Original subtitles

The Scholar and the Emperor

Chief.

Chief.

They're all over there.

Chief.

Prime merchandise from every province.

Go.

These are their indenture papers.

There'll be no trouble afterward.

Send them all over.

Yes.

Chief, they're just toys.

They're worthless.

Open it.

Get up.

How old are you two?

Six.

I'm five.

Tell me,

why did you come here?

-They said we'd get good food. -They said we'd get good food.

Who said that?

Point him out to me, all right?

-Him. -Him.

Me?

Chief, it wasn't me!

I knew nothing about this. I didn't know there were children.

I'll take you somewhere nice.

There's lots of delicious food there.

Would you like that?

-Yes. -Yes.

Good girls.

Come on.

Careful.

Chief!

I truly didn't know there were children inside.

I didn't know anything.

He was in charge of all this.

It was him.

It was him!

-It wasn't me! -Chief, spare me!

I wouldn't dare, not even with all the nerve in the world.

Chief, this truly had nothing to do with me.

Chief, this wasn't my fault. I truly knew nothing.

Chief!

Please spare me, Chief!

Chief!

Didn't I tell you

we may sell anything but children?

You did.

Chief!

This truly had nothing to do with me.

Chief, please spare my life!

There won't be a next time.

Big Brother.

Thank goodness.

How many times did I warn you?

The Chief has no tolerance for this.

He repeatedly forbade us to touch children.

I was wrong. I lost my head.

Children have been fetching high prices lately.

I'll never do it again.

You think the Chief doesn't know who did it?

Little brother,

you heard him just now.

The Chief said

this is your last chance.

Understood.

Big Brother,

I can redeem myself.

I've found out who wiped out

our Shazhou branch.

-Are you certain? -Absolutely.

After extensive investigation,

the pattern on this arrow resembles a flower called Xiyan.

It grows in the miasma forest between Beijian and former Zhongwan,

nourished by the poisonous vapors.

It blooms at night, withers by day, and feeds on living creatures.

It also symbolizes hatred and revenge.

Anyone using this flower as an emblem

cannot be an innocent buyer.

Could it be Beijian?

Beijian may lack iron ore

and have inferior weapons, but its warhorses are excellent.

It has also expanded its cavalry in recent years.

We must remain on guard.

Zhongwan is even less likely.

Zhongwan submitted to Great Ning long ago,

and there has been peace for years.

When Zhongwan fell,

its people were exiled across the realm

and enslaved for generations.

But one branch of the Zhongwan royal family

escaped with its remaining forces.

Their whereabouts remain unknown.

This must be investigated thoroughly.

Your Majesty,

this is like searching for a needle in the ocean.

And because it involves state secrets,

I can only investigate covertly.

That makes it even harder.

In that case,

I'll grant you an official post.

It will let you investigate discreetly,

inspect the capital's merchants,

and review commercial taxes across the provinces.

You shall be Commissioner of Folkways.

Commissioner of Folkways?

Why does that title sound

a little improper?

What?

Is the title unworthy

of Lord Shen's refined reputation?

Your Majesty's word is law.

Of course it's worthy.

Then let me take Your Majesty to Changle Street to sample the local color.

Commissioner of Folkways...

The palace is full of the Left Chancellor's spies.

The shadow guards just sent word.

The Left Chancellor has people spreading rumors through the city

that this special examination is nothing but a ruse.

Once the results are announced,

the talented women will be sent to the Imperial Entertainment Bureau.

He's endured it for three months,

yet the Left Chancellor still hasn't swallowed his anger over the Ministry of War.

Now he merely wants to humiliate me through the special examination.

By spreading these rumors,

he assumes

women are timid

and cannot weather a storm.

Some candidates have indeed withdrawn and returned home.

Your Majesty, will you simply let these rumors run rampant?

An official

must possess courage and wisdom.

If they abandon the examination today

and return home because of rumors,

how could they ever withstand

the open attacks and hidden schemes of the royal court?

I should thank the Left Chancellor

for sparing me the palace examination.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, I have a report.

By order of the Left Chancellor,

I respectfully present this plaque.

The ancestral law of Great Ning:

A romance between sovereign and minister shakes the foundations of the state.

All nine clans shall be executed.

As I recall, Emperor Taizong

had an affair with a female attendant,

which sparked mutinies in two provinces.

That is why this ancestral law was written.

The Left Chancellor is implying

that Your Majesty reopened the women's examination for personal romance.

The Left Chancellor ordered me

to hang this plaque in the center of the imperial study.

Should Your Majesty refuse,

he will come petition you himself.

Insolence!

Huo An,

how dare you speak so brazenly?

Huang Bo.

General Huo, hang it up.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

First he spread rumors

to frighten away the female candidates.

Now he invokes ancestral law.

The Left Chancellor has made two moves in succession.

It seems he can no longer wait.

That stubborn old man is unbelievably petty.

Your Majesty sent him a plaque bearing Ding Chong's name,

so he returns the favor with an ancestral-law plaque.

I have no such intentions.

Even if every hall were covered with ancestral laws, why should I fear?

I mean to tell every official plainly:

women, too, can be blades that serve the nation.

This court

has never belonged to the Left Chancellor alone.

I support Your Majesty.

The women sitting the special examination

are all staying on Changle Street.

Your Majesty should inspect the talent for yourself.

You might even happen upon

Provincial Laureate Meng from Shazhou.

The Left Chancellor sent that plaque

to warn you

to show restraint.

Me?

Exactly.

Your Majesty isn't going anywhere.

Why not?

We're going.

A thousand night-market lamps illuminate the clouds;

red sleeves fill the lofty towers.

Who knew beyond the palace walls

the mortal world could be so splendid?

This flourishing age of Great Ning

is exactly what Your Majesty wished for.

The beauties of Changle Street are truly each unique.

The lady on the left has sparkling eyes;

the beauty on the right has ruby lips and pearly teeth.

Marvelous.

Changle Street at night

is even more dazzling than by day.

This glittering, decadent Changle Street

is filled with handsome young men.

I absolutely love it.

Yan Fuzhi.

Mengmeng, all this walking has made me hungry.

A waiter told me today

that Chunman Inn serves mutton noodles too.

Let's see how they compare to the noodles back in Shazhou.

Come on.

Places of wealth and pleasure

often breed the ugliest things beneath.

Young Master He,

this isn't Shazhou.

We're right beneath the Emperor's feet.

Who would dare cause trouble here?

Let us hope this prosperity

isn't merely gilded on the outside

and rotten within.

Young Master He never stops worrying about the country and its people.

Cousin, we've been walking for ages.

My stomach is protesting.

Let's get something to eat

at Changle Street's famous Chunman Inn.

Provincial Laureate Meng, you're back!

Manager, two bowls of mutton noodles. We're starving.

Coming right up.

Perfect. There's a good table here. Sit down.

Young Master He is here.

Welcome.

The usual today?

The usual. Bring it out.

Certainly.

This way, honored guests.

Mengmeng, what are you looking at?

Nothing.

Apricot blossoms.

Mengmeng,

you know Shazhou has nothing

but poplars and yellow sand.

Where would we ever see flowers this beautiful?

Bring us every house specialty.

-And a flask of Shaosanbai. -Certainly.

Wait.

You know Young Master never drinks.

You're the one craving wine, aren't you?

As if you aren't always the fiercest drinker.

Lord Shen usually spends next month's salary today.

Why so generous all of a sudden?

Cousin,

I rendered great service in Shazhou.

Surely treating a meritorious official to a meal isn't excessive?

Wouldn't you agree?

I knew bringing Young Master out to gather local color

wasn't that simple.

Three bowls of mutton noodles.

Certainly.

Three bowls of mutton noodles.

Cousin,

is that truly all we're having?

Why?

There's meat, noodles,

and vegetables.

What more could Lord Shen want?

Were you hoping to use Young Master's generosity

to impress all those ladies?

What ladies?

Mutton noodles simply remind me

of that fierce proprietress in Shazhou.

What a terrifying woman.

Enjoy.

This broth is so bland,

and the mutton is limp and flavorless.

Mengmeng, once you become the top scholar in the capital,

I'll open a Bofeng House here and stay with you.

Then Chunman Inn's signboard

can be chopped up for firewood.

Fuzhi,

the capital is filled with talent.

I don't even know whether I'll pass the metropolitan exam.

How could I speak of placing first?

Mengmeng,

I heard today

that all women taking this exam will be sent to the Entertainment Bureau.

Many have withdrawn because of it.

I'm worried about you.

Why heed such absurd rumors?

How do you know they're false?

His Majesty reopened

this special examination despite opposition from every side.

This rumor

must be the work of powerful officials

who oppose women entering the civil service

and are scheming in secret.

They hope the rumors

will scare timid candidates away.

Those shameless villains

have no respect for the law.

Eat your noodles.

Ever since returning from Shazhou,

Young Master has kept mentioning mutton noodles.

The first taste must always be the broth.

It isn't as good as Shazhou's.

-Mengmeng, over here! -Fuzhi!

Give it to me. I'll carry it.

How was it? Was the exam difficult?

No.

-Did you do well? -Yes.

I knew a little metropolitan exam could never defeat you.

Fellow candidate,

you dropped your ink stick.

Thank you.

Mengmeng,

she's beautiful.

The examination hall is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

She must be no ordinary young lady.

Let's go.

I specially drew this most auspicious lot for you at Lingquan Temple.

The monk who interpreted it said your name will surely grace the honor roll.

Mengmeng, what are you searching for?

Nothing.

Perhaps I was mistaken.

Are you exhausted?

I reserved a table for you at Chunman Inn

with especially nourishing dishes

to restore your strength.

Let's go.

This way.

He's so handsome.

Dear sister, did you miss me these past three days?

I haven't seen you for a few days,

and you've already lost weight.

Why are you here all of a sudden?

Did you cause trouble again and come use me as a shield?

What a thing to say.

As your loving brother,

of course I worry about you.

I even set aside my official duties to come here.

You could have entered office through family privilege, just as I did.

Why insist on taking this special examination?

You never flatter me without a reason.

Fine.

Father sent me to fetch you.

A-Nian insisted on coming too,

but official business suddenly detained him.

I knew it.

Why else would our esteemed Lord Shen

suddenly care so much about my affairs?

Father told me to hurry you home to celebrate.

He even brought out his treasured wine.

But something is strange.

How did Father know I'd definitely pass?

-You don't believe in me? -Of course I do.

My sister could recite the Analects at three

and understood the Songs of Chu at seven.

Everyone in the capital knows

the name of the great scholar Shen.

Besides,

just look whose sister you are.

Slow down. Don't bump into anyone.

Left Chancellor.

The metropolitan examination is over.

All candidates have left the compound.

Here are the sealed examination papers.

The results will be posted tomorrow.

Today I'll release a sky lantern for you

to welcome good fortune.

May my pen carry me into public service,

change my destiny,

and protect those dearest to me.

It will.

Once you pass,

I'll open an even bigger Bofeng House in the capital.

We'll stay here together.

-We'll stay in the capital together. -Stay in the capital.

May Mengmeng's name grace the honor roll.

May Bofeng House spread across Great Ning.

I passed!

I passed!

Excuse us. Let us through.

Please let us through. Excuse us.

I passed!

I passed too!

I passed!

Why isn't your name there?

Keep looking.

That's me. Right there.

Here.

I'm here.

Why can't we find it?

Could there be a mistake?

Mengmeng.

Let me through.

Mengmeng!

Mengmeng!

Mengmeng!

Could there be a mistake?

The papers were reviewed jointly

by officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy.

There can't be a mistake.

I'll check again.

Fuzhi.

Don't.

I'm suddenly hungry.

Let's eat.

Do the officials in this capital look down on everyone?

Your essay wasn't selected?

They must all be blind.

The capital is crowded with prying ears.

Don't speak in anger.

Great Ning's seven provinces are filled with talent.

Even a Provincial Laureate

isn't guaranteed to become a Metropolitan Graduate.

The capital isn't so wonderful anyway.

It can't even serve a decent bowl of mutton noodles.

Shazhou is thriving now.

You're a Provincial Laureate.

Even if you return to Shazhou,

you could secure an official post.

Let's go back together.

Government vacancies

don't appear every year.

What use is my Provincial Laureate title?

Don't speak of yourself that way.

Master Zhuge was twenty-seven when he entered public life.

Jiang Taigong was seventy-two when his talents were recognized.

Three years from now,

I'll come with you to take the exam again.

Mengmeng, you can do it.

I've walked this path for ten years.

I worked for ten years,

but I still didn't reach the end.

I tried so hard.

I truly tried.

Mengmeng.

I know.

I saw everything.

Even if you never pass,

you are still the finest Meng Tinghui in the whole world.

You are the one and only Meng Tinghui.

The loyal and upright remain silent,

while the wicked and flattering advance by the day.

When faults go unseen,

ruin inevitably follows.

This essay is incisive.

Every word strikes at the abuses of our time,

yet it also carries a desire for reform.

More remarkably,

it is bold without overstepping.

To use women to break the impasse...

Such a startling argument

does sound exactly like her.

Huang Bo.

Who is this year's Metropolitan Laureate?

Your Majesty,

it is a woman of the An family from Qingzhou,

named Rulan.

And Meng Tinghui?

Where did she place?

Provincial Laureate Meng...

failed.

The realm is vast,

so an abundance of talented scholars is only natural.

But the brushwork and arguments

are identical.

How could that be coincidence?

That fortune from Lingquan Temple was worthless.

Shazhou's Great Buddha Temple is far better.

Mengmeng.

I brought your favorite fruit and apricot-skin cakes.

Why is it so dark? Why didn't you light a lamp?

Mengmeng?

Mengmeng!

Mengmeng!

What's wrong?

Mengmeng!

Get a physician! Quickly!

Shunzi!

Mengmeng!

Mengmeng!

Wake up, Mengmeng!

Mengmeng!

You're awake.

How could you be so cruel?

We agreed to return to Shazhou together.

You broke your promise

and tried to take your own life.

The physician said

that if we'd been one step later,

not even an immortal could have saved you.

You only failed an examination.

How could you be so foolish?

Slowly.

Someone tried to kill me.

Someone tried to kill you?

Who? Did you see them clearly?

It was too dark.

I couldn't see.

But the person was very strong.

They could have killed me outright,

yet they staged it as a suicide.

They wanted me dead

without prompting an investigation.

Fuzhi,

I must be standing in someone's way.

There must be more to my failed result.

Those damned bastards!

We'll catch them

and hang them from a beam for three days of beating.

But

we've only just arrived in the capital

and haven't offended anyone.

Who would do such a thing?

Once they learn I'm still alive,

they won't let me go.

We should leave first

and think of a plan afterward.

All right. I'll pack our things.

Forget it. Staying alive matters more.

We're leaving now.

-Let's go. -Careful.

His Majesty attaches great importance to this women's examination.

He was especially moved by An Rulan's policy essay

and personally named her Metropolitan Laureate.

He even ordered copies circulated throughout the provinces

for scholars to study.

Look.

This is my favorite passage:

'The loyal and upright remain silent,

while the wicked and flattering advance by the day.

When faults go unseen,

ruin inevitably follows.'

With writing and conviction like this,

no wonder she became Metropolitan Laureate.

-Exactly. -Yes, it's brilliantly written.

Mengmeng.

How can a scholar be so rude?

This is my policy essay.

You failed the metropolitan exam.

How dare you claim this essay is yours?

Have you lost your mind from disappointment?

-You! -You tried to hang yourself last night,

and now you're spouting such madness.

You need your head examined.

Miss Meng,

our dynasty strictly forbids examination fraud.

Such a thing couldn't possibly happen.

If Mengmeng says it's hers, then it is.

The claim that she hanged herself is absurd.

Spread that rumor again

and I'll tear your mouths apart.

Mengmeng, let's go.

You...

Mengmeng, I knew you had passed.

That An Rulan

actually stole your policy essay.

Let's report her to the authorities now

and reclaim your title as Metropolitan Laureate.

It isn't that simple.

These waters

run deeper than either of us imagined.

The Ministry of Rites oversees the examination.

Without help from officials inside,

how would An Rulan dare steal my essay?

If we report it now,

we may be walking into a trap.

This capital devours people even more viciously than Shazhou.

You nearly died once already.

I'm scared.

I'm taking you back to Shazhou.

But I did pass.

I was the Metropolitan Laureate, Fuzhi.

I can't pretend none of this happened.

I've walked this path for ten years.

I can't simply give it up now.

I won't accept that.

Fine.

Then we won't leave.

I'll stay with you.

Even if we face mountains of blades and seas of fire,

I'll face them with you.

But

we know no one in the capital.

Young Master He

and Lord Shen

are in the capital, aren't they?

Can we ask them for help?

We still know too little.

Seeking them out rashly may accomplish nothing.

Then what do we do?

They wanted to silence me

without drawing attention.

In that case,

we'll make the whole city talk about it.

Then when we report it,

the authorities will think twice before protecting them.

His Majesty has arrived.

Your servant Zhang Mingshan welcomes Your Majesty.

Rise, my ministers.

-Thank you, Your Majesty. -Thank you, Your Majesty.

Minister Zhang,

I cast a divination this morning.

The signs said

among the rejected examination papers

lies a brilliant pearl.

Surely no one was blind enough

to mistake a luminous pearl for a fish eye and throw it away?

Your Majesty is joking.

We review papers with utmost rigor. How could we...

I merely made an offhand remark.

Why are you so frightened?

Huang Bo,

does Minister Zhang's reaction

look like

a guilty conscience?

It does.

I beg permission to speak frankly.

Rumors have circulated lately

that a failed candidate,

bitter over her result,

deliberately spread false claims.

I fear someone is deceiving Your Majesty

and disrupting the court's great task of selecting talent.

Then let us make a wager.

If I find a pearl

among these rejected papers,

may I borrow your head

and use it as a cuju ball?

Your Majesty has countless affairs of state.

We have already removed

the mediocre essays on your behalf.

Why not let me present

the finest essays from those selected?

You may review them over tea.

What are you waiting for?

Bring the rejected papers.

Yes.

Zheng Ru.

According to this article,

the Metropolitan Laureate's essay was fraudulent.

Could the names of other candidates

also have been stolen?

Exactly. As the article says,

every candidate's examination paper should be made public.

-Shouldn't they? -Yes!

-Release them! -Release the papers!

-Release the papers! No more cover-ups! -Release them!

Release the papers!

What are you doing?

-Don't read that. Hand it over! -Who are these people?

Why are they acting exactly like Shazhou's Black Tiger Hall?

They must be the people who tried to kill me.

They failed last night.

Now that the matter has grown,

they won't let me go.

Even in the capital, lawless villains

dare attack openly.

-Seize them! -They're after me.

We'll split up.

Go to the Shen residence and find Lord Shen. He may be our only hope.

I'll make a public procession to the Capital Prefecture.

With so many witnesses, the authorities won't dare show favoritism.

Go!

Chancellor.

Chancellor.

Someone has written an article

claiming the Metropolitan Laureate's essay

was submitted under a false name.

The whole city is talking about it.

Examination fraud is a matter for the Ministry of Rites.

The greater the uproar, the better.

We shall watch from the sidelines

and enjoy the spectacle.

Meng Tinghui.

Have you investigated her?

Left Chancellor,

she is the common woman from Shazhou

who helped His Majesty escape.

She is skilled in underworld tricks

and acts unpredictably.

She is impossible to guard against.

Had she not interfered,

I would have brought His Majesty back long ago.

No wonder His Majesty has behaved

with increasing recklessness since returning from Shazhou.

So his judgment was bewitched

by such a lowborn temptress.

A mere insect

dares meddle in court affairs.

That woman cannot be allowed to live.

Seen this way,

a little disorder

may not be a bad thing.

Meng Tinghui scattered printed copies of the article

throughout the capital.

Vice Minister Zhang had full authority

over the metropolitan examination,

but it remains the Ministry of Rites' responsibility.

What if you are implicated?

Why panic? I warned His Majesty long ago

that a women's special examination

was utterly absurd.

Yet His Majesty insisted.

And now

Meng Tinghui has caused

a scandal that makes the realm laugh.

The one who should be worried now

is His Majesty.

I hear His Majesty has already gone to the examination compound.

The sovereign of the realm

left the palace for a temptress.

He is utterly bewitched,

foolish beyond measure.

In that case,

I will ensure this women's examination

cannot continue.

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

I deserve death.

I was careless just now

and dropped them into a water vat.

I tried with all my strength to save them,

but the examination papers...

Were you injured, Minister?

Shall I summon an imperial physician at once?

Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.

I am unharmed.

Since you're unharmed,

Vice Minister Zheng, please fetch

the transcribed copies.

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

A swarm of rats entered

the compound's side rooms last night.

Those wretched rats devoured all the copied papers.

Those wretched rats

should fall into a water vat and drown.

Your Majesty is joking.

Both ministers

have truly served with devotion

and spared no effort.

Keeping you in the Ministry of Rites

is truly a waste of your talents.

Your Majesty flatters us.

Your Majesty, the examination compound has long fallen into disrepair.

We urged the Ministry of Revenue for funds many times,

but the money never came.

That is what caused this disaster.

As Vice Minister of Rites,

I accept punishment.

Very well.

We shall do as Minister Zhang suggests.

Huang Bo,

what punishment does the law prescribe?

Your Majesty,

destroying special-examination papers

is punishable by thirty strokes each.

Administer them yourself.

Beat them here in the courtyard.

Young Lady,

I bought the pastries you requested.

Good. Carry the rouge I bought too.

Yes.

After them!

Hurry!

Where did they go?

-Search over there. -To learn how the young gentleman

solves this baffling case,

come back for the next installment!

-Bravo! -Bravo!

What's wrong?

Everyone,

I am Meng Tinghui, Provincial Laureate of Shazhou.

I came to the capital for the metropolitan exam and failed,

only to discover that the policy essay

of Metropolitan Laureate An Rulan

is identical to mine, word for word.

I am going to the Capital Prefecture

and ask the Prefect to uncover the truth.

Anyone interested

may come watch the proceedings.

See which Metropolitan Laureate is genuine,

Meng Tinghui or An Rulan,

and which is the fraud.

Should villains attack me,

please lend me your righteous aid

and bind them for the authorities.

You will be richly rewarded.

-We'll come! -We will!

Boss, there are too many people. We can't make a move.

Send someone to ask Second Master

what to do with this woman.

Who are you?

Miss,

we met outside the examination compound.

Aren't you Grand Tutor Shen's daughter, Lord Shen's younger sister?

You're the third one this month.

Whatever romantic debt my brother owes you,

you may collect it at our residence.

Why do women keep climbing into my carriage?

-Driver! -Miss Shen.

I met Lord Shen in Shazhou.

I came to ask him to uphold justice.

Uphold justice?

Where are they?

-You search there. -Move!

The rest of you, follow me.

How can you prove

that Meng Tinghui wrote the essay?

How do I know you aren't framing someone?

Under the Code of Great Ning,

examination fraud and identity theft

are punishable by exile of three thousand li.

Falsely accusing the Metropolitan Laureate is also a grave crime.

Miss Shen,

I stake my life on it.

Every word is true.

Should I utter a single lie,

you may deliver me to the authorities.

Stop!

Young Lady, a crowd is blocking the road.

Those people outside are after you.

Last night,

someone nearly murdered Meng Tinghui.

We lack power and allies,

so we could only make the matter public.

Then these men began pursuing us.

Mengmeng's fate is unknown.

Miss Shen, please act honorably and save her.

Someone saw them

climb into this carriage.

Everyone inside the carriage,

get out!

Don't worry.

Blocking an official family's carriage

earns sixty strokes and one year of penal servitude.

Being armed increases the sentence.

Withdraw at once.

So you're an official's daughter.

Our apologies.

We meant no offense.

We're only looking for a damned girl.

You...

Let's see which blind fool dares.

-A-Nian. -Captain Di.

The Shenwei Guard is patrolling the city.

You have gathered a mob,

and harassed civilians.

-Arrest them all! -Yes!

Brothers, retreat!

Stop!

Sister Zhili.

-Were you frightened? -I'm fine.

Sister Zhili,

let me escort you home.

Where is His Majesty now?

I just...

Did you lose count?

You can't even count properly?

Your Majesty, please understand.

I felt sorry for the two ministers

and went soft, so I lost count.

Since you can't count,

start the beating again from the beginning.

Please don't!

Ten... fifteen.

You remember it very clearly.

It seems the blows still aren't hard enough.

Huang Bo.

Continue.

One hundred candidates passed this metropolitan examination.

Yet Meng Tinghui, Shazhou's Provincial Laureate,

failed.

I found that suspicious.

I wasn't certain before,

but now the papers have been destroyed one after another.

Tell me,

is that merely coincidence?

I truly don't know, Your Majesty.

Then find someone who does.

Summon every proctor,

copyist, sealing clerk, and examiner from this year's examination.

Investigating them will take time.

Perhaps

we should give him thirty strokes first.

I'll confess!

I'm willing to confess!

The examination was rigged!

There was no fairness!

Everyone, come and see!

How could such a thing happen?

Fraud in the special examination!

There's a spectacle. Let's go!

Scholar Meng Tinghui,

Provincial Laureate of Shazhou,

had her policy essay stolen by An Rulan,

and is going to the Capital Prefecture to seek justice.

She will expose the truth of the examination fraud

and restore fairness to the metropolitan examination.

It's Meng Tinghui.

Come on. Follow her to the Capital Prefecture.

Everyone, let's go together!

Demand justice!

-Demand justice! -Demand justice!

Scholar Meng Tinghui

accuses Metropolitan Laureate An Rulan

of stealing her policy essay.

Prefect, please uphold justice.

The Master said,

'Think thrice before acting.'

Twice is enough.

You spread this article throughout the capital

and caused an uproar.

Do you have evidence?

Prefect, summon An Rulan

and let us confront each other in court.

Prefect,

she gathered all those people outside.

Summon Metropolitan Laureate An.

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