Original subtitles

(Guardians of the Dafeng)

(Episode 23)

Your Majesty, this person is the wanted criminal of the imperial court.

The former commander of Jinwu Guards, Zhou Chi Xiong.

You traitor,

you are back at home now.

I deserve to die.

I deserve to die!

Zhou Chi Xiong.

Who instructed you

to collude with the Kui Tribe to smuggle gunpowder?

I...

I...

I deserve to die!

I'll leave him to you.

A gentleman should be honest,

and so should an ordinary man.

Tell us.

Who instructed you

to collude with the Kui Tribe to smuggle gunpowder?

It was

the Ministry of Rites...

It was Li Yu Lang

from the Ministry of Rites!

It was Li Yu Lang.

It was him.

Behead him.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, this is absurd!

This is slander!

Commander Zhou is not lying.

He is not lying.

Li Yu Lang.

What else can you say?

I have been accused wrongly.

Your Majesty.

I am sure he has accomplices.

Please hand him over to me. I'll interrogate him.

Your Majesty.

According to the law, this should be handed to the Ministry of Justice.

I'll leave it

to the Ministry of Justice to investigate this case.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Wei Yuan.

I will thoroughly investigate the crimes that Li Yu Lang has committed.

But if you plan on throwing mud on someone,

you can keep dreaming.

Hold on.

I've heard about what happened at the imperial court

before this.

I would like to give you a piece of advice.

If the Wang Party continues to come down hard on us,

you'll be shooting yourself

in the foot next time.

You foolish brat.

How dare you shoot your mouth off here.

I wouldn't dare.

You probably don't know that I have quite a talent for poems.

I would like to present you with a poem.

The name of the poem is,

The Sangbo Case for Minister Sun.

- A poem? - Don't you know? He is Yang Ling.

We are in luck today.

Yes.

Others raise their kids in hope

that they will turn out smart.

However, my life is ruined by being smart.

I wish for my children

to be foolish and dull.

To be safe and sound

while serving the imperial court.

- You... - How could he say that?

So rude.

Arrest this official at once.

Arrest him!

Minister Sun, calm down.

Wei Yuan.

He slandered me.

Those who humiliated the ministers should be exiled.

You won't be able to protect him today

even if you want to.

Slandering a minister

is indeed a serious crime.

But

if he's telling the truth,

then it's not slander.

Wei Yuan, you...

Aren't you coming with me?

Yes, Lord Wei.

Congratulations to Lord Sun for being

an infamous scholar!

You cocky brat! You...

Minister.

My Lord.

Lord Wei.

Lord Wei.

There's something I don't understand.

You want to know why His Majesty

handed this case to the Ministry of Justice, right?

Do you know

that Li Yu Lang was a member of the Wang Party?

If this case was handed over to the Night Guardians,

many members of the Wang Party will be implicated.

I understand now.

It'll cause an imbalance in power between the parties in the court.

His Majesty doesn't want any party to dominate others

or for two parties to join hands.

So fast?

Lord Wei, what happened?

It has nothing to do with you.

The Sangbo case has come to an end.

Since His Majesty didn't talk about you,

it means that this is over now.

You can leave now.

Yes, Lord Wei.

Foster Father.

I'm sure Zhu Yang is plotting something by meeting His Majesty now.

Do we need any preventive measures?

No.

Roger that.

Lord Xu. Why are you here?

Her Highness looked upset last time. So, I'm here to pay her a visit.

She's at the pavilion.

Do you want to talk to her for a while?

Sure.

Your Highness, it's me.

Come in.

Xu Qi An, look.

In the capital city of Dafeng,

even the sun is constricted.

Ping Yang once told me

that the sunset at the South Border

can color the entire sky red.

You can chase after the sun as much as you want

in the endless desert.

The South Border

was the original destination of Princess Ping Yang, right?

Yes.

I've been thinking about it for the past few days.

Is it worth it for Ping Yang

to sacrifice her life for freedom?

Have you found your answer?

I have no idea.

Now, I'm just troubled by even more things.

Have a seat.

I want to hear your opinion.

I wouldn't dare to comment on Her Highness's action.

But at that particular moment,

maybe leaving

was the only choice that Princess Ping Yang had.

I've never met Her Highness before.

But based on your description,

she was an unrestrained and untrammeled person

who refused to be tied down.

For her,

marrying into the royal family might be more terrifying than death.

Isn't it nice to be a consort?

You can live a life of luxury, and you'll be respected.

It's the dream of so many noblewomen.

They can go ahead and be the consorts.

I don't want that title.

Listen. Instead of marrying someone you don't love

and getting trapped in your boudoir forever,

dying will be better.

I'll help you escape the palace!

Fly.

- Higher. - Fly.

I've misspoken.

Please forgive me.

You are right.

It was Yang Ping's only choice.

But that's my only choice too.

My mother once told me

that it was our duty as a princess to marry into an aristocratic family

to keep the imperial court stable and lessen the burden of our father.

I'll have to fulfill my duty soon.

Your Highness.

Since you are here,

have a drink with me.

I'll humbly accept your invitation.

There'll be a firework later.

Your Highness.

Your firework is different from the one I've seen.

It's quite beautiful.

Xu Qi An.

Do you think it's possible that Ping Yang is not dead?

Maybe she has just gone to another world

and is enjoying the firework with us now.

Yes.

In that world, there's no monarchy, rank, or status.

Everyone is equal.

There, your life is not decided by your parents

and there's no arranged marriage.

When you run into someone in a crowd,

you can be together forever

as long as you love each other.

Even if you can't find the right person for you,

you don't have to feel pressured to find one.

Living alone can be nice too.

You can freely travel anywhere you like.

You can do anything you want.

- Does that kind of world really exist? - Of course.

Not only the women there don't have to get married,

but they can also go out to work,

pursue their dream, and realize their self-worth like men.

When they get old, they can buy a small house with their best friends

and live joyfully for the rest of their lives.

If a world like that really exists,

I really want to visit it.

But...

But what?

I'm not as beautiful as Ping Yang.

I'm not

as smart as her.

Not as courageous as her.

I don't know anything.

Quite the opposite.

You have your own strength too.

You are carefree,

straightforward,

and sincere toward others.

Even so,

I can't bear to leave the people in this world.

I can't bear to leave my mother.

Although she always complains that I'm useless.

My brother too.

Whenever my mother lectures me,

he'll be the first to protect me.

My father too.

Although I'm not very capable,

he still dotes on me.

Gang too.

And you.

Me?

Although we haven't known each other for a long time,

I admire your temperament.

Sometimes, you are as timid as a mouse.

Sometimes, you are extremely bold.

You know how to write poems.

You are good at solving cases.

You know many fun and interesting things.

You also know

that I like the salted egg yolk pastry from Shunwei Pastry Shop.

My mother won't let me eat it because it's too oily.

I have to sneak out of the palace

to buy it all the time.

How did you find out?

She'll understand when she sees this.

(Shunwei Pastry Shop)

Someone who has been looking after you in secret

told me about it.

Impossible.

Ping Yang is dead now.

I don't have any friends now.

Your Highness, you've drunk too much.

Your Highness, if you don't mind,

I can

be your friend from now on.

I don't want to be friends with you.

Your Highness. You are awake.

Be careful.

How do you feel?

Did I sleep here the whole night?

Yes.

Where's Xu Qi An?

He left before the sun came up.

He looked after you the whole night yesterday.

He kept holding your hand too.

He...

Did he take advantage of me when I slept?

No. He was just trying

to keep you warm.

Before he left, he asked me

to make sure you drink this bowl of porridge when you wake up.

It can help you with the hangover and warm you up.

Give it a taste.

He said that he cooked this porridge himself.

He cooked it with a secret ingredient

called

the chicken essence.

This is quite tasty.

This brat never fails to surprise me.

(Actions speak louder than words.)

Senior Yang, we copied this from the city gate.

The heroic performance of the disciple

of the Astronomical Bureau, Yang Qian Huan,

is clearly written in the announcement.

You are praised for your contributions.

I'm sure everyone in the capital city knows me now.

I need to thank the Imperial Astronomer for calling me back

to make a contribution.

My master didn't lie to me.

But

I have to be extra careful

when I go out after this.

In case someone recognizes me

and causes me unnecessary trouble.

There's no need to do that.

After all, not many are talking about this.

Why?

Senior Yang.

This is it.

After this poem came out from the court,

it has become a major hit among the Imperial Academy

and the Yunlu Academy.

It has been crowned

as the first sarcastic poem in history.

The poem has spread like wildfire.

Everyone praises Lord Xu for being the saint of Dafeng.

I wish for my children to be foolish and dull.

To be safe and sound

while serving the imperial court.

Why?

How can Xu Ning Yan

continue to achieve something to be envied

one after another?

He solved the Sangbo case by himself.

He is not afraid to go against those

with prominence and status despite his low rank.

This is unfair.

This is unfair.

This is so unfair!

Senior Yang.

Are you okay?

I

Understand now.

I'm going to criticize the officials in front of the great hall too.

If Xu Ning Yan is the saint of Dafeng,

I will become the savior of Dafeng!

You can't do that, Senior Yang.

The sun, moon, and stars are under my control.

There's no one like me in this world.

Who teleported me here?

Are you trying to stop me?

You are too impatient.

You told me that I would become famous if I came back.

Why are you stopping me right now?

There are many hidden gems and talented people in the capital city.

Master.

Please explain.

What I'm saying is,

don't expose your own weakness.

I understand now.

What do you understand?

You don't want me to become famous

because you are afraid that I'll steal your limelight.

Old man...

Let out me!

Old man!

Is it my turn now?

Just now, I went to take care of a small matter.

Please forgive me.

Your skills in chess

are not as good as before.

But

you are still the expert

when it comes to judging a character.

Xu Qi An

solved the case.

He hasn't let you down.

First, you asked me to recommend him to the Night Guardians.

Then you guided him step-by-step for the Sangbo case.

But

wasn't it too early to carry out that plan?

I didn't have a choice.

That person was a vicious and powerful man.

That was the only way

to make Xu Qi An fight against him.

Then let's proceed with your plan.

But there's something I need to voice out.

Don't drag Lin An into this

unless it's necessary.

You are right.

I will remember that.

That's a great move.

(Xu Residence)

Honey.

Have you informed Ci Jiu that we have moved?

Don't worry. Ning Yan is a reliable man.

I'm sure he already sent a letter to the academy.

You don't have to bring gifts.

Congratulations.

- You are here. - Yes.

The Xu family has two capable young men now.

You'll live a life of glory and luxury after this.

- No. - This is the best congratulatory gift for you.

Try this face cream.

Your skin will glow like a jade after this.

Thank you. This is a great gift.

I won't live in luxury.

We just live an ordinary life.

You call this ordinary?

Look at the mansion you've chosen.

It's quiet despite being in the city. And you have a private space.

I'm sure you'll live comfortably here.

- You are too kind. - This place is indeed secluded.

From the east of the city to the west.

It took the wheeler an hour to find this place.

I'm dizzy from the long journey.

If you don't feel well,

how about you take a rest and eat something.

Forget it. I don't have the appetite.

I haven't digested the bird nest hasma stew I ate this morning.

Don't be mad at her.

Her husband worked at the Ministry of Rites.

Now, he's being interrogated

by the Ministry of Justice because of the Sangbo case.

It's no wonder that she doesn't have the appetite.

It's just a routine inquiry.

He'll come home soon.

Just now, you told me

that it was quite a serious issue.

You wanted to ask Official Xu to help him out, right?

What a joke.

He is just an unimportant Copper Guardian.

I don't think he'll be able to offer any assistance.

The Night Guardians have arrived!

Gold Guardian Yang, Gold Guardian Nangong. Welcome.

Lord Xu.

We are here to congratulate the Xu family on behalf of the Night Guardians.

Thank you.

It's our honor to have you here at our humble home.

We are truly honored.

Why isn't Lord Wei here?

Lord Wei said that he would visit us.

Something came up.

So, he asked us to congratulate you

on his behalf.

I understand.

Please come in.

We have work to do.

You don't have to trouble yourself.

- Bye. - Farewell.

- Congratulations, Lord Xu. - Thank you.

- Congratulations, Madam Xu. - Thank you.

You don't have to bring us so many gifts.

How can we accept these?

Since we have delivered the gifts, we will leave now. Bye.

You should stay and eat first. The food is ready.

Eat first before you leave. You...

Let's go!

Thank you.

Goodbye.

Sister.

- Sister. - Goodbye.

Visit us whenever you are free.

I never thought that Ning Yan would be so popular.

Can you

ask Ning Yan to help my husband out?

To be honest,

I'm here today because of that.

I can't count them all.

Make sure to list everything carefully. Don't miss anything.

Yes. List them down carefully.

List down Lord Wei's gifts.

Let me show you around.

We are friends after all.

Please ask Ning Yan to help me out.

- Sister. - Here. Let me show you around.

No. What?

Her Highness went traveling?

It has been for quite some time.

The Noble Consort agreed?

No. Her Highness sneaked out in the middle of the night.

She just left a letter behind.

The palace is a mess now.

Noble Consort Chen said

that if she found out who gave Her Highness the idea to run away,

she would never forgive that person.

Gang, remember this.

If someone asks you about that night,

remember to tell them that Her Highness and I

were just discussing poems. Nothing else.

- I understand. - Her escape has nothing to do with me.

I understand.

Did she leave me a message before she left?

She said thank you.

She made up her mind to follow her heart

thanks to your encouragement.

(Xu Qi An.)

(You are right.)

(Actions speak louder than words.)

(Instead of living in self-pity and dilemma, )

(I should take the first step forward.)

(I'm going to tour around the world)

(on behalf of Ping Yang.)

(I will fulfill her dream for her.)

(And I'll find)

(my own freedom.)

(My dear master.)

(The Sangbo case has come to an end.)

(It caused an uproar in the imperial court)

(and instilled fear in the officials.)

(Everything is going according to the Kui Tribe's plan.)

(After this battle, )

(Wei Yuan hasn't left his residence since.)

(Lately, he has been absent from the court.)

(But actually, he has been sending his Gold Guardians)

(to search along Mount Dahuang.)

(Several settlements of the Kui Tribe)

(were ambushed by the Night Guardians.)

(We suffered great loss.)

(You are right.)

(If we want to take down Dafeng, )

(we need to eliminate Wei Yuan first.)

(Otherwise, the Kui Tribe will forever live in the dark.)

(As for the Imperial Astronomer, )

(he remains confined by his so-called illness.)

(He's powerful at Rank One.)

(He did this to stay out of the Sangbo case.)

(You are right.)

(I'm sure the Imperial Astronomer knows our plan all along.)

(But he's being secretive)

(about the whereabouts of the Demonic Arm.)

(As if he's waiting for something.)

(As for the man who controls the Demonic Arm, )

(according to your order, )

(we've formed a temporary alliance with him.)

(Now, he has taken the Demonic Arm as planned.)

(He's traveling to Yunzhou with the tax money.)

(He refused to make a move in the capital city.)

(As if he's waiting for something too.)

(Another thing.)

(Xu Qi An has become a Silver Guardian.)

(The court has sent him to Yunzhou to recover the tax money.)

(This is not a coincidence.)

(You may be right.)

(Perhaps Xu Qi An is the key to that person's plan.)

(I will continue to investigate Xu Qi An.)

(In three months, )

(everything will be set in stone.)

(Three Months Later)

(Yunzhou)

An ambush!

My fellow comrades, let's kill our way out.

Attack!

Silver Guardian Xu Qi An from the Night Guardians

is here to recover the tax money.

Those who get in our way will be killed.

Kill him!

Xu Qi An is amazing.

Stay down. Do you hear me?

Remember. Make sure that the knots are secure. Do you hear me?

Yes, sir.

The leader of the rebels has been executed. The rest is arrested.

My Lord.

They have a total of 134,500 taels here.

Including the cost of the rebels' weapons and armor,

everything is here. Please check.

This is the tax money that we've retrieved.

Please check.

Deliver the tax money back to the treasury

and send the rebels to prison.

Make sure that nothing goes wrong.

Roger that!

Lord Xu has given an order.

Deliver the money back to the treasury and send the rebels to prison.

Make sure that nothing goes wrong.

Roger that!

Hurry up!

Check the knots.

Walk. Hurry up.

I'm all sweaty.

No. We need to drink to our heart's content today.

I haven't drunk for three months

to help you build your reputation.

I can't do anything about it because this is a business trip.

- I want a drink too. - I understand.

I've booked us a table.

It'll be my treat tonight. Order something good.

We'll drink until we drop.

Guang Xiao, let's go and count the tax money.

Okay.

Let's go.

(The amulet has stopped working.)

(Its power has been suppressed.)

Xu Qi An.

(Where am I?)

Zhou Li?

Xu Qi An.

Are you going to plead guilty?

Xu Qi An.

Die!

Xu Qi An.

Xu Qi An.

Any last words?