EPISODE 4
His Majesty still worries about me?
Does he?
Your Highness, His Majesty has an oral decree for you.
Speak.
QIU RESIDENCE
My lady.
Don't worry so much.
I made this decision after much consideration.
We cannot afford to trick the Emperor.
It would bring doom to our family.
If that is what you are worried about,
then we definitely should not give Yuluo to them.
We have already sent the birth card.
Those were Feng Zhiwei's!
Dear wife, can't you just trust me once?
I see it clearly in the Royal Court.
Prince of Chu is being favored.
If Yuluo marries him, she will surely be well off.
-I... -My lord, my lady.
What can I do for you?
Madam Qiu!
Is my lord getting another concubine?
How dare you!
I have already sent someone
to prepare Yuluo's dowry.
Yuluo's dowry?
My lord.
I married into the Qiu family more than ten years ago.
I know your temper more than anyone else.
There must be a reason behind this sudden change!
Tell me! Is it Qiu Mingying?
Goodness.
My lady, this has nothing to do with Qiu Mingying.
Why can't you give me an explanation then?
How can I give my daughter away without knowing the reason?
Sudden change?
So Feng Zhiwei won't be marrying the prince?
Shut up!
His Majesty ordered that my own daughter, Qiu Yuluo, marry him.
Who cares about Feng Zhiwei?
If you continue this nonsense, you will lose your head soon.
Do you understand?
Yes, I understand.
I will now go prepare Yuluo's dowry.
Get out.
Yes, my lord.
You...
Stop that.
Is it delicious?
Tell me, did they hurt you?
Hurt me?
I thought you were sick.
That's why Madam Yuhua asked me to come back.
Yes.
That's right.
Now that you are here, I feel a lot better.
Mother,
do you know how wonderful the boat Madam Yuhua took me on was?
Delicious cuisine, sweet wine, and beautiful women everywhere.
Why did you make me come back? I don't want to eat this.
Feng Hao!
Is that how you talk to Mother?
Look at how drunk you are.
Go wash yourself.
Change your clothes.
Why should I listen to you?
I do not want to go.
Where are you going then?
-I am going back on the boat. -You may not.
From now on, stay away from Madam Yuhua.
Do not believe anything she says.
Why not?
Do not ask why.
Just listen to your sister.
Why should I listen to my annoying sister?
She is only 15 minutes older than I am.
Mother.
Why don't you ever tell me anything?
I am the only man in our family.
Put it on.
Madam Yuhua.
I was looking everywhere for you,
-and now you are here in front of me. -Yes.
You are about to become a princess.
I have to serve you to show my respect.
I find that your service often causes me and my brother trouble.
If you do that to Feng Hao again, you'd better watch out.
Of course.
I am just your humble servant.
How would I dare make the princess mad?
Are you trying to pick the flower?
Why?
Can't I do that?
Who am I to deny you?
What I meant was, our precious princess shouldn't do lowly jobs like this herself.
Naturally, I shall do it for you.
You are quite agile, aren't you?
Princess.
Yes?
Do you really think that you are a princess?
You are just as shameless as your mother.
Only a daughter of the first wife can marry Prince of Chu!
Do you realize that?
If I don't have to pretend to be her,
I can still be the honest and righteous Feng Zhiwei
who can get rid of you in honest and righteous ways.
I would like to see you try!
Feng Zhiwei! What are you doing?
You brat! Feng Zhiwei!
Help!
Feng Zhiwei!
Feng Zhiwei.
Watch it.
My lord.
Do you know what to say if His Majesty asks
about your sudden illness?
I won't answer him.
I will play dumb.
My lord, are you sure about this?
We can still turn back now.
I heard from Zhu Yin
that the impostor went to House of Lanxiang today
to ask if you were all right.
All right. Wait for me here.
Yes, my lord.
Ning Yi, you should be resting now.
Why are you here?
I am...
I am here to wish you good night, Father.
Just like when you were little,
you are not wearing enough.
Father, you remember.
I am really glad.
I remember what should be remembered.
I don't say some things,
but that doesn't mean I don't know them.
If that is the case,
I can rest assured.
Are you hinting at something, my son?
No.
Did you invite three of your brothers over yesterday?
Was everything all right?
Everything was fine.
Excuse my slow-wittedness.
Why do you ask, Father?
We have not had a reunion in eight years. Why would there be any trouble?
You may rise.
Thank you, Father.
We have not played together in a while.
Play with me.
Thank you, Father.
Your Majesty.
Maybe you should have some tea.
Never mind.
I admit my defeat.
Don't be angry, Your Majesty.
How dare you, Ning Yi,
have a match with the Emperor
with such disrespect?
I have always been like this, Father. Have you forgotten?
Do you want me to be like my brothers
and think of how to lose to you,
and then applaud you for your victory when you win?
They are good sons.
They make me happy.
They do make you happy.
So for those eight years, your skills have gotten worse.
Eight years.
Now you are finally able to blame me for what happened.
You have been in Zongzheng Temple for eight years.
I do not blame you for hating me.
I deserved to be punished.
You are fair and just.
I have nothing to complain about.
You don't resent me?
I deserved those eight years of punishment.
I do not.
Even if you do not resent me,
you probably resent your brothers.
Father, it is you who resent my brothers.
That's why you released me from Zongzheng Temple.
You want me to be a thorn in their sides.
To hurt them,
so that they will remember the pain
and not cause any trouble. Am I wrong?
Ning Yi, have you ever thought
that maybe I released you
just because I really wanted to do so?
It...
It is not that I have not,
but I dare not think that.
You may rise, Zhao Yuan.
-Go and make some tea. -Yes, Your Majesty.
Didn't Prince of Chu just say
that my skills have gotten worse?
Tonight,
I will have to sharpen my skills.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I heard
that you weren't feeling well yesterday.
Are you ill again?
Yes.
Since you betrothed me a wife,
I have been feeling unwell.
Maybe when I...
When I think of getting married, I feel...
nervous.
Did the match with the Emperor go smoothly, my lord?
Father lost.
I lost as well.
Could it be
that the Emperor does not believe in fate?
Headmaster Xin has probably switched out the impostor's birth card already.
Maybe you are right, Ning Cheng.
Maybe he still has me in his heart.
Maybe I am worried about nothing.
Huo Laosan.
The wine you gave me last time
actually did me a great favor.
I do not think that your life
will be as carefree as it was at Zongzheng Temple anymore.
Those were the carefree days.
Unfortunately,
I was born as a royal.
Let's not talk about that.
Your Highness, what is on your mind today?
With some people,
I have seen through them
and I want to cut all ties with them.
But...
I could never be like them
because I don't deserve to be a royal.
I could never be as cold-blooded.
My lord, His Majesty wishes to see you at his palace.
What for?
About something that Prince of Yan did.
Huo Laosan, enjoy your carefree time now.
The remnant of Dacheng
recently launched a revenge attack on Bloody Pagoda.
I sent people to investigate it, but there has been no news.
Now, another member of the Dacheng royalty has emerged.
The ninth prince of Emperor Ai.
Did you know about that?
All of you knew about that?
Dear Father, when I invited my three brothers over that night,
I believe they mentioned it. Right?
Bastards!
You are all bastards!
You all investigated the matter secretly without my knowledge.
Are you trying to form factions?
Are you trying to overthrow me?
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
This is all my fault.
I was sent to investigate Bloody Pagoda.
I found people who claimed they were members of it.
They said they found the remnant of Dacheng.
They were going to kill me as a sacrifice.
I panicked and told the Crown Prince.
Father.
It is true that I heard about this from Chief Gu.
We did not investigate this secretly.
Colonel Qiu can also attest to it.
Please understand, Father.
Colonel Qiu, didn't you mention that day
that we should set up a market at the border of Dayue?
Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Yao told me
that Dayue sent a letter of credence.
We were discussing the possibility of setting up a market.
Yes. Chief Gu was there as well.
Then, Chief Gu mentioned the rumor of Dacheng's remnant.
Your Majesty, Dayue indeed sent a letter of credence.
They said they had suffered natural disasters,
and their crop yield is insufficient.
They would like to borrow grains from Tiansheng.
It is true that I ordered Colonel Qiu to pay attention to the border with Dayue.
-As for-- -Grand Secretary Yao.
I understand what you are worried about.
Back then, Tiansheng made Jin a prince.
Jin agreed to pay tribute to Tiansheng every year.
But now, they say there have been floods or droughts every year, and refuse.
They are not true to their word.
Yet they have been at our border for years.
It makes us soldiers uneasy and concerned.
So, the Crown Prince knows
because Gu Yan mistakenly told him.
What about you two?
Are you going to tell me that the Crown Prince told you?
Among all of us here, I was the last one to know.
Father.
It is true.
I only found about it from the Crown Prince.
Please understand, Father.
Gu Yan.
Look at what you did.
It is all my fault, Your Majesty.
Take him away.
Forty strokes.
Suspend him.
That will teach the others.
Father.
Please give me the same punishment as Chief Gu.
Father, you are angry
because of the one comment I made,
that my brothers knew about this before you.
But I did not know that you will be utterly disappointed.
I am sure the same goes for Chief Gu.
Last night, I came to see you, Father.
You expressed concern and asked me how our gathering went,
and if everything was all right.
I replied,
"We have not had a reunion in eight years. Why would there be any trouble?"
I never thought
that my brothers knowing about this matter would cause you such fury.
It is all my fault.
Father, please give me the same punishment as Chief Gu.
Ning Yi, are you saying
that I am making a big deal out of nothing?
Am I wrongfully accusing Gu Yan and Ning Chuan?
You are not wrong, Father.
I am in the wrong.
I did send someone to investigate this matter secretly.
-What? -Father.
Yanzhou is my land.
After the Royal Guards followed Bloody Pagoda to Yanzhou,
one of my officers sent someone to report it to me.
Seeing that my land has turned into the gathering area
for those who are still loyal to Dacheng,
I felt very uneasy. I had to be very cautious.
That is why I sent someone to investigate the matter.
Only then did I know about this so-called remnant of Dacheng.
Why didn't you tell me then?
What is the reason?
I...
I have no reason.
I just thought
that it was exactly what Ning Yi had said.
Me?
Ning Yi?
What did you say, Ning Yi?
I do not know what I said.
Are you talking about...
Father.
During our gathering that day, I told a joke.
Tell me this joke.
If it makes me laugh,
no one will be punished.
If it is not funny,
I will definitely make sure
that someone will be punished today.
Yes, Father.
I...
I just said...
If the remnant of Dacheng is still alive,
doesn't that mean the Tiansheng Empire has no Crown Prince?
Prince of Chu!
How dare you?
Your Majesty.
Prince of Chu has publicly offended the Crown Prince.
This treachery shall not be condoned.
He has no respect or loyalty.
Your Majesty, you should punish him as a warning to others.
Your Majesty.
That is funny.
Your Majesty.
Since Ning Yi was reinstated,
he has made many offensive comments in the Royal Court,
yet Your Majesty has forgiven him again and again.
I am worried this will lead to trouble.
Please punish him severely, Your Majesty.
Father, I was wrong.
What? Duke Chang.
In my palace,
am I not allowed to laugh at a mere joke?
That is not for me to say, Your Majesty.
Ning Chuan.
Do you think this joke is funny?
Father.
I surely do think that the joke is
slightly ridiculous.
I believe that the remnants of Dacheng are still trying to usurp power.
Now, they are gathering in the name of the ninth prince of Emperor Ai
hoping to overthrow our empire.
Their intention is obvious.
I am willing to lead our army to destroy their remaining power.
We need not be lenient with those rebellious people.
Only by being firm and strict, will we be able to stop them.
I will do everything to prove to you that this is just a joke, Father.
Father.
The rebels are gathering in my land, Yanzhou.
I am willing to help the Crown Prince.
Please grant my wish, Father.
Crown Prince.
Ning Yi.
You scared me last time when we parted ways.
How are you?
Are you feeling better?
Ever since Father...
Ever since Father arranged that marriage for me,
I do not know why, but I have not been feeling well.
I do not mean to lecture you,
but you should refrain from going to those brothels.
You must take care of yourself.
Look. Father adores you now, doesn't he?
A few days ago, we had that gathering,
but Father asked you, "Is everything all right?"
Right?
From now on, your brothers have to rely on you.
You should put in good words for us.
Crown Prince.
Father...
Father was just concerned about my health.
He did not ask about anything else.
All right.
What is it?
I am sorry.
You should go ahead, Crown Prince.
-All right. -I need some time.
Take care.
I just feel so sick.
Calling the astronomy official to the Royal Court.
FENGYUN PALACE
The emperor has announced
the birth cards of Prince of Chu, Ning Yi, and Qiu Yuluo do not match.
The marriage has been called off.
QIU FAMILY ANCESTRAL SHRINE
Madam.
You should rest.
I will chant for you.
That Feng Zhiwei
is so hard to deal with.
She truly is an ill-fortuned person.
How unfortunate
that my Yuluo
has to bear this reputation.
What should we do?
Well,
we have crushed our own feet with the stone we lifted ourselves.
Madam, what...
What does this have to do with Yuluo?
Didn't you hear?
His Majesty has announced
that the marriage is off.
Is it really off?
Now, the entire Royal Court is saying
that our Yuluo is cursed.
She will bring ill fate upon her father, husband and son.
Who will marry my Yuluo now?
This is all because of Feng Zhiwei's birth card.
How did His Majesty learn about Zhiwei's background through her birth card?
Speaking of which,
do you know anything about Feng Zhiwei and Feng Hao's family?
Who was their father?
Well...
Qiu Mingying...
When she left home and eloped,
I had just come here.
I do not know any of the details.
But one time,
I saw the late grandfather hitting Mingying.
From what I recall,
I think he was saying that the man she loved
was causing trouble for the Qiu family in the palace.
He was making things hard for her father.
That was why
he did not approve of them.
When you had just come here...
That...
That was during the previous empire.
If he caused her father trouble,
he must be an important person in the previous empire's palace.
First Bloody Pagoda,
now the remnant of Dacheng,
the ninth prince of Emperor Ai.
Which one doesn't have to do with your dead husband?
Which important person of Dacheng
had a lot to do
with Bloody Pagoda and the remnant of Dacheng?
Yuhua.
What are you mumbling about?
Nothing.
I am also worried about Yuluo.
Madam.
Could you write Feng Zhiwei's birth card for me?
For what?
I will ask someone to look at it to think of a solution.
EAST PALACE
...why someone would want to bring Bloody Pagoda back
and what his intention would be.
There is an assassin.
Your Highness.
Are you suspecting that what happened earlier was plotted by them too?
Eighteen years ago,
I saw you kill the remnant of the Dacheng Empire with my own eyes.
It made you the Crown Prince of the Tiansheng Empire.
If the remnant of Dacheng is still alive,
doesn't that mean the Tiansheng Empire has no crown prince?
Prince of Yan and Prince of Zhao wish to see you.
-Bring them in. -Yes, Your Royal Highness.
-Greetings, Your Royal Highness. -Greetings, Your Royal Highness.
My brothers, we just saw each other. Why aren't you resting?
Is it something important?
Crown Prince.
You agreed to hunt down the remnant of Dacheng.
We want to help you make plans.
Ning Yan is right.
We can't let Ning Yi poke fun at us again.
Thank you for your concern, my brothers.
Yet, Father is wary of us.
If he finds out that we are talking about this,
he will think we are forming factions.
Please leave now, my brothers.
Crown Prince, Yanzhou is my land.
I know the most about what is happening there.
Also, I have told Father that I will help you as much as I can.
I have made up my mind.
There is no need to waste your time.
Please leave now.
Please excuse us.
-Goodbye, Your Royal Highness. -Goodbye, Your Royal Highness.
Crown Prince.
I do not know if I should tell you this.
We are brothers.
You should be able to tell me anything.
Ning Yi said that it was just a joke.
But in my opinion,
he is trying to manipulate and confuse us.
You are the Crown Prince, the son of our father's first wife.
Even though she has passed away,
Father has not taken a new empress.
That shows how much he loved her.
Regardless of the point of view,
you are the only possible choice to be the Crown Prince.
Also, standing behind you
is the entire Chang family.
Who cares if 18 years ago,
you didn't kill the remnant of Dacheng?
Do you mean
I was rewarded for something I didn't do?
Forgive me.
It was just a hypothesis.
One of you likes hypotheses, one of you likes jokes!
What are you trying to do?
Forgive me.
Now that Father does not favor me anymore, are all of you trying to replace me?
Forgive me.
You have some nerve!
Ning Sheng.
The Crown Prince was acting weird today.
Ning Yi made fun of him in front of Father,
but afterward,
he was very nice to him and was concerned about his health.
But he seemed to hold back toward you and me.
He even snapped at us.
How is that weird?
One is the newly favored son,
and one is the powerful Crown Prince.
And us?
We are just caught in the middle.
Am I right?
Ning Yan.
From now on, you and I must work together
in order to survive in these troubled waters.
I agree.
Please teach me everything I need to know, Ning Sheng.
Ning Chuan.
Uncle.
How are those Changs' army who fought by my side?
A few years ago, Dayue attacked our border.
The Changs' army fought bravely.
None of the colonels who were by your side are still alive.
What about
the Royal Guards who protected Ning Yi?
Where are they?
Over these years,
Chief Gu has led them around, punishing the unruly.
They are less powerful now.
Uncle.
What do you think
about the remnant of Dacheng who appeared in Yanzhou?
Where could he come from?
How could he still be alive?
Eighteen years ago,
the infant in Gu Heng's arms was the only remnant.
Now, that infant is long gone.
There is no such thing as the remnant of Dacheng.
If that were true,
it was probably just a story
made up by the followers of Bloody Pagoda.
Your Royal Highness is wise indeed.
Uncle.
I think we must kill
all followers of Bloody Pagoda once and for all.
Digging a canal...
What does this have to do with me?
Your Highness, listen to me.
The next time you see His Majesty, you must stay silent and observe more.
I know.
Your Highness, 13 workers went missing last night.
They are blessed by the Emperor, yet they are still lazy.
They did not want to do hard labor, so they ran away.
-You should keep an eye on them. -I will.
Are you looking for a man?
-We are all men. -Yes.
Kind sirs,
I am begging you.
My man...
He came to dig canals for the Emperor.
How could he have disappeared?
He has been working for a month.
He is probably at a brothel, looking for some fun.
How about this, woman?
Go search the village nearby.
Maybe he's found a new wife.
Right?
-Yes. -Right.
With all those moles on his face, he looks like a monster.
Who would want him?
But even though he is ugly,
he is still cleaner than all of you here!
What is that supposed to mean?
Something must be wrong
that he is not coming home.
You have to find him today!
Find my husband!
Let's go.
Find my husband!
Bloody Pagoda caused us so much trouble.
And now, they have disappeared?
Keep investigating!
Even if you have to dig deep, you must find them!
Yes, my lord.
-Headmaster Xin. -Greetings, Chief Gu.
Are things not going well?
I must tell you that things are not going well at all.
I do not know what to do anymore.
What is it that you need from the Royal Guards, Headmaster Xin?
The Crown Prince has sent an order.
He found the followers of Bloody Pagoda outside of town.
He wants the Royal Guards to go there with me.
The Crown Prince has already ordered the army there to meet up with us.
We must kill them all.
But why did the Crown Prince send you?
I do not know either.
Recently, the Crown Prince has been very anxious.
I do not know what he is thinking.
But this is an order.
Let us head out together.
I understand.
Wait, Chief Gu.
What is it?
Did you see something, Headmaster Xin?
Did the Crown Prince say how far away these followers are?
They are past this valley.
This valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and water on the fourth.
It is the perfect place for ambushes.
Thank you for the reminder, Headmaster Xin.
Are there any other routes?
Headmaster Xin.
We can go through the mountains.
But the Crown Prince wants us there by seven at night.
If we take the detour, we won't be there until nine.
If that is the Crown Prince's order, and there are no other routes,
we must brave through it
even if danger lies ahead.
Subtitle translation by Sophie Chang