As it says, real gold fears not fire
lf you are telling the truth why should you fear Nip Dor-po?
You can't deny it now
Sire is the rightful heir l won't let you mislead others
Nip Dor-po, you are just a mere imperial guard commander
Why should ministers believe your story?
Sire, the Empress Dowager doctored the will to hide the truth
in order to put you on the throne
My son Yuen-yip, borne by Lady Tung keeper of the ancestral shine
He's named the heir apparent successor of the throne
The will didn't reflect the Late Sire's true intention
The Empress Dowager was the backroom player
She undermined the court rule She doctored the will
l didn't! There is only one rightful heir
that's the emperor on the throne!
Naplan Sing-tak
Charge!
Traitors have to die! Kill!
Sire is being harassed in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Rescue him!
Eight hundred blue feather guard to attack from Donghua Gate
Palace Guards to the main gate
Vanguards to get in from the North Gate Take no prisoners!
Calvary to send 400 to hold West Gate
Kill anyone that get close to the Hall of Supreme Harmony
The traitors have the audacity for a coup Protect Sire
Put your weapons down or l'll kill him
Naplan Sing-tak! Sire dismissed you
Why risk your life for him?
Prince Yue is now in control
Why don't you switch side and help him realize his undertaking
My loyalty is not what despicable men like you can understand
Sire, l was late to your rescue Please forgive me
On the contrary, your loyalty is laudable At ease
Thank you, Sire
Your order was carried out
Sire's military seals were handed to masters of the Upper Three Banners
They came back to the capital to support Sire as ordered
Palace Guards, Vanguards and Calvary under the three banners
are now on the four sides of the capital
lf there are unusual movements, they'll immediately enter the palace to protect Sire
Well done!
Prince Yue, my troops are now in the capital
What do you think is your odds of winning?
My men have the palace surrounded One order from me and your head will roll
lt will throw your troops into disarray
Yuen-yip, ask yourself
What are your odds of winning?
But l won't do that
We are all Manchu warriors l don't want to see warfare
To win with might is conqueror To win with virtue is king
Since l am the rightful heir l am here to win with legal principles
What are legal principles for traitors and rebels?
Don't call me a traitor
The Late Sire's will is the legal principle
lt is clearly stated that l am the successor of the throne
What nonsense! Nothing of that sort
lt is true
Nip Dor-po, tell us the truth so that they can't deny it
Yes, Your Highness
Alright, Nip Dor-po, tell us what you know Heaven forbid any falsehood
Of course
First Rank lmperial Guard Kei To-ting knew the whole story
He was my grandfather
You mean the Late Sire's bodyguard?
Yes, my grandfather served the Late Sire all his life
He was the most loyal imperial guard
When the Late Sire became a monk at Coolness Monastery
He also became a monk to keep the Late Sire company
But the Empress Dowager didn't want the Late Sire's secret to be known
she ordered Grandfather to stay by his side and report to her regularly
ln order not to implicate his family
he refrained from seeing them
He couldn't go home
Then the Late Sire fell ill But he had a regret. He wrote it in a letter
and entrusted it to my grandfather to be handed to Prince Yue in person
Grandfather knew with the death of the Late Sire, trouble would brew
He secretly copied the letter and sent it to my father Kei Man-cheong
bidding him to leave the capital at once
Grandfather knew that knowing the secret meant he was doomed
So he went to the palace to report the Late Sire's death to the Empress Dowager
And killed himself in front of her to prove his loyalty
The death of a minion guard meant nothing to the Empress Dowager
His death failed to stop her ruthlessness
She wanted to kill everyone in the Kei family
Father fled with me. l was just a baby
But he failed to escape the imperial guards
He lost me when fleeing and we were separated
My father was just a commoner
He knew that the Empress Dowager would never let it go
So he went to the palace and muted himself in front of her
He got himself a reprieve
He was an honest and disabled man
He bore it for 25 years before he could reunite with his son
But the Empress Dowager still wouldn't spare his life
She is actually a villainous hypocrite
How dare you, minion!
Your hands are stained with blood
You killed the loyal subjects
The Kei family has an undying feud with you
You have earned the contempt of the people the Late Sire's spirit will not let you off
Well said
Nip Dor-po is loyal and brave He has stood up for justice
My ministers, this is the Late Sire's will
lt clearly is the Late Sire's handwriting
l'll read out his will to you all
Fook-chuen my son, don't be surprised when you read this letter
You thought l was long dead
l am still alive, but l have become a monk
lt doesn't spare me the cycle of life
My health is failing and l know my days are numbered
Buddha is mercy, but l am still pricked by the succession announcement
l did promise you the throne
lt's my wish that you would become emperor
Because you are above my other sons in talent and virtue
Your Highness, despite your scheming
it never occurred to you that the late Sire's
handwritten letter would see the light
Take care, Your Highness
Now you know the Late Sire's true intention
The Qing Empire should be succeeded by me
This is not a coup.The real traitors are the Empress Dowager and Yuen-yip
She doctored the will and Yuen-yip usurped my throne
Ministers, the Empress Dowager is merciless
My grandfather and father were dead But she still wouldn't spare me
She had Po Chai and his men go after me time and again she sought my demise
How can such a heartless person be the motherly model of the nation?
How can she help Sire spread his kindness?
Stop it! Nip Dor-po
Fook-chuen, l used every means to stop you from succeeding the throne
because you had exhibited dishonesty since you were small
lf you were allowed to rule the people would suffer
lt would put the country in harm's way
Hong Hei has the leadership He's a judicious emperor
Yuen-yip, the Empress Dowager calls you a judicious emperor
lt's not your throne whichever way you look at it
You have no claim to it
Facing this scenario what will you, the judicious emperor do?
lf it's not legally mine l will hand it back to you
Sire, reconsider
Sire, please reconsider
Sire, reconsider...
Fook-cheun, will you love the people as your offspring? You won't!
What made you draw this conclusion?
You're not the only one who can be a judicious emperor
What you have done so far it's for your personal gain
You've given no thought to the wellbeing of the people or the running of the court
Manchu-Han conflicts come up everyday and you are the cause of it
To seize power, you used the compilation of Hong Hei Dictionary to set Ngan Yuk-ming up
just to suppress Han officials
Then you used the canal project to collude with Naplan Ming-chu
By claiming that Manchus' interest would be undermined
you won Manchu ministers to your side and provoked Manchu-Han conflicts
You sabotaged the country's stability and paid no regards to people's wellbeing
You've failed as an official and a subject How can you lead the court?
Naplan was loyal to me
To undermine my rule, you framed him for a serious offense and made me dismiss him
You alienated father and son and made them turn on each other
Lady Wai's demise was your doing
lf l let you have the throne, it would be detrimental to peace and people's livelihood
Father, what you have done put our ancestors to shame
l was forced by circumstances l never meant to force Sire to abdicate
Prince Yue may have the Late Sire's letter
But Sire is the better emperor
The country has enjoyed peace and prosperity since his succession
He's a blessing to the empire and the people
You're head of the ministers yet you veer with the wind. How shameless
Yuen-yip, what l am doing is not to usurp your throne
l am here to carry the Late Sire's will
lf you insist on going against his will l will have to resort to force
Sheung-ning is the commander-in-chief of the capital guards
Your Upper Three Banner forces are outside the capital
they are too far away to be of use
You are in no position to offer resistance
You've my loyalty
No one can harm Prince Yue
Yuen-yip, an immoral force has no support Ask them, will they support a usurper?.
l'm here to make you see the legal principles
lt's for the sake of the Qing reign and ancestral teachings
lf your clinging to power leads to bloodshed you'll go down in history as a sinner
To avoid war, l can hand back the throne to you. But you have to promise me
kill no one, and shed no blood
Alright, l promise no one will be killed
Officials big or small will be retained if they pledge their loyalty to me
Alright. l trust you won't go back on your word given in front everyone here
You can have your throne back
Hold it!
Prince Yue, you mean to honor the Late Sire's will?
Of course. lt's our ancestral teaching
Good
Then you are not the rightful heir
This is not your throne
Nip Dor-po, what are you talking about?
Let me ask the ministers here
The fourth prince borne by Lady Tungngok
Did the Late Sire made him his heir apparent?
Your Highness, did the Late Sire name him his heir?
Yes. But he died soon after he was and before he was given a name
He was named Prince Wing posthumously
lt's known to everyone in court
l remember the Late Sire did name him his heir. lt's in the official record
Right. l heard of it in Manchuria
The Late Sire loved Lady Tungngok and of course the son she gave him
Hence he named him heir apparent
l knew it very well
But he's no longer alive Why brought him up?
You are wrong...So wrong!
lt's not the truth at all
Lady Tungngok was Prince Sheung's consort But she was unfaithful and seduced you
Why do you bear her prejudice?
l don't. What she did made Prince Sheung died of shame
You are smitten by her
She didn't seduce me as you said
How could you talk to me in this tone?
My mind is made up
l am going to make her empress and her son crown prince
Sire named the Fourth Prince his crown prince, but l'm sure it's not in his destiny
Kei To-ting didn't have the heart to kill the Late Sire's flesh and blood
He drugged him to make him look dead to fool Empress Dowager
He then revived him and switched him with a dead baby
He was taken out of the palace to be raised up by his son Kei Man-cheong
so that the Late Sire's offspring could live
You mean Prince Wing is still alive? How absurd! lt's ridiculous!
Ridiculous? Not as ridiculous as what you have done
Nip Dor-po, you made this ridiculous claim to stop me from getting on the throne
What are you up to?
According to Qing customs
if the Late Sire abdicated his throne the successor should be Prince Wing
lt's not your turn
lf he were alive he would have ascended the throne
But he's dead, he couldn't be emperor!
So you agree if he were alive he would have inherited the throne
lf he were not dead, yes Good!
Prince Yue, you said it in front of Sire the Empress Dowager and the ministers
You can't go back on it
l recognize it The locket was a gift from the Late Sire
l had a difficult labor
But my son and l survived
His father wrote down the words ''fortune coming''
and named him Fook-lam aka Shun Zhi
l put the gold locket on him
He later gave it to Prince Wing
lt has been with me since l was born
Nip Dor-po...
He does look like Lady Tungngok
l do?
Do l look like Emperor Shun Zhi?
You know who l am now
The baby you wanted dead
l am your grandson, Prince Wing
Nip Dor-po, what an outrageous claim You pose as Prince Wing
l understand now. You covet the throne You want to usurp my reign
This letter is written by Kei To-ting's son Kei Man-cheong
lt's a thorough account of my background
Wo Goong Goong
Your Highness, what the letter says is true?
Sire, your brother is here to save the day to take on this ruthless Prince Yue
Prince Wing has the locket to prove his identity
lt's confirmed by the Empress Dowager lt's beyond doubt
l abide by our ancestral teaching
l'll return the throne to the crown prince
Prince Yue, you gave me your word
l am alive, l should inherit the throne You won't go back on it, right?
You came to me for reconciliation
You pretended to work with me for mutual benefit
l could get my throne back and you could kill this old hag to avenge the Kei family
Now you're fighting over the throne with me?
You are too good a schemer
You left no means untried
But you have forgotten the saying
Man proposes, heaven disposes
l don't care! My troops have the palace surrounded, l won't lose
You have lost
You have lost to yourself
You were convinced Sire stole your throne
that the Empress Dowager deliberately puts you down
that the whole world owes you
l'm telling you
Even without the Late Sire's letter you would still kill for the throne
Why?
Because you are obsessed with power
You are too ruthless and ambitious
Fook-chuen, my troop won't fight for you lndeed
You pushed my adoptive parents to their deaths for your own ambition
For the throne, you put kinship behind
You learned of the explosion beforehand but you didn't warn Sire about it
Where's your conscience? You're so cold-hearted
Fook-chuen!
l trusted you, but you wanted me dead?
l'm your brother
You were so heartless
Prince Kung, Lady Kin-ching wasn't poisoned by the Empress Dowager as Prince Yue said
Lady Kin-ching learned of his secret
He sent Ha Sin to silence her and framed it on Empress Dowager
to alienate you from the Empress Dowager and Sire
But Ha Sin was killed
And you had the audacity to talk about legal ground, justice and kinship
You flouted the law, you ignored justice and you betrayed your kin
You have no grounds
Prince Wing, what you said is true?
lf l lied, let thunder strike me
He has been using you
You laced the cakes with poison and killed Kin-ching
Tuen-man and Mother's brush with death...
lt was your doing!
He only wants your troops How could you be so thick, Prince Kung?
You only want my palace guards for your coup
How could l be so wrong?
Prince Yue has killed so many he can't be forgiven
Sire, we were fooled by him please punish us
Please punish us
Though l am his father-in-law, what he did was all wrong. l can't agree with him
l have to draw a line between us
Sire, please forgive me or l'll have to live in shame
Sire, please give him severe penalty
lt's a rebellion!You all mean to dethrone me
Emperor Hong Hei, Prince Wing the Empress Dowager...l don't give a damn
Prince Kung, Naplan Ming-chu Naplan Sing-tak
Prince Sing, banner elders, ministers
You are all shameless rascals l don't need you as followers
l want you all dead
Protect Sire...
You can't win
l won't lose!
The cut on my hand, the slap on your face made us even now
l just want to tell you, the Empress Dowager Sire, Prince Kung, Tuen-man, you and l...
We are flesh and blood
What's there to fight for?
No more innocent death No more blood spilled
This is the first and last time l'll address you this way
Brother!
lt's enough! Wake up
Excuse me, Sire
Sire, Prince Kung has admitted to his wrongdoing
The soldiers have retreated
The palace is again manned by imperial guards
Prince Kung is being arraigned waiting for your discretion
Sire, he was abetted because he cared for those around him. Please forgive him
He's my brother after all
As you said, he was abetted and made the mistake
Sire is considerate, Prince Kung is blessed
But we have to abide by the law
Those who joined Prince Yue in the coup have to be punished
His father-in-law has resigned from his military post
Naplan Ming-chu and his consorts are being arraigned and removed from their posts
Thanks to Yung-yurk he stood by me and saved the day
The coup was quelled
He saved Sire's life, he should be rewarded
When l learned that Prince Yue couldn't be trusted
l had this contingency plan
Yung-yurk was thrown out for incurring my distrust
so he could investigate for me and to mobilize my troops
l knew you were Prince Yue's man l was on my guard
l could never have guessed this outcome
You are loyal and tipped the balance You have done me a great service
l just did what l should do
Dor-po!
Brother, you really mean to give up the throne?
You don't care to be the Qing emperor?
l can abdicate in your favor
Please don't
Others fight to be emperor
l have worked for you and l've seen how hard you have to work
lt's not easy to be an emperor
l know very well l am not up for it
A free life is more suitable for me
The Hong Hei reign is marked by peace and prosperity
You have to carry on Don't fail the people and our ancestors
But l have a request
Please make me a commoner again
l don't care for titles or rewards
l'd like Sire to pretend like nothing had happened
Spare historians the rewriting
Please grant me my wish
Alright. Your wish is granted
Brother Nip
Thank you, Sire
But l have one more request
We are flesh and blood, l know what it is
Greetings, Sire. Prince Wing At ease
What audacity!
Call me Dor-po next time
Yes, Prince...yes, Dor-po
lt sounds much better But l have a word for you
You...
You really are a loyal imperial guard
Sire, please make him minister to lead the imperial guards
Alright. Your wish is granted
Thank you, Sire Thank you, Dor-po
Bear it in mind
Get rid of the traitors so that Sire can rule in peace
Sire, allow me to report to you
Prince Yue is being arraigned in the imperial guard barrack
But he keeps making a scene and he refuses to eat
Sire, he...
Don't plead for him
You may go Yes, Sire
Yung-yurk
Sit down
How preposterous! Yung-yurk
l have thought about it for days you have committed treason
lf your life is spared l can't command respect
But if l order your death l am killing my brother
l can't bring myself to do it l am caught in a dilemma
Let heaven decide for me
You are granted two cups of wine
One is laced with poison, the other isn't
lf you pick the one without poison then it's heaven's will
Your life will be spared
Good wine!
What a hypocrite! They are both laced
You picked it
Your wish is granted
Sire
l have spent my life scheming for Qing
lt has proved me right that Hong Hei is a judicious emperor
Yet because of it, l have wronged many
l have wronged the Kei family Lady Tungngok and the Late Sire
Everything's my fault
Empress Dowager, you have finally understood. lt's not too late
You still call me Empress Dowager you have not forgiven me
You will not forgive your grandmother?
No, l won't
l have no grievances There is nothing to forgive
Your Highness should forgive yourself
l really don't know how to run the harem
The moon shines, the wind blows The seasons come and go
Why try to alter the natural order?
Your Highness has read the sutras
When the heart is free of worries every day is a good day
You should understand what it means
You are right, Reverend
You are of royal descent You have late Sire's talent
l really hope you will stay in the palace to work for the wellbeing of the people
l won't stay
l am here to bid you farewell
How's Tuen-man doing?
She's fine
l know she doesn't like life at the palace
But if she wants, she can come back to visit us anytime
Thank you, Your Highness
l have to bid you farewell
Strange Monk, l have to go
Grandmother
Take care
My grandson, take care
Pak Ning Hall
Dor-po!
Am l glad to see you! What happened at the palace?
You know how worried l was about you?
Whatever happened, it's in the past
l have just been to the Empress Dowager's What's there to worry about me?
Did she know we are together?.
She wants you to go back She wants to make up to you
Even if she will forgive me for fleeing l still don't want to go back
You don't miss Lady Sau? You don't want to take care of her?
She has the care of Ning and Sire She can live a peaceful life
l don't have to worry about her
Let me be selfish l want to be free and be with you
We will never separate
Clay figurines!
Do you have Chiu Chi-lung?
Sorry, miss, they are sold out
What about Fa Mulan? lt's nice
She is a girl, how can she compare to Chiu Chi-lung?
She dressed up as a man to join the army for her father
She is on par with any hero
So you like Fa Mulan
What l want to say is
when your real identity is revealed not everyone can accept it
What are you talking about?
Let's go somewhere else
You're alright?
Chi-ying, actually we are...
Mistress!
Ho Yi
You Manchu slut! You covet wealth You turncoat
You killed Helmsman Cheuk l am here to avenge him!
Chi-ying...
Don't leave me
l won't leave you...
l want to be with you forever
l want to go to Shijiajiang with you to see your native place
Yes, l'll take you there
You will?
Of course
l have a wish
l want to grow old with you
But l don't think it can come true
We will grow old together till death do us part
lf l could have known you earlier
lf l were not a princess...it'd be great
Tuen-man's blood left but a stain in the palace intrigue
The blood that shed consolidated the Manchu dynasty
Hong Hei became the emperor with the longest reign in Chinese history
Empress Dowager died not long afterwards at the age of 75
She was given the title Empress Solemn
lt also marked the end of her influence in history
Lady Man-kwan, though crowned empress remains an invalid
Hong Hei's love for her has not died
He takes care of her himself from time to time
But her vacant eyes long for the horizon where the past comes back to her
Sire, you are kind indeed neither cup was poisoned
lt's just sleeping drug
He's my brother after all
Exile him and Lady Kwai-lun to Manchuria
They are never to return again Yes, Sire
Bring their son Po-tai to the palace l'll raise him up myself
He'll not take after his father
Yes, Sire!
Fook-chuen, it's windy here let's go back in
l want to stay here for a bit longer
Go back first, Man-kwan
Alright
One Year Later, Dashilan
Sheung Moon House Reopening
Folks, thank you for coming Make yourself at home
Please go in...
lt's Dor-po! Dor-po
You have become a monk?
lt's just a title What counts is the Buddha in the heart
Miss Chi-ying's death drove you to this?
Life and death only concerns the body
Learn to let go and your heart is free
Today is Sheung Moon House's reopening
ls the eight treasure duck as delicious as before?
You are now a monk Why should you care?
Are you a real monk or not?
Real is fake, fake is real what's the difference?
What about the rumor that you are a Prince? ls that true?
To Sire and the Empress Dowager it's the truth
To Prince Yue, it's not
To you two, what difference does it make?
Dor-po