[MULTISUBup]EP24/33 嫁金釵 Where the Mask Ends|Tian Xi Wei/Yan An|杨龙执导|周末编剧|田曦薇/闫桉领衔主演|王一楠/尹文萱/毛林林/孔琳/恬妞/代高政/杨青/李佑川/潘珺雅等特别出演|优酷

‪ADAPTED FROM ‪JIA JIN CHAI‪, ORIGINAL NOVEL ‪BY XIAOJIAREN ON JINJIANG LITERATURE CITY My Lord, General Qi is here. Did you find anything last night? I couldn't find Jin Chang, the man Wei Rao mentioned, in the prison last night. But I found relatives of the abducted girls. Right, and a clerk from the Court of Justice too. Outraged by what had happened, he submitted petitions for the victims and was imprisoned too. Can he testify? They cut out his tongue and severed all four limbs, tortured him beyond recognition. I only learned who he was by questioning others. How cruel. I heard bandits raided the Crown Prince's Residence. Was it Wei Rao…? It really was her? Heavens. This is bad. The Crown Prince won't let this slide. What are we going to do? My Lord, the Northern Army has searched everywhere and found nothing. Nothing at all? That's even stranger. Where could they have hidden those girls? Why don't you ask her yourself? - Right! I'll go to Zhuyu Estate now… - No need. She's here. What do you mean? Haven't you heard? Last night, the Northern Army searched my room and disturbed Noble Lady Wu'an. By noon, the whole capital will probably know. CROWN PRINCE'S RESIDENCE You found nothing? We began at Your Highness's residence and searched all the way to the outer city. We even searched the Eldest Princess's residence, but found no sign of the wounded ringleader. Bandits broke into our residence and abducted concubines and maids, yet you caught no one. Did they all vanish into thin air? His Majesty issued a decree of grace, opening Guangbu Ward, Jingji Ward, and other areas to displaced people. The authorities serve congee once a day. But to make a living, most refugees work as day laborers or beg. The bandits are hiding among them. It's hard to tell them apart. Last night, we blocked every route from this residence out of the city, with checkpoints set throughout the wards and at the gates. But we had to withdraw our sentries at dawn so the refugees could seek a livelihood. Otherwise, unrest could've drawn His Majesty's attention, leading to unthinkable consequences. We beg Your Highness for a little more time to investigate discreetly. Investigate… By the time you're done, the bandits will have been long gone! Enough! - Leave me. - Your Highness… Don't be angry, Your Highness. Let me attend to you. Get out! Don't be angry, Your Highness. I won't come in. You must take care of yourself. - The bandits will surely be caught. - Useless! You're all useless! Your Highness! His Majesty summons you at once. Your Highness, His Majesty must have heard about the raid and must be concerned for your safety. Help me up. Yes. I don't want your help! ‪RADIANT CLARITY {\an8}SIMA GATE Your Majesty! We've been wronged! Your Highness. Who are these people wailing outside the palace entrance? Please show us justice! - Help us, Your Majesty! - Help us, Your Majesty! - Please, save us, Your Majesty! - Your Majesty! Lord Wang, last night, a carriage stopped at the palace entrance. When the Imperial Guards came up, many young women stepped out. They were said to have been abducted by someone powerful. They wept so bitterly that His Majesty himself was alerted. Nothing like this has ever happened before! His Majesty just summoned the Commandant of Justice and gave him a furious scolding. Then the Commandant named someone. - Do you know who it was? - Who? Who? Come on, let's go. Time for court. Your Majesty! Give us justice, Your Majesty! Give us justice! Justice, Your Majesty! - Hurry. - Okay. ‪SIMA GATE ‪RED-AND-BLACK PAINTED WOODWORK Don't be afraid. The Northern Army is busy hunting bandits. The Crown Prince's residence and his other estate are both on fire. His household is too busy saving itself. Besides, so what if they do catch up? You're not slaves, and you've committed no crime. They have no grounds to arrest you. Why isn't the carriage heading out of the city? Where are we going to hide? If my family knows I escaped from the Crown Prince's residence, they wouldn't dare to keep me. To get home safely, you need only remember one thing. When I take you to our destination, just cry. Cry out loud. The louder, the better. Cry? Crying in front of the person hurting you only adds to his pleasure in bullying the weak. But if you cry in the right place, loudly enough for the Emperor and the whole world to hear, and strike fear into the man behind it all, will he still risk universal condemnation and pursue you? Even if he wants revenge, he'll have to consider how secure his own position is. If one day the Crown Prince takes the throne, he'll have his pick of all the women in the realm. Who will care whether those women were willing? The law applies to commoners, not princes. XUANSHI PALACE Attendant Zheng, please plead my case before Father. I've been falsely accused. Your Highness, those women wept loudly outside the palace and alerted His Majesty. His Majesty ordered me to ask them, and certain unseemly words came to light. His Majesty was furious. Anyone who tried to send word to your household was given 80 strokes of the rod. By merely ordering you to kneel here, His Majesty has shown exceptional mercy because you are his own flesh and blood. He's committed so many crimes. Everyone else has been punished, yet he, the chief culprit, need only kneel here. It's so unfair to the girls whose families he destroyed. In affairs of state, the Crown Prince has made no major mistakes. Even if he's gone a bit too far with women, Father will give him a light punishment and let it go. After all, he's the son Father values the most. Father has already lost one son. How could he bear to lose the Crown Prince too? - Your Highness! - Oh no. The Crown Prince can't hold out any longer. - I'll go check on him! - What's it to you? Shou! Your Highness… Shou. Shou. I'll plead with Father on your behalf. Wait here. You're a good brother. I'll remember this favor. We're brothers. No need for thanks. Take good care of the Crown Prince. Yes. Sentimental fool. Wei Rao, there are too many eyes watching in the capital. It'll be hard for you to recover here. I have a hot spring villa in Yongzhou. It's beautiful and good for healing. Even if the Crown Prince fears public criticism and dares not search openly, you should still lie low somewhere else. He's the heir to the throne, after all. So long as His Majesty doesn't depose him, you must stay on your guard. You… Wei Rao, I'll stay with you there for a while. Once things settle down, you may return to the capital. - What do you say? - The carriage is ready. Time to leave. I'll escort you back to the estate. Noble Lady Wu'an spends the night at the Duke's Residence, then General Qi escorts her home the next day. That would set off all sorts of rumors. You'd better spare her your attentions. If you truly had her interests at heart, why bring her here while she was unconscious? You even kept her in your own room and let so many people see her here. What, did you think Wei Rao's reputation was too spotless? This had to be kept secret. My residence was the closest to the Crown Prince's. Did you expect me to take the injured outside the city? You can spare me that righteous act of yours. You planned this with an ulterior motive. Your intentions were never honorable. You two can carry on arguing. I'm going home. Thank you for your help, Lord Lu. Attendants! Don't think your careful planning lets you anticipate everything. She already moved out of your residence. She won't marry you again. I've made my feelings for Wei Rao clear. I won't bring it up again and annoy her. You shouldn't keep pressuring or pestering her either. Let her recover in peace. I hope you mean what you say. It was her. It must be her. Your Highness, the Crown Prince has returned from the palace. Your Highness. Didn't you go to the palace? How did you end up in this state? Have they caught anyone? Not yet. Your Highness, I had no solid evidence, so I didn't want to make unfounded accusations. But the more I think about it, the more suspicious someone seems. Who? There was a wild sparrow locked out back. Noble Lady Wu'an was her foster sister. She asked for the girl but failed. That must have driven her to it. I suspect she took the opportunity to free the other women as well. Absurd. Could one woman cause such havoc, then vanish without a trace despite a citywide search? But, Your Highness… Women talk such foolish nonsense! I should never have believed you! Please calm down, Your Highness. I let my concern for you cloud my judgment and jumped to conclusions. For now, you must focus on your recovery. Catching the culprit - can wait until you get well. - Get out! Your Highness. Your Highness… I'll take my leave. UPHOLD VIRTUE AND HONOR TRADITION What's wrong with His Highness? Why is he so angry with you? Something's wrong. Something must have happened that they're keeping from me. Have the carriage prepared. I'll go to Zhuyu Estate myself and find out. ZHUYU ESTATE Your Ladyship, the Crown Princess is here. Your Ladyship, what should we do with Hongxian? I'll take her somewhere to hide. Can she hide for the rest of her life? Come here. Here's what we'll do. I should have prepared a proper welcome for such an honored guest. But Your Highness gave me no notice, so I'm afraid I've been discourteous. Leave us. I know it was you. Me? What have I done? When you and your Lady Li drove my mother to hang herself, I forgave you both because I knew the greater good had to come first. And how have you repaid me? You acted so recklessly. Did you ever spare a thought for the Wei family? Come out. Hongxian, pour Her Highness some tea. I haven't formally introduced her to Your Highness. This is my sister, Hongxian. Wei Rao! How dare you? How could you? We're bound by blood and family. We should be on the same side, supporting each other. Yet for someone so lowly, you… Do people of lowly birth deserve to die? Big fish swallow little fish, and little fish eat shrimp. The strong devour the weak. That's the way of the world. But for her sake, you defied the Crown Prince. Such an unforgivable crime. How could you be so foolish? The butcher at the market is lowly. When he sees a noble, he must crawl on his hands and knees and kowtow repeatedly. But he has a knife in his hand. Push him to the limit, and who cares about defying superiors or offending the highborn? You lords of privilege, nothing but raw meat upon the chopping block. What's there to fear? Hongxian, pour another cup. His Highness, the Crown Prince, will one day ascend the throne, with the whole realm at his feet. Wei Rao, you'll regret today's arrogance when it's too late. What are you laughing at? I'm scared. So scared I'm trembling. Let him become Emperor first. Then he can come and take my head. This matter is far from over. Since we belong to the same clan, I won't expose you publicly. You'd better watch yourself. You're just afraid I'll implicate you and cost you the Crown Prince's favor, aren't you? After all, - we both bear the surname Wei. - You…! My sister was abducted by bandits. Fortunately, Heaven took pity on her. Their hideout caught fire, and she escaped with her life. A kind soul then brought her to my estate. Your Highness, be sure to remember that. Don't go telling people otherwise. You can see yourself out. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Do you remember how we stabbed the Crown Prince before we left? What I did was not solely to avenge you. When I looked at him, I suddenly thought how can a country be entrusted to someone like him? How can the people accept someone so depraved as their ruler? No, it can't happen. Absolutely not. So don't be afraid. With such leverage over the Crown Prince, he will be a hundred, a thousand times more fearful than we. He has far more reason to fear the matter becoming known to the world. If I were him, I'd make everyone in his household keep their mouths tightly shut. After all, the Emperor still has three sons. But the Crown Prince will never have one. DUKE'S RESIDENCE What? Marry Noble Lady Wu'an again? Yes. That's exactly what I intend. Mother, as the saying goes, "A broken bond is hard to mend, and spilled water can't be recovered." Both families are noble and respectable. First they demand a divorce, then they want to marry again. Won't that make us look like a joke? And you, Wanniang, should keep your son in line. Marriage is not something to take lightly. If Rao is willing to be my daughter-in-law again, I'd be delighted. Why should I stop them? You're being foolish. Wei Rao is no longer that demure young lady. I hear Zhuyu Estate has a private army with strong men and fine horses. One word from her, and they all obey. Such power! The Crown Prince and Prince Fu vie to win her over. Princes and noblemen flock to her. If you bring such an exalted figure into our household, aren't you asking for misery? Stop making veiled accusations. She shelters refugees, saves countless lives. Grateful for her kindness, the people even built her a living shrine. What extraordinary merit this is! Her name will go down in history. If such a woman joins the Lu family, we'll share in that honor. I'm only thinking of what's best for our family. She keeps a male lover at that estate. Did you know that? Utter nonsense! All these malicious rumors are deliberate slander from noble families for land and profit. Why don't you visit Zhuyu Estate yourself? Every decent houses have been torn down for granaries and fields. It is all about saving lives. Those who slander her behind her back are the real bandits and harlots. What did you say? - Who are you calling bandits and harlots? - How dare you! I'm talking about someone insolent! Then it's you! - Enough. - Say no more. - Enough. - Say no more. - I'm talking about you! - Don't argue. Don't upset Mother. - Be quiet! - It is you! - All of you, be quiet! - Yes, you! Say no more. This is disgraceful! Mother, the Lu family has always been loyal, brave, and upright. A woman so fond of public attention and so brazen in her conduct really isn't fit to join our family. Aunts, take such an interest in my marriage? Why not ask what I think first? You're just in time. We're discussing your marriage. You ought to hear what we have to say. Aunts, you were just saying someone's spreading lies to smearHer Ladyship. Don't they value their necks? I'd like to know who had the nerve to do that. They're only rumors from the streets. You can't take them seriously. We were only making conversation. Zhuyu Estate houses more than refugees, but also wandering warriors. Wagging tongues bring calamity upon oneself. Arrows from the shadows have no eyes. Aunts, you'd do well to remember that. We're your elders. How can you speak to us like that? All the more reason to conduct yourselves properly. Lu Zhuo is kindly giving you a warning. You two, watch your mouths. Yes, Mother. You're right to reprimand us. Mother, Lu Ya's old injury still hasn't healed, yet he's insisting on practicing martial arts again. I must keep an eye on him. Please forgive me, Mother. I won't be able to stay and attend to you. I'll go and check on Lu Ya too. Zhuo, pay them no mind. Talk it over with Wei Rao and decide when to hold the wedding. Who said I was going to marry Wei Rao? The Northern Army found her in your room, and the whole capital is gossiping about it. If you don't marry her, people will point fingers at us behind our backs. Grandmother, please let me decide for myself. Don't bring this up again. Thank you for granting my wish. I'll take my leave. I haven't granted anything! You may have no shame, - but we have a reputation to uphold! - Mother. How am I supposed to face other people now? - You! Come back here! Come back! - Mother. - You owe me an explanation! - Calm down. - You…! - Calm down, Mother. QIWU COURT The physician says Hongxian's throat was badly burned. Even after treatment, her voice will never be the same. I see. Runsheng keeps demanding to see you. He's a hopeless gambler who refuses to change. Give him one bowl of plain congee a day and send him to work on wasteland. If he dares slack off, string him up and beat him. Yes. AS THE SUN RISES Your Ladyship, Cheng requests an audience. Which Cheng? The man you brought back from the Crown Prince's Residence. Let him in. THE FRAGRANT ORCHID Your Ladyship had me learn bookkeeping. The teachers taught me with great patience. They said I had a talent for it and learned quickly. I wanted to repay your great kindness. After much thought, I improved the bookkeeping method. I've simplified it so that income and expenses need only be reported every ten days. It'll be easier for Your Ladyship to review. One of the teachers asked me to bring this ledger for Your Ladyship to check. Let me see it. With this method, Your Ladyship, calculating profit and loss is much simpler. DAILY RECORD OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURES Grandmother, you're here. Why wasn't I told? I told them not to announce me. I wanted to see for myself whether you're really hiding a mianshou here. Mianshou? Your Ladyship. Your Ladyship. That means a male lover. - What? - A male lover. Since when have I kept a male lover? Where would I find the money for that? He may not be one now, but who knows what the future holds? Men who live off their looks can't be trusted. I'm worried you'll be blinded by a handsome face, so I've come to warn you. - Governess Sun. - Yes. Set them down. What is this for, Grandmother? Lord Huo Jue was back with his caravan yesterday. He heard Your Ladyship would soon be marrying and feared you'd have no one around, so he prepared some gifts for you in advance. Gifts? For whom? Pretending not to know? The Duke of Ying's household, of course. You have only two dates to choose from: the eighth or the sixteenth day of the second month. Those are the only two auspicious dates. Choose one. I just heard this gentleman was good with figures. Lord Huo's caravan could use someone with his talent. I only wish to serve Your Ladyship. Grandmother, there's no rush. Please let me think it over. Your Ladyship, Lord Lu earned his power and standing by risking his life on the battlefield. Now people call him heartless, and the censors accuse him of immoral conduct. If you keep hesitating, the Lu family's honor, built over a century, may be ruined. Is it that serious? It's settled. Take him away. - Attendants! - Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship, save me! Your Ladyship! Save me! There's no future in living off a woman's favor. With the caravan, he'll learn real skills. Grandmother, I was forced into my first marriage. I had no choice. May I decide for myself the second time? Very well. But you have only seven days. Decide whether you'll marry him or not in seven days. I will. Your Ladyship, Lady Xie requests an audience. Xie Hualou? Your Ladyship, I know I was presumptuous today. Thank you for agreeing to hear me out. What brings you here, Lady Xie? My family has ordered me to marry Prince Fu. He has two secondary consorts, countless concubines, and children by his concubines. I don't want this marriage. But even when I refused food in protest, Grandfather wouldn't relent. THE FRAGRANT ORCHID Why come to me? I thought if I followed all the rules expected of a young lady and did as I was told, they'd at least find me a good husband. I never imagined it would come to this. Somehow, I felt compelled to come and see you. To see how a woman who defies all convention, who is wicked and selfish, is living these days? Now you've seen it. You can leave satisfied. Your Ladyship! Do you remember my personal maid, Pingxiang? After she was carried home that day, Grandfather blamed her for encouraging me to cause trouble and had her beaten to death. I've kept this to myself all this time. If I threw caution to the wind and exposed you as the one responsible back then, do you think you'd still have such a good reputation? She's blaming me for Jundai's wrongdoing. That's your family's affair. It has nothing to do with me. If you insist on telling everyone, that's your choice. - Please leave. - Your Ladyship! I didn't bring up the past to threaten you. I came to beg you to help me. What are you doing? Get up. After your divorce, the Duke of Ying proposed a marriage with my family, but Lu Zhuo refused. There are countless men in this world who would ask for your hand. You have no shortage of suitors besides Lord Lu. But in all the world, the only man who can save me from Prince Fu is Lu Zhuo. All I ask is that you take pity on me. If you tell him you won't marry him, Lu Zhuo will give up and marry me. Your Ladyship, I'm not trying to compete with you. I don't want to marry Prince Fu. I don't want to spend my life in hell. So I'm begging you. Help me. Please help me. If your two families truly want this marriage, what could an outsider like me do about it? You overestimate me. If you want help, ask Lu Zhuo. But I'm a young lady confined to the inner chambers. I have no proper reason to request an audience with him. What else can I do? So you came to Zhuyu Estate today to see him? Please show me kindness, Your Ladyship, and let me see him. I've long since opened Mount Yaowang to the public. Anyone is free to fish and hunt here. You can wait for him if you wish. Noble Lady Wu'an, thank you. THE FRAGRANT ORCHID Wei Rao owes everything to her scheming seductive mother. Now she thinks she can lord it over everyone. CAISHU HALL You lowered yourself to ask for help, yet she acted so arrogantly! We have no choice under the circumstances. Lord Lu once avoided her like the plague. Hasn't he also changed his attitude now? What does Wei Rao have that I don't? With patience and persistence, I'll make him see who deserves to be the future mistress of the Duke's household. Your Ladyship. ‪Be careful. Go. Follow Xie Hualou. Yes. TRIUMPH TAVERN Fortunately, I was prepared. That cousin of mine really is suspicious of everyone. Thank you, Your Highness, for telling me the truth about Wei Rao's origins. At least now I won't spend my whole life in ignorance. Turns out she's actually… People are blind and foolish. They often mistake a fish's eye for a pearl. You come from an illustrious family, my dear. Don't torment yourself over this. What good is being a noblewoman? Prince Fu is like that. So is Lu Zhuo. I thought being made to feel inferior to a plain-looking maid was humiliating enough. I never imagined Lu Zhuo's beloved was a night-soil woman. A night-soil woman. I prided myself on my virtue and talent. Yet in the end, I've become someone no one wants. What have all my years of effort amounted to? This world can be so absurd you can only laugh. It's utterly ridiculous. I can't grant your family's request to send Yi Jiang away. Lady Wang personally promised my grandfather that she'd send that maid away. You favor Yi Jiang alone and even had a secondary consort beaten because of her. I hear her face is pockmarked. May I ask, Your Highness, in what way am I inferior to her? Yi Jiang is plain and unremarkable, but she came to my household at seven. When I caught smallpox, she nursed me day and night without rest, and that's why. Now that her youth is fading, I can't abandon her. If you marry into my household, treat her kindly. Don't bully her. You've deeply insulted me, Your Highness. Show him out. I'm ashamed to say this, but Wei Rao was never properly brought up. She has coarse manners and has even openly questioned your virtue. She even said… What did she say? When she heard that a fortune-teller read your face when you were three and foretold a future of unimaginable nobility, she laughed and said… She said, "Girls of noble birth are just voiceless parrots raised in grand mansions, and clay figures and wooden puppets wrapped in silk." Your Highness, no need to provoke me like this. I do have an old score to settle with her. You have your mother's death to avenge too. How do you want me to help you? But let me be clear. Murder, arson, framing people, or anything that disgraces the Xie family is absolutely off the table. You want me to punish Wei Rao for you while you keep your own good name? How greedy you are. Lady Li and her daughter are determined to back Liu Shuo, and they've gained Lu Zhuo's support too. Please put in a good word for the Crown Prince with Grand Tutor Xie. The Grand Tutor is deeply respected. With him holding firm at court, I believe that wicked Lady Li and her daughter won't dare act so arrogantly. {\an8}HONGXIAN Lost track of Xie Hualou? Perhaps she noticed something and deliberately sent me away. Please forgive me, Your Ladyship. You're asking why I'm suspicious of Xie Hualou? Xie Hualou and I are different. Her grandfather is a renowned scholar. He taught her loyalty, filial duty and a woman's proper conduct. Plenty of young nobles in the capital keep maids and concubines before marriage and father children out of wedlock. Besides, Prince Fu is the Emperor's son. A royal household full of concubines is nothing unusual to the great families. Yet Xie Hualou is strongly opposed to it. Prince Fu must have some other flaw, one that even a lady like her, so educated and proper, so gentle and virtuous, cannot tolerate. THE FRAGRANT ORCHID QIWU COURT Hongxian! The weather's turning. Grandmother's rheumatism will probably worsen. Have the carriage prepared. Head to Earl of Cheng'an's Residence to visit her. I gave her seven days. We'll know her decision soon enough. My Lord. DUKE'S RESIDENCE You're back, My Lord. The Duke just returned from the barracks. He heard how you and General Qi forced your way into the residence and demands you see him in his study at once. - Still no word? - What do you mean, My Lord? What awful weather! Why is it snowing now? Is this a spring cold snap? Something's wrong. Tell Grandfather I'll see him later. My Lord! - My Lord, what am I supposed to say? - Move! - My Lord! - Stop shouting. - A spring cold snap could disrupt farming. - What? Lord Lu is going to see Her Ladyship. He's been waiting for her to give in first. Now that the weather has changed, he's found an excuse to go to her. HENGCHENG GATE Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Your Ladyship. Lady Li dislikes your closeness to the Wei family. You made a trip to Jiming Alley to buy the white rice cakes Old Madam Wei likes. If Lady Li finds out, she'll certainly be upset. You were staring at them earlier, practically drooling. Go on and eat. They're for me? - Have some too, Your Ladyship. - You eat. I bought them for you. We don't have all the rules between us. Whenever Grandmother sees me, it's as if she sees her beloved son, and her condition improves. When I visit her, I'm simply doing a son's duty on behalf of the father I never knew. But if it weren't for Old Madam Wei, - you wouldn't have… - Grandmother loves me because I remind her of the son she loved. She didn't lose me on purpose. It just… the love wasn't enough. But who in this world, would give me a love that's uniquely mine? Not Grandmother. Not Lady Li. If I expect less, I have less to resent. But you should still travel in a manner befitting your rank. Such a plain carriage will make people in the capital laugh at you. When you first came, you were so stern and quiet. You're getting chatty, aren't you? ‪SILKS AND FINE FABRICS His Highness, the Crown Prince, will one day ascend the throne, with the whole realm at his feet. Wei Rao, you'll regret today's arrogance when it's too late. If you tell him you won't marry him, Lu Zhuo will give up and marry me. The sun's been swallowed! What's going on? The sun! The sun's been swallowed! The gods are punishing us! Our country is doomed! Run! Something is wrong! The sun is disappearing! The gods are punishing us! The gods are punishing us! - Run! - Run! The gods are punishing us! What's that? Run! Lu Zhuo… My Lady… Stay in the carriage. Don't run off. Your Ladyship, it's dangerous! Yao! Yao! Come! Lu Zhuo! Lu Zhuo! Wei Rao! Hurry! ‪NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED ‪IN THE MAKING OF THIS SHOW