Original subtitles

You’re threatening me?

This guilty official is in no way threatening Your Majesty,

it’s merely an unreasonable request using this one secret

to preserve this guilty official

along with the security of the old and young of his family.

I don’t believe

this secret,

I’ve only heard the words from your mouth.

Your Majesty, it seems the other regions

still may be able to receive it, if

there is no need, why come this late at night

to my humble home?

And is it wrong for this criminal official to push for a request, lobby ahead of

a public trial?

You and Xue Bi

risked death to meet Qingyuan and bring him out.

I’m really quite curious

why you moved to seize this particular chess piece...

when all is said and done, what do you want?

Your Majesty, this guilty official has been reduced to begging,

and in the end supposes it to be obvious.

This spendor and rank,

all of it falls short of family bliss!

This guilty official is not resigned to

being one who takes a wrong step in life,

ruining my entire lifetime’s worth of merits!

On the historical record,

I’m not willing to be a corrupt official with a blackened name!

Still expecting Your Majesty

will restore this guilty official to his official post,

and will return this guilty official’s family

to the capital immediately.

You just want the country to think that I’ve

wrongly accused Great Lan’s most treacherous official!

Okay,

Your Majesty, please calm down.

This guilty official never meant that...

it’s just

this is giving me

a chance to explain along with Your Majesty,.

and together we can clearly explain it to the Empress Dowager.

I finally understand.

It appears that Qingyuan is really a chess piece

of considerable weight. (very useful)

Since I already accept this as true,

he’s unlikely to be found as a corpse in the middle of the river.

Then why don’t we see

whose hands he will fall into?

Pretty soon you’ll be looking at the mountain road

twists around each new peak. (turn of events)

Your Majesty!

Go impress me.

Attack!

Yes!

Keep him alive to talk!

Your Majesty,

those look like shoes from the palace!

Handle these corpses properly,

don’t leave a trace behind!

Furthermore, tonight’s debate and strife

cannot be allowed to leak out!

That includes the King of Rui.

Yes.

King of Rui,

His Majesty returned early this morning

and has not yet circled back from the Imperial study.

His Majesty knows I came by yesterday?

Xiao did indeed report it.

Buddhist holy places often take in abandoned babies of the people.

Will Qingyuan be counted as his Imperial Father’s flesh and blood?

Reporting to Your Majesty.

Lin Mian,

I told you not to bother me,

I’m studying and

do not wish to be disturbed.

Yes.

Tell me.

King of Rui this morning

again came to the Imperial study to try to seek you.

I know.

Dismissed.

Yes.

Fifth Younger Brother,

Third Elder Brother is not surprised to see you.

It’s just that lately

it’s inappropriate and will cause this attempted coup to advance.

Moreover, Qingyuan’s past life history...

Imperial Physician Du, this needle! Lately

I’ve had a headache and had to take things easy.

This old malady,

thirty years ago, I fell ill.

Thirty years later, the illness is taking advantage of me again.

This migraine is

like a family member,

can’t break away from it for an entire lifetime.

Empress Dowager is racking her brain with worry as the realm has major events

and working excessively hard,

only having the misfortune to fall prey to this disease.

If you wish to effect a cure,

Empress Dowager should move the political affairs aside.

Imperial Physician Du,

you wish to inform me

that I should lay down the political affairs and enjoy my elder years?

This official only hopes the Empress Dowager

can have the health of a phoenix’s body.

You’ve been an Imperial Physician in your bureau how long?

I believe it’s been about thirty years since I arrived.

You also know the difficulty of changing

something from the greater part of one’s lifetime.

I was sent to the Imperial household,

Empress Dowager, and I tell you

that in half a lifetime, this official has no regrets.

Your daughter, Du Ruo,

inherited your medical skills

but married the King of Rui.

These are your karmic rewards.

My daughter deeply relies on Empress Dowager’s generosity and love.

This official offers his undying gratitude.

Good.

As that is the case,

my body’s illnesses of the heart and mind

can all be turned over to Imperial Physician Du

along with his daughter Du Ruo for treatment.

Please Empress Dowager, rest assured.

This official will act to spare no effort in

medically treating the Empress Dowager’s illness.

Imperial Physician Du,

these years you’ve been in the palace,

your hard work has been meritorious.

I will immediately transmit an Imperial decree

to confer you as Chief Imperial Physician.

This humble servant kowtows to thank the Empress Dowager for her great favor!

I therefore order you to have the palace Imperial physicians

give this to the King of Rui to function as a tonic.

Toward the King of Rui couple,

I always appear successful.

I will find someone to send it to him.

The Empress Dowager wishes to--

Imperial Physician Du’s daughter Du Ruo,

isn’t she the King of Rui’s Consort?

She seized hold of it in passing,

and it cannot be more suitable.

Empress Dowager,

this item...this item…?

Imperial Physician Du, you seem somewhat unaware

that I already at an earlier time became aware

that your daughter Du Ruo

would marry into the King of Rui’s household, and that afterwards

all along the King of Rui has been sleeping alone rather than together with her.

Furthermore, this makes them not an actual married couple. (not consummated)

It seems like this matter is settled then.

I’ve decided to do this on her behalf.

As master of the major turning point in her life (marriage),

I’ve decided to have her find

someone she will love dearly within the powerful Imperial noblemen.

Imperial Physician Du, what do you think?

Imperial Physician Du,

I know you are a sensible person.

This matter will be arranged.

This humble servant...

This humble servant asks permission to withdraw.

Empress Dowager, the whereabouts of the

six missing persons have been found.

All of them to the local magistrate’s office.

Empress Dowager is indeed wise!

Who betrayed me to His Majesty?

One of his Imperial bodyguards, Ma Jin.

Ma Jin has returned in order to report to the Empress Dowager,

he’s willing to pledge his life to you, Empress Dowager.

His Majesty and I

have been grown tired of

hearing this lately.

Xue Mingyi, that old cunning fox….

has there been any movement?

In the past few days, he’s said to have been suffering

from the wind and got chilled, and is now bedridden.

That old rascal!

I want to wait to move until present situation has ended,

then speak to him again for a full explanation.

Ma Jin’s information says

the Court of Judicial Review is alarmed

by only Xue Bi’s doings.

Qingyuan is Xue Mingyi’s

illegitimate son by a slave girl in his home.

King of Rui seized and took away Qingyuan

into hiding on his pleasure boat.

Originally he was threatened by Xue Mingyi,

but

in the resulting chaos, Qingyuan jumped into the river and went missing.

His Majesty was counting his chickens before they hatched

and struck without a sound.

Stop pressing on it, it hurts no matter how you touch it!

Yes.

The Empress Dowager must take care of her precious physical health.

Follow His Majesty closely until this matter is concluded.

I’ll take care of my precious physical health.

You’ve made several trips to the King of Rui’s residence.

Ask the King of Rui and King of Rui’s Consort

to again make a trip into the palace.

There is an important matter,

they need to go to Magnificent Green Jade Pavilion.

For what, Imperial Physician?

For the last stretch of road...

I myself must travel it.

Qianqian.

Fengqing should bring you along

when he crosses over here

on the day he returns to the phoenix star.

Fengqing

is the true monarch of this realm.

Zhaoyi Nie, Imperial Physician Du wishes to meet with you.

Imperial Physician Du?

Hurry and ask him to come in.

I wasn’t aware

Imperial Physician Du was coming toMagnificent Green Jade Pavilion

for some matter?

This official has come today

as there really is a very important matter

I wish to discuss with Zhaoyi Nie.

Yang Zhi, Xia Lan,

you will wait outside.

Yes.

This official earnestly requests Zhaoyi Nie

that today’s speech in its entirety,

not even one word of it

be divulged to any other person.

I, Wushuang, understand,

but can only see Imperial Physician Du brows knitted tightly.

I was not aware you had any such matter,

Wushuang may or may not be qualified for this.

From the time Your Highness entered the palace, every day

I’ve seen around your neck that precious gemstone.

I then understood that

the Late Emperor’s concerns over this matter

had finally arrived.

The Late Emperor?

Right.

It was an old matter

that should have been over more than ten years ago.

More than ten years ago...

Your Majesty,

this is the medication this humble official is supplying to you.

In addition, you will need to take your medicine on time.

Is this still necessary...

My time is limited,

my mind understands this thoroughly.

Your Majesty,

don’t say such ominous things!

This humble official is determined to assemble and exhaust my abilities

to help my Emperor extend his life longer.

Oh you….

This pedantic one has not changed his ways

over all these years.

You concentrate on medicine

to strive for rank and glory.

Good. That’s great.

In the morning, throughout the Imperial court I

see it full of officials, civil and military.

Nowadays, who can be trusted?

It seems you may be the only one.

Imperial Physician Du, I have a secret.

that’s important to tell you about.

Your Majesty!

Imperial Physician Du,

my one concern

is Meiren Ji.

Is this the reason Your Majesty sought a crystal coffin,

and commanded this official

to protect Meiren Ji’s dead body so it would not decay?

My seeking out a crystal coffin

really wasn’t because of

treating Meiren Ji with affection.

I wanted to keep track of her whereabouts.

Whereabouts?

This humble official does not understand.

Meiren Ji

is already dead?

You haven’t heard the rumors

since you’ve been in the palace?

Meiren Ji really isn’t an ordinary person.

I’ve all along been anxious

that perhaps someday

Meiren Ji will somehow regain consciousness and have to be managed.

I haven’t yet conquered her nation,

but she still looked after people

and was extinguished by Great Lan.

Your Majesty treated Meiren Ji with generosity,

how could she bite the hand that fed her?

I all along had doubts

when Meiren Ji died

in the middle of Fengqing’s growing up.

Waiting until the day when

Meiren Ji had made clothes for Fengqing.

Furthermore, her clansmen

had come to take over my country’s territory.

The country’s territory?

Meiren Ji, wasn’t she from a foreign land?

I also hoped I was just being suspicious,

but because of Lan State,

I had no choice but to protect it.

I along with Fengming were forced

to go along with being vigilant of Fengqing.

If something unusual occurred, we would have to eliminate him.

I was anxious that

because they were like two brothers,

that finally after some time

Fengming might be unable to entirely let go of his hand.

So Imperial Physician Du...

when the time comes,

I hope you will be able to do it...

to eradicate the danger to Lan State’s ruler--

Your Majesty!

Therefore Imperial Physician,

I leave this task to you

as the most suitable one.

Just as everyone has seen,

Meiren Ji has from her crystal coffin

disappeared into thin air.

King of Rui’s abilities are different from an ordinary person.

This humble official really can’t do it,

During my childhood, my father explained to me that

“the nature of all monarchs is to be paranoid”.

Wushuang finally believes this today.

Certainly the King of Rui together with His Majesty

still also treat Lan State with true devotion,

the world can reflect on this.

Yes.

That is also my hope,

and the reason for my delay.

Moreover,

My daughter has already been married off to the King of Rui.

The King of Rui and my daughter, the pair of them will arrive.

Theirs should be the trust of

long-term marital happiness/

Today,

the Empress Dowager ordered this humble servant to do the same task,

this official understands

that he is now unable to escape this.

Empress Dowager wishes to eliminate the King of Rui.

Right.

Empress Dowager when together him is not getting along with the King of Rui,

this is a fact known to everyone.

But this time,

it’s not the Empress Dowager’s fault for being angry.

Because of the Empress Dowager’s nature,

even if this official eliminates the King of Rui,

this official together with his daughter will find it difficult to escape death.

Then Imperial Physician Du,

Wushuang wonders what she can do to help you?

Your Highness the Zhaoyi,

I have heard that when you were a child,

you nearly drowned and at that moment were rescued,

exactly when Meiren Ji threw herself into the lake.

Moreover, when you were rescued,

you held that precious gemstone in your hand.

You touched a legend,

absolutely not comparable to a normal person,

and quite remarkable.

Your Highness is kindhearted and pure,

with a

heart full of love for the world.

Imperial Physician Du, your words are excessive.

I understand.

His Majesty together with King of Rui both think highly of you.

Today

this old subject possibly will use means to die

shortly before the Empress Dowager in order to explain to the Late Emperor,

so that the King of Rui together with my daughter

may with some difficulty escape this misfortune.

This old subject asks Your Highness the Zhaoyi

by whatever means necessary to

ask the King of Rui to depart the Lan palace.

Depart the Lan palace?

Right.

Only by departing the Lan palace

can make Great Lan run smooth and steady.

Even at this late hour,

this humble official still remains unconvinced that

King of Rui would possibly harm His Majesty

or likely to damage or reach for Lan State.

My daughter is deeply attached to the King of Rui.

This humble official naturally has expectations

that the King of Rui will take care of her all her life.

This humble official toward Your Highness the Zhaoyi

has a presumptuous request.

Asking Your Highness

to break off the emotional threads with King of Rui.

This official will use tea to substitute for wine

to thank Your HIghness the Zhaoyi

for helping with my daughter’s matter.

Imperial Physician Du, I think that in this matter

there is still room for some leeway.

Absolutely impossible.

Empress Dowager wants King of Rui to drop dead,

and is providing

this official a substitute for my dead son-in-law.

Imperial Physician Du!

Your Highness the Zhaoyi has great grace and virtue,

this official will return to recompense in another life.

Imperial Physician Du! Attendants!

I’ll call someone!

Your Royal Highness, I am convinced you

will not harm His Majesty.

I am also convinced you

will not harm Lan State.

King of Rui,

my Ruo’er...

I’m giving her to you.

I promise you...I promise you!

Father!

Father!

Father...Father!

Father! Father!

Father, what happened to you?

Father,

what’s wrong with you?

Father!

Father,

Guest, please come inside!

Do a good deed….

nobles, please do a good deed!

Come over and take a look!

Sure!

Since you’re not dead...

get up and eat something.

Pretending to be a leper,

you didn’t want to be recognized.

Neither of us want to be recognized.

Certainly there must have been

some shameful matter.

You don’t need to explain.

I have no interest

in what you have done.

Hurry up and eat, so you can work well.

Benefactor, what place is this?

Great Lan State, a desolate area outside of town.

Returned to Lan State?

Then Benefactor, are you a man from Li State?

No.

Benefactor, isn’t it uncanny,

I simply feel

you look like you resemble someone,

someone I know?

Did you have a relative who lived in Li State?

No one.

I’ve always been a loner.

May I ask your surname?

My family name is “Tie”, and I am an ironsmith for a living.

Just call me “Old Tie”.

And you? What’s your name?

I...I am called “Qinyuan”. (alias using “Qin” rather than “Qing”, same “Yuan”)

Where does your family live?

I don’t have any family.

Then for now you can stay here.

You and I are both lonely and helpless people,

just living together to stay alive.

Great!

Benefactor, this “Old Tie” name,

it’s an assumed name right?

What do you mean, assumed?

Is it possible the name you told me

is your real name?

You and I

both have pasts we don’t want known.

Changing a person’s name

is for the purpose of starting over.

So...

I won’t ask you about your experience.

But I don’t really want to

start over again!

I just want to go back

to my peaceful life.

Really?

Then tell me

your real name!

I...

My name is “Qinyuan”.

That’s not enough.

Uncle, don’t get me wrong. (polite form of address, not related)

Why wouldn’t I tell you

who I am?

Because after you know

who I am,

you’ll be afraid.

I’ll be afraid?

In this world right now,

there is really nothing I am afraid of.

Then Uncle,

will you tell me who you are?

Can’t.

If I tell you,

you’ll be afraid.

Who allowed you to pack all these things

to leave the King of Rui’s residence?

On our wedding day,

didn’t you tell me that life is short?

That the gates of the King of Rui’s mansion

were wide open to me at any time?

That if I wanted to go,

no one would stop me?

The Imperial Physician Bureau furthermore has a lot of work,

tasks my father did not complete,

and I also have to train a new medical assistant.

Who let you

not eat for three days,

do you want to die?

You want to meet your father in the underworld?

That’s right! I don’t want to see you now,

I just want to see my father!

As long as I’m here, don’t even think about dying!

I promised your father

that I would take good care of you.

As long as I am alive each day,

you will live well together with me.

It’s all my fault!

If on that day

I had not married you,

my father would not have died!

You don’t have to lie to me.

I know

it was Zhaoyi Nie who caused my father’s death.

It wasn’t her!

I...I am not defending her.

The Empress Dowager wanted someone

to kill me.

Your father..

died because of me.

I will avenge him.

From now on,

you should stay well within the King of Rui’s residence.

You won’t see me again.

There’s no need to say anything more to me.

You mustn’t!

Don’t stop talking to me, okay?

I am now

left with only you as my family.

Deshun.

Bring food for the King of Rui’s Consort.

If you can’t get this done,

I’ll put you in for “purification” in the morning! (have him castrated)

As you command!

Qinyuan,

why did you not tell me

that you are a Buddhist monk secretly returning to secular life?

Otherwise why are you looking around all over

and covered up

like you are

a wanted murderer?

Uncle,

I am like an ant

trying not to be trampled upon.

How can you do that?

Uncle,

let’s not join in this fun,

let’s go instead for medicine.

Are you that afraid of the wanted posters?

This actually is the Imperial Physician Bureau’s

notice to recruit apprentices!

They require a lot of tests!

The Imperial palace

naturally selects people carefully.

What, do you want to enter the palace?

I have heard

that my real father worked in the palace.

Going to the Imperial Physician Bureau to sign up

not just to learn some skills,

but to find my relative.

That would be a good thing!

This place here

is where we dry the medicinal ingredients in the sun.

Under clear skies,

we can spread them out in this place

and process them by turning them over.

At sunset, we bring them in.

In future,

this work will be turned over to you.

These are not the tasks medical assistants

should be concerned with, right?

What?

Don’t think

because you answered an advertisement for an entrance exam

that you will suddenly have eyes on the top of your head! (know it all)

I, Chengen, have been in the Imperial Physician Bureau for three years

and am still a mere medical assistant.

Apprentices must obey as subordinates

to start as medical assistants!

You! What’s your name?

Qin...

Qinyuan.

I’m called “Chengen”.

For the entire Imperial Physician Bureau,

I guess we’d better get along as well as we can!

I have some advice to give you.

Our Imperial Physician Bureau

has two Imperial Physicians named “Du”.

One is “Imperial Physician” and the other is “Senior Imperial Physician.”

The former is

the Senior’s daughter, Du Ruo,

who is the King of Rui’s Consort,

but recently

I advise you not to provoke

the female Imperial Physician Du.

After all, Senior Imperial Physician Du just passed away,

and her change of mood is not good.

Why has not the King of Rui appeared

along with the rest of the high-ranking officials?

Reporting to Your Majesty,

early this month, the King of Rui’s father-in-law,

Du Zhichu, passed away.

King of Rui is attired for mourning, and possessed with the burden of

remaining home to comfort the King of Rui’s Consort.

Right now, the King of Rui’s Consort’s only near relative

is Fifth Younger Brother.

This misfortune happened,

so Fifth Younger Brother

must then do his duty.

Is there any news about Gu Qinghong?

Reporting to Your Majesty,

Li State for some time has distributed

a great number of documents to officially capture people.

To apprehend Gu Qinghong,

our side also sent a dispatch

along with a great amount of manpower,

but we are still empty-handed.

Then the Emperor of Li, is there any sign of action?

In light of my placing

a spy in Li State has reported back that

the Emperor of Li has lost himself in wine and women,

every night there is music and dancing,

appearing not to stop to listen to any news.

Why then according to my spy’s report is

the Emperor of Li right in the middle of Li State’s

development of some tremendous new weapon?

I just don't’ know how powerful it is.

Every night, the music and dancing I’m afraid,

is merely superficial

to cover it up as camouflage, that’s all.

This humble official has not done his best.

I beseech Your Majesty to forgive me!

This official will immediately send a group to investigate this fully!

Your subject brother pays respects to Your Majesty.

Fifth Younger Brother,

you have come here with such news,

and the news of

what’s happening is

really frightening my ministers.

I have never doubted

Grand Marshal Xu’s loyalty.

However, the Emperor of Li’s nature is one of deceit.

I always want to keep a few

significant and reliable clues on hand

for fear that Grand Marshal Xu’s spies

already had met with the Emperor of Li and were bribed,

and yet he was completely in the dark about it.

King of Rui is very perceptive! King of Rui was so observant!

Cleaning up greed after the fact

in the middle of the Imperial household,

I’m rather feeling somewhat like every bush conceals an enemy soldier

in the way that Grand Marshal Xu is protecting my Great Lan,

laying down a lot of heroic contributions.

As well, your daughter Concubine Shu

is able and virtuous, respectful and cautious.

Grand Marshal toward me has dedication and devotion,

I have never called it into question,

you may rise.

Your Majesty is wise.

Grateful to Your Majesty for treating this old subject with your kind favor.

Toward this northern Li matter,

this official will redouble efforts and follow closely,

and be not in the least bit reckless!

So, King of Rui,

do you have any other news here?

Reporting to Your Majesty,

Li State, together with Jiuliao post-war,

both sides have suffered. (neither won)

Recently coming since

Jiuliao started dealing in horses,

repeatedly they have come to my Lan State

to trade in horses.

It appears

that even their neighboring states can sense the direction of the wind blowing.

Even more concerning

is that now people have come to report that

Li State is approaching near cities

and a lot of ironworkers have gone missing!

Even Jiankang is this way (old name for Nanjing).

Not aware of the connection between these things,

or whether they are even indeed related?

Emperor of Li, this person’s

mind is very meticulous,

shrewd, and extremely deep.

He, in order to reach his goals,

certainly will do so by fair means or foul.

War between our two countries is just a matter of time.

Minister Wang,

send people to take inventory of the number of blacksmiths,

and enter their names in a book.

Yes.

Dismissed.

Yes.

Father, how could you be so confused,

going so far as to conceal the real circumstances?

This is because

I had to early this morning go before

the Empress Dowager and receive her decree.

It’s a command I cannot revealr to His Majesty.

Northern Li has the ambition of wild wolves

I cannot obey it!

Who could foretell that the King of Rui would put off his mourning attire

and also get involved in this matter?

But why was the Empress Dowager demanding this?

Xue Mingyi got off the hook.

Empress Dowager along with His Majesty’s measuring of their authority

has not yet been resolved to either victory or defeat.

Right now,

we are all balanced on the tip of a knife.

This won’t do.

I have to go inform His Majesty of this matter!

Fu Xiang!

You think His Majesty was forced to do it,

but he’s sure to win.

But complying with Father’s behavior is

standing on the side with the Empress Dowager?

Father is not taking sides.

I am only thinking about Great Lan

standing strong.

Today, this early morning’s matter

was Father’s chance to pacify the

Empress Dowager’’s heart

so she doesn’t see you as important!

Empress Dowager is my maternal aunt!

Even if something really happened,

she won’t hurt me!

I really have one

truly naive daughter!

In my opinion,

Empress Dowager even together with her own son

entirely plans to take precedence.

You’re her niece, so what!

In this stage of your life,

you’d best hide inside Xinyi Palace

while the Empress Dowager and His Majesty

both are avoiding each other!

This is the best way to protect yourself!

The moon both waxes and wanes.

This life’s consummate works

are indeed few.

Chunxiang,

there will be a day in future when His Majesty will be coming to Shangyuan Palace

to pay his respects to me.

Naturally Imperial Physician Du Zhichu

went to Magnificent Green Jade Pavilion to take poison afterwards.

His Majesty has grown angry with me,

really hasn’t missed me.

This Du Zhichu,

so willing to die for his son-in-law.

King of Rui inevitably will have a spot of good fortune.

This maidservant happened to hear

the King of Rui, though in mourning and burdened with work,

still managed to go in the direction of the palace side hall

to share His Majesty’s burden of state affairs.

I indeed deeply admire

this profound brotherly affection.

Your affection

will really undergo a test of its firmness.

We’ll see if one will die for the other party.

Empress Dowager, she has arrived.

Did someone see her on the road here?

This humble one has dealt with those

who were not on our side.

Send her in.

Withdraw for now.

Yes.