A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
ADAPTED FROM TIANXIA GUIYUAN'S NOVEL HUANG QUAN
EPISODE 27
I was there myself yesterday.
It was unlike what Minister Peng said.
Even if the man who died was not Chen Shao,
but it had to be someone related to him.
Scholar Wei is making bold statements.
Peng Pei.
I remember ten years ago,
you entered the palace from a humble background.
Now, you're the Minister of Justice.
Do you know why?
Your Majesty,
it's because you have an eye for talent.
-I-- -When you recommended yourself,
you wrote a letter to me.
You said,
"The law of heaven is far away. The law of people is close.
We should focus on the latter.
I aspire to be like Zichan
and help this palace find justice through law, punishment, and reward."
So I wasn't the one helping you reach where you are today.
You did it yourself.
Your Highness.
Official Zhao.
Before I turned eight,
I always had to be nice to you,
so that you wouldn't tell on me to Father.
After I turned eight,
you were the one who had to be nice to me.
I know.
You were worried I'll embarrass myself.
From now on,
if I am no longer a part of the Court,
when I see you again,
I'll probably be more cautious and less reckless.
You mean...
I believe that no matter where Your Highness is,
regardless of your title,
you will always be the prince I am loyal to.
And I will always be your servant.
Is Ning Yi here?
Please, Your Highness.
Father, it is I, Ning Yi.
You may rise.
I have something I would like to ask of you, Father.
What is it?
I know I've done reckless things in the past.
You spent so much time teaching me things,
yet I did not listen.
Today, I would like to recommend myself to be
the Head of the Censorate,
so that I can help you, Father.
You want to be the Head of the Censorate?
Do you know what the responsibilities are?
The Head of the Censorate
is in charge of the judicature.
It is quite complicated with the crossing of interests,
and is prone to cause problems. It is not a well-liked position.
Therefore, the Head of the Censorate must be a loner, one with no connections.
It is a difficult job that people dislike.
Are you sure about this?
With my heart in the right place,
even if things get messy and complicated, I will be able to solve the issues.
What a great son I have.
I'll grant your wish.
Wei Zhi, draft the announcement.
-Yes, Your Majesty. -Thank you, Father.
WEI RESIDENCE
How dare you barge into Wei Residence.
Why wouldn't I dare?
Without me, there would be no Scholar Wei.
Are you here for Scholar Wei?
He is not at home right now.
What do you wish to tell him? Maybe I could pass on the message.
Since he's not here,
please tell Scholar Wei
that Qiu Mingying was here.
Madam Mingying. Please, come in.
No need.
I'm here
to take my daughter, Feng Zhiwei, home.
Who is Wei Zhi?
He has nothing to do with me.
Madam.
Madam, why are you here?
Master Zong, do you know
that Zhiwei has become an official in the Court?
Someone from Bloody Pagoda told me about it.
But I don't think
you need to be nervous about it.
It might be a good opportunity.
Opportunity?
After Dacheng was overthrown, Bloody Pagoda took a huge hit.
With the power we have now,
we cannot overthrow Tiansheng ourselves.
With Zhiwei as an official in Court, she now possesses more power.
By getting close to royalty,
she can give us a bigger chance to rebuild our empire.
Won't it be too risky?
Zhiwei is a girl.
If she's in Court,
all eyes will be on her.
She could blow her cover anytime.
Zhiwei is very sharp.
She'll avoid risks and find a way out of tricky situations.
You and I both know what the Emperor is like.
He's distrusting, unpredictable, and cruel.
If he finds out Zhiwei's true identity...
No.
We can't let that happen.
There must be another way to rebuild Dacheng.
Master Zong.
We shouldn't place all our hopes on Zhiwei.
-She's just a girl. -Madam Mingying.
This is Zhiwei's destiny.
We can't change it.
As a mother,
I can't believe I have to watch my daughter
risk her life.
Madam Mingying.
Back then,
when Leader Gu entrusted the child to you,
you didn't worry this much.
No.
She wasn't my daughter back then.
But now,
she is.
I can't bear to lose her.
WEI RESIDENCE
Zhiwei is a girl.
If she's in Court,
all eyes will be on her.
You're pretending to be a man and are holding a government position.
You are deceiving the Emperor.
She could blow her cover anytime.
Tell me now. Are you my friend or foe?
Work for me.
Your Highness is toying with me, so that I'll be in danger
and have no choice but to get a strong supporter.
I'm here to take my daughter, Feng Zhiwei, home.
Who is Wei Zhi?
He has nothing to do with me.
What's the matter?
I don't know.
She has been like that since she got back from Fengyun Palace.
Something must have happened there today.
That's why the palace
is not the best place to be.
Nanyi, go talk to her.
No.
I'm just asking you to...
I'll do it.
Go then.
Nanyi, Huaishi.
I miss my mother.
Here. This is my home.
It's small.
Small?
What do you know?
A house might be small, but it can keep the rain out.
A snail's shell might be tiny, but it's warm.
Even though it's small and shabby,
it can refresh me of the pressure from the palace.
No matter how high or far I fly,
I would still want to come home,
talk to my mother, and get a good night's sleep.
How could it be warm with wind blowing from all directions?
Don't you know what a warm home is?
Have you ever had a home?
From now on, wherever I am, it will be your home.
Let's go inside. Come on.
Hurry up.
-Hey. -What are you doing in my room?
Why are you playing inside?
Your room is supposed to be mine.
I can do whatever I want.
You can't say no.
Why is my room yours?
Because you're shameless.
You're living a luxurious life in Wei Residence.
You're also hogging the real estate papers.
Now, you're trying to take this shabby house from me.
You...
What are you doing?
I don't want to talk to you.
-I'm going to see Mother. -Have you no shame at all?
She wants you to leave the palace.
If you won't, why are you here?
What does it have to do with you?
You...
Mother.
I have a lot to do
with why you should leave the palace.
Scholar Wei.
If you're not leaving the palace, why are you here?
Mother.
This is where I was born and raised.
Why can't I come back?
I raised a daughter who is disobedient.
Now that she has grown wings,
she should soar into the sky.
To be here in this shabby old house
would be disrespectful to her, wouldn't it?
It is disrespectful.
The Emperor trusts me.
I've made my way through the vicious palace.
Even though I came across challenges, I was able to overcome them.
Mother, I won't leave this position in the palace.
If I do, I'll become like you.
You let us suffer in poverty and we struggled to survive.
Regardless of how you see me,
I have only one thing to say to you.
Leave the palace.
Mother.
Why are you doing this?
There's no one else here.
Why can't you tell me the truth?
Isn't it enough that I am telling you as a mother?
Would I harm you?
Tell me!
If you won't harm me,
why is it so hard to tell your daughter the truth?
Stop asking me.
I won't answer you.
Fine.
If you can't answer me,
don't blame me for not following your order.
I'm not going to leave this position.
This is the only way I can change my fate.
Silly child.
Is fate
that easy to change?
Even if it's harder than flying into the sky,
I still have to try.
Fine.
Go try then, Scholar Wei.
I, Qiu Mingying,
have only one daughter and her name is Feng Zhiwei.
Only she has the right to come here.
Please leave.
Scholar Wei.
If you don't leave, you'll get into trouble.
Mother.
Zhiwei will come back.
But Wei Zhi
will not leave the palace.
Just wait and see.
Mother.
Mother...
Why are you sad?
We kicked Feng Zhiwei out.
She should be the one who's sad.
When I got here,
it felt like a warm home.
But now,
the hostility is driving me away.
You never touch other people.
Why are you...
Please lend me your shoulder.
Feng Zhiwei will come back.
Let's go.
Tears.
TIANSHENG MINISTRY OF JUSTICE SCROLL
Minister Peng, why are all these scrolls blank?
Your Highness.
When His Majesty first made the law,
common cases would go through three levels of local government.
Only cases of utmost importance
would go through the Ministry.
Since the Emperor came to power, we have enjoyed peace.
How would there be any cases?
When you're here, Your Highness,
all you need to do
is supervise the compiling and amendment of laws.
I never knew that the people of Tiansheng have been living so peacefully.
Of course.
The Ministry of Justice was originally supervised by Prince of Yan.
We did not have any cases.
Peng Pei,
you have the support of Ning Sheng. That's why you dare talk back to me.
But now, I am the Head of the Censorate appointed by the Emperor.
From now on, everything in the Censorate goes through me.
If you don't cut off ties with your master,
don't blame me if I get rid of you.
Your Highness, that's not exactly accurate.
Are you questioning my capabilities,
or are you questioning His Majesty's ability to rule?
Peng Pei.
I guess I've underestimated you.
Forgive me, Your Highness.
There must be records of the murder on the west side of the capital.
I want you
to summon the constable and the coroner of the case.
Bring them here to see me.
Yes, Your Highness.
Go now.
Stop!
Ning Cheng.
Your Highness.
I'm heading back.
Have a secretary copy this announcement.
Word for word.
Post it all around the capital.
Yes, Your Highness.
Is it a body identification announcement?
Did he get it wrong?
Secretary.
Secretary!
Your Majesty, Noble Consort Chang is here.
Your Majesty.
Why are you here?
You haven't seen me in a while.
I missed you,
so I came here to see you.
There has been turbulence within the palace lately,
with both internal and external problems.
I'm very busy.
I'm sure you know that.
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
In order to prove our family's innocence, my brother, Lord of Minhai,
has removed Chang Hai from our genealogy book.
Our family has promised to be loyal to Your Majesty.
Chang Hai could never change that.
Your Majesty,
I'm willing
to move to the abandoned palace and pray alone
in order to prove how loyal we are to you.
How would I not trust you?
Your Majesty.
If the Empress were still alive
and saw what was going on,
she would've been devastated.
You don't need to worry because of your family.
That has nothing to do with you.
I would never blame it on you.
Your Majesty.
Lord of Minhai sent these velvet antlers.
I made soup with them.
Would you be willing to taste some?
Your Majesty.
Would you like to come over tonight?
I'll prepare wine and food.
I need to meet with some officials. Maybe I'll visit you afterward.
Your Highness.
Prince of Chu.
Ning Yi.
You promised me you would be cautious.
Do you call that being cautious?
Barging in there without discussing it with me?
Only when I become the Head of the Censorate
will I be able to defeat the Chang family.
Defeat the Chang family?
Chen Shao said the Chang family
had him kill Lin Renqi. Where's the proof?
I'm the Head of the Censorate.
Proof?
I can investigate it as my responsibility.
You...
Do you know what happens when you hold this title?
You lose the eligibility to become a crown prince.
You will have other opportunities to bring them down.
Why are you in such a hurry?
Without law and order, how will one rule a country?
If the people are suffering, how will one call oneself an emperor?
If you really think that you can defeat the Changs with Chen Shao alone,
I'll change my surname to Chen.
Call me Chen Ziyan!
What's done is done!
Ziyan,
come here.
Help me.
I already have a lead.
-I've never seen it before. -You...
You're not as forgiving as Ning Qiao.
Just one little thing makes you infuriated.
All right.
On behalf of Ning Qiao, I'll apologize to you.
I'll discuss things with you from now on, all right?
One little thing?
Do you call this one little thing?
How dare you mention Ning Qiao.
I promised him I would help you become a wise ruler,
but you acted on impulse and threw away your chance to be a crown prince.
How will I face him in the afterlife?
Ziyan.
Fine.
The arrow in the drawing comes from a small tribe near the border of Dayue.
I've seen it at my teacher's.
Got it.
The border of Dayue.
Ning Qi, how are you feeling?
I'm feeling better. Thank you for your concern.
Thank you, Ziyan.
The three principles and five virtues stipulate relations
between father and son, ruler and subject, and husband and wife.
Currently,
the ruler, the subject, the father, and the son are what they should be like.
Yet, the husband and wife are not on the same page.
Your Majesty.
Noble Consort Chang is worried about Prince of Yan.
Perhaps she had to.
Is she worried about her son or does she want to help the Chang family?
Only she knows the answer.
I have won the empire,
but I can't even be an average husband.
A wife should admire and respect her husband.
Is that so difficult?
Your Majesty, I believe that is still possible.
Lady Wang, who has no desires,
must respect
and admire Your Majesty.
She has no family to support her,
but that has become her chance to win.
Your Majesty.
Isn't that why you like her?
I'll be visiting Lady Wang.
Don't tell anyone.
I'm going to see what she's doing.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
I pay respect to Your Majesty.
You may rise.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
-Did I scare you? -Of course not.
I'm too happy to be scared.
What are you doing?
I know that your lower back bothers you, so I'm warming the bed.
Did you know I was coming?
-I did not. -Your Majesty,
-may I tell you something? -Do not say anything.
You are dismissed.
Wait.
I want to hear what she has to say. Speak.
Your Majesty, you don't know
that Lady Wang warms the bed for you every night.
She has done it for years now.
It has become a habit.
Is that true?
It's what I'm supposed to do.
It's not worth mentioning.
How can I ignore it?
I know that the imperial harem
is extremely luxurious,
but it's also a very dangerous place.
You've been here for so many years now,
but you still have a kind heart.
That's very admirable.
Your Majesty, you are my everything. It is my duty to serve you.
I also told Ning Qi
that he should help out with Court duties,
but he should not covet what is not his.
Ning Qi is a good son.
He has been in the army for years,
but he is not reckless.
He is polite and cautious.
The officials in the palace respect him.
You did a good job teaching him.
I truly adore you and your son.
I promise I'll treat you well.
Hearing you say that, I could die right now and be happy.
ZHAOQING PALACE
Noble Consort Chang,
His Majesty is staying with Lady Wang tonight.
Ning Yi.
-Ning Qi, please. -Thank you.
Did you invite me here to ask about the murder on the west side?
Please open this.
Ning Qi, get rid of Chen Shao.
Your mother has always been gentle and she follows all the rules.
How would she send you to kill someone?
Is there something going on?
That day,
I was outside Chengming Palace
and about to go inside the palace.
Ning Qi.
Hello, Ning Sheng.
NING QI, GET RID OF CHEN SHAO
Ning Qi,
that arrow you shot
turned you into Prince of Yan's scapegoat.
Are you really willing to die for Prince of Yan
and the Chang family?
I do not wish to, Ning Yi.
I don't want to be used by Prince of Yan.
But, my mother's safety...
I had to do it.
I understand.
Please forgive me, Ning Yi.
Please get up.
Ning Qi.
Now,
good fortune has finally come.
You are the new Head of the Censorate.
With your morals,
you definitely won't wrong me.
If you get Chen Shao,
I'll confess to Father.
Ning Qi,
if we get to the bottom of this case,
it will lead back to your mother.
Now,
show me the weapon you used to kill him.
Servants, bring it in.
Your Highness.
Please take a look.
Ning Qi.
To handle this weapon,
your hands must be strong.
Otherwise,
you'll hurt yourself.
Right?
I switched out his clothes.
As long as they're light, soft, and easy to move around in,
he doesn't care if they're for women or men.
As for this,
you should do it.
He won't let me touch a single hair.
Nanyi, these walnuts smell delicious.
Look at them.
Aren't they nice?
These are walnuts from Baoshengzhai. They smell nice. Come smell them.
Just smell them.
Nanyi, they say
that the walnuts from Baoshengzhai are especially easy to peel.
Try and peel one.
Isn't that easy?
See? Right?
There's a bug.
Feng Zhiwei is a lady.
She can't have a man by her side.
She can only have a beautiful little maiden like you.
From now on, I can't call you by your name.
What should I call you?
Gu Nanyi...
I'll call you Yiyi.
Come on.
We'll wait for the Qiu family to come get me.
It's been 18 years,
but Tiansheng hasn't changed much.
How great would it have been
if Yale were still alive?
Zhanbi, have you been here before?
I have.
I came wounded and left wounded.
Tiansheng men look weak, and the women look frail.
How did they wound you?
That scared me!
Tiansheng women
are made out of paper.
How uninteresting.
In this world,
it's not only knives that wound people.
Our hearts are the softest, but also the hardest.
It hurts the most when it is wounded.
Subtitle translation by Sophie Chang