Original subtitles

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Episode 8.

Jingrui, what is that?

It's just a basket that someone threw.

Yujin, were you scared by the incident today?

Are you alright?

I was just thinking about the time that you spent inside the well while looking for the jade pendant for me.

Those female corpses were right next to you!

I get the shivers when I recall that.

I'm considered to be 50% Pugilist and I'm still alright.

Jingrui.

You walk him back. Your house is just ahead of me.

You are really Marquis Yan's son, always so foolish.

Don't walk me back if you don't want to. Why talk about my father?

Hey, I didn't mean that. I will walk you back.

- Brother Su, what about you?- Just go ahead. Fei Liu is behind me.

Fei Liu?

Relax. I'm sure he's nearby.

Alright, I will go ahead. Yujin, wait for me.

Stop! Who's fighting there?

It's sheer coincidence to meet General Meng here.

What coincidence? You knew that I would visit you at this hour.

Are you sure you should only have this kid by your side?

Of course not.

I just wanted to see who would strike at me.

Who's that?

-How was it? -He only had that kid around him.

If not for General Meng's interference, I could have succeeded.

General Meng?

- Did he see you?- No, I escaped immediately.

He only had one guard?

That Mei Changsu is

really so careless?

But he isn't really careless. That Fei Liu is really good.

Even when my son and I joined hands, we couldn't beat him.

Having him alone beats having a bunch of normal guards.

Brother Zhuo, you must

find a way to lure that guard away.

Can you do it?

Mei Changsu went around viewing houses?

I'm sure he won't stay in your house for long.

Is it possible for you to remove him before he moves out?

I will do my best.

Your Highness, Minister Lou wants to see you.

Why did he come?

- Let him in.- Yes.

Your Highness, please protect me.

What happened?

Your Highness, have you heard about

the recent case regarding the Lan Mansion's dry well

that hid dozens of female corpses?

Yes, this matter is known throughout the Capital. Of course I'm aware of it.

I know the

story behind this case.

Your Excellency.

Have you investigated the Lan Mansion?

Your Excellency, I went to the trade store

and checked the records.

That house changed hands twice this year.

They aren't related to the case.

Those corpses are about seven or eight years old.

Who owned the house at that time?

His name is Zhang Jing.

We don't know his background yet, but he was a well-known business man.

He used to own many entertainment houses in the Capital but was a low-key person.

His wealth and connections were pretty good.

He passed away four years ago due to sickness. His sons were not filial and quickly wasted his wealth.

They sold the house at that time.

What happened after that?

I have already sent our guards

to summon all the grown men in the family for questioning.

We haven't gotten any leads yet.

The Lan Mansion originally belonged to Zhang Jing.

He operated a secret brothel there.

Your Highness, I'm sure you know

of the rule that states that government officers cannot visit entertainment places.

That's why many people

dare not visit those places openly.

We depended on Zhang Jing to make the necessary arrangements.

It was just a secret brothel, no big deal. Many people must have visited that place.

But I don't understand why

they found so many female corpses there?

Those girls were trained by Zhang Jing

and they were more 'entertaining' than normal prostitutes.

Actually, everyone went there for fun.

But after some time,

we handled those girls too harshly.

We would kill a few by accident.

Those female corpses were...

Minister Lou.

Did you have a hand in the crime?

Yes, two or three cases.

It's fine if you desire female company, but

how could you be so careless?

Four years ago, after Zhang Jing passed away,

the Lan Mansion become desolate too.

I didn't pay any attention to this matter.

But I didn't expect him to be so casual in handling those corpses.

How could he just throw them into the well?

- I...- Never mind.

Don't worry, they are just old cases.

They are also without any evidence. You are a Second-rank Minister.

Who would dare to implicate you?

Minister Lou, what clue did you leave behind?

Your Highness, I've checked the case.

His name is Shi Jun. He was a housekeeper for the Lan Mansion's owner, Zhang Jing.

After the case was exposed, somebody wanted to kill him.

He came to us for protection.

If he wants to save himself,

he should have something in exchange.

He claims that Zhang Jing recorded all eventsin a record book

and gave him it before he passed away.

Is that useful to me?

He won't give me the book but he disclosed a name.

Who?

Lou Zhijing! There's a record book?

How could there be a record book? How can you be so careless!

I didn't expect Zhang Jing to do that.

After the case was exposed,

I was petrified and

remembered that Shi Jun is also a witness.

I sent someone to kill him but

he managed to escape.

That's when I knew about the record book.

Where did Shi Jun go?

Prince Yu's mansion.

You!

Lou Zhijing.

The Minister of Trade?

The Crown Prince's 'money bag', Lou Zhijing?

Good for Mei Changsu.

He just bought a mansion at random and gave me such a big gift.

You are right.

We have benefited greatly by revealing Mei Changsu's involvement in the rescue of the Princess.

Noble Consort Yue was reduced to the status of concubinedue to that incident.

The Eastern Palace must have given up on recruiting him and will eventually kill him.

Who knew that he would fight back and

give the Crown Prince such a slap in the face?

Mei Changsu! It's him again.

Why must he pick that house out of so many in the Capital?

He even had to drop into that dry well.

Is he trying to pit himself against me?

Your Highness, don't be angry. We may be a step behind him

but we aren't hopeless.

Prince Yu may have Shi Jun in his hand,

but he may have a problem 'using' this man.

What do you mean?

If Prince Yu is anxious and brings the evidence to His Majesty,

the matter will be more simple.

Yes, I understand. Father is a suspicious person.

If Prince Yu is anxious and wants to pin the crime on Lou Zhijing,

I'm sure Father won't think that it's so simple.

How can a Prince of the Second Rank manage this case?

How can he personally handle the witnesses and the evidence?

If His Majesty views this incident as a fight between you and Prince Yu,

I'm sure he won't be bothered by the crime itself.

That means that

Minister Lou may escape punishment.

What if Prince Yu carefully considers this matter and

submits everything to the Capital Magistrate?

If that's the case, Your Highness,

we must fight him head-on.

At that time, we shall see which side Magistrate Gao

chooses to stand on.

After two days, there's been no progress in the investigation.

I have asked every member of the Zhang family,

but they don't seem to know anything.

Think about it. A mansion in the Capital

actually hides dozens of female corpses,

and they were unearthed by two Young Masters.

Tell me, all of this is good gossip for everyone.

Now the Capital is buzzing about this case.

The higher management just summoned me

and is forcing me to solve the case as soon as possible.

But you found only these simple details.

How can I answer to the higher-ups?

Your Excellency,

the investigation requires a lead. We cannot rush things.

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Who hit the drum?

Do you know that the drum cannot be beaten at random?

What grievance do you have? Tell me.

I have no grievance.

How dare you? Are you making fun of me? Guards!

Here!

No, I'm here to surrender myself.

For what case?

The Lan Mansion's dry well case.

This mansion has three sets of courtyards.

It is well ventilated and bright. How is it?

Are you satisfied with my recommendation?

After you discovered that dry well case,

the whole Capital knew that you are looking for a house.

I heard that Prince Yu even wanted to give you a mansion for free.

But you actually paid for the one I recommended with your own money. I am flattered.

General Meng is an important person, I have to give you some face.

My little fame in the Capital arose from your fight with Fei Liu too.

Fei Liu?

Fei Liu!

What happened to him?

- He doesn't want to see you.- Why?

Fei Liu, do you like Uncle Meng?

No, I don't.

Why?

I cannot beat him.

You are already great to have such skills at your age.

I heard that he even beat Xia Dong.

- You have improved greatly!- How do you know about that fight?

Xia Dong said so herself.

She is well-known for her strict training at her bureau.

Once, someone wasn't able to take her training and she

mentioned to the trainees that if they were able beat her like Fei Liu did, they could forgo the training.

It only took half a day for this news to spread in the Capital. Didn't you hear about it?

Fei Liu, be careful. People will challenge you to a fight.

Come on.

A message from the Crown Prince.

What does His Highness want?

Don't guess. Just listen to his message.

"I heard about the dry well case.

It is a hot issue in the Capital and I am concerned.

I order the Capital Magistrate Gao Sheng

to enter the Eastern Palace to explain the case to me."

I shall obey His Highness's order.

Your Excellency, why did he become concerned about this case?

This case is not so simple.

It may implicate...

Bring Shi Jun into the inner hall. Only the two of us will question him.

Yes.

How's this mansion? Tell me.

I can tell it's your choice from the first look.

Don't think I don't understand you. You are being sarcastic.

That's right, the landscape is not so good.

But I do understand what you want.

I worked hard to find this place,

but aren't you a bit grateful?

I thanked you again and again. Isn't that being grateful?

But this mansion needs some renovations.

If not, others will find it strange that

I picked this place out of so many choices.

But

the only advantage of this place

outweighs its disadvantages.

Brother Meng, you really know what I want.

I also accidentally discovered that advantage.

The back wall is very near to the back wall of Prince Jing's place.

In between, there's a drainage ditch without any street. The sides are surrounded by a forest.

Most importantly, the front doors are facing different streets.

If you didn't jump into the air,

you wouldn't even notice that these two mansions are in the same area.

Brother Meng, how did you know?

I jumped up.

- You have been troubled.- This is nothing, I do this often.

Listen to me, get someone who knows about geology

to create a secret tunnel to Prince Jing's place.

Even if Prince Jing doesn't meet you in the daytime,

he can use the secret tunnel to meet you for a secret rendezvous.

Can you use better terminology?

Shi Jun has already gone to the Capital Magistrate.

The Eastern Palace is also quick in their action.

Now, we shall see how long it takes for Gao Sheng to react.

Banruo, my heart

isn't too relaxed.

Do you

think Mei Changsu is on my side?

Is he working for me?

But he didn't take your offer of a house.

Are you saying that he is not completely on my side?

Mei Changsu doesn't act like others.

Normally,

even if he doesn't choose anyone, he won't offend either side too.

But looking at his actions,

he seems to be acting on his own without sparing a thought for anyone.

For the Prime Minister's case, he cared for the plaintiff.

For the Princess's case, he didn't spare Concubine Yue, either.

Now, this Lan Mansion case

has caught Lou Zhijing,

but people from our side will also be implicated.

Is he testing me and the Crown Prince?

Did you accidentally discover the Lan Mansion case

or did you uncover that on purpose?

- What do you think?- I don't know why, but

the more clever you are with your plans, the more I feel unsettled.

Is this for me?

- Here.- You go ahead.

- You don't want any?- This is for you from Fei Liu.

- Why is this so sour?- That's why he gave it to you.

He wanted to test us

and also show his ability.

All talents behave oddly.

They don't want to work for a narrow-minded master.

It's not strange that he wanted to test us.

That's right.

If at this stage, the Crown Prince is still desperate for Mei Changsu's loyalty,

he may sacrifice Lou Zhijing

to prove that he is not one to show favouritism.

At that time,

no matter how strong-willed Mei Changsu is, he will still falter.

If Mei Changsu chooses the Eastern Palace,

he will naturally do the Crown Prince some favours

to compensate for his previous actions.

At that time, we will be the first target.

This man is a scheming man.

I cannot let the Crown Prince get him on his side.

Even if you can beat the Crown Prince

and get Mei Changsu's support,

will you be able

to trust him completely?

If I cannot even control Mei Changsu,

how can I handle the country?

Your Highness is a magnanimous man.

If Mei Changsu wants to play hard to get,

I shall play along and give him due respect.

You wanted me to recommend Prince Jing to His Majesty for the Prime Minister's case.

I did that but

I still don't feel right.

With me around, what's wrong?

I don't worry about you

but I'm worried

that Prince Jing will offend many people along the way.

Once he's in the game, it will be impossible to avoid that.

We only need to evaluate if this case is worth the effort.

If he does well in this case,

he can gain some people on his side,

show his authority and his capability.

If he only observes from a distance,

nobody will notice his presence.

I'm sure you have your reasons for what you are planning.

Strangely,

I only told His Majesty what you taught me.

He really linked his thoughts to Prince Jing.

Why?

Because he doesn't have a better candidate.

And

he doesn't love Jingyan enough.

Because of his lack of love,

he doesn't care how many people Jingyan will offend

and what obstacles he will face.

His Majesty doesn't care about him,

that's why he chose him.

Since it's so tricky,

why did you want him to do it?

He must take the first step no matter what.

But after he takes this step,

he cannot turn back anymore.

Be careful, Mother.

You have been with me for the whole day.You don't need to follow me inside.

You may return to rest.

Yes, Mother.

Has Sir Su returned from his meeting with General Meng?

Yes, he returned a long time ago.

- You may go.- Yes.

Action.

Let's go.

Who are you all?

How dare you sneak into the Xie Mansion!

Stop him!

Let's go.

Brother Su!

- Brother Su!- Who's there?

Young Master Xiao.

Branch Chief Li?

Where's Brother Su?

Jingrui.

Brother Su, are you alright?

I'm fine.

Jingrui.

Let it go.

You shouldn't look.

What's the difference

whether I look or not?

Do you know him?

He's my father's guard.

I didn't expect that

you'd come over at this hour.

I was feeling uneasy

and wanted to check on you.

It's all quiet outside.

In the whole Marquis's household,

even though there was such a big commotion,

it seems that nobody heard anything.

It's snowing.

A snowy night is most suitable for murder.

The snow will cover all tracks.

No blood scent will be left.

I saw a mansion today.

General Meng recommended the place to me.

It's near Changzhi street.

The place is quite big but the landscape needs more work.

But I can also do my own renovation.

I should move out now.

Move out?

Yes, you should move out.

This is not the place for you anymore.

Jingrui.

You should pretend that you didn't come here tonight.

Behave normally and

don't think too much when you return. Don't worry your mother.

Can everything return to normal?

I don't want to know why Father wants to kill you,

but I want to know why

you must be involved in this political chaos?

You are a Pugilist that I admire.

You should be carefree and happy.

In this world, there is no carefree person.

If you have desires and feelings,

you won't be carefree.

But you could avoid all these.

I know you have the ability, I'm sure.

You aren't me. Don't make decisions for me.

I will leave tomorrow morning.

Thank you for your care these days.

After my new house is ready,

if you're willing to come, I will welcome you.

We can still be the way we were in Lang Province.

Like in Lang Province?

As a son with two surnames,

I always travel outside and am carefree.

But now, my father is involved in the political fight and

even attempts to commit murder in his own residence at night.

As a member of the Xie family,

- I don't know what will happen to our future.- Jingrui.

Things have not developed to that stage yet.

Don't be too bothered by it. Just stay true to your own self

and differentiate between right and wrong, and real and fake.

What can't you endure?

Just like the snow outside

which will only grow bigger

and stronger,

but we know that

it will stop somehow.

Chief, Young Master Xiao has left.

For Jingrui,

this is just the start.

I hope that he can hang on until the end.

Mr. Shisan is here. Did you summon him?

I have not met him for many years.

It's rare that this place is so quiet today.

Ask him to come in quickly.

Yes.

Mr. Shisan, please.

Uncle Shisan.

Heaven has mercy.

It allows me to meet Young Master.

But

after seeing that you don't look like before,

I feel

so sad.

Uncle Shisan.

I came here

for a big fight.

You don't have to be so sad. I may not look the same anymore

but inside I'm still the same.

Uncle Shisan should know my heart.

- Please.- After you.

Uncle Shisan.

All these years, you and Gong Yu operated Miaoyin Court for me

and watched Qin Banruo's movements, too.

That's a great help to me.

If my mother knew, she would also be grateful.

Young Master.

Qin Banruo's real identity has been confirmed.

I think she isn't just Prince Yu's strategist.

- Your Excellency.- Come in.

Your Excellency, it's late. Madame asks you to rest early.

Yes.

You!

Your Excellency.

The Hong Court was created thirty years ago

by Princess Xuanji of the previous dynasty.

Before she passed away, Qin Banruo inherited everything.

This woman is very intelligent

and is similar to her teacher, Princess Xuanji.

The Princess was always well-known for her skill in controlling the Court.

Qin Banruo is doing the same.

Did you manage to confirm the list of people under her control?

Fifteen of the Ministers' wives or concubines are her underlings.

Her network is quite well-built too.

But Gong Yu also managed to insert our own people into her information network.

If you have the need to,

we can destroy her network easily.

No need.

Qin Banruo is a very useful pawn.

I need to keep her

to pass messages to Prince Yu

on my behalf.

She is the one who told Prince Yu about Tianquan Manor.

She is clever and meticulous

but she's in the open and I'm hidden.

That's how I can win over her.

In the future, when you send her news,

you must be extra careful.

Don't be too careless.

Yes.

So, you are from Prince Yu's side.

I may have offended you.

I know about Prince Yu's order

- but...- Your Excellency,

you have misunderstood us.

I came here not for Prince Yu.

I came for you.

Me?

You must have been troubled by the Lan Mansion case,

but you must know that you cannot please all parties.

Why don't you step back and

maybe you will resolve it?

The Eastern Palace is also concerned about this case

and I cannot step back as I wished.

Your Excellency is still confused.

Since you have Shi Jun in your hand

and have obtained a name from him,

the rest of the case is easy.

Just a name? How can I report to the higher-ups?

For your reporting,

you should reconsider carefully

and the answer will be clear.

As long as you forward this case to the Ministry of Justice,

I'm sure even the Crown Prince

can't do anything about it.

Since this case is beyond my authority, I should

forward the case to the Ministry of Justice.

This hot case must be thrown out quickly

or do you want to keep it with you?

The night is cold and the snow is heavy.

Mr. Shisan, you should return soon.

Since I'm here in the Capital, we will have another chance to meet again.

Young Master, being in this dangerous Capital now,

I'm sure you can't sleep well.

Gong Yu spent months to

create this soothing scent.

She knew that I will be here today and asked me to bring this along.

I hope that you will take her gift.

Burn some scent before you sleep

and have a nice dream.

Leave it there.

Thank Gong Yu for me.

Alright.

I shall leave now.

Take care.

Miss Gong Yu really cares about you, Chief.

She is always thinking of you...

Have an early night.

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