Original subtitles

Sister Xue, don't worry.

Brother Zhu has promised

that he'd rescue Brother Meng whenever he can.

Although eldest senior is good in martial arts,

Liu De Zhao and his subordinates

are heartless,

I can't leave him fighting them alone.

Sister Xue.

You really care for Brother Zhu,

you are often keeping him in mind.

Sister.

Don't get the wrong idea.

Eldest senior is no ordinary person,

I have to put his safety as the priority.

I know.

Don't worry.

I understand.

Leader.

You guys leave first.

I'll come afterwards.

Why?

I'm weak and feeble.

I'll only trouble you

if I leave together with you.

But Liu De Zhao has decided

to fight against me.

It will be unsafe for you to stay here.

Liu De Zhao can fight against you with excuses

such as you're involved in counterfeiting

the imperial seal or pretending as a government official.

But I'm the real Noble Lady Li.

He wouldn't dare to hurt me openly.

Even if he had any secret plan,

most of the servants in this residence

have been serving my father for decades,

I'm sure not all of them are bribed.

They'll protect me.

Moreover,

I want to ensure your safety

because that's real safety to me.

Yes.

She's right.

With her staying here,

the traitor inside Shu Residence wouldn't be acting recklessly.

Also, it'd give us more time

to run away from Taiyuan.

You should listen to her.

Once you're safe,

they wouldn't dare to harm Noble Lady Li.

- Is someone there? - Yes.

Noble Lady Li, do you have any order?

Gather everyone in the living room.

I want them to join me

to pray for my father.

Yes.

I'm going right now.

Leader.

Everyone will be gathering in the living room later.

You can then use the back door to escape.

Yi Huan.

Even without me by your side,

you must protect Leader.

Be safe.

Don't worry.

Although I don't know martial arts,

I know all the tricks

to get away.

The Shu Residence has become a dangerous place.

You have to be careful.

Wan Xin.

Given your feeble look,

I'm surprised that you're actually very calm and decisive.

I promise to come back to rescue you

after getting out.

You'll be generously rewarded

when we get back to the Forbidden City.

Your safety

is the best reward for me.

Lady Wan.

Are you ready?

Almost, I need a little more time.

Why haven't they come?

What do we do?

Finally, you're here.

You... you are?

Lady Shu.

My name is Xue Qing Cheng.

Finally, we meet.

We really resemble each other, don't we?

Thanks for replacing me

so that I can leave this place and reunite with Brother Meng.

Back then, we had to kidnap you

due to an emergency.

I ask for your forgiveness.

Right, now is not the time to chat.

You can chat as much as you want after leaving this place.

Lady Shu, hurry and follow us.

It's too late.

Liu De Zhao has invited Sir Long to come over.

I was asked to entertain them.

No wonder Qiu Min is waiting outside.

The situation would become more inconvenient

with her presence.

Lady Wan.

Are you done?

Don't waste any more time.

Hurry up.

Lady Wan.

Lady Wan.

If you still don't respond,

then pardon me for barging in.

Let's go.

Qiu Gui.

Look what you've done.

I have no idea, she...

How did she know martial arts?

Don't talk nonsense.

Lady Shu.

Why are you here?

Butler Shu.

Who are you talking about?

She's Shu Jian's daughter.

Noble Lady Li.

Impossible.

Lady Shu doesn't know martial arts.

Before moving to the palace,

she always went out riding a horse with Sir Shu.

But that was just a leisure activity.

But suddenly...

I'm slapping you on behalf of the Shu Family.

Are... Are you really Lady Shu?

Sir Liu.

Ask your subordinates to retreat.

- Brother-in-law. - Retreat.

Hurry!

- Retreat... - Retreat...

Faster.

Move faster!

Sir Liu.

Free Meng Xiang He now.

Also, I need three horses.

All right.

Get... get the horses ready.

Hurry.

Lady Shu.

Don't worry.

I'm sure Qing Cheng and the others

will be back safely with Brother Meng.

I hope they're all right.

Amitabha.

God bless...

Coming.

What is coming?

I heard the sound of horses.

Look.

Qing Cheng is back with your lover.

Here they are.

Stop.

Wan Xin.

Brother Meng.

- Wan Xin. - Brother Meng.

Thank goodness.

Did Liu De Zhao harm you?

No.

I've been his bodyguard for ten years,

saving his life for countless times.

Because of that, he didn't go very far.

I was only fed with some medicine

and locked in the prison after that.

Luckily, Brother Li and Lady Xue rescued me.

They also helped me recover from the effects of the medicine.

Come.

Thank you for saving our lives.

There's no way we can repay you.

Let us kowtow to show our gratitude.

- Brother Meng, get up. - Hurry and get up.

- Here. - Get up.

Wan Xin.

Although we're not related by blood,

we get to know each other because of our faces.

Brother Meng is a reliable man.

Now both of you can finally

live happily ever after.

I really envy you.

Sister Xue.

I have Brother Meng,

you have Guard Li.

I hope after all the challenges,

you two can live happily ever after.

Lady Shu, you're wrong.

Guard Li already has a fiancee.

His fiancee is Qing Cheng's best friend.

The two of them grew up together.

Their relationship is like

brother and sister.

Oh sorry, my mistake.

Then, I wish you all the best.

I don't know your motive of kidnapping me,

or letting Sister Xue replace me in the palace,

but I know you have good intentions.

Wan Xin.

Today, I had no choice but to use my martial arts

in front of Liu De Zhao and his subordinates.

I'm sure he'll suspect my identity.

Make sure they don't know your whereabouts.

If they couldn't catch you,

they wouldn't be able to prove

that I'm not Shu Wan Xin.

So please,

stay away from Shanxi.

Don't let them know where you are.

Okay.

Don't worry.

From now on, Wan Xin and I

will be living a discreet life.

Nobody will know our real identities.

We'll be leading a simple life

just like an ordinary couple.

We'll no longer trouble you guys.

That's the perfect solution.

Brother Meng.

I envy you.

Brother Li.

Haven't you got your own sweetheart already?

I heard you're engaged to each other since young.

Unlike Wan Xin and I, we went through a lot to get together.

I'm afraid the obstacle between my fiancee and I

is much greater than what you've experienced.

Long story though.

Forget about it.

Guard Li.

We shouldn't be staying here for long.

Let's bid farewell then.

Okay.

Brother Meng.

You and Lady Shu take one horse each

and leave Shanxi

as soon as possible.

Okay, thank you.

See you again.

- See you again. - Take care.

Sister Xue.

Brother Li.

Goodbye.

Be safe.

Take care.

Go...

Master.

Are you going to meet Kang Xi with us?

You've recovered anyway.

No, I'm going back to Pearl Valley

to help Prince Jin find out who's the traitor.

Qing Cheng.

In the past, I accompanied you to the palace

because I was worried about your safety.

Now, you have

the eldest senior and Yi Huan to take care of you,

so I don't have to worry anymore.

Tell Kang Xi

even though I've recovered,

I haven't finished my lord's funeral yet.

Take care then.

Take care.

Right... calm down...

Water.

Right...

Tell me.

Li Jian Qing...

Drink some water...

Why is he still alive?

The water is too hot!

Are you trying to kill me?

My bad...

This Li Jian Qing...

Darn it.

Before he left... he even hurt me.

I must kill him!

Don't worry.

Everyone in Shanxi is going after them.

There's no way they can escape.

Qiu Gui.

In your opinion, is it possible that

Wan Su is Noble Lady Li?

Shu Wan Xin?

I don't think so.

She was kidnapped and brought in by my followers.

It's weird though.

Supposedly she's a feeble lady.

How did she become skilful in martial arts all of a sudden?

That Wan Su looks exactly the same

as Shu Wan Xin.

Coincidently at that point of time,

Noble Lady Li disappeared from Shu Residence.

Butler Shu.

Yes.

Try to recall.

Since her return from the palace,

was Noble Lady Li any different

compared to the time before she married the Emperor?

Yes.

Compared to last time,

she indeed has changed.

But I thought it's normal

because she has entered the palace.

When I think about it,

maybe she wasn't Lady Shu.

You mean, someone dressed up as her?

Do you think Shu Jian had the courage to have someone

dressing up as her daughter and marrying the Emperor?

Butler Shu.

So was Noble Lady Li the one

that held Qiu Gui as a hostage?

Lady Shu doesn't know martial arts.

I'm sure she wasn't the one

that held Qiu Gui as a hostage.

But I'm not sure whether

it was Noble Lady Li who did it.

Is it possible that Shu Jian

had someone from the underworld pretending to be Lady Shu

and entered the palace?

Wan Su is the real Shu Wan Xin.

Wan Su.

Shu Wan Xin.

Brother-in-law.

Your assumption...

I think it's right.

She must have been living a discreet life

in a place where no one knows her.

But then her father was sick,

so she risked herself to come out

to see her father for the last time.

On the way, she encountered me.

To prevent her identity from being exposed,

she lied and claimed herself to be Wan Su.

That makes sense.

But why did Shu Jian have someone from the underworld

to pretend as her daughter and enters the palace?

Why?

Since we already know

that Long San is a fake Imperial Commissioner,

we may as well find out that

this Noble Lady Li is also a fake one.

Then we have nothing to be afraid of.

Be gentle...

Okay.

Your Highness.

Did you receive any news from His Majesty?

No, I haven't.

I haven't been receiving His Majesty's news for two weeks.

I also lost contact with my uncle.

I wonder...

I wonder if something bad happened.

Calm down.

Don't panic at times like this.

Two weeks ago Songgotu sent a letter to us.

He said the Emperor wanted to manage Liu De Zhao's case.

To prevent Liu De Zhao from running away,

he went to get more soldiers from Wei Ba Zan's camp.

Maybe he wasn't at His Majesty's side,

so there was no official letter

delivered to us.

But it's not just Liu De Zhao,

Wu San Gui is targeting His Majesty as well.

I'm worried...

Indeed, Wu San Gui is more dangerous.

But don't worry too much.

We still have Wu San Gui's son,

Wu Ying Xiong.

I've already sent my followers

to help out with the situation in Shanxi.

But you...

You're the Empress.

Stay calm.

Don't let other consorts know

that the Emperor has headed to Shanxi.

They may talk about it.

I appreciate your advice.

I understand.

All right, it is done.

It smells delicious.

Boss.

When it comes to stealing, you're quite good at it.

I wasn't stealing.

I left some money in the coop.

Taking without consent is stealing.

All right... I stole it.

So, don't eat.

Noble Lady Li, here.

It smells so nice.

Come, let's eat.

We've got extra here.

- Next... - No...

Where is mine?

Yours?

Didn't you say so yourself?

It's stolen.

Don't eat then.

If you eat it, you're considered as an accomplice too.

No...

Leader.

You can have mine.

See?

Wan Xin is the best.

Come.

Noble Lady Li, here you go.

All right.

Delicious.

I'm surprised that you can cook.

Of course.

I may not be knowledgeable.

But I used to have a master who worked

for the former Ming Dynasty as a chef.

He's a renowned chef.

When I was his student, he was really strict.

Ming Dynasty's most famous chef?

Imperial chef?

Leader, don't be fooled by her.

The one who taught us how to cook

was merely a cook for a wealthy family.

Yes.

I'm just boasting.

Don't be so frank...

Gosh.

They're coming.

How do you know?

I can hear it.

They're coming from all directions.

- We're surrounded. - What?

What do we do?

They're good at martial arts,

and they outnumber us.

It might be hard for us to protect Leader

while fighting them directly.

Luckily, I still have my human skin mask.

It seems that we can only use the same old trick.

I'll get one of our bodyguards

dressing up as Leader

so to distract the pursuers.

Forget about other stuff and leave immediately.

All right.

Brother Long.

Why are their faces covered?

I thought they're Liu De Zhao's followers.

He wanted to let the bandits at Niujiao Fortress to take the blame,

so he's trying to cover up the identity of his followers.

Attack!

Do you think so?

He is so cruel.

Get Long San and Guard Li!

Luckily, your brother is good at martial arts.

Even the imperial bodyguards

and the assassins

are no match for him.

Of course.

I'm lazy, but my brother

is very hardworking.

My brother knows just about everything.

He's competent.

More importantly, he's courageous and level-headed.

Luckily,

he's not my enemy.

Of course.

You're younger than me.

And he's my brother.

Naturally, he'd see you as his younger brother

and protect you, so don't worry.

I'm lucky to have known you guys.

You two are my godsend, helping me to overcome all this.

Go...

After them!

Go after them!

Are you okay?

It's all right now.

Stepping out of the palace,

it seems that I still need to rely on your protection.

We should head to the other tree

to save Noble Lady Li.

- Right, let's go. - Okay.

Noble Lady Li.

Li...

Where is Noble Lady Li?

Sister Xue must be worried about Brother Zhu

and went to his rescue.

Where is Noble Lady Li?

I... I might have misremembered.

My brother didn't put her up on the tree.

Then...

Let's find her.

Shu Jian has already been sacrificed,

I must protect his daughter.

You're really kind.

I am here, you don't have to look for me.

Noble Lady Li, where did you go just now?

I was put on a tree

by Guard Li just now.

I glided down

after the bandits had left for good.

The trees in this forest are very tall,

how did you do that?

Leader.

My father used to be a famous combatant,

so it is not difficult for me.

I can take it.

You look like a lady

that is knowledgeable,

talented, classy and refined.

I never thought

that you're actually a daring lady.

Thank you.

Right... stop the chatter.

Let's go somewhere safe.

We should take the opposite direction.

Let's go.

Right.

Your hand...

Hurry...

It's not mine.

Someone wanted to kill you just now,

I've already killed that person.

- Hurry, go. - Go.

Please bear for a while.

Brother Wang!

Brother Wang was dressing up as Leader

and got attacked by the assassins.

He has suffered a serious injury.

Those bodyguards

are among the best from the palace.

They're properly trained and very loyal.

From over 30 people,

now only less than 20 are left.

Liu De Zhao.

I'll pay back.

Ketua.

I actually could kill him yesterday.

But without your order,

I dared not to simply kill a government official.

What's more,

I don't want him to die in such an easy way.

You're right.

It's easy to kill him,

but before that, we have to make sure

that his wrongdoing be made public

so that other officials wouldn't dare to repeat the same mistake.

After I return to the palace,

I want to use Liu De Zhao's death

to discipline other corrupt officials.

Brother Zhu.

Why are Liu De Zhao's followers

acting in such a sneaky way

given he had been openly sending people to catch us?

They're not Liu De Zhao's followers.

No?

Leader.

Look at the wounds.

What's wrong with the wounds?

From the pattern of the wounds,

I can tell the assassins are slashing

in a reverse, upwards direction.

These wounds are same with the ones

on Shu Jian's body.

This is Di Tang Gang's style of killing.

There's no way Liu De Zhao's subordinates would know it.

You mean,

those who are trying to kill us

are the ones that murdered Shu Jian?

And they're ordered by Wu San Gui?

Almost certain.

I wonder if Wu San Gui knows my real identity.

Not really.

He might probably just worry about you finding out

his secret while investigating Shu Jian's case,

that's why he came out with a plan

to kill you while you're in Shanxi,

then let Liu De Zhao take the blame.

I think you're right.

On the way back to the palace,

there will be many people trying to kill us.

Leader, there's a team of pursuers coming after us.

- How many people? - About 30-40 people.

Leader.

We mustn't waste time.

We had an intensive battle last night.

We shouldn't be fighting any more battles now.

Run.

Go...

There's no boat or bridge.

How are we going to cross the river?

Don't worry.

After we managed to escape last night,

I've asked our followers to scout around.

The boat is ready.

You will come across a forest after crossing the river.

Go into the forest

to avoid being noticed by the pursuers.

You're adaptive yet attentive to details.

I'm amazed.

Talking about experience in the underworld,

you beat me hands down.

I'm flattered.

I'm a commoner,

growing up in the underworld.

You have a prominent background,

making decisions related to country policy.

We're very different.

Don't be so humble.

You have your strengths.

And in this regard,

I really should learn from you.

Leader.

Let's get on the boat.

- Come. - After them!

Over here!

They're coming.

You guys go ahead.