Original subtitles

The Scholar and the Emperor

-Hurry up. -Easy! My leg!

Chief, while I was following Meng Tinghui,

I found this cripple following her too.

He was the gatekeeper at our gambling house.

The last time Meng Tinghui went there,

he was the one who spotted her.

He told me

he has a way to bring Meng Tinghui down.

Who exactly are you?

Chief.

I am Meng Tinghui's enemy.

I knew that girl ten years ago.

She is the one who ruined my leg.

Because of Meng Tinghui,

I became a cripple despised by everyone.

I had to change my name

and flee my homeland.

For ten years, I have not slept a peaceful night.

I long to devour her flesh and drink her blood, Chief.

My hatred for that wretch

is no less than yours.

I want to join the Tiger Roar Gang.

Become my protector,

and I will help you eliminate her.

I investigated him.

Ten years ago, he was indeed in Shazhou,

trafficking children.

A man who even dared sell children

thinks he can bargain with me?

Spare me, Chief!

I truly lost my senses back then.

I deserve to die.

But Chief,

Meng Tinghui's dearest sister

died by my hand.

I know what she fears and hates.

With me,

you can bring her down. Please give me a chance.

All right.

I will let you try.

Remember, you are merely a cripple

driven mad by his thirst for revenge.

You have absolutely nothing

-to do with the Tiger Roar Gang. -Thank you, Chief.

Wait.

Do not add salt until the meat turns golden.

Miss Yan,

this is the authentic Beijian method.

You...

Would you know better than someone from Shazhou?

Mengmeng, you be the judge.

Mengmeng.

Why are you so distracted?

Nothing.

I may have been overworked lately

and unable to settle my mind.

Then relax properly today.

Young Lord Shen has spared no expense

on this grand banquet to celebrate your success.

He chose to hold the feast here.

I suspect the wine is not his true concern.

There are so many restaurants on Changle Street,

yet he chose your Bofeng House.

His intentions are hardly insignificant.

That is because I have the finest view

and the best roasted meat.

As for Shen Zhishu,

apart from that face,

what else does he have to offer?

He spends all day flirting with women.

He is clearly unreliable.

Last time...

Last time, I even saw him at Huiyin House.

You even remember which butterfly he was chasing

that time so clearly.

You...

I merely felt

sorry for the ladies of the capital.

Shopkeeper Yan,

you must answer for speaking behind someone's back.

You clearly just said

that my face was worth looking at.

Young Lord Shen is here.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

No need for ceremony. I brought some fine wine today

to celebrate with everyone.

Rise.

I do not know what is wrong with my legs.

Whenever I see His Majesty, they stop obeying me

and want to kneel and kowtow again and again.

Shen Zhishu, why did you not tell me His Majesty was coming?

Although I invited everyone today,

I did so at His Majesty's request

to celebrate Official Meng's success.

The Left Chancellor has recently been sending

many noblewomen into the palace to press His Majesty to choose an empress.

-His Majesty came out to escape the commotion. -Enough.

Let us eat.

The lamb is ready.

There are also dishes from my hometown.

Please try them.

Anything you cooked

His Majesty would not dare taste anything you cooked.

Then perhaps we should taste it for His Majesty first.

Fresh and delicious.

It is good.

My lord has excellent taste. I like it too.

What is this?

How dare you, Yin Qing!

You tried to poison His Majesty!

No...

This is fish mint.

It is edible.

Look, my lord is enjoying it.

Perhaps His Majesty's tastes

and my lord's tastes differ...

greatly.

Huang Bo, bring the wine.

Wait.

The weather has been turning colder,

so I brewed some fruit wine

for everyone to taste.

Wonderful!

My turn.

This fruit wine

nourishes the complexion

and makes one glow.

However...

for Official Meng and Miss Yan,

its effects will be rather ordinary.

-Why? -Why?

Because you two

are naturally beautiful.

Yin Qing,

you have been working nonstop.

Sit down and rest.

Certainly.

The lamb has gone a little cold.

-It needs reheating. -I will do it.

The fruit wine is cold too. Warm it up.

Of course. Here I go again.

Yin Qing, I will help you.

How could your cooking compare with his?

Sit.

If Your Majesty has any grievance against me,

please say it directly.

When have I ever had a grievance against you?

Then why is Your Majesty making things difficult for my colleague?

You call that making things difficult?

It seems Director Meng

cares far more about her colleagues than about me.

Your Majesty.

Changle Street was crowded with people and carriages.

I am sorry to have kept Your Majesty waiting.

I also spent a little time dressing,

which delayed me.

Sit down and try the specialties of Shazhou.

Come, sit over here.

I know you do not eat ginger.

This has neither scallions nor garlic.

I guarantee you will like it.

Thank you, Yin Qing.

You are always the kindest and most attentive.

So there is someone in this world

who understands Zhili's tastes better than you.

Still,

it is good for Zhili to spend more time with Yin Qing.

After all, she is an unmarried young woman.

It is better than being too close to her teacher.

Sister Shen, Captain Di,

you are late. You must drink three cups as punishment.

Very well.

I will drink

Sister Zhili's share for her.

There is no need...

Captain Di, sit down.

This

is fruit wine I brewed myself.

It is good for the complexion.

Do you know Sister Zhili cannot hold her liquor?

Today is a celebration. We should enjoy ourselves.

Tomorrow,

we will surely find a clue to the Tiger Roar Gang.

Then let us wish

for everything to go smoothly tomorrow.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

Official Meng stands high above everyone

and can naturally speak grandly of conscience.

But for people like us,

kindness...

only makes us die sooner.

You use having no choice as an excuse

to help tyrants commit evil with a clear conscience?

As a fellow woman,

you watched those girls

be pushed into a living hell.

You heard them cry and beg for help,

yet you smiled as you handed their tormentors the whip.

A-Yue was only eighteen.

She was tortured to death.

Have you never had nightmares at night?

Nightmares?

Official Meng,

this is what

the conscience you speak of brought me.

I was only fourteen

when I was sold there.

They tortured me like livestock.

I was locked in the gambling house dungeon.

They chained me to an iron post

for an entire month,

drugged me,

and then hung me naked

from the gambling house's second floor.

They let every gambler wager

on how many days it would take me to beg.

Do you think I had a choice?

Either submit

or die.

I did not want to die.

I wanted to live.

Even if I had to live like a ghost,

I still wanted to live.

Was I wrong?

Official Meng,

Not everyone is entitled

to live with clean hands like you.

Tell me about the dealings

between Xingrong Gambling House and the Tiger Roar Gang.

I stake my life on it:

I will avenge this blood debt for you.

Fumeng,

you still hate them, do you not?

You hate the people who made you this way.

But if you continue helping them commit evil,

you are stabbing the girl you once were.

If Hao Wenming truly regarded you as one of his own,

why are you

still confined to the gambling house?

Fumeng,

you know their methods better than anyone.

Speak.

Have you ever considered

what they fear?

What they fear most

is people like you

standing up to testify against them.

But what you want to know,

I truly know nothing about.

Hao Wenming

never allowed those under him

to ask about the Tiger Roar Gang.

We only handled odd jobs at the gambling house

and sent the girls into the private rooms.

So I have never met anyone from the Tiger Roar Gang.

You became Hao Wenming's most trusted aide,

and you still pretend to know nothing?

Hao Wenming

was extremely cautious.

Besides, with matters at this point,

what reason would I have to hide anything?

I will die either way.

Let me serve those girls

as an ox or horse in the afterlife.

I will kneel before them

and beg forgiveness.

My lord.

Our only breakthrough now is Hao Wenming.

Brother Hao, wake up.

Fumeng has confessed everything

about Xingrong Gambling House and the Tiger Roar Gang.

If you can tell us something new,

you may be allowed to live.

She does not know a damn thing.

You two little brats

are trying to trick me.

Under severe punishment, cowards emerge.

Under great rewards, brave men emerge.

Would you care to gamble with your life?

Let us see whether, if you keep silent,

the Tiger Roar Gang comes to rescue you

or comes to kill you.

Tell us everything you know about Ling Yunfei

and every court official colluding with the Tiger Roar Gang.

Do not omit a single word.

Hao Wenming,

this is your only chance to live.

My lord,

why waste words on him?

Until he tastes the branding iron,

he will keep pretending to be tough.

I...

I will confess...

I will.

I will tell you everything.

I will write down

everything I know.

Guards!

Call a physician.

Yes.

You would rather die than confess.

I fear death,

but I fear Ling Yunfei even more.

A traitor's

entire family is buried with him.

That is the Tiger Roar Gang's rule.

The day I boarded this ship,

I wrote my will

for my wife and children.

You only need to stand up and testify,

and I can destroy the Tiger Roar Gang.

Official Meng.

You...

are good people.

What happened to me today

is entirely what I deserve.

You cannot defeat him.

Besides...

The one you are fighting

has never

been him alone.

Who else is there?

Tell me.

Official Meng,

I beg you...

For my family's sake,

just say

that I confessed nothing.

Where is the physician?

Physician!

Hao Wenming!

You have worked hard on the case these past few days

and have hardly eaten a proper meal.

Set official business aside tonight

and try Bofeng House's

new signature dishes.

All right.

There are many guests tonight.

I will attend to the front hall.

You must all eat properly.

All right.

Especially you.

I have no appetite.

Our bluff failed.

Fumeng said

the only person in contact with the Tiger Roar Gang

was Hao Wenming.

Now Hao Wenming is dead,

and every lead is gone.

Ling Yunfei's whereabouts are unknown.

And the force behind him...

who exactly are they?

I previously suspected

that the cross Wan Kai left behind

may instead concern someone's identity.

Before dying, Hao Wenming also deliberately said

that I was not fighting Ling Yunfei alone.

Lü Er also mentioned the person behind him before he died.

Could all three clues

point to the same person?

It is possible.

Could this cross

be part of a written character?

"Xiang."

Could it

refer to a Chancellor?

Someone with overwhelming power...

That could very well be the Left Chancellor.

Add a box beneath the cross and it forms "Gu."

It could also point to the Right Chancellor.

Absolutely impossible.

I know my teacher's character well.

He is not the kind of treacherous schemer

who would collude with Ling Yunfei.

I will stake my reputation on him.

I was only making a guess.

Why take it so seriously?

That was hardly a guess.

It was baseless nonsense.

Zhili also has a point.

Without conclusive evidence,

every suspicion is merely speculation.

To uncover the truth,

we must find Ling Yunfei.

Other shops on Changle Street

may also be connected to the Tiger Roar Gang.

We cannot let go

of even the slightest possibility.

-Yes. -Yes.

Then we...

should eat properly.

Especially you.

-Shopkeeper Yan. -Shopkeeper Yan.

Is Official Meng here today?

Could we meet Official Meng?

Meet Mengmeng?

Yes. Official Meng destroyed

the wicked Xingrong Gambling House in one stroke

and saved so many women.

-She is truly a heroine among women. -Shopkeeper Yan.

You are here too.

Come, let me through.

Though Shopkeeper Yan and Official Meng are not sisters by blood,

they are closer than true sisters.

To have such a friend

-is truly enviable. -Shopkeeper Yan.

We came because of her reputation.

Could you make an exception

and let us meet Official Meng?

Yes.

Please let us meet her.

Everyone, please be patient.

Official Meng is busy today and cannot be disturbed.

However,

I will personally cook for all of you today.

-Great! -Great!

Please come inside.

We finally get to taste Shopkeeper Yan's cooking.

Mengmeng.

What is wrong?

Mengmeng.

Mengmeng, sit down first.

Slowly.

Mengmeng, I made sugarcane water especially for you.

It replenishes the blood, relieves dryness, and nourishes digestion.

Drink some more.

Mengmeng,

Bofeng House was bustling today.

So many people came,

all hoping to see you.

They all called you a hero of Great Ning.

The more they praise me,

the worse I feel.

Every lead to the Tiger Roar Gang is now gone.

If we cannot capture Ling Yunfei,

all that praise

will eventually turn into condemnation.

You cannot put so much pressure on yourself.

Fuzhi,

I am no longer the orphan girl from Shazhou

who had nothing.

Now I wear an official robe

and carry the people's hopes.

I understand even more clearly where

the Bureau's official lantern should shine.

The Tiger Roar Gang must be eliminated

so desperate people hidden in dark corners

can have a little more hope.

Of course I believe in you.

But you must promise me:

when you hold an umbrella over others,

protect yourself first.

-I must leave now. -Where are you going?

Back to the palace to report our leads to His Majesty,

before he suspects me of withholding information again.

Miss Meng.

Miss Meng!

I have come today with betrothal gifts

to take you as my wife.

Miss Meng.

So you do not even know

which one is Miss Meng?

Then this lady must be Miss Meng.

I never imagined you were even more beautiful than the rumors.

You are so lovely. I am determined to marry you.

Stop.

You think you are worthy?

Who are you?

I never conceal my name or identity.

Xu Ting, the current Left Chancellor, is my father.

I am his only son,

Xu Runze.

Miss Meng,

trust me.

If the two of us marry,

we will be a match made in heaven:

a talented man and a beautiful woman. No, wait...

a talented woman and a handsome man.

Keep your distance.

Young Master Xu,

does your father know you are out here embarrassing yourself?

My father said

that a true man

must charge forward once he sees what he wants.

Besides, I already wrote the marriage contract.

Today, the handsome

and charming Xu Runze

wishes to marry the breathtaking

and talented Meng Tinghui.

In this life,

she shall be his only one.

Thank you all for your support.

Every expense at Bofeng House today

is on me.

Eat and drink to your hearts' content.

Wonderful!

-Eat up. Everyone, sit. -Yan Fuzhi!

Young Master Xu,

you and I have never met.

How can there be any talk of marriage?

Please leave Bofeng House at once.

It seems

Young Master Xu has gone foolish from studying too much.

No...

My father said

I am foolish because I studied too little.

That is why I need a talented wife to improve the family bloodline.

Miss Meng, just consider it...

for the sake of the Xu family's future descendants.

-Marry me. -Young Master Xu.

Please stop making jokes at my expense.

Miss Meng, I sincerely wish to marry you.

My family has power, influence, and wealth.

You need not worry that you are unworthy of me.

When I, Xu Runze, take a wife,

I do not care about her family background.

She only needs to be clever and well-read like you.

Servants!

Carry every betrothal gift into Bofeng House.

Put them down.

Let us see who dares.

-Who dares enter? -Wait.

Young Master Xu,

you are humiliating Miss Meng.

Miss Situ,

what gives you the right to say that?

Is Miss Meng the sort of woman

who would be swayed by lavish betrothal gifts?

By making such a spectacle,

what position have you placed her in?

Miss Meng, let me explain.

Young Master Xu,

if you keep talking,

you will only make matters worse.

If you sincerely wish to marry Miss Meng,

let us go to Huiyin House.

I have a plan.

Miss Situ, let us leave at once.

Young Master Xu,

what about your betrothal gifts?

They say the Left Chancellor has a son with a most unusual mind.

Today, I finally witnessed it.

-You... -Chief Steward You.

His Majesty is handling state affairs and cannot be disturbed.

Huang Bo,

you brat, how can you be so unreasonable?

It is precisely because I know

His Majesty is busy with state affairs

that I came especially to ease his worries.

Stop blocking me.

Chief Steward You,

His Majesty ordered that no one disturb him.

Please do not make things difficult for me.

What?

Am I merely "no one"?

Others come to trouble His Majesty.

I came to make him happy.

Let me in.

What are you doing...?

Your Majesty...

Your Majesty,

this old servant heard you have been

overwhelmed with state affairs lately.

I spent ten days and nights

preparing a wonderful performance for you.

-Please, Your Majesty... -Let us go.

Wonderful. Coming...

Your Majesty, the dance begins.

This is the surprise

you spent ten days and nights preparing?

Your Majesty,

are you surprised?

Are you delighted? Was it unexpected?

These noble ladies

are the finest dancers in the capital,

especially Lady Wen.

You truly understand me.

Thank you for the praise.

Your Majesty,

you must not leave.

These ladies are all daughters of important ministers.

If you walk away like this,

will you not chill the hearts of your loyal officials?

All my painstaking effort

was for the sake of the realm.

Please take pity

on these old bones

and at least watch a little longer, Your Majesty.

This subject, Wen Ruomei, respectfully greets Your Majesty.

-Greetings, Your Majesty. -Greetings, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty is in fine spirits.

Your Majesty.

Your Maj...

Official Meng is in fine spirits too.

You hid here to enjoy my performance.

I have been wronged.

Had I spoken rashly,

would I not have ruined Your Majesty's pleasure

in watching all these beauties compete?

I shall take my leave.

Too late.

No one watches a performance without paying the performers.

Why not take the stage as well

and compete

with these noble ladies?

Your Majesty intends to use me again.

If I perform here,

tomorrow at court

there will surely be several more memorials

impeaching me for currying favor.

Would that not be perfect?

It would further prove you are my favored official.

Since Your Majesty wants me to be this favored official,

why not grant me a substantive fifth-rank post,

so my reputation as a flattering favorite

will finally match reality?

You certainly know how to bargain.

One rank higher

means standing above others.

Since I will bear the infamy either way,

I may as well gain something tangible from it.

Your Majesty, the dance is over.

The noble ladies are still waiting.

I am in excellent spirits today.

How about this?

Compete once more.

Whoever wins

will remain and dine with me.

I will go first.

I once learned

a small street trick.

It is called "Spring Returns to Withered Wood."

Your Majesty, please watch.

This flower bud is waiting to bloom,

like uncarved jade,

holding limitless vitality within.

It lacks only a breath of spring.

Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven,

bearing the imperial aura of the Purple Star.

Please breathe

a gentle breath of warmth upon this flower.

Let it serve as the spark

that awakens its boundless spirit.

-It truly bloomed! -It bloomed!

Your Majesty, please look.

Though plants are humble,

even they know to admire and follow strength.

Bathed in heavenly grace, they burst into life.

This flower

bloomed for Your Majesty.

Excellent.

"Spring Returns to Withered Wood," and the weak follow the strong.

Such amusement

far surpasses song and dance.

Your Majesty,

Meng Tinghui is clearly using a cheap street illusion.

It is unfit for refined company.

Your Majesty holds the people in your heart.

The amusements of the streets

also reflect the lives of the people.

Whether all things under heaven

can bask in imperial grace and flourish

is what truly concerns Your Majesty.

Meng Tinghui, receive the decree.

From this day forward,

you are promoted to the full fifth rank

and shall continue overseeing all affairs of the Bureau of Intelligence.

I thank Your Majesty for this great favor.

Official Meng, follow me back to the Imperial Study

and explain properly

what other amusements and wisdom

can be found among the common people.

Yes.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty...

His Majesty and Official Meng

have important matters to discuss

and cannot be disturbed.

Please return home.

-Sister Wen. -Sister Wen.

That seductress has bewitched His Majesty.

I will have my father report her to the Left Chancellor.

How did you do it?

That is my little secret.

How could I casually tell someone else?

-Good! -Good!

My lord.

What is wrong?

Why do you look so pale?

My lord.

My lord, what are you looking for?

A ghost.

Sister A-Xiang.

Let go! Let go of me!

Sister A-Xiang!

Let go of me!

Let go of me...

Let go!

Let go of me!

Sister A-Xiang!

Sister A-Xiang!

Sister A-Xiang...

Enough!

Let go of me!

Release her.

Run! Do not come back!

Sister A-Xiang!

It is the middle of the night.

Why are you knocking?

My lord,

you seemed distraught after returning,

so I have been waiting outside your room.

Just now,

I heard shouting from inside,

so I...

Help me investigate someone.

Your Majesty,

I have watched Huiyin House for several months

and found nothing unusual.

Only occasionally, at the beginning of each month,

the musicians take a convoy to the border

to purchase daily supplies.

Do you truly suspect

that those highly trained assassins

belong to Huiyin House?

Whether my intuition is right

will be revealed by a simple test.

-Keep everything steady. -Certainly.

Most of these musicians come from the common streets.

It is hardly strange

for them to know some martial arts.

What is strange

is that too many coincidences have come together.

My lord.

We found it.

My lord,

do you know this person?

Our previous assassination failed

because we underestimated that wretched emperor.

Shen Zhishu and Huang Bo protect him openly,

and he has secretly trained elite shadow guards.

Master Shangguan has given the order.

We have already alerted the enemy,

so the assassination is suspended for now.

But our great cause must not be abandoned.

Understood.

In this operation,

we will proceed with the utmost caution.

Young Master He, Young Master Shen.

Miss Situ, only three days have passed,

yet you look even more radiant.

Today's makeup is like peach blossoms reflected in spring water,

brilliant without being gaudy, pure and refined.

Every time Young Master Shen sees me,

his lavish compliments never stop

and are never repeated.

-How very thoughtful of you. -I saw several musicians

with carriages prepared and in a great hurry.

Is there some urgent matter?

They are merely going to the border to purchase

incense, fabrics, and other supplies for the house.

It seems none of the capital's shops

can satisfy the proprietress.

You must mobilize such a large group

just to shop at the border.

To tell you the truth,

Huiyin House consumes great quantities

of incense and wood for instruments.

The expense is considerable.

Since Great Ning opened trade with Beijian,

goods at the border have been excellent and fairly priced.

I often send the musicians

to purchase unusual items there

to attract customers.

You truly know how to run a business.

No wonder Huiyin House

has become the capital's foremost establishment,

frequented by powerful officials and nobles.

Gentlemen, please do not remain standing.

Tea has been prepared in a private room.

I will take you there.

There is no hurry.

I have not yet had the chance

to properly look around the first floor.

You little wretch.

Were you so eager to see me?