Original subtitles

The Scholar and the Emperor

Brother.

You must remember the way home.

Come back and visit me often.

Miss Yan has allowed us to grow vegetables and fruit

exclusively for Bofeng House.

Life is much easier now.

You don't need to worry about me anymore.

Even on my own...

I'll be all right.

Brother.

Where you are now,

do you think you'll meet someone named Huang Bo?

He's about your age

and he's also...

a very, very good person.

If the two of you meet,

please take good care of each other.

Don't move.

I'm only listening to your heartbeat

to see how well you're recovering.

There's no need to thank me.

My name is A-Luo.

I'm a resident of Wangxian Valley.

What's your name?

My name is Huang Bo.

Huang Bo?

Miss A-Luo.

Words cannot repay such a great kindness.

Thank you.

Is the wreath not very pretty?

I think it's beautiful.

It's the most unusual wreath I've ever seen.

Does it look good?

It does.

Teacher.

You're here.

I came to see you and Madam.

She was still so young.

Why did it have to be her?

Why?

Teacher.

Why were there suddenly assassins at the residence?

They weren't assassins.

It was a thief.

That night,

I heard a noise and came out to investigate.

The thief

suddenly drew a blade.

Lingyi.

Lingyi.

Lingyi...

she took the blade for me.

Chancellor...

Chancellor.

The physician said

Madam had already been pregnant for a month.

-Teacher, what's wrong? -Chancellor.

Ling... Lingyi...

Why didn't you tell me

we were going to have a child?

If you had stayed in your room that night,

nothing would have happened.

And now...

now both mother and child are gone.

It's all my fault.

All my fault.

I failed to protect you.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to our child.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to our child.

-I'm sorry... -Teacher.

I know your heart is filled with grief,

but the living must go on.

Please restrain your sorrow and take care of yourself.

You're still young.

You don't understand what it's like

to spend an entire lifetime alone.

This road...

this road has been so difficult.

Right Chancellor, my condolences.

Right Chancellor.

His Majesty understands how you feel at this moment.

He ordered me to bring you a message.

You are excused from court for seven days

so you may focus on your family affairs.

Madam Yuan's passing was sudden.

Heaven's will is impossible to predict.

If you need anything, please ask.

His Majesty's grace is boundless.

I am deeply grateful.

Zhili.

Let's return first.

The Right Chancellor loved his wife deeply.

Let them be alone for now.

Teacher.

Madam's spirit in Heaven

surely would not wish to see you grieve this way.

I will take my leave.

My child...

My child.

My child.

My child.

An imperial decree!

All officials of the Bureau, receive the decree.

Since Meng Tinghui took charge of the Bureau,

she has worked tirelessly and fulfilled her duties faithfully.

Her talent is profound and her strategy far-sighted.

She has repeatedly relieved my burdens and resolved difficulties.

She is truly one of my most trusted pillars.

In this campaign against evil and corruption,

her achievements were outstanding.

She protected me and rendered indispensable service.

I am greatly pleased.

In recognition of her loyalty and courage,

she is hereby promoted

to Director of the Bureau,

holding the Primary Third Rank,

with double salary awarded.

Predicted questions for the women's provincial examination!

Bidding starts at thirty taels!

Stop!

I've already worked so hard!

I've worked so hard!

In this world...

the shameless

outlive those who risk their lives.

The world is dark,

and the night is not yet over.

Since the late Emperor allowed women to enter official service,

among all the female officials appointed,

not even one in a hundred endured to the end.

Women should simply stay at home,

serve their husbands, and raise their children.

A baleful star brings chaos.

Daji reborn.

Heaven is unjust,

and tears stain my robes.

A scholar swears in blood:

if I fail the palace examination,

I willingly submit to service in the Music Bureau.

What is there to fear

from fierce winds and sudden rain?

My body is a sword

that cuts down demons.

Strike!

Sister Tinghui.

-Mengmeng. -Lord Meng.

-Miss Meng. -Lord Meng.

-Metropolitan Graduate Meng. -Mengmeng.

Top Scholar Meng.

Miss Meng.

Top Scholar Meng.

Promote Shen Zhili and Yin Qing

to Left Assistant Director of the Bureau

and Right Assistant Director, respectively,

with double salary awarded.

I expect Meng Tinghui,

Shen Zhili, and Yin Qing

to continue upholding justice,

strictly investigate treacherous officials,

preserve the order of the court,

share my burdens,

and bring benefit to the people.

We humbly thank Your Majesty for your grace.

Through everything we've been through,

I couldn't have done it without you.

I'm the one who should feel fortunate to have met Lord Meng.

Without you,

I probably would have spent my whole life

as an ordinary Hanlin scholar following the usual path.

Working cases with Lord Meng

allowed me to witness so many things

I never would have dared imagine before.

I have never regretted joining the Bureau.

Wait.

Why are you still calling her Lord Meng?

You should call her Director Meng now.

Thank you, Director Meng, for taking me in back then.

I always said our Director

was a phoenix hidden in the wild,

destined to soar into the sky.

Following Director Meng,

not only do we eat and drink well,

even our official careers

rise step by step.

Wait again.

What position did I just get promoted to?

-Assistant Director Yin. -Assistant Director Yin.

A toast to Director Meng.

A toast to Assistant Director Shen.

-A toast to Assistant Director Yin. -A toast to Assistant Director Yin.

Although Ling Yunfei has been captured,

we still need to uncover the person behind him.

Director Meng, I brought the items.

I granted you a day off.

Why are you still investigating cases?

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

At ease.

Does Your Majesty still not understand Director Meng?

The case isn't over yet.

How could she distinguish between a day off and a workday?

Your Majesty suddenly came to the Bureau.

Is there some matter?

What?

If I have no business, can't I come see you...

all?

Your Majesty, don't misunderstand.

These things do not belong to the Bureau.

They are stolen goods seized from Wanxiang Pavilion and the Tiger Roar Gang.

Of course I know.

With Director Meng here,

who would dare embezzle anything?

We already examined these before.

There was nothing wrong with them.

We decided to inspect them again.

Is there anything unusual about this object?

A cat's-eye pendant once presented as tribute by Beijian.

Only two of these exist.

Father bestowed them

upon the two Chancellors of the court.

If Ling Yunfei truly had a Chancellor supporting him,

then his brazen behavior

-would not be surprising. -It absolutely cannot be Teacher.

Do you recognize this pendant?

You didn't see Liu Ruyan one last time before she died, did you?

Someone used a candlestick

again and again

to smash her skull open while she was still alive.

When she died, her head and face were covered in blood.

It pooled all over the floor.

Liu Ruyan cherished her appearance too.

Yet in the end, not even an intact face

was left behind.

Tell me.

How much hatred

would it take to commit such a vicious act?

Meng Tinghui, shut your mouth!

-You shut up! -Before Liu Ruyan died,

she was still thinking of you.

She wanted to tell you

who exactly had killed her.

This jade pendant

was torn from the killer

as she struggled desperately before death.

You recognize it now?

There are only two of these cat's-eye pendants.

The late Emperor bestowed them upon the two Chancellors.

The killer

was either Left Chancellor Xu Ting

-or Right Chancellor Gu Qin. -Impossible!

-Shut up! -Ling Yunfei.

Don't you understand yet?

He killed Liu Ruyan

because I had traced the investigation to her.

He knew Liu Ruyan was the woman you loved most,

yet he still eliminated her to destroy the evidence.

Because in that person's heart,

the one he has always protected was never you.

-Shut up... -It was himself.

-Shut your mouth! -Say his name.

We can avenge Liu Ruyan together.

Meng Tinghui.

Haven't you dreamed of killing me?

Then do it.

He never spared a thought for you.

Why keep silent

and protect him to this extent?

In his eyes,

you're nothing but a dog he raised.

Meng Tinghui.

And you're nothing but a mad dog raised by the Emperor.

The assassins at the Poisoned Men Pit

used techniques and fighting styles

from the same school as the Blood Moon Society assassins

who fought Zhishu.

They also deliberately avoided Meng Tinghui.

Meng Tinghui's identity as the Princess of Zhongwan

is now beyond doubt.

Your Majesty personally witnessed

the Blood Moon Society attempt regicide.

But have you considered that taking that arrow

may have been merely Meng Tinghui's self-injury scheme?

Zhongwan spies may already be hidden around her,

waiting for the right moment to act.

The Grand Tutor's concerns are not without reason.

But if things are truly as you say,

why did they force Meng Tinghui to take the Wuqiong Pill?

Your Majesty.

Director Meng has sent word.

Ling Yunfei has awakened.

Though she has not yet discovered which court official he colluded with,

he confessed that the pharmacist belonged to the Blood Moon Society.

The Tiger Roar Gang did indeed collude with the Blood Moon Society

to manufacture the Wuqiong Pill.

It seems my deduction was correct.

Fuqing Herb

is a highly poisonous plant unique to Zhongwan.

To guard against assassination, the Zhongwan royal family

had consumed it since childhood to resist all poisons.

Her body had already developed resistance,

which is why she suffered no serious harm.

Meng Tinghui has already proposed to the imperial physicians

that they use her own blood

to develop an antidote for the Wuqiong Pill.

If they were truly colluding...

why would they leave such an obvious flaw?

And why would Meng Tinghui do this?

But as long as the Blood Moon Society still exists,

Meng Tinghui remains a blade hanging beside Your Majesty,

one that could turn against you at any moment.

The late Emperor showed great foresight

when he reduced the Zhongwan royal family to slave status

and strictly forbade them from holding office.

It was meant to prevent future danger.

Yet Your Majesty insists on promoting and entrusting

their princess with important power.

What you are gambling with

is the entire realm of Great Ning.

Father, Director Meng nearly died protecting His Majesty.

The human heart is an abyss. We cannot be too careful.

If everyone were as naive as you,

why would history contain so many chapters written in blood and tears?

Then does the Grand Tutor believe

the late Emperor's decision regarding Zhongwan

was entirely correct?

What I want is not subjects bowing in submission,

but the hearts of all under Heaven.

Your Majesty's vision and breadth of mind

truly command my admiration.

But what concerns me is Your Majesty's safety.

The Blood Moon Society already knows Meng Tinghui's identity,

yet they allowed her to remain at Your Majesty's side,

rise smoothly through the ranks,

and become an important minister of Great Ning.

They must be plotting to restore Zhongwan.

Precisely because the Blood Moon Society lurks in the shadows,

watching us like a tiger stalking prey,

I keep Meng Tinghui by my side.

That is why they dare not act rashly.

Is this not also a strategy of mutual restraint?

Your Majesty, Huiyin House...

Go at once with Di Nian

and raid Huiyin House.

Given the Blood Moon Society's cunning,

they have likely already abandoned the place.

Even so,

you must investigate it thoroughly.

I obey.

Chancellors,

do you recognize this object?

A cat's-eye pendant.

Reporting to Your Majesty.

This is the cat's-eye pendant

that the late Emperor gave the Left Chancellor and me from Beijian tribute.

Then why is it in my possession?

Reporting to Your Majesty...

-Mine... -Your Majesty.

I am guilty.

I carelessly lost it.

Where did you lose it?

Through a moment of carelessness,

I do not know where I lost it.

I never expected Your Majesty to find it.

I am deeply ashamed.

So it belongs to the Left Chancellor.

Then where is the Right Chancellor's pendant?

Reporting to Your Majesty.

My late wife...

spent her whole life wishing for my peace and success.

She treasured imperial gifts above all else.

She often said,

'To see the pendant is to remember imperial grace.'

Even as she lay dying,

she still clutched the cat's-eye pendant tightly

and urged me to remain grateful for imperial grace.

I could not bear for her to leave this world alone and cold.

So, Your Majesty,

I took the liberty

of placing the imperial cat's-eye pendant

in the grave with my late wife Lingyi.

I thought that this way, wherever she is,

she could still feel my presence beside her.

The Right Chancellor has always

loved his wife deeply.

I will not blame you.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Then the Left Chancellor should safeguard his carefully.

That cat's-eye pendant was bestowed by the late Emperor.

If it truly goes missing,

you may have to answer for it with your head.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I will guard it with the utmost care

and never lose it again.

The Tiger Roar Gang has now been destroyed.

Its Chief, Ling Yunfei,

will be publicly executed tomorrow.

I want both Chancellors

to supervise the execution together.

so justice may be carried out.

-Yes. -Yes, Your Majesty.

I am a little tired.

You may leave for now.

-I take my leave. -I take my leave.

Does Your Majesty believe

what the two Chancellors just said?

Both Chancellors are meticulous

and seasoned schemers.

How could a few words reveal what they truly think?

How is Ling Yunfei?

We tried both persuasion and force,

but Ling Yunfei refuses to speak.

If he will not talk,

then we will see the truth at the execution ground.

I heard Your Majesty

recently raided Huiyin House.

Situ Xue is indeed a Zhongwan spy,

and Huiyin House

was a secret base used by the Blood Moon Society

to gather intelligence and plot in secret.

Situ Xue?

Zhongwan?

What is wrong?

A headache?

It is nothing.

Perhaps I have simply been too tired lately.

I keep having strange dreams.

If they are only dreams,

then do not dwell on them.

Tomorrow, I will take you somewhere peaceful.

From today onward,

this horse is yours.

This is Your Majesty's favorite horse.

Can you truly bear to part with it?

Of course.

I have already given it a new name:

Soaring Cloud, Never Falling.

What does it mean?

I wish for you

to soar straight to the clouds

and never fall throughout your life.

Your Majesty has already promoted me three ranks,

and now you give me Soaring Cloud, Never Falling.

Are you not afraid I will attract more criticism?

You and I stand united at court.

No criticism or misunderstanding

is worth fearing.

For many years in Great Ning,

no female official has achieved great deeds at court.

It is not because women lack the ability,

but because the world has denied them the chance.

Now,

no one but you can master this horse.

Since Your Majesty puts it that way,

then Soaring Cloud, Never Falling

I will gladly accept.

When I first met you,

you were calculating and silver-tongued.

Later, you stood unafraid before power,

refused to flatter your sovereign,

and even dared argue with me.

Yet it is precisely this side of you

that showed me a resilience no one else possessed.

Meng Tinghui.

I know how difficult

the road you have traveled has been.

As emperor,

I long ago grew accustomed to weighing every advantage and loss,

to enduring and restraining myself.

I once believed

that no one in this world could stir my heart.

But you...

you forced your way into it.

Meng Tinghui.

My heart belongs to you.

Love between sovereign and minister

is a crime the moment we cross that line.

Do you dare?

My heart belongs to Your Majesty as well,

more than yesterday,

and a little less than tomorrow.

I will go to the Bureau.

I will make sure he never speaks again.

The Bureau is surrounded by Divine Guards.

I fear not even a fly could get inside.

Today, His Majesty tested them with the cat's-eye pendant.

Ling Yunfei has likely

already learned what happened to Liu Ruyan.

Right Chancellor. What a rare visitor.

Meng Tinghui has already traced the case to Wanxiang Pavilion.

Stop distributing Wuqiong Pills there immediately.

You do not think...

that is his only sales channel, do you?

His business dealings

are not something you can control single-handedly.

If Meng Tinghui uncovers the truth,

we will all be buried with him.

That would not be so bad.

On the road to the underworld,

I will keep him company myself.

He has grown increasingly arrogant over the years,

repeatedly defying me and refusing to obey.

It is all because of your instigation, you wretch.

I am lowly?

When your father was infatuated with his mother back then,

he never despised her for being born in a brothel.

Silence!

If you insist on this,

then this time, I will personally send him to his death.

I have my own way to escape unscathed.

If you dare touch him,

even if I die,

I will drag you down to hell with me.

I would like the whole world to see

the true face of Great Ning's virtuous Chancellor.

A lowly brothel wench

dares threaten me?

Even your position as Chancellor

was given to you by him.

Without him,

you are nothing but...

a useless fool wrapped in an official robe.

I killed Liu Ruyan.

He will certainly expose me.

Whether I kill him or not

no longer matters much.

Leave.

I studied bitterly for ten years.

I had no great clan to rely on,

no imperial favor to depend on.

I relied entirely on myself,

climbing upward one step at a time.

What is Meng Tinghui compared to me?

She merely relies on His Majesty's improper feelings for her.

But me?

Every step I took

was planned by my own hand.

I fought so hard to reach where I am today.

And now

I am to be ruined by a bastard?

Ling Yunfei.

You were born to be my curse.

I should have let them beat you to death back then.

In the end,

you still drag me down to die with you.

You win.

Ling Yunfei.

You win.

You win.

You are laughing at me.

Even you are laughing at me.

What right do you have to laugh at me?

Half a lifetime spent laying plans,

all ending in ruin.

A name immortalized in history

was nothing but a delusion.

Retribution.

It is all retribution.

Teacher...

Teacher, the dead are gone.

Please do not do anything rash.

Madam would never want to see

you torment yourself like this.

Teacher, everything will get better.

Teacher.

Madam would want you to live well too.

Everything will be all right.

They finally caught him!

Lord Meng truly fulfilled her military pledge

and brought this great villain here

to be publicly beheaded.

We will never have to live in fear again.

Exactly.

-That's right! -Lord Meng did it!

-Amazing! Well done! -Well done!

Lord Meng is incredible!

Kneel!

Lord Meng is amazing!

Both Chancellors supervising the execution.

What an honor.

I, Ling Yunfei,

even after reaching the underworld,

will have something to boast about.

No wonder you captured Ling Yunfei

and then made us supervise the execution.

You simply wanted us

to hear the people praise you in person.

You caught one bandit chief

and already want to flaunt your power before me?

Lord Meng did it!

Lord Meng did it!

-Amazing! -Well done!

Lord Meng did it!

It is all thanks to Lord Meng!

Ling Yunfei.

Your enemy

is sitting right up there.

He not only killed the woman you loved,

he also intends to watch you die with his own eyes.

I know you hate him.

I am here to give you one final chance.

Tell me who he is,

and I will make him die with you.

They even brought him a bowl of rice?

They are still feeding him?

A condemned man should have his final meal.

They are really feeding him?

For such a vicious criminal,

why should the Right Chancellor personally bring his final meal?

Whether a great villain

or a person of outstanding merit,

all are still ordinary human beings.

As the official supervising this execution,

I should uphold justice

without bias or favoritism.

Even when facing someone like Ling Yunfei,

who is about to face the law,

the proper rules must still be observed.

The Right Chancellor speaks reasonably.

That is right.

Beat him!

With me here, who dares bully my little brother?

Yunfei, are you all right?

I am your elder brother.

Here.

It is delicious.

Slow down.

Do not choke.

Brother, why are you not eating?

I am not hungry. You eat more.

This taste...

is exactly the same as twenty years ago.