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"Go Ahead Fearlessly" - Liu Yuning

♫ Grudges and karma, right and wrong ♫

♫ The past hides blood and tears ♫

♫ It is hard to catch up after years of separation ♫

♫ The truth cannot be fully revealed ♫

♫ Fate is full of twists and turns ♫

♫ Life and death, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand ♫

♫ Obsession is hard to get rid of, keeping the truth and getting rid of the lies, let the wind blow ♫

♫ Tossed about by the wind and rain, I will never regret it, I will accompany you for my whole life ♫

♫ At least you share my joy and sorrow ♫

♫ Unravelling fate, fearlessly, a dream returns ♫

♫ The mountains and rivers are bright and beautiful, holding hands, together we return ♫

♫ In this life, my heart returns untainted of dust and ash ♫

[Melody of Golden Age]

[Episode 6]

[Shen Mansion]

People can't always count on others to lend a helping hand.

We'd better rely on ourselves if possible.

A servant of the Yan family.

Sixth Miss.

Master sent me to remind you that three days have passed

yet you still haven't visited your maiden home.

You said you'd visit tomorrow.

Please don't change your mind again.

All right. I understand.

My sixth daughter.

[Yan Mansion] Everyone in Xiang'an says

that the Great Chief and you are deeply in love.

It brings so much honor to me.

Pretty. So pretty.

Is it good?

Pretty. So pretty.

Sixth Miss,

you finally came home after so many days.

Why are you alone? Where is your husband?

He has some urgent matters at work.

The case matters more.

How can a case matter more than you do?

[Yan Yijiao, the fourth child] How can a newly-wedded woman visit her maiden home alone?

He'll come after work. Right?

Fourth Sister, why did you come back today?

Did you come back to see me?

The bracelet my husband ordered for me arrived.

I stopped by to see you.

What about you?

Check out my bracelet. Isn't it pretty?

I liked it at first sight.

No matter what nasty things she says, just ignore her.

What's so pretty about it? What a show-off.

[Yan Mojie, the fifth child] Where is my brother-in-law?

He told your sister to bring a lot of snacks and fruit.

Feel free to have some.

Here. Husband.

Master, isn't our sixth daughter a poor girl?

Others enjoy their married lives.

But our sixth daughter has to work and do people justice.

Where are you going with this?

I've failed my job as a mother.

Look at me.

I can't do anything other than dressing up.

I never do any work.

And my husband says I bring luck to the family.

I wanted to have a cute and sweet little girl.

But I ended up giving birth to a pair of chubby twin boys.

You have no idea how naughty the younger ones are.

Sixth Miss,

meet your fourth sister more often to get some of her luck.

Stop working all day and running around as a married woman.

That's right, Sixth Sister. Stop doing menial jobs at the Ministry of Justice.

I'm telling you.

As a woman, how can you change your life?

Run the Shen household well.

Fifth Brother,

I heard from my colleagues.

Last time they patrolled the red-light district,

they saw you drinking in a brothel.

And chasing after the girls all over the place.

Nonsense.

You have the nerve to criticize me?

You are a disgrace to the family.

So sharp-tongued and mean. Where is your feminine charm?

I'm sharp-tongued and mean?

If I were your husband, I'd rather visit the red-light district all day than see you.

- Watch your mouth. - That's enough.

Great Chief has arrived.

Greetings, Great Chief.

But I think my wife is perfect.

I got caught up in official duties.

Father-in-law. Mother-in-law. Please forgive me.

Don't mention it. It's just the right time.

Yes. Exactly.

I'd like to express my gratitude to you for having raised her so well.

That's how she turned out so incredibly intelligent.

Come in.

Father-in-law.

My wife told me that you enjoy tea.

This is a glazed sunflower-shaped porcelain cup from the Yue kiln.

This is Zisun Tea bestowed by Her Majesty.

These are way too valuable.

You're blessed to have your sixth daughter.

Even the Princess of Valor said...

that I had found a good wife.

Princess of Valor?

Pan Yanzhi?

I thought all his calligraphy works had vanished.

It's an imitation.

A few years ago,

I obtained rubbings of Pan Yanzhi's works by chance

and imitated the brushwork on a whim.

Even you were amazed.

It must truly be indistinguishable.

It seems you learned to mimic handwriting from your father.

I merely know the basics.

But there isn't a handwriting my father can't imitate in this world.

It's just calligraphy. It's not worth mentioning.

Son-in-law, come here. Let's eat together.

Son-in-law, come on.

- Let's eat. - Father.

We have many things to do at home—

Since your father asked, we should stay for the meal.

It's just that we need to return early...

for some important matters.

I get it. Totally.

My sixth daughter.

As your father, I am glad to see you having a good marital life.

It's just that…

Did Prime Minister Zhang talk to you?

He has spoken to me many times with clear implications.

The assignment to Xichen hasn't been settled yet.

If his affair isn't handled well,

then…

Leave it to me. I'll handle it properly.

Big pigeons with fluffy feathers.

Fallen feathers in the cage.

What…

Yaya, stop!

Great Chief.

Great Chief.

Report to Great Chief. Someone went to the pigeon coop.

- Who was it? - It was Madam.

She made a choice, after all.

[Shen Mansion]

My Lord.

The curtains you had me prepare a few days ago are ready.

It's a special fabric made in Xichen

that blocks the light perfectly.

My Lord asked for this specifically—

It's just right...

for sword practice.

What a waste.

You'd better contain your temper.

So moody.

Who's going to be willing to serve you?

At the Yan Mansion, who swore by oath...

to serve me well?

You keep avoiding me.

How can you serve me well?

Do you really want me to serve you?

We are married, after all.

Even if something were to happen,

no one could say anything.

Do I look like I'm afraid of gossip?

It is only right for a wife to attend to her husband.

All right. Fine.

I'll serve you.

Husband, you smell so nice.

Would you like to have a sniff of me, as well?

Giving me a hard time?

Guards.

Light up the lamps by Madam's side.

Great Chief, something happened at the Ximing Temple.

We have enough manpower.

The Great Chief wants you to go back to the Ministry of Justice.

I… It's not like I want to follow you.

Don't come back begging me for assistance.

[Buddhist Lamp Burns, Sins Completely Absolved]

Neat handwriting.

Outstanding brushwork.

These bloody words appeared on the wall out of thin air?

It's not blood.

It's a special kind of ink made of minerals mixed with cinnabar.

Once applied on the wall,

it doesn't show immediately and only turns red after the rain.

The culprit wrote it long ago and waited for last night's rain.

The Buddha statue in the main hall shed blood tears.

Why did the culprit do this?

He was provoking us.

Buddha was enraged and shed blood tears.

I heard the statues would shed blood tears to lament the coldness of the world.

This is a warning to the people.

Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention.

Sixth Miss Yan,

our Ministry of Justice really can't do without you.

You have no idea.

The floor here stopped being shiny.

My Lord.

Good morning, My Lord.

Isn't this the wife of the Great Chief?

Why is she cleaning the floor here?

Exactly.

This is inappropriate.

Here. It's still a bit dirty.

Wash that rag well before wiping the floor.

My Lord, your belt has fallen. Your belt has fallen.

You two quarreled?

- No. - No?

Then why did you suddenly come back?

Just tell me. What have you done again?

I gained weight again. I have to exercise more.

I became a spy.

Are you sui—

Are you suicidal?

I heard that a spy once sneaked into the Shen Mansion at midnight.

By sunrise, not only did he disappear,

but his whole family—

His whole family disappeared.

Moreover, at midnight,

someone saw that the soul collector dragged them

into the Palace of Death.

You may get your whole family killed.

You're way too bold.

Well…

It's very complicated.

Right. How did it go with Brother Xu?

Rest assured. Marshal Xu has put some inspectors on it.

My Lord, excuse me for a second.

It's fine.

Sixth Miss Yan, I forgot to tell you something.

Your master returned from his travels. Someone spotted him.

But the Imperial Guards arrested him the moment he entered the city.

What?

Get your Great Chief here!

Shen Du! Shen Du!

Shen Du—

The Great Chief is busy and unavailable.

I am the wife of your chief. Who dares to stop me?

Shen Du, come out!

Kick her out.

Shen Du, come after me if you have a problem.

Why did you arrest my master?

Don’t think too highly of yourself.

You're overestimating your worth.

Release my master!

[Chen Wen] Shen Du, let my master go.

- Sixth Miss. - Release my master.

Master.

Look at you. You've gotten married yet you're still reckless.

Master.

Please drink less,

especially not what is offered to you.

My disciple often speaks her mind.

Please don't mind her.

- I know. - What do you know? I…

That's it for the game.

Go ahead. What do you want to ask me?

I heard that you've developed a unique cinnabar

which turns visible only with water.

That's right. I developed it to prevent the corpses from decomposing.

I wonder if only you have access to this special cinnabar?

Before I retired,

I had given the formula to the servants of a few old friends for pest control.

It worked really well.

Please tell me their names.

I see.

This is why the time of disappearance

differs so much from the time of death.

Delay the decomposition. Repel the insects.

That's right, it's the cinnabar.

There were herbs around the corpses.

We thought it was meant to cover the stench.

But in fact, it was mixed with an anti-decomposition cinnabar.

That's why the coroner got the time of death wrong.

Master.

Master Chen, could you deduce the actual time of death?

What kind of disciple would exhaust their master?

Master, we have a case to solve.

Please do us a favor and show us what you've got.

My master has won this game.

I won? I won.

- Let's go then. Take me to the morgue. - Let's go.

- Master, be careful. - To the morgue.

Judging from the level of decomposition,

my master deduced the time of death.

Early spring, fourth year of Shengli Era. Midsummer, same year.

Second or third month of the fifth year. Sixth month of the sixth year.

In the middle of the eighth month of the sixth year.

Can't you narrow it down a bit more?

I don't think it's necessary.

These are found in the stomachs of the male victims.

Judging from the level of decomposition,

we believed that even if the victims had eaten something,

the contents in their stomachs would have decomposed along with the body.

I was too hasty.

A forensic shouldn't hold predetermine conclusions.

The more bizarre and shocking the case,

the more we must proceed methodically.

The key often lies in

some inconspicuous details.

Seeds.

That's right.

Seeds can only be digested and expelled

through bowel movement when a person is alive.

And the whole process takes less than a day.

All these victims had seeds in their stomachs.

It means they were killed shortly after eating these.

What makes sense may not necessarily be the truth.

Sometimes, what you see with your own eyes

may not necessarily be the truth.

There is a high chance that someone has used tricks

to make you believe that it's the truth.

I am enlightened.

What a coincidence.

All these male victims had seeds before they died?

When there are too many coincidences,

it's no longer a coincidence.

These seeds are not from ordinary melons, but gourds from Xichen.

Tribute gourds from Xichen?

- They're from the Imperial Palace. - No.

These noblemen had access to Xichen gourds on another occasion.

The Mizar Festival.

The Astronomical Bureau determines the date of the Mizar Festival every year.

The feast is funded by the government.

Empress Dowager gives out treasures during the feast.

But the date differs every year.

So when is the next Mizar Festival?

In three days.

[Cangming Palace]

Great Chief, Grand Empress Dowager is still in a meeting.

Please wait a little longer.

The Buddha statue wept blood.

Those rampant rumors gave the Grand Empress Dowager headaches.

Even the Princess of Valor has been implicated and grounded.

Empress Dowager has decreed.

It is a critical situation.

If the case is not solved within five days,

it will be handed over to the Imperial Inspectorate.

I accept Her Majesty's decree.

You don't have to be so courteous to meet me every time.

I heard something happened at Ximing Temple.

It was plotted.

This nursery rhyme is just the beginning.

This matter is getting serious. Prince Xian is in deep trouble.

Princess of Valor has also been grounded.

Grand Empress Dowager meant to discipline all her children.

Forgive me for asking this,

The Buddha statue wept blood, does it have something to do with you, My Lord?

How dare you?

Forgive me for being abrupt.

I just want to find out the truth to share your burden.

I have nothing to do with this.

However, how's it going with the investigation?

I'm still clueless.

How dare you make a fool of me?

Aren't you afraid I'll kick your family out of officialdom?

Please allow me to explain, My Lord.

You asked me to check the pigeon coop to figure out

what the Grand Empress Dowager thinks about Prince Xian.

According to my investigation, you were being paranoid.

How can you be sure?

Besides the pigeon coop, communications between the Imperial Guards suddenly increased.

Many of the messengers return midway.

It's a method to conceal the real routes.

Besides, many Imperial Guards have been mobilized.

I believe their job is to keep Prince Xian safe.

Why would Her Majesty do so if she means to harm him?

Even so,

it's merely your assumption.

Isn't it also a speculation that Prince Xian is in danger, My Lord?

I'll trust you for now.

However, I want a conclusion soon.

Rest assured, My Lord.

I will soon apprehend the mastermind behind this.

Good to know.

The assignment to the frontier is about to be issued.

There isn't much time left for you and Academician Yan.

[Zhang Baohuan, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites]

Grand Empress Dowager.

If you don't play, I will win this game.

All right.

In that case, I will ask you for a reward.

Sure, tell me.

What would you like?

Thanks to Your Majesty,

the feast of the Mizar Festival will be held by me.

Will you also allow me

to decide whom to invite?

In the past, we've always invited those who could recite poems,

compose verses, and sing.

This time, can we invite some real talents and beauties?

Invite whoever you want.

Have you taken a liking to some young ladies?

I really appreciate it, Grand Empress Dowager.

Official Xu, here's the list you gave me.

I'm going to invite everyone on the list.

- Thank you, Minister Zhang. - Don't mention it.

I'll count on you to look after me.

In that case, everyone who knows the cinnabar formula is already on the invitation list

for the Kaiyang Festival.

The murderer is among them.

It's not easy to find the murderer among these people.

It might be better to have the murderer come to us.

We can save ourselves a lot of trouble.

The deceased women had similar ornaments.

And they were courtesans skilled with pipa.

If I disguise myself as one of them, I can attract the murderer's attention,

then the murderer will naturally make a move.

Then you can catch him on the spot.

No way. This is too risky.

I won't let you do this.

I…

Get someone from Tongming Hall to dress up like the target.

- Understood. - No way.

The courtesans of Tongming Hall are also civilians.

How can we risk the lives of the civilians?

Besides, that murderer is ruthless.

If anything happens, how can you compensate her?

So you know it's dangerous.

If anything happens to you, what should I tell Grand Empress Dowager,

as well as Prime Minister Zhang and Academician Yan?

I strongly advocated for a thorough investigation of this case.

If I hadn't intervened, it would have been closed long ago.

Now we've reached the final step.

I should put it to an end.

A female official should take the risk to solve cases.

You want me to risk the lives of civilians.

I can't do that.

Can't you tell if you're up to the mark to disguise as a target?

They're skilled at playing the pipa.

Are you?

Madam turned out to be so talented.

So? Am I skilled or not?

You have exquisite skills.

Go on and play another piece.

I'm tired. Let's call it a day.

Are you tired or you can't play?

Are you planning to get by with these few verses

at the Mizar Festival?

I wasn't prepared for it.

I'll speak whatever comes to mind that is important.

First of all, when you play…

This is the wrong outfit.

You should wear something cooler.

This may not be necessary.

The key lies not in the melody or rhythm,

but in the vibe.

Watch me carefully.

You know the postures. The very basics.

Stretch your leg.

Cross-legged.

That's right. Take it slow.

Spin. Spinning.

Fluttering. Look how the skirt flies up.

Let the skirt fly.

Mother…

Can you stay seated?

You keep spinning.

I can't even see your fingering.

It doesn't matter.

This is what matters. Watch closely.

Raise your arms above your head.

Bring them down from behind your head.

Keep your posture enchanting. Show your face.

Eyes. Look at my eyes.

A woman's charm.

Focus. Focus on the eyes.

Look at my eyes.

That's right, pay attention.

Spin again.

Give it a shake.

Usually, this piece should have fallen to the ground.

Mother.

Dance later. Please sit down first.

I just want to learn a piece of music.

It's not about the quantity, but the quality.

Back then, I mastered just one piece.

A true master doesn't need a second piece at all.

And your father never lasted until the second piece.

Come on, Mother.

What are you talking about?

Once you play the pipa on the back like I taught you,

men won't be able to contain themselves.

Mother!

I just want to learn a pipa piece to solve a case.

What do you think I'm doing?

I thought you wanted me to teach you

some pipa moves to please your husband.

You got me wrong.

Uncle,

what is my mother thinking about?

Just because I got married,

what I think and do must be about pleasing my husband?

Your mother was sent to the opera troupe at an early age.

The troupe leader taught us to be tolerant of everything,

give up our self-esteem, and entertain our customers.

Fortunately, your father took pity on her

and provided her with a place to settle down.

Therefore,

the best future she could think for you...

was to marry a nice man.

Then, by my mother's standards,

I certainly don't have a promising future.

I'm not married to a nice man.

Your mother has told me many times

to keep you safe in the palace,

lest the White…

your husband... endangers your life.

But now that you are safe, she is relieved.

But she spends her days thinking about how to secure your position as the main wife.

She shouldn't be bothered.

Whoever fancies this position can take it.

I don't need a man's protection.

I just hope that I can become powerful enough

to protect myself and my family.

I am fortunate to have been born into an age where women can be officials.

Where there is no need for us to serve with our looks.

It's just that I need to learn a pipa piece

to captivate the attention of the entire audience.

You said it was for a case.

I need to perform a pipa song at Liushang Pavilion

to lure the snake out of hiding.

Subtitles and Timing provided to you by 🎶 The Copper Sparrow 🪶Team @viki.com

"Only Want You" - Ding Yuxi, Deng Enxi

♫ One look confirmed our fate ♫

♫ Upon meeting again, I know you're the one for me ♫

♫ Gaze at the stars, dreaming about old times ♫

♫ A pair of people have already taken root ♫

♫ Lovers before the candlelight, do not ask their thoughts ♫

♫ Affection is bound, lasting forever ♫

♫ Using the evening breeze to express deep love ♫

♫ I have someone I long for in this life ♫

♫ Deeply in love, you are the one I have chosen ♫

♫ Autumn moon and spring breeze, I only want you for my whole life ♫

♫ The trace of your palm ♫

​♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is heating up ♫

♫ Deeply in love, you are the one I have chosen ♫

♫ Autumn moon and spring breeze, I only want you for my whole life ♫

♫ The trace of your palm ♫

​♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is heating up ♫

♫ You are the only one for me ♫

♫ Embracing each other, how serious we are about our love ♫

♫ Every moment is treasured ♫

♫ From dawn to dusk ♫

♫ You and I, forever inseparable ♫

♫ Without noticing, you broke into my heart ♫

♫ Slowly immersing myself, I become undaunted by perils for love ♫

♫ I charge into battle with unmatched resilience ♫

♫ Because you are my responsibility ♫

♫ Deeply in love, you are the one I have chosen ♫

♫ Autumn moon and spring breeze, I only want you for my whole life ♫

♫ The trace of your palm ♫

​♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is heating up ♫

♫ Deeply in love, you are the one I have chosen ♫

♫ Autumn moon and spring breeze, I only want you for my whole life ♫

♫ The trace of your palm ♫

​♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is heating up ♫

♫ You are the only one for me ♫