Original subtitles

(The Shadow Sovereign)

Since you're here for grain collection,

let's hear what you have to say.

According to the grain requisition decree,

how much grain am I supposed to provide?

According to the decree,

Your Highness must deliver 30,000 piculs of grain.

30,000 piculs?

My fief only yields 10,000 piculs a year.

And you want 30,000 piculs just like that.

You're asking for three years' worth of my entire income.

That number is calculated based on

the total estate registered under Your Highness's name.

It is only proper that

Your Highness contribute more.

I heard Princess An Le had her eye on you before.

But you rejected her.

Now that I see you,

I finally understand why.

Sister Zhao Yang,

I'd say you seem rather fond of Censor Shen yourself.

Why not just give him the 30,000 piculs?

Let's see if Censor Shen would be willing then.

Princess, give it to him.

Censor Shen comes at a steep price.

I can't afford him.

Your Highness,

as far as I'm concerned, this isn't some kind of pleasure house.

If you want grain, that's doable.

But 30,000 piculs won't come so easily.

Exactly.

The peony inside this flower ball is the prize.

If you can grab it,

I'll exchange that peony for 30,000 piculs of grain.

Do you mean that?

If you don't buy it,

you're free to leave.

Your Highness wouldn't just ignore those people,

right?

Alright.

If Your Highness wants to play,

I'll play along all the way.

Wait.

Bring over Censor Shen's bow.

Your Highness already knew I'd show up.

I had been expecting you.

Censor Shen is incredible!

Censor Shen, you've got some serious moves.

Can this flower

really be exchanged for 30,000 piculs of grain from Your Highness?

Once you show up,

the Crown Prince's people are sure to follow.

Tell me, do you think I can hand over the grain?

You can't.

- You're not mad? - I am.

But I know you're even more upset.

What am I upset about?

You're upset I broke my promise.

Because for half a month,

I didn't show up like I said I would.

So, I'll give this flower

to Your Highness

as my apology.

A bet is a bet.

Princess, it's time to pay up the grain.

Your Highness, the Eastern Palace's people have arrived.

Censor Shen, excuse me for a moment.

Your Highness?

Censor Shen, don't go.

Stay and play a little longer.

Censor Shen.

Censor Shen, I want to play too!

I want to play too!

I want to play too!

Your Highness,

you and Censor Shen

seem pretty close.

Perhaps

these old eyes of mine are failing me.

I'm not quite sure how I'll report this

to the Crown Prince.

Your eyes have served you perfectly well.

I've been bored out of my mind lately.

Censor Shen came asking for grain,

so I took the opportunity to tease him a little.

He's a top scholar from a humble family.

If you give him the slightest encouragement,

he'll wag his tail for attention.

Once I grow tired of him, I'll send him away.

Otherwise, life becomes unbearably dull.

Don't you think so?

Indeed.

Go back and tell the Crown Prince

that I won't give him a single grain of rice.

Surely Shen Xiao

wouldn't dare raid my granary in Wannian County, right?

You're absolutely right, Princess.

Then I'll inform the Crown Prince

that Your Highness

already has everything well in hand.

(Shen Xiao, )

(it's all up to you now.)

(Wannian Granary)

Open the door!

Hurry up, open the door!

Who is it?

This is Censor Shen Xiao from the Ministry of Revenue.

Here to requisition grain by imperial decree.

You guys must have a death wish.

Do you even know whose estate this is?

This is Princess Zhao Yang's granary.

Princess Zhao Yang's granary is precisely what I am here for.

Move the grain.

Prince Consort!

Prince Consort, something terrible has happened!

Prince Consort, Shen Xiao...

Shen Xiao is raiding the Princess's granary.

Four, five, six?

The character for "Que".

But yesterday, you taught me that it has four horizontal strokes.

Maybe I wrote it wrong.

Write it again.

Your Highness, someone from Wannian County has arrived.

They say it's urgent.

Que, let's head back to the room and continue writing.

Report from outside.

Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue brought soldiers.

Wielding His Majesty's grain requisition decree,

they've forced their way into the estate and are taking the grain.

Your Highness recently reassigned most of the guards from the granary.

The few remaining men cannot hold them off.

Please send more people, Your Highness.

No need.

The Ministry of Revenue raids under His Majesty's decree.

Am I supposed to go against my father?

You may leave.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Prince Consort has taken nearly 100 elite soldiers to Wannian Granary.

Censor Shen may well lose his life.

Move it! Take everything out!

Hurry up!

Everyone, stop!

Put the grain down!

Nobody move!

Censor Shen, are you requisitioning grain

or just straight up robbing it?

Even if it's robbery, I'm robbing Princess Zhao Yang's grain.

What's it got to do with you, Commander Cui?

Because I'm Princess Zhao Yang's husband.

Is that so?

From what I know,

Prince Consort Cui keeps a mistress outside

and is totally estranged from Princess Zhao Yang.

I've never seen

a prince consort quite like that.

Shen Xiao, you're courting death.

I've already made a military pledge

to live or die with these 30,000 piculs of grain.

If Commander Cui insists on stopping me,

you might as well

take my life right now.

Commander Cui, you don't dare make a move.

Then I'll be

taking all her stores of grain.

You want to risk your life against mine?

My life is worth more than yours, Commander Cui.

Let him take the grain.

Are you protecting him?

Let him go.

Raiding a granary is already a capital crime.

By protecting him,

you're only ensuring his death!

Shen Xiao.

I'll give you the grain.

Go.

Cui Jin Zhi.

Release the grain.

Hear my command.

- Release the grain. - As you command!

Move the grain.

You actually indulged Shen Xiao in raiding the granary.

I'm saving you.

Shen Xiao is acting under an imperial decree.

He may have crossed the line,

but if he dies by your hand,

you'll be guilty of an unforgivable crime.

So,

you're actually looking out for me.

Believe it or not. That's your choice.

Alright, I believe you.

Since you're doing this for me,

tomorrow, I'll impeach him

for leading armed men to loot and assassinate the Princess.

I'll submit a memorial against him.

It will also help the Crown Prince eliminate a dangerous enemy.

Shen Xiao

has to die.

When did he ever try to assassinate me?

This is proof he tried to assassinate you.

If we say he did,

then he did.

Unless

you can't bear to lose him.

Do whatever you want.

Impeach him if you want.

Shen Xiao has nothing to do with me.

I just don't want to go against His Majesty.

That's good then.

One word of advice for you, Prince Consort.

My loss of the Wannian Granary is a minor matter.

But should anything happen to the Crown Prince's granary,

the consequences will be unimaginable.

Send elite troops to the Crown Prince's granary immediately.

- Guard it with the utmost vigilance. - Yes.

Let's go.

(It's all up to you now.)

Your Highness has quite the ruthless heart.

You just teased him and sent him off angry.

Censor Shen certainly didn't seem to be acting.

Otherwise,

how could I push him to make up his mind

to raid my granary?

Raid your granary?

The raid is merely a cover.

My real goal

is to make Cui Jin Zhi slip up amidst the chaos

and expose the location of the Crown Prince's granary.

I only hope that, this time,

he can really play the role of Shen the thief.

After it's done,

I'll make it up to him.

Get out of the way!

I want to see Zhao Yang!

Her Highness is resting. You can't go in.

Even you dare stand in my way?

Her Highness is resting.

- You can't go in. - Get out of the way.

Her Highness is resting.

No one is allowed to enter!

Step aside!

I told you.

Second Brother, what brings you to pay such grand respects?

You dog.

I'm not a dog.

I'm a sparrow.

Now that I've had my fill, I'm full of energy.

I must have been out of my mind

to believe you truly meant to help me.

All along, you've been helping the Crown Prince scheme against me.

Second Brother, are you referring to Shen Xiao's raid at the granary?

Shouldn't you be the one apologizing to me?

Was that Shen Xiao's doing?

(When did he ever try to assassinate me?)

If we say he did,

then he did.

Yes.

He actually dared

attempt to attack the Princess?

Shen Xiao kept you in the dark while raiding the granary

precisely to keep you completely out of it

and avoid implicating you.

He did it for the Ministry of Revenue.

Second Brother, you won't protect him?

Protect him?

He's putting me in a bad spot.

Attempting to assassinate the Princess is a huge crime.

Can he possibly bear that charge?

Unless something unforeseen occurs,

memorials impeaching both Shen Xiao and me

will be piled high on Father's desk tomorrow.

When that happens, the Crown Prince

will surely seize the opportunity to destroy me.

It's actually the opposite.

The more people impeach you,

the safer you'll be.

Isn't Father most wary of

the collusion between the old officials

from noble families and the Eastern Palace?

If you staunchly defend Shen Xiao tomorrow,

maybe

Father will think more highly of you.

Let me think about it.

You get some rest first.

Shen Xiao

really knows how to stir up trouble for me.

You still dare to show up at my residence.

Please, Your Highness, have a seat.

Whatever the circumstances,

Your Highness should not have allowed yourself to be harmed.

It's uncertain whether you will even live to see tomorrow,

yet you're worried about me?

Of course I'm worried about you.

Blades don't care who they cut.

I beg Your Highness, from now on,

never to employ such tactics again.

I only did it to save you.

So, Your Highness is saying that

you risked your life tonight to save me

- because you care about me. - Don't flatter yourself.

At a time like this, you still have the heart to joke?

Do you know that

Cui Jin Zhi intends to use my injury

to falsely accuse you of attempting to assassinate me?

Do you have any plans?

It happened so suddenly.

I have no plans at all.

But tomorrow, if he wants

Your Highness to join him in condemning me,

Your Highness should strike at me with all your strength.

Do you realize that

attempting to assassinate a member of the imperial family

is punishable by death?

To stand against the Crown Prince

is already to have one foot in the Netherworld.

So long as the requisitioned grain reaches the imperial treasury,

I'm willing to

surrender my life.

I impeach Shen Xiao, the Censor of the Ministry of Revenue.

Under the guise of requisitioning grain,

he led armed men in acts of banditry,

broke into an imperial estate by night,

and seriously injured the Princess.

His crimes are unforgivable.

Shen Xiao is outrageously audacious.

He must be severely punished.

He clearly disrespects the royal authority.

- That's a capital crime. - Yes, it's a capital crime.

Such treasonous behavior must be punished by death.

- I concur. - I concur.

We concur.

Summon

Princess Zhao Yang, Li Shu,

and Censor Shen Xiao from the Ministry of Revenue,

to appear before the court.

This is truly outrageous.

He actually dared to attack the Princess.

He's just a nobody from a humble family,

yet he dared to act so recklessly.

It is a disgrace to serve

- in the same court as him. - With Second Prince backing him,

he dares to act so boldly.

Such an insolent fool.

We shall not spare you today.

Are the matters of granary raiding

and bodily harm reported by the Prince Consort true?

Yes.

I was a bit frightened.

But I'm fine now.

Your Majesty, please judge wisely.

Shen Xiao led armed men to plunder grain,

humiliated the Princess, and disregarded the law.

Three grave offences together make his crimes beyond forgiveness.

Shen Xiao.

All officials are impeaching you today.

What do you have to say in your defense?

I

Am guilty.

I am guilty of believing that

you, my lords, despite your high positions,

could still see the starving people of Guanzhong

lying dead across 1,000 miles.

That you could hear

the agonized cries of commoners forced to exchange their children for food.

My crime lies in believing that

the words, "The people are paramount",

were not merely ink just written in the classics,

but principles engraved upon your hearts.

You impeach me for seizing the grain.

That grain

was indeed raided by me!

He really did it.

He admitted it.

He confessed himself.

- He admitted it. - If I hadn't raided that grain,

those 30,000 piculs of grain

would be left to rot inside the Princess's warehouse.

Tomorrow, all across Guanzhong,

millions of people

might turn into piles of bones.

Yet all of you concern yourselves only with rules

and dignity.

Let me ask you all,

is your precious dignity more important,

or are the lives of the people more important?

Today, I ask this question on behalf of those people,

on behalf of justice beneath Heaven,

and on behalf of this official robe that I wear!

My lords.

Today,

if killing me, Shen Xiao, alone

will finally open your eyes

to the living hell beyond these palace walls...

If killing me alone

can save those people,

then I humbly beg Your Majesty

to kill me right now.