Original subtitles

The Scholar and the Emperor

I know how furious you are.

But only by planning carefully

can we capture them all at once.

I watched A-Yue die before my eyes.

How can I remain calm?

Your Majesty, I have come to escort you back...

I will think carefully before acting.

The Bureau now has the case.

Your Majesty, please return to the palace.

What do you plan to do next?

I need to know.

Otherwise, I cannot rest easy.

Since the gambling house has discovered my identity,

and Lü Da bears a grudge against me,

they will not spare me.

I believe

they will come looking for me.

If they come for you,

only two outcomes:

recruit you,

or kill you.

I will handle it myself.

Farewell, Your Majesty.

This way, please.

Certainly.

Come again.

-I'll get the shopkeeper. -All right.

Shopkeeper Yan.

I am Hao Wenming, proprietor of Xingrong Gambling House.

Today,

I came especially to visit...

Official Meng.

So it is Proprietor Hao.

What business do you have with Official Meng?

Official Meng

is not someone you may see whenever you please.

Shopkeeper Yan,

I have come with tremendous sincerity

and substantial benefits.

This is Jade Nectar,

made in the bitterest cold.

Its brewing process is extremely complex.

It is rich and bracing, with a lingering finish.

In the entire capital,

only I, Hao Wenming, can obtain it.

I can

supply this wine exclusively to Bofeng House

at thirty percent

below market price.

Should you find that acceptable,

we may consider this the start of our partnership.

In return, introduce me to Official Meng.

What do you say?

This wine...

is rather interesting.

One honored guest. Upstairs, please.

Shopkeeper,

what did you hear from across the street?

I heard Proprietor Hao

seemed to have come especially for Official Meng.

It seems Official Meng's case

concerns Xingrong Gambling House.

I knew it.

That Yan Fuzhi and Meng Tinghui

must have

some shameful arrangement between them.

-Exactly. -Today,

I will file a complaint against them.

Official Meng.

I have long heard of your reputation.

Only after seeing you today

do I understand beauty that makes fish sink and geese fall,

and talent beyond compare.

For you to meet me today

means my ancestors must be smiling upon me.

My ancestors are smiling?

My ancestral graves must have exploded.

Listen to me ramble.

The moment I saw Official Meng,

I became somewhat incoherent.

Proprietor Hao,

one does not visit without a reason.

What brings you here

today?

I heard

that Official Meng visited Xingrong Gambling House last night.

I failed to welcome you personally

or ensure you enjoyed yourself.

It was truly inexcusable.

So today,

I came especially to apologize,

and also

to become

kindred spirits with Official Meng

and form a friendship.

Official Meng.

Open it.

This is of exceptional quality.

And these pearls

are so large and perfectly round, my lord.

You certainly have a discerning eye.

Little brother,

this necklace...

No...

Here... Take it and enjoy it.

Official Meng and I

are discussing a business deal today.

Once it is settled,

we will be brothers.

My lord.

Brother Hao is most sincere.

Think it over.

Bring two more.

Proprietor Hao,

I have heard Xingrong Gambling House

has powerful patrons behind it.

Your business

must be far from simple.

Official Meng.

You truly are well informed.

To be honest,

our gambling house

does have some powerful patrons.

But those connections are minor.

We still need

a patron like you, Official Meng,

to lend us your support.

Official Meng.

Please, sit.

Official Meng,

you only need to sign this partnership agreement.

From now on,

we will be in the same boat.

Since this is a partnership agreement,

there are some things

you must tell me honestly.

What business

is really conducted on the second floor?

And who exactly

are those masked gamblers?

Official Meng,

certain secrets

may only be told to those in the same boat.

Once you sign,

I guarantee

I will tell you everything I know.

Official Meng,

why do you hesitate?

Do you not trust me,

or do you not wish to become one of us?

I am only wondering

whether a mere twenty percent

is worth risking my official post.

Exactly.

I demand at least...

-Sev... -Thirty percent.

Thirty percent.

Not a fraction less,

or this agreement is void.

Official Meng,

you certainly know how to bargain.

Thirty percent it is.

-Bring a brush. -My lord.

On second thought,

signing this agreement

may leave evidence against me.

-Bring the brush. -Little brother.

Official Meng, how decisive.

Proprietor Hao,

what about what I asked earlier?

We are on the same side now.

Let us drink and talk.

-Come. -Come.

Well...

On the second floor,

certain special guests

require special entertainment.

You understand, little brother.

I understand...

Come, little brother.

-Come. -Cheers.

I heard

the once-every-fortnight...

Flower Banquet

is quite lively.

Brother.

Come, little brother.

Come, little brother.

As for me,

I would also like to join the fun

and see it for myself.

Normally,

since we are now one of us,

going upstairs

would be no problem.

However...

What are you looking for, brother?

Tomorrow's Flower Banquet

will not be held upstairs.

It will be at our leader's estate in the western suburbs,

Spring Night Courtyard.

That is not a place just anyone can enter.

Even if you wish to go,

you must wait.

Brother,

your leader is truly mysterious.

The last time I met him,

he nearly killed me.

As the saying goes,

friendship often follows a fight.

Come, have a drink.

Come, little brother.

Official Meng.

What was your leader's name again?

Ling Yunfei.

Ling Yunfei.

Fei...

Fei.

She is nothing but a greedy female official.

Now that she has signed the agreement,

she will have to obey me.

Leader,

Meng Tinghui

obediently signed the agreement.

From now on,

she can no longer interfere with us.

You can trust

how I handle matters.

These officials

act virtuous in public,

but engage in sordid dealings in private.

Their greatest fear is exposure.

Over the years,

we have used these agreements

to control many officials in the capital.

It seems

Meng Tinghui

is nothing special after all.

Meng Tinghui nearly died by my hand.

without even blinking.

One drinking session was enough?

It was more than one drinking session.

There was also a large chest of gold, silver, and jewels.

She will also receive

thirty percent of our profits.

How generous of you.

Exactly how many secrets

did you reveal to her while drunk?

My lord, be careful.

This Flower Banquet

is even more remote than I imagined.

Do not worry, my lord.

As long as we follow Hao Wenming's carriage,

we will be able to track them.

My lord,

His Majesty has not yet replied to our secret memorial.

Acting now exceeds our authority.

Not this again.

If we await approval for everything,

it will be far too late.

Go back if you are afraid.

Had I truly been afraid,

I would not be here.

I was appointed Assistant Director by imperial decree.

I follow the laws of the court,

unlike you,

who relies only on clever tricks

and reckless schemes.

Reckless schemes?

Your laws are useless

against the Tiger Roar Gang.

Stop arguing.

We must adapt in an emergency.

Let us follow them first.

We must keep our distance.

No!

Get away!

The Leader truly foresaw everything.

The guards reported

that Meng Tinghui and two trusted aides

have gone to Spring Night Courtyard.

Everything is within the Leader's grasp.

Exactly how many secrets

did you reveal to her while drunk?

Leader, do not worry.

I kept distracting her with idle chatter.

I also held something back.

I deliberately gave her a false location for the Flower Banquet.

Even if she goes there,

she will find nothing.

That is not enough.

If she dares come,

I will ensure she never leaves.

Are we abandoning the carriage? This...

Are we here?

Let us go take a look.

My lord...

Run!

Is there enough gunpowder?

Do not worry, Leader.

It will blow them to ashes.

I heard the Xiyan flower

is greatly beloved in Beijian.

Many musicians often wear it as an ornament.

I specifically ordered

the banquet decorated with these flowers.

I wonder whether they please the envoys.

We appreciate

Your Majesty's kindness.

However, Beijian is bitterly cold throughout the year

and has always prized the snow lotus.

This Xiyan flower is rarely seen there.

I see.

I wondered why so many treasures presented by your kingdom

were intricately carved with snow-lotus patterns.

Now I understand.

By order of our sovereign,

I have come to pay homage.

We wish only for Beijian and Great Ning

to remain bound in lasting friendship.

Great Ning likewise wishes

to maintain friendly relations with Beijian,

securing peace along the frontier.

Zhili.

Zhili.

My lord.

My lord.

You are injured.

I have medicine.

Are you all right?

Yin Qing.

Are you all right?

I am fine.

It is only a superficial wound.

This carriage

was never heading to Spring Night Courtyard.

Where can we find the real Flower Banquet now?

I know where the Flower Banquet really is.

Leader.

Stop!

Do not move!

Do not move!

Do not move. Kneel!

You animals!

Official Meng, little brother,

what is the meaning of this spectacle?

Are you here to destroy my business?

Hao Wenming, relying on the Tiger Roar Gang's power,

used gambling as a cover

to traffic women.

You have now been caught red-handed.

Official Meng,

do not falsely accuse an innocent man.

We are merely holding a banquet

and playing a few games.

Games?

Allowing women to be humiliated at will

is what you call a game?

Official Meng.

Why get so angry?

We are all on the same side.

They are all our own people.

Who is on your side?

My lord is innocent and upright.

How dare you slander her?

Little brother,

why turn on me now?

A few days ago, I gave you a necklace

-worth a fortune... -Enough nonsense.

Arrest them.

-Wait... -Outrageous!

Under the Son of Heaven's very feet,

such depravity is being committed.

The Court arrived just in time.

Vice Minister Zheng.

These animals...

I received a report from the people

accusing Meng Tinghui of taking bribes

and engaging in group debauchery.

I have come to investigate thoroughly.

An obscene gathering?

My lord came here to investigate a case.

There must be a misunderstanding.

I have already sent men to search Bofeng House for illicit property.

Whether this is a misunderstanding

will soon be clear.

Hurry...

Officers,

what is happening?

-Search the place. -Yes.

You...

What are you doing?

Vice Minister Zheng, please judge fairly.

Meng Tinghui abused her authority

and forced me to sign an agreement

giving her thirty percent of my gambling house's profits.

She threatened

that if I refused,

she would make trouble for my gambling house.

Hao Wenming,

you are quite skilled at making false accusations.

Vice Minister Zheng,

please look.

It is written clearly here

with Meng Tinghui's own signature.

This...

Proprietor Hao,

where is the handwriting you mentioned?

You dare

slander an imperial official without evidence?

My lord.

Proprietor Hao,

perhaps you are still drunk?

Are you playing tricks with me?

Uncle Hao.

There is also a chest of gold, silver, and jewels.

Yes, a chest of jewels.

She extorted it from me as a deposit.

My lord, these are the illicit goods

we found at Bofeng House.

This is the evidence.

Vice Minister Zheng,

please uphold justice for us.

This is my personal property,

not illicit goods.

Nonsense.

You are merely a newly appointed sixth-rank official.

Where did you get so much wealth?

It was naturally a gift from my lord's dear friend, Shopkeeper Yan,

to thank my lord

for devising strategies to run Bofeng House.

Bullshit!

That is all my silver.

I am telling you, these chests

were specially made for Xingrong Gambling House

and bear our seal.

Do you dare let the soldiers inspect them?

This is my lord's property.

Why should you search it?

This is outright harassment.

You cannot determine ownership

from a seal alone.

That is far too careless. I refuse to accept it.

Stop twisting the facts!

If the bottom of the chest

bears Xingrong Gambling House's seal,

then it is my silver.

If it bears Bofeng House's seal,

then it is yours.

You are feeling guilty.

Move aside.

Hands off.

My lord.

Please look.

This...

Proprietor Hao,

you just said yourself

that the silver belongs to whoever's seal

appears on the bottom of the chest.

Vice Minister Zheng and all the officers

saw it with your own eyes.

The bottom bears Bofeng House's seal.

Therefore, the silver belongs to my lord.

Hao Wenming,

from the moment you handed me the agreement,

you had already lost.

I played this entire scene with you.

Are you satisfied?

Meng... Meng Tinghui,

you...

Vice Minister Zheng, please investigate carefully.

She must have tampered with it.

You must redress our grievance.

Meng Tinghui,

you have always acted recklessly.

A few words from your people

cannot clear your suspicion.

Come with me to the Court.

If you are innocent,

I will see justice done.

The Court cannot interfere with a Bureau investigation.

If Vice Minister Zheng wishes to question anyone,

wait until we take them

back to the Bureau.

I am acting according to the law.

I will not allow you to obstruct me.

That man wears a red jade thumb ring

engraved with a caged bird.

You are the one who harmed A-Yue.

You colluded with Hao Wenming

and all the gamblers

at the Flower Banquet.

You did not come here to investigate today.

You came for me.

Meng Tinghui,

stop speaking nonsense.

A-Yue's testimony is at the Bureau.

If you deny it,

you can confront her here and now.

You are merely a sixth-rank official.

What can you possibly do to me?

Open your eyes and look carefully.

This is the staff bestowed by His Majesty.

If only one of us

can leave this gambling house alive,

it will certainly be me.

Divine Guard, hear my command.

Anyone who takes another step

is to be executed on the spot.

His Majesty has arrived.

Remove the masks

from these beasts.

Yes.

Is that not Academician Liu of the Hanlin Academy?

You certainly remain vigorous despite your age.

Assistant Shen,

you... You have mistaken me for someone else.

Is that not Vice Minister Zhang of Revenue?

These gentlemen here

also look rather familiar.

What a fine group of hypocritical

parasites of the state.

Since you are all so afraid

to show your true faces,

let them remain dressed like this

and parade them from the gambling house to the imperial prison.

Let the people of the capital see

what kind of beasts

hide beneath these fine robes.

Zheng and his accomplices

are to be imprisoned immediately

to await judgment.

-Move. -Move.

You two, stop standing there.

Your Majesty,

may these women

be placed under the Bureau's care?

I place this case entirely in your hands.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Yin Qing.

Get up. It is all right now.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Official Meng's skill at swapping one thing for another

has certainly improved.

Well?

Will you confess honestly on your own,

or shall I wait...

Stop pretending.

Only the two of us are here.

If you continue pretending,

you may truly sleep until tomorrow morning.

Your Majesty,

I deserve ten thousand deaths.

My first fault was failing to report to Your Majesty beforehand.

The situation was urgent,

and I did not wish to miss the opportunity.

My second fault

was accepting Hao Wenming's wealth.

But I did not do so out of greed.

It was only to gain his trust.

Furthermore,

I did not truly sign the agreement.

Your Majesty, that is all.

In that case,

not only are you blameless,

but you anticipated every possibility.

You even calculated precisely when to send Zhili for reinforcements,

without the slightest error,

allowing me the honor of witnessing

the deep sisterly bond between Official Meng and Shopkeeper Yan,

as you boldly claimed black was white

and the greedy were incorruptible.

I never expected Official Meng

to possess the bearing of such a treacherous minister.

So Your Majesty knew all along.

Rise and speak.

I want to know:

had I

not arrived in time today,

how would you have resolved matters?

I had the Divine Guard.

The Divine Guard now belongs to you?

Naturally, they belong to Your Majesty.

The Tiger Roar Gang's money also belongs to Your Majesty

and is not supervised by the Left Chancellor.

Your Majesty may use it freely.

Very well.

It seems Official Meng

can now even earn

private funds for me,

using silver to silence me

and leaving me unable to blame you.

I humbly beg Your Majesty

to forgive me this once.

Those women

wished to leave their hometowns through their own efforts.

They were educated and principled,

seeking only to serve the realm.

Seeing them...

suffering such torment

breaks my heart.

I had to obtain justice for them.

I humbly beg Your Majesty...

I never said I would punish you.

Yet you began pleading guilty on your own.

Enough pretending. Get up.

Meng Tinghui.

You have a fever, yet you still force yourself.

You are selfish and self-serving,

and every word from your mouth is a lie.

Once exposed, you resort to clever arguments.

Pretending innocence and acting pitiful come naturally to you.

You are cunning, deceitful, and duplicitous.

How do I know you are not deceiving me?

Young Master remembers me remarkably well.

What skill is there

in bullying a helpless woman?

Those who dare deceive me

have only death awaiting them.

You accursed jinx.

Do not come back, shameless woman.

This time,

we are truly even.

So you also have

such an obedient side.

My lord, the medicine is ready.

Your Majesty.

It is so late. You are still here?

Why are you here so late?

-Without even knocking. -Your Majesty.

My lord was injured today

and was also frightened after being taken hostage.

So I prepared a bowl of medicinal decoction for her.

Let her drink it when she wakes tomorrow.

You may leave.

But...

Yes.

Wait.

I saw that you were also injured today.

You have worked hard.

Rest early.

So Your Majesty was concerned about me.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Meng Tinghui, Director of the Bureau of Intelligence,

uncovered the Tiger Roar Gang's gambling operation,

rescued numerous female scholars,

and eliminated corrupt officials from the court.

Her service is outstanding.

She is hereby promoted from Secondary Sixth Rank to Secondary Fifth Rank

as a reward.

Furthermore,

all members of the Bureau of Intelligence are also to be rewarded

in recognition of their merit.

Thank you for Your Majesty's great grace.

Your Majesty,

countless families have been torn apart,

and countless homes destroyed,

all because of gambling.

Xingrong Gambling House was not only involved in crime,

but also abducted and trafficked innocent women,

while winning over court officials.

It harmed the state and the people

and was truly a grave national threat.

I ask Your Majesty to protect all women under heaven

and prevent such tragedies from happening again.

That is precisely my intention.

Chief Steward You.

Proclaim the decree.

From this day onward,

anyone who abducts or traffics people,

once convicted, whether principal or accomplice,

shall be executed immediately.

Their property shall be confiscated,

and their families exiled three thousand li.

Every prefecture must conduct strict inspections

to prevent abduction and fraud.

Any negligence

will be severely punished.

Furthermore, throughout Great Ning,

all gambling is prohibited.

Anyone who operates a gambling house:

the principal offender shall be beheaded, and accomplices flogged one hundred strokes

and exiled one thousand li.

Gamblers shall be flogged eight hundred strokes

and fined one hundred taels.

Every prefecture must investigate and enforce this strictly.

Anyone who shields offenders will receive the same punishment.

Thank you, Official Meng, for saving us from misery.

Thank you, Assistant Shen.

Thank you, my lords.

Scholars, there is no need to thank us.

We have reported the matter to the court

and requested compensation for you.

Those who wish to return home

will be given sufficient travel expenses.

Those who wish to remain in the capital

will be properly settled.

Anyone who wishes to take the imperial examination

will receive the Bureau's full recommendation.

The Bureau of Intelligence will be your steadfast support.

Official Meng,

although I have suffered greatly,

I still wish to take the imperial examination,

earn official honors like you,

and become a good official.

My hometown lies far on the frontier.

Most women there are confined to their homes.

I wish to return and teach,

so they may know

that women can also carve out a world for themselves.

Women indeed face greater hardship than men in this world.

But as long as there is light in your hearts,

the clouds will part to reveal the sun.

Seeing that you possess such resolve,

we can rest easy.

Education

will always give people hope.

Thank you, Official Meng.

Thank you, Assistant Shen.

You are all role models for women.

With a blade hanging at your neck,

you still have the leisure for such refinement?

Why are you in such a hurry, brother?

Are you afraid the flames will burn too fiercely

and scorch that official robe of yours?

Hao Wenming is on the Bureau's torture rack.

How long do you think he can hold out before talking?

If he dares reveal another word,

I will have his entire family buried with him.

Restrain yourself,

next time it will be the Divine Guard who comes.

Such imposing official authority, brother.

When you used my gambling house's honey trap

to pave the way for your promotion,

where was this mercy of yours?

Now that the matter has been exposed,

you wish to burn the bridge after crossing it?

The gambling ban costs me ten thousand taels every day.

I must settle this debt.

You are utterly insane.

Do you wish to repeat

sacrificing your kin for justice?

Over the years,

every illicit payment you accepted

is recorded here.

The Bureau of Intelligence will certainly be interested.

Do not worry.

I value family even more than you do.

After all, you are my only blood relative.

What happened back then

was my fault.

But at the time,

I had no other choice.

Though we were born of different mothers,

that day, when you were pinned in the mud and begged for help,

the way you called me "brother"

has stayed with me for twenty years.

Do you think the Tiger Roar Gang reached this point

through luck alone?

Then now,

can you turn the gambling ban into a worthless piece of paper?

I will do everything possible to maneuver at court.

But you must restrain yourself.

For now, do not make another move against Meng Tinghui.