Original subtitles

-What are you doing? -You want to fight?

[Peace at the border]

What's your problem?

Let go!

Say that again?

All right, all right.

-Say that again! -Back off!

Think I'm scared of you?

That's enough!

Back off!

Let them go.

Those war prisoners

[Peace at the border]

were captured by our Yanzhou Army with blood and sweat.

Why should you Jizhou Army

get half of them?

-Exactly! -Why?

Why?

Commandant Fan and our Discipline Inspector are in love.

Yeah!

They'll be family soon.

Never mind half,

even giving them all to the Jizhou Army

would be only right!

Exactly. It's only right!

Shut up! Shut up!

What nonsense are you spouting?

Commandant Fan already has a husband.

Why would she have anything to do

with Discipline Inspector Li behind his back?

Bullshit!

Commandant Fan's husband

died in battle long ago.

Even if he hadn't,

how could he compare to our Discipline Inspector?

That's right!

Not at all!

Isn't your Discipline Inspector Li

marrying the Princess Royal?

Why is he still entangled with Commandant Fan?

Exactly!

None of your damn business.

Our Discipline Inspector goes to see Commandant Fan every day.

Don't you see?

As for you,

don't tell me your Lord

has also taken a fancy to Commandant Fan?

Nonsense!

-What did you say? -Don't think so?

-Hit me! -What are you doing?

Stop!

Let go!

[Peace at the border]

Come on!

Watch it!

We are all brothers-in-arms.

Yet you fight and hurt each other over prisoners.

Where is your military discipline?

Lord Li.

You be the judge.

You and Commandant Fan will be family soon.

There's no need to distinguish these military merits

so clearly.

Insolence!

How can you spread such gossip?

I don't care if Discipline Inspector Li likes Commandant Fan,

but to take our Yanzhou Emperor Bodyguards' merits

is not acceptable.

Right?

What now?

You got a problem?

[Peace at the border]

Attention, generals!

[Commanding Token]

I met Mrs. Fan when we were humble.

Just like all of you,

we share a bond of fighting side by side through life and death situations.

Now,

Commandant Fan and I have become sworn siblings.

In the future,

I will be treating her as a sister.

If anyone gossips and stirs up trouble again,

or slanders Commandant Fan's reputation,

they will receive 30 strokes of the military staff.

Let this be a warning!

-Yes, Sir! -Yes, Sir!

Let's go.

Commandant Fan!

You go ahead.

Let's go.

To call us sworn siblings just now

was an expedient measure.

People in the army gossip.

If anything has offended you,

please don't take it to heart.

Not at all.

I've always regarded you as a brother, Lord Li.

I'm just afraid I'm not worthy.

After all,

I haven't read many books on war,

and I can barely read.

A person's worth lies in their character,

not in how well they can read.

Then, greetings, Brother.

Is that how you say it?

I return the courtesy.

That is how you say it.

I shall take my leave now.

[Pursuit of Jade]

[Episode 32]

[Qinwu Hall]

This is simply outrageous!

Even in the palace,

we have never suffered such humiliation!

What are you doing?

You still expect me to drink?

Hey! How many days has it been?

The Marquis of Wu'an hasn't returned.

And the Princess Royal refuses to see me.

Let me tell you,

if you people

dare to keep me waiting here again today,

I will return to the capital immediately.

I will go before His Majesty

and file a complaint against all of you!

What is all this noise?

Greetings, Your Highness.

Your Highness cares for the soldiers.

It's been so many days,

yet you haven't found a moment to see me.

It made me really upset.

You may leave.

I have been busy with affairs lately.

It was hard to get away.

I hope you understand, Head Eunuch.

I wonder why you sought me out,

and what the matter is.

Your Highness has been away from the palace for a long time.

His Majesty and Consort Dowager An miss you dearly.

So they sent me here specially

to visit Your Highness.

Mother Consort and His Majesty

knew about my coming to the Northwest frontline,

and yet they were not angry?

Just speak your mind, Head Eunuch.

Your Highness is indeed intelligent.

Indeed. Before I came here,

His Majesty and Consort Dowager An had a message

for me to specially pass on to Your Highness.

Now that the rebels in Chongzhou have been quelled,

and the whole country is celebrating,

the marriage between you and the marquis

should happen sooner rather than later.

What did you say?

My marriage with whom?

The Marquis of Wu'an.

In your dreams!

My brother is easily swayed.

It must be you stupid servants bringing up the past

and fanning the flames,

reminding him of this.

I do not accept

this marriage.

Your Highness has been out of the palace for less than half a year.

How have you learned to curse now?

The Marquis of Wu'an has distinguished military service.

He is truly an excellent match.

Besides,

this is His Majesty's decree.

Could it be that Your Highness

intends to disobey the decree?

You should go discuss this marriage

with the Marquis of Wu'an first.

If he agrees to it,

I will too.

You...

Of course, of course.

I will handle it right away.

Please pass the message, Eunuch.

I

thank my brother for his concern.

I shall take my leave now.

Finally, some relief.

It's been so many days!

Even if His Lordship is busy,

he can't keep the Imperial Decree waiting forever.

This is a restricted military area. Please stop here.

Very well.

Open your wretched eyes and look closely!

I have an Imperial Decree!

I'd like to see who dares to stop me today!

Go!

-Halt! -Halt!

I know Your Lordship is busy with official duties.

But you haven't found time

to see me

these few days,

leaving me with no choice

but to bring this decree here

to disturb you personally.

Come in.

Please.

Greetings, Your Lordship.

What important matter do you have, Chief Eunuch,

that to see me,

you dare to trespass into the military camp?

Your Lordship,

this is great joyous news.

His Majesty has a decree.

Marquis of Wu'an.

Your Lordship may listen without kneeling.

The Emperor proclaims:

the heaven blesses our dynasty.

Now that the Chongzhou rebels have been wiped out,

at this time of national celebration,

the Princess Royal and the Marquis of Wu'an

-should get married sooner than later... -No need to say more.

Go back and tell that young emperor

I had important duties to attend to,

so the decree was not delivered.

I will pretend you never said anything today.

Those of us who heard it

won't breathe a word of it.

I wouldn't dare to deceive the sovereign like that.

Besides,

this is all His Majesty's deep favor for Your Lordship.

You just need to nod your head,

and I can return to the capital

to report back to His Majesty.

And if I...

refuse to nod?

Refuse...

Your Lordship.

Does this mean you intend to defy the decree?

I wouldn't dare deceive the Emperor.

Defy the decree?

Your Lordship...

Your Lordship, what are you trying to do?

Your Lordship,

do you really

intend to rebel?

The Xie family has served the Great Yin

loyally for a century.

My father was even honored as a martyr.

I simply do not wish to tarnish his reputation.

Go back and tell that young emperor:

if he no longer wishes to sit on the throne anymore,

I can easily find someone else to take his place.

Seventeen years ago,

he ascended to the throne with Wei Yan's help.

And now,

I can deprive him of that if I want.

What?

Your Lordship,

do you realize you are threatening His Majesty?

Please don't kill me, Your Lordship!

I am merely a messenger.

I simply wish for harmony

between the sovereign and his subject with His Majesty.

If you pass on the wrong message,

you might jeopardize the nation's affairs.

Thank you...

Thank you for sparing my life, Your Lordship!

This...

Take it away.

Quick!

Quick!

That hurt!

[Break the Enemy's Stronghold]

Xie Jiuheng, oh, Xie Jiuheng.

Eunuch Li came here

on the Emperor's orders.

You cut off one of his ears.

Isn't that a slap in the Emperor's face?

What do we do now?

Are we turning against the Imperial Court?

The little Emperor is still under Wei Yan's thumb,

acting dumb.

He doesn't dare turn against me.

Since the Emperor ascended the throne as a child,

Prime Minister Wei has been usurping his power.

Now,

he must be desperate for power.

I don't think he'll let this go.

If he doesn't want the throne,

I can find someone else to take his place.

I happen to

have plans to depose him anyway.

Depose him?

Are you serious?

Although

the Great Yin court

is too corrupt to save,

and I know

you won't serve such an incompetent ruler,

now,

if we support the Imperial Great-Grandson,

in a dozen years,

who's to say

Yu Bao'er won't become another Qi Sheng?

I don't know

what Yu Bao'er will become,

but I will never become another Wei Yan.

Fine.

By the way,

aren't you going back to Jizhou Prefecture?

Why should I?

That Li Huai'an

visits Mrs. Fan every other day.

Are you really not worried?

Don't look at me like that.

They are already calling each other brother and sister,

getting all cozy.

He'll swoop in when she's vulnerable.

-Such low-level courting— -Enough.

And you're not low-level?

I...

Mind your own business.

Report!

My Lord,

the rebel remnant from Chongzhou,

Sui Yuanqing, is attacking!

How many are their troops?

Only a few dozen soldiers.

They stormed the gate recklessly.

There are no reinforcements behind them.

It looks like

a suicide mission.

Xie Zheng!

Come out, you coward!

Today, we settle

our scores!

Why bother, Heir Apparent Sui?

Why come here just to die?

Stop your fake mercy!

You and Fan Changyu killed my father.

If I don't avenge him,

I'm not human!

Die!

[Chongzhou]

If he believes it, let it be.

If not,

even if you have to destroy the Eastern Palace seal on the spot,

it must never fall into anyone else's hands.

Rest assured, Master.

[Lord Changxin's Wife, Lady Yin]

Mother?

Why have you come so suddenly—

Why did you treat your brother like that?

Yuanqing said

he wants to avenge Father.

This is filial piety,

and I cannot stop him.

Filial piety?

Then why didn't you go and fulfill your filial duty?

I have to stay here to take care of you, Mother.

You knew fully well that the Marquis of Wu'an

is hunting all of you down everywhere.

Yet you incited Qing'er to avenge your father.

You are so vicious!

Father never liked me.

Actually, deep down,

you prefer Yuanqing too, don't you?

He is my son.

Of course I prefer him.

Mother,

what do you mean by that?

In this world,

how could a mother not recognize

her own flesh and blood?

I brought you back

from that fire 17 years ago.

At first,

seeing you injured beyond recognition

broke my heart.

But when I found out you weren't Yuanhuai,

it broke my heart even more.

So you knew all along.

Then, Mother,

why didn't you expose me right then and there?

Back then,

you were just a small child.

You were disfigured by the Crown Princess just to survive.

When you were recovering in Lord Changxin's Mansion,

you were so pitiful,

crying out for your mother every day.

My heart softened listening to you.

I thought,

since Heaven let you live in my son's place,

I should let you live a good life—

consider it an act of accumulating virtue for my poor Yuanhuai who died wrongfully.

But I was wrong.

I thought you were just a stray dog.

I never imagined you would be a vicious wolf!

My biggest regret in this life

is taking a rebel as my son,

and being a mother to a viper like you!

I am Qi Min, the Imperial Grandson of the Eastern Palace.

Isn't it a good thing

to be my mother?

Yuanqing and Yuanhuai

are my only sons.

Who...

do you think you are!

Don't think that just because you treated me well,

I wouldn't dare to kill you.

I-I gave you a chance.

But don't worry.

Xie Zheng will soon send Sui Yuanqing

to serve you in the afterlife.

Bring her body.

It's still useful.

Yes.

[Peace at the border]

Come in.

Fan.

Your husband is going to be the Prince Consort.

Is it true?

Wasn't Li Menkan the one who's supposed to marry the princess?

They can switch the groom at the last minute

for an event as big as marrying a princess?

I don't want to talk about this.

All right.

I have news about Sui Yuanhuai,

whom you asked me

to look into.

They say tonight,

a large number of troops will be dispatched.

I reckon it's a massive manhunt

for that scoundrel.

That scoundrel is very cunning.

He's sneakier than a fox or a weasel.

Before, your husband...

Th-The Marquis of Wu'an's troops

were fooled by him several times.

He is muddying the waters.

He wants to wait until we're exhausted from searching

before finding a chance to escape.

So he is the son of the former Crown Prince?

He...

He could have been the Emperor?

He could be in line for the throne.

But for someone so noble,

why would he impersonate Sui Yuanhuai?

Isn't this common in the shadow puppet shows

you watch?

Those nobles and aristocrats

fight and snatch every day.

It's nothing but greed for the throne

and the sordid schemes of imperial power.

Fan, what are you looking at?

Qianqian seemed to have mentioned

that he is extremely afraid of fire.

He doesn't even light lamps at night.

If that's the case,

we can look for

houses that remain pitch black

at an hour where they should be lit up.

That way,

we can narrow down our search area.

Why are you so fixated on him?

Just to vent anger for Manager Yu?

You don't understand.

He...

might be involved in something huge.

He once showed me a Tiger Tally.

They say it's related to the Jinzhou Massacre years ago.

It has something to do with Jinzhou?

Yan Zheng must be eager to catch him

to get some answers out of him.

Go get my command token.

Tell them there's an arrest operation tonight.

It's a good chance to drill our squad.

Got it.

There's someone inside. Surround them.

His throat was slit.

Looks like he's been dead a while.

How can he be dead?

Keep searching.

Check the body for a Tiger Tally.

A Tiger what?

Tiger Tally. Like in the operas.

Just hurry up and look.

Okay.

General Fan Changyu reporting.

Greetings, Your Lordship.

I, Jin Changsheng, pay my respects to the Prince Consort.

One more word of nonsense,

and I'll send you to the Mess Crew.

Yes, Prince Consort.

I'll go right now, Prince Consort.

Sui Yuanhuai is dead.

This lead

has gone cold.

Sui Yuanhuai died just like that?

It looks very much like Sui Yuanhuai.

All the evidence

shows that he's dead.

But the more evidence there is, the more suspicious it gets.

Have Zhao Xun come identify the body himself.

But no matter what,

Sui Yuanhui

no longer exists in this world.

There have been rumors for years

that Wei Yan had orders to hold the Tiger Tally to get reinforcements

to lift the siege of Jinzhou.

But he suddenly turned back to the Capital midway,

delaying the rescue.

Back then, when Wei Qilin was transporting grain,

he suddenly changed course to Chongzhou.

It must have been Wei Yan ordering him to use the Tiger Tally

to mobilize troops in Chongzhou.

But in the end,

the Lord Changxin neither sent troops,

nor did he prevent the grain delay,

yet no one knew why.

If Lord Changxin saw the Tiger Tally back then,

but claimed it was fake

and refused to send troops,

then that means

Wei Qilin was truly wronged.

It seems...

we are getting closer to the truth

of the Jinzhou Massacre.

If only we could find the Tiger Tally.

I even searched Lord Changxin's belongings,

and the items Sui Yuanqing carried with him,

but found nothing.

That Sui Yuanqing—

he'd rather be tortured

than reveal the whereabouts of the Tiger Tally.

He even had the energy to mock me.

I should have let Mrs. Fan chop him up.

Your Lordship.

I arranged for Zhao Xun to examine the body.

As you predicted,

the deceased is not Sui Yuanhuai.

It is a double raised by the Lan family since childhood.

Not only does the double look identical,

but every burn mark on his body

was meticulously replicated.

What about the identity of the woman

who died in the manor?

Zhao Xun identified her.

It is indeed the Lord Changxin's wife.

To save himself,

he didn't hesitate to even kill his adoptive mother.

To catch Suiyuan—

no—

it's time to call him by his real name.

To catch Qi Min,

we need other leads.

Are there any more?

All the leads are dead.

It is strange.

We've surrounded them several times,

but they always seemed to be prepared.

I suspect

he has spies within the Command Office.

It seems

someone is being used as a pawn

while thinking they are upholding justice.

Your Lordship,

what should we do next?

Take Zhao Xun to see Sui Yuanqing.

Inform him of Lord Changxin's wife's

death.

Squad One, to the left.

Squad Two, to the right.

Spread out on both sides.

-Yes! -Yes!

Check the grass and crevices.

Understood!

Search everywhere.

Leave no stone unturned.

Go!

Check here.

Nothing here.

Over there.

Follow me!

Master, it's the Xie Army.

Sui Yuanqing alone wasn't enough.

It seems the Marquis of Wu'an

won't rest until he has my head.

Any news on Her Ladyship?

Still no sign of her.

Master.

The Li family took so much from us,

yet there's no sign of our contact.

They let the Marquis of Wu'an corner us.

Have they turned on us?

If the Li family had turned on us,

we would have been captured long ago.

But though I heard they are grandfather and grandson,

Grand Tutor Li and Li Huai'an

are truly people on different paths.

It's about time.

He should be here by now.

That is if he believed me.

Master.

I'm very pleased

to get your help, Grand Tutor Li.

I have something to tell you.

I don't want to hear it.

I just want to tell you

that anyone in this world can become the Prince Consort,

except for me, Xie Zheng.

I have already married into your family.

I can only belong to Fan Changyu alone.

I'll only love you

in this lifetime.

Stop...

Stop being so nice to me, will you?

The better you treat me,

the more uneasy I feel.

Is it because of your origins?

You know about it?

♪ In gold-thread dress, with moth or willow ornaments ♪

I read that letter.

I know he's your father.

And I also know what you're afraid of.

♪ Giggling, she melts into the throng with trails of scents ♪

But what I want to tell you is,

I will keep investigating

until I get to the bottom of it.

I want to be with you

♪ But in the crowd once and again I look for her in vain ♪

on this path.

♪ But in the crowd once and again I look for her in vain ♪

♪ When all at once I turn my head ♪

♪ I find her there ♪

But Sui Yuanhuai is already dead.

♪ Where lantern light is dimly shed ♪

What if the truth

isn't what we think?

This is the second thing

I want to tell you.

I plan

to release Sui Yuanqing.

What?

Leave us.

Yes.

Heir Apparent.

Zhao Xun?

You traitor!

You betrayed Yuanhuai!

Heir Apparent.

It was Yuanhuai who betrayed you.

A traitor,

seeing that Yuanhuai has escaped,

wants to extract a confession for the Marquis of Wu'an,

and drive a wedge between us brothers.

Save your breath.

Even if I can't kill you today,

Yuanhuai will avenge me sooner or later.

And who will avenge

Lord Changxin's wife's death?

Mother is dead?

Marquis of Wu'an!

What kind of hero are you,

laying hands on a woman?

It wasn't the Marquis of Wu'an who killed her.

It was Sui Yuanhuai.

No.

Or rather, it was Qi Min.

Who?

The dear brother

by your side all these years

is not Sui Yuanhuai,

but Qi Min.

He is the former Imperial Grandson of the Eastern Palace, whom Lord Changxin helped harm.

The real Sui Yuanhuai

died in the fire at the Eastern Palace

17 years ago.

No...

Impossible...

You just want to use me

to deal with my brother.

Your Highness.

Wake up.

Qi Min killed the Princess Consort

to fake his death and escape.

He has now resumed his identity as the Imperial Grandson.

He is Qi Min, who destroyed Lord Changxin's Mansion.

No...

That's not true...

That's not true.

Aren't you my brother's lackey?

Why are you telling me this?

That's right.

I used to follow Qi Min.

But that was for the legitimacy of the previous dynasty.

He is cruel by nature,

and unfit to inherit the throne.

That is why I had no choice

but to defect to the Marquis of Wu'an.

Sui Yuanhuai!

No...

Qi Min...

I will tear you to pieces

and avenge my father and mother!

Your Highness.

I can let you go.

Let me go?

Why?

My mother, Lady Lan,

raised Qi Min for years,

yet she died at his hands.

I only hate that I am powerless.

If you can get rid of Qi Min,

we will both be avenged.

Although you are just a lackey,

as long as you let me go,

I will grant your wish.

Your Highness, this way.

Can he really find Qi Min?

They've been brothers for so many years.

He'll have a way.

[19th day of the 7th month, in the 17th year of Zhengping]

Sui Yuanqing escaped from prison.

What?

Deliver this to the courier officer immediately.

Send it to the Capital at once.

It must be delivered!

Yes, Sir.

[The Government Office]