l made this pair of tiger head shoes
Fahai Monastery...the well there
Tuen-man was crying hard l found her such a nuisance
When l came back she wasn't there anymore
You want me to pose as the princess and get into the palace?
lf you can get close to the Manchu Emperor you'll have a chance to assassinate him
Once he's dead, the country will be thrown into chaos
lt'll be a great chance to restore Ming
lt appears sunny today but a storm is brewing
Sire is still bothered about the Commander-in-Chief case?
You know me well
The Commander-in-Chief is in charge of the Royal Guards
l appointed Yu the post after very careful consideration
Dor-po
Your Majesty
You know why the Commander-in-Chief Yu Shing-lung is known as The Bold?
l don't
A Prince's son killed innocent commoners
therefore Yu led his troops to surround his mansion
He arrested him in person
The Prince filed a complaint against Yu His Majesty thought otherwise
He complimented Yu for taking on the powerful to uphold justice
Therefore His Majesty gave him the name Bold
Sire has such a high regard of him
Now that this has happened Your Majesty must find it a shame
l just can't believe he would frame his subordinate on purpose
Sire, l'll do my utmost to get the truth
Your Majesty, please grant me permission to investigate the case with Officer Naplan
Alright. But Superintendent Sak Long Muk is a relative of the Empress Dowager
She dotes on him
You must tread carefully to find out the truth
Yes, Your Majesty
Sak Long Muk, Superintendent
Yu Shing-lung covets the gold in my home
But the Commander-in-Chief is well known to be honest. How will he covet your gold?
He's no paragon of virtue He knows l've got a chest of gold at home
Therefore he framed and accused me of raping a civilian girl
He even confiscated my assets and pocketed them
l see. But where did you get the gold?
My father gave it to me
Yu Shing-lung, Commander-in-Chief
You can't take the gold away
How did you get it?
lt's so obvious. He's a corrupt officer Of course it's dirty money
Well, let's take the gold and kill them all Please don't
No one will ever find out about it
You only want the money. Why kill us?
l don't think you two are robbers
You are no fool
Officer Sak Long Muk sent us here
You planted the evidence to frame him
We will take revenge for him
He deserves to die
You coveted his gold, so you framed and accused him for raping a girl
l haven't pocketed his gold
We've already found the gold You're still denying it?
lt's stolen property lt's meant for disaster relief
Really? l want to hear your insider's story. Talk
Stop this nonsense. Just kill me then
Fine
My apology, Commander-in-Chief
Officer Naplan? You two?
My apology, Commander-in-Chief
His Majesty sent us here to investigate this case
Sak Long Muk says you are corrupt that you covet his assets
But you live in a humble home You don't appear to be a corrupt officer
What really happened?
His Majesty will ensure that justice is served. You'd better tell the truth
Damn it. Sak Long Muk is a corrupt officer
There was a drought in Shanxi
He was sent there to provide relief
But he sold the government food supply and made a profit
There was no food aid from the government
and the local tyrants were stocking up the supply
Many people starved to death Some drifted from place to place
lt was a tragic to behold
Commander-in-Chief Yu files a complaint against Sak Long Muk
But Sak was cautious, there was no evidence of wrongdoing
Besides, he's the Empress Dowager's crony No one dares to offend him
The incident thus becomes a cold case
Yu was angry that Sak could get away with it
He found that Sak had turned the money he made into gold
He was hiding it in his home
As Yu couldn't incriminate Sak he resorted to extraordinary means
lt so happened that a civilian girl was raped and killed in the capital
The culprit was killed during the chase
Yu knew that the case had not been reported yet
So he planted evidence to frame Sak to gave him his due
He confiscated Sak's assets and gold
with the intention of returning them to the people in Shanxi
Yu did all this for the people
He's the Commander-in-Chief, yet he framed an officer. lt's a capital offence
Unfortunately there's no evidence of Sak's corrupt acts
Don't worry, Your Majesty
Sak Long Muk has confessed to embezzling the relief money
He's confessed?
Sak thought all along Her Highness would help him out
Therefore l told a lie
That Her Highness found out what had happened
during the disaster relief in Shanxi
She wanted him punished Therefore he made a confession
You do have your ways
Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty
Will Your Majesty please pass a lenient sentence on the Commander-in-Chief?
Well said. The government shouldn't execute an upright officer
But we need to observe the law
l'll demote Yu by 3 grades and relief him from his duty as Commander-in-Chief
He'll be suspended pending investigation
Notify the Ministries of Appointments and Justice to carry out my order simultaneously
Yes, Your Majesty
To achieve great deeds, one mustn't relent We've eliminated Sak Long Muk
This will weaken Her Highness' power
My man will fill Sak's post
Did you plan this all along?
Yes
Sak Long Muk has a notorious reputation He's also Her Highness' crony
We eradicated him through this incident
Yu Shing-lung is an honest man
His conduct is watertight lt's hard to find fault with him
But l found out what he did l've killed two birds with one stone
How can you do this? Fook-chuen...
he's an upright officer
l did it so l could put more of my men in court
lt will facilitate our work in the future
But there's more than one way to do this
l don't approve of sacrificing an upright officer
You must remember that our common enemy is Her Highness
ln terms of schemes, plots and wickedness we are far from her match
Have you forgotten how your father and grandfather died?
We must eradicate the old hag by whatever means
But still...
l promise you that you don't need to do anything against your conscience
We will work together to avenge the Keis
Sak Long Muk is my man He's suddenly found guilty and punished
lt's like chopping off my arm
lt so happened Yu Shing-lung is demoted too The post of the Commander-in-Chief is vacant
Somehow l feel that someone is behind this
There's stability and harmony in the country right now
There's peace everywhere All the officers are loyal
Your Highness is over worried
Ever since Lady Sau returned to the palace l've felt so uneasy
l get a feeling that she will talk about what happened back then
What if His Majesty hears that and conducts an investigation?
Lady Sau has played her role properly ever since she returned to the palace
She stays in the Hall of Eternal Harmony all the time. She seldom goes out
You don't need to worry, Your Highness
You still remember how we found her?
She escaped from the Forbidden City and was blathering nonsense on the streets
That's how we knew her whereabouts
She blathered that she was the Queen Mother
But now that she's back in the palace she doesn't talk about it anymore
Lady Tungngok, l've got nothing to do with this. You made me do it
l didn't get your son killed
Your son and mine fought over the throne Don't make me do it please
Leave me be!
l saw her in Dashilan before she returned to her palace
She called herself Queen Mother and her son the Emperor
Maybe Lady Tungngok was involved?
She knows a big secret?
Let's find out
Look at the reflection in the water Does the image look like her?
Lady Tungngok, l'm innocent
l died a terrible death. l won't rest in peace without taking revenge against you
No...
Tell me. What happened then? Why did you get me killed?
l didn't
Tell me. Then l'll get rid of her
l can't tell anyone
Did you get Lady Tungngok killed? Did the Empress Dowager know about it?
The Empress Dowager...
She told me to keep my mouth shut
l don't know anything. Leave me be! l don't know anything
Lady Sau!
Your Highness, please just leave me be!
l haven't said anything. l haven't Leave me be
Please get up. Stay calm
Her Highness wants to ask you something
l can't talk about it
Tell me what you can't talk about
No! Don't put me in the Cold Palace
l promise l won't. Get up
Fook-chuen told me not to tell anyone
He isn't the Emperor l'm not the Queen Mother
Yuen-yip hasn't stolen his throne
ls Fook-chuen behind this?
Prince Yue?
First he got rid of Sak Long Muk to curb my power
and the post of the Commander-in-Chief is vacant, he'll get his man to fill it
He's also planted Nip Dor-po his mole, by His Majesty's side
Fook-chuen certainly has a meticulous plan in hand
Does Prince Yue really know what happened?
l want to find out too You're acquainted with the Nips, aren't you?
Your Highness, Nip Dor-po is here
Greetings, Your Highness
Nip Dor-po, raise your head
Let me see you
Have you kept anything from me? Talk
l dare not, Your Highness
Don't be afraid. Get up first
Thank you, Your Highness
A lot have happened recently here in the palace
You are an lmperial Guard First Rank
l want to know what Prince Yue and Lady Sau have talked about
You must tell the truth You mustn't hold anything back
ls that clear? Absolutely
lf so, tell me then
Your Highness, Lady Sau and Prince Yue have said a lot of things
l don't know where to start
Anything that sounds suspicious?
Yes. Lady Sau said she's Queen Mother and Prince Yue is the Emperor
Did she really say so?
l know l'm extremely rude to say that But it's the truth
What was Prince Yue's reaction then?
He was shocked to hear that He stopped her from saying it at once
But she yelled at him. She even called herself the Celestial Empress
She said ordinary people mustn't be rude to the goddess
Was she delusional?
l'm not sure. And then she called herself Guanyin. That she wanted to save the people
She said she didn't want to stay in the mortal world
She wanted to return to the celestial palace
l really can't tell when she's telling the truth
Really?
l know you are loyal to Prince Yue
lt's tough that you've to tattle about your master behind his back
Prince Yue is the Chancellor of the lmperial Guard
Of course l must heed his command
But His Majesty and Your Highness are supreme. l dare not think otherwise
lt's good you know your priority
l appreciate minions who are loyal
As for those traitors they won't meet a good end
l will always remember your teaching Your Highness
Wo told me he's acquainted with the Nips
Lo who referred Wo here is a good friend of your father's uncle
l've heard my father mention about it
Your father moved to the capital after you were born more than 20 years ago
He set up Sheung Moon House
Your mother Ko Choi-king and your cousin cousin Fung Sheung-hei help man it
The restaurant's signature dish is 8 treasure duck
Many high officials and nobilities dine there as well
Sheung Moon House has established a reputable name
it's all due to the blessings of His Majesty and Your Highness
But it's only a petty business it's nothing to boast about
Then you should cherish it
lt isn't easy for Sheung Moon House to made a name here in the capital
You're highly regarded by His Majesty and me
lt's a blessing for the Nips
You should cherish and appreciate what you've got
lt's good to climb to the top
But one misstep, you'll have a hard fall and get yourself killed
l'll forever remember Your Highness' teaching
l feel relieved that you think so
Prince Yue has only begun working for Sire
You cannot achieve much if you stay with him
Officer Po Chai will retire in due course
Given your seniority it isn't easy for you to take up his post
But if you work for me, it won't be difficult for you to get a promotion
This piece of jade is a tribute from Mongolia. l'm giving it to you
Thank you Your Highness
The Empress Dowager is cunning She likes to cover up her moves
She's always prepared to strike at me
She bribes you so you'd go against me
Should l try to avoid her?.
No. Just play along Be subservient to gain her trust
When the right moment comes use this relationship to turn against her
But she's suspicious of you right now
Aren't you afraid there'll be mishap if this drags on?
lt's so hard to remove Yu Shing-lung from his post as the Commander
l've already petitioned to His Majesty for Prince Kung to take up the post
But the Empress Dowager has a different opinion
She wants Kwan Cho-yeung to take up the post
because all 3 generations of his family have served her
But if we help secure the post for Prince Kung
He will have the military power to help us in the future
Mother Please don't
l won't do it again Mother
Please stop it Please don't!
Mother
How come she's badly bruised?
Who beat you up? Did someone bully you?
You good for nothing minions!
We are sorry We really don't know what happened
Here comes Prince Yue
Greetings, Your Highness
Greetings, Prince Yue
What happened, Sheung-ning?
Why is Lady Sau so badly bruised?
Get the doctor Yes, Your Highness
Please don't. l won't do it again
Take her inside so she could get some rest You'll be fine
After l found Lady Sau, l thought we could cure her, so she could live a peaceful life
But her illness has relapsed so soon
l checked on her just now
She has new bruises and lots of old scars on her body
Obviously she was being tortured when she was locked up in the Hall of Courtesy
lt seems that her days there were tough
Forget it. Don't ask about it
You know something that l don't?
l don't know how to say this We are family after all
Tell me please
Grandma locked her up in the Hall of Courtesy after Tuen-man's incident
You told me that Grandma was nice to Mother all these years
You're keeping something from me Be candid with me please
l hid the truth from you
When l found Lady Sau she had already been badly tortured
l felt hurt too. Why? Why did Grandma do this to her?.
Did Grandma really do so? Why did you lie to me then?
l don't want you to be in conflict with her
No matter what she's done to Lady Sau we are family after all
Harmony should come first Therefore l didn't tell you
Why did she do that to us? What's her intention?
Grandmother has her reasons for doing everything
l know. When l was little she said l was feeble
therefore l must do more exercise
When we practiced archery on horseback everyone practiced for 2 hours
But l had to practice for 6 hours When the weather turned cold
no one had to practice
But she didn't care how tough it was for me l was 8 years old then. l was only 8
She made me practice in the cold
Therefore you are so strong now
Although the process was painful you should understand Grandma's intention
l was ignorant then l could let it go as that
But just when l came of age she sent me to war in Mongolia
She only allowed me to stay in the capital for a month even when l got married
Kin-ching and l were kept apart
The Mongolians were stirring up unrest
You were sent there
because you were the most appropriate candidate to lead the fight against them
l fought bravely in the battlefield
l've won so many wars
l've got men who risked their lives with me
Why did she transfer me back to the capital now?
Maybe Grandma's afraid that you would outshine the Emperor
Or maybe she's afraid that someday you'll find out what she has done to Mother
Therefore she took the offensive to deprive you of your military command
Or maybe she wanted you to spend more time with Mother and Lady Kin-ching
Never mind. Don't get silly thoughts
Don't put in any good word for her
She's never liked ever since l was a kid
Everything she did, she did it to make me feel bad
With hindsight, she was so harsh on us because Mother offended her
Stay calm. This maybe a blessing in disguise
Although you've lost your military command there's still something you can do
The post of Commander-in-Chief is now vacant
l think you are the most appropriate candidate
Even though Grandma wants Kwan Cho-yeung to take up the post
Kwan Cho-yeung?
How many times has he ever led the troops? What battles has he won?
l used to have 60,000 strong Blue Flag troop stationed in the north
The post of Commander- in-chief is below me And now l'm not even up for it?
Don't despair. There's still a chance
Say no more Grandmother is in control of everything
Even the Emperor has to make concession for her. There's nothing we can do
Not really. lf you heed my advice you will get the post for sure
Here comes Prince Yue and Prince Kung
Greetings, Your Majesty At ease
Thank you, Your Majesty
Greetings, Prince Yue, Prince Kung At ease
Thank you, My Lords
l thought Your Majesty is busy attending to the administration
you seldom practice wrestling anymore
l know you are an expert in wrestling As you're here, let's have a match
l dare not
l just want to practice with you and we can catch up with each other
Then l'll do as you bid
Your Majesty, are you alright?
Your Majesty has forgotten your skills of course you are defeated
Prince Kung, how dare you to be so rude to His Majesty?
Cheung, don't be rude to Prince Kung Yes, Your Majesty
Please forgive me, Your Majesty
But wrestling is like 2 tigers fighting each other. There must be a winner
Even though we are brothers we must still treat it seriously
Well said. lt's true that l seldom practice wrestling
You're telling the truth Truth is what l like to hear
You are my good brother
Thank you Your Majesty
l still remember after the 3 of us wrestled we'd have mutton hotpot
l enjoyed it so much
Sesame sauce, tasty oil and garlic
You put them on a slice of mutton that's as thin as a sheet of paper
lt's so mouthwatering
Let's have mutton hotpot together today
Great
Dismiss Yes, Your Majesty...
There's only the three of us here Let's spare the formalities. Cheers
To my brothers Cheers
You are good drinker
l was frail then. l could never surpass you both in anything
But l'm different now l'm no longer feeble
You are as candid as ever
Back then, the three of us had mutton hotpot without Grandmother's knowledge
You told her candidly when she asked about it
ln the end, we all got punished
Grandmother said we didn't have any table manners
We didn't have any minions to serve us that it was unbecoming of us Princes
l don't like formalities
When l was in the desert l lived in the wilderness
There weren't so many rules
l appreciate your outgoing character
But not everyone can endure my temperament Now l've even lost my military command
But that's good. l feel free
l know what it's like to be idle Not everyone knows how it feels
l don't want you to go through what l did
l know you are talented in leading the troops
l want you to stay in the capital more often
l want you to take up the post of Commander-in-Chief
to head the capital guards
What do you think?
Are you serious?
The Commander is in charge of the security in the capital
There are great responsibilities You think l'll be reckless about it?
l dare not think so
Say thanks to His Majesty
Thank you, Your...
This is a little get together with my brothers. Spare the formalities
Your Majesty, l'm a little worried
Grandma wants Kwan Cho-yeung to take up the post
lf Sheung-ning is to take up the post shouldn't we notify grandma first?
You're the most appropriate candidate That's all that matters
Come on. Sit yourselves down
There's no need to bother Grandma about the appointment of officers
l'm afraid she might feel unhappy about it
The country belongs to me
lf l need Her Highness' approval in appointing a Commander-in-Chief
l'll become a laughing stock if people learn about it
Come on. Bottoms up
Cheers
Even God is on our side this time
This Qing dog emperor is going to crown his queen
Let's seize this chance to kill him
This appears to be a box of precious ginseng
But there's a hidden compartment underneath
We've sulfuric powder, charcoal powder and nitre in there
Mix the correct amount together and it will become dynamite
When it explodes beside the Qing dog emperor, he will be killed for sure
Sulfuric powder has a pungent smell Why can't l smell anything?
That's because l've put wanjumb powder in it
lt absorbs the odor of sulfuric powder even the hounds can't smell it
Wanjumb powder is used by coroners to remove the odor of putrefaction
so you can't smell it
You must put the dynamite in the sandalwood container in the Hall of Eternal Spring
Then put the wanjumb powder above the dynamite, so no one will notice it
Will do
When the sandalwood is lit it will ignite the fuse as well
The fuse is connected to the dynamite under the sandalwood container
The dynamite will explode once it has been lit
Make sure the sandalwood is about an inch long
lt's easier for you control the timing of the explosion
That Qing dog emperor will be blown into pieces
You must seize this rare chance
Make sure you lure the Qing dog emperor to the Hall of Eternal Spring
Security in the palace is tight. But there's only an old eunuch standing guard
the Hall of Eternal Spring - the late queen's chambers
lt isn't hard to steal the keys
Of course l don't doubt your abilities But you must be cautious
Otherwise our efforts will be in vain
This is a rare chance We will be careful for sure
Halt
Officer Tai Shek
Greetings, Your Highness
What's the matter?.
The coronation ceremony of the Queen is forthcoming
By the order of Her Highness Empress Dowager
we must search everything that's being brought into the palace
How dare you to be so rude?
Please don't be mad, Princess l'm only doing my job
Please forgive me. Excuse me
What's inside this box?
This is a box of precious ginseng lt's a gift for Lady Man-kwan
You can't get them easily l dare you to search it
This box is so delicate lt doesn't appear to be an ordinary box
Officer Nip
Don't be rude to the Princess
Greetings, Your Highness
l'm just carrying out the Empress Dowager's order
No one should interfere with it
The Princess is a royal family member She can take anything into the palace
We have no right to search her
lf l report this to His Majesty how do you think he will punish you?
Both of us serve His Majesty
There's no need to stir up trouble
lt's good that you understand
Pardon us, Your Highness. Let's go
May l be excused
You're rude to me too?
l'm a mere minion, l dare not
Don't call yourself a minion anymore Your name is Nip Dor-po
There are rules in the palace
Don't talk to me about rules
l feel like l'm being constrained since l came into the palace
l even get suspected for bringing something into the palace
l really want to be the Chi-ying l was before
Whether you are a commoner or a nobility it isn't up to you to decide
This is a fact. lt can't be changed l hope you understand, Your Highness
You heard matouqin music all night long? lt's so scary
Matouqin is a taboo in the palace
lt's the late queen's most favorite musical instrument
Now His Majesty wants to crown a new queen
This must have offended the ghost of the late queen
Therefore she appears to scare us
Aren't you scaring yourself?
lt's true. l saw her ghost floating by in front of me. This is absolutely true
l'm sorry, Please forgive us, Your Highness
Don't talk nonsense
But l do want to know why her ghost would object to it
You served Her Highness when she was alive
You must know a lot of secrets Right
Something strange did happen then
The late queen loved the butterfly handkerchief His Majesty gave her
But after she died the handkerchief somehow was lost
Are you serious?
l guess Her Highness can't forget Sire
and she's unhappy because there'll be a new queen
l remember Lady Man-kwan has a butterfly handkerchief too
Maybe the late queen thought Lady Man-kwan took her handkerchief
Therefore she's lingering here
lsn't this such a coincidence?
This makes sense
His Majesty is so devoted to the late queen
lf l were she l couldn't have accepted it either
Here comes Her Highness
Greetings, Your Highness, Lady Man-kwan
Who dares to spread rumors in the palace?
We are guilty
Slap their mouths
Please forgive us, Your Highness
Slap yourselves in the mouths
You'll become the Queen soon
You should learn how to supervise your maids
lf rumors get around they will affect your reputation
Yes, Your Highness
Princess Tuen-man, l know you used to live amongst the commoners
But now you've returned as a Princess You should know your own status
Don't stoop to the maids' level of ignorance
Do you understand?
l will follow Your Highness' instructions
Lady Kin-ching, Prince Kung is back in the capital now
You should spend your time serving him Don't waste your time on silly conversations
Do you understand? Yes, Your Highness
Wo Yes, Your Highness
Rumors are rife in the palace Pass on my order
Tell Po Chai to investigate this l don't want further trouble
Yes, Your Highness
lf l hear of any rumors again l'll punish those involved severely
Damn it. How dare they spreads rumors in the palace
No wonder the Empress Dowager is so angry
l've asked the maids. lt seems that there isn't a mastermind behind this
ln particular, Lady Man-kwan's maid Sze-kiu. She was so adamant about it
She didn't appear to be lying
ls it really the ghost of the Queen? l'm sure someone is behind this
Your Majesty, l think so too
No matter it's real or not we need to find out what happened
The coronation ceremony will take place soon
You two must find out the truth as soon as possible
l want to know who spreads the rumor
This is the outfit of the late queen
l've checked the records
Every item is here
But it doesn't mean there isn't a problem Every thing here is really well preserved
After the Queen passed away His Majesty ordered that
everything in the Hall of Eternal Spring must be kept as they were
His Majesty remembered that the late queen liked sandalwood's fragrance
he's ordered the eunuch to light sandalwood everyday as if the queen were still alive
But l see nothing wrong here What do you think, Officer Naplan?
We'll wait and see
How dare you? Catch her Yes, sir
Let's give them a hand
Hey!
Officer Naplan, l'll go that way
Who's there?
Nip Dor-po
Greetings, Officer Nip
Your Highness, Officer Nip seeks an audience with you
Greetings, Your Highness
lt's improper for you to come at this late hour. What's the matter?
l was on duty just now
l saw someone suspicious sneaking into the Hall of Eternal Harmony
l'm worried about your safety
Therefore l'm disturbing you at such a late hour. Please forgive me
There's someone suspicious?