A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
ADAPTED FROM TIANXIA GUIYUAN'S NOVEL HUANG QUAN
EPISODE 28
Prince of Chu is doing this
to go against Your Highness and Lord of Minhai.
You must be prepared.
Minister Peng.
I will assign my guards to assist you.
You must find Chen Shao.
Look into those places where nobody has lived in for a long time.
I will do so immediately.
You should create situations
to distract Ning Yi.
If necessary,
you may...
I understand.
Your Highness, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites is here.
-Let him in. -Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness,
Prince of Jinshi, Helian Zheng, has arrived in the capital.
The ambassador by his side this time is Zhanbi, whom we know from years ago.
I came to ask you whether we should tell His Majesty about this.
Which Zhanbi?
Do you mean the one that was involved with Yale back then?
That's right.
Vice Minister Xu,
don't tell anyone about this yet.
Have someone spy on Zhanbi.
I'll deal with the matter.
Yes, Your Highness.
Who are you? You're so rude.
My father ordered me to come and learn things here.
What will I learn from these frail people?
How ridiculous.
Siling,
I think our Jinshi women are prettier
compared to these fragile Tiansheng women.
Your Highness, Jinshi is broad and large.
Our palaces are tall and spacious.
The narrow streets and small houses here are suffocating me.
Tiansheng is so boring.
We should go have some fun.
Let's go.
No, Your Highness.
We should not cause trouble right under the Emperor's nose.
Your Highness, you should go meet the Emperor first.
You can have fun later.
Just a bit of fun. It's not like I'm not coming back.
I won't take long.
Don't worry about me, Ambassador Zhanbi.
I'll be back soon.
Who is that?
Today, we're...
Come on.
My gosh,
you Tiansheng women all like to scream and wail
because you're weak.
You're all as frail as twigs.
Like a little chicken.
Tiansheng women truly are frail.
If we get startled and accidentally break something,
this Jinshi hand which you hold your bow with
might become as frail as Tiansheng women.
Tiansheng women are frail, but they pretend to be tough.
Yiyi.
Look at him, he has nowhere to hide.
Not thinking straight, hands flailing, as if he's doing a mysterious dance.
As if he's hiding from an ambush,
as light as birds flying above water.
What a wonderful jump!
That Tiansheng woman is impressive.
I, Helian Zheng, like her.
QIU RESIDENCE
Aren't you worried about getting kicked out?
My mother kicked out Wei Zhi,
but I'm Feng Zhiwei now.
Feng Zhiwei must live in Qiu Residence.
Why must Feng Zhiwei come back?
Only when people see this woman, Feng Zhiwei,
stay at Qiu Residence,
will Wei Zhi be safe outside.
Understand?
No.
My father was kind enough to take you in.
I can't believe you're stealing from us.
Give me that jade hairpin.
Nanyi.
It's kind of weird,
but I am happy just to hear Yuluo yell at people.
Why is that?
I hope you're truly happy.
I never took your stupid hairpin.
Don't blame me for it.
I put my hairpin on this table.
I was only gone for a short while. Now, it's gone.
Yun said that only you were here.
Who else would it be?
I'm a man.
What can I do with a woman's hairpin?
You probably forgot where you put it.
Don't blame me.
-I don't have time for this. -Stop!
How dare you run away?
Don't forget,
if it weren't for my father,
you, your mother, and that murderer, Feng Zhiwei,
would be starving on the streets.
Your mother ran away, your sister killed someone,
and you're a thief.
That's what your family is like.
Are you insulting my mother
-and my sister? -So what?
-You-- -She's a murderer.
What did you say she was?
She's a murderer.
Don't let me see her again,
-or I'll tell the officials. -The officials?
Who's telling the officials?
-Feng Zhiwei? -You said I killed someone.
Whom did I kill?
I heard that one madam died of illness here.
Could that be a lie?
Did Colonel Qiu lie to everyone,
protect the killer, and break the law?
If so, he would lose his title and the whole family would be exiled.
I'm not going to argue with you.
You bring bad luck.
I'm getting bad luck even by talking to you.
Feng Hao.
-Give me my hairpin. -Yes.
I do bring bad luck.
You grew up with me. Your luck must be terrible by now.
No wonder you're not married yet.
Feng Zhiwei, how dare you!
I'm not married yet because of your terrible birth card.
That was your birth card.
-Why did I have to bear the consequences? -Ask yourself and your mother.
-You... -Come on. Have some more bad luck.
-What are you doing? -Bad luck incoming.
-Don't touch me. -Stop right there.
Are you looking for your hairpin?
-What are you doing? Let go of me. -This one?
-Bastard. Give it back! -Here.
Zhiwei!
Feng Zhiwei! Give it back!
Give it back!
Give it to me!
It's mine!
-Give me my hairpin! -This one?
-You're so annoying. -Is it?
Feng Hao!
Feng Hao! Catch!
Give it to me!
Stop bullying me.
You won't say it's yours. Why would I give it back?
Stop it...
That Ning Yi...
He's a wolf. He can't be tamed.
Ning Sheng.
You and I look like we have much power in this Court,
but in reality,
your father is adoring me less and less.
Your uncle,
despite being indifferent,
has more to do with the interest of you and me.
He helped Tiansheng become an empire,
and he has ruled Minhai for decades.
The Emperor is wary of him,
yet he's our best source of support.
Right now,
only when we save Lord of Minhai and the Chang family,
can we save ourselves and aspire to achieve greater things.
I understand.
With my current status, I will fight for the throne.
Even if it means going through a sea of fire,
I will do my best to get to the throne.
If the title of Crown Prince falls to someone else,
the fate of King Zhending from the previous dynasty will fall upon me.
Your Highness, you can't barge in here.
Let me first report your arrival.
Your Highness.
Noble Consort Chang.
Ning Sheng, you're here too. I was going to go see you.
Why do you need to see me?
I heard that the ambassador who came with Prince of Jinshi is Zhanbi,
who was involved with Ning Yi's mother.
I want to ask you
to help me humiliate Ning Yi.
That will make me feel better.
How are you going to humiliate Ning Yi with Zhanbi?
That Ning Yi
is just a peasant.
He ignored the law
and set up a memorial tablet for his mother at Qinglong Temple.
He asked the monks there to put lotus flowers there for her
and had them use sacred water for the stems,
so that the flowers wouldn't wilt.
Please don't misunderstand me, Noble Consort Chang.
You've said a lot.
What exactly is your plan?
Ning Zhuo, go to the steward
and ask for a decorated box.
Put this arrow in it and send it to Prince of Yan.
He's a prince, so we must take it seriously.
Yes, Your Highness.
I understand.
You're trying to tell him that you know what he did.
I'll do it, then.
I want to see his face when he sees it.
Fine. You can go.
If you go, don't come back.
Stay at his residence.
You could go undercover.
If you don't want me to go, just say so.
No need to scare me.
His Highness never jokes around.
-Go now. -Are you setting me up?
Are you?
Too much time on your hands?
If there's nothing else,
-I'll go now. -Go.
Come here. Sit.
Remove the guards at the entrance.
Your Highness, are we broke?
Yes, we're broke.
Forgive me.
It's just...
I have this feeling
that we'll have a special guest soon.
-I don't want to scare him. -Then...
I'll go right now.
A special guest?
You said that you're an adult now.
But to me, your plan seems like
little tricks played by a young girl.
How could such immature tricks hurt Prince of Chu?
What do you think we should do then, Ning Sheng?
All I want to do is kill him.
That Zhanbi risked his life to come to the capital just to see Yale.
Although Yale has died,
I'm sure he still has feelings for her.
Let Zhanbi pray for her at Qinglong Temple.
Then, we'll tell Father about it.
It can't be that simple.
It must be a well-thought plan...
that will kill Ning Yi in the end.
Ning Sheng.
Mother.
This hairpin is mine from 18 years ago.
Take it and use it wisely.
Thank you, Mother.
Ning Qi.
Mother.
I hope you are well, Mother.
Get up now.
Let me look at you closely.
It's only been a few days, but you look exhausted.
You were feeling unwell that day.
Are you better now?
I'm sorry to let you worry, Mother.
I'm a terrible son.
Ziyin,
after having the soup you made for me yesterday,
I've been in good spirits.
Could you make some for Ning Qi as well?
Yes, my lady.
-Mother. -Ning Qi.
What's going on?
I can't sleep at night.
I'm worried about you.
I'm fine. Don't worry about me.
I just want to know why Prince of Yan gave me your sachet.
Did someone take it from you?
Recently,
I've been trying to go to the palace,
but Prince of Yan and his mother have been rejecting me.
Mother, what happened that day?
I went to see Noble Consort Chang.
I pay respect to you, Noble Consort Chang.
Lady Wang.
Lady Wang,
I have something
to ask you.
I wonder
if you could help me.
What are you referring to?
I will do everything I can to help you.
I won't make excuses.
It's nothing, really.
I just want you to write something for me.
Noble Consort Chang, please don't make fun of me.
Don't worry, Lady Wang.
I'll tell you what to write.
All you have to do is write it.
Ning Qi...
Get rid of...
Chen Shao.
Noble Consort Chang, please don't make me do this.
If we don't get rid of him,
your Ning Qi...
He'll probably...
NING QI
They humiliated you now.
But in the future,
I'll make them pay for it.
-Secret guard. -Yes, Your Highness.
Ning Yi. Come look for me.
Ning Yi, come on.
Ning Yi.
Your Highness.
Come in.
This...
Your Highness.
Your special guest is here.
Good.
I need to change.
I'll be right there.
Chen Shao.
You're finally here.
How dare you not kneel?
You posted the announcement asking for me.
I had to risk my life to come see you.
How is it asking for you?
"All lands have a prince, including Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han, and Chu.
We can't do much without help.
Talent must be recruited to help you.
True power is hard to get,
yet it often takes calculation and revenge."
How will Your Highness
help me get revenge?
PRINCE OF CHU WILL HELP YOU GET REVENGE
You're pretty smart.
Almost as smart as I am.
Not only are you smart, but you are also brave.
You barged into my residence at midnight.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
I'm sure
you will not kill me hastily without the evidence.
Good.
You're brave and smart.
No wonder you were able to negotiate with Lord of Minhai.
I want to be friends with you.
Do you know why I fled from the capital?
I have my theories.
But I would like you to tell me the truth.
You may rise and speak.
Your Highness.
I'm guilty.
I'm very guilty.
But I can't die yet,
or the wrongful death of Officer Lin will never be made right.
The people of Minhai will live in torture forever.
Please allow me
to tell you while kneeling.
All right. Kneel and speak.
I used to be a normal fisherman in Minhai.
Seventeen years ago,
Chang Yuan came to Minhai
and forbade us to go to sea.
Fishing was banned, which hurt our livelihood.
He did not find a way to help us fishermen.
Apart from the two taxes,
he added housing taxes and business taxes.
He was cruel and unforgiving.
During the sixth year of Changxi,
drought struck Minhai.
Crops yields were poor and we still couldn't fish.
The people were starving,
yet we still had to pay the taxes.
The sixth year of Changxi...
I remember Ning Qiao telling me
Lord of Minhai often sent letters
saying that Minhai was struck with disaster
and that Minhai needed a tax break.
Father had the Ministry of Revenue give them money to rebuild.
The Emperor's kindness
only went into the pockets of Chang Yuan and his officials.
Lies and corruption.
He deserves to die.
We did not know what to do,
so my father
led the people to protest at the administrative office.
You're lying!
Where is the drought?
The trees in the garden still have leaves on them.
-Whip them. -Yes, my lord.
These unruly peasants are just trying to avoid paying taxes.
We're innocent!
Nobody would listen to them.
They were left with no choice,
so they became pirates.
Those despicable officials.
They don't understand the pain of their people.
They deserve to die.
During the 15th year of Changxi,
Chang Yuan sent his son to negotiate as a middleman.
They asked to meet our leader secretly.
You've been living in the sea for so long.
It's hard to get by. You have no food or clothes.
I'm here today to send a message from my father.
We hope to give you another path.
Do pirates have other paths?
You just want to slit our throats.
If you work with my father,
who would dare slit your throats?
The government working with pirates?
How?
The pirates of Minhai have been attacking the inland areas.
The palace knows about this.
What my father wants to say is,
it would be best if you continue
to attack the Minhai area, even better if you increase the frequency.
What is Lord of Minhai trying to do?
He wants us to attack more frequently?
If you don't cause trouble,
how will Lord of Minhai have anything to brag about?
So in the end,
he also wants to get rid of us,
just like all the previous officials.
If he gets rid of you,
how will he constantly have good deeds to talk about?
I don't understand.
If the pirates keep attacking despite our efforts to get rid of them,
we will receive money from the palace to build up defense
and money for disasters.
That is how Lord of Minhai can stay in Minhai.
What a long-term plan to continue generating profit.
If we pirates decide to be a part of your play,
how are you going to reward us?
We need money and weapons to fight.
The expenses are costly. It's not sustainable.
Since the palace will give us money, Lord of Minhai will split it with you.
We will compensate your losses
and you may keep your loot.
That sounds like a deal that wouldn't cost us anything.
Do you want to live off nature,
or the Chang family and the palace?
Think carefully about it.
We can't live off nature.
It would be best for us to live off the money from the palace.
We're willing to follow Lord of Minhai.
For working together with the pirates
and cheating funds from the empire,
he deserves to die.
And that is
how we call ourselves pirates,
but actually work for Chang Yuan.
And I...
I turned into Chang Yuan's pawn
instead of a being a true pirate.
One month ago,
Chang Yuan asked to meet me.
He said he had a huge deal for me.
We met and I found out
that he wanted me to lead my troops
to kill Lin Renqi's whole family.
He also asked me to steal all the papers in Officer Lin's study.
Tyrannical and cruel.
He deserves to die.
I deserve to die too.
I just hope that the evidence you have
can help me defeat Chang Yuan
and all his allies.
Then,
Officer Lin will be able to rest in peace.
You will also be rewarded instead of killed.
Thank you, Your Highness.
But I've done something unforgivable.
After I found the papers, I became curious.
What scared Lord of Minhai so much
that he had to steal it?
I'm curious as well.
INVESTIGATORY RECORD BY INVESTIGATORY OFFICER LIN RENQI
I am very grateful to work for the palace.
I will do anything
to prevent evil from disrupting the peace of this empire.
I'm writing this today to list ten of the biggest crimes
committed by Lord of Minhai, Chang Yuan.
Please investigate them thoroughly.
Kill them all!
Stop!
Your Highness.
We've been spying on Prince of Chu.
Nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
However,
as long as he is the Head of the Censorate,
it is difficult for me to do much.
Does Your Highness have any ideas on how to help me get rid of him?
Ning Yi won't stop even if he loses his title.
But
if he insists on going against me,
he can't blame me for being cruel to him.
Do you have a plan, Your Highness?
I need two things for my plan.
One, the death of Zhanbi.
Two,
getting my father's help.
Your Highness, Imperial Doctor Quan wishes to see you.
-Bring him in. -Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
Please rise.
I have a question.
I was hoping you would share your expertise.
Your Highness is too kind.
Please ask away.
I heard that when men in the Riluo Tribe of Dayue
turn 18 years old,
they get a blood-colored tribe symbol on their skin.
Imperial Doctor Quan, is that true?
It is true.
I heard that it's to ensure the purity of the bloodline of the Riluo Tribe.
Sixteen years ago, when I first became an imperial doctor,
Chief Gu of the Royal Guards also asked about this.
It was so they could send someone on an undercover investigation.
They didn't want to blow their cover.
What were they investigating?
Your Highness, I do not know.
Do you know how to solve this problem?
Of course.
I came up with a solution
to deal with this.
I'm glad I have your help.
My plan relies heavily on your expertise.
Your Highness,
I was only able to become an imperial doctor
because of Lord of Minhai's kindness.
In a few days, Princess Shaoning and I will go see you.
I understand.
Your Highness, a group of people from Prince of Chu's residence
has headed out for Shunping Gate.
Minister Peng.
Your Highness.
-Send someone there. -Yes, Your Highness.
Your Majesty,
Investigatory Officer, Lin Renqi, has listed ten crimes by Lord of Minhai.
First,
he used his connections to the Royal Family to gain power in the palace.
He profited from the kindness of Your Majesty.
Second, he worked with the pirates.
He gave them money to attack the people for his own interest.
Third,
he called himself king with Minhai as his kingdom.
Attention!
Lord of Minhai, Chang Yuan, must report in the palace as soon as possible.
Are you sure about this tough battle?
How do you know there's going to be a battle?
I see that you're very proud of yourself.
You must have persuaded His Majesty.
I have told Father about what Chang Yuan did.
Father has asked for Chang Yuan to report to the palace.
They say it's to report, but it's actually to investigate.
I'm going to see
how long that bandit can hang on.
Good.
While Chang Yuan is on his way, you and I can start planning.
This tea cup is Chang Yuan, you are the white stones.
I'm thinking, who will be able to help you?
Only Ning Qiao and you would be willing in this world.
Even if you don't agree with me,
you always support me with all your might.
Of course.
But that's not all.
If you get hurt because of this, only Ning Qiao and I could heal you.
Even now,
you still don't believe Chang Yuan can be defeated.
You're so pessimistic.
Do you really think he can be defeated with just Chen Shao?
That's too optimistic.
Do you want to bet?
Sure.
The wager is Feng Zhiwei.
If I win, I can do whatever I want with her.
If you win, you can marry her.
Do you think that Feng Zhiwei is a woman I can control?
No bet.
Do you think you'll win for sure?
If I win, Feng Zhiwei will be mine to control.
You're afraid of that.
-I'm not betting. -You're afraid.
I don't want to.
I said I don't want to.
Fine.
-You admit defeat. -I don't want to.
Since your group has already settled down,
I'll send a message tomorrow for you,
Prince Helian, and the ambassadors to meet His Majesty.
Thank you, Vice Minister Xu.
I'll wait for the good news.
-Goodbye. -Goodbye.
I almost forgot.
Prince of Chu asked me to tell you
that after you meet His Majesty,
he would like to meet you as well.
Would you be willing to do so?
-Prince of Chu? -Yes, Your Highness.
-Ning Yi? -Yes.
Prince of Chu, Ning Yi.
He's the prince His Majesty favors the most.
Recently, he's been appointed the Head of the Censorate.
He's doing very well.
Is he the son of Consort Yan, Ning Yi?
This...
You must not mention that.
The title of Ning Yi's mother has been revoked.
Even His Majesty does not talk about it.
If Prince of Chu is doing so well as the Head of the Censorate,
why doesn't he try to ask
for his mother's title to be restored?
That's what a good son would do.
I don't want to see him.
You shouldn't say that.
According to what I know,
Prince of Chu has set up a memorial tablet for his mother
at Qinglong Temple.
Every first and fifteenth day of the month,
he sets up lotus flowers there for her.
He's a very good son.
As for the other matters...
I don't dare say too much.
I don't dare.
I was mistaken about him.
Please forgive me.
-Well, then... -Please.
Isn't it the 15th of the month tomorrow?
Subtitle translation by Sophie Chang