《长安的荔枝 The Litchi Road》EP16：围城跑试验遭遇天灾以失败告终，绝境中李善德发现荔枝转运新出路｜雷佳音 岳云鹏｜古装 传奇 剧情｜KUKAN Drama
[The Litchi Road] Liangyuan… [Veterans of Supreme Square] ten years younger than I am now… [2nd month, Ba Bridge, Chang’an] I was determined to make a name
for myself in Chang’an and serve the Court. But luck wasn’t on my side. Be it my portfolio submission
or the imperial exam, nothing went as I’d hoped. By the tenth year of Tianbao, I still had no achievements. On my fortieth birthday, a friend invited me to Qujiang Lake to celebrate on a boat. Halfway through our journey, a thick fog suddenly rose
from the shore. Seeing that scene, I felt trapped in despair. Wasn’t that just like my life? Halfway through, with no clear future in sight. I got off the boat and wandered aimlessly, eventually finding myself at Supreme Square about one li outside the Chunming Gate. Don’t let the name fool you. It’s nothing grand, nor can it be called a proper square. It’s just a mass grave. I randomly picked a burial mound and laid down. After some time, an old soldier, the gravekeeper, approached. He looked weathered and had one eye missing. He had been living in Supreme Square, claiming he was there to guard the grave of his comrades. He told me when he was just tall enough
to reach a horse’s back, he was forced to join the army and sent to the western frontier. That was the first time he left his family for the battlefield, not knowing when he would die. One day, in battle, he found himself pinned down by a fierce enemy, facing certain death. In a moment of desperation, he bit into the enemy’s cheek and managed to turn the tables. After that battle, he realized when cornered, with no way to retreat, why not take a step forward and fight for his life? Perhaps he could still grasp a glimmer of hope. From that day on, he trained relentlessly
in swordsmanship. Whenever the horn sounded, he would charge down
from the high ground, reaching for the military flag. It was this fighting spirit
that allowed him to survive countless battles and return to Chang’an, where he became the Chief Constable
of Wannian County. Hearing that, I was deeply moved. I wondered how my circumstances compared to that old soldier’s. If he could carve out
a path for himself against fate, why couldn’t I? Cheers! [Episode 16] Action! Withdraw! Alright? Are you okay? The urn! Slow down. The urn! Be careful. Lan, go ahead. We can handle this. Can you do it, Li? The horse is back! Help him! Where’s Yazhuang? He’s behind. The horse collapsed
on the mountain road. Hurry, Li! – Li.
– Hurry up! Hurry, take it! Take it! All the horses are exhausted. None can stand up. Help him up! Take a break, Li. Thanks, Li. What can we do now? Horses can’t run, but we can! Yeah! – I can run.
– Me too! I can run! You’ve gone five days without rest. Carrying this weight forward is too much. Mr. Li, I usually transport goods in the mountains. I can run. I can run too. I’ve never seen an official so responsible before. You all have really had a tough time. So, I volunteer to help. But I can’t run the whole distance. What are you doing? Hey, what are you doing? What does this have to do with you? Shut up! We need to do a trial. If you break Mr. Li’s urns, it’ll affect the results of the trial and also affect His Majesty’s litchis. You can’t bear the consequences! What? That’s not right. They’re willing to help ease His Majesty’s worries. If you don’t let them help, can you give me your horses? Exactly! Can you lend us horses? Mr. Li, our horses are registered military mounts, responsible for patrolling the borders. We can’t lend them out easily! We can’t have helpers nor horses. How can I continue? Right! I can’t answer that question. I’m only responsible
for serving you well and ensuring safety. Now let me ask you, will you continue this trial? If not, I’ll unlock the Little East Gate and finish my work. What? You’re making things difficult! Move! The Guild Leader’s here! Ma’am. Ma’am. Mr. He said the Assembly is suspended for Mr. Li’s trial. To protect the interests
of the Hu merchants, the Hu Merchants Guild will personally supervise this trial. I didn’t hear about that. Mr. Li, Mr. He said your men and your horses are exhausted. He ordered me to bring you some fine horses. If the trial fails, you can’t use the lack of horses as an excuse. As for the riders, will my team suffice? Are you serious? Your riders have been
running nonstop for days. They have no more strength. If they keep pushing like this, it might lead to a tragedy. Absolutely! The trial continues! – Wonderful!
– Great! – Amazing!
– Let’s do it! She’s clearly trying to go against me. Tell me, is it about that dagger? Amita still can’t let it go in her heart? Mr. He, you got her wrong. She sent the horses because the litchis had already
begun to spoil. The flavor will change at any moment. The trial is doomed to fail. Thus the leader sent those fine horses in your name, which not only showcases your generosity and concern for His Majesty, but also can silence Li Shande, leaving him with no excuses to claim that the trial fails due to a lack of horses. It effectively cuts off his hopes
of raising funds for transport. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. Have you checked the Little East Gate? This trial really can’t go on? Some litchis have already spoiled. Within a day, they will all rot and leak. Good. I’ll go to the Little East Gate tomorrow to give Li Shande a proper send-off. It’s Li Shande’s honor to have you present, Mr. He. I should take my leave. Mr. He, since Amita went there, she’s been inseparable from that soldier. It’s hard to do anything. Let’s put this matter on hold for now. Amita has her own plans now. I can’t afford to lose big over it. Let’s maintain this appearance of peace right now. I see. Ma’am? Why do you want to be a rider? To compete with you. During the last lap, I was ambushed here. Do you know who it was? Don’t worry. I got you the special pardon. I’ll keep you safe. Follow up! They’ve arrived! They’re coming! They’ve finished! [The sixth trial day] Mr. He is here! Mr. Li, you’re working hard on a rainy day! Mr. He. Look at your transport trial! It’s keeping the whole city up at night. Even during the Lantern Festival, we’ve never had this much excitement! Look, the Hu merchants and all the citizens are eagerly awaiting the result! How is it going? They’re back! They’ve finished! Hurry! Hurry! Unload them! Mr. Li, look how supportive I am of your work. Even my adoptive daughter is riding for you! It’s truly a family effort! Be careful. Let’s go! Father, to ensure interests of the Guild, I came to supervise this trial. You’re quite thoughtful! Let’s see. Mr. Li, urn C is leaking juice! Well… Check it out. Oh no. Mr. He, it’s leaking! We can’t serve this to His Majesty
and Her Highness. Hold on! Take a closer look. These litchis aren’t all picked from the same tree. They’re different in ripeness. On the road, there’s ventilation and bumps. Each urn has its own condition. Li Shande, urn B is leaking. What did you say? This one is leaking too? There’s only one urn left. This trial is doomed! Where’s urn A? Bring urn A here! Urn A! Urn A is here! It’s fine. It’s successful! What? Urn A is fine. Urn A is good. Let’s continue! We can continue! They’re fine! Let’s continue! Amazing! Come on. One, two, three! Come on! Let’s start! Didn’t you say this trial was destined to fail? How come one of the urns survived? And this urn has lasted for so long that he’s almost tasted
all the litchis inside! Why isn’t the trial over yet? The horse is back! He’s back! It’s blocked! The road is blocked! Mr. Li, the road is blocked! The road is blocked! What? It’s blocked? Are you alright? Hurry! Get down! Hurry! Be careful. Where is it blocked? Not far ahead. Be careful. Carry him over here! Mr. Li, the litchis are fine! This is good. The litchis are fine. Great! The litchis are fine. They are fine. Wonderful! Listen, let’s split into two teams now and send out two riders. Yazhuang, follow the planned route and go to the foot of the mountain. Li? Li! Li, come over! When you reach the foot of the mountain, you’ll take over the relay. Understand? Go! Ma’am, you’ll stay on this side. Once you receive the urn, transport it back here, alright? No problem. Let’s go! And you take people to fix the road. Sure. Make sure the trip is safe. Alright, let’s do it! Let’s go there now! Go grab equipment. Clear the way! Move! I’ll go up alone? Come on! Gather baskets and ropes! Let’s begin! Hurry up! Here. Be careful. Go! Is the rope ready yet? Hurry! Good. Use your hands for small rocks! Are there more ropes? Be careful! This is too heavy. Use ropes! Get ropes! Here. Hurry! Prize it up! Come on! More strength! Give me! Harder! Use ropes! – Ropes!
– Here. This won’t work. Put a stone underneath! Use a stone! Go on! Help! Go help her! Alright? Let’s try again! Come on! One, two, three! Move! Move! The horse’s coming! It’s the horse! Yazhuang! Come and help! Hurry up! Take the urn. Come on. Slowly! Hurry and check it out! Hurry! Bring a torch! A torch! Hurry! Is this trial over? If it’s over, then let’s disperse now! Disperse! Disperse now! Mr. Li, the trial is really over? Everyone. Everyone… these days, you all… Li Shande! Mr. Li! Li Shande! ♪Red-skinned fruit weighs the branches♪ ♪Slender boughs bend low♪ ♪Picking fruits tires one out♪ ♪The sickle cuts whole clusters♪ Litchi Commissioner! Litchi Commissioner! Focus on your work. ♪Two sips rival sugarcane♪ ♪Kiddo, don’t stash them away♪ ♪Tomorrow the litchis will spoil♪ Awake? ♪How to keep♪ ♪them fresh?♪ I should go. Thank you. Li Shande. I’m fine. Get back to your work. Thanks. ♪Two sips rival sugarcane♪ ♪Kiddo, don’t stash them away♪ ♪Tomorrow the litchis will spoil♪ ♪How to keep♪ ♪them fresh?♪ ♪Don’t pluck them at all♪ ♪Don’t pluck them at all♪ ♪Red-skinned fruit weighs the branches♪ ♪Slender boughs bend low♪ Mr. Li, my litchi orchard is still good! Look, the fruit is still fresh! We have a secret method to preserve them longer. What’s it? Don’t pluck them at all! ♪Don’t pluck them at all♪ Oh, heaven, you never fail a determined heart! The last Assembly was paused due to Elder Su’s project. Now Mr. Li’s trial is finished. I believe you must have a judgment right now. Please carefully think about it and vote on it. Should we continue the litchi business? Ma’am, Mr. Li has only conducted one trial. Shouldn’t we give him another chance? The paused Assembly was a chance for him. Mr. Li has racked his brains to think of an idea to get the litchis to Chang’an, but failed. Ma’am! Ma’am, I’m Li Shande. Li Shande’s here. Lan Yu, bring Mr. Li in. Sure. Mr. Li, please. Ma’am, I’ve brought your iris back to life. I’ve fulfilled my promise to you. You came just to deliver the flowers? No, I mean, an iris can survive and thrive in this pot. Litchis can too! Litchis can also survive! Look, in this pot, it’s planted with litchis. A child planted this branch in the soil and took good care of it, so it’s still alive. This branch may be wilted now, but the fruit is as fresh as those
that are just picked. With this method, litchis can be preserved for five to six days. Mr. Li, we all witnessed the failure of your trial. Now you suddenly brought out a pot of litchis and claimed it could buy time? Who’s going to believe that? This litchi branch was cut before the trial. It was planted in the soil during the trial. If you don’t believe it, you can go ask about it. Everyone can prove it! Even if this is true, the litchi branch can barely survive in the soil, let alone being tossed around in the urn. Please listen. Everyone, this branch is weak, but we can find stronger ones! We can look for healthy branches. We can find thick trunks. All we need to do is split them and plant them in the urns with soil. The fruits on the branches can continue to grow! Even if the branch withers, the fruits will still be fresh. Look! It’s fresh with juice. Take a look! So, tell me, how many more days can it be preserved? I call this branch planting in urns. Combined with the previous water-isolation salt-washing method, litchis can be preserved for 11 days! Eleven days! Impossible! Eleven days. Then how many days will it take to get from Lingnan to Chang’an? Following my planned route, it also takes 11 days. Check out my plan! Have a look. Pass it around. Please. [Litchi Transport Route Plan] It’ll be fresh for 11 days. The route costs 11 days. His Majesty and the Noble Consort will soon be able to enjoy fresh litchis! As if already in their mouths. You’re amazing, my bro… Brilliant talent you are. Amazing! Hold on. Something’s not right. What’s wrong? Your plan mentions the transport team will
go over Lushan Mountain into Xunyang County, and cross the Yangtze River
into Qichun County. That’s indeed an excellent route. But the other day,
Xunyang was hit by flooding. The official road is blocked. Who knows when it will be repaired? No way! Flooding in Xunyang? That’s not possible, Elder Fan! I’ve never heard about the flooding! I’ve heard about it too. Not only Xunyang but several towns are also affected by flooding in Jiangzhou. Mr. Li, if there really is flooding, are there alternative routes? The official road is the quickest route. If there’s flooding, we’ll have to take a detour. That needs two more days. In other words, you’ll need at least 13 days. Mr. Li, I admire your honesty in not deceiving us. But your transport plan is just a beautiful illusion. It looks good but unrealistic. Business is business. No businessperson wants a loss. If he can’t solve
the technical problems, why should we keep investing? It’d just be a waste of money! Look at your position! You have no say in this! Mr. Li, is there any other possibility? There is. There is! Just a moment. There are alternatives. Let me think about it. After leaving Lingnan, go north, and we’ll pass the Five Ridges. The Five Ridges are the most rugged and difficult part. It will cost a lot of time. If we can find a new way there, it’ll take two days less. Take two days less. That’s easy for you to say! So many merchants have traveled this road for years. If there was an easier route, it should’ve been discovered! How would you know if you don’t try? We need to try at least. When I first got this assignment in Chang’an, it felt like a dead-end job, right? Litchis would go bad in three days, so it was impossible. But what happened? When I got to Lingnan, I found one solution, then another! One idea after another. Every time I thought it was impossible, I took a step closer to making it possible! I’ve witnessed everything Mr. Li said. Mr. Li is honest and straightforward, never trying to please anyone, let alone deceiving anyone. So, he lays out the truth openly. He knows transporting litchis is no easy task, but he still perseveres. I admire Mr. Li’s character. I also believe he will surely find a better way to turn danger into safety. I’m willing to put my entire fortune in Mr. Li’s hands! I’ll side with him! Everyone, the Right Chancellor entrusted this task to Mr. Li, because he fully trusts Mr. Li. We’re all businesspeople. For us, profit is the key. For one to make money, the judgment
of character is important. When we invest in it, we’re not just investing in a business, but also in the person who runs the business. I’ve finished. I’m just a low-ranking official, earning a little money in Chang’an. After expenses, I barely make ends meet
by the end of the month. But Elder Su just gave me a huge sum of money. It’s totally beyond my imagination. I-I could’ve taken the money back to Chang’an and let my daughter grow up safely. I could’ve only cared about myself. But instead, I used the money to conduct a trial. Honestly, I just want to survive. Of course, my life may mean nothing to you all, but I want to tell everyone that I want to live. Father! I’m determined to fight for my life. I’m willing to stake my life to make this business succeed. So I won’t let you down for believing in me. I won’t! After saying all this, I believe you all have your answers. Let’s vote! [The Litchi Road] Amita, what I want is a result. Can we change the name? Let’s call it Great Fortune Fruit. That will definitely boost sales! Can we paint all these urns red? Festive! And the horses… Stop it right now! This is enough! If you keep messing around, transporting litchis will be a joke! Ma Guiyun has strutted like a peacock lately. Perfect timing to arrange a beautiful woman to win him over and recruit him! ♪The moon rises, the sun sets♪ ♪I recall the deep feelings again♪ ♪Dwelling on it♪ ♪Dawns to dusks,
a thousand miles apart we gaze♪ ♪Gatherings, partings,
rights and wrongs♪ ♪Wind and rain blur the sight♪ ♪My longing travels
through endless years♪ ♪The past is behind us,
and the future is ahead♪ ♪Our joy will fade with time♪ ♪I keep our old times in mind♪ ♪The sea turns into starlight♪ ♪We gather, scatter,
like clouds across the sky♪ ♪Winds hum through trembling leaves♪ ♪Achievements and faults
are all in vain♪ ♪No mountain too steep,
no journey too far♪ ♪It’s just♪ ♪Green thrives
while vitality of us fades♪ ♪Glitz and glamour vanish♪ ♪Carved into vicissitudes♪ ♪Throughout all time,
I have lived on ordinary♪ ♪Without knowing
if you are in sorrow or delight♪ ♪The chaos in the world has no end♪ ♪Alone I’ll stay in this yard
with osmanthus♪ ♪Waiting for your return,
watching new sprouts♪ ♪Appreciating the blossoms
all by myself♪ ♪Unharmed by seasons’ change♪ ♪Is Chang’an♪ ♪On the way to Lingnan?♪