Original subtitles

[The Vendetta of An]

Tomorrow's the day when the regional military commanders of all four towns

will enter the Capital.

Once they enter the Capital,

they must surely know that they face the danger

of losing military authority.

They won't submit easily.

Let's take a guess

at the kinds of plots they'll come up with.

How much can we guess?

Where's Gu Yu?

Can he make it in time?

Xie Huai'an is already preparing

a rescue plan.

He's out of our control.

There's no way we can predict what he'll do.

Back in the day,

we were able to anticipate

many things.

The same goes for this military campaign against Chang'an.

We also knew

that the useless soldiers

under my brother's command

were unable to hold the city gates.

Now that we've won ourselves an empire,

it feels like the longer we continue our journey,

the more uncertainties

we'll face.

Perhaps this is the saying,

"It's easier to seize power

than to hold onto it".

[Episode 11]

How's the situation

outside?

The regional military commanders of all four towns have arrived.

But they were discreet with their movements.

Luckily, Xiaoqing was able to find out.

Do you truly think

Gao Yan, Xiao Wuyang, and the rest

will attack the regional military commanders?

They will, if we fail to rescue Gu Yu

in time.

Instead of letting the regional military commanders

align themselves with the Huben Army,

we should

kill them first.

With Chancellor Gao's capabilities,

he would pacify the four towns

while striking down the regional military commanders.

Perhaps

he has already dispatched his men.

Now that Gu Yu is captured,

undercurrents

are stirring once more under the city of Chang'an.

As for Gu Yu,

I've already found him.

You found him?

We should act, then.

A war will start in the city, you know?

Let's wait a little longer.

I have something else in mind.

Hand this

to Chancellor Gao.

He'll hold his position

after reading this.

Can I read this?

Of course.

I'm just worried

that you cannot understand it.

Fine. I won't read it.

Tell the pageboy to keep a close eye on Wang Xing.

Is he doing things properly?

It's a long story.

But I'll summarize it.

He has already done Wang Xing in.

But it's not his fault.

Anyway, you should stop worrying.

Hurry and finish your task inside.

We can talk once you're out.

All right.

来 让一下 让一下

Watch where you're going!

Mother, we have a customer.

A customer?

If so,

get him some food later, okay?

老板娘

Get me two buns.

Coming right up.

It's hot. Be careful.

Eat up. The buns my mother makes

are very delicious.

What about

your father?

I don't remember who my father is.

Mother said it's been three years since he last returned.

My wife

often wears a purple dress,

faded from all the washing.

You'll know when you see her.

[Liu's Bamboo Shop]

快

I'll make you something nice when we get back,

okay?

Mother, are you tired?

Not at all.

Young lady.

Young lady.

Young lady.

Young lady.

Young lady.

Young lady, open up.

Stop hiding.

I just want to

help you guys out.

It's already been two months.

Why are you still avoiding me?

I know

that your shop

is right here.

Your daughter

is still very young.

And, you're alone.

You only have two eyes.

Do you think you can keep an eye on her all the time?

Mother.

I'm scared.

I'm here for you.

Young lady!

Young lady, open the door!

Mother.

Let's call Father back here.

- Let's call Father back here. - Okay.

I'll write to your father now.

I'll tell him to come back as soon as possible, okay?

Stop crying.

Mister.

I want a bowl of noodles.

Give me extra vegetables.

这个萝卜

你给我切点吧

I'll come back for it later.

行

Say,

you still have a habit of being late

even after all these years, huh?

Lamb won't be as tasty

if you cook them for too long, you know?

Are we here just to eat lamb?

Didn't we return to Chang'an

to devour other people?

Not necessarily.

If we do a bad job,

we'll be devoured instead.

Can you guys talk about something

that won't spoil my appetite?

If I'm not mistaken,

when we followed the founding emperor into Chang'an,

we had our first meal here.

No wonder you guys finally settled here

after searching high and low.

30 years ago,

after we finished our meal,

we followed the founding emperor into the palace.

He conquered the empire

while we seized the military seals.

I told you already.

This is a lucky spot.

But 30 years passed by in the blink of an eye.

The founding emperor is long gone.

And now, his son

wants to take back our military seals.

If we agree to it,

it'll mean

that our lifetime will be in vain.

Is there really

no room for maneuver in this matter?

Our lifetime might not necessarily be in vain.

If that does happen,

at least I still own this alley.

A few years ago,

I spent some money

and bought this alley.

The lamb we're having right now

is served by my shop.

You're something else.

- 吃独食啊 - 老奸巨猾

Have all of their men arrived?

They have.

What about our men?

Our men have arrived as well.

Chancellor, we await your command.

On the night of murder,

one should savor tea to the fullest.

[Fortune]

You're not acting like yourself

today.

You see,

it's a long story.

Consider this my penance.

Your expression, tone,

and the way you act...

It's as if you're a hitman.

Those who don't know

might think that you're one of my peers.

So,

why are we meeting here?

Now, I just want to go home

and have a bowl of hot porridge.

Forget about the porridge.

Let's have some hot tea.

Tonight, Chancellor Gao

will commence an operation here.

He's trying to assassinate the regional military commanders.

What?

Don't act so surprised.

Our current mission

is to prevent that from happening.

Chancellor Gao

is having tea in that tea house now.

The commanders

are having lamb hotpot

in that very alley.

What about us? Can we only stare at each other

like a pair of fools?

Take this and deliver it to Chancellor Gao.

Huai'an said

Chancellor Gao would stop

his operation immediately after seeing this.

Why aren't you heading there yourself?

Chancellor Gao has set up a trap inside.

I'm sure many assassins are lying in wait.

I have to locate

the assassins first.

What if something goes wrong?

Do you think you can fend them off?

You're right.

Can you understand it?

Of course.

This is a huge deal.

Chancellor Gao would definitely stop if he heard about this.

Keep this safe.

Huai'an told me

that His Majesty gave him the Marquis of Wuyang's official seal

personally.

With it, one can move freely

throughout Chang'an.

That's the messenger of Chancellor Gao.

They'll commence the operation soon.

I have to stop them.

Don't mess this up.

Hey!

I...

The tea house?

Where is it?

[Hall of Talent]

According to Chancellor Gao,

tonight is the night...

Who are you?

According to Chancellor Gao,

all of you

have to remain here tonight.

That darned Ye Zheng.

He only gave me a direction.

He didn't give me

the tea house's exact location.

I...

- Who's there? - Who's there?

I wish you all prosperity.

[Longsheng Inn]

[Longsheng Inn]

Who's there?

I have the Marquis of Wuyang's official seal.

I need to see the chancellor.

相爷

Someone came with the seal that His Majesty had given.

He said he has something important...

Get out of the way!

Initially, I came here to tell you

not to kill the regional military commanders.

But now, I'm here to tell you

that the regional military commanders are after your life.

Therefore, you have to escape.

In just one night,

you managed to uncover

two deadly plots.

Who are you?

I'm Mr. Xie Huai'an's pageboy.

This seal is the proof.

Xie Huai'an is remarkably intelligent.

It seems the pageboy he has chosen

is pretty intelligent as well.

How did you find out

that they were after my life?

Their hitmen

are waiting at the tavern right next door.

All of them were carrying a blade.

I could tell at first glance.

[Longsheng Inn]

I suppose it's time.

They should be acting

as we speak.

You guys don't need to be that nervous.

After all,

our target is Gao Yan.

Why are you still in the mood to have tea?

Hurry and escape!

Wait. Did you know about this long ago?

You're cunning, aren't you?

You didn't make the first move against them.

You let them make the first move.

This way, you'll have an excuse to go after them officially.

Am I right?

You're indeed intelligent.

But...

But my men

have subdued all of your men.

If so,

does that mean

your plan won't succeed?

No matter what,

the commanders' hitmen

will arrive soon.

We'd better make a run for it.

I'm not leaving.

If I leave, that means I'm admitting defeat.

Old people like us hate losing, you know?

What are you saying?

What exactly do you want?

You won't get to leave

when they arrive, you know?

Your men

have subdued my men,

causing my plan to be thwarted.

And now, I'm in danger because of you.

You should be the one

coming up with a solution for me.

Are you sure you want me to come up with a solution?

Are you sure about that?

Help!

Someone's trying to kill the regional military commanders!

Help!

Someone's trying to kill the regional military commanders!

Help!

Regional military commanders, run away!

Someone's after your lives!

Run away!

Someone's trying to kill the regional military commanders!

Regional military commanders, run away!

- Someone's after your lives! - What is he up to again?

Someone's trying to kill the regional military commanders!

Regional military commanders,

- run away! - Did you give them

the wrong order?

Do I look that dumb to you?

This seems like...

It's a trap laid by Gao Yan.

He's trying to kill us.

This is

what we call a feint attack.

I assume the hitmen

have rushed back to rescue their commanders.

Chancellor,

we've already dealt

with the hitmen outside.

What about the four main targets?

Don't worry.

Our men

are keeping an eye on them.

Time to get to work.

No, you mustn't!

Yan Fengshan is returning to the Capital.

I assume he's coming back to negotiate with the commanders.

If you kill them now,

we'll have no bait to lure Yan Fengshan back.

This is my proof.

My master, Xie Huai'an,

is already coming up

with a way to deal with Yan Fengshan.

Your Majesty.

You should be the one

who makes the call.

I suppose a young man like you is still filled with fear

when you see the ruler of the land.

Raise your head.

Nothing is more important

than killing Yan Fengshan.

Understood?

Do you understand?

I... I'm done here.

I'll make a move first.

After all these years,

to think that you're the first person

to come within five steps of my reach

with a weapon on you.

It seems we're too careless.

Indeed.

Even the best plans can have a flaw.

Go!

走

How's the situation?

Every man we sent after Chancellor Gao

was killed.

However,

the hitmen assigned to the vicinity by him

have all pulled back as well.

It has finally ended.

That was a close shave.

If that person didn't shout for help,

we would've thought that we were on top of everything.

We almost fell for his trap.

If I must say,

we're not really good at coming up with schemes either.

Am I right,

Wang Pu?

If they dare to go after you,

that means they'll be bold enough to come after me.

I don't think the four of them will be daring enough

if there's no one there to lead them.

Indeed.

In my opinion,

it'll be better to kill them

than to let them ally themselves with the Huben Army.

Now, it seems like

the covenant between them

has long been established.

Right now, there are only two things

that can change the current situation.

It's either that Gu Yu stays alive

or

that Yan Fengshan dies.

We should leave both tasks

to White Hair.

General Gao, you have a great foresight.

I would've bought this alley as well

if I were as rich as you all.

You're young and talented.

You might end up

owning half of the city

in the future.

You're still in the mood to eat?

Now,

we've already fallen out with Xiao Wuyang.

I'll see what else you've got planned.

I have nothing else planned.

But,

you don't need to panic.

Up next,

General Fengshan will join the fray himself.

Please look forward

to it.

Thank you.

You accepted Gu Yu's recommendation

to go to the Capital back then.

According to the plan,

I suppose

you'll be sparing Xiao Wenjing.

Indeed.

Why is that?

It's because of a misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding?

The current emperor

is weak and incompetent.

He might as well not have taken the throne.

He should

become a scholar instead.

That's right!

He doesn't even have the freedom to choose.

If he had the freedom to choose,

perhaps he wouldn't have wanted to be the emperor.

What a poor soul.

What a poor soul!

To the poor soul called the emperor.

Come!

To the poor soul

called the emperor!

To him!

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

Yan Fengshan,

didn't you say that I could enjoy myself outside

for two hours each month?

Has it even been two hours?

I want to drink more!

I haven't had my fill yet.

I don't want to go back!

I don't want to go back!

I want to keep drinking!

I want to keep drinking!

I want to keep drinking!

I don't want to go back!

Only then did I find out

that he was suppressed by Yan Fengshan all along.

Although he was the emperor,

in reality, he was just a bird

living in a cage.

After that,

I went through many of his manuscripts.

These four lines left a deep impression on me.

For those who would be ministers,

they must discern right from wrong,

and reckon not with gain or loss.

For those who would be soldiers,

they must hold the realm and home above all,

and count not the cost of life or death.

For those who would be sovereign,

they must hear the sufferings of the people,

and care not for glory or splendor.

And for those

who would be common folk,

they must keep their fields and livelihood,

and trouble not over the price of things.

Especially the last part.

Although his writing skills weren't the best,

from it, I could tell

that he cared for his people.

He wrote those when he was the crown prince.

He wrote them with an innocent heart back then.

What a shame.

He proved to be too soft after ascending the throne.

He was suppressed by Yan Fengshan for many years.

He was unable to establish a peaceful era.

Times have changed.

Now,

there probably isn't anyone

who wants him to remain emperor.

I'm the only stubborn person who refuses to change.

Huai'an.

I've prepared a letter.

If anything happens to me,

please deliver this

to him.

All right.

Do you know where he is?

I don't.

But I'm sure

he's also staring at the same moon as we are.

Hey.

What exactly have you

experienced out there?

It's as if you're a different person now.

It's not like you messed it up either.

Nasty One.

What's the matter?

What's on your mind?

I met my elder brother.

Who's your elder brother?

Do you mean Xiao Wuyang?

And, you actually left in one piece?

He didn't intend to kill me.

He couldn't even recognize me.

But what's even stranger

is that I didn't feel like killing him either.

Logically speaking,

he took my empire from me.

Thanks to him, I ended up in this pathetic state

and became a pageboy.

From a life of luxury

to chopping wood and cooking meals...

I was once above everyone else.

And now, I'm not.

I should've hated him for it.

But when I met him,

I only realized

that I hated the bully at Wazi Alley

much more than him.

Perhaps

I don't love the empire

as much as I thought.

Even so,

there's nothing wrong with it.

But you see,

it's not like there are any beauties

leading me astray here.

Why are you staring at me like that?

The person beside me is either you or Huai'an.

Zhaolu isn't around either.

Stop acting like that.

I'm not used to you

being this down.

I still like you better

when you were a nasty brat.

Thanks for that.

That's more like it.

Did everything go smoothly last night?

Were you hurt?

I'm not hurt.

But I don't dare to claim any credit.

Last night's operation went smoothly

all thanks to Nasty One's quick thinking.

He's both observant

and witty.

No wonder people admire him.

People actually admire him?

What a joke.

But speaking of which,

he can be quite amusing

at times.

Huai'an.

Speaking of which,

what do you plan to do

once everything is over?

What do you mean?

What are you trying to get at?

Once everything is over,

you should reunite with Bai Wan.

You'll soften up a bit

with loved ones by your side.

Mr. Wang Pu, what brings you here?

Mr. Wang,

let me do

the dirty chores.

Please don't dirty your hands.

It's fine.

You did a great job at categorizing them.

From east to west,

from south to north,

every alley and

every household you collected from,

you marked.

Why did you do it?

Mr. Wang, please spare me!

I can explain myself!

I can explain myself!

Explain yourself, then.

Mr. Wang,

I did the same job for seven years

prior to joining the Hidden Soldier Alley.

I was already used to categorizing items.

And, I'm quick to snatch up bargains.

There's always a bargain to be had

in the places I know.

Mr. Wang, look.

This is a tattered fabric

from a fabric shop.

This kind of fabric

is good enough for someone like me to wear.

And,

as for the damp herbs collected from the pharmacies,

I dried them

after collecting them.

I can even sell them again after that.

As for the wealthy families

living in the alley...

Understood.

You're smart.

Later,

I'll assign other tasks to you.

But,

Mr. Wang,

right now, I...

You'll earn much more from this than from scavenging trash.

Thank you, Mr. Wang.

Thank you, Mr. Wang.

Thank you, Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang,

may I know why you came to such a place personally?

I'm looking for someone.

I don't understand.

Lately, quite a few outsiders

have been sneaking into Hidden Soldier Alley.

I have to locate them.

No matter how good they are at concealing themselves,

they'll surely leave behind some tracks

as long as they live here.

And trash

is where traces are most easily left behind.

Why else do you think

I was able to find the Baiwenhu soldier

among our ranks?

I've visited this place

several times.

I suppose I have to thank you

for the excellent categorization.

Since they intend to rescue Gu Yu,

I'm sure they won't come alone.

I found it.

Mr. Wang,

what is this?

The Baiwenhu Army was stationed at the frontier year-round.

And, the northern regions are bitterly cold.

Therefore,

the Gu family hired a famous physician

to develop a medicinal plaster

that could relieve knee pain.

I think I found their den.

West Third Alley,

Unit 8.

Wang Pu found your tracks.

This trash wasn't here before.

You're right.

Someone had tampered with it.

Thank you for the reminder.

If not, I would've still been in the dark.

But speaking of which,

how did you find out?

It's because you told me

Wang Pu killed a Baiwenhu soldier.

The Baiwenhu Army

has gone through countless battles.

Generally, they don't give away any clues.

But Wang Pu is the top strategist

under Yan Fengshan.

Therefore, he's more meticulous than others.

Since we can

use trash

to investigate Hidden Soldier Alley,

of course they can

use the same way

to locate the Baiwenhu Army.

How many of them are still hiding here?

I've already transferred the rest of them away.

According

to the info you gave me,

several residences to the west

are already vacant.

This is the complete map of Hidden Soldier Alley's base.

We've marked everything we found out

on this map.

The key to the operation

lies at Zuihua Tower.

[Zuihua Tower]

The shops lining both sides of the street

along with the Huben Army

were all stationed here

to lie in ambush and keep watch.

Where are the goods?

They are ready.

We're merely biding our time.

The sun will set soon.

It's time to act.

Act according to the plan.

At the very end,

we will evacuate the general

from the designated location.

The Huben Army will definitely pursue us all the way.

You must be careful.

Don't worry.

My friend and I

will make it in time.

This time,

the Baiwenhu Army owes you one.

Has it begun?

It has.

Wang Pu,

the top strategist under Yan Fengshan.

How long do you think

it'll take for him to notice

that you've already rescued Gu Yu?

♪Begonias wait for the spring swallows♪

♪Warm sunlight lifts the curtains♪

♪You take your first steps in the corridor♪

♪Gentle breezes play with your soft hair♪

♪Carefree and untroubled, you laugh at everything♪

♪Your babbling songs♪

♪Set the passing years free♪

♪In this world, paths twist and turn♪

♪Night fades as day arrives♪

♪After the rain, the sky clears♪

♪The heart's lamp burns on♪

♪With a will that moves stone and metal♪

♪Breaking through every barrier♪

♪I am the mountain standing behind you♪

♪Steadfast in my vigil♪

♪In this world, flowers bloom and wither♪

♪Seas turn to fields♪

♪The waning moon will always wax again♪

♪Do not grieve our parting♪

♪My only wish is peace in the years ahead♪

♪You are the loveliest memory I carry♪

♪From here on, worry not for me♪

♪You are the loveliest memory I carry♪

♪From here on, worry not for me♪