l don't want a thousand year old town ruined because of the canal
lt seems that Sire is partial to the Hans
What Sire has done, it's for the mutual harmony of the two peoples
Take this supreme ginseng to Lady Man-Kwan
Since he cares so much about you l will deliver it for him myself
Lady Kwai-lun sent Hiu-ming to buy a perfume sachet and pine needles
Pine needles are not to be used by pregnant women
Why did Lady Man-kwan suddenly have a miscarriage?
Wasn't it Lady Wai who poisoned Lady Man-kwan?
There're still holes in the investigation?
l found a gold thread under her nail
lt's used in garments for officials of third rank and above
Moreover, Lady Wai was just a mere woman
She didn't have the strength to stab herself to the bone
The killer knows martial arts
She was found dead in the imperial garden The palace is heavily guarded
A person who can go in and out at will and knows martial arts...
he has to be an imperial guard
Lady Wai didn't kill herself out of guilt lt's a coverup?
l have it checked. There were six imperial guards on the roster that night
Ha Sin is the only third rank officer
You suspect he did it?
Anything special happened in the palace lately?
Lady Man-kwan had turned reclusive because of the pregnancy
Other than that, nothing special
What about Lady Kwai-lun?
The last time l saw her was the day before Lady Man-kwan's tragedy
Lady Kin-ching is pregnant as well So the topic was on pregnancy
Lady Kin-ching mentioned things a pregnant woman should avoid taking
like hawthorn, pearl powder and most importantly, pine needles
Pine needles?
They are tranquilising herbs
Some like to put them in a perfume sachet and carry them around
But it shouldn't be used by pregnant women
Especially those with a weak constitution because it will lead to a miscarriage
When l was in Pak Hei Hal l too would warn customers about it
What are its properties?
lt's volatile under sunlight and will stain things nearby
Did Lady Kwai-lun act different that day?
She was deep in thought like she was troubled
Dor-po?
l want to ask you
When it happened, did you suspect me?
No, l never suspected you
Good. lf you did, it would break my heart
So much has happened but Sire is my brother after all
Lady Man-kwan is my sister-in-law l wouldn't harm her
l never doubted it. You're kind in nature you would never do such a thing
Thank you
You are the only one who truly understands me here at the palace
This is of serious nature. Don't leak it out, not even to Sire or your brothers
l have to go
You take care
Your Honor, what can l get you?
Our herbs are authentic and reasonably priced
l am not here for anything
l want to ask you has anyone come by for pine needles lately?
Several people
You remember who they were?
Regular customers nearby One from the silk shop
the housekeeper of Magistrate Ho and Prince Yue's maid, Hiu-ming
You remember the exact date she came? lt should be the second day of the month
lt hurts...
My belly hurts
Here's the one with the pine needles You can take it back
l never thought you could do such a thing You made Lady Man-kwan miscarry
You were often deep in thought You were not your usual self
l asked the underlings
and learnt that you sent Hiu-ming to get pine needles for the perfume sachet
Luckily l had it replaced in time
l sent Ha Sin to set Lady Wai free and framed her for what you did
Otherwise there'd be dire consequences
You should know l didn't want to do it
You didn't want to?
You think l wanted to?
l was not born with an evil heart l had to do it to my own cousin
You know how it hurt me? How hard it was for me?
Have you asked me why?
You made such a terrible mistake
Luckily l saw through it and had the sachet replaced
lf someone found out about it
not just you and l, but Father, Po-tai even the household would have to die
Blame me if you want to
l did it because of you
Because that slut Lady Man-kwan has you under her spell
Her pregnancy was not stable
You spared no efforts to get her the Korean ginseng
You care for her so much What about me, your wife?
What gave you the idea?
Stop the act! You two have an affair
She may have been carrying your child
l don't want to see the evil spawn born
l overheard you
So what Fook-chuen said was true your jealousy has gone to your head
You did this to Lady Man-kwan it's a capital offense
Don't you believe him He's an unfaithful husband
He wronged me yet he put the blame on me to alienate us
Don't you believe him
He has told me everything
You still fail to see your mistake
lf it goes on, how will there be peace in the family?
Why do you believe him and not your own daughter?.
So what if l believed you? You have put us in big trouble
Father, don't worry, l've taken care of it
Come forth! Yes, Your Highness
Escort Lady Kwai-lun to her chambers for some rest
Father, don't blame her
The blame lies with me
lt was puppy love between Lady Man-kwan and l
Kwai-lun has never got over it and she became paranoid
But l can honestly say that l only have her in my heart
She made this terrible mistake
l did all l could to cover it up
But Sire insists on pursuing it
lf it's exposed, we'll be doomed
Framing it on Lady Wai is still capital offence
To save Kwai-lun, l had no choice
As it comes to this, you can't return the Red and Blue Banners to Sire
You are in poor health
Ask Sire to pass the two banners to me so Po-tai will inherit them from me
So long as l have military power even if Sire finds out the truth
we can retreat to Manchuria with our forces as a safeguard
We have no other choice
Alright. l'll ignore the Empress Dowager's objection and go directly to Sire
that you'll be given the two banners
Prince Sing, you mean to take charge of the Red and Blue Banners?
But you were going to retire Why this sudden change of mind?
Your Highness, it did occur to me
But my deputy has found me a consolidation tonic pill
lt's good for asthma
My condition has since improved
You have found an efficacious drug l am happy for you
Thank you, Your Highness
Sire has been kind to me. Now that l'm capable of running the two banner armies
lt's my desire to serve Sire and Qing for several years more
Your Highness, please grant me my wish
l am touched by your loyalty how will l object to it?
Leave the return of the two banners for later
lf there is nothing else, you may go
Thank you, Your Highness. l'll take my leave
Prince Sing went back on his word He has as a great regard for Your Highness
You objected to handing the two banners to Prince Yue and he posed no opposition
lf he hands the two banners back Fook-chuen stands to benefit
He has Prince Sing's ear
lt is tantamount to handing the two banners to Fook-chuen
No! Never will l allow him to have military might
Ancestral Hall
l know Naplan has doubts on the Lady Wai story
l have got new evidence to quell his doubts Report it to Sire so as to close the case
l found a piece of gold thread on Lady Wai
lt belonged to the official garment of a third rank imperial guard
The only third rank imperial guard on duty that night was Ha Sin
l also found that Lady Kwai-lun was not herself lately
lf l am right, you ordered Ha Sin to frame Lady Wai for it
you did it to cover up for a person
lt's Lady Kwai-lun
You are really smart and brilliant
From such a tiny clue you could find out the truth
Yes, it was Lady Kwai-lun But you don't have to know why
What about the canal?
Sire only has the people in mind but you tried to sabotage it
l stole the confidential letter for you
But you used it to provoke Manchu-Han conflict to make it difficult for Sire
l know what you are after
but not at the expense of the people
You think l will resort to any means for my own end. But l had no choice
To be honest, l am not sure what you area doing anymore
l have asked myself whether l should still help you
You don't have to worry
Why would l harm Lady Man-kwan?
You and l know it well, our common enemy is the Empress Dowager
She took away my reign
She killed your grandfather, father and your adoptive parents
She holds sway in court We can only go after Hong Hei
Once l get my throne back l will do the Kei family justice
l am willing to go after the Empress Dowager
But Sire is a judicial emperor How can you harm him?
Some must sacrifice for the greater good The Qing throne is mine to begin with
What l am doing is to right the wrong
My conscience is clear l can face the Qing ancestors
lf you think what l am doing is wrong tell Hong Hei about it. l won't blame you
But there won't be revenge for the Kei family
After a thorough investigation, l found that the day Lady Man-kwan was poisoned
the eunuch in charge of Lady Wai's meal
was in a hurry for a gambling party at the lmperial Pharmacy
He didn't notice that her room was unlocked
The eunuchs at the lmperial Pharmacy were too engrossed to notice anyone slipping in
Hence Lady Wai was able to get the dragon blood
Such a gross neglect of duty They have to be punished severely
Lady Man-kwan's tea was prepared by the lmperial Kitchen and delivered by the maid
The eunuch on duty had a loose bowel due to food poisoning
He was out of the lmperial Kitchen for awhile
When he got back, the tea was delivered
l believe Lady Wai used this span of time to lace the tea
She could go and leave as she pleased What about the guards?
The changing of guards took place then
Except for the gates and hallways the lanes and corners were overlooked
Sire, it indeed was our negligence please forgive us
Get up
Thank you, Sire
What happened to Lady Man-kwan was probably fate
Sire, but l still have doubts
Let it be. l don't want to dwell on it
Seeing that you and Dor-po are so loyal to me, l am relieved
You may go
Yes, Sire
Ten Mile House
Please enjoy
You're so kind as to ask me out for a drink We are here as friends then
May l call you Brother Nip?
Sure
Atoast to you
Thank you, it's my honor
How did you know about this wine house?
Why should you find it odd?
lt may look like an ordinary wine house but it's frequented by extraordinary people
l come here all the time so do you and Prince Yue
Yes, l met Prince Yue through a chance encounter
We enjoyed our drinks here and could call each other acquaintance
To avoid unnecessary speculations we try to be subtle about it
l am not saying you got where you are through cronyism
You won Sire's appreciation through you ability and wit
and was made Gold Saber lmperial Guard
l'm not your match Please give me advices
lt's very kind of you to say so We both work for Sire
But when it comes to experience l am not as seasoned as you are
Experience comes with time
l have served Sire a few more years than you have
As a loyal underling we have Sire wellbeing in mind
lt's more important than our own lives
You indeed are righteous and lofty in mind No wonder Sire sees so highly of you
Enough of these polite words Why did you become an imperial guard?
Sire opened up the guard posts for Hans as a means to promote Manchu-Han harmony
l knew Sire is a judicious emperor
hence l decided to become an imperial guard to serve Sire and the court
Well said
Like the roc in the painting
to soar high, to spread its wings to reach the top
Man should have lofty aspiration
What about you?
Why did you become an imperial guard?
Your literary cultivation has no equals
Why didn't you seek a position in Hanlin Academy instead?
l like literary pursuits since l was small but martial arts is also my favorite
My father is a minister
But l won Sire's appreciation with my capabilities
l serve Sire not for my own gain
Hence Sire trusts me and entrusts me with confidential assignments
We may be master and underling but Sire sees me as his kin, his brother
You are impartial and righteous
No wonder the ministers respect you
even your father Minister Naplan submits to your righteousness
lt's not easy to be impartial The harem is filled with intrigue
The lmperial Guard is divided into camps
To be honest, you are adamant that Lady Wai poisoned Lady Kwan
l have no concrete proof to dispute it But l won't give up the investigation
l will not let Sire be hoodwinked
You and l are both Sire's saber wearing guards
How would l pull wool over Sire's eyes to commit the offence of disloyalty?
l am glad you have not forgotten you are a saber wearing guard
You risked your life to save Sire l believe in you
Don't you forget
lf you wear the uniform, you must put Sire first and serve him with loyalty
lf l kept something from Sire
Would you let me off for the sake of our friendship?
Definitely not
But l too believe you are loyal to Sire
You will not do anything to put Sire in harm's way
Good, l'll bear what you said in mind Cheers
His Majesty fares forth
Greetings, Sire
Spare the formality Thank you, Sire
You are weak, sit down first
Dear, you look good today, l am relieved
Thank you, Sire
That's what the imperial physician said too That l could go out for a walk in a few days
That's good. Nurse your health and get well soon
The empress's coronation will commence as scheduled
Congratulations, Your Highness
But l've failed Sire. l failed to keep your child. l am not worthy to be empress
Dear, don't blame yourself for it lt's not your fault
lt's my fault
l was too lenient with Lady Wai and gave her the chance to harm you
l was careless or it could've been avoided
lt's all in the past, don't dwell on it
You should pick yourself up
You are still young You will bear me sons in future
Sire, you are so considerate
You have lost weight
So much has happened in court and at the harem, l really am troubled
lt's alright, l just want you to be alright
Sire, you don't have to worry about me You have to be careful
About what?
Nothing, l mean you have to take good care of yourself, your wellbeing
l will
Greetings, Your Highness You're patrolling the imperial garden?
lt's my job
How's your finger?
l was pricked when pruning Mother insisted on dressing it for me
She had such a fright when she saw me bleeding
She cried when she dressed it for me saying that l had to be alright
She did a poor job But l could tell she really cares for me
She is your mother after all
A lot had happened. l didn't know how to face Prince Kung and Mother
But in time l know they are all good to me They never saw me as an outsider
You are reunited with your family l should congratulate you
But l still miss Father, Pak Hei Hall and the happy days at Dashilan
l miss the Dashilan days too
Oh yes, where's the granny?
The Empress Dowager probably believes l am not a threat
So her service is no longer required
lt's a good thing. At least you don't have to feel like you're being watched
lndeed. l can put my mind on helping Mother
What's wrong with her?
Since Lady Wai killed herself for poisoning Lady Kwan
she has become restless
She gets hysterical easily claiming that someone wants to poison her
l have some knowledge of medicine l hope l can find a folk remedy for her
Oh no...
Your Highness!
Greetings, Your Highness
Lady Sau has turned berserk
Your Highness, be careful Tuen-man...
Where have you taken her? Tell me l haven't...Your Highness...
Tell me l haven't...
Where's she?
Lady Sau...you're alright?
Tuen-man was by my side How come she's missing?
Your Highness, be careful Someone wants to harm her
Tell me, where is she? Tell me
Mother
Tuen-man
l am here, l am fine
You are back! Thank heaven
Her Highness woke up and you were nowhere to be found
She looked for you everywhere
l didn't want to disturb your rest so l went out for awhile
This is the palace, with guards everywhere Nothing can happen to me
Your Highness, there are imperial guards at the harem
We'll do our best to ensure Princess Tuen-man's safety
lmperial guards?
They are the Empress Dowager's dogs They are here to harm us
Lady Wai is dead, Lady Man-kwan miscarried lt's all her doing!
Whoever she hates, she will do them in
You and Sheung-ning will be next
No, Mother! The Empress Dowager and us are family, she will not harm us
l know a secret, a very big secret
Fook-chuen should have been emperor
The late Sire told me he meant to pass the throne to him
The Empress Dowager doesn't want it known Mother
She wants to cover it up
Your Highness, mind your words
Her Highness had a fright escort her back for some rest
Yes, sir
The dogs are after me...
They are here to help us
No...let go of me... Mother, calm down
They are here to harm me. Believe me
Let go of me...
l got it from Wo that Lady Sau claims she knows a secret about me
that l covered something up
She was not in her right mind and so she blathered
l have ordered the maids and eunuchs not to spread it around
Your Highness is well respected
You have done so much for Qing No one will believe her crazy words
Get up Thank you, Grandmother
Your Highness, Lady Sau has not turned well l am filled with worries
May l ask for a favor?
Allow me to bring Mother back to my house so she can recuperate there
Please allow Tuen-man to return home with me to take care of her
She has the care of imperial physicians here at the palace
Why move her out?
Tuen-man can take care of her here She doesn't have to leave the palace
Grandmother, Lady Sau has not gotten well under the care of imperial physicians
Her illness has actually gone worse
l hear that a folk remedy can cure dementia Please grant her leave for treatment
You're sure she can be cured?
l dare not make the claim
Her condition is unstable l am tied up with work
l cannot take care of her all the time The responsibility falls on Lady Kin-ching
But she is pregnant. lt's inconvenient for her to travel back and forth to the palace
We have rooms here and the care of imperial physicians
Lady Kin-ching can move in and wait on your mother
And Tuen-man can take care of her as well lsn't it a better option?
But it will be hard on you
l can take care of Mother and Lady Kin-ching. l won't find it hard at all
Since Tuen-man is filial we'll have Lady Kin-ching move in today
Thank you, Your Highness
Lady Sau has you to take care of her now Keep a good watch on her
Don't let her blather again and disrupt the protocol of the palace
We understand. We'll take our leave
You may all go
Your Highness is brilliant! With only a few words
you've kept Lady Sau and Princess Tuen-man here, along with Lady Kin-ching
Lady Sau and Tuen-man can't leave the palace
They thought they could use Lady Sau's blathering as an excuse to leave? Never!
Why won't the Empress Dowager let Mother and Tuen-man leave the palace?
Even Kin-ching has to stay here? What is she up to?
Milord, don't get mad She just wants us to look after each other
There are imperial physicians here to attend to us
You are naive
We are in greater danger than you think
Ning
How's Mother?
She is asleep She has forgotten what happened
l believe she will calm down when she wakes up
But what should we do if this recurs? Yee-lin and l couldn't restrain her
You are pregnant, don't force yourself
How can l take her out of the palace?
So long as the Empress Dowager is here we won't have a chance
She has long bore Lady Sau prejudice She took away your Banner
But Sire named you Commander-in-chief in charge of capital guards
You are a thorn by her side
l am a loyal subject
Why won't she leave me alone?
She dislikes Lady Sau
Hence she made up her death and had she locked up all these years
lf we had not pleaded for Tuen-man she wouldn't have left her alone
The recurrence of Lady Sau's illness gave her an excuse to keep Lady Kin-ching here
lt's to control you
What should we do?
Grandmother wants to look after us here We're not under house arrest
You are pregnant and Mother is ill again l am not around, l can't take care of them
Don't worry, leave them to me
You wanted to see me?
Father wanted to see you but you were at the palace
He wanted you to know that he'll continue to take charge of the two banners
lt's hard for him. Where is he now?
He has left the capital l told him he shouldn't wait for you
l took care of Lady Man-kwan for you
Sire will carry out the empress's coronation as scheduled
Don't you think too much
l think too much? lt beats wishful thinking
Let's forget about what happened
Father is still in charge of the two banners They will be passed to me in time
Then you will get what you wish to live in Manchuria with Po-tai
Don't act in front of me
Don't sound like it's for me
You are worried l will leak out your affair with Lady Man-kwan
l dare you to swear to heaven that it's not for your own sake?
We are a couple Why make it difficult for us?
Alright. Go ahead and spread it around
Tell Sire, tell the Empress Dowager about me and Lady Man-kwan
and how you poisoned her
To cover it up for you, l framed Lady Wai killed her and made it look like a suicide
Go tell them, we will all be executed
You...
l am not afraid to die
But your father, the hundred members of your maiden family
Po-tai, more than 70 lives here at the Yue Mansion
they will die for you Go ahead and tell them, l won't stop you
Are you blackmailing me?
lf you want them to be fine then behave like a good wife
Pretend like nothing has happened
You still have me in your heart?
You asked for it
You harmed Man-kwan
Go visit her to show your concern
l can't be a hypocrite like you
You won't go, then l will
On-wing
Yes, Your Highness
Keep an eye on Lady Kwai-lun don't let her leave the mansion
Yes, Your Highness
The Empress Dowager wants you to stay here to make sure your unborn child is well
You are so kind and so young You will give Sire sons
l have this talisman here
Prince Ning got it from Fahai Monastery for my safety. Why don't you keep it?
l am fine now You are the one who needs it
Take good care of yourself and give Prince Ning a smart son
Keep the talisman
We'll take our leave, Lady Man-kwan Alright then
You're alright?
Nothing, just that my belly hurts
You have to take good care of yourself
Sze-kiu, escort Lady Kin-ching back to the palace with Yee-lin
Yes, Your Highness
Alright then, l bid you farewell
Kin-ching
You may go. l want to take a nap Yes, your Highness
Man-kwan
How come you are here?
l just want to know how you are doing
Are you alright?
l am fine, thank you
That's good, the harem is filled with intrigue
You are kind in nature and you always think about others. lt's to your disadvantage
You know, Hong Hei still wants to carry out the coronation ceremony as scheduled
So many things have happened but he is adamant
lt is heaven's will
That you are not meant to be together
lf l were the emperor and you the empress things would have gone smoothly
You...
l have not told you about it
My father-in-law agrees to pass the Red and Blue Banners to me
The Empress Dowager objects but to no avail
Stop it, l don't want to hear about it! Please leave
l don't know why l can only pour my heart out to you
You don't have to fear Hong Hei anymore
He is losing it
He makes Manchu ministers his enemies for a Han town
They all accuse him of forgetting his ancestors
and going against the interests of Manchus
His reign is over
Of course, l pushed him into it
You know you have gone astray? lf it goes on, there'd be dire consequences
lf anything happens to you Kwai-lun and Po-tai will be implicated
You are telling the truth You care for me, you worry about me
Losing your baby is probably heaven's will Heaven's will
That you will only bear my child after l get on the throne
Stop it
l don't want to hear about your usurpation attempt!
You're alright?
Lady Kin-ching, not a moment too soon
Lady Man-kwan is not feeling well Please take care of her
l've things to attend to. l'll take my leave
l am fine
Why aren't Yee-lin and Sze-kiu with you?
l remembered that l left the talisman behind
As you're well, l'll take my leave
Wait, Lady Kin-ching
Your talisman
Thank you, Your Highness
What is it?
l rushed back so l'm out of breath l'll be fine after l take a rest
Sit down then
Be careful
Why the hurry?
l saw Prince Yue with Lady Man-kwan
You saw them?
l went back to Yuet Sum Hall and saw them together
Prince Yue said she was not feeling well so he gave her a hand
l didn't know what happened or what was said between them before that
You suspect them?
No...She did say she didn't feel well
l think he happened to pass by and caught her in his arms
That's possible
The palace is filled with gossips Now it happens to them
Because of this talisman l almost misunderstood Lady Man-kwan
How come it's torn?
Ning got it for me. He will be upset
You didn't mean to. He won't be mad at you
There is a saying, if it's broken it means it has warded off bad luck for you
Don't worry about it
Greetings, Sire
At ease Thank you, Sire
Cheung, keep watch outside let no one in
Yes, Sire
lt irks me how the change of canal terminus could be leaked out
l now have a clue
You suspect there's a mole?
The person is close to me
l trusted him
Nip Dor-po
Check out Naplan Sing-tak for me