The Story of Ming Lan (知否知否应是绿肥红瘦)

The Story of Ming Lan

Episode 3

A guest is paying respects.

Filial sons and grandsons return the courtesy.

Lord, this way, please.

A guest is paying respects.

A guest is paying respects.

It's not that I want to criticize you,

but your in-law is not good at doing things.

He is here to deliver the betrothal gifts. Why did he bring a child along with him?

And then he didn't tell anyone about it.

A perfectly good child, just dying here so suddenly.

It's just getting us involved for no reason.

It is all my fault.

But Elder Ming, there is no need to be worried.

He brought that person here.

The two of us, we don't know anything.

You make it sound easy.

It's a son of the legal wife in the Marquis' household that's dead. (T/N the word suggests the actual heir)

Today, the repose period is complete.

Late Eldest Uncle, your noble spirit is still present.

It's time to rest in the blessed place, and safeguard our family.

Raise the funeral banner.

Bring the funeral banner! Lead the way!

Bring the funeral banner! Lead the way!

Shatter the crockery! Raise the casket!

What rights have you as the Second and Third Masters

to start the funeral procession for the First Master of the House?

Has everyone in the First Master's household died?

Who's that? Who!

You're a senile wet nurse, what nonsense are you spouting!

Eldest Young Master Bai, you are the eldest son of the Second Master.

You have nothing to do with the household of the First Master Bai.

We have someone of our own to start the procession.

Brother, why are you talking to her?

Where did this crazy woman come from? Drag her out.

- Drag her out. - Let me go!

- What are you doing? - Stop!

- Let me go! Let go! - Stop!

- Young Master Gu? - He didn't die?

Zhonghuai!

Bai Ye? What...?

- You're not dead. - He's not dead! - It's Gu Tingye!

- This is great. This is really great! - Such merriment in a mourning hall!

What do you intend by this?

It's the Young Master Gu,

he's come back!

These bastards,

they have no respect for the law, they want to steal the inheritance!

My family is conducting funeral proceedings,

yet you come in here crying, screaming and making merry. What are your intentions?

Men, throw them out!

He's our First Household's Young Master.

You dare to kick him out?

- Kick him out! Quick. - Kick him out!

What are all of you doing? Bastards!

Young Master Ye! Young Master Ye!

Stop beating him!

Stop! Stop!

Stop fighting!

All of you stop beating!

What are you doing?

Stop! Stop!

This is a mourning hall. Look at what it has become.

It's unbelievable that there's such a thing as Uncles from the branch family forbidding the grandson from paying his respects.

I have my late maternal grandfather's personal letter,

clearly naming me as the rightful heir! Why can I not be here?

Bullshit!

You are of the Gu family,

we are the Bai family.

Who's ever heard of someone from a different house being named as the heir!

Can it be that you intend to seize the Bai family's fortune by force

just based on the fact that your father and brother are decorated nobles?

Assembled gentlemen,

venerable elders,

please have a look at this letter and then decide.

I know my time is short.

I only hope for you to come inherit the family business,

so as to not let it be lost by others' hands.

Hence I wrote this last letter.

Your Maternal Grandfather Bai. Awaiting your return.

It's true.

This is simply nonsense.

I have never heard of this letter!

Cats can write, dogs can write too. Anyone could have written this.

You think you can take over the largest salt business in Yangzhou

with just a lousy letter like that?

There would be letters and notes left around the house,

so would all the venerable elders please be witnesses?

We can find some of the notes, compare the handwriting,

and check if it's authentic or not.

With me, I have some poems the old Master had gifted me.

I was going to burn them before the altar as an offering to the spirits.

Never thought they could be of this kind of use.

Take it.

What letter? I have never heard of this!

Before he passed away, Uncle said I was resolute and capable.

He personally handed the salt business to me.

Everyone in the Bai family saw that.

- Isn't that so? - Yes. - Yes we saw.

Yes we saw.

Uncle! (T/N specifically mother's paternal cousin uncle)

Look at my maternal grandfather's memorial tablet.

Look at him. He's looking at you from heaven!

Swear to him

that if anything you just said was false,

then the family shrine will shake with unrest,

and in death your mother's spirit will not rest in peace!

County Magistrate, we invited you to lead the funeral proceedings, how could you instead shield each other?

If you don't dare to swear, I dare to!

I, Gu Tingye, swear to heaven.

Naming me as heir, all that is true.

Should anything be false, then the family shrine will shake with unrest,

and in death my mother's spirit will not rest in peace.

Uncle, do you dare to swear to your deceased mother?

You... you are just a scoundrel.

The heavens and earth, passing spirits

and officials on duty today, they are all watching us!

Uncle, why do you not dare to swear?

I will say it then.

I...Bai Tingyu, I swear to heaven.

Naming me as heir, all that is true.

Should anything be false,

then the family shrine...

then the... family shrine...

Quiet!

He is a well-known delinquent in Bianjing City. (T/N Another name for the capital of Northern Song, Dongjing, originally known as and now again, Kaifeng)

A notable scoundrel

among the wealthy young nobles.

He dares to voice such blasphemy against the family shrine.

Have all your years of education gone to waste

that you will compete with him on how boorish one can be?

- Sorry Father you are correct. - Hypocrites, the lot of you.

Always quoting the Sage's words, (T/N Confucius)

yet you speak nothing but lies and try to fool the people.

Venerable elders and officials, I have worked in this household my whole life.

I know best where everything is.

I'll take everyone to find

where my Master's letters and notes are.

Old crone! This is the Bai's family manor!

You just wield some lies here

with a few officials holding your back.

So you want to just search and confiscate all you want?

If you want to enter this courtyard today,

you can step over my dead body!

- Return the slave contracts! - Return them to us!

- What's this? - Return the slave contracts.

Our master is gone, and you took away our slave contracts.

Return them to us.

Return the slave contract to us.

Return them to us.

Return the slave contract to us.

Alright, alright.

Stop creating a scene.

Return the slave contracts to us.

All you elders are Yangzhou's leading figures.

We went to admire the flowers at the Zen Temple last time

and enjoyed together fine wines.

How about we all go look together,

treat it as a leisure outing?

- Steward. - I'm going.

- This way, please. - Let's go. Quickly now!

Who died in the river then?

My junior manservant, Zhique.

I switched into his clothes to carry on as him.

You should have looked for me if you are fine too.

These days, I haven't had a good sleep.

I didn't know how much more treachery awaited me.

If I showed myself, I would implicate you instead.

Now the truth is out and it's alright now, so be at ease.

It's the same.

Isn't it the same?

Is it the same?

All of you elders, what do you think?

Brother Changli, what say you?

The handwriting looks similar

but it's hard to identify for sure.

I think it's impossible to identify.

Everyone assembled...

It is simply a joke!

This is the livelihood of hundreds in the Bai House.

We pray to our ancestors and our shrines four seasons.

Disciples and learned scholars and a mansion of justice.

Our men's success all depend on this.

It's not just Eldest Uncle's own asset!

- That's right. - To add further,

Eldest Uncle was sick in bed for a long time.

I believe he was confused,

so let we three houses discuss it thoroughly instead!

- That's right! - You're a bunch of filthy brutes!

You live at his house and covet his assets.

This family business,

it was all erected by my master by himself!

You saw he was well-off so you came one by one to seek refuge. When he's gone,

you plot to steal his assets and oppress his children.

Your conscience has been eaten by dogs!

Who says so?

What are you saying? How could you say this?

In order to preserve you elders' reputations,

I did not pull out another letter I have.