neighbors found out otherwise,

their lifelong reputations
would be ruined.

Young Master.

Young Master, please sit.

If you keep studying like this,

you could take a post
at the Ministry of Revenue.

No amount of reading will help Ji'er.

I'll just have to swallow my pride

and ask you for help.

We're husband and wife.

There's no need to speak like that.

We should help each other.

After Yuchan told me,

I'd already written a letter

and sent someone
to deliver it to Quanzhou.

The wife of the Assistant Commander
of the Quanzhou Garrison is surnamed Xu.

Her surname sounds the same as yours,

but it's the Xu written
with the double-person radical.

Write a letter
of introduction to Madam Xu

and have Young Lady Lv and the other two
take it to Quanzhou.

Madam Xu will help make the necessary
arrangements with the local neighborhood

and get their household
registration settled.

Thank you.

I'm not capable enough yet

to even help my own sisters,

and I have no way to repay you.

If you ever need my help in the future,

I'll do everything I can.

I only want

you to be my wife.

Aren't I already?

What I want

isn't just to have you here with me,

but your heart as well.

I'm already here.

Where could my heart possibly go?

♪Through life's winding road,
we've weathered countless trials♪

♪I'm blessed to spend
each peaceful day and night with you♪

You're so clever.

There's no way
you don't understand what I mean.

You're simply
pretending not to understand.

♪Our bond runs deep♪

♪Binding us closely together♪

♪Washing away
the dust of this mortal world♪

♪Even if we must part in the end♪

♪I'll have no regrets
that we met in this life♪

♪May we stay together until life's end♪

♪Every sincerity you've shown me♪

♪Has long taken root in my heart♪

♪Our bond runs deep♪

♪Binding us closely together♪

♪After all
the questions life has brought♪

♪This love has never
faded in the slightest♪

♪A trace of fragrance lingers on♪

♪How fortunate
to find one person in a lifetime♪

♪Through these warm and gentle years♪

♪My heart remains
as true to you as ever♪

[Chengding Gate]

It's already the twenty-fifth day
of the twelfth lunar month.

Can't you wait until
after the Chinese New Year

and leave when the weather gets warmer?

The Chinese New Year
is for families to reunite.

My family is right here with me.

Wherever we go, that's where we'll
celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Even if we stayed here,

we couldn't spend
Chinese New Year's Eve with you.

So we thought
we'd head to Quanzhou early.

We want to set off early.

I know you can't wait.

Once you reach Quanzhou,
be sure to write to me.

Xiaopu knows a little writing,
so she'll write to you first.

Once I learn how to write,

I'll write to you myself.

Don't laugh if my handwriting is ugly.

I'll learn to write too
and send you letters.

All right.

Baogai.

Here are some old clothes.

Keep them to wear.

And as a memento.

Three padded coats.

We've sewn gold leaves into them.

They're worth 500 taels of silver.

Once you're in the mule cart,
put them on and keep them close.

Xiaolian, Baogai, and I

scraped together


No.

Yuchan added another 20 taels.

That's 50 taels in total.

No. I can't take it.

You've already
given me money for the journey.

Quanzhou is so far away.

I hear we won't even understand
how the locals speak.

There's not much we can do to help you.

All we can do
is put together some money for you.

You must keep it safe.

They say you should travel
with plenty of money.

Just consider it a loan from us.

You can pay us back
once you've made some money.

I'd already made up my mind.

I absolutely wasn't going to cry today.

We're going to Quanzhou.

This is wonderful news.

I want to leave happily.

I want to leave with a smile.

It's all your fault.

You just had to make me cry again.

Tears don't cost anything.
Just cry if you want.

It's because I know tears are worthless

that I don't want to cry.

It's all your fault.

Young Madam.
The caravan is already far ahead.

They need to catch up
as soon as possible.

If they miss this caravan,

the next one going to Quanzhou

won't leave until next spring.

We're going now.

We're going. Let's go.

Take good care of yourselves.

We're leaving. Goodbye.

♪All things fall silent, fearing♪

♪To disturb this moment♪

♪My restless heart♪

♪Seeks a place to anchor♪

♪I wonder if the past
has ever been heard♪

♪Yesterday's brush and ink♪

♪Lightly sketch out cause and effect♪

♪Half a lifetime of longing♪

♪Returns to this moment♪

♪Love and guilt intertwine♪

♪If the shadow isn't real, what then?♪

Be careful on the way.
Take good care of yourself!

I'll live well!

You'd better live well, too!

♪I only hope those I once knew remain♪

♪Safe and well as they grow♪

♪Never again letting
the world's wind and snow fall♪

♪And cover the grass and trees in frost♪

♪I only wish that
where the lights grow dim♪

♪You and I will go together♪

[From this day forward,]

[not as a maid of the Lin Residence,]

[not as Young Lady Shuang,]

[not as Concubine Lv.]

[I want to truly live as Lv Ji'er]

[for once.]

[My surname is Lv. My name is Ji'er.]

I can cook and do laundry.

I raised all my younger brothers myself.

From now on, everyone
in this room will listen to Ji'er.

So what if I'm a third-rank maid?

I didn't steal it!

Now that there's someone new,

no one listens to me anymore.

If you're so capable, go hit a man!

From this day forward,

the person who will
treat me best in this world

is myself.

Ji'er and the others are traveling
with a large merchant caravan.

The journey may be difficult,

but there's no need
to worry about their safety.

They'll definitely
reach Quanzhou safely.

[500 taels were raised by pawning.]

Ji'er and the other two
didn't have a penny.

The Young Madam gave them


for the journey.

In private,

the Young Madam also had
Baogai quietly go to a pawnshop

and pawn her jewelry
for 500 taels of silver.

She exchanged it for gold leaves
and sewed them into old padded coats.

She was even afraid
Ji'er wouldn't accept them,

so she waited until
they were parting to give them to her.

People say I'm one of His Majesty's
most trusted officials,

at the height of my glory.

Yet my own wife

had to pawn her jewelry

for 500 taels.

The Young Madam
only pawned them temporarily.

She arranged with the pawnshop
to redeem them within three months.

She only needed
some money to tide her over.

That's common among
wealthy families in the capital, too.

I'm not angry with her.

Why are you all so anxious?

The Young Madam is a good person.

Yes.

The Young Madam is kindhearted.

Young Master, you're a good person, too.

Enough.

How would I dare be angry with her?

I just want to see

how she's going to

redeem the jewelry when the time comes.

Now,

the Young Madam
has no private savings left.

Young Master, you'll have to

think of something.

Otherwise,

forget redeeming the jewelry.

Even everyday expenses
and social obligations

require money.

The Young Madam will find a way.

Even I'm not that confident.

What makes you so confident?

Back then, didn't you also
think that as a woman,

the Young Madam
was alone and powerless

and couldn't get Ji'er back
without your help?

But she proved that
she not only did it without your help,

but she also got Ji'er back
without spending a single coin.

Yuchan is simple by nature.

Ever since she started
serving the Young Madam,

she's been completely

devoted to her.

All right.

Whether that's true or not,

we'll know

in three months.

[500 taels were raised by pawning.]

[Three Months Later]

[Ting Lizi, Troupe Leader
of Xiaofurong Troupe]

Troupe Leader, Madam Lin is here.

Didn't you say coming here
could cure your homesickness?

You haven't come in so long.

It seems you don't miss my master

or Mister Lu at all.

I didn't dare come too often.

I was afraid you'd think
I was here to ask for money.

So this time,

you're not here for money?

This time, I'm mainly here
to cure my homesickness

and ask for money while I'm at it.

Here's 50 taels.

Together with the previous 100 taels,

over three months,

that's a total of 150 taels.

Before the Chinese New Year,

my master brought together
opera troupes from Jinling,

the capital, and Suzhou

to stage the new play together.

The Tale of the Feathered Immortal
became an instant hit.

These days,

if any lady hasn't seen it yet,

she has to hurry and invite a troupe
to perform at her residence.

Otherwise, when she's with other ladies,

she won't even
have anything to talk about.

In just these three months,

we've earned as much
as we used to in an entire year.

It's because you performed it so well

that the play became such a hit.

No matter how well we perform,
we still need a good script.

[Xu Lanxiang]
These days, who can hear

The Tale of the Feathered Immortal

without praising
its clear and graceful style,

appealing to both
refined and popular tastes?

Even Scholar Shouyi
of Qixia Academy said

it combines the beauty
of southern tunes and northern lyrics

while bringing forth something new.

Many outsiders are guessing

that Shen Rugu, who wrote the play,

is actually Mister Lu,

and that Mister Lu
simply changed his writing style

but feared people would gossip,

so he deliberately
used a different pen name.

Tell me.

Is it really Mister Lu?

I only help my master keep the accounts.

As for what my master is thinking,

I can't say, I dare not say,

and it wouldn't be appropriate to say.

I heard Shunqing say

you still need to go to the pawnshop.

Then I won't keep you.

Come back for a play when you have time.

[500 taels were raised by pawning.]

I was just about to go to the pawnshop
to redeem my jewelry

when Yuchan told me

that you had already redeemed it.

I'm sorry to have troubled you.

Here are 500 taels of silver.

Please accept them.

We're husband and wife.

There's no need to be so formal.

The books say

a true gentleman
keeps money matters clear.

I didn't blame you

for giving the money to Lv Ji'er.

I'm just curious

how you managed to earn so much money

in only three months.

I thought they'd
already told you everything.

I only know that this silver

came from opera troupes in Jinling,

Suzhou, and the capital

under Mister Lu's name.

But I don't know what you did.

I'm Mister Lu's student.

What else could I do?

Naturally, I wrote plays for performers.

I know

you surely can't accept

the wife of the Lin family
writing plays for performers.

If word gets out,

it won't reflect well on the family.

I might even be condemned
for corrupting public morals.

But this is what I want to do.

I decided on it before I married you.

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

[It's my fault for being so helpless.]

[From now on, you won't have
to live in fear with me anymore.]

[Arsenic]

What are you doing?

What?

[Arsenic]

♪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♪