Original subtitles

Huainan is good

A safe haven

The mountains and rivers Stretch on like our affection

An affectionate person…

Huainan is indeed a fine place,

but we are no longer there.

Huai'an truly thinks ten steps ahead.

He even predicted matters of life and death in his letter.

You are too gentle by nature.

You are the one I worry about most.

If you face something

you cannot overcome one day,

open this letter.

Zhou Mo joined the Huben Army

and fell under their yoke.

Only death could free him.

Killing him was to save him.

If I make it to the Capital alive,

they will hunt you to the ends of the Earth.

Only by dying once

can you truly be free.

ZHOU MO JOINED THE HUBEN ARMY AND FELL UNDER THEIR YOKE.

ONLY DEATH COULD FREE HIM. KILLING HIM WAS TO SAVE HIM.

No, we are no longer in Huainan.

He should be in Chang'an by now.

The dangers of Chang'an far surpass Huainan's.

I hope he stays safe.

He will.

YANG XUAN, VICE MINISTER OF REVENUE

AT DAWN I RISE

PARTING WEIGHS ON MY MIND

BAI WAN, YANG XUAN'S STUDENT

Studying by the cold window I never sensed how brief the seasons were

In a blink, my temples Have turned to gray frost

REBEL FIRE

Schemes for the realm are but a dream

I wake from wine To Hu-horses trampling the land

The loyal dead would never Stain their bones with rebel fire

Yet traitors crave The splendor of the August hall

Half a life I spent on these texts For whom were they written?

For whom, I ask?

Let this long lament burn As an offering unto the mountain spirits

Let this long lament burn As an offering unto the mountain spirits

‪SCHOLARS' HALL

Sir!

Sir…

Sir?

Sir…

Why are you guarding this traitor?

I was his student.

Now that he lies dead on the street,

please let me keep vigil

until the Jingzhao Yamen comes to claim his body.

He was a traitor.

We of the Imperial Guards will take him.

You call yourself his student.

Are you a traitor too?

Sir, this has nothing to do with us.

Please proceed.

It has nothing to do with you indeed.

- Take her! - Stop.

In this bitter snow,

she is willing to keep vigil over this old man's body.

It is a righteous deed,

yet you call her a traitor?

Have you any proof?

I cannot stand scholars.

Are you seeking to light your own path to the grave?

You all heard him.

He tried to defend this traitor.

Take him too!

Hold!

Who dares bar the Imperial Guards?

Academician Li, what brings you here?

You Imperial Guards are bold indeed,

blocking anyone as you please.

Greetings to you, Mr. Huai'an.

Greetings, Academician Li.

His Majesty awaits you in the palace.

Please get in.

"Studying by the cold window, I never sensed how brief the seasons were."

"In a blink, my temples have turned to gray frost."

"Schemes for the realm are but a dream."

"I wake from wine to Hu-horses trampling the land."

"The loyal dead would never stain their bones with rebel fire,

yet traitors crave the splendor of the August hall."

"Half a life I spent on these texts. For whom were they written?"

"Let this long lament burn as an offering unto the mountain spirits."

You called me a traitor

without a shred of proof.

I recited a seditious poem just now.

That, at least, is some proof.

Can you confirm that I am a traitor now?

You are silent.

Does that mean I am not one?

If we've come to a point where words alone

can convict someone of treason,

then heed my words:

you are a traitor.

You are a traitor.

A traitor!

Mr. Huai'an,

don't take his words to heart.

- Academician Li, I have one small request. - Of course.

Please leave them be.

Very well.

Be gone!

I shall take my leave.

Let us go!

This way, please.

ORCHID PAVILION

Take this to shelter him

from the wind and snow.

Thank you.

Wan, there is something I must tell you.

That article slandering the new emperor

was written by me.

I work for the Huben Army.

My rise to this post

was propped up by them.

Everything I did

was at their command.

Now, I must let this frail body of mine fulfill its final purpose

so that they will keep my family safe.

The Huben Army

once asked me about you.

After I die,

they will come for you.

I can only give you one last warning:

never defy the Huben Army.

You still hope to see your family again, don't you?

Then do whatever it takes

to survive.

Sir…

Do not grieve for me.

Everyone

must walk the road fate has set for them.

Rest now,

Wan.

This may be your last peaceful sleep.

Tonight,

I will take my life at the city gate

as an old minister of the former court

to show my defiance of the new emperor.

Yan Fengshan commands the Huben Army

and held the court in his grasp for years.

Xiao Wuyang seized Chang'an

to keep imperial power from slipping away.

Though the Huben Army has avoided meeting him head-on,

Yan Fengshan still intends to set Chang'an aflame

and grant Xiao Wuyang no peace.

And I am a piece of wood they need for that fire.

‪HOUSE OF WESTERN CURIOSITIES

Academician Li.

I hope you do not mind

that I used your hand to slap

the Imperial Guards in the face.

Not at all.

They deserved it.

I meant to humble that commander.

Even if you hadn't been there, sir,

I would have simply found another way

to shame him another day.

That is how I handle matters.

Assassins!

Protect His Majesty!

Quick, protect His Majesty!

- Understood! - Understood!

Assassins!

Assassins! Protect His Majesty!

The realm is still unsettled.

It's been but a month since His Majesty took the throne,

and already a dozen assassination attempts have been made.

No need to panic, though.

Under the Dingtang Sword,

all who come lose their heads.

Your servant, Xie Huai'an,

greets Your Majesty.

Lift your head.

I asked many people

who could seek someone for me in this vast world.

They all recommended you,

so I wished to see for myself

whether you were equal to the task.

These ten essays were all written for the imperial examination

in the 11th year of the dynasty.

One of them was written by me.

Find it.

As you command.

WISDOM AND DEPTH

ZHU XIAOCHUN, VICE MINISTER OF RITES AND KEEPER OF IMPERIAL SEALS

BENEVOLENT RULE

HE UNITED THE LORDS AND STEADIED THE REALM, RISING AS THE FOREMOST HEGEMON

THE FORCEFUL RULE AND THE BENEVOLENT RULE

Your Majesty, I have found your essay.

It's only been half a stick of incense.

Even if you read ten lines at a glance,

you could only have finished three or four essays.

How did you manage it?

Southerners and northerners differ.

Their wording and phrasing leave traces.

Before Your Majesty turned 20, you lived long in Chang'an.

Your early studies

were under Grand Secretary Bai Linian,

who was from Wuyue.

Therefore, Your Majesty's writing shows southern traits.

Southerners write "lu" as "six,"

"qi" as "stand," and "bei" as "cover."

Northerners write "chen" as "ugly,"

"geng" as "road," and "tong" as "reach."

By this measure,

seven of the essays were written by northerners,

and only three by southerners.

Everyone has words and phrases they tend to repeat.

"In troubled times,

hearts are easily disturbed,

so virtue alone cannot calm them."

I once saw this line in a court memorial.

That's how I knew.

How could a mere registrar

have access to memorials?

The Memorials Office keeps expired memorials.

They say they are burned after three months,

but royal writings

are cherished among the people,

so some were secretly sold.

I also bought some myself.

This level of wit

is not enough for this mission.

You would do well

to give me more surprises.

More surprises, Your Majesty?

I know I wasn't the only one commanded to enter the Capital.

Nor was I the first to find

Your Majesty's essay.

The first to do so

is dead now.

In the assassination just now,

the assassins numbered two,

yet Your Majesty

killed three men.

Your Majesty, whom do you seek?

Yan Fengshan of the Huben Army

and Xiao Wenjing, the deposed emperor.

I want both their bodies

brought before me.

I will find the deposed emperor,

but Yan Fengshan

is mine.

How dare you haggle with me?

I have wanted to kill him

for 15 years.

Stand at attention!

If anyone sees you like this,

what will they think?

Your Majesty, do you care for this realm?

If I did not, why seize it?

And do you care for the throne?

Even if I don't,

it is not for Yan Fengshan to touch.

The deposed emperor is weak-willed.

Yan Fengshan controlled the court for years.

He was long known as Emperor Yan among the people.

Now that Your Majesty has reclaimed Chang'an,

he will not yield easily.

He abducted your brother.

He will strike back.

Kill Yan Fengshan,

and his head is yours.

If you fail,

your head is mine.

My thanks, Your Majesty.

In my memory, whenever Your Majesty

has something on your mind,

you always take out that flute.

You have just ascended the throne,

yet you look burdened.

It seems this throne

matters little to Your Majesty after all.

Sir.

Sir, please get in the carriage.

It is bitterly cold tonight.

Allow us to escort you from the Palace City.

No need for a carriage.

But I'd like to trouble you to walk with me.

I prefer to go on foot.

Academician Li,

don't you wish to know why His Majesty summoned me?

That is not for me to ask.

Whatever His Majesty commands, we obey.

We must not inquire.

The deposed emperor was taken by Yan Fengshan.

His Majesty wishes to…

Have mercy!

You said nothing.

I heard nothing.

Have mercy, I beg you.

I just checked the palace registry.

Among all Imperial Academy scholars

permitted to enter the Inner Court,

there is no academician named Li.

Chancellor Gao,

we have exchanged messages

for some time now.

We finally met today.

How long do you intend to maintain this act?

Your wit borders on the uncanny.

Take care, or you will not live long.

Xie Huai'an greets Chancellor Gao.

GAO YAN

Where… where did I give myself away?

Chancellor Gao, you did not.

It is simply that I am too cautious by nature.

I do not overlook a single word or sentence.

No need to panic, though.

Under the Dingtang Sword,

all who come lose their heads.

"Under the Dingtang Sword,

all who come lose their heads."

Were you a mere academician of the Imperial Academy,

how could you have shown such pride

when faced with assassins?

The Marquis of Northguard, Gu Yu, recommended the famed Han Ziling,

while I recommended you.

It seems my judgment was sound.

Han Ziling only writes fine prose.

He is not likely to survive the Dingtang Sword.

You have accepted His Majesty's mission.

How am I to assist you?

Chancellor Gao,

haven't you already done so?

How so?

Since there is no Academician Li,

why did that commander

address you as such?

Academician Li.

He is your man, isn't he?

If ever I require aid,

I will seek him out.

To find such an uncut piece of jade

in this freezing night

is worth the cold.

Han Ziling is already one of the brightest minds in the realm,

yet His Majesty chose this Xie Huai'an.

His days are numbered.

We shall see.

After all,

he was chosen by Chancellor Gao,

and Chancellor Gao has never misjudged a man.

BUDDHA TEMPLE

Wan, when you wake,

go to the ruined temple east of the city.

Light the candle before the Buddha statue,

and a Huben guard will appear.

This temple

was ruined by war and fell into this state.

QINGYI OF THE HUBEN ARMY

It used to be crowded with worshippers.

Those who came here

all said it was blessed.

You may as well make a wish.

Yang Xuan is dead.

You were his student.

Pray to the Bodhisattva and the underworld

that he may suffer less pain over there.

You have a fiery temper.

But it is useless,

at least before a Huben guard.

You have never taken a life, have you?

If not,

there is no need to draw the dagger in your sleeve.

It cannot harm me.

You knew the Huben Army would come for you,

yet you still came as you were told.

Had you used this chance to flee, wouldn't that have been better?

Chang'an is full of Huben shadow guards.

I'd be caught before reaching the city gate.

Rather than make a fool of myself,

I'd sooner

vent my anger before I die.

I never intended to kill you.

Yang Xuan was the Vice Minister of Revenue, a third-rank official.

His death means something to the Huben Army.

As for you, you are but a lowly painter.

Even if you die in a roadside ditch,

who will truly care?

Anyway, I invited you here for a purpose.

You have no value,

but the one

who corresponded with you does.

I want you to tell me

how you first met him.

We met by chance.

I cannot help you.

No matter.

Met by chance, did you?

I still have patience enough.

I know you work at the Painting Academy.

And I also know

there is a Mr. Yu there who treats you well.

I give you two hours.

If you still say the same after two hours,

the hands of the Huben Army

will reach for Mr. Yu.

This silver needle…

What a clumsy trick.

You have a long way to go.

Someone, open the door!

- Miss Bai Wan? - Is Mr. Yu here?

Master was about to rest.

- Miss Bai Wan, why-- - I must speak with him.

A life is at stake. Forgive my intrusion.

Miss Bai Wan!

Mr. Yu, forgive me for disturbing you so late,

but I must speak with you.

MR. YU, CHIEF PAINTER OF THE PAINTING ACADEMY

Why did you come?

Why did you come?

If I hadn't,

would you have…?

The Huben guards said

that if you came tonight,

I would have to die.

Why did you come?

When the Huben Army gives an order,

you follow it.

Why resist?

- Sir! - Come no closer!

I accept my fate.

Mr. Qingyi asked me to bring you a message.

He said that before the Huben Army,

one could only obey.

Mr. Yu's death

is the price of your defiance.

Greetings, Mr. Qingyi.

The world is in chaos.

Human lives are worth little more than weeds.

What value does that girl have that Mr. Yu must die for her?

She knows the one

the entire Huben Army has been hunting for more than a decade.

She wrote to him.

I once intercepted a messenger.

He killed himself,

and the trail went cold.

Only by slaying Mr. Yu

could we frighten her.

Give her two days.

She will write to beg him for help,

and I will have a trail to follow.

Yan Fengshan refused to serve under your father,

so he led the entire Huben Army in rebellion.

The late emperor was too old

to hold him accountable.

He could only let Yan Fengshan's power grow.

Find the men I seek,

and I will avenge the Liu family.

- Run! - Father!

Run!

I have returned.

YE ZHENG

What you instructed is done.

How badly are you hurt?

To fulfill the mission you assigned,

this is nothing.

Even losing half my life would have been

worth the cost.

Take this.

Where is he?

This way.

XIAO WENJING, THE DEPOSED EMPEROR

Greetings, Your Majesty.