l want to go to the Hall of Eternal Spring
My love for the late empress will never change
l hope she can rest in peace
Something's wrong with the incense burner
Dor-po, wake up Don't leave me behind, please
Strange Monk?
You are back from the brink
My effort has not been wasted
You saved me?
No, you did
Were it not for your strong will to live no one could have pulled you back
Now you finally understand when you are in court, you're just a puppet
You won't always be this lucky
Like Yu Gong who moved mountains with his sheer persistence
l will persevere until l make it
Remember what he says?
lf he can't make it in his life time
his sons and grandsons can carry on lt will be done one day
What about you? You have no sons
lf you are executed by the Empress Dowager or Sire
there's no one to carry out your revenge
ln short, you're urging me to give it up
But we're talking about the wrongness done to three generations of Keis
How can l give it up?
There's another man who is equally obsessed
You mean Prince Yue?
The Empress Dowager is our common foe
Have you mentioned our relationship to him?
You really find Prince Yue untrustworthy?
lt does no one harm to be on guard
Many by your side care for you like your parents and your cousin
You should cherish yourself and your life for their sake
Well, l've made you well
Before l go, l have a kindness to return
Ever since we last met at Cloudy Monastery l have been longing to talk to you
l have sent people over to invite you to the palace to give lectures
but you declined it again and again l am pleased we can meet again
lt's my fault
l know Officer Nip has come to His life is no longer in danger
The bond between you two is deep
Thanks to your blessing he has survived it
Once a mentor, always a mentor l taught him martial arts
His loyalty is commendable and he respects me
Hence l had this chance to save him
Heaven has eyes. Qing has retained a loyal subject who'd risk his life for Sire
He has done Qing a great kindness
Your Highness is kind and generous Qing is blessed
My concern is not just Nip Dor-po
the Qing reign, the people and Sire's wellbeing
Not to say the feuds in the harem and the conduct of the ministers
Then there are natural disasters They are all my daily concerns
To be honest, l am all tired out
Then let go
Your Highness hasn't figured it out yet?
l know Buddha teaches about letting go But it's easier said than done
l want to know the way. Could you teach me?
To let go is to gain
Your Highness can't let go of power You can't let go of Sire
What about in ten years' time?
ln ten years' time? The country in peace The people in prosperity
Even the young prince has grown up lt'll be a thriving realm
What about in twenty years? ln fifty years? ln a hundred years?
lt's too long to tell
Your Highness oversaw the establishment of the Qing reign
You raised up two heirs
You are one of a kind
But in a hundred years you are but a heap of bones and skeleton
lt's preposterous! How dare you be so impertinent to Her Highness
My words may be grating but the circle of life is natural
lf Your Highness wants peace of mind learn to accept the transiency of nature
Wo, you understand now?
Sycophants are everywhere
l bet you have never met a man as forthright as the Reverend
Your Highness, indeed l haven't
Accept the transiency of nature l hope the day will come
Grandfather, Father, thanks to your blessings in heaven
l came back from the brink
Don't be too sad
Thank you for your concern
Your speedy recovery is all due to the effort of Reverend Hin Yan
He's your savior
Once he knew you were injured he lost no time in coming here to treat you
The bond between you two is deep
Actually we met in a chance encounter
He saved me out of kindness not because of some bond
l see
l should thank heaven l survived it
Or l wouldn't be able to serve you again Or seek revenge for the Keis
lf l had noticed it in time and stopped it l would have spared you the suffering
Life is fickle
But l had long found it suspicious
When the apparition first appeared, l followed her to the Hall of Eternal Harmony
l found some suspicious footprints and stains there
Why didn't you tell me then?
l didn't have solid evidence
l tried Tsui-yuk out
Her martial artistry was similar to that of the black-clad intruder
lt was from the Ngo Mei School
Ngo Mei School?
l tried to check and see if there was a scar on the back of her hand
But she inflicted a wound on herself to cover it up
She's probably linked to the assassination
Po Chai had mentioned it as well
The Tsui-yuk you talked about is Princess Tuen-man's maid
Why should she do it?
She probably is under pretense
She's even fooled Princess Tuen-man
Keep a watch on her but don't alert her
You saved Sire's life. That's a great merit
Sire has made you the Gold Sabre lmperial Guard
And you are promoted to Commander second only to Po Chai
You are granted to recuperate in Dashilan
Besides paying my parents a visit l can delve into Tsui-yuk's background
Gold Sabre lmperial Guard
Dor-po, you have made your ancestors proud
Dashilan is basking in your glory too
Bravo, Dor-po!
Thank you
Our Dor-po is smart indeed Yes, very smart
Please take your seats and order whatever you like
lndeed, make yourselves at home
What is it? lt still hurts?
Should l apply plaster for you?
No thank you
l have made you a ten ingredient tonic You will be full of spirit again
Really?
l was so worried about you. l couldn't eat
Thank heaven you made it You're safe and sound now
Silly girl
When you were unconscious, l was so worried
l'm always blessed and nothing can befall me
Don't be so dramatic
Dramatic? You know when your life were hanging by a thread...
Hey
Don't pacify me anymore
l raised you up, l can tell when you are lying
Your mother couldn't eat or sleep she has lost weight. Poor her!
She even went to Cloudy Monastery to kowtow a thousand times to Buddha
to pray that you'd pull through
He's being dramatic
Now that you are back and in full spirit
Whatever l had done is worth it
lt's been tough for you
Since you worked in the palace you have suffered injuries big and small
First your background was called into doubt
then you had a brush with death saving Sire's life
Son, why don't you quit the job?
l'll die worrying if this goes on
lndeed. Why don't you help out in Sheung Moon House instead?
When l tried to stop him from becoming an imperial guard
You gave him full support
Now that he is made it as a high official commander, you want him to quit
So what's really on your mind?
lndeed. lt's not easy for me to make it to commander and l get to wait on Sire
l'll waste my efforts if l quit now
What's so good about being an official? l'd rather the family stay together
Alright. l promise you
l'll come back home more often
to have tea and hundred treasure duck with you both, alright?
l can come back to see you because Sire granted me the wish
Sire is understanding indeed lt's his grace that we have this reunion
Your Highness, have you tried the ginseng l sent over?
No. Ginseng is a tonic, but it will cause stuffiness for those with weak constitution
l should wait until the right time to take it
lndeed. Ginseng should be taken in gradual dosage. lt shouldn't be rushed
Wait for the right time to consume it or its efficacy will be ruined
l understand
Tsui-yuk, palace etiquette is complicated Don't make any missteps
Take good care of Her Highness
Yes, sir
lt's not easy to have a meeting with the helmsman
But you two kept talking about ginseng You've wasted the chance
When Father asked me about the ginseng
he was confirming if we had failed the mission
He said we had to wait for the right time, or our efforts would be wasted
The guards have been following me around l think they have found us suspicious
We should be careful with our words
A mad man...
l am the Monkey King, stop me to your woe!
Kill...
Are you alright, Your Highness?
You are imperial guards and you couldn't stop a mad man?
Her Highness was given a fright Your fault is unpardonable
l've caused Her Highness a fright l deserve to die
You failed in your duty
l'll escort Her Highness back to the palace Yes, Your Honor
l'll take my leave, Your Highness
Wait
l have been out for several days l wonder how Mother is doing
Send me my regards
Yes, Your Highness
Come over for some tea
How's your injury?
Thank you for your concern
l am fine now
There's no outsiders here Don't stand on ceremony
Could you call me Chi-ying instead?
Miss Chi-ying
Please sit
When l was unconscious l seemed to have heard your voice
You were in tears
l knew you had paid me a visit, thank you
We're friends. You were seriously wounded of course l had to come see you
Since we're friends, l must warn you
What is it?
l suspect Tsui-yuk is the assassin
lt's not possible
l followed the ''apparition'' to the Hall of Eternal Harmony
and then it disappeared
l conducted a search here and noticed some footprints and stains on the wall
l wanted to take a look at Tsui-yuk's hand
She happened to injure herself on the same spot
lt's too much of a coincidence
She is just a maid and a frail girl How could you fight you?
She knows martial arts She meant to catch the chopper
Moreover, her move - flower picking palm originated from Ngo Mei
the same school as the black-clad intruder
Tell me how should l explain this?
l brought her to the palace lf you suspect her, you are suspecting me
To be honest, you are a suspect too
What nonsense!
l am a princess, Sire's sister Why should l assassinate my own brother?
lf you really suspect me then report it to Sire
Miss Chi-ying, it's not just me
Po Chai's camp also suspects you
The mad man was obviously a plant to try you out
How else could two imperial guards fail to stop a mad man?
What is going on? Tell me, let me help you
l've nothing to hide. l don't need your help
Since you suspect me and Tsui-yuk We have nothing else to say to each other
You may go
Both of you are in a dangerous situation
What is going on, tell me, let me...
l said you may go
l'll take my leave, Your Highness
We are imperial guards but we have to deliver meals
Come on, Minister Po says the person in there is very important
We have to take special care of her
lf this woman testifies against Nip Dor-po then he'll be doomed
He won't be a commander for long
The acolyte alone can't nail Nip Dor-po
But once his background is cast in doubt it'll open the door for us
Bring his parents here for an interrogation
Once they confess, he'll be guilty of hoodwinking Sire
No matter how clever he is he won't be able to save himself
Yes, Your Honor
Commander Nip.This is really serious l overheard Po Chi and his men
They have got a woman from Shijiazhuang to testify on your background
You will be guilty of hoodwinking Sire
They are bringing in your parents for interrogation
You have not seen me
Father, Mother
Dor-po
Strange Monk
Dor-po, what brought you here? Something happened?
The lmperial Guard is getting suspicious about my background
They've got the acolyte to testify against me
The day has finally come
Dor-po, you now know what l meant
But you passed the background check
Why are they bringing it up again?
Time is running out we have to leave here at once
lndeed, they will be here soon
Leave by the backdoor and get away from the capital as soon as possible
Take care
You too
Your Highness, it's arrogant of Po Chai to act on his own
But he seems to have a card up his sleeve
l heard he kept that woman from Shijiazhuang at the camp
His arrogance comes from the backing of the Empress Dowager
He's probably found out about Nip Dor-po's background. lt means trouble
Nip Dor-po is a talent But his background is indeed dubious
He's an adopted son, and is connected to the former imperial guard Kei To-ting
lt may get you into trouble if you help him out
Never mind who he is
What we should do now is to stop Po Chai's investigation
lf it gets out of hand, my association with Nip Dor-po will be known
l won't be able to stay out of it
l understand
Grandfather, Father l have to flee with my adoptive parents
l don't know when l can pay respect to you again
But l'll never forget the injustice you suffered
l will come back and avenge you. l will
Let's go
They are here
Wait for me at the pier l'll lure them away
Nip Dor-po...
Your Highness!
You're here to get us? You have got Dor-po?
Dor-po and l are like brothers l am here to help you
Really?
Then we are relieved Please help Dor-po, Your Highness
l will do my best
But the woman the lmperial Guards held captive finally broke
and confessed you are not Dor-po's natural parents
lf you're caught and get confronted with the truth
Your whole family will be executed There's nothing l can do for you then
So Dor-po is not our natural son Why should it warrant our executions?
There was an assassination attempt on Sire
Sire is convinced the lmperial Guard faulted, thus the rebels got their chance
lf Dor-po's background is cast into doubt Sire will see him as the suspect
Your Highness, Dor-po sees the five generals of Three Kingdoms as his heroes
especially Chiu Chi-lung for his loyalty
How would he do such a disloyal thing as to assassinate Sire?
Please explain it to Sire and plead for Dor-po
Are you his natural parents?
l know the answer
You have committed the crime of hoodwinking Sire
Even if l would risk it and help you flee the capital for some remote place
Dor-po will become a wanted man for life His future will be ruined
Dor-po is a stubborn man He won't agree to live a furtive life
lndeed, he is a proud man l won't let him live a furtive life
Your Highness must have a way to help him
So long as he can escape such a fate We can give up our lives
Your Highness... We will do anything for him
Please, Your Highness...
Please get up...
There is a way
Sire trusts Dor-po
lf there is no interrogation or counter testimony
the woman's word alone can't nail Dor-po
Dor-po can still hold his head high and serve Sire. He can still have his career
lf there are no living witnesses to counter the testimony, Dor-po will be fine
No living witnesses and Dor-po will be saved?
l've no regrets in life. Our son has grown up and is now an imperial guard
He has done our ancestors proud Right
Closed for celebration
Sheung Moon House is suddenly closed for business?
lndeed, Master Nip has not mentioned it
l have a dinner party here today
What is it that you want? l agreed to cooperate with you
Only the dead is cooperative
l asked you to wait for me at the pier
Sit down first
l have made your favorite meat buns Eat it while it's hot
We don't have the time for it. Come on
We are not leaving. Where can we go?
Moreover, we are getting on We just want to know you'll be alright
Why aren't you leaving? What is it? Let's go
Dor-po
Come on
Dor-po, please, come on, sit down lndeed, sit down, come on
What is it with you?
Remember? You loved to watch me practice martial arts when you were small
You picked it up from me when you were just a few years old
You have picked up more than 70 routines when you were ten
l was so happy then l knew you were a natural
Mother...
You wanted to be Chiu Chi-lung
You refused to learn cooking from me
To my chagrin you only had martial arts in mind
But you are now commander of the lmperial Guard
You work for Sire, we are proud of you
Father...
Though you are not our natural son you are a filial and loving son
lt's our good fortune to have you as our son
Why talk about it all of a sudden? Leave it for later. Let's go, come on
Have a bun first
There is a wooden box under my bed The hundred treasure duck recipe is inside
Just follow the recipe and you can make savory hundred treasure duck
Alright
One more thing get married and have a family
Stop thinking of that princess
You are of two worlds nothing will come of it
Sheung-hei is a good girl She's all alone. You've to be good to her
Alright, let's go
Your mother has given you a pair of baby shoes and clothes
We have not given you this gold locket
lt was with you when we found you. Keep it
Alright, l will
l have got three horses in the wood For sure, we'll make our escape this time
Don't worry, come on, let's go
What's the matter? You don't feel well?
Why are you spitting blood? What is it?
We are staying here. We won't leave
Why are you spitting blood?
We have taken poison
Why? Why did you do that?
Once we are dead, it'll just be a one side's story of the acolyte
lf there are no living witnesses your background will never be known
How could you be so foolish?
Where's the antidote? Where is it?
Dor-po... The antidote
Dor-po... Where is it?
Dor-po...
The antidote...
There is no antidote
There must be, let me get it for you
Dor-po...
Dor-po, don't go
lf you go, we won't make it before you return
We can't see you before we go
Dor-po, l can't bear to leave you
Dor-po, l can't bear to go
Come on, don't cry
Mother
A man doesn't cry, come on
Let's be real father and son in our next life
We'll be flesh and blood not just the next life
l have always been your son, in this life in our previous life, in coming lives
You are always my parents Don't you forget it
My son...yes, we won't forget it, we won't
Father...Mother....
Mother!
Father! Mother!
Don't die...
Wake up!
Dor-po
Uncle?
Aunt?
What happened?
Wake up!
Wake up, you can't die
Nip Dor-po, you dare to be back?
You can't die
Dead?
You killed them to silence them? How dare you!
Dor-po
Nip Dor-po, you're leaving with me
Take him back
Dor-po!
Sheung-hei...
Father.. Mother
Your Honor!
l'll kill you! Stop
l'll kill you!
How dare you!
Stop it!
Greetings, You Highness...
Your Highness!
What is going on?
Your Highness, we have got Nip Dor-po
We were going to bring his parents in and get the truth about his background
But his parents poisoned themselves to save him
Poisoned themselves?
Why?
No!
Po Chai pushed them to their deaths He killed them
Your parents knew that your background would be discovered
They killed themselves to cover it up
Po Chai the dog killed my parents
How could you be so incompetent?
Po Chai
Your Highness, l had an irrefutable witness The acolyte could testify against Nip Dor-po
But she suddenly killed herself l am sure it's not what it seems
Enough! You keep saying you have evidence
You keep saying you have a witness
Where are they?
l suspect you have a hidden agenda
Since there is no witness to testify against Nip Dor-po
He is found to be innocent
Ha Sin
Untie Officer Nip Yes, Your Highness
You killed my parents...
Sheung Moon House
Dor-po, don't just sit here
The guest upstairs asks for the hundred treasure duck again. Get to work
Alright
Son, take it easy
You have not eaten. Have a meat bun first
Father
Dor-po, what happened?
You and Yan Chak are both imperial guards you must have heard something
l heard that Po Chai held the acolyte's son captive
and blackmailed her to testify against you but then she suddenly killed herself
Ask no more
There must be more to it
But l can't figure it out
What is going on at the camp??
Yan Chak, bear it in mind the less you know, the safer you are
Since it's so perilous, why do you still want to be an imperial guard?
Just quit
No. l can't
l have lost Aunt and Uncle l don't want to lose you as well
Just quit
Silly girl. Don't worry
l'll make sure nothing will happen to you
All the more, nothing will happen to me
l can't afford to die There are lots of things l have to do
Promise me!
You'll be good
Listen to me and stop digging into it then l'll be relieved
The acolyte was silenced
You ordered it? Yes
But she was innocent How many more have to die?
l did it for you
lt was critical then, l had no other choice
lf she testified against you you'd be found guilty of hoodwinking Sire
That's enough l don't want anyone to die for me
You think l enjoyed it?
Call me useless. l could only watch them kill one after another
your parents, the acolyte
They were all innocent But there's nothing l could do
Think about it. Even if l didn't do it
Po Chai would silence her once she's of no use to him
You know his style well
Why is life so harsh? Why do the innocent die?
Bear it in mind, you have to avenge them Take on the Empress Dowager
lt's the way to repay the innocent deaths to repay your parents
May be you are right
Po Chai's effort was thwarted
l believe he dares not alert Sire
But the Empress Dowager will not call it a day
My fault, l could have exposed Nip Dor-po l was this close, but he got away with it
l deserve death
That's enough. l still need you for other errands. Get up
Thank you for sparing me my life
As you said Prince Yue took the drastic step to save Nip Dor-po's life
He had the acolyte silenced
Prince Yue kept such a low profile he almost fooled me
You think you can beat him?
Your Highness, he saved the day this time
But it also proves that Nip Dor-po's background is questionable
That Nip Dor-po snubbed me when l tried to recruit me
He joined Fook-chuen's camp instead
What audacity!
Prince Yue is ambitious Nip Dor-po is not what he seems
They are in collusion. What are they after?
Your Highness can be rest assured
Nip Dor-po slipped off this time
But l'll keep a vigilante watch on him
l will report to you immediately should anything happen
Prince Yue has set the game, l'll go along but he will lose
There is no coming back for him
Sire, my parents suddenly passed away my heart is broken
But Sire sees highly of me
With the rebels still at large
l can only show my gratitude by catching the assassins
Your loyalty is laudable. Good!
First there is judicious ruler then there are loyal subjects
lf only we've more loyal subjects like Nip Dor-po, the Qing reign will last forever
Nip Dor-po, you can go back to camp Nothing has changed
Yes, Sire
We'll take our leave
What a shame
Sire, are you referring to the deaths of his parents or his questionable background?
He is a loyal subject and a talent
Po Chai is a cautious man lf he had not no incriminating evidence
he wouldn't have gone so far against Nip Dor-po
Nip's background is indeed questionable
l understand how you feel He risked his life to save you
lf he harbors ill intent, why should he risk his life to save you?
That's what baffles me
l don't believe he's a rebel
But a lot have happened
You are the only man l can trust
Sire, don't worry too much
l am sure with your just rule you will win people's loyalty
The rebels' effort will be in vain
As for your worries
l'll do my best to find out the truth
Good, keep an eye on Po Chai and Nip Dor-po
Report any new developments to me
But bear it in mind
Po Chai is Empress Dowager's man
l don't want her alerted
Yes, Sire
Greetings, Sire
At ease Thank you, Sire
What is this hastiness?
Sire, Lady Man-kwan has not been feeling well
She has no appetite and feels tired The reason is not known
Physician Fu has gone to see her
Congratulations, Sire
Lady Man-kwan's pulse runs smoothly She is pregnant