Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Go East]

[Episode 2]

[Administration Office]

Where are you from?

Yanle.

What's your name?

Where are you going?

To Yanle.

Wang Qiang.

I didn’t expect Retainer Wang to be serious.

Who gave him the courage to go against the East Court?

Exactly.

He also asked us to go through the foreign merchants' records

from the past three months.

Whoever slacks off will get fired.

If I could do that, I wouldn't stay in the West Court.

We are so busy

and we still have to help the East Court find a cat.

The more I think about it, the dumber it is.

I quit.

Time to switch shifts.

Switching shifts.

Hold on.

Wait.

We've been waiting for a long time.

Sorry.

[Paused Temporarily]

I thought I could be promoted to retainer,

but a jinx came.

If I lose my job,

I'll have to move again.

My eldest son will start his schooling soon.

If we really move to the suburbs,

how can he go to school?

Shen,

you'll have to lend me some money at that time

to help me.

What?

What are you doing?

You scared me.

This is the seaweed mud Madam Yu gave me.

If I can only rely on my looks in the future,

I have to take care of it.

I've been staying up late these days.

My skin is worn out.

I need to do skincare.

If we really can’t find any clues

and can’t solve the armory case,

are we just going to sit here and do nothing?

Everyone,

want some snacks?

Yuan Mo, you're finally here.

Come.

Sit down.

Please save us!

Save you? For what?

We...

Let me guess.

Is it the case of the missing military crossbows?

The numbers don't match up?

Exactly.

I caught the criminal myself back then.

Yes.

This case isn't difficult to investigate.

But first,

I need you two to do me a favor.

As long as I can keep my job,

I'm willing to do anything.

Tell us.

Changle household registration.

Can you do it?

Yong State or foreign?

Foreign.

That's not easy.

It's not easy to investigate the case either.

But it's not that we can't do it.

Where are they from?

Where do they live now?

I see.

They're undocumented.

This is a bit troublesome.

They're strict nowadays.

Besides, only Wang has the official seal.

Why are you here?

Retainer Wang.

You look good without your beard.

I heard you're investigating the armory.

Don't ask about things that have nothing to do with you.

Do you dare to make a bet with me?

Let's see who finds the clue first.

Last time, I caught Kudel before you.

It's too risky.

I won't do it with you.

It's just a small bet.

Don't be nervous.

I have a maid, right?

She just wants an official identity.

That's all?

I even brought you roast chicken.

Later—

Ji took it to slice for you.

I'm drunk.

I went to the wrong place.

It's a misunderstanding.

I'm leaving now.

It's a misunderstanding.

You again?

You scared me.

Why are you here

in the middle of the night instead of working on my case?

I'm working on your case.

I've talked to Wang from Sifang Pavilion.

Whether you can become a citizen of Yong

depends on whether I can

find clues for the armory case.

The armory case?

What does this place have to do with the armory case?

Come, let me show you something.

[Imperial City]

What are these circles?

This is a map of Changle City's housing price zoning map

that Ji made with years of effort.

See?

The ring closest to the Imperial City is the most expensive.

Look, this is the palace,

Imperial City, inner city, outer city,

and so on.

For example,

if you rent a house in the outer city,

it'll cost 50 copper coins.

It'll cost 100 in the inner city

and 1,000 in the Imperial City.

What does this red dot mean?

These red dots are the places

Kudel's group used to stay.

It seems they are not very rich.

But how are you sure it's here?

Didn't you steal Kudel's travel pass that day?

But he still entered the city.

The most likely place

is the underground sewer of Changle City.

Considering the same price and location,

plus the fact that it's close to the sewer,

the scope is narrowed down to here.

And look.

The table is clean.

There's still water left in the teapot.

They left in a hurry.

There's also a hearth in the yard.

Maybe they even dried clothes here.

That makes sense.

But what's the use of finding it now?

Obviously, there's nothing here.

Not necessarily.

Look.

It looks like a map of Changle.

Can you recognize this place?

I’ve been well read since I was a kid.

The map of Changle City

has been ingrained in my mind.

But this is too fragmented to recognize.

[Jingzhao Prefecture]

Is that all?

All his things are here.

I was looking for someone from Sifang Pavilion.

Come search the foreign merchants with me tomorrow.

Give it back to me.

This is the Jingzhao Prefecture.

We should see the evidence first.

The Sifang Pavilion

has the right to assist in this case's investigation.

Let's look at it together.

[West of the city]

This is the military crossbows' transport route

to the Mountain God Temple.

Why is there another one here?

Qingsong County?

Is the other batch in Qingsong County?

I'll inform the magistrate of Jingzhao.

There are signs of people living here.

There are containers.

There's wine too.

This must also be where those bandits stayed.

This is my house.

Your house?

Yes.

I'm home. You can leave now.

Was your house

broken into?

Where's my big map of Changle City?

Is it this one?

No.

Why are you still here?

I have to supervise you.

Supervise me?

I've been working all night for your legal status,

but you still don't believe me.

Who knows if you'll go

pleasure yourself again after I leave?

I won’t let you leave my sight

until I get Changle household registration.

You're not going to live here, right?

Do you think I want to live in this messy place?

You've spent all my money and I don't have household registration.

Where can I go?

Sleep on the street?

That's not what I meant.

What I meant was

it's inconvenient for us

to live together as a man and woman.

How about...

From shallow to deep,

from tickle powder to a fatal powder,

do you want to try them one by one?

I have thousands of other ways

to give you a missable death.

Look at you.

It's a "miserable" death.

Enough.

Put it away.

If you don't mind, you can stay, alright?

I don't care.

Suit yourself.

Hurry and find the clues.

I'll leave as soon as I get the household registration.

Be careful.

What is this?

I broke a bowl the other day.

I didn't have time to clean it up.

Did you get hurt?

There's only one bed?

You're a guest.

You can have it.

I haven't slept well for a long time.

What now?

Do you sleep while hugging a rock?

This is a treasure.

It's a top-grade Duanxi amethyst inkstone.

I've had it for a long time.

Don't break it.

What other traps are there in your room?

Nothing else.

Can you do it or not?

How long has it been?

How can I sleep with the light on?

Don't block the light.

Don't move it.

I'm almost done with the first piece.

Wait.

This is a leather map.

So what?

Look.

We like to make maps with leather,

because if it's not easy to piece it together from the front,

the texture on the back can provide clues.

You're really good at bragging.

I haven't figured out the front

and you're talking about the texture on the back?

Go away.

Don't disturb me.

Try it if you don't believe me.

I'm working on it.

Let me help you.

No, no, no.

Turn it over and look.

Come on. You do it.

Do it.

Look at the texture.

See?

I told you—

Impressive, Ah Shu.

Turn it over.

Turn it over.

[Sifang Pavilion]

Wang Kunwu,

are you out of your mind?

You want me to stop the Jingzhao Prefecture?

Didn't I tell you?

Cooperate. Cooperate!

The Sifang Pavilion only has the right to assist.

We shouldn't overstep boundaries.

The Jingzhao Prefecture sent too many men

to Qingsong County to find this batch of military crossbows.

I suspect it's the bandits' trick to lure them away.

Do you have evidence?

Kudel frequented Changle City for three months.

He should have figured everything out already.

Why did he still have such a detailed map

on him?

Is he directionally challenged?

He hid it in the hidden layer of his boots too.

Obviously, he left us a clue.

These are just your guesses.

I'm just the leader of the Sifang Pavilion.

How dare I tell the Jingzhao Prefecture what to do?

The Jingzhao Prefecture said it's in Qingsong County,

so it's in Qingsong County.

It's not in Qingsong County.

The bandits' real target is Nanshan.

This is a fragment of a map

found where the bandits stayed last.

The rest were burned to ashes.

This is too fragmented.

You can still find clues in it.

Look.

The bandits burned this map.

This proves that their target

is Nanshan.

Let's think about it.

These bandits

sent a large number of military crossbows to Nanshan.

Kudel also made a commotion

to attract our attention elsewhere.

Why?

Nanshan?

I think I heard of it somewhere.

Right.

Tan Lin, assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel,

is going to Nanshan to inspect public sentiment.

You mean

their real target might be Tan Lin?

It’s very possible.

He was ordered to lead the creation of the Anping Law.

It's what the people often call the "new law."

In the past three months,

Tan Lin has been kept in the palace by His Majesty

to discuss the final matters

before publishing the Anping Law.

So...

So those bandits

couldn't find the chance to assassinate him

until this trip to Nanshan.

If the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel is assassinated,

it will lead to chaos.

We have to stop Assistant Minister Tan from going to Nanshan.

Ji, inform Yuchi Hua.

Yes

Hurry. Let's go.

I went to Sifang Pavilion early in the morning

and didn't have time to eat anything,

but even I'm not wolfing food down.

How hungry are you?

Waiter.

One more bowl of soup noodles.

One more lamb bun

and a bowl of cheese too.

Add two pieces of muskmelon on the cheese.

Okay.

You can't finish it.

Sir.

Five wen.

If you still can't get that paper

and you stay in my house,

I will go bankrupt sooner or later.

Someone is trying to assassinate your official.

Why aren't you worried at all?

What's there to worry about?

Even if the sky falls, the taller people will hold it up.

Anyway, I'll win the bet with Wang Kunwu.

Your household registration depends on him.

If that official dies,

can my paper still get done?

Will Wang Kunwu go back on his word?

Wang Kunwu should be able to protect him.

No, I have to take a look.

Are you crazy?

It's dangerous. It's an assassination.

Come with me.

Come.

[Nanshan Official Road]

Wait! Halt!

Wang Kunwu, retainer of Sifang Pavilion,

asks Assistant Minister Tan to return home.

[Tan Lin, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel]

Return?

Why?

I'm afraid some bandits want to harm you.

How do you know?

You must have heard about

the missing armory case.

Someone deliberately set things up

to transfer the Jingzhao Prefecture's soldiers to Qingsong County,

But the real target is you.

Assistant Minister Tan!

Assistant Minister Tan!

Assistant Minister Tan.

Alright.

I know your intention.

One year ago, the people suffered a flood.

I was ordered to go to Nanshan today

to observe the people's situation after the disaster.

Whether the officials try their best to save them

concerns the people's livelihood.

How can I ignore the people

because of some petty things?

Wait.

This...

Wait.

I have a plan

that can both protect you

and trap the bandits.

Mr. Tan is here!

Mr. Tan is here.

Mr. Tan.

Mr. Tan is here.

Kunwu.

Must we do this?

What did I do

for you to come up with such a bad idea to harm me?

Mr. Yu,

you're risking your life for a higher official.

You'll be promoted soon.

I don't want to be promoted.

I want to retire safely.

At this rate, I'm going to lose my head soon.

It's too late to back out now.

Here.

Put on your armor.

This can save my life, right?

Nope.

I want to get off.

But I can save you.

What can you do?

I know you.

Don't worry.

No.

Hey.

Folks,

Assistant Minister Tan from the capital

is here to visit Nanshan.

Please welcome him!

Assistant Minister Tan,

come out.

Close the curtains first. I...

Come out.

Villagers, welcome him.

Yu?

Wang Kunwu is taking risks.

Welcome.

Let's welcome Assistant Minister Tan.

Assistant Minister Tan, this way.

My knees are a little weak.

Protect Mr. Tan!

Protect Mr. Tan!

Step back!

Oh no.

Protect Assistant Minister Tan!

Mr. Yu,

why are you here?

Let's go.

Catch the assassin!

You're welcome.

For what?

Even if you brought reinforcements,

things aren't any better.

You—

Assistant Minister Tan?

Assistant Minister Tan,

come here!

I'll protect you.

Wait.

He's an assassin. Don't trust him.

Be careful, Ah Shu!

Ah Shu!

Are you okay, Ah Shu?

-I’m fine. -How are you?

Let me see.

Be careful!

Be gentle.

Are you okay?

Are you badly hurt?

He's asking you.

I survived today.

Thank you all.

Assistant Minister Tan.

I'm glad you're fine.

It's the duty of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Assistant Minister Tan, don't stand on ceremony.

I need to investigate the identity of the assassins.

Excuse me.

Go ahead.

Who is this?

Yuan Mo.

This young man is Yuan Mo.

He was the one

who guessed the real target of these bandits was you.

As the saying goes, heroes are young.

Thank you very much.

I'll leave first.

I will report what happened today to His Majesty.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Take care.

These assassins were from Yanle.

Did you find anything?

I also found this.

The assassins all wore this tooth badge

and this strange pattern.

Excuse me.

No.

Wang Kunwu, give it back to me!

Wang Kunwu!

-You two! -Stop, Wang Kunwu!

The evidence should be mine.

Mr. Yu!

What kind of people do you have at Sifang Pavilion?

Wang Kunwu, you're outrageous!

That's right.

I...

I'll ask him to apologize to you later

and return the evidence to you.

I was in so much danger just now.

I almost died.

Thank you.

Mr. Yu,

your life was very safe.

As soon as the fighting started,

you went to hide under the carriage

and played dead.

No, you...

Why must you humiliate me like this?

Why did I have to hide?

That's because

you called my name

and almost ruined the whole plan.

It's my fault,

but if you hadn't changed your plan last-minute,

how could I have made the mistake

of alerting them?

Please stop.

I'll check

if there is more important evidence.

They tried so hard to assassinate Assistant Minister Tan.

Who are these assassins?

I heard that they are all from Yanle.

So what?

This is Changle, the capital of Yong.

No matter where they're from,

they won't be allowed to cause trouble.

Your maid's name is Ah Shu, right?

You were very brave in the restaurant.

How about I redeem you

and you work for me now?

Stop working for Yuan Mo.

Really?

Can I?

No, no, no.

Hold on.

Come on.

Her father is Duke Er,

one of the highest officials,

understand?

You'll be exposed sooner or later.

If you get caught,

both of us will be in trouble.

What are you murmuring about?

I told her that being chosen by you

is because of her good karma.

How about it, Ah Shu?

My father taught me to keep my word.

I have a contract with my master.

I can't work for you, Ms. Yuchi.

You keep your word.

I like you more and more.

Hurry up and thank her.

Thank you.

Look.

This is freshly cooked porridge.

Here.

Drink it while it's hot.

I'll put it here.

Just drink it yourself.

Wait, come here.

Hurry up.

That's inappropriate.

I can't reach it. Give me a hand.

Hurry up.

Pour it.

Pour it. What are you waiting for?

Are you afraid of looking at me or the wound?

If it's the former, there's no need.

If it's the latter, I'll do it myself.

I...

I'm afraid it'll hurt.

It won't hurt.

Pour it.

Okay.

Does it hurt?

Don't waste it.

It's hard to make this medicine.

Got it.

Well...

Your clothes are in the way.

Go to sleep.

What are you waiting for? Go to sleep.

Yang Li.

Come on.

Jin.

This liquor

is much spicier than your old lover.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Come on. Drink.

Here.

A good drink.

I must accomplish something in Wuzhou this time

before returning to Changle.

Bravo.

Bravo.

Jin,

try mine.

I hope when we get to Wuzhou,

we can still drink happily

like now.

-Of course. -Okay.

Yes!

Let's make achievements together

and return home in glory!

Don't worry, brothers.

I will avenge you.

You are...

I'm your maid.

I should do what a maid should do.

I was just kidding.

Look at this.

I was kidding too.

I can't stand your pigsty anymore.

Since I'm living here,

things have to be according to my wishes.

I helped you throw away

all of your useless junk.

Throw—

How is it? Isn't it clean?

You threw it all away?

I left nothing behind.

Let me ask you.

Where's my wine?

Let me ask you too.

It's been three days. Where's my stuff?

I'm working on it for you.

We made a great contribution.

Getting you a piece of paper

will be a piece of cake.

Do you see this wedge?

If you keep delaying it,

saying I'm your maid,

and keep talking nonsense...

Okay, okay.

I won't do it again.

I won't do it again.

Ah Shu, please tell me

if you threw away my wine or not.

Those are the good wine I've kept for years.

Xinfeng, Lao Chun, Wuyunjiang...

I didn't know the wine was expensive.

Yes, they're my lifeline.

It depends on your performance.

Okay.

I'm on it.

The door is this way.

I need to put my shoes on.

[Sifang Pavilion]

Sir,

Wang Kunwu and the others got the military crossbows back

and saved Assistant Minister Tan,

but Sifang Pavilion deals with external matters.

The most important thing is our relationship with the envoys of all nations.

No one can compare to you in this.

Retainer An, Ms. Lin.

I found the cat you asked me to find.

Send it over since you found it.

Why do you need us for such a small matter?

Fine.

Wait.

I remember the cat that Mr. Wen lost

was black all over.

Only its four paws were white.

This is not the right one.

Ji,

who are you trying to fool

by buying a random black cat?

It's been over a month. Where can I find it?

How about I buy a more similar one?

Buy another one?

Is this how the West Court

plans to deal with the envoy of Xiyuan?

Is finding a cat a trivial matter?

It concerns the relationship between two parties.

Do you losers of West Court understand?

Mr. Wen, envoy of Xiyuan,

has already returned home.

Looking for a cat will affect bilateral relations?

Who are you trying to scare?

Everyone knows how to order people around.

Ji is familiar with all the streets in Changle City

and helped Yuan Mo find the last place the bandits stayed.

Can the East Court do that?

Ji,

I'm your superior.

From now on, don't work so hard

on trivial matters

ordered by trivial people.

Yes.

Who are you calling trivial?

Wang.

Don't be smug.

Where's my tooth badge?

This is evidence.

Even if I have to hand it over,

I can't give it to you.

Give it back to me, you hear me?

Why are you arguing at the door now?

Don't you need to be on duty?

What evidence? Let me see.

Leave it to me.

Xiuyi, go ahead.

Mr. Yu.

Enough.

Susu, let's go.

Retainer Wang,

come here.

Do you recognize this tooth badge?

This is the identity tooth badge of The Faceless.

I haven't seen this

in person in many years.

How much do you know

about The Faceless?

They're an assassin organization hidden in the desert.

They've been around for decades,

causing chaos to the surrounding states.

Why didn't the other states join forces to eliminate The Faceless?

Yong has always had this plan.

Other than Yanle,

the other states also want to eliminate this danger.

Assistant Minister Tan was the one who pushed for it.

This is the real reason why Assistant Minister Tan was targeted.

Why would Yanle oppose it?

Sit.

Look.

Yanle has always been attacking the others.

Why?

Because they want to dominate the desert.

In recent years,

several important figures of the desert states have been assassinated.

Many people have died tragically.

Yanle reached an agreement

with The Faceless long ago.

Are we going to allow The Faceless to expand?

Kunwu,

many things are not as simple as you think.

I've seen your resume in the army.

I know your past.

Here's my advice.

Bear it and wait for the right time.

Guys.

Come here.

Come on.

Come here.

Take it.

Let me tell you a piece of great news.

An Xiuyi was defeated by Retainer Wang today.

From now on,

we don’t need to follow the East Court's orders anymore.

Great.

Good news.

Retainer Wang seems to be something.

He saved Assistant Minister Tan and went against the East Court.

Feels good.

Yes, it feels good.

But it's useless.

We need to get a raise.

Yes.

Do you think Retainer Wang will have a future?

Will we have a bright future if we follow him?

He's just a soldier.

He has a limited future.

Talking about me?

Get to work.

Retainer Wang.

Kunwu!

My life is over!

What are you yelling about? Speak properly.

Hey,

when will our bet be fulfilled?

You don't know how my maid...

Anyway, if you don't fulfill it, I'm afraid my wine...

she will...

Alright, I got it.

It's just a registration.

I've done it for you.

You've done it?

That's great, Kunwu.

You're so credible.

You really saved me.

[Household Registration Contract]

What is this?

A household registration contract.

Not registering foreign maids

is against the new law.

From today onwards,

Ah Shu will officially be your maid.

You're welcome.

I, Wang Kunwu, always keep my word.

Kunwu, you got it wrong.

You got it wrong.

I want Ah Shu to have

the official status of someone from Yong.

Are you kidding me?

Ah Shu is a foreigner.

If she wants to become a Yong citizen,

she must personally register her origin information

and verify her identity.

The verification will take ages.

It's not that simple.

I can't do it.

Why didn't you tell me earlier?

You didn't make it clear.

How did I not?

I said an official identity.

How is this not official?

She's a servant.

I...

Stop it.

I'm on duty now.

Get out!

You...

I...

You really killed me.

I...

[Ministry of Rites]

The assassination attempt of Tan Lin

was really done by The Faceless?

The tooth badge can't be faked.

I'm afraid

the Yanle are behind this too.

Tan Lin's political views

are exactly the same as Hanjing's from before.

It's been 16 years

and we still haven't found

Hanjing's remains,

while those criminals are still at large.

Back then, the three of us

studied under the same teacher.

You can judge the situation

and worked your way to the Ministry of Rites.

Yuan

was the most knowledgeable

and became the youngest Sifang Envoy of Yong.

He had friendly relations with all the desert states

and made great achievements.

Who would have thought

he would never come back?

Back then, Yanle had a mutiny.

[Sifang Envoy of Yong, Yuan Hanjing]

Hanjing and his wife went missing.

We both know

someone used The Faceless to kill them,

but the court could only declare that

they died in a desert storm.

It's not fair.

The Sifang Envoy of Yong

can't die in vain.

Yu,

you have always been polished and refined.

For the greater good and for Yong,

it had to be like this.

How is Yuan Mo recently?

I heard he contributed greatly to keep Tan Lin safe.

That brat.

He's smart,

but he's as stubborn as Hanjing

was before.

I pity this child.

At such a young age,

he became an orphan.

Well...

I'm going to retire in six months.

I have a wish before that.

Tell me.

Let Yuan Mo join Sifang Pavilion.