1
00:00:02,210 --> 00:00:05,672
ORIGINAL STORY BY NATSU HYUUGA
2
00:01:31,591 --> 00:01:33,009
{\an8}THIS STORY IS A FICION, AND ALL NAMES OF
FIGURES ND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
3
00:01:33,092 --> 00:01:34,469
{\an8}MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION
TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
4
00:01:38,515 --> 00:01:41,100
Kitty cat, kitty cat
5
00:01:42,811 --> 00:01:46,898
Kitty cat, kitty cat
6
00:01:46,981 --> 00:01:48,983
She cries and cries
7
00:01:49,567 --> 00:01:52,153
Wondering
8
00:01:52,237 --> 00:01:56,366
Where that child is
9
00:01:57,784 --> 00:02:00,829
{\an8}MINISTER - SCHOLAR
10
00:02:07,418 --> 00:02:08,878
Will you play with me, sir?
11
00:02:11,673 --> 00:02:14,467
How could I say no?
12
00:02:14,551 --> 00:02:17,720
It's my beloved daughter's request.
13
00:02:18,888 --> 00:02:21,474
We'll play by the standard rules
for five matches.
14
00:02:21,558 --> 00:02:25,145
Whoever wins three matches first wins.
15
00:02:25,228 --> 00:02:27,313
What should my disadvantage be?
16
00:02:27,397 --> 00:02:29,149
Which piece should I get rid of?
17
00:02:29,816 --> 00:02:30,900
There's no need for that.
18
00:02:31,651 --> 00:02:33,528
She should just accept.
19
00:02:33,611 --> 00:02:36,990
Let's decide what to bet on.
20
00:02:37,073 --> 00:02:38,908
Wow, getting straight to the point!
21
00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,538
If I win, you'll become my child, right?
22
00:02:46,457 --> 00:02:49,836
-You promised not to say anything.
-Yes, but...
23
00:02:52,714 --> 00:02:56,384
That is fine. But I'm
under an employment contract.
24
00:02:56,467 --> 00:02:58,136
So it'll be after my time is up.
25
00:02:58,219 --> 00:03:02,307
An employment contract?
He really hired you?
26
00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:03,683
Yes.
27
00:03:07,186 --> 00:03:09,856
But in return, if I win...
28
00:03:10,732 --> 00:03:14,360
Will you buy out a courtesan
from the Verdigris House?
29
00:03:16,446 --> 00:03:18,573
I didn't expect you to say that.
30
00:03:18,656 --> 00:03:20,700
I won't say who,
31
00:03:20,783 --> 00:03:24,245
but Grams is looking for a way
to get rid of a certain courtesan.
32
00:03:24,871 --> 00:03:27,290
I see, that's how you'll play.
33
00:03:28,124 --> 00:03:32,420
If that's what you want,
I'll have to say yes.
34
00:03:32,503 --> 00:03:34,547
That's all you want?
35
00:03:34,631 --> 00:03:36,883
I'll add two more rules, then.
36
00:03:43,348 --> 00:03:46,017
It smells like a strong distilled liquor.
37
00:03:52,398 --> 00:03:54,275
I have a really bad feeling about this.
38
00:03:54,859 --> 00:03:56,236
And what is that?
39
00:03:56,945 --> 00:03:58,821
A little bit of this is medicine.
40
00:03:58,905 --> 00:04:01,783
Three mouthfuls, and it's a strong poison.
41
00:04:02,659 --> 00:04:06,120
I'll pour this liquid into three cups,
42
00:04:06,955 --> 00:04:09,582
and mix it up so you don't know which cup.
43
00:04:10,166 --> 00:04:13,836
After each match,
the winner chooses a cup,
44
00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,631
and the loser drinks it.
45
00:04:16,714 --> 00:04:18,466
That's the first rule.
46
00:04:19,050 --> 00:04:21,177
Her ideas are so frightening.
47
00:04:21,803 --> 00:04:25,431
And the second rule is,
no matter what the reason is,
48
00:04:25,515 --> 00:04:29,352
if you forfeit the match, you lose.
49
00:04:30,478 --> 00:04:31,813
Is that all right?
50
00:04:36,567 --> 00:04:37,819
Yes, that's fine.
51
00:04:37,902 --> 00:04:40,071
Is she trying to throw him off balance?
52
00:04:40,571 --> 00:04:44,075
True, a normal person might
flinch at that. However,
53
00:04:45,326 --> 00:04:48,288
her opponent is a Sir General known
for being eccentric.
54
00:04:48,371 --> 00:04:51,582
I can't imagine him getting agitated
by such a threat.
55
00:04:54,544 --> 00:04:56,879
What is she thinking?
56
00:05:43,509 --> 00:05:44,635
She lost again.
57
00:05:45,470 --> 00:05:47,138
That's her second loss in a row!
58
00:05:47,972 --> 00:05:51,309
She challenged a general known for
being a chess master
59
00:05:51,392 --> 00:05:53,895
so I thought she had some skill, but...
60
00:05:54,479 --> 00:05:56,773
It seems she only knows the rules
61
00:05:56,856 --> 00:05:58,649
and has no experience in playing matches.
62
00:05:59,901 --> 00:06:01,486
She already drank two cups.
63
00:06:01,986 --> 00:06:06,115
She seemed to enjoy drinking them,
so I can't tell if it's poisoned or not.
64
00:06:06,616 --> 00:06:09,410
May I start the third match?
65
00:06:09,494 --> 00:06:11,496
Sure, of course.
66
00:06:13,331 --> 00:06:15,500
What is she thinking?
67
00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,169
We all know how the third match will end.
68
00:06:18,961 --> 00:06:22,507
If the two cups she already drank
had poison inside,
69
00:06:22,590 --> 00:06:24,675
it's too dangerous to drink the third cup.
70
00:06:25,718 --> 00:06:29,472
How much of this current situation
has Lakan analyzed?
71
00:06:32,141 --> 00:06:33,309
Checkmate.
72
00:06:35,353 --> 00:06:36,646
You got me.
73
00:06:37,647 --> 00:06:40,566
I know you let me win,
but it's still a win.
74
00:06:42,026 --> 00:06:46,781
I can't make my daughter take poison,
even by accident.
75
00:06:47,448 --> 00:06:49,575
Which will you choose for me?
76
00:06:49,659 --> 00:06:51,285
Choose whatever you'd like.
77
00:06:51,369 --> 00:06:55,123
Does the medicine have any taste?
78
00:06:55,206 --> 00:06:58,292
You'd notice the bad taste right away
after one swallow.
79
00:06:59,252 --> 00:07:02,380
Lakan is allowed to lose twice.
80
00:07:02,463 --> 00:07:04,924
If one cup of the two tastes different,
81
00:07:05,007 --> 00:07:07,552
he'll know that his daughter won't
take any poison.
82
00:07:08,219 --> 00:07:10,638
He lost deliberately for that purpose.
83
00:07:10,721 --> 00:07:13,057
He really is a shrewd man.
84
00:07:13,141 --> 00:07:15,309
I'll choose this, then.
85
00:07:30,491 --> 00:07:32,076
It tastes bad.
86
00:07:34,036 --> 00:07:35,455
He drank the poison!
87
00:07:35,538 --> 00:07:38,708
Now, the Apothecary won't drink the poison
for her third cup.
88
00:07:39,542 --> 00:07:41,085
This also means
89
00:07:41,169 --> 00:07:44,464
that Lakan won't have to keep losing
on purpose anymore.
90
00:07:45,506 --> 00:07:47,467
Now, the Apothecary can never win.
91
00:07:48,301 --> 00:07:51,304
If I win, you'll become my child, right?
92
00:07:53,097 --> 00:07:55,308
Also, I feel hot.
93
00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:11,824
What's going on?
94
00:08:12,408 --> 00:08:14,785
I thought the poison wouldn't harm anyone
with one cup!
95
00:08:14,869 --> 00:08:16,537
I know you hate him.
96
00:08:16,621 --> 00:08:19,373
-But I didn't think you'd poison him!
-It's medicine.
97
00:08:19,457 --> 00:08:22,084
They say sake is the best medicine,
after all.
98
00:08:22,168 --> 00:08:24,921
Sake? What do you mean?
99
00:08:25,004 --> 00:08:25,880
Sir Jinshi.
100
00:08:26,964 --> 00:08:30,051
-It looks like he's just drunk.
-What?
101
00:08:36,182 --> 00:08:38,392
He's an extreme lightweight.
102
00:08:39,310 --> 00:08:40,478
Now that I think about it,
103
00:08:41,646 --> 00:08:45,733
he's always drinking juice.
I've never seen him drink sake.
104
00:08:46,609 --> 00:08:48,778
So what was the liquid you poured in?
105
00:08:48,861 --> 00:08:51,864
It was alcohol. All right, then.
106
00:08:53,574 --> 00:08:56,494
Let's carry this man out,
107
00:08:56,577 --> 00:08:59,080
and have him pick out a flower
from the brothel.
108
00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:09,507
Ever since I was born, I couldn't
distinguish people as individuals.
109
00:09:10,550 --> 00:09:12,969
It wasn't just confusing my wet nurse
as my mother.
110
00:09:13,553 --> 00:09:15,888
I couldn't even distinguish between a man
and a woman.
111
00:09:16,847 --> 00:09:20,685
My father got fed up with me,
saying that I would be useless,
112
00:09:20,768 --> 00:09:23,312
and started visiting
his extramarital lover regularly.
113
00:09:24,355 --> 00:09:28,234
My mother was desperate to
get my father back.
114
00:09:28,859 --> 00:09:32,989
That was how I was able to
immerse myself in go and chess,
115
00:09:33,072 --> 00:09:36,450
and live freely,
despite being the first son
116
00:09:36,534 --> 00:09:39,287
of a noble family.
117
00:09:39,787 --> 00:09:41,414
Don't remember people by their face.
118
00:09:41,497 --> 00:09:43,207
Remember them by their voice,
119
00:09:43,291 --> 00:09:45,668
gestures, and body type.
120
00:09:46,294 --> 00:09:48,421
I'm sure you would enjoy chess.
121
00:09:49,338 --> 00:09:52,925
Only my uncle understood me.
122
00:09:53,843 --> 00:09:57,388
Thanks to my tactless yet talented uncle,
123
00:09:57,471 --> 00:10:00,933
I was able to see people's faces
as chess pieces.
124
00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:05,688
When I saw my uncle's face as a Chariot,
125
00:10:05,771 --> 00:10:09,775
I truly understood that he was
a talented and intelligent man.
126
00:10:11,110 --> 00:10:14,447
After I grew up, even though I was
untalented in the art of war,
127
00:10:14,530 --> 00:10:18,075
I was appointed to be a leader right away
because of my background.
128
00:10:18,159 --> 00:10:19,702
Even if I was weak,
129
00:10:19,785 --> 00:10:22,955
I could be successful
if I could use my men efficiently.
130
00:10:24,457 --> 00:10:26,626
Playing chess with real people
as its pieces
131
00:10:26,709 --> 00:10:29,295
was merely a captivating game to me.
132
00:10:29,378 --> 00:10:30,421
THE VERDIGRIS HOUSE
133
00:10:30,504 --> 00:10:33,549
While I continued to be unbeatable
in work and in chess,
134
00:10:34,508 --> 00:10:39,138
I ended up playing against a famous
courtesan when I visited a brothel.
135
00:10:40,348 --> 00:10:42,308
Amongst the sea of whites and blacks,
136
00:10:43,267 --> 00:10:46,812
those fingertips had a vibrant glow.
137
00:10:47,813 --> 00:10:50,066
Her name was Fengxian.
138
00:10:50,983 --> 00:10:55,112
An unbeatable courtesan at a brothel,
versus an unbeatable military man.
139
00:10:55,613 --> 00:10:59,075
No matter who lost,
the audience would be captivated.
140
00:11:00,117 --> 00:11:01,911
She is good for sure.
141
00:11:01,994 --> 00:11:04,455
Even so, she is merely a frog in a well.
142
00:11:07,458 --> 00:11:08,876
I lost?
143
00:11:09,502 --> 00:11:11,504
She dominated me completely.
144
00:11:11,587 --> 00:11:14,298
When was the last time I lost like this?
145
00:11:25,351 --> 00:11:28,979
So this is what a human face looks like.
146
00:11:31,482 --> 00:11:34,735
{\an8}Her eyes are like a balsam fruit,
which could pop
147
00:11:35,236 --> 00:11:39,532
{\an8}with a single touch,
keeping people at a distance...
148
00:11:47,957 --> 00:11:49,583
I won't lose next time.
149
00:11:50,501 --> 00:11:55,214
For several years after that,
I only met her to play
150
00:11:55,297 --> 00:11:57,341
go and chess.
151
00:12:02,513 --> 00:12:04,723
Fengxian, who was born at the brothel,
152
00:12:04,807 --> 00:12:07,601
had a personality only shaped by pride.
153
00:12:08,602 --> 00:12:10,312
I do not have a mother.
154
00:12:10,396 --> 00:12:12,606
There was a woman who gave birth to me,
155
00:12:13,566 --> 00:12:16,527
but in the pleasure district,
courtesans cannot be mothers.
156
00:12:19,905 --> 00:12:21,740
Talented courtesans,
157
00:12:21,824 --> 00:12:25,703
once they become popular enough,
become harder to purchase.
158
00:12:26,996 --> 00:12:28,956
This was also true of Fengxian.
159
00:12:30,541 --> 00:12:34,462
Though her stern attitude was not
popular amongst most customers,
160
00:12:34,545 --> 00:12:37,465
there were some with strange tastes
who enjoyed that.
161
00:12:38,549 --> 00:12:40,718
Her price kept increasing more and more,
162
00:12:41,552 --> 00:12:44,847
and I could only afford
to see her once every three months.
163
00:12:52,062 --> 00:12:55,316
A balsam flower and... What is that?
164
00:12:55,816 --> 00:12:56,775
Wood sorrel.
165
00:12:57,443 --> 00:12:58,944
Also known as Cat's Feet.
166
00:12:59,653 --> 00:13:02,448
It's a fresh medicine that works against
poison and insect bites.
167
00:13:04,158 --> 00:13:05,743
Just like the balsam flower,
168
00:13:06,243 --> 00:13:10,372
if you touch its ripened fruit,
the seeds burst and fly away.
169
00:13:11,707 --> 00:13:12,917
I see, how interesting.
170
00:13:14,752 --> 00:13:17,087
When can you come next?
171
00:13:21,634 --> 00:13:23,552
In three months' time.
172
00:13:25,137 --> 00:13:26,388
I see.
173
00:13:28,516 --> 00:13:32,394
It was around that time that I heard
of Fengxian being bought out.
174
00:13:33,771 --> 00:13:38,484
Her price kept increasing more and more
in the bidding war amongst her fans.
175
00:13:39,902 --> 00:13:42,238
Though I had climbed the ranks
as a military man,
176
00:13:42,321 --> 00:13:46,075
my step brothers had taken the right
to inherit the family title.
177
00:13:46,158 --> 00:13:49,787
I could never compete with those prices.
178
00:13:51,330 --> 00:13:53,290
What if we bet on something today?
179
00:13:54,750 --> 00:13:58,379
If you win, I'll give you
anything you'd like.
180
00:13:58,879 --> 00:14:02,424
If I win, I'll take anything I want.
181
00:14:03,842 --> 00:14:06,178
Which board would you like to play with?
182
00:14:07,388 --> 00:14:10,266
That's when a terrible idea
crossed my mind.
183
00:14:12,810 --> 00:14:15,271
-You'd like to play go, then?
-Yes.
184
00:14:16,230 --> 00:14:20,776
-Meimei. I want to focus on the match.
-Yes, ma'am.
185
00:14:59,189 --> 00:15:02,776
Before we realized it,
our hands were placed together.
186
00:15:04,904 --> 00:15:08,407
Fengxian spoke no sweet words.
187
00:15:09,283 --> 00:15:11,660
I spoke none, either.
188
00:15:11,744 --> 00:15:15,080
In many ways, we were very similar.
189
00:15:16,665 --> 00:15:17,833
I want to play go.
190
00:15:18,751 --> 00:15:23,088
I had thought I wanted to play chess too.
191
00:15:23,672 --> 00:15:26,592
Kitty cat
192
00:15:27,593 --> 00:15:30,638
Kitty cat
193
00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:35,100
She cries and cries wondering
194
00:15:35,184 --> 00:15:38,771
Where that child is
195
00:15:39,438 --> 00:15:43,359
The little birds
196
00:15:43,442 --> 00:15:46,403
That know nothing
197
00:15:47,071 --> 00:15:51,075
Flew higher and higher
198
00:15:51,158 --> 00:15:54,411
Up in the sky...
199
00:15:55,412 --> 00:16:00,167
Three months after that,
my talented uncle lost his position.
200
00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:04,004
You became a doctor in the rear palace,
and now you're expelled?
201
00:16:04,088 --> 00:16:05,547
You disgrace the family name!
202
00:16:06,924 --> 00:16:10,135
He was talented, but remained tactless.
203
00:16:10,803 --> 00:16:13,597
You were close with him.
204
00:16:13,681 --> 00:16:16,392
Leave this house and study abroad
for a while!
205
00:16:16,475 --> 00:16:19,103
-Study abroad?
-It's a needed precaution.
206
00:16:19,728 --> 00:16:22,314
-But...
-What is it?
207
00:16:22,398 --> 00:16:25,067
No, it's nothing.
208
00:16:25,985 --> 00:16:30,572
I could not betray my father,
who was both my parent and a boss.
209
00:16:32,032 --> 00:16:36,829
It was then that Fengxian wrote to me
saying she would not be bought out.
210
00:16:37,830 --> 00:16:40,708
I had falsely assumed that I could return
211
00:16:40,791 --> 00:16:42,710
in six months' time.
212
00:16:44,503 --> 00:16:45,379
Back then...
213
00:16:52,052 --> 00:16:53,804
I had not imagined that
214
00:16:53,887 --> 00:16:56,974
it would take me three years
to return home.
215
00:17:00,602 --> 00:17:03,272
All these are letters from Fengxian?
216
00:17:17,995 --> 00:17:21,623
Dirt? No, are these branches?
217
00:17:22,124 --> 00:17:23,834
And there's two of them?
218
00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:29,131
No! This is...
219
00:17:31,216 --> 00:17:32,593
Finger slicing...
220
00:17:32,676 --> 00:17:35,888
I had heard that
the practice was popular as a curse.
221
00:17:36,764 --> 00:17:39,099
The reason she ended up
not being bought out...
222
00:17:39,850 --> 00:17:43,395
The other small finger
that was inside that bag...
223
00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:45,564
How could I not realize?
224
00:17:46,607 --> 00:17:48,817
I only had go and chess in mind.
225
00:17:50,903 --> 00:17:55,908
I couldn't even arrive
at such a simple answer!
226
00:17:55,991 --> 00:17:56,909
THE VERDIGRIS HOUSE
227
00:17:57,743 --> 00:17:59,787
Where is Fengxian?!
228
00:18:00,370 --> 00:18:03,582
You! Fengxian is not here anymore!
229
00:18:03,665 --> 00:18:05,542
Why are you here after all these years!
230
00:18:05,626 --> 00:18:07,795
You left her for three years!
231
00:18:07,878 --> 00:18:10,172
I bet you don't even care about
what happens
232
00:18:10,255 --> 00:18:12,341
when a courtesan loses her value!
233
00:18:14,718 --> 00:18:18,055
If I had thought for a little bit,
I would've realized it.
234
00:18:18,138 --> 00:18:21,350
Why her buying out offer was rescinded.
235
00:18:21,850 --> 00:18:23,727
Inside Fengxian's belly was...
236
00:18:24,353 --> 00:18:26,230
What happens to a courtesan
237
00:18:26,313 --> 00:18:30,734
when she dishonors her brothel and her
trust and value plummets to the ground?
238
00:18:31,777 --> 00:18:34,530
Like a nighthawk,
she receives any customer,
239
00:18:36,115 --> 00:18:37,032
and eventually...
240
00:18:45,499 --> 00:18:49,586
No matter how much I lament,
time won't turn back.
241
00:18:51,046 --> 00:18:52,548
Everything happened because
242
00:18:52,631 --> 00:18:55,801
I was so short-sighted. It's all my fault.
243
00:19:07,938 --> 00:19:12,109
This is... The Verdigris House.
244
00:19:13,902 --> 00:19:15,529
Are you awake?
245
00:19:17,364 --> 00:19:18,448
Meimei.
246
00:19:19,241 --> 00:19:23,328
Some person of nobility brought you here.
247
00:19:23,412 --> 00:19:25,455
You look very unwell.
248
00:19:25,539 --> 00:19:28,083
Your face is both red and blue.
249
00:19:28,167 --> 00:19:31,336
I didn't plan on being like this.
250
00:19:31,420 --> 00:19:35,048
I didn't think that
the drink was so strong.
251
00:19:36,675 --> 00:19:41,221
Meimei used to be an apprentice
to Fengxian.
252
00:19:42,222 --> 00:19:44,558
I used to play with Meimei quite a lot.
253
00:19:45,809 --> 00:19:49,146
When told she had potential,
she seemed embarrassed but happy.
254
00:19:50,105 --> 00:19:51,398
Speaking of...
255
00:19:51,899 --> 00:19:53,525
What's wrong?
256
00:19:54,109 --> 00:19:56,111
No, it's nothing.
257
00:19:59,239 --> 00:20:01,825
-Here you are.
-Thanks.
258
00:20:05,621 --> 00:20:08,540
So bitter! What is this!
259
00:20:08,624 --> 00:20:10,500
Maomao made that.
260
00:20:11,585 --> 00:20:12,753
Mix, mix, mix.
261
00:20:12,836 --> 00:20:16,006
I see, Maomao made this.
262
00:20:16,673 --> 00:20:19,259
Also, Maomao made this box.
263
00:20:29,228 --> 00:20:31,021
A dried rose?
264
00:20:31,647 --> 00:20:35,901
Even after it has died,
you can preserve its form.
265
00:20:42,407 --> 00:20:43,909
Big Sis Meimei.
266
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:46,286
Excuse me, sir.
267
00:22:36,063 --> 00:22:39,316
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
268
00:22:47,908 --> 00:22:50,994
{\an8}Next Episode, "Jinshi and Maomao."
269
00:22:51,078 --> 00:22:52,037
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi