Original subtitles

I didn't dare to tell the masters but you

If even you will be offended by my honesty

then I will just lie to you

and only tell you the things you want to hear

Forget it. Although I'm agitated

I still want to listen to what you truly think

I knew that you won't be mad at me

Restoring the Great Ming and avenging my family

has always been my responsibility

You are only a girl who speaks your mind

I shouldn't be harsh on you

Brother Zhu, you should go back to the drug store

I want to visit the market I'll make a move first

Be careful and don't get into any trouble

I understand...

Why are you even more long-winded than both Master and father?

It smells so good!

How I wish to go inside and have a feast once more

It is a shame that I can't afford to eat

at this restaurant

Go...

Riding on a golden cart and

riding so recklessly on the road

it makes me wonder whose cart it is

Isn't this real gold?

The owner of this cart must be extremely rich!

Judging from how reckless the driver was

the owner might not be someone benevolent

There is nothing wrong with robbing the rich to help the poor

Your Excellency the premier this way please

Your Excellency, please board the cart

Sir, please mind your steps

Only Oboi out of the four regents

can be called as the premier

Is it possible that the person in this cart is Oboi himself?

Oboi is extremely powerful

that explains the luxurious cart he has

Pedestrians avoided this cart from afar

because they recognise the owner of this cart

Yi Huan, what a big trouble you have landed yourself into

Oboi is known as the bravest man in the Qing Dynasty

If he discovers that I am hiding in his cart

I'll be lucky to escape death

O merciful Goddess of Mercy please save me

Stop

Greetings, Your Excellency

Save your courtesy, eunuch

Is everything all right in the palace?

Everything is under your control, Your Excellency

Is the Emperor all right?

The Emperor still

wrestles with his fellow friends everyday

and has shown no intention to rule

I suspect he is putting up a show for me to see

I still remember when the late Shun Zhi Emperor

ordered us to assist his young child on his deathbed

It is a shame this young Emperor

has become more and more uncontrollable

He has become more and more impatient of my presence

Actually, the Emperor remembers your contributions

Out of the countless of emperors who is genuinely merciful

and truly appreciative of the contributions of others?

He will have to fly when his wings are fully grown

You'd better keep His Majesty healthy

You must make sure the Emperor finishes

the whole cup of tonic soup

I understand. I will do my best to take care of His Majesty

Stop...

This is the tonic pill for this month

Thank you, Your Excellency

Send the eunuch back to the palace at once

it is not good to have him wandering outside for too long

- Yes, sir - Back to the palace?

Is it heading back to the Forbidden City?

Oh my goodness

It seems like the cart has entered the Forbidden City

I have only seen the exterior of the Forbidden City in daylight today

I wonder how does the Forbidden City look like from the inside?

Surely this cart will be heading back to Oboi's residence later

Should I just stay inside the cart and wait for it to leave the palace?

Or should I seek a chance to sneak into the palace?

It is a rare opportunity to enter the palace

It will be a shame if

I leave without paying a visit

Stop

Mind your steps, eunuch

Is there any place here where I can use the toilet?

I have held my urge for the entire journey

The palace is very complicated let me show you the way

Thank you

All right... I know you are hungry Stop reminding me

There must be some incredibly delicious food in the Imperial Kitchen

Should I fill my stomach before I leave?

The Imperial Kitchen...

Luckily Brother Zhu had given me this map

Look at all these treasure!

Boarding Oboi's cart wasn't such a bad idea after all

I should take all these plates made of gold and silver

and bring them back to Pearl Valley for my sisters

All of these are used by the Emperor

Amazing!

Let's be quick...

Yummy!

Stop!

Leave something for me!

It is you!

Who are you? I don't know you

It is me!

It is you!

Who is in the kitchen?

Now I remember...

Let's find a place to talk. Let's go...

My stuff...

That was scary

Thank you so much. I was lucky to bump into you

If not, then probably I had been caught by now

But who are you actually?

What are you doing in the palace?

And why are you so familiar with the locations here?

I...

I... am actually an imperial guard

That is why I am very familiar with this palace

So you are working in the palace!

No wonder the owner of the painting shop

was so reluctant to reveal your identity

Little brother, you were right to say that we will meet if we are fated to

It's just that I didn't expect our reunion to be this quick

Yes

Well, what are you doing in the palace at such late hours?

Don't mention it. I was unlucky

I was walking down the street when I saw a cart

which belongs to Oboi

The driver was handling it recklessly

so I wanted to teach him a lesson

I only knew that after I sneaked into the cart

right before Oboi boarded the cart

I was hiding in a concealed closet all this while

until the cart went straight into the palace

Once I'm here

I thought I can get a lot of good food in the Imperial Kitchen

that is why I was in the kitchen

when I bumped into you

What is Oboi doing in the palace at night?

The Emperor did not summon him

He is not in the palace He had gone back to his residence

He met a eunuch in the cart

and the cart came to the palace to send the eunuch back

Did you manage to see how the eunuch looked like?

I didn't. It was too dark and I was in the closet

But the eunuch was very careful

He was even wearing a black cloth covering his face

That is why I can't see it

I have long suspected that Oboi has spies in the palace

but I didn't expect him to be so outrageous

to conspire with the eunuchs

He really has no respect for the Emperor

I think the Emperor is useless

How can a person with such power being bullied by his subordinate?

Little brother, you sure aren't mindful of your language

I don't care if it is harsh but that is the truth

If this Emperor is wise enough

why would he allow Oboi to be this outrageous?

Little brother, you have overly simplified things

The Emperor has just assumed personal rule not long ago

surely he needs some time to put everything into order

Besides that, he is inspired to do great things

That is why he sent me to disguise myself

and seek information from the outside world

No wonder you spent money without a blink

it turns out you are just following orders

It looks like you have an easy job

I was busy talking to you until I'm hungry

Luckily I did take some food from the Imperial Kitchen

Let me bring you to a safe place to enjoy your food

- Let's go - Where are we going?

Where are we going?

Just follow me

Yummy!

The Imperial Kitchen is indeed impressive

The food does not only look good but tastes good as well

Definitely. Only the best chefs

can have the honour to serve the emperor

Didn't you say you are the Emperor's confidant?

Since you are his faithful servant

you could have just asked him if you want to eat anything

There is no need for you to sneak in and steal the food

I wasn't stealing!

I was entitled to go in and enjoy the food

If I wasn't protecting you

I wouldn't have been chased by my fellow guards

What happened?

This isn't right

There are different kinds of spices used to make these snacks

consuming them together will be poisonous

Poisonous?

Are you kidding me? How is that possible?

All these snacks are the Emperor's favourite

Moreover, every time before the Emperor eats

someone will test them with a silver needle to check if it is poisonous

They are also tasted by others before how can they be poisonous?

I'm serious. The spices in this snack are warm-natured

while the spices in this snack are cool-natured

Consuming them separately will not be poisonous

but eating them together will be poisonous in the long run

and damage the eater's mind

Are you serious?

What are you doing?

Don't move. I'm checking your pulse

Brother

it seems that you have been slowly poisoned

Are you the one who tastes the food for the Emperor?

To be honest

the Emperor and I had fallen sick recently

Hence, I was sent to the Imperial Kitchen to verify it

I don't really trust the physicians in the palace

hence I wanted to take a few samples of the food

for the physicians outside to test them

When I first saw you there

I thought you were the culprit who wanted to poison the Emperor

and you were there to destroy the evidence

But after that, I saw you eating the food without any hesitation

and after what you said to me earlier

I believe you now

It is your fortune to meet Li Yi Huan, Hero Li

do you know that?

Li Yi Huan?

It is a beautiful name

Of course. Not only my name is beautiful

I'm also knowledgeable about poisons and how to cure poisons

Then is it possible to cure this poison?

It is possible to cure you and the Emperor

but it is difficult to mix the herbs

And the herbs are not cheap

Don't worry about the money You can have as much as you want

Good. Let's meet at the Capital's First Restaurant

I'll bring you the antidote and you will bring the money

That will be ten taels of gold

No problem. There is no need to wait until the next three days

My ring is worth far more than ten taels of gold

why don't you take it first?

It is indeed a nice ring

Are you going to give it to me just like that?

Aren't you scared of being conned?

I trust you. Although we have just met

I can tell that you are a talented person

A talented person

will not betray his friends for money

It's true

I am a talented person

But my talents are not limited to these

you will see them in no time

Sure

But when we were fighting in the Imperial Kitchen

I realised your martial arts skills

are no better than mine

Only those who has no talent will rely on brute strength

Talented people like me

will rely on this, get it?

Moreover, I'm just a small-time thief

my skills are more than enough

But you are an imperial guard

how can you be a guard with this level of skills?

Tell me the truth, is it because

you have a good father that makes you an imperial guard?

To be honest

I am really lucky and I have a good father

My ancestors are nobilities of the Eight Banners

I am only able to serve the Emperor because of my family

So he indeed values relationship over merits

This Kang Xi Emperor is indeed not a wise king

Only you can say such treacherous thing

If it was someone else

I will definitely arrest him and send him to the court

But to be fair, although you disrespect the Emperor in your words

I can see that you have good intentions

I can see that

you are an understanding and loyal person

I have decided. We can be friends

Come, let's drink some wine and celebrate

The wine in my bottle is not an ordinary wine

I found it in a cave on the mountain

made of wild grapes

I have no idea which sage had made the wine

but it is extremely delicious

Do not think that as the Emperor's servant

you have already tasted everything tasty

Don't underestimate this wine

It is far better than what you have in the palace

Nice! Have a taste?

How is it?

It is very good!

Didn't I tell you?

Let's drink

Little brother where do you come from?

Why are you here in Beijing?

I am just a ranger

I came to Beijing to see its beauty

and taste its best food

Secondly, I wish to find some precious herbs

to make the Beauty Skin Cream to cure the scar on my sister's face

What happened to her face?

Every time I talk about this I will feel guilty for it

When I was little, I dragged my sister to play with me in the mountain

without the adults' knowledge

Sister, shall we go back?

The masters do not allow us to come here to play

because there are dangerous beasts on the mountain

I think they are just saying that to scare us. Shall we go?

Let's go

Run! Run!

That is how she got a scar on her face

My godfather is a famous physician

He said only precious herbs

can be used to make the Beauty Skin Cream

that can get rid of the scar on her face

But we were too poor to afford the herbs needed

I have always wondered

when can I find the cure for my sister's scar

My sister is very beautiful

but the scar on her face has made her look down on herself

That is why I wish to gather all the herbs I need as soon as possible

and cure her scar

The reason you didn't follow the cart to leave the palace

was not to sneak into the Imperial Kitchen for food

but to sneak into the Imperial Academy of Medicine

to find the herbs you need to cure your sister's face?

That's right. I wanted to fill my stomach before sneaking into there

I didn't expect things to go down this way

You are a loyal person I like your personality

How old are you?

I was born in 12th year of Shun Zhi on the 4th day of the 5th month

The 4th day of the 5th month?

- Is that true? - It is true

What a coincidence. I was also born on the 4th day of the 5th month

I was born in 11th year of Shun Zhi so I'm a year older than you

What a coincidence!

Don't you think it is fated

for us to have met each other twice in a single day?

Why don't we let the moon be the witness and become sworn brothers?

No one has ever thought of becoming sworn brothers with me

But I have read it in the books

it seems very significant to become sworn brothers

- Of course it is - I have always wanted to do this

but have not found someone that is suitable

Since it is our destiny to meet each other, I think you are the one

I am one year older than you so I will be the elder brother

No way...

Wise men from the past had said

what matters is not who is older than the other

but who is wiser

Our seniority must be decided by who is more knowledgeable and skilful

You said that I was knowledgeable and skilful,

hence I will be the big brother while you are the little brother

How can this be?

Of course it can If you disagree with that

shall we have a fight to determine who the big brother is?

No... Alright

I didn't expect anyone would want to be my big brother

Fine, you are the big brother and I am the little brother, is it okay?

- I, Li Yi Huan... - I, Long San

hereby swear by the moon to be sworn brothers

that from now on we will share our fortunes

and endure hardships together and will be faithful to each other

We will live and die together we will share weal and woe

If we break our oath we shall be struck by lightning

Big brother, please

Little brother, please

Since we are sworn brothers now

I cannot lie to you any longer or I will be struck by lightning

What are you talking about, big brother?

You are so gullible

I told you the antidote will cost ten taels of gold

but in fact, it only cost ten copper coins

Since we are sworn brothers I cannot lie to you

I shall return you this jade ring

I was planning to rip you off

since you are so rich

But since we are brothers now

I cannot cheat you I must be loyal to you

You are indeed an emotional person, big brother

But since we have sworn by the moon

that we will share our weal and woe

what is mine is now yours

You can have this jade ring as a gift, big brother

I have plenty of these things You don't have to give it back to me

Is this for real?

Definitely. We have just taken an oath

do you want your little brother to be struck down by lightning?

A gullible person like you

is definitely going to be cheated and deceived by others

But don't worry

Now you have a big brother to protect you

Sure, then I will just count on you?

No problem

Good boy

I'm back!

Where have you been?

- Brother Zhu - Let me see

Are you hurt?

Don't worry, Brother Zhu

I am perfectly fine

Nothing has happened to me

Do you know that

we spent the whole night looking for you?

Every base had sent people to look for you in the entire city

Junior Fan has not returned until now...

Yi Huan!

Sister Xue!

Do you know how worried we were?

I'm so sorry

I didn't know that everyone will be so worried about me

Sister Yi Huan, you should know that given your identity

if anything happened to you

the whole alliance will come to save you at all costs

If innocent lives were lost because of you

won't you feel guilty?

I understand my mistake Brother Zhu. I'm sorry

I will not do this again

But do you know where did I go?

Where did you go?

The Forbidden City

Didn't you tell me that you were just going to the market?

I did. I did go to the market

But after I went to the market

I managed to sneak into the Forbidden City

Not only that, guess who I've met?

I bumped into Long San who is an imperial guard

I even became his sworn brother

I knew that you wouldn't believe this

Look at this... Did I lie to you?

I didn't just become his sworn brother but his big brother

He even called me his big brother

I have always been the youngest

but now I am someone's big brother

So Long San is actually an imperial guard of Kang Xi

and was collecting information for the Emperor

No wonder he was so generous

Sister Yi Huan, you should contact Long San more often

and incite the conflict between Kang Xi and Oboi

Perhaps Long San can be the key to achieve that

That's correct

Didn't you see Oboi conspiring with a eunuch last night?

If that's the case, the Emperor must hate Oboi even more

But I am Long San's brother

we have sworn to share our weal and woe

Isn't that unfaithful for me to do that?

Sister Yi Huan, you must look at the big picture

Although it is important to be faithful to you friends

you should remember that restoring the Ming Dynasty is a greater cause

Yi Huan, you must trust your siblings

whom you have grown up with

instead of trusting someone who you have just met

Alright, I will listen to you

Has the Emperor's dizziness improved?

It is slightly better now

But Your Highness...

Leave us

I want to talk privately with the Empress

Leave us

Yes...

You can speak freely now

What was the reason behind his dizziness?

Someone had poisoned the Emperor's food

Poison?

The imperial physicians diagnosed it to be apoplexy

I was just wondering

The Emperor has been practising martial arts since young

and has always been healthy

He still so young, how is it possible for him to contract apoplexy?

Someone must be behind this

What poison was it?

Is it fatal?

Don't worry, Your Highness

It was caused by two conflicting herbs

that will cause palpitation and dizziness if consumed together

I understand

It must be a fearless person

that has no respect to the Emperor

I doubt there is another person like that in the court

I reckon he must hate to see the Emperor has grown to be a fine man

and refuses to give the power back to the Emperor

therefore he took the risk to poison the Emperor