Faces you'll recognise
Episode guide
A swindler, disguised as a temple watchman, is waiting for his bait. Another con man, CHING, pretending as a rich merchant arrives at the temple with his friend, JIAN, who drives the rickshaw. The swindler is eager to cheat CHING as he looks so rich. However, he is cheated by CHING instead. Though CHING and JIAN are loafers, they are very obedient to their parents. CHING goes to brothel and meets YUK who is the son of an adjusting agent`s owner. CHING and YUK has a quarrel. CHING is deeply attracted by YUK`s fiancee, YEE. There is a meeting for certifying the authenticity of some precious items. All adjusting agents are sending representatives to the meeting. CHING and JIAN mingles into the meeting place. YUK arrests them.
In the meeting, YUK demonstrates to the attendants why CHING enters the place with a fake invitation card with the real one. CHING and JIAN are driven away. YEE`s father, HUNG who is the official banker appointed by the government, wants to cast a new series of coins for the king. Hearing the news, metal prices surges. YUK acts as HUNG's consultant in the coin-making scheme. YUK meets CHING and again they hold up a confrontation. YUK wins. YUK devises a plan for HUNG to collect coins from the common people by giving them bonus cash coupon in exchange. The coupon is well-received by the public. CHING thinks of another device. He makes the public think that there is gold inside the coins. As a result, the public raises the price for the coin exchange. Some even wants to get back their exchanged coins.
Knowing CHING's trick, YUK and his servant, KAU, set CHING and JIAN up. CHING and JIAN got arrested and are sent into the prison. CHING`s father, SHEK, tells CHING a story between YUK`s father and himself. In fact, SHEK used to be a blanket-maker. He was falsely accused of replacing inferior materials with the client's expensive cotton. SHEK had asked YUK`s father, YIN, who was the key adjusting agent at the time, to be the judge. However, YIN, in the midst of family problems, made a wrong judgment on SHEK. SHEK`s career was then ruined. Since then SHEK has become homeless and wandered around. To save his son, SHEK visits YIN. YIN pretends to be fainted on the spot. SHEK tells YUK the story in the hope that she will set CHING and JIAN free. CHING and JIAN are then set free. Having dinner at home to celebrate their release, CHING and JIAN are arrested again but by the government this time.
HUNG is angry with CHING and JIAN and devises a plan to send them into prison. He even has evidence against them from JIAN`s teacher, SUN. YUK demonstrates a special technique in court on how they hide the gold inside the coin. Unexpectedly, YUK's demonstration fails. YUK finds out that it was SUN`s trick. SUN sucessfully saves the two from imprisonment. SUN persuades CHING to reform himself so as not to make SHEK worry. CHING is touched. SUN shows his technique in front of YUK. YUK tells HUNG the case. HUNG is very disturbed. There is chaos in the street regarding the gold coins. YEE meets JIAN. She seduces JIAN so as to make him tell her the truth. Fortunately, CHING arrives in time. YUK eventually gets clues in how to hide gold inside the coin. SUN is worried.
YUK devises to put a lot of salt inside the water so that the coins with gold would sink while pure metal coins would float on top. SUN thinks of way to spoil YUK`s plan. He asks JIAN to pour a huge volume of vinegar around the well. If it rains, the vinegar would absorb and no matter there is gold or not, all coins would sink. It really rains heavily on the day YUK tried to demonstrate. YUK is shocked. The deadline of casting the coin money is due soon. HUNG arranges to meet SUN in the Kwun-Yin Temple. SUN requires HUNG to give him five hundred taels and the hand of the jade Kwun-YIN as an exchange for telling him the trick.
Though HUNG has compensated SUN, SUN still cannot forget how HUNG had prosecuted him many years ago. HUNG had cut SUN`s hands in his scheme in getting the jade Kwun-Yin. HUNG had even tried to kill SUN. SUN deliberately hits JIAN and imputes the fault to HUNG and YUK. JIAN believes in SUN and takes revenge on YUK. He finds out that YUK is, indeed, a female. CHING discloses YUK`s real identity in court and points out that HUNG has bribed SUN. The Emperor punishes both YUK and HUNG`s family. HUNG cannot stand such torture and commits suicide. YEE hates YUK deeply. Both YUK and YEE are put into prison. SHEK enlightens CHING. CHING doubts whether YUK was the one who hurt JIAN. CHING finds that SUN`s act is very strange. He suspects SUN.
SUN feels very guilty since JIAN has fainted. He buys Ginseng and silk for JIAN. He takes very good care of JIAN. CHING suspects SUN. He then takes some jade powder from SUN`s home to examine. Later, CHING even pretends to be a buyer to trap SUN. SUN escapes. CHING tempts SUN to tell him the truth. SUN admits that he is using JIAN and CHING to take revenge on HUNG. SUN wants to kill CHING. SUN throws a lamp and causes a fire. CHING tries to escape with JIAN who is still unconscious. SUN`s screams and wakes JIAN up. JIAN wants to save SUN but is in vain. SUN is burnt to death.
YUK will be executed in three days. CHING wants to help. JIAN and KAU intend to rescue them but it is in vain. CHING arrives and teaches them how to differentiate the coins. CHING`s words are very convincing. All are willing to take out their coins. YUK and her family are then released. YEE is not used to be poor. JIAN bought her bird`s nest and silk so as to please her. YIN wants to re-establish his business but is teased by all. CHING helps YIN. YIN changes his impression on CHING and starts to like CHING. However, YUK still hates him. YIN heard that CHING has indecently insulted YUK. YIN then makes SHEK realize that CHING is, in fact, a swindler.
SHEK decides to force CHING to marry YUK. However, both CHING and YUK are reluctant to get married. YIN and SHEK pretend to be very sick so as to rush them to get married before they die. CHING has suffered a lot on the wedding date. CHING is mad. He asks JIAN to hide all cash gifts from the guests for his own. However, YEE cheats the fortune out of JIAN. Though CHING is very angry, he forgives JIAN. CHING and YUK always quarrel. However, they pretend to get along well in front of their parents. The Governor asks CHING to examine a precious wine, the Lady Red Wine. YUK is shocked when she learnt the case.
CHING tests the wine at the Governor`s home. CHING knows nothing about wine-tasting. He makes a mess. CHING has already got drunk when YUK and KAU arrive. YUK asks his friend, HONG, to help. Together, they succeed to clear the mess. The Governor rewards them. CHING naively thinks that he has succeeded. YUK sends CHING away to Hangzhou so as to avoid losing face. CHING meets YEE in Hangzhou. The rich merchants want CHING to examine whether YEE is a virgin. CHING is very embarrassed but he has successfully got through with it. CHING is heart-broken to see YEE work in a brothel. JIAN saves YEE by making the merchants faint.
YEE gets the cash coupon and escapes away with JIAN. She abandons JIAN when she arrives at the pier. CHING knows that JIAN has made a big trouble. JIAN does not want to involve CHING into the trouble. YUK accepts the task from HONG to choose ten persons who would be qualified to receive a bottle of the prestigious `Fine Wine`. CHING returns home. Seeing YUK and HONG are very intimate, CHING is very jealous and always tries to find fault with HONG. At the restaurant, CHING and HONG are going to have a wine test. Suddenly there is a fire. CHING heroically jumps down from the second floor as pre-arranged. However, HONG has not come out so CHING thinks that HONG is a chicken. Unexpectedly, HONG is rescuing JIAN in the fire. In fact, the fire is CHING`s trick. It turns out that JIAN has lost control of the fire. All find CHING shameful.
CHING and HONG again have a wine test. CHING secretly pours all wine into his pocket. However, the bag inside his pocket is too full. HONG deliberately spills the wine all over so as to help CHING. CHING foolishly thought that his trick works. The next day they continue to test the wine. HONG tells CHING about his long talk overnight with YUK. CHING is so jealous that he scolds and insults both YUK and HONG. CHING returns home. YUK scolds CHING and tells him about the "RED LADY WINE" incident. CHING finally is awake from his foolishness and allows YUK to take up `The Fine Wine` case for HONG. The relationship between CHING and YUK improves. YUK and HONG have the same persons in mind. Both YUK and HONG feel that they have met each other too late. CHING and JIAN go to Szechuan to examine goods for BA. Unexpectedly, it is YEE again. They have to check whether she is still a virgin……
CHING discovers that YEE is sleeping next to him when he wakes up. CHING is shocked. YEE threatens CHING to help her cheat BA a fortune. They make BA thinks that he has slept with YEE drunkenly. YEE then escapes away and brings with her thirty-thousand taels. She even leaves behind evidence to impute against CHING. When BA realizes, he forces CHING to drink some poisonous wine. JIAN drinks the poisoned wine for saving CHING. JIAN is going to die very soon. KAU concerns a lot about JIAN. HONG suggests to put JIAN in warm water so as to release those toxic substances. CHING is clumsy and in everybody's way while they are trying to save JIAN. YUK drives CHING away. JIAN gets better. CHING is at ease. YUK forces CHING to tell her what has happened. CHING tells YUK the truth.
CHING announces the ten persons who are qualified to receive `The Fine Wine`. However, the last candidate was killed. YUK could not sleep. She is busy to choose another person for replacement. CHING is upset. HONG gives `The Fine Wine` to YUK. CHING is jealous. He is so angry that he drinks `The Fine Wine`. Unexpectedly, it turns out to be plain water. CHING thinks of a plot. He orders JIAN to send invitation cards for a wine test immediately. YUK goes to HONG`s place. HONG comforts YUK. YUK is waiting for CHING to come and escort her home. At midnight, CHING still does not come. YUK leaves sadly by herself. CHING suddenly appears. He even hits HONG. CHING and YUK quarrel terribly. YUK cries. CHING consoles her. CHING and YUK eventually start kissing.
After a romantic night, YUK and CHING become very intimate and harmonious. HONG goes to YING`s home early in the morning because of the invitation. CHING blames HONG and lets YIN and others to taste the so-called `Fine Wine`. HONG tells them the story of the `Fine Wine`. All sympathize with him. CHING even finds out that HONG has tried to match-make YUK and him. CHING thus tries to cancel the wine tasting meeting for HONG`s sake. However, he fails as all are very eager to attend. CHING then uses tricks and asks the candidates to store the `Fine Wine` in a wooden box. He then escapes with the wine so that it will not ruin HONG`s reputation. However, a mysterious man in black has been observing CHING. JIAN and CHING are in great danger.
The master of the mysterious person is the Emperor, HING. HING wants CHING to complete a task for him. However, CHING has not yet settled `The Fine Wine` incident. He requests HING to help HONG. After the incident is resolved, HONG decides to close his wine shop. HING wants CHING to sell the palace treasure for him. However, he must not disclose the treasures’ origin. A rich man pays for a very high price, exceed thirty time of the original price, to buy all treasures. Though HING wonders who is this rich guy, he still rewards CHING. On the street, a team of palace guard arrests YUK who is on her way home. CHING asks HING to help. HING knows that it is the eunuch, KWAN`s deed. In KWAN`s home, YUK is forced to tell who is the seller. Their lives are at stakes.
KWAN sets HING up. He teases HING who has betrayed his country by selling the national treasure. HING is then forced to assign an important task of warship building to KWAN under pressure. CHING blames HING who is so chicken-hearted. He goes to save YUK by himself. KWAN`s people chase after them. Meanwhile, YEE appears with a horse. CHING rides her horse and escapes. YEE is now KWAN`s favourite concubine. When she heard that YUK is being locked up in KWAN`s place, she immediately leaves CHING. CHING and HING bring with them `The First Adjusting Agent` signboard bestowed by the ex-Emperor so as to threaten KWAN to release YUK. KWAN and HING by chance notice the secret of the four gods` statute, `Wind`, `Mild`, `Rain`, `Smooth`. HING asks CHING to search for these four gods` statute as they have indicated the fate of the Ching Dynasty. On the way KWAN`s subordinates are following CHING. CHING devises to get rid of them.
CHING finds the statute. KWAN`s people arrive too. CHING got the `Mild` statute which is the lightest one. KWAN got the other three statutes. There is Manchu scroll printed on the ground where the statute had originally located. CHING copies it with a cloth. They hide the `Mild` statute and return to the capital. The scroll depicts that the ex-emperor, YUNG CHING`s order. It indicated that there is a person who will bring the Ching Dynasty into disaster. However, the detail is inside the `Mild` statute. KWAN has found out this secret at the same time. CHING and YUK set off to find the `Mild` Statute. On the way JIAN meets YEE. YEE then follows them. YUK eventually got the last scroll. The secret is that the ex-emperor KIN LUNG was an offspring of the Han Tribe. HING is shocked and immediately destroys the statute.
CHING worries that YEE would tell JIAN that CHING has slept with YEE. YEE forces CHING to give her the statute so as to extort money from KWAN. CHING devises to make KWAN take the fake statute. Unexpectedly, YEE and KWAN trap CHING and get the real statute. All think that CHING is a traitor. CHING returns to the palace to confess. In order to avoid HING killing CHING, YUK breaks up her relation with CHING. CHING is then no longer an adjusting agent representative and HING will not kill him. KWAN indicates to HING that CHING has already become his man. KWAN warns CHING that YUK has already drunk some poisonous wine and he has got the antidote. CHING then has to listen to KWAN. KWAN`s subordinate chases KAU. KAU hides into YEE`s room. KAU and YEE chat and they mention about JIAN. KAU enlightens YEE what real love is. YEE goes to KWAN`s room after chatting with KAU……
The four statutes are all in the hall. YUK takes out a `Mild` statute and claims that it is the real one. CHING appears. He insults YUK. YUK withdraws. CHING claims that the real statute can resist fire and burns the statute. The statute cannot resist fire and is destroyed. Till then could KWAN find out that CHING has betrayed him. The fake statute has a scroll depicting that KWAN is the person who will bring the Ching Dynasty disaster. HING got a good excuse to execute KWAN. YEE has scarificed her body to KWAN for the sake of getting antidote for YUK so CHING is free from KWAN's threat. YEE has determined to reform herself. JIAN finds out that he has fallen in love with KAU. YUK has given birth to twin babies. KAU is touched with JIAN`s sincerity and eventually agrees to marry him. In order to keep his secret, HING bestows the honour of `The First Adjusting Agent` to CHING so that they can live happily ever after.
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