Old Nine Gates 老九门 - Episode 11 (Recap)

SakiVI: So many shenanigans! Fo Ye and Ba Ye are crafty, our Miss is thirsty, and the servants at Xin Yue Hotel are interestingly scary. We focus on the hotel and the characters within it in this episode, which gives some much-loved variety.
kakashi: I think I used to be an auctioneer in one of my previous lives. Why else would I love auction-action that much?

Episode 11 - The Auction

We return to Fo Ye writing down the lyrics to Er Ye's song and Ba Ye bopping to the music and cutting something white.
It's not paper after all, it's something to pad Fo Ye's shoe sole so that he doesn't make any noise.
Look at how manly those shoes are!
Cut to the Xin Yue Hotel at night.
That looks familiar. And forever a full moon. I'd go crazy. 
The gambling hall is active and the final opera item is being auctioned. We see Fo Ye and Ba Ye and the Twins plus their mark picking the song, which is the one Ba Ye told everyone to pick that morning. I'm really curious to see what that song is about!
Idiot Officer bet the highest amount of money (to impress the twins, of course), and thus, Mu Ke Zhai wins, per the Ye's plan!
The opera comes out to perform. Ba Ye and Fo Ye listen.
And we all realize this opera is really, really noisy. Hahaha. Almost like Death Metal.
Our Miss shows up at her private table looking especially feminine in her man's suit. She likes the song. She smiles to see Fo Ye.
I always smile when I see Fo Ye too.
Fo Ye is listening hotly to the lyrics. Well, he clearly listened to the song so well to know when the best time to sneak off is. He clever. He puts on his hat and leaves. See? Then our Miss sees that he has left and there is just Ba Ye there.
She leaves, and Fo Ye watches her go up the stairs.
Awww, she only came to see him, awwwww. 
Fo Ye thinks back to his conversation with Ba Ye. Again, Fo Ye looks so good in traditional clothes!
He had told Ba Ye that the twins are vain, and to get them to pick Mu Ke Zhai. Fo Ye then decided to move with the drum beats of the complex song to avoid the listening servants.
Ha! 
Gosh!
Ba Ye tells him to be careful. Gorgeous.
Here's Fo Ye in his fur hat going quietly up the stairs. Nice profile.
I'm quietly agreeing with everything you say. 
Ba Ye creates a distraction allowing Fo Ye to get upstairs.
He then annoys the listening servants by banging to the beat with spoons against his coffee cup.
And that is why we really like Ba Ye. 
Fo Ye dashes upstairs. He looks really pretty against the flowers. 
A flower among flowers. 
Ba Ye smiles to see Fo Ye has got away with it.
The opera continues. Fo Ye continues to search upstairs with his quiet shoes and fur hat.
Now that you mention it, WHY did he put that on? It must be so hot! 
Because he looks hella fly.
Our Miss is also there, eating an orange, because vitamin C, yo. She runs away wondering why Peng is there. Then she smiles, thinking he's there for her.
Haha, she would. Haha. 
Also, Fo Ye looks hot. I would smile too.
And blind? Why does he not see her but she sees him?
I don't know, considering his special sight.
Our Miss wonders how Fo Ye got past security. 
Cause he's got skillz, lady. 
Again, she is very cute. And indeed, she wonders if "Peng" is there to see if she is ugly. She also reconsiders her ridiculous outfit.
Oh, look who jumped over a bannister to save time! 
Told you, skillz. 
He tries to pick a lock. 
Please pick my lock, Fo Ye.
The opera continues. Ba Ye follows along with the song and it looks like Fo Ye picked a long one since there's plenty of time. 
The longest officially released song in 2015 is "In The Garden" sung by PC III label Pipe Choir (USA), which lasts 3 hrs 1 min 50 sec. The longest of commonly performed opera is Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner. A normal uncut version is 5 hr 15 min long. No any such records for Chinese opera in the Guinness Book though!
Our Miss even has time to choose an outfit. 
I like this one. But she wants to look more natural at their first meeting, so apparently it won't do.
Isn't it cute how girly she is getting all of a sudden? We're so silly when we want to impress a man...
Meanwhile, Fo Ye is in the treasure room because seriously, what could keep Fo Ye out?
Hair? 
He finds things like this weird taxidermied bird to the lower left in the picture below, but apparently no carpesium.
He hasn't searched very hard yet.
Meanwhile, our Miss has settled on a tea gown. So frothy, I love it! But she wonders what could be keeping her Chipmunk Hunk from her.
Hair?
She's surprised because she had thought "Peng" was clever at the station, but decides to give him a hint. 
What will she do, spray pheromones?
Bwahahaha, instead of smoove jazz gently luring "Peng" in, our Miss blasts the gramophone too loudly, screams, and surprises people.
Including the listening servants. Great, just great! 
Once the volume is down, though, our Miss dances to the song getting ready for her date. But, the hearing servants have been alerted. Which means Fo Ye's mission is in danger! Off the hearing servants go with the men with big poisoned sticks.
We don't like big poisoned sticks. 
Meanwhile, Fo Ye is looking at purple jade flowers or something. He opens box after box, but no carpesium. 
It's super valuable, why would they just have it lying around? 
And our Miss is still dancing by herself. She plops down all frustrated, though, because "Peng" still hasn't shown up.
Look at her! Gorgeous!
Then she goes to have a look. Meanwhile a hearing servant with guards with big sticks is on her way up. Danger, Fo Ye, danger!
I'm not going to make the obvious big stick comment here. 
Ba Ye is worried.
Because he doesn't have a big stick.
Fo Ye is still hotly searching in his awesome hat. But the hearing servant and guards with bigs sticks are there! And our Miss got fed up and decided to search the hallway herself.
I can understand her disappointment here.
And still, she is certain that man came to look for her. Oh darling. 
She thinks he's here to marry her. Which the real Peng is there to do.
But then she sees something. Oh Fo Ye, why did you leave that door open?
Maybe he has an open door policy. 
Fo Ye is too engrossed in searching for carpesium to care about pesky things like doors.
Yes, he's more interested in the big picture. 
He thinks there must be a system to storage. But he can't tell what it is because the things are all very randomly placed. I'm sure it's a secret system, dearest. Fo Ye thinks perhaps that the treasure might be by price when he hears steps. Our miss is slowly walking to the door. Fo Ye rushes to it, and pulls her in.
Squeeee.
He looks hotly puzzled.
Our Miss notes his poor memory saying he's forgotten her face already. Look, you had him totally fooled with your crossdressing that he couldn't tell it was you. 
 
Fo Ye goes, oh, duh, right, and then grabs her wrist! A Wrist Grab! Which, by the way, the listening servant totally hears.
Back to our Miss and Fo Ye. She asks what he is doing there, and he says he's looking because he's curious. Oh my God, my heart is thumping. Our Miss stays interestingly cool about it all, though. Me, my knees are weak.
Even standing there in emu with a fur hat on, he looks cool.
The listening servant and the guards with big sticks are still on their way.  Wow, they are really taking their time. Then our Miss points out that they'll be there soon, so "Peng" had better let her go.
They got lost a bit on the way.  
And no elevators. 
Our Miss goes to the approaching servants and tells them, no matter what they hear, they are not to come up.  And this is an order. Someone wants her privacy!
Lol, what's she planning now?
Not surprising considering this:
So she's planning what I would be planning. 
Cut to Ba Ye wondering what's going on. He accosts the Twins.
And he notes they are missing some jewelry. One of them is missing her matching bracelet. That's okay girls, it will make you less creepy, though I do find you very pretty too.
They scold him for stopping them because they've got a powerful boyfriend. Just the one boyfriend, mind. What's wrong about a bit of sharing? But Ba Ye starts noting their lost wealth and their worries, and they ask, are you are fortuneteller?
Is he? Oh right, he is.
I do wonder briefly what he's doing, actually. Could this have anything to do with sticks?
Ba Ye looking smug. 😏
He calculates the fortune of the one missing a bangle and suggests she misplaced something while washing her hands. The other twin says, yes, Jie lost a jade bangle! Wow, you calculated that! Ba Ye has the grace to look embarrassed.
He's just being modest. Or afraid. 
They are terribly grateful and promise to thank Ba Ye deeply after they get back from the rock and fountain garden they were in earlier, and just stand there thanking Ba Ye, who gets increasingly embarrassed and telling them to hurry up and locate the jewelry.
So, what was all that about? At any rate, Ba Ye seems a bit scornful saying no way the Fates would let you keep one bangle when you've got all that other gold and silver. Strange, but whatever.
Maybe he was feeling lonely without Fo Ye? 
Cut to our Miss's room where Fo Ye took my breath away. She accuses him of being a greedy, unscrupulous thief, and rather flirtatiously taps her foot on the ground, showing a bit of slim ankle (and most discreetly covered by captions for us), saying that's all it will take for him and his friend to be in trouble. 
He's completely unimpressed. 
I tend to hold my face admiring Fo Ye too.
Ohh, how can you even type?
Anyway, Fo Ye tells her she has misunderstood, and that he has his troubles, and look he's really really really hot. Okay? 
He should take his fur hat off.
 
She says, okay, explain yourself. And he explains how Er Ye's wife is sick and needs carpesium. 
Very earnest. Very cute. 
So poetic!
Ya Tou is not ill.
She says, okay, but either you win by your own strength at the auction, or you die with the medicine buried with you. Hmm, latter option seems a waste of both Fo Ye and meds.
Come on, woman, he apologized so nicely. Cut him a break. Or demand some payment from him that involves sticks. 
As it is, them's fighting words - and I think Fo Ye likes it. He says he will think about what she said (what is there to think about??!), turns to leave, and she calls him back. 
Rawr.
Our Miss asks, you really only came for the medicine? 
Unfortunately, yes. 
Annoyed, our Miss kicks him out. Frankly, I would too - or would I?
No, you wouldn't!
Cut back to the auction slash gambling hall.  
The performance is still happening.
That is one long song. 
Ba Ye is still worried.
He tries to whistle casually - doo doo di doo - and walk up the stairs. But he's stopped by the guards with big sticks. Turning around, Ba Ye gets to bump into Fo Ye. I must admit, I'm a little jealous.
Yes, I wouldn't mind some bumping either.
Cut to our Miss binging on oranges. She tells the listening servant to tell her what "Peng" does.
Cut to Fo Ye and Ba Ye in their hotel suite. (Sidebar: are they sharing the bed? Or is one sleeping on the sofa?)  
I think Fo Ye sleeps sitting up. That could be a problem in the future, I see that. Makes bumping a bit uncomfortable. 
Fo Ye says he thinks the things weren't there, and admits to being discovered.  
You really were not very careful, dear Fo Ye. It's almost like you WANTED to be discovered, you rascal.
Ha, he's thinking back to this.
Did she get your heart beating fast, Fo Ye? 
I don't think so, actually. I think he is puzzled but not enamoured - yet.
He figures that was the daughter of the Xin Yue Hotel owner's boss since she lived on the top floor and could make the listening servants listen to her. Ooh, you've got all those memories already, Fo Ye!
Amaaazing deduction skills. 
And he tells Ba Ye that that was the little driver who brought them there. Okay, but don't you two feel silly for not recognizing her as a girl? I mean, she's hardly Amber who, unlike our Miss, is correctly styled to look androgynous by professional stylists.  
Yes, she was a woman. How blind are you?
Fo Ye is confused too. He can't figure out what she's thinking. Cue massive eye roll from me. Honestly, he's so busy being serious, I wouldn't be surprised.
He simply has no experience with women, it seems. Maybe he's a virgin?
Or, since the culture was like that and he probably had to go with fellow officers, perhaps he only knows the women in gibangs. He wouldn't know the flirtation of a regular woman.
And Ba Ye wants to know why this Princess is always appearing around them. Maybe there's some information about Peng they did not get?  
Ahahaaaa, oh dear.
At any rate, if the medicine is not in the treasure room, Ba Ye says it is definitely somewhere else, and under tight security. Really, a weed is under tight security?
After his pronouncement, Ba Ye naturally asks Fo Ye what to do next. Fo Ye says it'll have to be the auction.
Option 2 (Death) didn't appeal to him then. 
Plus, Fo Ye saw the Japanese at the auction. He says they want the medicines up for auction.
He did? Must have been when we were not watching.
Ba Ye gets mad. Fo Ye looks concerned.
But then wonders if they have enough money? Oh noes, what if they don't?! But no,  Fo Ye planned ahead.
Obviously, he wasn't all too confident in his thieving skills.
Not just handsome and a light packer, but rich!
Fo Ye says they need to figure out the Japanese's true intentions. 
That's not very hard, I can tell you, Fo Ye. 
Fo Ye, so masterful.
Ba Ye says he'll go this time. And he does, somehow!
He uses no song, nor soft shoes because I can hear his leather heels clacking on the wooden floor. Ba Ye has skillz. Oh wait, he doesn't really, because he's on a regular hotel floor, and I just realized that. Sorry, Ba Ye fans. He listens in to a Japanese Chairman's conversation regarding having enough money for the auction, and also how the Chinese culture is old and philosophical. (Sidebar: so what if it is?) 
That was a bit of PR for China, Saki.
Ah, I figured it out. He wants to hold these medicines hostage because the Chinese find them valuable because of their old and philosophical culture.
He runs to Fo Ye to tell him a Chamber of Commerce is backing up the Japanese. Fo Ye is worried they have not made sufficient preparations.
So they're after the carpesium too? Why? 
Focus on Fo Ye.
  Ba Ye says, where will they get so much money from?
Focus on Ba Ye - but I'm still looking at Fo Ye. Sorry, Ba Ye fans.
This place I guess.
A prison? (actually, it's the city gates)
Ooh, Visual Zhang! He's looking so pretty! And so concerned! And I want to boop that cute nose!
I like his eyes the most. And his little ears. They are so tiny-cute. So this above is where he stays when he's not with Fo Ye. The barracks.
He rushes to Fo Ye's palace.
Wow, Fo Ye has quite the treasure room. No wonder it's taking a whole troop of soldiers.
This gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. All of it? They're taking ALL OF IT?
Oh how sad, they're moving out everything to a pawn shop!
*Shivers* All that wealth!
Everything is declared top grade, including Lt Zhang.
He's not sold off, though.
I hear many women are sad about this. 
I certainly was.

Cut to the Xin Yue Hotel. Fo Ye and Ba Ye are waiting for a telephone call.
Ba Ye is worried while Fo Ye meditates.
Or power napping. I feel like power napping right now. Or napping full stop. A lot of napping. 
 
The pawn shop managers use all their capital to buy Fo Ye's treasure.
I actually think this is a bank, not just a pawn shop. 
 
Lt Zhang looks pretty, although concerned.
He is thinking: "Where will I get my paycheck from next month?"
Everyone signs. 
And the phone rings! Fo Ye nods to Ba Ye, 
and we cut to the hotel in the daytime. Everyone is ready for auction-action!
I love auctions in real life. I actually haven't been to one in a long time, but they're always so exciting! Even online auctions. 
Our Japanese enemy bidder is shown to his box.
There's this rather cool Qing dynasty style man in his own box.
He is a Prince! Nice, I like princes. Can he do ice magic, what do you think?  
Nah, he's a deposed Prince from a deposed dynasty- oh, wait.
And our heroes are in their own box too.
Guess all that treasure selling meant they could get a box. Here are their close-ups.
I think Peng would have gotten a box anyway. As future son-in-law and all. 
The plebeians are at normal tables much like Wu Xie and gang were when they first started at the auction in The Lost Tomb.
Fo Ye and Ba Ye start assessing the booths around them. The Qing Dynasty man is a leftover Prince Bei Jin, and Ba Ye says he is no threat.
Just bored nobility with lots of money?  
Usually deposed royalty haven't got any money, but in this case, the Prince seems to be in business of some sort.
Fo Ye says the booth opposite has the Japanese Chamber of Commerce man. He's not worth screenshotting again, so I'll just post more of our Ye's.
Ah, but Ba Ye notices someone behind a mysterious screen! 
Guess who that could be.... three guesses! No cheating! 
No cheating, that's right, Sensei!
Fo Ye says they'll observe and act accordingly. Good thinking, Fo Ye.
Ooh, our auctioneer appears! She's glamourous!
I'm sure she's an ancestor of the auctioneer in The Lost Tomb!  
She certainly looks like our Lost Tomb auctioneer.
And every bid has to be a minimum of 50,000 (what?) and everyone has to be quiet. Fair enough.
50'000 of a lot.
First item is shown. 
Ohhhhh, it's a cup. 
A dirty one.
 
Everyone either gets up to look at it or looks through instruments.
And we get a brief glimpse of blonde hair behind the screen,
so I'm afraid that Hendry come to ruin the pretty, grrrr.
Hands up if you guessed correctly!
My hand is up. Who else? No pretending you guessed right if you didn't!
Fo Ye looks so cool.
The bidding starts and the Twins' boyfriend tells them to bid. Okay, they are really lovely, even if this whole sharing a boyfriend thing is too weird for me.  
Oh, but the fun you can have ... oh wait. They're twin sisters. Gross. 
Exactly.
Sidebar: Either they know a lot about valuables, or he really is a total spendthrift.

People ring the bells on the table as well as raising cards.
The auctioneer hears it all.
Our Ye's are bored.
They haven't come for cups. No. They have come for weed.
Hendry continues behind his screen, and the Prince looks bored too.
He, too, is into weed? 
We have a sale!
I hope we won't have to watch each and every item being sold. Or is that why this drama has 48 episodes?

Oh how annoying! Look at the party pooper who just showed up. Peng, Urgh.
It took him long enough, lol. 
Don't let him in!
And it seems they won't since the rule is one invitation, one person, and there's already a Peng inside, even if he is fake. The real Peng declares he is the future son-in-law. Ew and Yuck.
He is told to stay there and wait.
Good, because he's annoying. I'll take Hendry scenes and endless Ya Tou moping over this man any day.
Ah, I don't know about that... 
One of the listening servants rushes to our Miss at breakfast. Miss says to throw the intruder out, but oh noes! He claims to be the real Peng! Aargh!

Comments

Couldn't Fo Ye just wait for someone else to buy the medicine and then steal it from them? Does he really have to use up all his money in that dramatic way? I was just so sad at all those tomb robbing trophies being sold. Plus, I'm fairly sure back in those days, he was personally responsible for his men's salaries. (Okay, I got that info from WuXin the Monster Killer, but still, I think it was accurate.)
I am so upset about his WHOLE money going into this medicine thing. His entire fortune! Well, he still has the palace and I guess he just have to go find a tomb to rob to fill his treasure chamber again but still! His entire wealth! This is almost physically hurting me. 

Our Miss getting all excited, then disappointed, then bossy was too funny. Also impressive, her ability to stay cool and calm in front of our sizzling Fo Ye. I know I couldn't have done it.  
She has skillz too. She is much stronger than us.

Ba Ye stood out the most to me in his interaction with the Twins. I felt like they'd take off his skin if he gave them half a chance. Maybe that's why he was embarrassed, not that he'd stated the obvious.  
That scene remains a mystery. Does it mean they owe him a favor and that is important for later? Did we get that scene to show us he really knows his business? Did we get that scene because the writer and/or director also think the twins are extremely lovely?