Original subtitles

The Scholar and the Emperor

What a beautiful young lady.

Fine jade for a fair beauty.

Why not try this one?

You don't look like you're from Shazhou.

May I ask your name?

I'm Shen Zhishu.

I'm looking for a friend.

What does he look like? I'll help you find him.

A gentleman.

He has a capital accent.

As for his looks,

Not as handsome as me.

And a touch less refined.

As for his height,

And a little shorter.

Lord Shen.

Old Huang!

I finally found you.

All the way from the capital to Shazhou,

and you still found time to flirt.

Old Huang,

they nearly worked me to death.

I crossed mountains and valleys,

crossing rivers and sleeping rough.

And then...

I finally laid eyes on a Shazhou beauty.

Why are you here?

His Lordship knew when you'd arrive

to wait here for you.

Wait here.

Where's my beauty?

You didn't escape from prison, did you?

No ordinary jail could hold me.

The Dings have the whole city after you.

They want you dead.

You're bold, coming here.

What do you want?

I've come to help.

You?

And how exactly?

Jiuyou City is Black Tiger Hall's territory.

I know you're probing the arms trade.

and posing as a wealthy Beijian merchant to get close to Ding Chong.

You've come this far

because you want proof of their collusion

and illegal arms trade.

As for me,

I grew up in Shazhou.

I know this place inside and out.

I've already uncovered everything you mentioned.

You're no longer useful to me.

You, on the other hand,

are a fugitive with no hope of taking the exam.

It seems you're the one who needs me.

Young Master He,

I failed to recognize who you really were.

Now I'm a fugitive

and can't sit the exam.

Whether I earn rank or not is secondary.

But I can't lose even the right to sit the exam.

Since you're here to investigate,

I trust you're honorable.

You need a guide.

I need a way out.

We can each get what we need.

We can purge Shazhou of this corruption

and restore my status as a law-abiding citizen.

You're right, Miss Meng.

But I can't take you inside.

I only have one travel pass,

and I paid Ding Chong dearly for it.

What a coincidence.

I have one too.

That was an impressively smooth theft, Miss Meng.

Have you been practicing since childhood?

It's how I survived.

If you can forge one,

why steal mine?

Jiuyou City's market opens once every seven days.

To prevent forgeries,

the passes are marked every seven days

with a different hidden design.

You truly are a woman of many talents, Miss Meng.

You're quite the fighter yourself.

Since this pass is genuine,

I'll gladly keep it.

Give me the fake one.

You certainly planned yourself an escape route.

It's time.

Let's go.

To live in Shazhou,

be Black Tiger Hall's dog.

This place never sees the light of day.

Murder and arson are common here.

Merchants who couldn't pay protection money.

See the glow in those skulls?

Black Tiger Hall uses their skulls as ever-burning lamps.

The more resentment,

Move faster back there!

the brighter they glow.

A week-old pass?

And you dare pass it off as valid?

Get inside.

Next.

Go on.

Get in.

Everyone, hurry!

Someone's selling border-trade permits!

They'll be gone if we're late. Come on!

Hurry!

The court issues border-trade permits

for prefectures to verify and record.

Reserved for established merchants.

with impeccable reputations.

How can they be sold here?

They openly sell salt and iron,

even though the government strictly prohibits it.

A mere document is nothing by comparison.

Ding Chong's greed knows no bounds.

He auctions them for fortunes,

a thousand gold pieces each.

The Yan family once offended him,

he withheld it for six months.

They had to offer two chests of gold

to get it back.

The court opened border trade

to help frontier communities.

Yet parasites like him use it to line their pockets.

Best quality anywhere!

The finest goods!

Come take a look.

Only the best!

Why aren't any weapons being sold?

Weapons involve the military. That's no small matter.

Even Ding Chong wouldn't sell them openly.

And whoever backs him inside the garrison

must value his own life even more.

Young Master He,

what would you do

without a guide like me?

I have my own ways.

But since you seem so confident,

I'd like to see

what you have planned.

Follow me.

We travel by lamplight.

Is the way bright, black, or dark?

Cloud and mist obscure the path.

We follow the crowd.

We name neither light nor dark.

Miss Meng,

the gentleman you've brought this time

is far better than those ugly specimens before.

His face is awfully sour, though.

Anyone would think a creditor had come calling.

It's not just his sour face.

His temper is terrible too.

Arrogant,

contemptuous,

and self-important.

Honored guests,

what information are you seeking?

There isn't a thing in Shazhou

that I don't know.

I want to buy weapons from Black Tiger Hall.

How do I make contact?

He even discovered that Black Tiger Hall sells weapons.

The arms trade

is a business that can cost you your head.

Forget it.

I'll ask elsewhere.

See? I told you he had a bad temper.

I'll show you both

the way in.

Money can make even ghosts work.

More like even a dragon must bow to the local snake.

Without me,

who knows where you'd be?

We're here.

Hall Master Feng gave strict orders.

Do honest business in Jiuyou City,

and you'll be honored guests.

But if you act suspiciously

or harbor ill intentions,

you'll be sent to your deaths.

Are you all right, Miss Meng?

All right, Young Master He?

What an excellent guide you found.

She led us down quite an unusual path.

Enough with the sarcasm.

You're the one

who gave us away by asking to buy weapons.

This passage has been sealed.

We're not really going to die in here, are we?

I brought you inside.

I won't let you get hurt.

What's that sound?

Watch out!

That gold-ringed snake is highly venomous.

A fighter of your caliber

fears one little snake?

Who's afraid of it?

I'm wary because it's highly venomous.

I'm not.

You really do have tricks up your sleeve.

You promised I wouldn't get hurt.

The rest is up to you.

Low on phosphorus powder.

Talisman paper.

Let's go.

There's a draft.

-Cheers! -Cheers!

Good thing Brother Ding was one move ahead.

That man He thought he could pose as a rich merchant

and investigate Black Tiger Hall.

He must have a death wish.

Exactly.

He thought he was so capable.

But who would've guessed

Governor Ding had already investigated them thoroughly?

Those two

must be dead in the snake pit by now.

Of course they are.

No one has ever made it out of that pit

alive.

Anyone who trespasses in Black Tiger Hall

will never leave.

Brothers!

The snake pit connects to tunnels beneath Black Tiger Hall.

That saves us a great deal of trouble.

That scar-faced man

is Hall Master Feng Lu.

They outnumber us.

We'll have to outsmart them.

Take their leader first.

Brothers!

Keep drinking!

-All right! -All right!

Doesn't it smell like something's burning?

Hall Master!

I think I saw him.

Who?

-Who? -Don't move.

Hall Master!

Come closer

if you want him dead.

Brother,

I know you're investigating the weapons.

But opposing Black Tiger Hall

means opposing Governor Ding.

You can't bear the consequences.

Hall Master Feng,

whether it's Black Tiger Hall or Ding Chong,

do you really think either frightens me?

Salt, medicine, tea, porcelain...

These are Jiuyou City's transaction records.

The profits from porcelain alone

equal nearly a year's tax revenue for Shazhou.

The shares are clearly recorded.

One for the Hall, one for Ding Chong.

The third is listed vaguely,

marked only as "the garrison."

What?

You won't even write the full name?

Your arms trade is remarkably brazen.

The garrison official working with you

must hold a very high rank.

You two think you can interrogate me?

Are you going to talk or not?

Find out yourself if you're so capable.

Now that we've found the ledger,

we'll naturally blame everything on Hall Master Feng alone.

Feng Lu:

illegal fees for the women's exam,

operating the Jiuyou City market,

selling permits,

and demanding protection money from merchants.

You lying bitch!

I didn't do any of that!

All I do is kill people!

Feng Lu alone colluded with the garrison

and trafficked arms.

I don't even know where the garrison gate is!

It was Wang...

Wang Qi.

Military Governor of the Shazhou garrison.

He's long served Shazhou and is respected.

Wang Qi has guarded Shazhou since the late emperor's reign.

He won many battles beside General Gao Meng.

After so many years in command,

he has a great many men to support.

He must have stopped being a general long ago

and become a businessman instead.

You have a keen understanding

of human greed, Miss Meng.

So

Hall Master Feng bought Wang Qi off?

I told you, it wasn't me!

Who turns down money these days?

An arms operation this big

is a prize everyone wants.

Wang Qi...

and Ding Chong go back years.

When Ding Chong persuaded Wang Qi, he told him,

"No armor in this world, however strong,

can withstand an arrow made of gold."

Look it over.

If the testimony you just gave

is correct,

sign it.

I can't read.

I wrote your name for you. Here.

Now put your thumbprint on it.

You act with remarkable speed and decisiveness.

Like the Justice Ministry.

Young Master He,

we have his testimony.

Now we need the arms ledger.

Who bought the weapons from you?

Where is the real arms ledger?

I don't know who the buyer is,

and I've never seen the arms ledger.

Black Tiger Hall is only the middleman.

We simply exchange the money for the goods.

You're about to die, yet you still protect Ding Chong?

When you fall,

the first thing he'll do is silence you.

Once your head rolls,

he'll slaughter every one of your men.

Then he can replace you with ten more Feng Lus.

Greetings, Governor Ding.

Governor, our master was captured.

Please save him!

Are all your men here?

Every last one.

Good.

Follow me inside and kill them.

Yes!

Brothers!

Charge in and save the Hall Master!

-Charge! -Let's go!

Sixth Hall Master,

Black Tiger Hall has trafficked military weapons

and countless other crimes.

Today, I will lead my troops to eradicate them

and uphold justice.

Leave no one alive.

Hall Master!

That bastard Ding Chong brought a huge force

to wipe us out.

Our brothers are dead or wounded.

Ding Chong arrived even sooner than I expected.

My brothers...

Ding Chong, you son of a bitch!

I'll kill him!

Hand over the real ledger,

and I'll keep you alive.

It's beneath my bed.

Let me go!

At least you've got backbone.

How did Ding Chong know?

Lord Shen,

you brought the Chancellor's orders yourself.

I am deeply honored.

The Chancellor remembers old loyalties.

He sent me to save your head.

I'm slow-witted. Please enlighten me, Young Master.

The court has sent a secret envoy into Shazhou

to investigate the illegal arms trade.

Could it really be that man He?

The Left Chancellor said

that if you wish to escape unscathed,

you should dispose of Black Tiger Hall at once.

When the time comes,

place all the evidence

on their shoulders.

After all, the dead

cannot protest their innocence.

The Left Chancellor is truly farsighted.

It seems he and I had the very same idea.

I'll see to it immediately.

Ding Chong!

Three years ago, you injured your leg.

If I hadn't carried you from Qingzhou to Shazhou,

the wolves would've eaten you.

I've treated you as a brother all these years,

and you slaughtered all my men!

Old Feng,

if we're brothers, then help me out.

You have to die so I can live.

Ding Chong!

Surround this place.

Leave no one alive.

-Yes! -Everyone, stop!

Lord Shen.

Black Tiger Hall has committed countless crimes.

I have captured its ringleader, Feng Lu.

Cousin!

Cousin, are you hurt?

I'm fine.

Ding Chong, your crimes are monstrous!

Surrender at once!

Seize him!

Lord Shen,

-is there some misunderstanding? -Huang Bo.

Ding Chong,

you are an official of the imperial court,

yet for personal gain

you trafficked arms with Black Tiger Hall,

oppressed people and killed witnesses.

For all your crimes,

ten deaths would not appease the people's fury.

Who are you really?

I can tell

you hold high office.

All officials are alike.

Why make things difficult for each other?

Tell me what you want.

If you let me go,

Ten thousand gold taels.

Not even that could buy your worthless life.

Ding Chong is in custody.

Before it's too late,

lay down your weapons now,

and you may still redeem yourselves.

Continue resisting,

or share his punishment.

Hurry!

Take Ding Chong and the others back for interrogation tonight.

Find where the weapons went.

Lord Shen...

Lord Shen!

Protect the Young Master!

Huang Bo, after him!

Yes!

This arrow penetrates with great force.

It must be refined iron.

It's made of the same material as the trafficked arrows.

Could they be melting the weapons down and reforging them?

Such a precise ambush on Ding Chong

must know the inside details.

The genuine arms ledger

lists a huge shipment whose destination is unknown.

That man in black

is likely connected to the true buyer.

The pattern on this is unusual.

Find out where both the man and this bolt came from.

Governor!

-Governor! -Take him away.

Everyone involved

-Let go! -Take them all.

Move!

Governor!

Move!

Ding Chong is dead.

You're no longer a fugitive.

I'll have Lord Shen register you again.

Take the exam without fear.

Now we're completely even.

Run! The soldiers are raiding us!

Put that here.

You there, hurry!

Mother, what happened?

Keep your voice down.

Your uncle is dead.

Officers are arresting people everywhere.

Change clothes and follow me.

They're hideous!

I won't wear them.

I'd rather die than put them on!

Do as I say if you want to live.

Put them on.

Hurry!

This reeks!

This is no time to complain. Get in!

Hurry!

All right!

Your Majesty,

Wang Qi and all garrison commanders are in custody.

All case records are sealed.

Block all news immediately

and secretly take them to the capital.

The Left Chancellor must hear nothing of this.

-Yes. -Your Majesty.

Ding Chong's entire faction has been eliminated.

His estate and Jiuyou City holdings have been seized.

Every merchant involved

has been punished according to law. None escaped.

This operation was a complete success.

We should leave for the capital now.

The Left Chancellor's deadline

-is only three days away. -Are you telling me to obey him?

I wouldn't dare.

Of course we obey Your Majesty.

Your father, Grand Tutor Shen,

was sent to oversee the exam.

By my count, he should arrive soon.

There are still matters in Shazhou

I must discuss them with him.

After we've spoken, we can travel through the night

and reach the capital before the seclusion ends.

And for the women's special examination,

Meng Tinghui's results...

watch them closely.

Your Majesty...

do you fancy her?

Taken a liking?

She lies, cheats, and swindles.

She's cunning, unpredictable, and utterly shameless.

She's hard to forget.

Your Majesty means...

I understand it completely.

A street rogue like her

will be kept under the strictest watch.

She'll never enter court.

Old Huang,

you're reading me better and better.

How long have I served Your Majesty?

I meant those streetwise methods of hers.

At the imperial court,

they often beat lofty principles.

His Majesty said he likes her.

Still don't understand?

Huang Bo.

Do you remember this place?

Ten years ago, Shazhou faced drought,

and fierce sandstorms.

To stop the shifting sands,

you led us in planting these poplars.

Now sand retreats and greenery returns.

Every time we come to Shazhou,

the danger is greater than before.

Do you remember

the little girl who stole my jade pendant?

I do. She was being coerced.

And because of her,

Your Majesty destroyed Shazhou's child-trafficking ring.

Sister Ah Xiang, eat up.

Let's go.

-Where? -Bofeng House.

I hear Bofeng House is Shazhou's newest restaurant.

And Shazhou's lamb noodles are exceptional.

I fasted in your stead at Sacred Ancestor Hall,

then came all this way.

I still haven't had one proper meal.

I've grown so thin.

You don't look any thinner to me.

Sir.

Ding Chong and Feng Lu are dead.

Those greedy dogs of Great Ning are no longer useful.

Let them die.

Sir,

we've acquired some weapons over the years,

but nowhere near enough.

Now that this supply line is gone,

we'll have to find another.

Our first priority is to conceal our movements.

No one can discover who we are.

Yes, sir.

It seems Great Ning's days

are numbered.

Fire!

Someone come put it out!

Mengmeng, it's me.

Fuzhi, what are you doing?

We've had terrible luck these past two days.

I'm driving the bad luck away.

Driving it away?

Mengmeng, you were incredible!

The clouds over Shazhou have finally parted.

It's just a shame Jiang Mei'er disappeared.

She got off easy.

The wicked always meet their fate.

Fuzhi,

could you move this brazier?

I have more good news.

Bofeng House finally belongs to me.

Business is booming.

Xi'er and Haitang can barely keep up.

My father also canceled that dreadful marriage.

You should've seen my stepmother's face.

Like she'd eaten a hundred live flies.

I'll wait for Young Master He at Bofeng House with you.

He still has my registration form.

I won't rest easy until I get it back.

Right...

Move it away.

Absolutely not.

We must ward off bad luck.

Left hand.

Right hand.

Left foot.

Turn around.

Fuzhi,

my form...

At least buy me a meal first.

With lamb noodles, always sip the broth first.

Warm broth in your stomach

it awakens your appetite.

All right.

I'll try it.

I've been to Shazhou before,

yet I never tasted this.

Try this.

A Shazhou specialty.

You've been to Shazhou before?

I was in a hurry on my previous visit

and had no time to explore.

We met here by clashing first, Miss Meng.

I gave back your form.

One bowl can't be all I get.

I'm returning to the capital in two days.

Would you...

be willing to show me around?

The provincial exam is near.

Every moment is precious.

I still need to study.

Without your form,

how will you...

You really are a cunning one.

Where to?

Can you ride, Miss Meng?

You're an excellent rider.

The desert is vast. Riding across it

feels remarkably free.

You're brave and resourceful,

and you know so many ways to survive.

I'm curious.

How did you grow up?

I had no parents growing up.

Human traffickers abducted and sold me.

They taught me to steal and cheat

to make money for them.

What you call courage and resourcefulness

was nothing more than survival.

The lesser punishment was a brutal beating.

The greater...

was death.

You little brat!

You dare try to kill me?

Sister Ah Xiang, run!

Did you remember something, Miss Meng?

Only the past.

Shazhou is bathed in sunlight,

yet lives in darkness.

Its officials do nothing.

I want to take the special examination

not only to protect myself,

but to hold authority

and stop the wicked from preying on the people.

Since you have such ambition,

I know a shortcut.

My uncle, Grand Tutor Shen,

will soon arrive to preside over the provincial exam.

Lord Shen could introduce you to him.

Everyone knows Grand Tutor Shen is an incorruptible man.

You're arranging an introduction for me.

Why does that

sound like you're setting me up?

When it comes to setting people up, I could never match you.

It's simply that...

you helped me bring down these corrupt officials and bandits.

I can only repay you

by lending you a hand.

Look at that tree.

It knows how to use the slope of the dune,

so it grows much taller than the other poplars.

Sometimes, following the current

is how you break an impasse.

Survival in the desert

isn't about which tree grows tallest,

but which has the deepest roots.

I know my own station.

If I go to the capital,

having a friend like you

would certainly strengthen my position.

But I still want to rely on myself.

Then may you...

achieve everything you wish.

Returning this to its owner.

Keep this as thanks for helping me solve the case.

We've finally settled our debts.

I don't want to owe you again.

Miss Meng.

Until we meet again.

If fate permits,

we will.

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