Flourished Peony (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

[Luoyang]
The young master of the Liu family is getting married in such a grand ceremony.
- What kind of family background does this bride have?
- I've heard she's a merchant's daughter.
No one knows how she managed to get into the Liu family.
The bride has arrived!
[Dong'e Donkey-hide Gelatin]
Six boxes of jewelry and trinkets.
Three boxes of precious medicinal herbs.
Five boxes of brocades.
- Gold and jade—
- How can your family be like this?
The bride is still here. This is outrageous!
Yu Lu.
One maid.
Miss.
Be careful.
Why don't I hear any guests moving?
There's not a single guest in the house.
All the Liu family members are gathered around our dowry, busy with their abacuses.
The groom not coming on horseback to welcome the bride is already against etiquette.
Now they're not even setting up a banquet. They even made us enter through the back courtyard.
Who treats a bride with such neglect?!
Your mother is bedridden. Your father is busy taking care of her.
We know that you're a filial child. You would definitely be worried
and not in the mood to deal with guests. That's why there isn't a grand celebration.
I don't care about these empty formalities.
All decisions are up to you both.
Master, we're ready.
Now is the auspicious time.
Please ask the groom to go to the main hall.
Yes, Master.
Dusk.
Dusk.
Getting drunk like this on the day of your wedding. How inappropriate!
Get over here and pay your respects!
You're the ones happy, not me.
Liu Zi Shu!
Master, don't get angry. Zi Shu has always been courteous and well-mannered.
Today he's being forced into marriage. It's normal for him to be a bit temperamental.
Qiu Shi, quick, help the groom over here.
Young Master.
Young Master.
Kneel down. Kneel down.
Bow before the mirror.
Husband and wife are united, forever blessed and prosperous.
Young Master Liu hasn't arrived yet?
Not even a shadow in sight.
You're clearly the principal wife. Yet you can't enter his main chamber.
They placed you in this secluded courtyard.
Isn't it just disdain for our merchant origins?
Your family runs over a dozen herbal medicine shops. You grew up surrounded by piles of gold and jade.
Never have you suffered such grievances.
It's almost midnight, I'll go look for Young Master Liu.
- Young Master.
- Let me tell you, He Wei Fang,
if it weren't for my father relying on this dowry to alleviate the urgent need,
- you would have no chance to attach yourself to our Liu family!
- Young Master!
Go away!
For three generations, our Liu family has maintained prestigious official ranks and high status.
Even if I can't marry the one I love,
I should at least be matched with a noble lady of official nobility.
Now I'm forced to accept you, a merchant's daughter.
It's the greatest humiliation of my life!
You listen well.
This marriage between us is in name only.
From this day forth, I will never set foot in this room again!
It's the wedding night. How can Liu Chang be so rude?
Hurling insults at you so recklessly? How is that befitting of a young master from an esteemed official family?
Miss.
Miss, don't be too heartbroken.
No matter how the days ahead are spent, I'll always be by your side.
Miss.
Has Liu Chang left?
He's gone. He should've left the courtyard by now.
He's finally gone. If he hadn't left, my arms would have gone completely stiff.
He didn't hurt you, did he?
I knew you wouldn't be upset over such an impolite person.
Upset? I'm too happy to be upset.
He's not willing to marry me. Am I willing to marry him?
Liu Zi Shu is clearly a few years older than me. But his temperament is so childish.
Both of us were forced into this marriage. I haven't even said anything.
Yet he's the one feeling wronged first.
Good Yu Lu, don't cry.
My mother has taken the Liu family's tribute medicine. Her complexion has already greatly improved.
What do I have to be sad about?
Yu Lu, help me hold this.
Miss, where are you going?
It's about to rain, I can't let my flowers get wet.
- Miss, I'll help you.
- Come on, Yu Lu. Quick, together.
Lift it up. Ready, go.
- Put it here.
- All right.
The Liu family treats us so disdainfully.
Life will be tough from now on.
After being soaked by the rain, the Jade Terrace Peony leaves become even greener and more graceful.
[Spring of the Following Year]
This jade pendant has a fine luster.
A servant wearing such an expensive item isn't proper, is it?
Mother, this jade is nothing extraordinary.
I just think it matches with Yu Lu.
So on Yu Lu's birthday, it was given as a gift for her to wear.
Your He family, being a major dealer in medicinal materials, naturally looks down on such things.
But if a servant is decked out in gold and jade and gets seen by outsiders,
they might think that our Liu family throws money around like dirt and lacks strict management.
Take it off.
Madam, you'e right. I'll take it off as soon as I return.
I'm thinking in Yu Lu's best interest.
Being too ostentatious will inevitably lead to gossip.
I'll keep this jade pendant safe for now.
On the day Yu Lu gets married, it will naturally be included in her dowry.
Thank you for your concern, Mother.
As long as you understand my painstaking efforts.
How have you been getting along with Zi Shu lately?
Does he still not enter your courtyard?
No.
A wife must obey her husband in everything.
Failing to win Zi Shu's affection means you lack virtue.
Do you understand?
It's my dull and uninteresting nature that displeases my husband.
Please punish me.
I don't want to punish you, but to give you advice.
The provincial exam is forthcoming.
Although Zi Shu is already a scholar with merit,
if a person full of knowledge cannot offer money for connections,
it'll still be difficult for him to pass the exam smoothly.
As his wife, you ought to make some arrangements for him.
Given my husband's disposition,
I'm afraid he won't agree to use money to pay off the officials.
Zi Shu is wholeheartedly devoted to his studies. He naturally doesn't understand worldly affairs.
Mu Dan, you're from a merchant family, the gap between you and Zi Shu is great.
You can only contribute through financial means.
I'm doing this to help strengthen the emotional bond between you and your husband.
Do you understand?
I understand.
Zi Shu, you're here.
Mother.
- Come and sit down.
- All right.
Zi Shu, you seem to have lost some weight recently.
Preparing for the preliminary imperial exam is important, but your health must come first.
I understand. Thank you for your concern, Mother.
All right, let's eat first.
Speaking of the preliminary exam, every time Mu Dan visits Fuyun Temple, she prays for your success.
You should thank her, too.
The preliminary exam relies on real talent and knowledge. There's no need to pray to the deities.
Does she think I lack talent and can only rely on the protection of deities?
That's not my intention.
Don't say that. Mu Dan is considering your career.
Speaking of your career, Mu Dan actually has some thoughts about it.
You can tell your husband now.
Yes.
When you step into officialdom in the future,
it's essential to maintain relationships at all levels and build connections with the powerful.
I've set aside some money, in the future it'll be easier to—
I have studied diligently for years, driven by ambitions to soar high.
Passing the exam with top marks will depend on my own abilities to serve the imperial court.
Don't let your merchant family's narrow-mindedness jeopardize my career.
Why have you gotten angry again? Mu Dan's only thinking of you.
Is she really considering me or does she think that I can't rely on my own talent to rise straight to the top
and have to depend on these unorthodox methods?
It's not as serious as you think. If you don't want to, just forget it.
I'll persuade Mu Dan. Let's eat first.
I'll take my leave now.
And you, you're so blunt when you speak.
Can't you say a few soft words to cajole him a bit?
You also saw it. My husband has made up his mind.
I suppose further persuasion would be futile.
You…
You have been living in seclusion for a long time. You don't understand the ways of the officialdom.
Zi Shu is an upright and principled man.
He's unwilling to personally give gifts, seek favors, or win people's hearts.
But for his career, we must plan for him.
But my husband has just refused.
So what? If you're afraid of displeasing him, we'll just do it behind his back.
Mu Dan.
Your father and I will appreciate your kindness.
Good child, don't worry, go ahead and raise the money. You're excused from this month's courtesy visits.
Thank you, Mother.
You're going to Fuyun Temple to pray for blessings today. You shouldn't dress so flamboyantly.
Yes.
Remember to eat vegetarian meals. Avoid meat and fish.
If the heart isn't sincere, the prayers for blessings won't be effective.
Yes.
I'm so angry. Clearly, it's Madame Liu who wants to spend money to smooth relations.
Yet she insists on making it come from your mouth.
The two of them are a loving mother and filial son, making you do all the unpleasant tasks.
Moreover, you're not allowed to wear new clothes or eat meat or fish.
You're completely at their mercy regarding everything.
Even the servants in this residence live more comfortably than you.
Look at you. Your little face flushed with anger.
Say it three times with me. I'm not angry.
I'm not angry. I'm not angry. How can I not be angry?!
A year ago, it was clearly Master Liu who had a deficit to fill.
They wanted to treat our He family like a cash cow and proposed a marriage alliance.
But what about them? They ask you for money on one hand while criticizing you on the other.
That Liu Chang, even more so, time and time again comes to humiliate you.
And there's the Women's Precepts. They want us to hang it up, intending to discipline you.
[Women's Precepts]
This This is simply outrageous.
Back then, my mother was gravely ill.
Only the Liu family's imperial-gifted zixi pills could provide a glimmer of hope.
At that time, no matter what demands were made, I would've agreed.
[Women's Precepts]
But that tribute medicine was nothing but an empty reputation.
- Not long after, your mother still
- Life is unpredictable.
We can't blame others.
The Liu residence is a pit of fire.
Your mother wasn't saved and your entire life was gambled away.
Yu Lu, the Liu family kept their promise and produced the tribute medicine.
How could we break our promise?
Rest assured. I'm not that fragile.
It's just cold treatment and disdain. I can bear it.
All right, let's set off.
Go on.
[Fuyun Temple]
Young Madam, please remember to kneel for five hours.
Pray sincerely for blessings. Burn incense and pray in silence.
Do not rise before the hour of You.
(between 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.)
Now is the hour of Chen. You may begin now.
(between 7 a.m. - 8 a.m.)
I'll wait outside the hall. Please be assured, Young Madam.
Immortals above, I've come to disturb again.
May sincerity move the heavens.
I hope my mother can rest in peace in heaven and will no longer suffer from illness and pain.
Miss, Xiangfu has fallen asleep. You can relax a bit now.
Are you all right?
Quick, quick, the money.
- Help me up.
- Okay.
Here, slowly, slowly.
Yu Lu, help me keep an eye on it.
- Okay.
- I'll head out now.
- Exhausted, aren't you? Have some water.
- Thank you, Uncle Lin.
Drink slowly. No rush.
Here, have some dates.
I'm truly exhausted today.
Thank goodness I could come to your place to have a bowl of water and rest for a bit.
Among the gentlemen and ladies coming to the temple to pray for blessings,
only your husband's family has extremely demanding requirements.
You've been kneeling for such a long time and they don't even let you eat or drink.
Isn't this torture?
The Liu family head heeds every word of wandering shamans, insisting on making me kneel for five hours.
Otherwise, it can't attain protection for the Liu family.
Miss, marrying into the Liu family, you have indeed suffered.
Back when you were at the He family, in your own shop, everyone would take care of you.
But now you've become more haggard by the day.
If Shopkeeper He knew, he would surely be heartbroken.
Right now, my father's shops have closed down another branch. He's already distressed and upset.
I don't want to worry him further.
Let's not talk about this anymore.
This is for Jiu'er's medicine, please take it.
- No, I can't.
- Take it.
I can't accept your money anymore.
You've taken care of us for the better part of a year. Jiu'er's illness has improved significantly.
I really don't know how I should repay you.
She has just recovered from a serious illness and needs proper care. The last few doses must not be delayed.
Uncle Lin, you're my father's old partner.
If the He family business hadn't been doing poorly, closing one shop after another,
you wouldn't have lost your livelihood and come to work in the temple.
This little help is what I ought to give.
Take it. It's for Jiu'er.
Take it.
On behalf of my daughter, thank you.
You're welcome.
What's the matter, Uncle Lin? Did you strain your back?
The old ailment has flared up. It's not serious.
- Where does this flowerpot need to be delivered? Let me help you with it.
- No, no.
This flower is to be sent to the south side, the Grand Celestial Master Hall.
- It's not a short distance.
- You've forgotten?
Since I was little, I have grown peonies with my mother, carrying flowerpots and flower fertilizer all day.
This small job is nothing.
Besides, it's almost sunset. I must rush back to the main hall.
It's on the way.
I'm leaving now, Uncle Lin.
Thank you, Miss.
Hurry, go rest.
I thought immortals all looked kind and benevolent.
I didn't expect the Grand Celestial Master to be so majestic.
No wonder he's known for slaying villains.
The Liu family is all petty, bullying me all day long. They even force me to pray for Liu Chang.
Since I'm here, I'll make a wish with you.
May my husband have no paper in the latrine, lose hair while combing,
have his concubines betray him, and miss the questions in the preliminary exam.
What Yu Lu said was correct.
The Liu family is simply a pit of fire.
Back then, when Mother was gravely ill, my father humbled himself and begged for the tribute medicine.
We had money and they had the medicine. Originally, a simple business deal could've settled it.
But who would have known the Liu family head would believe the words of a wandering shaman?
He insisted that my horoscope could prosper their Liu family.
I was forced to marry over to get the tribute medicine.
They treat me like a cash cow, demanding fifty percent of our family store's annual earnings.
It's caused my father's business to deteriorate each day. That's not the end of it either!
They also embezzled my dowry secretly and confiscated Yu Lu's jade pendant.
It's outright insatiable extortion. Totally shameless!
Who's there?
I'm the Grand Celestial Master descended to earth.
Touched by your sincerity, I've come specially to help you overcome the difficulties.
Since that's the case,
how do you plan to help me?
Audacious rogue! How dare you masquerade as a deity in the Grand Celestial Master Hall!
You don't believe me, do you?
I've calculated with a twitch of the fingers. You're the daughter-in-law of the Liu family.
Your father-in-law is Liu Shen, the magistrate in charge of the Eastern Capital.
Is that so?
The Grand Celestial Master looks very majestic.
With your looks, are you truly a Celestial Master?
How can you judge a person by their appearance?
I manifested with the intent to lend you a helping hand.
Just give me a hundred bolts of silk
and I'll grant you your wish and dispel the villains.
I see.
I'll beat you, you liar!
Swindling money without even inquiring about the market price.
Hiring a hitman costs but eighty bolts only. You want to cheat me?
There's only one high-ranking official in Luoyang surnamed Liu. Everybody knows him.
- No need for you to calculate with your fingers!
- Gently. Be more gentle.
As a lady, how can you be such a shrew?
A sneaky person like you dares to call me a shrew!
- Let's go, I'll take you to see the official.
- How can a Celestial Master leave the main hall?
Moreover, it's already sunset.
Who knows, the government office might be unattended.
Consider yourself lucky today.
Excuse the disturbance.
That lady…
She has left.
Young Master.
What happened?
The knockout drug I bought this time doesn't seem potent enough.
He suddenly woke up. It gave me quite a scare.
I think you need a lesson. Handling things so unreliably.
You said it'd knock them out for two hours.
I only rested for one hour when he woke up and caused such a commotion, nearly getting us discovered.
I failed to keep watch effectively and accidentally let him kick over the candelabra.
Please punish me.
They say scholars are weak and powerless.
I don't think that's entirely true.
Don't be so angry.
You're honored guests I went to great lengths to invite here.
Why must you torture these scholars?
Because it's interesting.
What are your plans next? Will you settle down in the temple?
I came under orders of Prince Ning, to accompany the Princess in her leisure travels.
The Princess is going to the Liu family to meet her old lover.
Of course, I have to go along.
Looking at it now, this vile person's family is very interesting.
To not go and meet them would be a pity.
[To Zi Shu]
Zi Shu, it's been a long time since we met. I miss you very much.
This morning, I took up my pen with both joy and worry.
I'm glad that my husband has passed away and I've finally gained my freedom.
But I'm worried that after years of separation, I'm unsure of where your heart lies now.
The yearning is extremely intense. Writing cannot fully express my feelings.
Fortunately, I will soon travel to Luoyang to ease my mind.
I'm looking forward to our reunion.
It's been three years.
I never thought that the two of us could meet again.
You Zhen,
I wonder what you look like now.
- Miss, it's time to apply medicine.
- Okay.
Here.
Another area has swollen.
Madam Liu is truly ruthless. Kneeling for so long without being allowed to use a cushion, too.
It's not a big deal. Do you know?
Today, when I went to send flowers to the Grand Celestial Master Hall, I took the opportunity to make a wish.
I wished that Liu Chang would be without toilet paper and lose his hair.
I don't know if the Grand Celestial Master can manifest it.
Liu Chang is truly annoying. You're being pressured by Madam to raise money for him.
Not only is he ungrateful to you, but he also curses you.
If he were truly noble, he would spit out all the money your father gave as bribes.
Annoying Liu Chang, Liu Chang is annoying.
Shuai Shuai, you're right. Liu Chang is annoying. Shuai Shuai is the cutest.
Madam wants us to ease tensions without Liu Chang finding out. If he does, I'm afraid he'll direct his anger at you.
Why not simply tell him the whole story?
So what if we tell him?
I'm an outsider after all. They, mother and son, share a bond.
What? Think they'll fight over me?
But you suffer from both sides. It's too much to bear.
You've been lively and smart since childhood. Before your marriage, you managed the household accounts with great efficiency
Since marrying into the Liu family, you've been confined to this small courtyard.
Every time you see members of the Liu family, you can only endure insults and humiliation.
I've been kneeling for a whole day. My legs are numb. Let me stretch a little.
Come on, Yu Lu.
Catch.
Being forgotten in this little courtyard isn't all that bad.
No one disturbs us. It's very peaceful.
Besides, I have you, these flowers, and Shuai Shuai by my side every day.
When there's nothing to do, I just lift weights and practice martial arts for fun.
Such days aren't too hard to endure.
As for Liu Chang, although I dislike him, I can understand why he treats me this way.
Understand? What's there to understand about him?
He's clearly just a pretentious hypocrite.
Liu Chang has studied for years to pass the exam with high marks and bring glory to his family.
This shows he's an ambitious person.
You always say so. But if he really were that great, you would have fallen for him by now.
Fallen for him?
That's impossible. Praise where it's due and call out what needs to be condemned.
Liu Chang hates this transactional marriage too much.
It was the Liu family's fate that forced him to kneel, and social status that separated him from the Princess.
But he cannot figure this out and directs all his anger, resentment, and unwillingness at me.
It shows that he's extreme and depressed by nature. He can't be entrusted with a lifetime commitment.
Therefore, we each live our own lives. Living in peace without issues is good.
You think things through so clearly.
In the long years to come, we'll keep flowers and tease birds together, enjoying tea and being merry.
Tea drinking is so dull.
Go on, fetch our wine.
Yes.
Shuai Shuai.
- There's nothing to do tomorrow. Let's drink to our hearts' content.
- Okay.
Miss. Miss, something's happened!
- Miss, quickly wake up.
- What's the matter?
Has Madam asked me to observe the rules in the family temple again?
Or is there a lack of money and I have to go to my father again?
Princess Ji'an will visit our house tomorrow.
What does that have to do with me? No need to bother with her.
To receive her, Master had people dig up all the peonies in our courtyard.
- When did this happen?
- I heard from the servants that they dug them up last night.
Quick. Quick.
How did these flowers end up in this state?
What kind of gardeners are you? Even moving flowers is too much for you.
If the Princess sees this tomorrow, both of your heads put together won't be enough to atone for this!
Father.
Mu Dan, you've finally come. Please help me save these flowers.
Father, if you need flowers,
I can personally go to the flower market and choose some for you.
Why did you go through the trouble of digging up my garden's flowers overnight and bringing them all here?
These famous peonies of yours are extremely precious.
The common stock at the flower market can hardly compare to them.
Moreover, I heard you were drinking last night and you retired early.
I really couldn't bear to disturb you.
Mu Dan, you won't blame me, will you?
I wouldn't dare.
Good child. I originally didn't want to trouble you to take action personally.
But I didn't expect these peonies of yours to be so delicate.
The gardeners I hired simply can't take good care of them.
Mu Dan, take a look. Can they still be saved?
Mu Dan, you must save them.
The distinguished guests visiting tomorrow include not only the beloved daughter of Prince Ning,
Princess Ji'an, but the favored court official Jiang Chang Yang as well.
You may not know about it living in that courtyard.
Jiang Chang Yang isn't only the Deputy Minister of the Office of Imperial Ceremonies but also serves as the Floral Envoy.
He collects rare and exotic treasures for the emperor from all over the world.
If they find no flowers at the banquet tomorrow, it would be like deceiving the emperor.
Everyone in our Liu family will be implicated.
Father, there's no need for further words.
No matter who comes to the residence tomorrow, I don't care.
What What do you mean by this?
These peonies were my mother's legacy to me.
Regardless of whether the nobles come tomorrow or whether the floral banquet is held,
I will do my utmost to save them.
All right. As long as you can revive these flowers and make tomorrow's honored guests satisfied,
you can choose from the rare treasures in the residence as you like after the banquet.
These peonies are my treasures.
As long as they are well, I desire nothing else.
Work on them with peace of mind. If you have any requests, just give the order.
Yu Lu, go get the stored flower fertilizer and the original soil in our courtyard.
Yes.
You two, these flowers must be watered with well water that has been reserved for two days.
If there's not enough stored water in the courtyard, go outside and fetch two buckets of river water.
- Do you understand?
- Yes, Master.
Go quickly.
Excuse me, Father, please step aside.
♫ The Luo River cleanses the ridges of the moonlight ♫
The Princess doesn't like the taste of ginger. Be sure to replace the ginger drink with jasmine pearl soup.
- It can nourish the skin as well as relieve fatigue.
- Understood.
Additionally, remember to use dew.
♫ A beauty refuses the tempation of the mortal world ♫
Miss, is this okay?
- That works.
- Okay.
Young Master, Young Madam is working very hard for the flower banquet.
Her hands are full of dirt and she isn't well-groomed. How is she an official's madam?
The ginseng ginger drink is already made. It would be a pity to pour it away. Send it to her courtyard.
Yes, Young Master.
♫ reflects the color of the sky ♫
♫ And never withering ♫
♫ Don’t let time tarnish the beauty of the fragrance ♫
'Fragrance Recital' - Zhang Zining
♫ On the endless road to Chang'an,
the zither and lute's melody echoes from afar ♫
♫ Plum and willow trees greet the Spring,
as splendor returns this year ♫
♫ Copper battlements shine atop the palace
as songs and dances fill the air and glasses are raised ♫
♫ Idle clouds and drifting duckweed, with a thousand flowers blooming ♫
♫ Time flows gracefully, with moments gathering in the fading mist ♫
♫ Let the years pass, carried by the wind toward long-held desires ♫
♫ If the heart remains as still as water, youth becomes eternal ♫
♫ Still cherishing the moon of my hometown, yearning to meet again ♫
♫ The distant night sky, scattered with stars, reflects the gentle moon ♫
♫ The peony's exquisite beauty fills the fragrant garden ♫
♫ With my heart as a lantern, I fear not the journey through distant mountain paths ♫
♫ The jade flute's music fills a fleeting life with meaning ♫
♫ Time flows gracefully, with moments gathering in the fading mist ♫
♫ Let the years pass, carried by the wind toward long-held desires ♫
♫ If the heart remains as still as water, youth becomes eternal ♫
♫ Still cherishing the moon of my hometown, yearning to meet again ♫