Original subtitles

Subbed and Timed by the Lang Ya Bang Team @ Viki

Episode 6

Yue was immoral and her actions were evil,

this cannot be allowed by the Palace rules.

From today, she has been demoted to a concubine,

all rewards will be deducted.

She will move to Qingli Courtand will be confined there to think about her actions.

She cannot leave without permission.

What do you think, Empress?

Nihuang, this is Noble Consort Yue's wrong towards you.

But since this is related to your purity,

it shouldn't be punished openly.

I'm sorry about that.

I will adhere to your actions.

And you. I'm talking about you.

Stay in the Palace. You are confined for three months. Go and study.

Think about the principles of an Emperor.

If you are ever involved with these issues in the future, I will not let you off.

Yes, thank you for your mercy.

Go, go, go away.

Mother.

Jingyan.

Yes.

Do you know what you did wrong?

Greetings, Prince Yu.

How is the situation inside?

Although I held the Crown Prince hostage because of the situation,

it was still wrong. I admit to it.

Then I will ask you, how did you know

that Nihuang was in trouble at Zhaoren Palaceand that you should go to save her?

The Palace is big. You have no relations with Zhaoren Palace.

How did you suddenly think to go there?

I...

Your Majesty, Prince Yu wishes to see you.

-Let him in.-Yes.

Let Prince Yu in.

Greetings, Father, Mother.

Why are you here?

Father, I was the one who told Jingyan to enter Zhaoren Palace.

You?

Yes, I did.

Then how did you know that something wouldhappen in Zhaoren Palace?

After the contest, I went to the Palace to greet my mother.

To get to Zhengyang Palace, you have to go past Zhaoren Palace.

I saw the Crown Prince enter with Sima Lei.

You know that the Crown Prince is an eminent man.

Therefore, I would notice him more.

I thought it was strange for the Crown Princeto bring an outsider to his mother's Palace.

So I asked about it, and found out the Princess was there too and thought it was unusual.

You're clever?

If you figured it was unusual,why didn't you go in?

Why did you call Jingyan over?

Zhaoren Palace has many guards, it would've been difficult to break in with my guards.

When I was troubling over this, I saw Jingyan come past.

I thought, he's a Prince,

if he goes in, it should be alright.

It's better than the Palace Guards breaking in.

If there was nothing wrong inside,then he could excuse himself with some bowing.

Jingyan, Jinghuan told you to go inand you really went in?

You've never been such an obedient person.

If it's regarding the Princess, I don't need to think about it.

Thanks to Jingyan, we were able to save the Princess.

Now that I think about it,I'm worried.

Who would think that Noble Consort Yuewould be so devious and daring

that she would call upon the killing of the Prince?

Father, although I don't agree with Jingyan taking the Crown Prince hostage,

he did it because of me.

If you want to punish him, I'm willing to be punished too.

Alright.

You sure are very aware

of the Crown Prince's actions.

The Crown Prince is the heir and the oldest.I've always admired him

and followed his actions.

-So...-Alright.

You don't need to say this. I know you well,

but your words are reasonable.

Nothing happened today and

it was all due to your cleverness.

But Jingyan did wrong,

and took the Crown Prince as hostage.That is too bold and reckless.

There should be serious punishment.

-Your Majesty.-Father.

Jingyan's situation arose from me. Please have mercy.

Jingyan might have done wrong,

but there was a reasonand Jinghuan is willing to take responsibility.

You saved the Princess as well.

It cancels out, there will be noreward or punishment.

Prince Yu, Jinghuan, found the oddity,

and was timely, I appreciate that.

I reward you a hundred horses and one thousand liang.[T/N: "liang" is the ancient Chinese currency]

And a box of Southern pearls as appreciation.

Thank you for your grace.

Thank you, Father.

Prince Jing.

You left quickly.

I just thanked Prince Yuand you already disappeared.

Actually I know.

What does the Princess know?

I know it wasn't Prince Yuwho told you to save me.

It was Sir Su, right?

How is this related to Sir Su? Commander General Meng was the one who told me.

Commander General Meng?

He suddenly came to find me

and said that the Princess was in troubleat Zhaoren Palace and told me to save you.

I was suspicious, but I trust Commander General Meng.

Plus, it was a serious matter,so I rushed to Zhaoren Palace.

Why did you mention Sir Su?

I guess there are some things we have toask Commander General Meng.

Today is a happy day.

Although the Emperor protected the Crown Prince,

for that slut Yue to have such a great fall

is something to celebrate.

It's all thanks to Mother for taking this good opportunity.

Come.

To be honest, my action today

wasn't to beg for mercy,but rather to take credit.

Take credit?

Please.

Greetings, Prince Jing. Greetings, Princess.

It's rare for you both to come here.

Commander General Meng, can you explain what happened today?

-You can leave first. -Yes.

I heard from Prince Jing thatI was saved today because of you.

So, I came especially to thank you.

Please don't, that's too much.

I don't understand though, how did you find out the secrets of the Inner Palace?

I am the leader of many people in the Palace.

How can I not know when an outsider like Sima Lei has come in?

Is that right?

Just from this fact, you were able to correctly predict

that I would have troubles in Zhaoren Palace. You have such good foresight.

But I think the person with foresight is not you.

Looks like I can't keep it from you.

Although this issue was concluded because you brought the Grand Empress,

in the Princess's eyes, you may not be the one she is most thankful to.

That's right, Jingyan didn't care about his life

and took the Crown Prince hostage to protect her.

The Princess would naturally be thankful.

However, my begging for mercy in front of the Emperor

makes it look like I was the one who sent Jingyan.

He now has the crime of taking the Crown Prince hostage,

but he was saved thanks to me. So he could not refute what I said.

Isn't that the case, Mother?

Yes, yes. You are smart, my son.

You didn't see, but the Princessstopped me to thank me.

Now that you have gained this favor from the Princess,

no matter how neutral the Mu Mansion of Yunnan is,

they will lean towards you.

But in the end, you didn't send Jingyan.

How did he happen to appear at Zhaoren Palace?

This is a god-sent opportunity,

I've already set up the first half of the situation.

You need to finish the second half.

From the bit of news that Aunt Liyang gave,

and learning from General Meng that Sima Lei entered the Palace,

he was able to completely predict what Zhaoren Palace was planning.

This mind is really not that of a normal person.

I'm asking about Jingyan, what are you talking about?

I'm talking about my biggest gain today, Mei Changsu.

Mei Changsu. Was today's incident related to him?

Jingyan is reckless and doesn't carefully consider his actions.

How could he have done this alone?

He is just a piece of the game.

The real strategist is Mei Changsu.

From this, I've realised that Langya's prophecy is not false.

This Divine Talent

must be in my hands.

This Sir Su isn't a god. Just from the Empress inviting the Princess,

how did he figure out Zhaoren Palace's plot?

Of course, it wasn't just from that.

When I arrived at Wuying Palace today, he had already sent me Grand Princess Liyang's words

that I must be careful of the actions of the ladies of the Inner Palace.

But the Empress invited me first,

so I thought she would be the evildoer.

And I did not really guard myself against Noble Consort Yue who invited me later.

But I still have to bring gifts and take my brother to thank Prince Yu tomorrow.

Prince Yu obviously came to take credit.

Why do you still need to thank him?

Although he took the credit, he prevented Prince Jing's punishment.

Furthermore, Noble Consort Yue already protected the Crown Prince.

As the heir of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince is still strong.

I'm worried

that he will bother Prince Jing in the future.

Not bad.

The more the Princess makes it knownthat she is thanking Prince Yu,

the more the Eastern Palace will place their hate on Prince Yu.

This way, they won't have time to bother Prince Jing.

Prince Yu was so happy before.

Of course he is happy. He was rewarded and the Crown Prince's mother was demoted.

He did you a favor by protecting you,

and became the saviour of the Mu Mansion of Yunnan.

This person who appeared at the end and did nothing became the biggest winner

with a few words.

Prince Yu was so smart today,

it looks like someone helped him.

Without this person, who could disturb the muddy waters of the Palace?

It looks like from now on, we won't be able to avoid the fate this person has planned for us.

A storm is coming,

who knows where this stream of wind will go?

It is raining heavily, today is not a good day to go out.

Why did Your Highness summon me?

Sir Su is a Divine Talent with precise actions.

To meet me without anyone knowing should be easily done.

You seem to be angry.

I invited you to ask you about

Princess Nihuang's incident yesterday.

Hasn't this incident been completely resolved?

Yes, it was.

I saved the Princess with my life. She is very thankful towards me.

If there are any battles in the future, the Mu Mansion of Yunnan would naturally support me.

Was this your goal?

Are you saying that I created this incident intentionally?

That's not what I mean. What I care about is whether this result

made you feel satisfied?

Then do you think I should be satisfied?

No matter what advice you gave when the Princess was in danger,

I understand that it's hard for you to protect her. I also admire

your timely adaptations and preparations. But I want to remind you

if something like this happens again,you should notify me earlier.

I don't want the Princess to be hurt by others,

or for you to use them as stones in my path.

I didn't think Your Highness would have these thoughts about me.

It's really unexpected.

Since you deny it, then that's good.

That means that you know this is wrong.

Please be direct with your words.

The Princess is not part of the fights in the Palace.

It is her battles on a bloody battlefield

that protect this place where you fight.

For our cooperation in the future, I will not allow you to use people like her as a chess piece,

to move as you wish and sacrifice as you wish.

Or else I, Xiao Jingyan,

cannot work with you.

I understand. You came to set rules with me today.

Qi Hong.

Yes.

Have you changed the people in Qingli court?

Yes, they are all our people.

Concubine Yue is here on royal orders, to be locked here and repent.

Nobody will notify her.

She has strong connections within the Palace. We must be careful.

Yes.

The amount of food and water given is dependent on status.

Do we need to find a way

to make Concubine Yue's life more difficult?

Even if I am nice to her, the Emperor will not believe it.

Since I already have this accusation against me, why not let her suffer a little?

Watch your limits, make sure no lives are lost.

-Don't leave any evidence.-Yes.

I agreed to work with you,and you recognize that you will have to follow my order.

Then you need to know my limits.

What are your limits?

I've seen many strategists,

and the most evil and shameless things

that they have done.

The cold arrows they sent out

could not be blocked by the strongest people.

My brother and my best friend

both died because of such conspiracies.

I cannot allow them to see me

become such a ruthless person.

Don't worry, Your Highness, you will not become that person.

I don't ask you to understand the blood of warriorsand the smoke of battlefields,

but there are some people you cannot hurt.

There are some things you can't take advantage of.

If you can't respect the warriors of bloody battlefields,I, Xiao Jingyan,

will never work with you.

Is that clear?

I feel very guilty

that Mother had to personally settle Concubine Yue.

You grew up in my Palace. I know you are filial.

But it is better to be done early.

We cannot let Concubine Yue have an opportunityto beg for mercy from the Emperor.

Where is Jingyan?

He went back without saying anything.

Then we don't need to worry. With his temper,

if he doesn't speak now,he won't talk about it later.

Jinghuan, no matter whether in arts or in martial arts,

Jingxuan is no match for you.

It's a pity I couldn't make you the heir.

Noble Consort Yue has been favored for many years,

for Jingxuan to become the Crown Prince is natural.

However, after this incident, mother and son will slowly lose favor.

Since she has been demoted to a Concubine, I predict that the respect the Eastern Palace commands will be shaken up too.

Rest assured, I understand your ambitions.

We just need to plan carefully.

It will not be long before the master of the Eastern Palace is changed.

Now that we have Mei Changsu, I have even more of a chance.

I will follow Your Highness's words.

Since we are here today to set the rules,

can I say a few things?

Go ahead.

To fight against the Crown Prince and Prince Yu,

we can't rely solely on your passion.

My purpose is for their plots not to succeed.

In order to fight them, we must be more ruthless than they are,

or else our plans will easily fall apart.

You should clearly understand this.

I will not violate Your Highness's limits,

and I hope you will not suspect me in the future.

Also, there are some things you don't need to keep from me.

Like Tingsheng.

Tingsheng? What secret does Tingsheng have?

I'm talking about his birth,

to be clearer, his identity.

My actions are always open and clear,

only this issue I cannot bring up.

But how did you know about this?

I don't need to tell you how I know.

Just remember that I'm not using this against you.

If you wanted to harm me,

you could have done it with Tingsheng's secret.

If you don't have anyone like me beside you,

if anyone finds out about our plans in the future,

and if the Crown Prince and Prince Yu tell the Emperor,

what strength do you have to fight them?

Since we are talking about everything, I hope that in the future,

you will have absolute trust in me.

It's just that in our kingdom, in the Imperial Court,

there are still many pure-hearted people

who are not involved in these conspiracies.

-For them, I want to ask you...-The ones who should be used will be used,

but I will try my best not to hurt them.

The storm has begun in Jinling city,

please be resolute.

I still need to thank you for saving Tingsheng.

Mister Yan.

Jingrui,

wasn't that person your elder brother, Zhuo Qingyao?

It can't be.

If he came to the Capital, how would I not know?

Whatever. Let's go look for Sir Su.I heard he wants to buy a house.

Why does he need to move out?

Xia Dong is really Xuanjing Bureau's chief. It hasn't been long

and she has already found the truth behind Duke Qing's case.

Duke Qing will not be able to avoid punishment when he returns to the Capital.

If this can cut down one of Prince Yu's arms,

it is all due to Father-in-law's careful preparations.

It is a good thing that Duke Qing's incident was resolved smoothly,

but it is unexpected

that Xia Dong discovered you.

It was my mistake. I thought Xia Dongwould only investigate Duke Qing.

I didn't expect her to investigate the plaintiff as well.

She quickly found out that Tianquan Manor was responsible for escorting the old couple into the Capital.

It was already too late by the time we knew about it.

This matter is a bit troublesome now.

Father-in-law, Xie Bi is serving under Prince Yu,

and has always thought that you are neutral in the faction fight.

Should you explain to him first?

- To prevent him from...- No need for that.

But we have exposed ourselves by protecting the plaintiff.

When Xia Dong returns to the Capital, the secret fact that you support the Eastern Palace will be revealed.

I already said that it's not necessary.

I don't understand.

Xia Dong has not returned to the Capital, has she?

Father-in-law, you mean that she shouldn't have the chance to return to the Capital?

Since she has investigated the case and obtained the evidence,

that's the end of her duty.

Regardless of who submits the evidence as long as the case is handed,

to the Imperial office, Duke Qing cannot escape from his crime.

As for whether Xia Dong can return to the Capital,

does it matter?

But to harm the Executive Officer of the Xuanjing Bureau because of this incident

is a serious crime that will shake the Court.

Then we will see who will bear the crime.

Everyone knows that Duke Qing is on Prince Yu's side.

Now that His Majesty is investigating him,

and someone dares to attack the Xuanjing Bureau,

do you think that Prince Yu can be free from suspicions?

Jiejie. [T/N: "-jiejie" is an endearing term used by younger people towards older females]

It is late now. Are you still going to Prince Yu's residence?

Jiejie?

Executive Officer Xia Dong is finally back from Binzhou.

There's nothing more I can do for Duke Qing's case.

But what about the Divine Talent?

How will he resolve this tricky situation?

Father, you wanted to see me?

Yes, take a seat.

Jingrui, is your friend Sir Su

comfortable staying in our house?

Sir Su thinks that it's comfortable.

His Majesty treated him as his guest, hence

he should also be treated well in our house.

You must take good care of him.

But Sir Su has been talking about buying a house.

He probably won't stay in our house for too long.

He isn't an ordinary person.

I think he won't stay in our house for long either.

If he needs anything, you must tell me.

- We must try our best to help him.- Yes.

Jingrui, we came here to relax but what's up with you?

It's nothing.

I just feel troubled.

It has been only two months since we returned to the Capital,

but it seems that everything has changed.

Brother Su has changed. Even my father seems to have changed.

Did your father change?

I thought he has always been like that?

As for Brother Su,

I must be frank.

I think Brother Su is a deep person. We may be sons of noble birth,

but I think that in his eyes,

we aren't worthy to be his real friends.

Must the relations between people be so cold

and be placed on a scale?

You shouldn't be thinking so much.

It's pointless to be bothered by this.

Life is short and one should seek happiness.

Go to Miaoyin Court with me later and enjoy some nice music.

I have not been there for a long time.

I think Miss Gong Yu must have missed me.

I heard that Mr. Shisan has arranged some new music scores.

Tonight, we can also cruise the lake and enjoy the lantern display.

What do you say?

Great. If Young Master Yan wants my company,

can I say no?

I don't think we should cruise the lake and enjoy the lantern display

when you have night blindness.

Go!

Who is there?

Your Highness.

Your Excellency, do stand up.

It's not that His Highness does not wish to help you, it is that he has already done all that he can to help.

Because of your case,

I have suppressed the Zhou Manor and the investigation unit.

All the constables and their leaders in the city are also looking out for you.

But you,

you could not even control your subordinates and even produced two plaintiffs.

Your Highness, it is all because of the useless leaders in Binzhou.

They were careless.

Who would have expected that the old couple

would have experts from the Pugilist world helping them?

There was an opportunity midway to stop them.

However, we entered the Jiangzuo area.

That Jiangzuo Alliance...

Enough, enough, enough. The Jiangzuo Alliance has always worked that way.

It can only be blamed on your people being too slow.

But we still have to find out who are

the ones behind sending the plaintiffs into the city.

Has there been any news from your side?

It is still unclear.

Please wait for one more day, Your Highness.

Do we still need to investigate?

After the plaintiffs entered the Capital, they went straight to the Xuanjing Bureau.

I'm sure that's the work of the Eastern Palace.

Of course, I know it's done by Eastern Palace.

But the main problem here is that the Crown Prince has never had any links with the Pugilist world.

If I don't investigate this issue, I cannot rest my mind.

But Your Highness,

now that things have become so urgent,

I think you should suppress the investigation of my case first

to avoid any further discussion.

You were capable of creating such a big problem

but you cannot deal with a woman like Xia Dong.

How dare you claim Binzhou as your territory?

It has been two months since the Executive Officer left to investigate the case.

What did Xia Dong find out? We don't know.

What evidence does she have? We don't know.

We don't even know her whereabouts.

Regardless of where she is now,

I'm sure she isn't far from the Capital.

- It's Dong-jie.- Dong-jie.

Yujin, come over.

Why are you so scared of her?

You are all grown up now.

I'm sure she won't punish you like she did when you were young.

Says who? I always obey Xia Dong-jiejie's order.

Come over!

Dong-jie, I thought you went to Binzhou?

Why are you back so soon?

I thought you still needed another six months.

I heard that you are going to Miaoyin Court.

Do you think that Miss Gong Yu will like you?

Dong-jie, go easy on me.

Help me to the main route, don't make a fuss.

Walk slowly.

Don't be nervous.

Miaoyin Court? I have not been there recently.

Miss Gong Yu must have missed me.

Are you alright? Can you ride the horse?

No, I can't. Let's move quickly.

What should we do?

As long as I stay standing, they won't reveal themselves.

Dong-jie.

There are people hiding in the forest and at the river.

Be careful. Let's go.

Father-in-law.

Our people outside the city are ready.

Good, we must succeed this time.

Yujin, take Dong-jie away first.

-Go!-Go!

Stop both of them and deal with this one first.

Yes.

Dong-jie, be careful.

Dong-jie.

I thank both of you for appearing here.

If not, I wouldn't be able to catch this sneaky person.

This man has good flying skills, but average fighting skills.

Let me see, where did you hide the poison?

- Dong-jie, what did you find out in Binzhou?- Open your mouth wide!

What makes these people so anxious

that they send these assassins to kill you, the Executive Officer?

You guys always hide the poison behind your teeth.

Don't you guys know how to change the hiding location?

- Dong-jie!

Jingrui, Dong-jie has her own way of investigating a case.

We cannot interfere.

Tell me, who sent you?

Prince Yu.

Prince Yu?

Subbed and Timed by the Lang Ya Bang Team @ Viki