1
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,920
The Scholar and the Emperor

2
00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,040
Father.

3
00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:37,440
I have loved Zhili for a long time.

4
00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,080
In my heart, Zhili

5
00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:42,000
is more precious than any treasure.

6
00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,160
I cannot bear anyone speaking ill of her.

7
00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:47,080
I am establishing my own household

8
00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:48,840
because I want to give her the very best.

9
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:50,360
I know

10
00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,960
this is still not enough
to prove my sincerity.

11
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:54,640
So

12
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,320
I am willing to accept any test
Father and Mother set for me.

13
00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,480
Anian.

14
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,040
I have watched you grow up.

15
00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,000
You have always been
brave and disciplined.

16
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,000
Though you are young,

17
00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:15,320
you have always been

18
00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,240
steady in word and deed.

19
00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:23,960
However,

20
00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:26,240
as for Zhili's marriage,

21
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:28,880
we will never force her.

22
00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:30,640
Zhili herself

23
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:32,240
will make the decision.

24
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:37,920
Zhili.

25
00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:40,680
Will you marry me?

26
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,160
The Shen family has fallen on hard times.

27
00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:48,600
How can I think of marrying now?

28
00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:53,000
Don't worry.

29
00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:54,680
As long as I, Di Nian, am here,

30
00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,240
I will never let anyone
slight the Shen family again.

31
00:02:58,120 --> 00:02:59,760
I can ask His Majesty to
grant us a marriage decree

32
00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:01,360
so you can marry with full honor

33
00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:03,240
and enter the Di household
proudly and openly.

34
00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:07,360
You truly

35
00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:10,440
don't care about what happened to me?

36
00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:12,160
I don't.

37
00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:14,280
Then do you understand

38
00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:16,360
that what weighs on my heart

39
00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,800
the knot in my heart won't come undone
just because you say you don't care.

40
00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:20,400
Even if I marry you,

41
00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:23,200
I will not love you.

42
00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,040
I will never force your feelings.

43
00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,520
I know this proposal is sudden,

44
00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,880
but I also wish to preserve
the Shen family's honor.

45
00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,080
I have no intention of taking
advantage of your vulnerability.

46
00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:36,000
If one day

47
00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:37,360
your heart belongs to someone else,

48
00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:40,280
I will not stand in your way.

49
00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,200
Trust me.

50
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,920
I won't let anyone mistreat you
or make you suffer.

51
00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:48,880
Not for the rest of your life.

52
00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:55,680
Zhili.

53
00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,360
I understand your concerns.

54
00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,760
You deserve every good
thing in this world.

55
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,040
Whatever you choose,

56
00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:05,560
the Shen family's spirit will not break.

57
00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:24,320
Anian.

58
00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:27,600
I trust you.

59
00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:30,480
I am willing to marry you.

60
00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:08,400
Don't worry.

61
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,120
Whatever lies ahead,
we are all here for you.

62
00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:01,240
Grand Tutor, Madam.

63
00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:02,480
Everything outside is ready.

64
00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:04,200
It's all ready.

65
00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:05,120
Ready.

66
00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,160
Xiaolin, light them.

67
00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:28,840
Beautiful.

68
00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:07,920
So beautiful.

69
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:08,960
This one is lovely.

70
00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:17,760
Don't worry.

71
00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,120
Di Nian would pluck the stars and moon
for Zhili,

72
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,000
yet he can also give her
all the freedom in the world.

73
00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,120
Perhaps that, too, is a gift.

74
00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:27,720
By the time they marry,

75
00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:30,840
Fuzhi and Young Lord Shen
should be back as well.

76
00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,200
Now both the Tiger's Roar Gang
and those who shielded it

77
00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:35,000
have been eliminated.

78
00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:37,440
Congratulations are also
due to Director Meng

79
00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:39,440
for getting what you wished for.

80
00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:40,960
What I wished for

81
00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:42,880
is also what Your Majesty wanted.

82
00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:45,640
If congratulations are in order,

83
00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,400
then I should be
congratulating Your Majesty.

84
00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:52,840
I remember you once said

85
00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,000
the first snow is a time to make a wish.

86
00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,320
Director Meng has earned
another great merit.

87
00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,040
Tell me what you want.

88
00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,280
Your Majesty already knows.

89
00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:14,160
What I wish for

90
00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,760
has always been to serve at court.

91
00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,080
Not a single wish concerning me?

92
00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:25,280
I believe

93
00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:27,880
walking side by side,
lighting each other's way,

94
00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,440
would make this life worthwhile.

95
00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,000
I do not want to make things
difficult for Your Majesty,

96
00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:35,720
nor do I wish to ask for more.

97
00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,320
Then let me be greedy on your behalf.

98
00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:41,560
I want you to have real authority

99
00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:43,600
and true love.

100
00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:46,120
These dragon-and-phoenix pendants

101
00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,560
were with my father and mother
for over thirty years.

102
00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,680
The dragon is for the Emperor;
the phoenix, the Empress.

103
00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:52,520
Today,

104
00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,080
with the snow of Western Hills as witness,

105
00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:57,280
I give the phoenix pendant to you.

106
00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:58,880
I know

107
00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:00,840
you do not seek the position of Empress,

108
00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:02,960
nor do you wish to be
confined to the inner palace.

109
00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:06,600
But this is my promise to you.

110
00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:09,080
I trust Your Majesty completely.

111
00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:11,720
But ancestral law will not allow it.

112
00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,120
I would rather be your blade or sword,

113
00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:17,120
a minister who speaks truth to you,

114
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:20,640
so Your Majesty's good name endures.

115
00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,320
Ancestral laws are fixed.
People are not.

116
00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:26,800
I am reforming the administration
and restoring order at court

117
00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,400
because I refuse to bow to outdated rules.

118
00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,080
A position of real authority—

119
00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:32,000
I will give you that.

120
00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:34,520
A life without regret—I
will share it with you.

121
00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,160
These have never been mutually exclusive.

122
00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:39,320
The weight of this realm

123
00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:41,920
I am willing to bear with you.

124
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:43,520
I am willing to stand with Your Majesty

125
00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:47,240
to secure the realm,

126
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:50,080
care for the people,

127
00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:53,400
and bring lasting peace.

128
00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,400
First, bow to Heaven and Earth.

129
00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,120
Second, bow to your parents.

130
00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,040
Husband and wife, bow to each other.

131
00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,480
Perform the joined-cup rite.

132
00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,400
Drink the joined-cup wine together.

133
00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:48,880
May husband and wife grow old together.

134
00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:02,480
-Congratulations!
-Congratulations!

135
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:07,960
Wonderful.

136
00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:27,640
Madam.

137
00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:29,640
The Marquis has dismissed the guests.

138
00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:31,160
He said you were tired today

139
00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,760
and should rest peacefully
in the inner room.

140
00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:35,440
He will sleep on the couch outside tonight

141
00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,000
so as not to disturb you.

142
00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:15,960
Zhili.

143
00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:21,240
Why are you still awake so late?

144
00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:22,360
Is something wrong?

145
00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:24,320
Now that we are married,

146
00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:26,360
if we sleep in separate rooms

147
00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:28,760
and word reaches the court,

148
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:30,160
what will people say?

149
00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,040
I'd like to see who dares
call our marriage false.

150
00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:34,560
Don't worry.

151
00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:35,560
With me here,

152
00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:36,800
no one will dare bully you.

153
00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:38,200
From now on,

154
00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,160
we can live just as we
did at the Shen residence.

155
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:42,280
Go get some sleep.

156
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:45,080
You preserved the Shen family's honor.

157
00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:47,400
I also do not want

158
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,200
my troubles to tarnish your reputation.

159
00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:51,920
Your standing in the army

160
00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,560
must not suffer in the slightest.

161
00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:57,440
Especially now that you've
inherited the marquisate.

162
00:13:58,320 --> 00:13:59,400
Since I have married you,

163
00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:02,160
I understand what this marriage entails.

164
00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:04,120
Whatever happens,

165
00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:06,960
I do not want you to suffer any wrong.

166
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,360
From this day forward,

167
00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:17,120
you, Di Nian,

168
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:18,880
are my husband.

169
00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:21,840
And the Di residence is now my home.

170
00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:24,080
You treat me well,

171
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:26,960
and I will treat you well in return.

172
00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:28,760
Zhili.

173
00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:30,080
Though we are married,

174
00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:31,680
I will respect you.

175
00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:33,240
I will wait until

176
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:35,040
you truly come to love me.

177
00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:40,080
You look lovely when you smile.

178
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:32,520
Zhili.

179
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,400
You sleep here. I will take the couch.

180
00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:38,560
Call me anytime if you
need anything tonight.

181
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:08,960
Director Meng.

182
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:14,560
The wind is strong today.

183
00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:16,200
Put this on.

184
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:17,360
Don't catch a chill.

185
00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:23,840
I can do it myself.

186
00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:25,280
Let me.

187
00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:26,880
You still have much to do.

188
00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:27,800
Go attend to your work.

189
00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:28,840
Don't worry.

190
00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:30,560
Everything you entrusted to me,

191
00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:31,960
I have seen to without missing a thing.

192
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,000
There.

193
00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:38,680
I'm off.

194
00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,760
In Daning's third year of Jingyuan,

195
00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:58,720
at the Grand Imperial Sacrifice,

196
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:00,360
may Heaven grant its protection

197
00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,400
and bless all the people.

198
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,080
By the Sacred Ancestor's teachings,

199
00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:05,960
our great foundation was established.

200
00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:08,640
Today, His Majesty reverently
presents the ritual vessels

201
00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,880
and bows before the ancestral temple.

202
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:11,920
Leading all civil and military officials,

203
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:13,960
he respectfully performs the grand rite.

204
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,440
May our ancestors graciously
accept these offerings.

205
00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:31,240
Kneel and bow.

206
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,000
Bow again.

207
00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,080
Bow a third time.

208
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,040
Today is the grand ancestral ceremony.

209
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,240
Before our revered ancestors,

210
00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:10,640
I personally proclaim an edict of reform.

211
00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:12,520
At the founding of the dynasty,

212
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,280
the late Emperor established
twelve ancestral laws.

213
00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:17,320
They have endured through three reigns.

214
00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:18,840
But times have changed.

215
00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:19,960
Among them,

216
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:22,600
the ban on sovereign-subject romance,

217
00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:24,080
permanent slave status,

218
00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,000
and the ministers'
nomination of the Empress—

219
00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:27,120
these three laws

220
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:28,880
are no longer suited to our time.

221
00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,720
As for the ministers'
nomination of the Empress,

222
00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,640
it was meant to balance
sovereign and ministers,

223
00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,760
yet treacherous men nearly exploited it

224
00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:37,880
and brought disaster upon the state.

225
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:40,720
I have considered this repeatedly.

226
00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,000
Any entrenched old law
that harms the realm

227
00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,480
must be uprooted completely.

228
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:48,400
Your Majesty.

229
00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:50,280
Since the late Emperor
established these ancestral laws,

230
00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:52,560
no one has altered them
for three generations.

231
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,480
If Your Majesty abolishes them rashly,

232
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,440
what place does that
leave for our ancestors

233
00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,160
or the rules and rites of the palace?

234
00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:00,680
Without breaking the old,
the new cannot stand.

235
00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,400
To follow old precedent in everything

236
00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,600
would truly betray our ancestors' intent.

237
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:09,200
Your Majesty, please consider.

238
00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:10,760
Zhongwan's remnants are still lying low.

239
00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:11,720
If we reform now,

240
00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:13,480
the court will surely fall into turmoil.

241
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:14,840
If foreign enemies exploit our weakness,
I fear...

242
00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:17,600
Without turmoil within,
why fear threats without?

243
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:20,400
If the entire court stands united,

244
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,040
even surrounded by powerful enemies,

245
00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:23,960
what has Daning to fear?

246
00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,120
There is no need to debate this further.

247
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:28,440
My decision is final.

248
00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:50,680
This...

249
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:52,920
This is the phoenix pendant
the late Emperor gave the late Empress.

250
00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:54,120
It was the imperial couple's token.

251
00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:56,640
Your Majesty is not yet married.
Such an important token—

252
00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,080
how can a mere court official possess it?

253
00:19:58,160 --> 00:19:59,760
How dare you, Meng Tinghui!

254
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,320
You covet the Empress's seat!

255
00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,000
During the top metropolitan scholar
impostor case,

256
00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,440
I already suspected your
motives were impure.

257
00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:10,400
You pretend your ambition
lies in government,

258
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:12,600
but in truth you seek His Majesty's favor

259
00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:13,840
to seize the Empress's throne.

260
00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,360
Thinking back now,

261
00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,080
when she attacked the Right Chancellor
and schemed against the Shen family,

262
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:19,920
ruining Miss Shen's reputation,

263
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,280
was that also to clear her
own path to becoming Empress?

264
00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:23,800
That accusation is utterly unfair.

265
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:25,240
If not for Director Meng,

266
00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,600
how could Ling Yunfei and
the Tiger's Roar Gang,

267
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,120
even the traitor Gu Qin
hidden within the court,

268
00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,000
have been brought to justice so quickly?

269
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:33,440
Stop changing the subject.

270
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:34,920
Why is the phoenix pendant in her hands?

271
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:36,640
I gave it to her.

272
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:43,440
As for this phoenix pendant,

273
00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:47,120
I personally gave it to Meng Tinghui.

274
00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:48,840
Romance between sovereign and subject

275
00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:50,040
is a crime the moment it begins.

276
00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:52,000
Your Majesty's words mean that...

277
00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:52,920
Correct.

278
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:55,760
I love Meng Tinghui.

279
00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:00,000
I have decided to
abolish that prohibition.

280
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:01,280
Your Majesty says

281
00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:04,200
three obsolete ancestral
laws will be abolished,

282
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,080
but perhaps you only
mean to abolish this one

283
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,160
so you can place Meng Tinghui

284
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,320
on the Empress's throne.

285
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,360
That witch has bewitched Your Majesty!

286
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,040
Under ancestral law,

287
00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:22,040
she should be executed by a thousand cuts.

288
00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:23,440
Daning's legal code contains 360 statutes,

289
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:24,920
and no such crime exists among them.

290
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:25,840
Your Majesty...

291
00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:27,560
So-called ancestral law,

292
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:29,400
when it no longer suits the age,

293
00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:31,520
must be reformed.

294
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,600
Today Your Majesty breaks one law for her.

295
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:39,840
Tomorrow you may abolish a hundred more.

296
00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:41,240
If this continues,

297
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:42,800
the court

298
00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,800
will answer only
to you and Meng Tinghui.

299
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,280
Then what use are ministers like us?

300
00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:50,280
What is wrong with reform?

301
00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:51,800
Everything I have done

302
00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,120
is not for Meng Tinghui alone.

303
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,360
But her presence

304
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,480
has strengthened my resolve to reform

305
00:21:58,560 --> 00:21:59,720
and made me act more swiftly.

306
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,120
Your Majesty may have a thousand reasons,

307
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,120
but in the eyes of the people,

308
00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:08,880
you have merely been
bewitched by this demoness.

309
00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,560
Do you not fear losing
the people's support

310
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,440
and being condemned as a foolish ruler?

311
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:14,720
This realm is mine.

312
00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:18,160
I will bear its burden myself.

313
00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,120
I have already issued
an Edict of Self-Reproach.

314
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:31,640
I will proclaim to the world

315
00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:33,800
that my reforms—

316
00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:35,280
their rights and wrongs,
merits and faults—

317
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:37,760
may be judged by future generations.

318
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,200
An Edict of Self-Reproach?

319
00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:45,160
Your Majesty.

320
00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:48,600
Meng Tinghui, though a woman,

321
00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,080
holds the power of state oversight.

322
00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,120
That alone violates ancestral law.

323
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:56,840
And now, with Your Majesty...

324
00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,640
This is an omen of disaster for the state.

325
00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:05,760
The late Emperor granted me
this Dragon-Headed Staff,

326
00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:07,640
to strike a foolish ruler above

327
00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:09,880
and corrupt ministers below.

328
00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,520
Before our ancestors today,

329
00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:16,600
on behalf of the late Emperor,

330
00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:20,400
I will discipline Your Majesty.

331
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:24,920
A baleful star has descended,

332
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,000
throwing the court into chaos.

333
00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,480
Today I will restore order

334
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:30,040
and purge the evil beside the throne.

335
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:35,280
-This...
-Left Chancellor...

336
00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,040
Left Chancellor.

337
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,200
I tolerate this one blow

338
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,000
because you have served three reigns.

339
00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:20,840
Late Emperor...

340
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,920
The duty you entrusted
to this old minister

341
00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:29,560
I have failed to fulfill.

342
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,240
Please rest assured,

343
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,960
even if it costs me my life,

344
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,240
I will not let His
Majesty persist in error

345
00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:44,160
and bear the infamy of a foolish ruler.

346
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,280
-Chancellor!
-Chancellor!

347
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:54,840
-Chancellor!
-Chancellor!

348
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:56,040
Chancellor!

349
00:24:56,120 --> 00:24:57,560
-Chancellor!
-Chancellor!

350
00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:02,600
Attendants! Summon an imperial physician!

351
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:03,600
Wait.

352
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:05,760
Your Majesty.

353
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,600
Unless you withdraw
the Edict of Self-Reproach

354
00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:12,080
and execute that witch,

355
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:13,880
I would rather

356
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,880
die here in this hall.

357
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:19,240
Left Chancellor,

358
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,120
you cannot die!

359
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:22,880
If anyone must die,
let this old servant die!

360
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,400
I am the one who has failed our ancestors!

361
00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:29,400
Your Majesty.

362
00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:31,640
Daning's foundation was hard won.

363
00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,160
Please heed the Left Chancellor

364
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,960
and withdraw the Edict of Self-Reproach.

365
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,520
Please withdraw the
Edict of Self-Reproach!

366
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,320
Please withdraw the
Edict of Self-Reproach!

367
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:50,800
Please withdraw the
Edict of Self-Reproach!

368
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,200
Execute Meng Tinghui by a thousand cuts!

369
00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:55,840
Please withdraw the
Edict of Self-Reproach!

370
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,480
Execute Meng Tinghui by a thousand cuts!

371
00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:04,240
Your Majesty.

372
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:06,360
I admit my guilt.

373
00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:14,760
I ask to be imprisoned.

374
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:17,920
I submit to any punishment.

375
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:31,120
Meng Tinghui.

376
00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:36,040
I have no regrets.

377
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,560
But if because of me, Your Majesty

378
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:43,160
drives a veteran of three
reigns to his death,

379
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,080
even ten thousand deaths
could not atone for my guilt.

380
00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:52,920
I beg Your Majesty to put the realm first.

381
00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:41,200
Director Meng, this drug
will make you appear dead.

382
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,520
For twenty-four hours after you take it,

383
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:45,400
you will have neither breath nor pulse.

384
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:46,560
Even an imperial physician
will not be able to tell.

385
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:50,640
What are you doing?

386
00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:51,560
Getting you out of here.

387
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,280
I will not leave.

388
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:55,000
In the great hall,

389
00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:56,960
the ministers were enraged.

390
00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:58,320
That is why I asked to be imprisoned.

391
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:00,760
Besides,

392
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:02,600
this gold chain broke suspiciously.

393
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:08,320
You were only bewitched for a moment

394
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:09,880
and lost your judgment.

395
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,040
So I used this gold-softening agent
to give you a push.

396
00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:14,720
Two hours from now,

397
00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:15,920
when incense is burned for the ancestors,

398
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,360
the gold will give way
and the chain will snap.

399
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:23,120
Do you regret it?

400
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,080
Do you truly believe he will

401
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:29,200
make an enemy of the whole realm for you?

402
00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:35,280
His Majesty is not
doing this for me alone.

403
00:28:35,360 --> 00:28:38,040
He means to abolish the ban on our love,

404
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,480
but also to cut away
Daning's rotten old laws.

405
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:43,280
This road may be hard.

406
00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:45,680
But just because it is hard,

407
00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:48,320
should we simply give up?

408
00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:50,800
Your Majesty.

409
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,320
These three ancestral laws
were decreed by our forebears.

410
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:54,560
They cannot be defied.

411
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:56,280
His Majesty sees farther than we do

412
00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:57,720
and is willing to set a new precedent.

413
00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,080
As his ministers,

414
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,160
we should respectfully follow his lead.

415
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,080
Look at the fine disciples
Grand Tutor Shen has taught.

416
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:08,040
Every one of them

417
00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,360
relies on your backing

418
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,520
and treats ancestral law like a game,

419
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:16,800
joining His Majesty in this madness.

420
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:17,720
Elder Xu.

421
00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:19,280
Rites change with the times,

422
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:20,640
and laws must change with the age.

423
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,240
Breaking with the old and creating the new
is the tide of the times.

424
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:24,680
It takes a resolute sovereign

425
00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:26,320
to dare lead the way.

426
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:28,520
Though you and I are old ministers,

427
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,240
we must not become
defenders of the obsolete.

428
00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:32,880
The Grand Tutor speaks truly.

429
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:34,560
What His Majesty said that day

430
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:36,680
was a wake-up call to us all.

431
00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,200
And hearing the Grand Tutor today

432
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:40,840
has helped those of us younger officials

433
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:42,600
see the path clearly

434
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:43,840
and has greatly inspired us.

435
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:45,480
Exactly.

436
00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:47,120
We are willing to support His Majesty

437
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:48,440
in sweeping away outdated laws

438
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:49,600
and opening a new era.

439
00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,160
Have you not seen these three years
under His Majesty's rule?

440
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,880
The court is full of new vitality,

441
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:56,120
and Daning itself

442
00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:58,560
has been transformed.

443
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,080
His Majesty arrives!

444
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,360
Bring forth the Founding
Emperor's Punishment Whip!

445
00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:02,080
Your Majesty.

446
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:04,840
The Founding Emperor's
Punishment Whip is here.

447
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,280
But someone must carry out the punishment.

448
00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:14,600
Left Chancellor.

449
00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:21,240
Grand Tutor Shen.

450
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:23,120
Ancestral law carries great weight,

451
00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,000
but His Majesty is the sovereign.

452
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,200
His Majesty's health concerns
the fate of the realm.

453
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,160
How could he be harmed in the slightest?

454
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:36,720
Chief Steward You.

455
00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:38,640
You do it.

456
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,040
This old servant would not dare.

457
00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,920
I am willing to take all seven lashes
in Your Majesty's place.

458
00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:57,000
Chief Steward You.

459
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,280
You know how hard it was
for me to come this far.

460
00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:04,080
Help me this once.

461
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:01,160
That lash does not count.

462
00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:02,680
Again.

463
00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:03,880
Your Majesty...

464
00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:04,840
Chief Steward You.

465
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,240
You know how it must be done.

466
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:09,400
The first lash must draw blood.

467
00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:11,360
The second must tear flesh.

468
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,600
The third must jar the bone.

469
00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:20,440
This old servant deserves death.

470
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:27,840
The first lash

471
00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:32,000
punishes me for defying
our ancestors' will

472
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,880
and abolishing the ban
on sovereign-subject romance,

473
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:36,280
permanent slave status,

474
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,080
and the ministers'
nomination of the Empress—

475
00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:40,640
three ancestral laws.

476
00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:48,080
The second lash

477
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:51,480
punishes me for defying the ministers

478
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,320
and proclaiming my resolve to reform.

479
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:02,960
Your Majesty!

480
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:04,640
Imperial Physician Li, quickly...

481
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:16,880
The third lash

482
00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:19,880
punishes me, the Son of Heaven,

483
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:22,320
for issuing an Edict of Self-Reproach

484
00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:26,440
and subjecting this imperial
body to the pain of the whip

485
00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:29,600
to beg forgiveness
from the people of Daning.

486
00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:31,240
Continue.

487
00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:19,480
Your Majesty.

488
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:43,640
My resolve is fixed.

489
00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:46,040
I also proclaim this
to every official at court:

490
00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:48,560
no matter how deep their seniority

491
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:50,320
or how illustrious their achievements,

492
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:51,920
whether palace rules and ancestral laws

493
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:53,720
or old precedents of the dynasty,

494
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:55,840
Daning's stability comes before all else.

495
00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,080
No one will ever again
use private interests

496
00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:00,760
to sway my decisions.

497
00:36:57,840 --> 00:36:59,080
From this day forward,

498
00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:02,520
the ban on sovereign-subject love,

499
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:04,400
permanent slave status,

500
00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:07,360
and the ministers'
nomination of the Empress

501
00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:09,920
shall be removed forever
from Daning's ancestral laws.

502
00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:43,360
It is time to let the morning sun

503
00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:47,960
shine upon the fresh
snow before this hall.

504
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:04,320
So the court can do without
this old minister after all.

505
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:35,000
Long live His Majesty!
Long, long may he reign!

506
00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:41,400
Long live His Majesty!
Long, long may he reign!

507
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:48,640
Long live His Majesty!
Long, long may he reign!

508
00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:27,640
For His Majesty,

509
00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:29,400
you knelt in the snow
for a full day and night.

510
00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:31,040
You truly risked everything.

511
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:33,120
What if the cold leaves
lasting damage in your legs?

512
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:34,080
What will you do then?

513
00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:38,000
What His Majesty endured

514
00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:40,600
was a thousand times
heavier than what I bore.

515
00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:42,640
His name as a wise ruler
must never be tarnished.

516
00:39:43,720 --> 00:39:46,040
History should remember him
as an enlightened ruler.

517
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:47,720
Your feelings for each other run so deep.

518
00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:50,480
Now nothing can separate you.

519
00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:54,040
By the way,

520
00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:56,840
Fuzhi still has not written back.

521
00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:00,280
I wonder whether her father and stepmother

522
00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:01,760
have been giving her a hard time.

523
00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:03,280
Don't worry.

524
00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:04,520
With my brother there,

525
00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,120
Miss Yan will not be mistreated.

526
00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:08,520
A carefree young lord like him

527
00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:10,880
would actually settle down for one person.

528
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:12,640
His Majesty is the same.

529
00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:15,120
Even if he must stand
against the whole realm,

530
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:16,480
he will remain by your side.

531
00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:19,400
It is enough to make one envious.

532
00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:21,880
How are things between you and Anian?

533
00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:26,640
We have been together since childhood.

534
00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:28,920
Now, it is simply

535
00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:30,640
much the same as before.

536
00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:34,240
Do you feel even a little
affection for him now?

537
00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:37,560
If you have a good man beside you,

538
00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,280
perhaps you should give
each other a chance.

539
00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:43,920
He is such a good man.

540
00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:47,160
I keep feeling

541
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,240
that I am holding him back.

542
00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:50,480
Mengmeng.

543
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:52,440
Tell me.

544
00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:53,480
Why do you think I

545
00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:54,760
agreed to this marriage
in the first place?

546
00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:56,400
When pain becomes unbearable,

547
00:40:56,960 --> 00:40:58,560
we all need someone to lean on.

548
00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:00,720
Anian was the lamp in the fog

549
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:02,560
that guided you forward.

550
00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:04,120
Because you know each other so well,

551
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:06,680
he can give you the peace you need.

552
00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:09,960
But I do care about him.

553
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:11,600
I cannot bear to see him hurt,

554
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:13,480
much less see him unhappy because of me.

555
00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:14,800
You needn't feel guilty.

556
00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:17,520
I only hope you can
slowly lower your guard.

557
00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:19,720
Anian is worth it.

558
00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:27,120
Zhili. Director Meng.

559
00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:31,760
What brings you here?

560
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:33,320
My patrol is finished.

561
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:34,680
You were gone so long,

562
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:35,840
I was worried about you.

563
00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:37,600
Zhili.

564
00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:40,800
Go on home.

565
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:45,640
I bought the last basket of crab-roe buns

566
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:46,760
from the shop on West Street.

567
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:48,400
If we don't go now, they'll be cold.

568
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:51,800
And one more thing.

569
00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:54,720
For tomorrow's return gifts,

570
00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:56,400
I followed Father and Mother's tastes

571
00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:57,720
and added several bolts of cloud brocade.

572
00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:00,480
See if that covers everything.

573
00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:01,760
It's so cold.

574
00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:03,280
Why come all this way?

575
00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:04,840
Because it is cold,

576
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:06,080
That's exactly why I had to come.

577
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:10,160
I'll be going.