Original subtitles

(Guardians of the Dafeng)

(Episode 9)

Why is this earth dwelling so deep under the ground?

We've been walking for 15 minutes. But we haven't reached the end.

Maybe they are digging for something.

Be careful.

(Where are you?)

(Where are you?)

(Answer me.)

What are you doing?

I'm sorry. I must have heard it wrongly.

Wait.

Limestone?

It's indeed niters.

Niters?

Also known as the saltpeter.

A main ingredient in making gunpowder.

We found so much gunpowder at Mount Dahuang.

Someone must be mining it.

We need to return to the capital at once

to report this matter.

Be careful.

Xu Qi An!

- Run. - Let's go.

- Where's Xu Qi An? - Be on your guard.

Our opponent has at least reached the Spirit Refining Realm.

Constables, you should leave first.

(The Kui Beast)

The Kui Beast? No wonder I couldn't sense any demonic energy nearby.

The Kui Beast is built like a tank.

Its eyes, jaws, and mouth are its weak spots.

Understood!

Luckily, you are not dead, Xu Qi An!

I almost died.

The Kui Beast is built like a tank. You have to be careful.

Then I can use it to sharpen my sword.

Copper Guardian!

Sword!

I can't believe it!

Chase after it!

This is so annoying.

I can't do this anymore.

Don't come here!

Why did you cut out his armor?

The missions of the Night Guardians

are always risky.

More often than not, we'll die.

I'm thinking

that if something happens to me one day,

our future generation can look at this to remember me.

Looking at this armor is like looking at me, Song Ting Feng.

- What are you doing? - Don't act so noble.

You just want to get rewards from the yamen.

Zhu, I can get the rewards for you too.

You didn't have to expose me.

- I don't need you to do that. - Give it back.

Go and get one for yourself.

Xu Qi An.

What is this?

This is the Healing and Invigorating Pill I made.

I only brought one because I was in a hurry.

Take it.

It can help you with your healing.

- Do I eat it just like that? - Of course.

Thank you.

My friend.

This is made by the Imperial Astronomer herself.

How does the pill taste?

It's tasty.

Give it a taste.

Here you go.

Thank you, my friend.

Is it so tasty?

The pill of the Astronomical Bureau is delicious.

The Healing and Invigorating Pill. I'm hurt too.

No. This pill

is not for everyone.

Guang Xiao.

We are friends who have gone through thick and thin.

Since we are friends,

I'll share this with you.

Thank you, my friend.

Don't waste it! Swallow it.

- Swallow it. - Have you eaten it?

It tasted so bad. I almost vomited.

It's a pill from the Astronomical Bureau. It's a treasure.

- You better don't spit it out. - It's delicious.

It's tasty. It has a sweet aftertaste.

I feel so energetic now.

By the way, Xu Qi An. I've been wanting to ask you this.

Your sword is not ordinary. It doesn't look like one from the yamen.

Is it a magical weapon?

Of course not.

My second uncle hired someone to make this sword for me.

My Lords, I've brought the man here.

My surname is Zhang.

I'm the chief of Waigou Village at Mount Dahuang.

Stand up and talk to us.

I wouldn't dare.

Just stand up when I ask you to. Are you deaf?

We are here to ask some questions as per our protocol.

Stand up first.

When did they start mining in this earth dwelling?

It's a dwelling left behind from a long time ago.

The lime here has been mined out almost completely.

It was abandoned a few years ago.

I heard that the people who entered this dwelling went to the south.

Do they have dwellings there too?

There are some abandoned dwellings there as well.

But there are more dwellings there.

My Lord. You got rid of a monster for us.

You raised the chicken diligently to get these eggs.

Yes. Keep them for yourselves.

This is our token of appreciation.

We have received your gratitude.

We are asking you to keep them because your life is not easy.

- My Lord. - Let's go back now.

Stay. No need to come after us, Chief.

This is our token of appreciation. Take them.

Chief, we don't need it.

We'll feel bad if you don't accept our gift.

This thing doesn't have a mouth.

How does it talk?

Look at it carefully.

Since yesterday, I've been hearing strange voices from it.

At first, I thought I misheard it.

Until we went up the mountain.

Now, I'm sure that the strange voice came from this mirror.

I'm sorry. I'm just a geomancer.

It's better for you to ask Senior Song about this.

I plan to do that. At first, I wanted to visit the Astronomical Bureau.

But since you are here, can you hand this over to him for me?

So, you've been planning all along to ask me for help.

Why should I help you?

I'll owe you one.

Just accept this gift.

We can't do that.

Please.

I have no choice.

Guang Xiao, take it for me.

Have an egg.

Later, I will report this to our boss.

Of course.

Men from the Astronomical Bureau and Jingzhao Prefecture are here.

How can we hide this from them?

Am I right, Cai Wei? She has left.

Lady Chu said that she didn't want to report this.

So, she left first.

She's a fast learner.

Ning Yan, Ting Feng is right.

When we meet our boss later, just talk about the case.

Don't say anything else that doesn't matter.

I know.

Are you really not going to have one? Homegrown free-range eggs.

High-quality protein. You don't know what protein is.

Give me one.

Here you go.

It's raw?

Yours is cooked.

What a fool.

Why are you bullying me too?

Let's go.

It's indeed from the Kui Tribe.

What do you think?

The Kui Tribe is consciously driving away the dwellers.

After investigating it, we found niters in the mountain.

This is not a coincidence for sure.

Does any of you have a more specific and convincing analysis?

Boss, I'm good at other things.

But when it comes to solving a case...

Let me add to it.

Now, we can be sure

that the Kui Tribe is here for the niters.

And niters are the main ingredients used to make gunpowder.

Boss, will there be any gatherings or festivals

in the capital city soon?

- This is urgent. I will inform Lord Wei at once. - Wait!

- Ning Yan. - Ning Yan.

There's something else that you have to inform Lord Wei.

What is it?

The Kui Tribe?

How many from the Kui Tribe are here?

We are not sure about it yet.

But Xu Qi An had asked the local chief there.

There are many abandoned dwellings in the south of Mount Dahuang.

Our primary estimation is,

there'll be many of them.

- Yang Yan. - Yes, Lord Wei.

- Take someone with you to check it out. - Yes, Lord Wei.

Rou.

Ask our spies in Chuzhou

for any unusual movements in the Kui Tribe.

Yes, Lord Wei.

Do you still have something to report?

Indeed.

According to Xu Qi An,

due to this incident with the Kui Tribe,

the government will seal off the dwellings.

The people in Mount Dahuang are heavily taxed.

Once they are sealed off, the dwellers won't be able to make a living.

According to the villagers,

this is why their local officials chose to keep it a secret.

The law is nothing more than sensibilities.

Although this is the inspection period, Lord Wei should go easy on them

and rule with rhyme and reason.

All taxes and corvee are set by His Majesty.

We should enforce the law strictly as it is the foundation of our country.

- Yes. - You understand.

But you agree with him.

Yes.

How did you answer him?

I gave him a lecture.

Why?

You don't agree with him?

I agree with him on that matter.

But I don't think he was being sincere.

Why?

Based on my observation,

he is good with his words and winning others over.

He had an ulterior motive for reporting that to me.

He wanted to win me over.

So, I lectured him.

Time to get off work.

My friends. Since it's still early today,

let me treat you to some drinks.

And let's talk about what our boss likes too.

That way, I can win him over to reduce my workload.

But Xu Qi An is right

when it comes to the Mount Dahuang case.

That's why

I still want to report this to you.

I got it.

I'll make my own decision regarding the magistrate of Dahuang.

As for you and Xu Qi An,

you know it too.

I rated him as the First Tier.

You have your own reasons for doing so.

This is what Xu Qi An

created at Wenxin Pass.

Take a look.

The salary of the officials comes from the people's hard-earned money.

It's easy to bully the people.

But it's not acceptable.

People are inscrutable.

Observing the mind is like solving a case.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Are you not done yet?

I'm not done yet.

What are you looking at? Hurry up and get out now.

You stink the whole place up.

Where are your manners?

It has been one hour.

You've been using the toilet for too long.

The toilet has always stunk.

Do you expect it to smell like flowers?

You really have a good attitude.

Look. You know that our boss dislikes you.

You didn't take advantage of this case to impress him.

Instead, you pleaded for leniency for the magistrate.

Look at you now. You are not done with the case files yet.

And you have to look at the toilets all day.

This is just a barter.

I took their eggs.

I can't possibly return them.

Our boss dislikes me anyway. I have nothing to lose.

- Stop talking. Hurry up. - This is a barter?

How is this worth a basket of eggs?

You should be grateful.

Our boss would've punished you severely in the past.

- You. - You

are so noisy.

Did you succeed?

- No. - No? Why aren't you working on it?

We got 50 taels of silver and a three-day leave.

Ning Yan did the most work. He should get 50%.

We'll split the rest.

It's okay. Just split it among the three of us.

We got the money and we have a three-day leave.

We have money and time now.

Now, we just need a place to drink and relax.

It'll be your treat.

Why should it be my treat? We have the rewards here.

This money belongs to all of us.

There's no need to be so strict.

We are friends who have gone through thick and thin.

Your money is my money.

It has been decided. Ning Yan, choose a place.

Let's drink until we drop tonight.

I'll pass. I still have work to do.

Otherwise, I'll get lectured by our boss again. Have fun without me.

Do you have any other masks?

Find it yourself.

Lift your leg up.

Put it over there. Let's get to work.

I heard about a newly opened wild game restaurant

west of the city. How about we give it a try?

No.

Why are you so picky?

Ning Yan, what about you?

I'll leave it to you.

Okay. That's good. It has been decided, then.

I'll show you the world tonight.

Twenty taels of silver. Give them a table on the first floor.

Welcome!

This way, please.

What do you think? Do the clothes fit?

Wait. Where did you get the uniform of Yunlu Academy?

We customized it at a tailor shop.

Their real uniform is enchanted with a sense of righteousness.

It's not so easy to get one.

Hong.

Zi.

Ze, why is there an acne on your face?

I was traveling before this.

Ze?

You look uneasy. Is this your first time here?

Are you called Lun?

How did you guess?

Don't be nervous. I was like this too the first time.

I'm not nervous because I have two of you.

What seat do you want today?

Today is our first time here. Arrange something nice for us.

Thirty taels of crushed silver.

Have a random seat at the table on the first floor.

- Welcome. - Random seats for three.

Long time no see.

Ten taels of crushed silver.

At first, I wanted to give you a good experience.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough money.

The most famous oiran at this Yingmei House is Fu Xiang.

She won't be serving any customers today.

It's still early.

How do you know she won't be serving any customers?

You don't know. There's a time limit to the Tea Party Game.

Usually,

the customers will stay here for two hours at most.

You'll have to pay more or leave.

If you want to enjoy the Drinking Game,

it'll take you at least two hours.

It means that we won't play the Drinking Game today.

So, Miss Fu Xiang will not show her face today.

Today is your first day here.

Let Ze and Lun guide you today.

What a pity.

Are you scholars from Yunlu Academy?

Yes. What is it?

That's great. Do you know Yang Ling, Young Master Yang?

No. Who is he?

Sorry for disturbing you.

Who's blocking my way?

How dare you look at Her Highness in the eyes. Bow down now.

(It's her.)

(Why is she here?)

What happened? Who is Yang Ling? Why should I know him?

The shadow is lightly reflected on the surface of the water.

Rippling under the sunset with the moon hanging overhead.

Have you heard of it before?

I think I do.

When this poem came out,

all of the scholars in the world,

they called it the best ode to the plum blossom in history.

And that ode

was created here at Yingmei House.

And Yang Ling was the author.

No wonder.

Usually, Miss Fu Xiang would come out at this time.

So, she stopped serving customers because of Yang Ling.

What a pity, Ning Yan.

You are good at solving cases.

But I'm sure you know nothing about poems.

Otherwise, Ning Yan...

What are you doing?

I'm just checking if I can see Miss Fu Xiang.

No.

It's pointless. We just analyzed it.

Miss Fu Xiang is waiting for Yang Ling, right?

She won't show herself unless he's here.

Miss Fu Xiang has come out.

She is Miss Fu Xiang.

Miss Fu Xiang is looking at me.

She's looking at me.

What's going on? Why is she coming here?

- Guang Xiao, is she here for you? - She's here for you.

- She must be here for you. - No. It's you.

- She's here for you. - I just know her in my dream.

- She's not looking for me. - She's looking at you.

Young Master, why are you here?

Why didn't you tell me in advance?

I would've gotten things prepared beforehand

to serve you better.

I passed by and wanted to have a drink to find some inspiration.

There's no need to serve me.

Let's drink together.

Young Master Yang, please enjoy yourself.

Thank you.

Young Master Yang?

Are you Yang Ling?

He is Yang Ling!

I am Du Ying.

I came all the way here just to see you.

Young Master Yang.

Young Master Yang.

Young Master Yang, I've heard a lot about you.

All of you are so kind.

Since all of you are here for me,

let me create an impromptu poem

to sweeten up your night.

Great!

The huge Ming Lake.

The Ming Lake is huge.

There are lotus flowers in the huge Ming Lake.

There's a toad on the lotus flower.

It's jumping and hopping...

Who wrote this?

Me.

Jumping? Are you serious?

Wake up every day and smile at the sky.

After smiling, go back to sleep.

When I wake up again, I smile at the sky.

After that, I go back to sleep.

Who wrote this?

Your Highness.

It was me.

I want to sleep too!

It took you three days and three nights

to come up with these ridiculous poems?

Get lost!

Let's go.

Go.

Your Highness.

Have you found Yang Ling?

Take a look. This is Yang Ling's new poem.

Everyone loves the peony.

However, I like how the lotus emerges unstained from mud.

Radiance but not too flashy.

Radiant. It's radiant but not too flashy.

His handwriting is terrible.

Radiant but not too flashy.

The stem is hollow but straight.

It doesn't branch out.

Its fragrance travels far and wide.

It's pure and elegant.

You can look at it from afar, but you can never soil it.

This poem...

This poem...

It's amazing.

It's without rival.

So magnificent that everyone in the Imperial Music Bureau stood up

and clapped for him.

Then I think the poem is good too.

Yang Ling is really talented.

With his poems,

I'll be the best poet at the Poetry Conference.

I'll defeat that Princess Huai Qing!

Where is he now?

Did you tell him that I want to hire him?

At first, I wanted to do that.

But...

But what?

Your Highness, look at the signature

on the poem.

Princess Huai Qing?

Huai Qing?

You must have seen it wrongly.

Princess Royal is someone of a high status.

She couldn't be at the Imperial Music Bureau.

It wasn't her.

It was her maidservant.

She was there dressed up as a man.

Other than the Imperial Music Bureau,

has he shown up anywhere else?

He's nowhere to be found.

Let's continue to wait. If we can't hire this person for our master,

we won't be able to complete our mission.

(So, Princess Royal wants to hire me)

(to write poems for her.)

I see.

So, you created a poem on the spot

and gave it to Princess Huai Qing by putting her signature there

to make her happy.

Yes.

You are so canny

and calculative.

Sometimes,

I really don't know

if you are still my brother from before.

Calculative? How was he being calculative?

It was just a poem.

You don't understand.

This is not just a poem.

Princess Royal is known for being pure and lofty.

Ning Yan used the lotus as a metaphor to compare it to her.

That was his first plot.

Then he gifted that poem

to Princess Huai Qing.

That was his second plot.

What do you mean?

Princess Royal recommended Ning Yan to be a Night Guardian.

If Princess Royal wanted to hire him,

why didn't she go to the yamen of the Night Guardians?

- What does it mean? - It means

that although Princess Royal knows Ning Yan,

she doesn't know much about him.

At least she doesn't know that the Yang Ling

at the Imperial Musical Bureau is Ning Yan.

Ci Jiu, you really know me well.

So, by gifting

that poem to Princess Huai Qing,

he showed his admiration for her.

It doesn't matter if Ning Yan actually admires her or not.

Her Highness would still appreciate it.

Because from her point of view,

he wasn't trying to butter her up.

To her, it was a sincere compliment from a stranger.

Does it mean

that you've built a connection with her

to become an official?

- No. - Why?

- Yes. - Logically speaking,

since the maidservant wanted to offer you that,

you just had to go with the flow and accept it.

That question is bothering me too.

Its fragrance travels far and wide.

It's pure and elegant.

You can look at it from afar, but you can never soil it.

Amazing!

This is fantastic.

I'm using lotus as a metaphor for a lady

to show my admiration for Princess Huai Qing.

This poem shows my sincere respect for Her Highness.

So, this poem will be gifted to Princess Huai Qing.

Amazing!

No.

She spat

after hearing such a beautiful poem?

She spat.

Princess Royal is good with poems.

Logically speaking, her maidservant

should be good at it too.

Why did she spit?

Ci Jiu, why?

It was because...

Because...

I know. Was it because...

Tell us.

I don't think that's the reason.

- Was it because... - What was it? Tell us.

I don't think that's the reason.

What is it? Do you remember something? Tell us.

Tell you what?

I'm cold. I want to get a blanket.

I...

She spat.

Get me a blanket too.

Why did she spit?

Xin Nian.

Why can't I lie here in peace?

Who is it? Why do you keep knocking?

Stop it.

- Who... - Young Master Yang, our master has sent me to invite you.

Just now, I saw you at the Imperial Music Bureau.

But there were too many people.

So, I sent someone to follow you in secret.

I only approached you after the crowd was gone.

Please forgive me.

It's okay.

Just now, you said that your master wanted to hire me.

Who is your master?

It's better to let her tell you that herself.

Young Master, please go in.

Thank you.

Be careful. Over here.

Master, Young Master Yang is here.

Young Master Yang.

I've heard a lot about you.

(That voice. She's indeed the Princess Royal.)

That's an undeserved fame.

I'm just someone without a good master.

In the end, everything is just a dream.

Sounds like

you wish to enter the imperial court to be an official.

- Of course. - Then can I be your master?

You...

Although I am a lady,

I'm someone who cherishes talents.

Dafeng has fewer and fewer talents now.

You are one in a million.

I read the "On the Love of Lotus" by you. And I loved it.

I would like to invite you

to be my adviser.

Would I be honored to have you working for me?

Thank you for your recognition.

What a pity.

Unfortunately, I have made a vow

to serve only the Princess Royal

in this life of mine.

If I could be so fortunate to meet Princess Huai Qing,

I would follow her and serve her

to the end of my life.

(Come out now.)

(My beloved Princess Huai Qing.)

What's so good about her?

Gang.

Show him our sincerity.

Yes, Master.

Young Master, since you are a frank person,

I'll be straight with you.

You can take the money away.

Think of it

as a golden hello for my adviser.

(She's trying to test me.)

Although I'm just a poor scholar,

I am a man of principle.

Money is worthless.

If I can serve Princess Royal,

I don't care about anything else.

Farewell.

(Three, two, one.)

Wait!

I was being too brusque.

What is this?

A recommendation letter for the Astronomical Bureau.

Our master has a close relationship with the Astronomical Bureau.

With this recommendation letter,

you can enter the Astronomical Bureau.

You are a talented person.

With the support of the Astronomical Bureau,

you will become a well-known person in no time.

This is a golden opportunity for you.

Do not...

You...

I don't care about fame and gain.

I already stated that I would only serve Princess Royal in this life.

The world can be a witness to my sincerity.

You've underestimated me.

Looks like you've made up your mind.

I won't change my mind.

Very good.