Original subtitles

All four regional military commanders enter the Capital tomorrow.

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.

We can't predict his moves.

Back in the day,

we were able to anticipate many things.

Same 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 the further we go,

the more uncertainties we'll face.

Perhaps, as the saying goes,

"It's easier to seize power

than to hold onto it."

How's the situation outside?

The four commanders have arrived, moving discreetly.

Luckily, Xiaoqing was able to find out.

Do you truly think

Gao Yan, Xiao Wuyang, and the rest plan to strike the commanders?

They will, if we fail to rescue Gu Yu

in time.

Instead of letting the commanders align themselves with the Huben Army,

we should kill them first.

With Chancellor Gao's capabilities,

he would pacify the four towns

while cutting down the 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 once he reads this.

- Can I read this? - Of course.

I'm just worried that you cannot understand it.

I won't read it, then.

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 wasn't not his fault.

Anyway, you should stop worrying.

Finish your task inside. We'll talk once you're out.

All right.

Make way!

Watch where you're going!

Mother, we have a customer.

A customer?

- If so, get him some food later, okay? - Miss. Get me two buns.

Coming right up.

It's hot. Be careful.

Eat up. My mother's buns are 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

‪Come on.

I'll make you something nice when we're back.

- 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 have only two eyes.

You won't be able to watch her every moment.

Mother. I'm scared.

I'm here for you.

Young lady!

Young lady, open the door!

Mother. Let's call Father back.

- Let's call Father back. - Okay.

I'll write to your father now.

I'll ask him to return at once, all right?

Stop crying.

Mister. I want a bowl of noodles.

Give me extra vegetables.

‪Please cut some raddish for me.

- I'll come back for it later. - Okay.

Say, you still have a habit of being late even after all these years, huh?

Lamb won't be as tasty

if you cook it for too long.

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 settled here after searching everywhere.

Thirty years ago, after that 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 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 lives may not be in vain after all.

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 is served by my shop.

You're something else indeed.

- You're a cunning old fox. - You are hogging all the food.

- 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.

ABUNDANT FORTUNE

You're not acting yourself today.

You see, it's a long story.

Consider this my penance.

Your expression, tone, and the way you act…

You look more like a hired blade.

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 make his move here.

He means to kill the four 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.

And us? Must we just

stand here like fools?

Take this to Chancellor Gao.

Huai'an said Chancellor Gao would stop his operation immediately

after seeing this.

Why not go yourself?

Chancellor Gao has set a trap inside.

I'm sure there are many assassins lying in wait.

I have to locate the assassins first.

What if something goes wrong?

Can you fend them off?

You're right.

- Can you understand it? - Of course.

This is a huge deal.

Chancellor Gao will stop at once if he hears this.

Keep this safe.

Huai'an said His Majesty

gave him the Marquis of Wuyang's official seal himself.

With it, one can move freely throughout Chang'an.

That's Chancellor Gao's messenger.

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

Who's there?

I bear the Marquis of Wuyang's seal.

I must see the chancellor.

Chancellor, someone came with the seal His Majesty had given.

- He says it's urgent… - Get out of the way.

I came to tell you not to kill the commanders.

But now I must tell you

they mean to kill you.

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 carried military blades. 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.

How can you sit here drinking tea?

Hurry and escape!

Wait. Did you know about this long ago?

You're cunning, aren't you?

You held back.

Let them make the first move.

Now you have grounds to act in the open.

Am I right?

You are 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, it means I yield.

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.

Do you want me to find you a way out?

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?

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 foolish 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 to bargain 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.

‪EXQUISITE DELICACIES

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.

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 have flaws.

Go!

What's the situation?

Every man we sent after Chancellor Gao is dead.

However,

his men posted outside have pulled back.

It is finally over.

That was a close shave.

If that person hadn't shouted for help,

we'd have thought everything was under control.

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 move against you,

they'll dare move against me.

The four of them would never dare such boldness on their own.

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, only two things

can change the current situation.

Either Gu Yu staying alive or

Yan Fengshan dying.

We should leave both tasks

to White Hair.

General Gao, you have 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've nothing else planned.

But, you don't need to panic.

Up next,

General Fengshan will soon 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 assume 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 won't 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,

discern right from wrong, heed not gain or loss."

"For those who would be soldiers, hold realm and kin above all,

count not life or death."

"For those who would be sovereign,

hear the people's woes, seek not glory nor splendor."

"And for those who would be common folk,

keep to their fields and livelihood,

fret not over prices."

Especially the last part.

Although his writing wasn't refined,

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 indeed.

Now,

there probably isn't anyone who wants him to remain emperor.

I'm the only stubborn one who won't 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 do not.

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 man now.

You didn't bungle anything either.

Nasty One.

What's the matter?

What's on your mind?

I met my elder brother.

Who's your elder brother?

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 like this 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 as if any beauties here could lead me astray.

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 prefer you when you're a nasty brat.

Thanks for that.

That's more like it.

Did everything go smoothly last night?

Were you hurt?

I wasn't hurt.

I claim no credit.

Last night's success

was all thanks to Nasty One's quick thinking.

He's both observant and witty.

No wonder they admire him.

People 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.

Do not soil 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.

I can explain.

Explain yourself, then.

Mr. Wang,

I did the same job for seven years

prior to joining Hidden Soldier Alley.

I was already used to categorizing items.

And, I'm quick to snatch up bargains.

There's always a bargain

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 now resell them.

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 far more than 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 well they hide,

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 suppose

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 stayed on 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 tampered with it.

Thank you for the reminder.

Otherwise, I'd still be 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 remain hidden here?

I've already transferred the rest of them away.

According to the information you gave me,

several residences to the west are already vacant.

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

We've marked everything we found out

on this map.

The key to the operation lies at Zuihua Tower.

ZUIHUA TOWER

The shops on both sides

of the street, and the Huben soldiers as well,

were all posted here to keep watch and lie in ambush.

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 chase us hard.

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 rescued Gu Yu?