l want you to be fully in charge of Ngan Yuk-ming's case
Tomorrow when you search Ngan's house hide the painting there
Ngan Yuk-ming will have no excuses
From now on, His Majesty's assistant mustn't be a Han again
Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness
You mustn't be rude
Lady Wai, l have already given the order not to see you
Why do keep persisting?
Your Majesty, my father is guilty of a serious offense. He deserves to die
But l'm carrying your baby My parents gave me everything
l cut my hair to show how adamant l'm to repay my father
l plead with Sire to spare his life Spare a thought that l'm your wife
Silence. Your father has erred greatly He has the intention to turn against us
He's unforgiveable
l allow you to see His Majesty today not to give you a chance to plead for him
but to let you know you can't save him
Your Majesty?
l've already decided You need not worry about it, Grandmother
Ngan Yuk-ming edited Kangxi Dictionary
His explanations do carry the intention of revolting against Qing
But Chinese study is profound
A sentence or a word has very different meaning when it's interpreted
This case has great implication l don't want to start a literary inquisition
l don't want it to affect the scholars
But as a warning to the court officials
l have decided to relieve Ngan Yuk-ming of his duty as Grand Minister
He will be exiled to Tibet never to return to the capital
The case is closed
Thank you Sire for your benevolence
As His Majesty has already decided l'll respect his decision
You may go, Lady Wai
Thank you, Your Majesty Thank you, Your Highness
l will take my leave
Lady Wai was chosen as a consort because she resembled the late queen
She's won His Majesty's favor
As a result, she and her father became arrogant and cocky
They've caused much trouble in the palace and the court
Thank you for your teaching, Grandmother
l doted too much upon Lady Wai l was really at fault
l passed a lenient sentence on Ngan Yuk-ming and spared his life
l want to establish a benevolent governance to rule with compassion and less coercion
l want everyone in Qing to live in peace
Being compassionate is a virtue
l don't want to interfere with the administration
But the position of queen has been vacant for a long time
Your Majesty should crown a queen soon to avoid rivalry amongst the consorts
The lmperial Consort is kind and virtuous She's the only rightful candidate
Sire can rest assured that all will be well if she's in charge of the Rear Palaces
There's news from the palace
His Majesty will soon make you Queen Congratulations
You are thinking too much
l only stated the fact Very soon we'll to call you Queen
Actually l want to congratulate you
His Lordship has done a great job for His Majesty this time
For sure, Sire will appoint him important post
Really? l've to offer my congratulations too
lf you become Queen we'll need to follow proper etiquette
lt will be much more formal when we meet
Why? l'll still be the same
As the Queen, you will be a role model
Every word you say and every move you make must be right and proper
You can't make any mistakes
We've been chatting for long Let's savor your cooking
Alright
This cake is called 5 Generations Together lt's made of 5 different ingredients
The taste is sweet and pungent You cooking skills are really good
His Lordship has been busy at work l want to make some cakes for him
He hasn't tried it yet Please tell me how it is
Alright
There's broad bean in it? His Lordship doesn't like it
Prince Yue doesn't like broad beans?
Really. l didn't know that How come you know about it?
Years ago, His Lordship went to Shengjing
to supervise the palace renovation
He stayed in my parents' home for a while
Therefore l know His Lordship doesn't like broad beans
But l don't know if he dislikes any other kind food
Thank you for letting me know
Otherwise, my efforts will be in vain His Lordship will not be pleased with me
Of course not. l'm sure His Lordship knows you care about him
You want to plead for Ngan Yuk-ming?
Grandma, who never errs? l feel deeply about the Ngan's case
l was also wrong before, l owe it to you and Sire for giving me a second chance
What do you think Sire should do then?
lt's true we need to enforce the laws strictly to rule the people
But Lady Wai is His Majesty's consort Ngan Yuk-ming is His Majesty's father-in-law
He's family. Blood is thicker than water
Grandma, please ask His Majesty to pass a lenient sentence on him
l can't believe you share the same thought with His Majesty...
to be kind and lenient in all matters
Actually, His Majesty has already decided to spare Ngan Yuk-ming's life
He will only be exiled to Tibet
His Majesty is brilliant
He advocates a benevolent governance
With more compassion and less coercion there will be peace
l can't believe you understand His Majesty better than l do
You do have a kind heart You've really changed
Well, on the first day of next month
l'll go to Cloudy Monastery to worship Buddha as l do every year
Both of us can pray for the coming year
We can pray to Buddha to bless Qing so that there's peace in the country
But l need the imperial guards to protect me
l will do everything to ensure your safety
There's one more thing The Rear Palaces need a Queen
His Majesty needs someone who knows about etiquette and protocol to be in charge
Do you think the lmperial Consort an appropriate candidate?
Lady Man-Kwan came from a powerful family
She's got both beauty and virtues She's sincere and fair
She's the rightful choice
Besides the position of the Queen has been vacant for so long
We need to find the best candidate
So you share my thoughts
l hope Sire will crown a queen soon then l don't need to worry anymore
You may go
Your Lordship must be troubled by Ngan Yuk-ming's case
His Majesty has already decided to spare his life. He'll only be exiled to Tibet
Too bad his daughter Lady Wai has lost the favor of His Majesty
There's news in the palace that the lmperial Consort may become Queen
Man-kwan owes it to you this time
lf you hadn't found out about Ngan's evil intent, she might not have such a chance
There's broad bean inside?
Yes. You don't like it
Just now l had Man-kwan taste it She told me that you don't like broad beans
l'm your wife. But l didn't know that Man-kwan told me about it
She also said you had lived in her home Why haven't you ever told me about it?
l was assigned to supervise the renovation of the palace in Shengjing
l did stay in her parents' home lt isn't surprising that
she knows what food l like
l only stayed there for a short time l'm not acquainted with her
You must understand our status is different now
lt's inappropriate to talk about the past But...
Maybe you've been too busy lately therefore you get silly thoughts
Well, go to bed early
l will take leave then
Greetings, Milady l've got something to report
At ease
Prince Yue's personal assistant On Wing asked me to deliver this letter to you
He also told me not to tell anyone l'll take my leave
My Lady
Greetings, Milady Greetings, Prince Yue
l was going to the Royal Guard Barrack What a coincidence to run into you here
The sky was so clear just now
They've planted some new flowers here so l came over to take a look
But now l feel a bit cold
Sze-kiu, go get a shawl for me Yes, Milady
lt's windy here. Why don't we take a seat under the pavilion?
Alright
l received your letter What's so urgent that you want to see me?
Kwai-lun asked me about our past
l feel uneasy too. l had a slip of tongue l told her that you didn't like broad beans
Maybe that's why she got it wrong
l have explained it to her But she's suspicious
She lets her imagination runs wild
Did you tell her that l had stayed in your parents' home for a while?
Yes, l did. But to put her mind at ease
l told her you stayed there for only a short while
that l wasn't acquainted with you
l told her so too l can't believe we said the same thing
Congratulations, Milady
Her Highness asked me who should be crowned queen
Actually everyone thinks you are the best candidate
l believe very soon you'll become Queen
Do you really think l am fit to take up the position of the Queen?
No one is your match in the Rear Palaces
l know it's improper for us to meet this time
But after you've become Queen
l'm afraid there won't be a chance for us meet alone again
So l took the liberty to see you this time
Be rest assured when you become queen l won't dare disturb you again
Your Lordship has gained merits again by solving Ngan Yuk-ming's case
His Majesty has high regards of you
Your wish has finally come true after all these years
You must feel so content you can excel in the future
l did lose a lot of things in the past l still remember what happened
What happened in the past is history There's no point to raise it up again
l hope Your Lordship will meet with success Don't look back on the past anymore
l will remember what you said today l won't fail you
The rules in the Rear Palaces are strict
l'm afraid it's inconvenient for us to meet in private again
This meeting is already so inappropriate lt shouldn't happen again
l understand what you mean l'll put away the matouqin
From now on, l'll focus on serving Sire l won't make further trouble
That will be the best l'll take my leave now
You are the lmperial Guards. Your duty is to protect the palace. But you've failed
Ngan Yuk-ming's case dragged on You couldn't solve it. Sire was furious
You are all at fault
Fortunately l've explained everything to His Majesty
Both Ngan Yuk-ming and Hin Sing got their due punishment
So His Majesty won't pursue it further
But you must remember not to make the same mistake again
Thank you, My Lord
l want to make an announcement
From today onward
Ha Sin will be promoted to the post of lmperial Guard Deputy Lieutenant
Thank you for the promotion, My Lord
At ease
Nip Dor-po receives merits in solving the case
He will be exceptionally promoted to the post of lmperial Guard third rank
Thank you for the promotion, My Lord
l will definitely do everything l can to serve the government
At ease
Cheers
Officer Ha Sin, you must take care of our son Dor-po
That's right. Dor-po is smart He won't let you down
Please leave Officer Ha Sin alone Let him enjoy the meal
Prince Yue promoted Dor-po because of his own competence. He'll excel in time
People say Sheung Moon House is famous for its 8 treasure duck
l've the chance to try it today lt's really good
Thank you, Officer Ha Sin
Well, l've also prepared several expensive dishes for you, sir
Sing Yes
Go and prepare it
Yes, sir
Dor-po Yes?
You often get wounded. Don't you know that l worry so much about you?
Of course l do
Dor-po is smart. He's joined the lmperial Guard for just a short time
But he's already an lmperial Guard third rank. We are really so proud of him
Of course l'm an honor to my ancestors l'm a Nip after all
When you become a high ranking
officer, you must look after me
Damn it. You must count on your hard work to excel. How can you rely on others?
l'm innocent, sir
Hey, don't ever think you can goof off just because l've dozed off
l'm not
l don't know why every time when l use the strike ''Don't disturb a sleeping dragon''
my chest always feels tight
My inner air is a mess l can't muster up any strength
l told you not to do it the wrong way so you shouldn't
But you keep striking hard Of course your chest hurts
You told me for every strike, l need to use my spirit, air, mood, hands, eyes and heart
That's true
But you need to do so step by step
You are getting ahead of yourself. How can you merge the six elements together?.
Of course your chest hurts
lf that's the way to learn it you'll never succeed
ls that so?
You think l'm lying? Yes
Hey, let's call it a day So soon?
Oh yes, you've got a promotion
From now on, pay me 200 taels for every strike l teach you
This is extortionate. Should l give you Sheung Moon House as well?
l'm fair. You have a promotion Of course l need to raise my remuneration
But you can't get promoted anymore
lt doesn't need to be a high ranking post as long as it's a big promotion
The problem is you think it's this big Actually it's this small
Don't pretend to be so philosophical
That's because you don't understand it
You don't just talk about Buddhist Philosophy
you've drawn a big circle What does it mean?
This circle is big for you But it's small to me. Why get trapped here?
Why don't we jump outside and enjoy the freedom?
lt isn't easy to get to the stage of void
What you talk about is so void of understanding
Why don't you change your title to Master Void?
Master Hin Yan, what you said just now has really enlightened me
My heart is like a clean mirror now
Are you serious, Master Ching Yuen?
You are in charge of this monastery You are well versed in Buddhism
You believe what this strange monk said?
l wish l could really understand it Master Hin Yan has travelled everywhere
He's staying in our monastery now lt's a blessing to us
On the first day of next month
Empress Dowager will come here to worship Buddha
Maybe you will get a chance to meet her
Empress Dowager?. We are somehow predestined to meet
That's what you always say - that everyone is predestined to meet you
When Empress Dowager leaves the palace the lmperial guards will protect her
Ordinary people can't get close to her
l'm busy working here day and night l'm no ordinary person
lt's good if l have a chance to meet her But it isn't bad if l don't
Kei Man-cheong
Nip Dor-po's natural father
Shum, you're delivering vegetables here again?
Sir, are you alright?
Hey...
Master Ching Yuen, is he dumb?
Yes. Shum lives behind the mountains of the monastery
He's grown vegetables for more than 20 years
He's planted several tea trees that have become famous
We've given it the name Cloudy Tea
Cloudy Tea
Strange Monk, have you ever eaten Shum's vegetables here?
Yes
There are worms in the vegetables You swallowed the worms
That means you killed them. This is a sin
How do you know l swallowed the worms? How do you know you didn't?
Meat and wine pass by the gut Buddha stays in the heart. What if l did?
l'm not guilty for what l don't know as long as long Buddha stays in my heart
Recently, Madam Kwan can eat and sleep well She looks much better. l feel so happy...
Why are you so quiet?
Nothing. l almost forgot to congratulate you on your promotion
You said congratulations But you don't seem happy
Getting a promotion is a happy occasion
l hope you won't be like my father l don't want you to become greedy
l work as an lmperial Guard not for fame and fortune
l only want to serve the people and the government
l wish my father thinks like you do l found him acting rather strange lately
He seldom talks to me Our relationship is getting worse
Hey, this is fortune grass
Fortune?
And you say you came from a herbal medicine family
You've never heard of fortune grass? lt's an expensive medical herb
lt takes 1 0 years for it to blossom and another 1 0 years to bear fruits
Actually its proper name should be Fortune Treasure
lt's just ordinary grass You want to fool me again?
Really? You know that? You are so smart
Of course
Hey, this is a valuable medical herb lt looks like a wild flower
No. lt's a wild chrysanthemum
According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, it's sweet yet bitter
lt's good for the heart and the spleen lt's got medical effects
lf you eat it raw, it can strengthen your body too. Try it
ls it true? Try it
lt's so bitter
You fooled me
You are so silly. You believed such a lie
lf l wasn't being silly, you wouldn't be laughing so heartily
Actually l'm being silly You just wanted to pacify me
Miss Chi-ying, all parents are doting l can tell Mr Cheuk really loves you
Wah, close the shop Tsat, have you closed the door yet?
Father
Didn't you say you were going to visit Madam Kwan? Why are you back so soon?
She's much better now. So l left early Why are you closing the shop early?
You are going to meet the officials again?
Right. l do it for Pak Hei Hall
You always hang out with those corrupt officials, you'll get into trouble one day
What do you mean corrupt officials? l need connection
l run a business in the capital l can't avoid entertaining the officials
Hey, you two
Chi-ying
Who are they? l've never seen them before
They are new employees
New employees? We have enough workers Why do you hire them?
lt's been particularly busy these few days l hire them as temporary workers
They look like hoodlums to me
l know how to manage the shop l know
lf there's nothing further. Go on home
Shum Tsui-yuk, anti-Qing martyr Helmsman Cheuk
Miss Tsui-yuk
Your daughter didn't get suspicious of us did she?
Don't worry She knows nothing about what l do
She doesn't know l'm a member of the Sun Moon Society
This way please
Hung Kwan posed as Ngai Chun and joined the lmperial Guard successfully
He worked as a mole for us Unfortunately he got caught
He sacrificed his life for our cause
lt's so unfair that Brother Hung died We must take revenge for him
Before he died, he accomplished his mission
He gave me a map of the camp and a brief sketch of the Forbidden City
But he didn't tell me about how the lmperial Guards operate
like their duty rosters or their beat duties On the 1 st day of next month
Empress Dowager will go to worship and pray to Buddha
lt's a rare occasion that she will be away from the palace for such a long time
She will go to Cloudy Monastery
So l expect the lmperial Guards will be vigilant in protecting her
We must find out her routes and the duty roster that day
Otherwise it's impossible for us to assassinate that old wretch
Therefore l summoned everyone here today
l want to make use of this map and sneak into the camp
find out about their routes and their duty roster
But security in the Forbidden City is really tight. No one can go in
Otherwise we wouldn't have sent Brother Hung there as a mole
Nothing ventured nothing gained l've got a plan
l heard that Nip Dor-po and Officer Ha Sin have been Prince Yue's men long ago
Actually they are in cohorts
No wonder he got a promotion even though he failed to discharge his duties
This is so unfair
Hey, you two are drunk already? The sedative will wear off in two hours
We must make it to the camp and back during this time
Let's not waste time. Get changed now
You're on duty at Chik Villa?
Yes
Then what's the code word tonight?
Run
Give chase Give chase
Keep searching. Get more men here
Seal off Dashilan No one is allowed to leave
l'll return to camp and report to Officer Po Chai
Yes, sir
l'm so useless They sacrificed their lives to save me
Oh no, there are lots of lmperial Guards outside searching the place
They've even sealed off Dashilan l think they will be here soon
Damn it. How can you let them get away?
Sir, according to Chu-choi and Shiu-tan who guarded the East Wah Gate
the suspects were wearing uniforms
Thy were carrying lmperial Guard badges
l found out that Yi Ho, Li Kai-cheung and Muk Fung got drunk in Sheung Hei House
They were unconscious. Their uniforms gone
l believe someone had stolen their badges and sneaked into the camp
Damn it. Where are they now?
l've already taken them in But they are still unconscious
Did the suspect talk?
He bit off his tongue and killed himself He didn't say anything before he died
That means we don't have a clue
Why did they sneak into the camp?
Sir, Although the suspect is dead, we found this map on him. lt could be a lead
This is a map of the Guard Force ls there a mole among us?
lf so, the mole is related to the imposter of Ngai Chun
Why do you think so?
When Ngai Chun was caught, you didn't want information of the camp to leak out
Therefore you rearranged the deployment This map shows the original deployment
lt must be drawn before the incident That imposter must have drawn it
That makes sense
Sir, the suspects were on the run but they disappeared when they reached Dashilan
l've already asked the guards to seal off the area and continue the search
lt's Dashilan again. Ngai Chun's imposter disappeared when he got there too
Then someone saw him appear in Pai Hei Hall
This time the suspects disappeared again when they got to Daishilan
lt's one coincidence too many
Sir, you think Pak Hei Hall is involved?
Sir, Pak Hei Hall is just a petty shop selling medical herbs
l don't find it suspicious
Nip Dor-po, are you challenging Officer Po Chai?
That he has accused the wrong person?
l didn't mean that, sir
Stop it, both of you. So long as there's a clue, we must follow it
Tai Shek, Nip Dor-po, send more men to do a thorough search at Pak Hei Hall
Yes, sir
There are so many lmperial Guards Did something happen at Pak Hei Hall?
Father
We can't let the lmperial Guards find out we are here no matter what
Father!
How come there's so much blood?
Who is she?
Where is this place? What's going on?
l'm a helmsman of Sun Moon Society Pak Hei Hall is a branch of it
You are a member of Sun Moon Society?
All of us are persecuted by the government
You too?
Me too
Me too...
So you understand me now?
What's the matter, Officer Nip?
Officers, what can l do for you?
l've received information that Pak Hei Hall is harboring offenders
We run a decent business Why would we harbor any offenders?
Decent business? How come you are still here even though it's so late?
Our neighbors have been very supportive since we started our business
To repay their favor we are taking inventory overnight
We want to put the medicine on sale in a few days
Keep silence! Search the place thoroughly Move it
Sir, the king of medicine keeps the shop safe
Please be careful not to offend him
Offend him? l think you are in deep trouble this time. Get out of my way
Put the lingzhi over there
Officers Mr Cheuk
They said there are rebels here They want to search Pak Hei Hall
Pak Hei Hall is just an ordinary medicine shop
How come there's a secret chamber?
Sir, the medicine we sell here is expensive
lf we don't hide them well they may get stolen
We will suffer a great loss then
Besides, the medicine must not be exposed in the sun or get wet
They must kept in a cool place
Why are there bloodstains on the floor?
How did you hurt your hand?
l got hurt when l moved the goods
What coincidence!
Sir, my father got hurt ls that against the law?
When l was fighting the rebel in the palace l cut the back of his right hand
So? My father is a decent businessman
He doesn't know kungfu He couldn't have fought you
Officer Tai Shek, Boss Cheuk's build doesn't look like that of the rebel
That's only your view This is a serious matter
lf you want to find out if he's done it take him in for an investigation
Take him in Yes, sir
Please don't. Dor-po l'm sorry
Go
Father Sir...Sir
l'll ask you again Where were you last night?
l went to a banquet in Tsui Hung House with lmperial Doctor Fu
That's nonsense. Beat him up l say beat him up
Officer Po Chai there's something l want to report to you
Speak up
The rebel who fought with me was obviously much shorter
He doesn't look like Cheuk Shu-tong at all
So what?
We shouldn't call him a rebel just because of the wound
We should investigate first before we torture him
The lmperial Guard is situated in the Forbidden City
The security is tight But someone got in so easily
We've lost face
Besides, the imperial guards are His Majesty's personal guards
Our duty is to protect His Majesty
Anyone suspicious must be interrogated Let's presume he's guilty first
Officer Po Chai
Get out of my way
l'll ask you again How did you hurt your hand?
Sir, l've already told you how
l've checked with lmperial Dr Fu
He's confirmed that he did go to Tsui Hung House with the suspect last night
The people there can be witnesses
That means l'm innocent, sir
Fools!
Let him go
lt's lucky that l took precaution l asked lmperial Dr Fu to dinner
This scheme really works
We hid Tsui-yuk in the secret chamber
You wounded your hand deliberately to distract their attention
lt was fortunate that the lmperial Guards couldn't find her
How's her injury?
Don't worry. Once the guards had left we took her to a safe place
Her injury isn't serious She'll be fine after getting some rest
Ho Yi, please get us a pot of nice tea
l know you have a lot of questions for me
Take your time. l'll answer them one by one
When did you join Sun Moon Society?
l've lived with you so many years How come l didn't know about it ?
l came from a rich family in Yangzhou
When the Qing dogs came to China they had a massacre in Yangzhou for 1 0 days
All my family were killed l knew l couldn't fight them on my own
Therefore l tried to survive l worked hard in doing business
l made much money Then l married your mother
Shortly after that, we adopted you
l thought l would live a quiet life But God didn't allow me to do so
When you were eight, your mother got killed because of the Qing dogs
She didn't die of illness?
That year a Beile Lord wanted to steal my business
He colluded with the local officials
He even raped your mother She died in anger in the end
Mother
At that moment, l swore l would kill the Qing dogs and the dog emperor
The Qing dogs will be my enemies forever
l was fortunate to join Sun Moon Society The chief helmsman gave me many chances
l led my men and founded Pak Hei Hall My business has grown big
l flatter the officials so l could deal with the Qing dogs in the future
This is such a serious matter Why didn't you tell me?
l've been through a lot in my life l'm not afraid of dying
But l worry about you the most
lf l told you the truth, you would carry such hate for the rest of your life
You would never live a peaceful life
l'm sorry, Father l got you wrong
Silly girl, l wouldn't be mad at you
Tsui-yuk sneaked into the camp
to find out about Empress Dowager's routes to Cloudy Monastery
But her action was exposed
l'm afraid everything we've done will be in vain
You want to assassinate Empress Dowager? Yes