Man in Charge (2009)
Set during the Qing Dynasty of China in the mid 18th century, the drama tells the story of a stubborn official adviser, Chau Bing, and his relationship with the young county official, Shum Kwan-Pok. Bing obtains a secure job as Kwan-Pok's private adviser and the two become good friends. They both try to root out corruption within the Manchu government.
-
Episode 1 - Episode 1
Release Date: 2009-04-06Official CHU from Hangzhou reports to the government that he has cultivated 800 acreages of farmland and Inspector CHENG comes to check out the area. As recommended by official advisor CHOW PING, CHU asks CHENG to wait for him in the brothel. CHU arrives to find luxurious food and pretty ladies all around. He is enraged and scolds all the government officers there for their misbehaviors. On the next day, PING informs CHENG that CHU wants to report the case to the government and CHENG realizes that he has been framed. CHENG reluctantly goes to check out the “farmland” with PING. CHU tries to bribe CHENG and agrees to bring him the pretty prostitute he met earlier. Later, PING is shocked to realize that the pretty prostitute is his wife CHIU YUK HING. HING is a suspicious wife. She...
-
Episode 2 - Episode 2
Release Date: 2009-04-07HING requests NGA TO to give her the medicine to cure PING. TO reminds HING that she is a spy of the government and he warns her not to fall in love with PING. HING has no choice but to try curing PING with all kinds of medicine… CHU is being fired and PING honestly reveals that he is the one who informed the government about his false report. CHU is enraged and he spreads rumors of PING. PING can no longer stay in the officialdom. PING’s master YAU KUNG scolds him angrily but he gives him financial assistance. HING and PING go to join KUNG’s birthday celebration. HING is sad to discover that all officers are laughing at PING. The tycoon of Jiangsu province, SHUM CHEUNG LUN, brings his son KWAN POK to KUNG’s birthday banquet. LUN reveals that POK will become a government official soon and...
-
Episode 3 - Episode 3
Release Date: 2009-04-08TO wants to kill PING again and HING risks her life to rescue PING. HING worries that PING will desert her after knowing her real identity so she leaves him secretly. PING is overjoyed to be free in the beginning but he starts to worry about HING after a while. LUN and KUNG invite PING for a meeting because of POK’s career problem. PING returns to discover HING and HING wants him to change his job. As invited by KUNG, PING goes to Jinshan County to assist POK. PING wants POK to invite him by himself but POK refuses. LUN asks PING to stay in the government house first. POK tries to exercise his authority over PING. PING is enraged and he leaves angrily. PING discovers that people are playing his favorite ballgame in Jinshan County as well. He goes to Jizou House to play the ballgame....
-
Episode 4 - Episode 4
Release Date: 2009-04-09PING is impressed by HAN’s skills in playing the ballgame as well as her beauty. PING tells HAN that he knows she has played tricks to win LONG and HANG is annoyed. LUN informs PING that POK is missing suddenly and he believes that the salt smuggler has captured him. PING asks LUN to send money to the two government officials in order to gain support from them. However, the two officials return the money to LUN. PING openly announces to everybody that POK is missing and he asks official CHIU to help rescue POK. HUNG and SHEUNG worry that the news will be spread to the central government so they ask the salt smugglers to release POK. HUNG and SHEUNG go to visit POK. PING requests them to catch the salt smugglers. PING reports the case to the government. Official YIM KWO receives the report...
-
Episode 5 - Episode 5
Release Date: 2009-04-10PING plans to return to his hometown but he decides to watch the ballgame again before leaving. PING is invited to play the ballgame with HAN and they win the contest together. HAN starts to appreciate PING. KUNG reveals to PING that he is POK’s real father and he wants PING to continue assisting POK. PING finally agrees to stay. POK laughs at PING secretly after realizing that PING falls for HAN. POK fires all the other official advisors and asks PING to do all the works. POK carries out his promise to give PING a new house but PING discovers that the house is empty. PING goes to Jizou House to get close to HAN. They hear some noise in the kitchen and they capture a thief together. PING returns to his new house to discover that all the furniture is in place. He misconceives that POK has...
-
Episode 6 - Episode 6
Release Date: 2009-04-13Shanxi Official WONG CHING comes to Jinshan County and he wants POK to hand over the important criminal YAN CHEONG SHING to him. POK discusses the case with PING and PING realizes that the thief he caught has actually murdered 7 people. POK and PING go to question SHING. SHING used to be the supervisor of a granary in Shanxi. He reveals that he is framed by some Shanxi officials after realizing that they have committed corruption. POK wants SHING to give him the evidence on the case so that they could report it to the government. CHING comes to look for SHING and PING tries to hold him up so that POK could leave secretly. SHING is very demanding during the journey and POK tries hard to prevent him from running away. SHING plays trick at the restaurant so that he could run away. PING’s...
-
Episode 7 - Episode 7
Release Date: 2009-04-14POK and the others need to stay in the ship for one night since the weather is not good for sailing. CHING tries to sneak away but somebody in black suddenly arrives to capture him. This person also ties POK and the others up in the ship. PING meets Mrs DIU and he realizes that FAI has been decapitated because he failed to help relieve the disaster. PING is heart-broken and he decides to help uncover the corruption case with POK. Somebody rescues POK and the others from the ship. POK tells this person about his plan to fight against the corruption case in Shanxi. PING and POK meet at inn. They discover SHING’s dead body in POK’s room. Official WU refuses to handle the corruption case. He even puts POK and PING in jail. Senior Official LI comes to Shanxi to deliver the emperor’s letter to...
-
Episode 8 - Episode 8
Release Date: 2009-04-15HUNG HING NAM learns that POK is appointed to be a special inspector on the corruption case. POK and PING try to carry out investigation in Shanxi secretly. However, HUNG comes to welcome them openly on the main street and their plan is ruined. POK thinks that HAN has caused the trouble. He scolds PING angrily and they break up in discord. POK decides to carry out investigation on his own but NAM’s subordinates tail after him all the time. POK wants to investigate the granary and the bank. NAM set up the place carefully and POK fails to find any evidence. HING suddenly arrives to stop PING from getting intimate with HAN. HAN is heart-broken and she leaves sadly. PING starts a quarrel with POK angrily and POK fires him. HING blames HAN for seducing her husband in front of everybody. HAN...
-
Episode 9 - Episode 9
Release Date: 2009-04-16PING stops POK from leaving and he suggests investigating the case secretly. PING finds that NAM and the others are having a meeting in a room. HING overhears their conversation. CHING discovers HAN and PING take her away nervously. HING sets the place on fire so that they could escape successfully. HING discovers that an assassin is tailing after them. She deliberately starts a quarrel with HAN so that other people can discover the assassin. PING asks POK to go to Henan to borrow some armed forces from Captain LUK WAN SING. He then brings HING and HAN to the temple to hide away. POK visits SING but SING tries to procrastinate their meeting for he doesn’t want to offend the Shanxi officials. PING arrives to discover that POK hasn’t meet SING yet. He therefore decides to dress like a...
-
Episode 10 - Episode 10
Release Date: 2009-04-17SING doesn’t want to lend them the armed forces but PING forces him to do so by using the emperor’s name. HING are HAN are captured by NAM’s subordinates. PING and POK arrive at the temple to discover HING’s hair ornament… POK and Captain LUK go to investigate the bank and they are shocked to discover plenty of silver there. PING sneaks into the bank to investigate the place and he finally discovers some hints there. CHING threatens POK with the life of HING and HAN. POK is determined to achieve success and he ignores CHING. He also asks SING to confiscate all the silver in the bank. The news is spread around and all the merchants rush to the bank to take their silver… PING eventually finds HING and HAN in an underground prison sell. POK is going to the capital to meet the emperor. PING...
-
Episode 11 - Episode 11
Release Date: 2009-04-20PING is going back to Jinshan County with HAN and HING. HAN questions PING if he will marry her as his concubine. PING worries that HING will not agree to the plan and HAN leaves him angrily. HAN returns to Jizou House and LONG suddenly proposes to her. POK visits KWO at the capital and KWO introduces all officials to him. POK doesn’t know the officials at all and he openly criticizes the corrupt officials in front of everybody. PING discovers that the whole family of FUNG BUK SUN is killed by TIT YEE. PING goes to question TIT YEE. TIT reveals that SUN has raped his wife. He says that SUN also tried to kill him while he escorted some goods for him. However, TIT claims that he had only killed SUN but not his family members. PING believes that somebody else has killed the other people. POK...
-
Episode 12 - Episode 12
Release Date: 2009-04-21The emperor promotes POK to Grade II Official and he asks POK to continue his work at Jinshan County for he wants him to practice more. PING assures HAN that he can make HING agrees to their marriage and HAN gives him 10 days to actualize the plan. TIT’s younger condisciple YING YING comes to visit him at the prison and PING asks her to tell him the details of TIT. PING meets LONG on the street and he realizes that HAN has agreed to make a bet with LONG. If LONG could win in the ballgame contest, HAN married to him. HING discovers that PING is still seeing HAN and she beats him angrily. POK returns to discover that PING is caught between the two women and he decides to help persuade HING. HAN finds that PING has been missing for a few days so she sends him a letter asking him not to see...
-
Episode 13 - Episode 13
Release Date: 2009-04-22PING is missing on the trial so POK decides to handle the case on his own. HAN is overjoyed to see PING during the contest. She asks if PING has settled their marriage plan and PING becomes speechless. HAN is enraged and she deliberately loses the game to LONG. POK concludes the case carelessly. PING requests POK to re-investigate the case but POK blames PING for being absent during the hearing. PING brings the housekeeper CHUI to POK. POK agrees to re-investigate the case for he wants to be in the limelight. HING discovers that LONG tries to take HAN away by force. She rescues HAN and allows her to stay in her house temporarily. KWO asks his subordinate to visit POK. KWO’s subordinate praises POK for his talent and reminds him to be careful with every decision he makes. POK worries that...
-
Episode 14 - Episode 14
Release Date: 2009-04-23Just before TIT’s execution, TSING comes to stop it as instructed by the emperor. The emperor wants POK to re-investigate the case. POK has no choice but to follow PING’s plan on the surface. PING reveals to TIT that he has discovered another wound on SUN’s body. TIT shows no response for he is determined to die. YING sneaks into the prison to reveal the truth to TIT. YING tries to kill TIT but the prison guards come to capture her on time. The emperor appreciates PING very much after the case. POK is jealous and he resorts to drink in the pub. POK meets WONG CHING in the pub. WONG CHING wants to thank POK for letting him go in the Shanxi corruption case so he tries to give suggestions to POK. POK apologizes to PING and PING believes that POK truly wants to make a fresh start. HAN tries...
-
Episode 15 - Episode 15
Release Date: 2009-04-24LONG asks HAN to sign a contract to confirm the terms of their bet before the contest. Official NGAU discovers some untaxed imperial porcelain from Jingdezhen. POK discovers that the owner is the dismissed Shanxi official SI MA MAN FUNG. KWO arrives at Jinshan County to look for a famous doctor to cure his illness. POK reports the case about the porcelain to KWO. POK is going to offer sacrifice to his ancestor at his hometown and he invites KWO to go with him. KUNG is overjoyed to discover that POK is very successful in his career. He talks a lot after drinking and PING comes to stop him. KWO learns about POK’s secret accidentally and he is pleased. KWO reveals POK’s secret to him and he threatens POK to release all the porcelain. POK finally confirms his identity with KUNG and he...
-
Episode 16 - Episode 16
Release Date: 2009-04-27LONG is gaining advantage in the contest. HING helps HAN hit the last ball and HAN wins the contest eventually. PING believes that he can have both women now but HAN reveals to PING that they are only friends now. PING learns that POK has released MAN FUNG and he is very dissatisfied. POK tells PING that KWO is the leader behind the group of corrupt officials in Shanxi and he releases MAN FUNG because he wants to gather more evidence to attack KWO. POK wants KUNG and LUN to tell him who else knows his secret. KUNG reveals that PING also knows the secret. KUNG tries to discuss POK’s case with the midwife HO YEE KOO but he accidentally kills her. KUNG voluntarily confesses his crime for he doesn’t want POK to be embroiled in the case. KWO threatens POK to transport opium for him with the...
-
Episode 17 - Episode 17
Release Date: 2009-04-28KUNG writes a letter to PING before he dies. He asks PING to help POK through all circumstances. He also reveals to PING that his deceased father has left a house to him. While going to the capital, POK and PING pass by the place where PING’s parents were killed. POK learns about the past of PING as well. PING goes to offer sacrifice to his parents and he meets a woman called CHING TAI LEUNG at his parents’ grave. LEUNG reveals the truth behind PING’s father CHOW HUNG’s death to PING. PING accompanies LEUNG to her home and they find KWO there. PING discovers that KWO is the one who caused his parents’ death. PING is injured and he cannot go to the capital with POK. The emperor grants POK rewards for his achievements and POK is overjoyed. POK learns from the emperor that a group of people...
-
Episode 18 - Episode 18
Release Date: 2009-04-29POK deliberately informs PING about the real identity of HING. PING is very disappointed for he believes that HING marries him only to carry out her job. HING reveals her true identity to PING. PING cannot accept that she has cheated him for so many years and HING leaves him sadly. POK learns that HING has left and he asks somebody to arrest PING. He puts the blame on HING for the arrest. POK persuades PING to reveal the assassin list to him but PING doesn’t know anything about it. HING learns that PING is arrested and she asks POK to help him but POK doesn’t take it seriously. HING carries out investigation at POK’s house and she eventually learns the truth. HING rescues PING successfully but she is seriously injured during the fight. PING brings HING to Jizou House and HAN helps hide...
-
Episode 19 - Episode 19
Release Date: 2009-04-30With the help of HAN, PING leaves Jinshan County successfully. PING buries HING and he swears that he will take revenge for her. PING decides to return to his ancestor house to hide away and HAN follows him. PING fails to find any evidence in the house and he decides to surrender himself to the Jinshan government. POK is shocked to see PING again and WONG CHING suggests him to stay calm. PING visits LUN and he asks him about the content of KUNG’s letter before his death. POK overhears their conversation and he suspects that there is some important evidence in PING’s ancestor house. Somebody attacks PING and HAN. POK arrives to rescue them and he hints that the leading assassin might want to kill them. PING and POK go to PING’s ancestor house to carry out investigation. POK discovers...
-
Episode 20 - Episode 20
Release Date: 2009-05-01PING kills people who know his secret. WONG CHING thinks that POK doesn’t trust him so he requests to leave as well. The emperor is shocked to discover the person behind the scene. He brings POK to his uncle’s house and kills his uncle. He puts POK in jail as well. PING escapes successfully and he sneaks into the prison to meet POK. POK accuses PING for setting him up but PING thinks that POK is responsible for his actions. The emperor eventually releases POK but he sends him to a remote place to look after the horses. POK reveals to TSING that PING is still alive. PING returns to Jinshan County and he marries HAN. PING decides to travel around with HAN so as to hide away from the chasers. POK is not accustomed to the bad living condition in the remote area and he becomes very ill… PING...