Original subtitles

The Wuyang Army is guarding outside the city.

Why are you still here to check the city's defense, General?

I've followed His Majesty to the south for a while now.

Sometimes,

I still miss the north.

Have another look.

- Look. - I don't want it.

- Let's go. - Why are you buying so much?

Move quickly!

This is for nourishing your body back home.

- Let's go. - Have a persimmon.

Take a look.

Don't miss out on this deal!

Local persimmons!

Pears!

Three wen for a jin.

Sir, do you want some pears?

They are sweet.

WANG PU, HUBEN MEMBER

Miss, you are pretty and have smooth skin.

I'm sure the pear is sweet.

Absolutely.

I only have one wen on me.

Your mouth is sweeter than my pear.

I'll sell it to you for one wen.

Let me pick two big ones.

Thank you.

If I can marry someone as pretty and kind

as you one day,

I'd be blessed.

You have a silver tongue.

- Here you go. - Sure.

Come back again.

Take another look.

This is good.

- Try more. Miss, take another one. - No, thanks.

Bamboo baskets!

Take a look at my bamboo basket!

Madam,

your ribs look good.

Yes. They are all fresh.

I only have seven wen on me.

Lamb offal only costs three wen. Let me get you a jin of it.

I'm not greedy

but my wife

is eight months pregnant now.

She's going to give birth soon.

However, I'm poor and cannot afford to buy nourishment for her.

Forget it.

Here. Take it for seven wen.

Thank you, madam.

- Thank you, madam. - Sure. Take care.

All right.

Sir!

Do you want a coach ride?

Where are you going?

Northern foot of the Qinling Mountain, Yulong Ridge.

Seven wen.

Sir,

I shopped at the market and bought many offerings.

I only have three wen left.

Offerings?

I'm going to the mountains to pay respects to my dead wife.

She passed away three years ago.

I purposely rushed from the north to the Capital

to pay respects to her.

You're pitiful.

Get on.

Thank you.

- We are leaving. - All right!

Sir,

did you come to the wrong place?

This place is full of mountains.

There's no grave here.

She isn't buried here.

She died here.

Three years ago, she was on a journey at night

and she encountered bandits.

Forget it. Keep it.

You're in the wilderness.

You need money to take a carriage back.

Thank you, sir!

Thank you!

Everyone, you've worked hard.

Later, I'll request that the general

arranges more manpower

so you'll get fewer shifts.

I am Wang Pu,

General Fengshan's messenger.

I have been asked

to come see you.

Huben sent someone here again?

Does Yan Fengshan have something to tell me?

Yes. Of course.

General Fengshan wants me

to improve your meal.

Is Liu Ziyan dead?

What a fine prediction, sir.

- He is indeed dead. - Who killed him?

There were many people.

As soon as he left here, he fought nonstop.

He was wounded in every fight

and finally died in the wilderness.

Even the sharpest blade breaks in the end.

I heard he had served you for three years.

It's an honor

he's remembered by you.

Served me?

Liu Ziyan was the best assassin of Huben.

He would never serve anyone.

He was there to kill me.

However, he was very cautious.

We spent day after day together,

and through our interactions,

he probed me for three years.

But he couldn't find a chance to kill me.

An assassination that lasted three years?

No wonder even General Fengshan

called Liu Ziyan

a blade that no one could wield.

I hear you can kill with anything in this world.

No one in this world can match you.

Liu Ziyan was biting off more than he could chew.

Sir.

The general did not ask me to kill you.

I'm not that brave either.

The soup isn't poisoned.

The Wuxi Mountain is covered in snow,

and there's a vast grassland below it.

This is the taste

of the lamb that lived there.

You boiled it in water

and added a pinch of salt.

Young man,

have you been there?

No.

I came from the city.

I bought the lamb in the city.

The person who went to your homeland

was General Fengshan.

He said that place had 200,000 men ready to fight in a battle.

Anyone would fear that place.

Right now,

even the lamb of Wuxi Mountain

can be bought in Chang'an.

That means the world is at peace.

If you stay here,

the world

will remain at peace.

Go back and relay a message to Yan Fengshan.

Tell him

that I prefer

the tea of Chang'an now.

Still no word of Yan Fengshan?

Looking for one person in this world

is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, you're looking for the world's best shadow guard.

It won't be that easy.

You failed your task.

Yet here you are, playing weiqi with me in a carefree manner

and even surrounding my pieces.

I failed my task indeed

but my skill at weiqi is good.

With it,

my life remains safe before Your Majesty.

If you were Yan Fengshan,

what would you do next

after abducting the deposed emperor?

With the emperor in hand, one can order every marquis around.

Everyone knows that.

Since the founding emperor's time,

regional commanders were appointed.

Everyone has military power.

These four places, Beiting, Fanyang,

Long'an, and Zhenxi are the strongest.

If I was Yan Fengshan,

I would try to win them over.

Or, perhaps

I've already won them over.

As my greatest enemy,

you'd best not let me ally with them.

If I take away the military authority of these four commanders,

it will be pointless

even if he allies with them.

You won't be able to do that.

The four of them

used to serve the founding emperor.

They are still loyal.

They won't give in so easily.

Your Majesty, you need another plan.

Then devise it.

You failed your task already.

Your Majesty, you have an army.

They also have their army.

I also have an army.

Summon the four regional military commanders to the Capital.

I will relinquish my military authority to you

in front of them.

In this way, you are also forcing them to hand over their authority.

But the Baiwenhu Army is your family's private army.

If there's no war in this world,

my family no longer needs our own army.

We only need servants.

Your selflessness

shows how scheming I am.

Sure. I'll accept your suggestion.

Hand over your military command,

and you may take the seat

behind me.

I am a cripple.

I prefer sitting in a wheelchair.

Just do as I say

so Yan Fengshan will have no way out of this.

I'll do as you say as well.

Moreover, there's one more thing

that I want to ask you, Your Majesty.

Han Ziling whom I chose initially

was killed by Your Majesty.

Was the person Your Majesty chose after that

White Hair?

White Hair?

I haven't heard this name for so long.

That's right. It was him.

The last person of the Liu family.

His father founded the Huben Army.

Using him to defeat the Huben Army

is the most suitable choice.

I know a bit about what befell the Liu family.

It's not easy

for a child of that age to escape the Huben Army's pursuit

and survive.

He was born with white hair.

As he grew up,

his hair slowly turned black.

Someone who was born with rare traits

won't die so easily.

Were you friends in the past?

We were.

I hope

to meet him again.

Taking away military authority

will leave Yan Fengshan with no way out.

He hands over the Baiwenhu Army

so Your Majesty will have no worries.

Gu Yu is very aware of the bigger picture.

Someone like him

is rare.

Do you think he won't realize

this is all a part of our scheme?

It is my scheme.

He won't hold it against Your Majesty.

What are you doing today?

What's wrong?

Aren't we using someone else's residence?

You should add more furniture

and clean the place.

After all, we have to live our lives here.

Living our lives?

What? Are you cooking tonight so I can relax?

I can't do that. My cooking is bad.

Your noodles taste better.

You can cook for now.

Once I learn from you,

I'll be in charge of both of your meals.

By the time you learn how to cook,

I will be 60 years old.

Enough. Stop fussing.

I just finished sweeping.

Go and wash the bowls.

Sure. I'll go and wash the bowls.

Remember to cook the noodles later.

Huai'an.

Are we going

to keep living in the house

Bai Wan lent us?

Before she left,

she left this place to me

because she wanted someone

to keep this house lived-in.

Every time I see his face,

it'll remind me of Zhang Mo.

But the real Zhang Mo is…

We

all have to move on.

I can't kill him,

yet I need him to stay by my side.

I need to get along with him in another way.

Come in.

Speak.

TO YANNIANG

Today, I wrote a letter.

I want to send it to Zhang Mo's family at Huzhou.

In the letter,

I said I had made enough dowry for the daughter,

but business had been very good in the Capital.

Therefore, I said wanted to stay

and make more money.

I've only written one letter.

I hope

my wife and children can put their minds at ease.

That said,

I tried to copy Zhang Mo's handwriting.

I don't know how well I did.

I hope you can check it for me.

Why are you doing this?

I want to atone.

It's the loss of a life.

How do you atone for it?

I'll atone with my life then.

Aren't you going to use me to defeat Yan Fengshan

and the Huben Army?

When you think of a way,

send me.

Liu Ziyan is dead.

Qingyi has also been captured.

They've lost two great Huben leaders in the city.

Yan Fengshan

will surely act again.

When the Huben Army causes trouble again,

it'll be our chance for a breakthrough.

Perhaps,

you'll be useful.

I understand.

When the day comes,

I won't blink

even if I die.

Leave the letter.

You may leave.

If the handwriting is similar enough,

I'll send the letter.

Speaking of which,

there's a scholar at the Lide Ward in Luoyang.

His surname is Wang.

We'll call him Wang Sheng for now.

He loves to drink.

He must drink a few cups every day.

One day, he was drunk again.

He wobbled back home,

lay on his bed, and fell asleep.

When he was sleeping, one of his hands

touched the ground.

His wife saw it…

SHAN, BAIWENHU MEMBER

…and feared he'd catch a chill,

so she quickly approached him

to tuck his hand

back into his bed.

When his wife

was about to touch Wang Sheng's hand…

Suddenly!

Why did you shout?

I thought you weren't afraid.

I'm not afraid.

All right. You are not afraid.

Give me your hand then. Give it to me.

Let me grab it.

Suddenly,

a large hand reached out from underground

and grasped Wang Sheng's hand.

It started pulling him underground.

It kept pulling.

His wife was afraid

and called for help.

Someone! Save my husband!

Her neighbors came to help her

and they saw Wang Sheng

was about to be pulled underground like this.

They quickly tried to fish him out.

Wang Sheng, come out!

It was useless. The large hand was too powerful

and it dragged Wang Sheng underground.

That's… Just like that,

Wang Sheng was pulled underground and became a wandering spirit.

His wife couldn't eat and drink

because she missed her husband.

One night,

his wife had a dream.

She saw

her husband coming back to find her at night.

He approached her.

He got closer and closer.

Suddenly!

Didn't you say you weren't afraid?

You're so annoying.

Wait, what's that smell?

- Something is burnt. - The porridge!

- The porridge! - Hurry!

- The porridge. - The porridge smells nice.

- General! - General!

All of you are enjoying your meal.

I'm sure you haven't forgotten your duties to guard the city walls as well.

The general is busy with official matters. He toils all day long.

He only returns to his residence to rest at midnight.

Passing the walls

he heard your chatter and laughter.

It was so lively.

If news of this spreads, the reputation of Baiwenhu Army's strict discipline

will be just a joke.

General.

While it is true that I slack and eat a lot,

this was mainly because Shan was hungry

so I gathered everyone

to have some porridge.

I was wrong.

Please punish me.

What did you do wrong?

I…

I know the Huben Army is still in the city.

But I paid them no mind

and even fooled around with Shan.

No.

Your mistake

is that you're having porridge here

without inviting me.

Right.

Why didn't any of you invite the general to eat porridge?

Get up quickly and invite the general over.

General, please come here.

- General, over here. - Come.

All of you were screaming and shouting.

You were telling ghost tales again.

No. We were joking.

Shan is timid.

Pangtou, you shouldn't bully and scare him.

I was just horsing around.

General, I am a Baiwenhu member.

I'm not afraid of ghosts.

General, it's like this.

We are sharing ghost stories

to make this place lively

so everyone can be happy.

I didn't mean to scare them.

Pangtou is great at livening the mood.

My apologies.

I spoiled the mood.

Not at all.

Fine. I'll take a drink as punishment.

No need.

There's no wine. I'll take a sip of porridge.

Sure.

General!

- It's hot. - Hot!

You scared us this time.

- Everyone. - Come.

- Everyone. - Come.

Come.

Mister.

Where have all the sellers gone to?

My mother wants me to buy two jin of pork shoulder.

Something good will happen tonight.

You want pork shoulder?

Let me help you.

Little boy,

go home now.

Later,

there'll be absolute chaos.

- Be careful! - Yes.

- Here. - Move the general to the brick path

so it's easier to push.

I've told you to use the lift.

What are you talking about?

I had fun chatting with you.

Bringing you down is fine.

Yes.

It's late at night now.

When the sun rises,

all of you

should return to camp and sleep well.

- Farewell, General. - Farewell, General.

It's rare for me

to see you smiling since you entered Chang'an, General.

I grew up in the army.

Naturally, I'll feel more relaxed being with the soldiers.

Later, I inherited the title

and took command of the military.

I live beside the emperor.

I have no choice but to show another facade to others.

General, your position demands that you

uphold many standards.

You can hardly be relaxed.

It won't be long.

The regional military commanders enter the Capital next month.

According to the plan,

I will also hand over my military authority.

Once the commander of the Baiwenhu Army changes,

I'll be free.

General…

Xiao Wuyang

is a trustworthy emperor.

When the other commanders and I give him our seals,

the fight for power will be no more.

With no way out for Yan Fengshan,

the battle won't happen.

Then,

no one will die.

How unlucky.

I still need to wash the dishes.

Pangtou?

Are you trying to scare me again?

We are under attack!

It's an ambush!

I recognize that.

That's Baiwenhu's arrow of command.

- Hurry! - Yes!

- Throw them down. - Yes.

Let's go.

There are so many of them.

This is so cruel.

All these human lives!

I wonder who did this.

General.

Help me get down.

Don't look.

It's fine. Don't be afraid.

There are assassins!

Run! Protect the general!

Yes!

Stop!

- General! - General!

Are you the one who killed my soldiers?

Yes.

I did this tonight

because I want

you to come with me, General Gu.

General!

Stop!

I don't want to kill him.

In a while,

I will send General Gu back.

Before that, I hope the Baiwenhu Army

won't do anything reckless.

Otherwise,

when General Gu returns,

he won't return merely crippled.

Are you aware of the consequences?

Your Majesty. General Gu was attacked.

Gu Yu is an old acquaintance of mine. I came here

to save Gu Yu.

I underestimated the enemy.

I should have protected the general fiercely

and not left him.

Given what the Huben Army did tonight,

Gu Yu wouldn't have been safe

even if Xiao Wuyang were beside him.

Don't worry.

I have my own way

of rescuing Gu Yu.

Right now,

the only place to hide Gu Yu

is Hidden Soldier Alley.

I wanted to meet His Majesty

but seeing you suffices, Chancellor Gao.

Hearing that Gu Yu was being attacked,

His Majesty wanted to leave the palace

but I stopped him.

Well done.

Just in case it's another trap.

How's your injury?

I'm fine.

Qingyi has been captured

and Liu Ziyan is dead.

You fended off Huben alone. Well done.

I didn't make the wrong choice

by choosing you.

But losing Gu Yu

is a loss.

The regional military commanders enter the Capital next month.

According to Gu Yu's plan,

he will first hand over the military command of the Baiwenhu Army.

That act will also prompt

the other commanders to yield their command.

Then, Yan Fengshan

will have no one to ally with.

It is a good move indeed.

In that case,

you need to make sure

the move succeeds.

You mustn't let Gu Yu defect,

even if it means killing him.

Chancellor Gao, you sure are devoted

to securing His Majesty's dynasty.

But Chancellor Gao,

don't forget.

Gu Yu is a general.

When a soldier bleeds,

he will take revenge.

He will never defect to the Huben Army.

That's for the best.

I am an old acquaintance of Gu Yu.

If I'm going to rescue him, I will protect him forever.

But once the military authority issue settles down,

I hope you don't

abandon those who help you, Chancellor Gao.

Perhaps I will,

perhaps I won't.

Nasty One.

Nasty One!

You're the nasty one.

Collect the laundry.

How annoying.

I've noticed it now.

Life is just work upon work, without rest.

What's wrong with you today?

Weren't you all fired up a few days ago?

Why so down all of a sudden?

That was a few days ago.

This is me right now.

Perseverance is a virtue, young man.

I'm leaving as well.

Where are you going?

Gu Yu has been taken by Huben.

If I'm not mistaken,

they will imprison him at Hidden Soldier Alley.

So, I need to infiltrate Hidden Soldier Alley

to rescue Gu Yu.