Translation and Timing carefully crafted by the Mei Daxia Team at Viki
The Story of Ming Lan
Episode 45
Big Madam, please enjoy.
Didn't expect there would be such an expert.
Her skill in brewing tea is even stronger than mine.
The foam of the tea is white like snow. It doesn't break up after quite a while.
She's my unmarried older daughter.
She used to serve nobles in a duke's manor.
She has picked up some foolish skills. Big Madam, please don't laugh.
How old is she? Is she engaged to anyone?
Not yet. She's still young and need to wait for a while.
Your daughter is bright, clever, delicate and pretty. The rest of them are probably not lacking too.
Why don't you call them out and let me take a look?
I only have two daughters.
The second daughter is eight years old.
She's very naughty.
She's like a mud skipper every day, running all over the place. She's not worthy to be seen by noble people.
Big Madam, everything has been completed.
The official matter is here.
Cuiwei, go according to the names in the register and distribute one string of money.
Those families with elders that are more than 60 years old,
Distribute three hundred money to each and everyone.
Yes.
Big Madam, this is...
Everyone has worked hard.
This farmstead is now taken on the name of Gu.
This is my first time here. I'm rewarding everyone with some money
to make everyone happy.
What is your name?
Wang Sheng.
Three strings of coins.
Here, this is for you.
- Is this really for me? - Yes.
Come, hold this properly.
Thank you.
How many in your family?
Come, next person.
Come, one at a time.
Thank you.
There are 62 qing (413,54 hectares) of farmlands here in Heishan Farmstead.
There are 33 registered agricultural families here.
When Older Brother Tu brought people to check the article,
he discovered that there are 960 mu ( 64 hectares) of extra farmlands and the number of farming household doesn't match too.
There must be more again.
Big Madam, you guessed accurately.
When we distributed the money, there was around 4 or 5 who took them but their names were not in the registry.
They said that they were from Heishan Farm.
I did the task according to your instructions
and didn't give them a hard time. They left after the distribution of the money.
When you were in the field, did anyone talk to you privately?
Yes.
Someone came to report to Older Brother Tu.
Saying that Manager Ba and the other managers
have set up their private fields outside and registered them under their relatives' name.
Those additional land and tenants were probably hidden and not reported.
The annual revenue went into their own pockets too.
If we didn't prepare this money in advance,
we wouldn't have been able to catch that many big fishes in the background.
Big Madam, Old Ba Fu led some other managers here to see you. They said that they are here to seek punishment.
Tell them to come in.
Please enter.
I admit my mistake.
Big Madam, please show mercy.
You are born from slaves who were punished.
When the Duke of State Manor was confiscated,
You should have already been sold off.
You all were granted to us alongside the farmstead.
Now that the duke's manor has been confiscated,
you people instead are hiding a lot of private wealth.
You even tried to gang up to trick me. You are indeed a talented slave.
We were momentarily blinded.
I know that I'm wrong now.
Big Madam, please show mercy.
I'll immediately tell them to sell off their private farms.
- Tomorrow, I will publicly allow... - Shut up. Is Big Madam greedy over your money?
Be done with it.
You peopled have worked hard for so many years in watching over the farmlands of this farmstead.
It's not really something to have a bit of savings.
But not reporting the number of farmlands here in the farmstead and privately hiring farming families is against the family rules.
If I just let it go, then if other people will imitate,
won't the House of Gu be in a mess?
You can leave now.
Once I've inspected Guyan Farmstead, I'll discuss this with the General before giving out the punishment.
Before I came, I have already checked everything.
Guyan Farmstead is different from Heishan Farmstead.
Guyan Farmstead is a confiscated family asset several years ago.
It's under royal rule for more than a decade.
This asset has been managed by an imperially designated eunuch.
With the imperial family being in-charge, even if things do happen in here, very few people will intervene.
I fear that the water there in Guyan Farmstead is deeper.
Big Madam, I fear we won't be able to use the same trick from Heishan Farm
We've been in Heishan Farmstead for several days. I'm sure that the news of what we've done there has already leaked.
This method will not work anymore. We need to change to another tactic.
There seems to be some people missing within us. Did they lose their way?
It's not even a wild and mountainous area. How could they have gotten lost?
I told several smart staff
to dress up as traders to obtain information from the farmers.
We are too eye-catching.
They surely will guard against us very tightly.
Why not just put up a pole there?
Let those farmstead managers get tangled up with it.
But in reality, we've already sent people to secretly investigate the situation beforehand.
At the very least, we surely will get some background.
Who are you?
Big Madam, greetings!
I dare not accept such bows. Please get up.
I heard that Manager Wu is a relative of a palace eunuch.
My apologies for being disrespectful.
I dare not accept such respect. I'm just a very far relative.
Relying on that, just trying to earn something for a living.
Wait for us to complete the checking of the accounts for the land,
before we have our usual chats.
These people manage the fields,
orchards, mountain forest, and the farming households.
Big Madam, you can ask them if you have any questions
As long as it's about the farmstead, they know everything.
The fish scale records (land records), the accounting books, and contracts have all been prepared.
You can review them anytime.
If there are any lapses, you can immediately ask people to edit them.
Seems like he has already prepared the fake account and is not afraid to be checked.
When you are the one in-charge of the books in the future, you must guard against that.
There's no hurry. I checked the accounts for several days.
My eyes and back are hurting.
The scenery is nice here.
Why don't we take a stroll and relax?
Let's just talk while walking.
It's fine too.
It's such a big land, mountain and forest. As a manager throughout the whole year,
it must be very tough.
I dare not say that it is hard, but I did placed half-life worth of blood and sweat into this farmstead.
His Majesty then rewarded this farmstead to your family.
My uncle initially wanted to find me another job.
But I've been here for so many years,
I've grown some affection towards it.
I only want to stay and serve here.
I fear that it might delay your future and people might laugh.
That old uncle of mine has very good relationship with the other high ranking eunuch of the palace.
They all say that General Gu has always been open-minded and generous.
Everyone loves to befriend him.
And General Gu is currently favored by His Majesty.
I think no one dares to say anything.
Who would dare to order around the manager of a previous imperial farmstead?
If I make you stay, don't know how outsiders will be laughing at our Gu Family for being unruly.
Even the elders of the House of Gu might be coming to scold us now.
You also can't be sold as a servant to enter our house.
It's still improper and unreasonable.
Wouldn't it become a laughing matter in the kingdom?
What are you doing?
What are you doing in the village?
Speak up now.
You're not talking without tasting a few pain, is that it?
Speak now!
Speak!
Big Madam.
Are you going to talk or not?
- Go back. - Okay.
The farmers said that there were people asking about the fields, mountain forest, and the populace here.
They thought they were bandits
and were captured. It was a misunderstanding.
Blame me for this. Before I came, I made a bet with the General.
We bet on how many trees there are in the mountain forest.
That's why I sent two accounts people to come here to secretly check.
The General has such a humor.
Those who are aware, they know that Big Madam loves to joke.
Those who don't, would think that we are secretly being investigated.
Manager Wu, what are you saying?
You have been in this village for many years
and are experienced in your work.
Everything must have been done methodically. Is there a need to be secretly investigated?
Your words is making me feel embarrassed.
There are 50 to 60 farming households here in Guyan Farmstead.
Until now, they still owe the farm rental fees and loans.
The previous account was not clean. I don't know how to explain.
I would like to seek pointers from Big Madam.
What was the total owed?
For the rentals that's been dragged for so many years...
I'm guessing around 20,000 taels.
Also, people eat grains, so it can't be helped for them to cause trouble.
When the farmers can't support their family's expenses, they would borrow money.
Calculating them, it would approximately reach 13,000 to 15,000 taels.
That much?
Forget about the others.
There are also some nobles from up there
who came here to borrow the accounts.
Adding them all up, it would more or less be around 13,000 to 14,000 taels.
This farmstead was just granted as a reward at the start of this year.
Those accounts are from within the Imperial family
and are irrelevant to Big Madam.
Big Madam, don't worry.
This is a difficult task.
Manager Wu, you must help me come up with ideas.
Big Madam, don't worry.
These messy miscellaneous things will eventually be properly handled.
As long... as long as I'm here every day.
[ promissory notes ]
Translation and Timing carefully crafted by the Mei Daxia Team at Viki
How is this a reward?!
The Emperor clearly just disposed of himself a terrible mess!
And he even included some termites with it.
What a hoodlum! A scoundrel!
Who caused Big Madam to be furious?
Why are there so many promissory notes here?
Aren't you supposed to be in the camp in the western suburbs for these few days?
Why are you back again?
The drill has ended.
I was worried about you and came back to check.
Those farmstead in your dowry will surely be fine.
Your grandmother meticulously chose them for you.
But these farmstead were obtained from punishments.
They surely will be hard to handle. They are also not originally from my Gu Family.
I just accepted them blindly.
There surely will be a pile of problems.
Not only are there problems,
there are too many of them!
They threatened me. They had no fear and threatened me!
Who dared to threaten my wife?! I'll go and beat him up to help you vent your anger.
Forget it.
You are busy with your military matters and also looking for the whereabouts of Chang'er.
You have enough problems.
Little weasel.
Didn't you say that you only want the inside and not the appearance?
But now, you're hitting your face to make it swollen so you can act as a fatty (trying to impress).
Tell me. Which great turmoil have I not seen?
I can handle these people.
Tell me.
Alright.
The issue at Heishan Farm is not that big. I can handle it on my own.
But Gu Yuan village is too evil.
That Wu Guang... is a sinister man.
Let's not talk about how he captured the men whom I secretly sent there. He even threatened me.
He said if I don't let him continue to manage,
he will shake off all the debts that our farmstead owned.
Also, he delivered a chest of promissory notes.
Did he let you check the accounts?
After I just settled in,
he already asked people to deliver these fish scales records and accounting books here.
After scanning them, they are all a big mess!
Not one is distinct and clear.
These are all rotten accounts.
Just because he's a relative of a high-ranking palace eunuch,
he then manipulated power for personal interest and plundered.
The farmers here in this farmstead he manages must be having a hard life.
Why are you looking at me?
You are beautiful.
I've never seen you this filled with righteous indignation
and baring your fangs.
This is Sheng Minglan.
Look at how furious I am and you are still laughing at me.
Alright, okay.
I...
You deal with that rotten mess yourself!
Don't be angry.
Don't ruin your health just because of this minor matter.
I'll meet that Wu Guang tomorrow and see what kind of a person he is.
We originally agreed
that you'll handle the outside, while I handle the inside. We're supposed to have our own duties.
I can't help you with your external problems.
Don't tell me you want to manage the internal problems too?
You will suffer by marrying me then.
It's my expertise to be the evil man.
Moreover, these royal farmsteads can't count us family matters.
It should be considered as matters of the country.
You're not using me to find some amusement, right?
Who's doing that?
Let me ask you, what's the most profitable business in this kingdom?
What's the best profession?
To summarize, it should be...
salt, mining, border trading,
sea and canal transportation.
But these are controlled by the Imperial court.
Who then do you think is in-charge of all these huge money-making businesses?
I don't know whose hands they are in
but it's probably not in the hands of His Majesty.
In the current empire, the most important matter is money.
Now, there is money, but most of them isn't inside the state treasury.
Second is army. Although there is an army
but there are not that many people who can deploy and command it.
Don't look at the Emperor sitting on his throne. Many things that he said, can't be carried through.
Even this land owned by the Imperial family,
he can't get involved in it too.
Think about it. This insignificant person, Wu Guang,
even dared to flaunt his prowess before you. Is this still considered a family matter?
Since it's a matter of the country, don't worry about this.
Let me manage this.
You are tired from the whole day. Take a bath and change your clothes first.
I'm perspiring all over. Do I stink?
- You will feel more comfortable after taking your bath. Let's go. - Okay.
I will personally serve you.
Alright.
It's too hot.
- It's okay. - Add more cold water.
Come here.
When taking a bath, the hotter the better.
You... you are injured.
I'm not.
What are you looking at?
Are you referring to that? It's not.
When I was training the soldiers today, someone was accidentally injured.
I helped to carry him.
His body was stained with blood. It's not mine.
Your husband has a long life. He won't die that easily.
Don't say that. What if...
What if something bad happens to you?
I'm still relying on you for the rest of my life.
Do you know that previously,
when my finger almost touched the King of Hell,
he didn't take me in.
Tell me, what could still possibly happen?
What about this time then?
I'm asking you. What about this time?
It's better that you don't know about this kind of matter.
What are you doing?
Why am I putting on my clothes? Not taking a bath anymore?
You are not taking a bath anymore.
This place is not sealed properly.
What if you catch a cold?
Take a bath when we are back at the manor.
Wife, do you love your husband that much?
You will fall sick if you catch a cold.
The huge assets of this general manor
were all obtained by you risking your life. I will help you guard them well.
Wife, when I was in Lingnan, I heard a story.
It said there was a wife
whose husband had an illicit affair.
When she found out,
she was afraid and angry too.
Hence,
she planted a kind of plant in their garden.
Every day when she cooks, she added it into her husband's soup.
Her husband died in six months after drinking that.
They couldn't find the poison in his body.
Do you know this is a special kind of herb?
It's called the Return of Spring.
It kills people without any traces.
Don't talk to me about this.
This story is not nice. It's scary.
In the future, if I...
If I also have an illicit affair,
you can also use that Return of Spring to poison me.
Don't show any mercy.
Why would I want your life?
I'm leaving my life in your hands.
Don't, don't do this to me.
It's very scary.
Greetings, General.
I wonder why you called us here so early in the morning? What's the reason?
It's nothing that important.
My wife came to check the accounts yesterday. The accounts were messy and not proper.
When she went home, she was furious and fell sick.
I had to come to manage the issue here.
General, please do not be angry.
The situation hasn't been good for the past few years.
If the harvest is lacking, we have to seek a loan.
When there's a deficit, I'm helpless too.
Is that so?
For Manager Wu to care about the farmers like this is really their great fortune.
A few days ago, my wife went to check the accounts at Heishan Farm.
She rewarded the farmers with a string of coins each.
I think that we shouldn't give unfair treatment.
Call them here to receive their rewards accordingly too.
I thank the General on their behalf.
But, this farmstead is too huge with only a few populace.
If we're going to call them one by one, it might take some time.
It's better to just hand over the money to the managers
and let them distribute instead.
No need. I have already gotten someone to get them to come here.
Hurry up!
Let's go. Quick!
Hurry up, move it.
Informing General, there were guards and hired thugs around the farming households.
We have already taken care of them.
Translation and Timing carefully crafted by the Mei Daxia Team at Viki
I called you here today,
one is for rewards.
And the other is for me to ask you
how you have been living for those past years.
Did you suffer any extortion and unfair treatment from your managers?
Don't be afraid. Tell me directly.
His Majesty has given Gu Yuan village to me as a reward.
I'm the landlord here now.
All the managers have been replaced.
Your land deeds and rice bowls are in my hands now.
You only need to listen to my instructions from now on. Don't bother about others.
Speak.
General, help us. Our rent for the land here
- is two to three times higher than other imperial farmstead. - That's right.
Manager Wu also made us do personal labor for him.
During new years and holidays, they would ask for money and people.
If not, he would come up with a reason to increase our rent.
That's right. There are a few managers who are maniacs.
They've raped so many ladies, and didn't even spare my wife!
Because the rentals are too heavy, we don't really have much remaining grains during the new year.
Older people couldn't bear to eat them and some even starved to death.
General, during the coldest days of the year,
our family didn't have any rice or fire woods.
Without any fire woods, we can only use a few tattered clothes to shield ourselves from the cold.
It's really not being able to get down from the bed
or go out the house after wearing them.
Last year, my grandchild
died because of starvation and cold.
That's right, General.
Even in this condition, we still need to work every day.
I have been coughing out sputum and blood, I still need to work every day.
Even if our feet are rotten from the chill, we still have to work the fields.
The children at home are all cold and starving, all crying their hearts out,
and we still need to work.
We all want to file a complaint, but that Manager Wu
has ties with the local officials and have hired hoodlums under him.
He monitored our every moves.
We couldn't get out of this village at all!
- If this continues, we will die here. - That's right, General.
General, help us.
- Shitou. - Here.
Has the local magistrate and his secretary arrived yet?
Yes, they are at the back.
Tell them to come forward.
Yes.
General, the state judgement officials are here.
General.
Manager Wu, should we investigate each and every houses of these farmers
for they might have exaggerated their plight?
General, don't forget.
This farmstead still has a huge credit that hasn't been collected.
If we are dragged to the local government office
- and sentenced, if this news travel out, it's the Imperial family that will get embarrassed! - Indeed!
Did you come up with those lines?
I'm sure that it was said by your uncle from the palace.
As a corrupt eunuch officer who accepts bribes, what honor does he still need?
I invited the both of you here to be witnesses.
These account books of Guyan Farmstead are so messed up. I'm a very straightforward person.
I'm not willing to scramble within dirty mud and ditches.
The more I don't want to fight for food with stinky fishes and rotten shrimps.
Since it's a rotten account, it should be burnt.
The money that they owed, they are all cancelled.
I will fork out the money.
Change the manager here!
Thank you, General, for saving us.
Thank you, General.
Still angry?
Not only can't we sentence that mastermind Wu Guang for his crimes,
you even gave him a big sum of money to let him leave.
I'm angry when I think about this.
For the deficit, I can put out my own money to balance it out.
But we need to protect the dignity of the royal family too.
Wu Guang and those accomplices of his have managers here for so many years. The tree they've planted has already grown tall and deep.
If you continue to investigate, it will involve a vast number of people.
It's still not time to punish these thieves.
We must always prioritize.
I know this.
It's just that I'm angry.
He did so many bad deeds
yet he still was able to escape the law and be safe.
This is unfair.
Safe?
I fear that it might not be.
You were able to pacify the trouble and didn't end up being hated.
Regarding the incident at Gu Yuan, you handled it beautifully.
About those evil managers,
I heard that after they have received the money and left the village,
they were robbed not long after that.
Their legs were also broke.
They will be crippled for the rest of their lives.
What's going on?
Those Wu Guang and his accomplices have committed all kinds of evil.
This is retribution from God.
I don't know what's going on too.
Frankly, I'm a bit scared.
I'm also afraid that he's always swaying at the teeth of the storm.
Only after inspecting the farmstead did I learn
that although our new emperor is highly respected as the son of god,
he also has a lot of predicaments.
I don't know about the predicaments of the emperor,
but your father indeed has a problem right now.
Just to find Changfeng a bride,
he and Big Madam have been arguing lately.
What's wrong?
Big Madam wants to just randomly pick a family.
Your father still has to be meticulous about it.
As for Changfeng,
he's complaining that the ladies being considered aren't beautiful enough.
During the matchmaking, he bowed his head and wouldn't agree.
This will probably still go on for quite some time.
Why don't you go back early tomorrow?
Once they're done with this fuss,
come back again and keep me company.
From what I heard,
the farmstead under him was found to have a huge deficit.
Won't he has suffered losses then?
The House of Gu draw the bow without shooting.
They only exposed the
evil crimes of the managers in the royal farmstead.
This time, His Majesty
must be feeling so happy.
In the future, he'll have a reason
to layoff people and insert his own trusted aides.
Among the trusted aides of His Majesty,
only Gu Second has the extra hand
to take care of this situation.
His Majesty has already thought it through.
With Gu Second's style of always putting the general situation first,
His Majesty surely knows of it.
Among the trusted aides that came with His Majesty before his coronation,
he counts as the most intelligent.
A person from the marquis manor, well-versed in both literary and fighting skills,
I fear it won't be that easy to go against him in the future.
Useless rascal.
Why do I need servants like you?!
My Yong'er is the son of the emperor, a person of noble birth.
You're just giving him these kinds of food?
He can't even have some milk.
Are you looking down at us for not having a strong maiden family backing?
Just because of this,
is it worth creating such a scene?
The prince that Noble Consort Liu gave birth to
used to have three wet nurses. Two are gone
and only one is left. For this matter, Noble Consort Liu
has been very angry. She's been causing such a scene for days already.
This emperor really doesn't know to weigh the pros and cons.
It's fine to limit the usage of other people.
A prince is still young. He should treat him kindly and generously.
He's after all was just forced up the throne.
I've instructed him so many times
to follow the governance of the past emperor.
He refused to listen.
Now, even the people around him are making such a ruckus.
His Majesty didn't order any reduction in expenses of our palace.
I believe he's still filial towards you.
Forget it.
Not following my advice for major matters, but fawning on me for small matters.
I won't appreciate this filial piety of his.
Let him just decrease the usage of everyone.
How long have you been in the palace?
More than six years.
The weather is getting warmer.
Cats and dogs have found their partners too.
It's time to think about where you all should go next.
Don't, don't.
If this was usual days, I would let you put my make-up.
But today is the first time we're entering the palace to thank His Majesty's graces since the start of spring. We mustn't make it sloppy.
Seeing how it's getting late, if I still allow you to draw on me
and if you ruin it, I have to cleanse it again.
What is there to fear? The current empress is the gentlest and kindest lady in this world.
When I was still in Yuzhou, I would go to her whenever I'm hungry.
Knowing that you're my wife, she surely won't be very strict with you.
That was in the past.
We can't be so unbridled now.
Why don't I go with you then?
It's against propriety. It's not good.
Fortunately, Older Sister Shen is going with me.
As a guide, she already knows the palace very well.
When I'm at the palace, I will just talk less and bow more often.
Whatever I shouldn't ask, I won't. And don't bring up whatever I shouldn't.
I will pretend to be stupid. I'm good at this.
Little fox is trying to pretend to be a meek lamb again.
I'm not a little fox!
With me here, what are you afraid of?
My older sister is the kindest person.
When I was young, I would always lose the shoes and dirty the clothes.
She has never blamed me.
With you being so gentle and beautiful,
She will definitely like you.
Since young till now, I have only been to the imperial city once.
It was very scary then.
No big deal. Look, we only came from Yuzhou not long ago.
You are more familiar about the rules in the palace than me.
but my older sister is the empress now.
You are also Second Brother Gu's wife.
Who would dare to say anything? Don't be afraid.
Look, your husband is following you.
He must be afraid that you'll cower.
My husband is not that caring.
He really treats me very well.
He didn't need to treat me that well.
Why can't he treat you well?
If my husband is like this too, I would even smile in my dream.
I'm just afraid that I don't know how to repay him in the future.
Repay him?
A husband and wife is of one body.
What is there to repay?
Translation and Timing carefully crafted by the Mei Daxia Team at Viki
T/N In the following song, "Don't You Know, Don't You Know?", Lines 5 to the end are the poem by Li Qingzhao, a famous female poet of the Song Dynasty, the poem is titled "Spring Ends".
♫ One morning, a flower opened and approached a willow tree, beautifully fragrant and mistaking him for her lord ♫
♫ Even if drinking in water in the morning, red clouds have half a day of sunshine, the wind and rain do not affect them completely ♫
♫ In the palace, you are constantly brave and growing thin, from on high, your cold tears of distress flow ♫
♫ Brocade letters delivered to me dismiss me, only suddenly to recall me, not for many years can I see you other than stealthily♫
♫ Last night, gusty winds and rain during my deep slumber did not spoil the wine's lingering effect ♫
♫ When I asked someone, they rolled the blind up and told me that all the crab-apple trees are as before. ♫
♫ Don't you know, don't you know, there must be flourishing leaves and fallen flowers? ♫
♫ Last night, gusty winds and rain during my deep slumber did not spoil the wine's lingering effect ♫
♫ When I asked someone, they rolled the blind up and told me that all the crab-apple trees are as before. ♫
♫ Don't you know, don't you know, there must be flourishing leaves and fallen flowers? ♫
♫ When I asked someone, they rolled the blind up and told me that all the crab-apple trees are as before. ♫