l want to see His Majesty
That's outrageous!
He wants to complain about me!
Fook-chuen would rather die than implicate you
Something petty in exchange for exoneration
You're not a monk, you're a fraud!
Not an ordinary fraud but a kung fu expert
Hurting others is hurting yourself You're not well at heart
You're hung up on something
You should take some medication
A prescription in your hand for the mountain in your heart
Time will take its course
What's with the crazy monk?
Monk? He's a kung fu expert
What he said made sense
Don't mind him, get back in line for the medication
This way...
Kei To-ting's grave
My son is gone! l was hiding under the bridge
We were discovered and l lured them away
But l didn't have time to bring the baby
The tide was in maybe the baby was washed downstream
Amitabha! He's still alive!
Please help me find my son and keep my lineage
Don't worry, Master Kei l'll find your son, wherever he is
l've been everywhere these past 20 years
l have yet to find your son and grandson
But l believe Buddha is merciful l'm certain l'll find them someday
A prescription in your hand for the mountain in your heart
Time will take its course
Don't pay attention to that crazy monk
He's an enlightened monk
He said there's a mountain in your heart that must be a treasure
it can support you for the rest of your life
You mean Sheung Moon House?
Even Hei understands
Think no more, help me run the restaurant. Forget about being a guard
A guard!
The lmperial Guard wants to talk to you
What has my son done now?
Are you Nip Dor-po? Yes!
This is addressed to you
Report to camp for training before the deadline
Goodbye! Thank you!
They let you train for an lmperial Guard?
First they checked up on you now you're accepted for training
Something's fishy! ls this a conspiracy?
The monk was right Time will take its course!
Dor-po! What?
You offended them before Will they pick on you?
Of course not! l got what l deserved
Like l always say Heaven is watching us
Someone must have found it out
This is what l call justice l can finally become an lmperial Guard!
See if my robe is too big
A little bit
Please take it off and l'll fix it
Your Highness...
What?
You seem distracted, you can talk to me You're imagining things
You have gained His Majesty's trust but you don't seem too happy
Grandmother still won't see me
l wonder if she's upset about my appointment
She's in a retreat She's not seeing anyone
Empress Dowager, your meal is ready
You?!
Don't be angry, Grandmother
l had no choice but dress up as an eunuch
and entered the Hall of Benevolence without being announced
How dare you collude with Fook-chuen to deceive me!
Please don't doubt my loyalty
l took such liberty because l don't want to see you at odds with Prince Yue
l begged him repeatedly
Wo Goong Goong helped me on account of my filial piety
Please don't blame him
l only wish to pray in peace
Why must you go against my wishes?
Alright! What do you want?
Get out, all of you! Don't let anyone in or out
l'll settle with Prince Yue once and for all
l didn't mean to offend you
Since the lmperial Guard incident l didn't get a chance to see you
l only wish to explain the situation
lt turned out as you expected
You forced me to admit to His Majesty
that l was meddling
Though His Majesty didn't blame me he's likely to hold a grudge
l never said anything against you to His Majesty
lf l did, l'd be struck by thunder
Quit your act!
ls that what you think of me?
l know you never liked me
That's why you won't let me hold any office
l can't be resolved to lay about and do nothing for over 10 years
l feel like such a loafer
As a Qing descendent l can't even serve my country
You finally speak your mind
l was disrespectful towards you before
l turned the lmperial Guard incident against you
so His Majesty will lose his trust in you and rely on me instead
but l know you did this for His Sire's own good and for the sake of Qing
l was being selfish l'm so ashamed of myself
l made a lot of mistakes, Grandmother
l know l can't compare with His Majesty and will never be your favorite
but my parents died when l was young you're the closest family l have
l'm your grandson too
l'd love to win your love
l hope you can forgive me for my mistakes in the past
His Majesty has finally appointed me as one of his cabinet ministers
l can finally serve my country in over 1 0 years
lf you think l'm not truly remorseful and you still doubt my intentions
l can tender my resignation settle down outside the Pass
and never interfere in court matters again
l don't hate you, Grandmother
l only wish that you'll remember you have this grandson
Your father loved to read Vajra Sutra
There's this saying inside that asks you to let go of your ill feelings
l asked myself these last few days Have l been too harsh on you?
Was l being prejudiced?
l have my answer now You're my good grandson!
Grandmother!
Fook-chuen used family ties to appeal to Hau Zhong
and she's slowly falling into his trap
Sir, all the lmperial Guards are outside to welcome Prince Yue
Ha Sin, you're always so efficient
l have nothing to worry about
You flatter me, sir!
Ha Sin's cousin is Prince Yue's wife
Now that Prince Yue is in charge of the lmperial Guards
Ha Sin must personally take care of things
Looks like we need his help to put in a good word for us with Prince Yue
Please don't say that
We're all working for the Court
as long as we do our best to serve him
Prince Yue will be fair and go by the book
Po Chai, Commander of the lmperial Guards
Ha Sin, lmperial Guard First Rank
Hin Sing, lmperial Guard Captain
Tai Shek, lmperial Guard First Rank
Greetings, Prince Yue... At ease!
Thank you, Your Highness
The lmperial Guards are exceptionally disciplined
Thank you, Your Highness
Shall l take you on a tour?
Good!
The Forbidden City is solemn and expansive
guarded by high walls on 4 sides with a 10 mile long moat
The lmperial Palace is heavily guarded by the lmperial Guards
with a headquarter at the center
The camp is divided into east and west wing
We're currently in the east wing which is the rest area and dispatch center
The west wing is for recruitment training and armory
This map shows the details of all the exits and entrances
of the Forbidden City and each Palace
How impressive!
lt is our duty to protect His Majesty and guard the lmperial Palace
Each guard must know the Palace inside out
Their duty is to make daily rounds guard the main gates and all 1 2 palaces
Each gate is under a relay system passing around 8 red staves each night
The staves are kept at Kuet Yau Gate
A stave is passed out every 2 hours until they're all returned
All the gates will be locked up after dark
The key is passed to the key master and returned the next day
On top of me, Hin Sing, Ha Sin and Tai Shek
there are 1 50 lmperial Guards Second Rank
270 Third Rank and 90 Blue Feather Guards
The newly recruited Blue Feather Guards
are already in training in the camp?
They report to camp on the 1st
l'm newly appointed l rely on your help
Run the camp the way you used to
l hope you'll do your best to assist me in running the camp
and won't let His Majesty down
We'll do our best...
l'm glad to hear that
l came in a hurry and was unprepared
l only ordered the lmperial Kitchen
to host a banquet in the camp for all the guards
As you wish, sir!
Thank you, Your Highness
On Wing, run along l want to take a look around
Yes, Your Highness
Watch your step, sir!
As a cabinet minister in charge of the security of the Forbidden City
Fook-chuen took the first step towards his ambition
Greetings, Your Highness!
At ease! Thank you, Your Highness!
You broke the matouqin. How careless!
l'm so sorry...
Forget it, it's ominous anyway lt got Her Highness in trouble
l'm glad it's broken or it'll bring bad luck to the royal family
Just throw it away
Such a shame to toss something so exquisitely made
Greetings, Your Highness
l haven't seen one of these in a long time
l brought this for the lmperial Consort
hoping she can teach me how to play it but it got her in trouble
l just saw her over there You did?
Greetings, Prince Yue
You're the lmperial Consort l should salute you
You're His Majesty's older brother l should salute you
l wouldn't dare!
l should congratulate you for becoming a cabinet minister
You knew?
The Palace may be a big place but it's still a small circle
You came out of retirement that's good news
Out of retirement...
Yes, l've nothing much to do in a while
Now that l've secured an appointment l'm worried l'll let His Majesty down
How's your health?
Not bad!
l just saw Kin-ching Her maid dropped and broke her matouqin
She wanted to throw it away
lt's broken?
What a shame!
She said it's an ominous object His Majesty neglected you because of it
You heard?
Kwai-lun told me
The harem looks peaceful but it's full of hidden danger
You must be very careful
You worry too much, Your Highness
Don't worry yourself over something trivial
The matouqin is broken l doubt if l'd touch another one
lt's water under the bridge
l'm not feeling well l should head back
Excuse me...
Why? l met her first Yuen Yip took her from me
Your Highness...
You're back! l thought you went out
l just got back
Where did you get the matouqin? l didn't know you could play it
lt was a gift from a dear friend who taught me how to play it
lt was a long time ago, l almost forgot
This is a Mongolian fiddle lt's very hard to learn
You never mentioned this friend before l told you it was a long time ago
l'm sure my friend doesn't remember how to play it
Nip Dor-po is so lucky
His Majesty maybe benevolent lt'll still depend on his own ability
Keep an eye on him He may have been admitted
but it doesn't mean he'll become an lmperial Guard
The lmperial Guards are the Emperor's personal guards
Their duty is to guard the lmperial Palace
and protect His Majesty and the royal family. This is very important
Understand? Yes, sir!
lmperial Guards are courageous men
Cowards are not tolerated
Even if you're admitted it doesn't mean
you can become a Blue Feather Guard
You're subjected to harsh training
Anyone who doesn't make the cut must leave
We're all members of the camp
Whatever happened before... let's start with a clean slate
Getting admitted is no big deal
Let me tell you. l'll definitely become a Blue Feather Guard
l'll shut you up once and for all
Alright...we'll see about that
l don't get it
You're from Han descent but you behave like a Manchu
That depends on the kind of Han you are
We're definitely different from you...
What do you want?
My name is Yan Chak, l'm a Manchu but l don't mind being friends with you
As an lmperial Guard you must be level headed
loyal, wise, kind and courageous or else you're only a fool who can fight
You must pledge your allegiance to His Majesty and the Court
Right or wrong you must obey your orders
even if it means killing yourself
Your duty is to protect this young prince
Escort him to the monastery 1 0 miles away
Do your best to complete your mission
Watch out!
We're out numbered!
We can't hold them off much longer
What should we do?
Stay calm and bide your chance
l can't wait any longer!
Stop!
Let's go!
That's the bell from the monastery!
When you hear the bell, open the pouch and follow your instructions
Kill Nip Dor-po
Follow your instructions and kill Nip Dor-po
What are you doing?
We have our orders! Kill him!
l'll help you!
Stop fighting!
Are you crazy? Why do you want to kill me?
We have our orders!
Just you?
l don't know about them My instruction is to kill Nip Dor-po
Me too! Me too!
Me too! That's 5 to 1 ...lt can't be!
Forget it, you can't kill me
Let's carry on the mission and escort the prince to the monastery
Your Highness...
You feel alright?
No...l can't take it
l'll carry you
Only you completed the mission
You completed your mission despite the lurking dangers
l don't understand Why were they ordered to kill me?
lf you can't even protect yourself you can't possibly protect the Emperor
As an lmperial Guard, you must be loyal, wise, kind and courageous
when they received their orders to kill you
they must try their best to carry out the order
They did nothing wrong
What if they succeed?
That proves you're not qualified to be an lmperial Guard
lf they beat you, you can't complain
But you handled it well even when your partners turned against you
you didn't flinch in face of danger that proves you're level headed
Even just now at the cliff you observed discipline resolutely
All 5 of you passed 5 of us?
Yan Chak didn't make the cut
He had his orders to kill Nip Dor-po he disobeyed his order and helped him
l had no choice, if l didn't they would have killed him
Don't bother to explain
whether Nip Dor-po lives or dies is not your concern
the key is to carry out your order
Sir, Yan Chak only wanted to help me
You said an lmperial Guard must be loyal, wise, kind and courageous
He didn't abandon his partner when he's in danger
that proves he's loyal and kind
You have a point
But it's wrong to disobey an order he must be punished
Yan Chak, run laps for 4 hours Everyone else passed
Dor-po... We're in this together!
Nip Dor-po!
Sorry, l didn't mean it! No? You're trying to get even!
So what if l am?
Nip Dor-po!
Sir, they...
l saw you tried to hit Yi Ho
l did not!
l'm your commanding officer l have the final say
You helped Yan Chak when l punished him
Here's your chance to prove your loyalty
Fetch 4 more buckets of water Keep running for another 4 hours!
You've been picking on me since the recruitment. This is not fair!
You defied a direct order You'll clean the armory tomorrow
Forget it, Dor-po You'll only get a heavier penalty
Greetings, Your Highness! At ease!
Thank you, Your Highness!
l know the new recruits are in training, that's why l came to see you
Fuca Yi Ho, Bordered White Banner family from Hadanara
born in 1662 in Zhejiang
Your father is a director of the Ministry of Public Works
l'm sorry, Sir!
What's wrong, Your Highness?
That day at Dashilan
l ran into a bullying Manchu kid and l punished him slightly
Your behavior is not fit to be an lmperial Guard
but on account of your young age and ignorance
l'll give you another chance
lf you do it again, you'll be punished severely
Yes, sir!
l will toe the line from now on
At ease! Thank you, Your Highness!
What's your name? Muk Fung!
Muk Fung, a Han from Shandong
born in Beijing in 1663 currently living in Sanlitun
Ngai Chun, sir!
Ngai Chun, of Mongol descent born in Mongolia in 1662
Your father is a Han Chinese adopted by Abo Neichat
You know them all!
They're the Emperor's personal guards They're like family to me
What about Nip Dor-po and Yan Chak?
They're being punished for their mistakes
You wish to see them?
No, l'll meet them later
You're the best of the best
l trust you will all do your best to pass the test and serve His Majesty
Yes, Sir!
You may go
l'm sorry to get you into this
Come what may, we're in this together
What a pity! You're still shinning the blades?
What do you want?
Prince Yue was here and brought food and wine for us
Why didn't we get to meet him?
Because you're being punished You have no right to meet him!
Keep cleaning those blades We'll go see the Prince
l'll leave you to your business!
We blew our chance to meet the Prince
So what? We're still being punished anyway
We'll get a blast tonight!
Thank you, Your Highness...
Drink up... Bottoms up...
Drink up on this joyous occasion...
Good...what a drinker!
Ngai Chun!
Your Highness?
l brought a jar of kumis but nobody seems to appreciate it
l know you're a Mongol, a toast to you...
Thank you
God wine! This kind of black kumis is the best
l spent years in Mongolia
l know the first thing Mongols do is to drink kumis
Kumis is milky like white jade and slightly sour
Mongols can go 3 days without food but can't last a day without kumis
Yes, on top of kumis there are other delicacies
for example this finger mutton
We only eat finger mutton on White Festival
The White Festival is the most important festival for Mongols
like the Lunar New Year for the Hans
You're so knowledgeable about our customs
Legend has it, deep in the Gobi Desert
there's a bright red double-headed snake
whoever comes across it must kill it or it'll bring bad luck, is that true?
l saw one when l was 8 My father told me to kill it
So it's true! Now l know the truth!
Drink up...a toast to all of you!
Atoast to Prince Yue...
You're a Mongol, right? Yes!
Have you heard of a double- headed snake in the desert?
No! Why do you ask?
We did a background check on all the recruits
You seemed interested in Ngai Chun ls there a problem?
l don't know yet!
Fetch him for me l wish to question him
But do it discreetly, don't alarm him
Ngai Chun!
Dor-po!
What's your hurry?
l got a letter from home my grandfather is sick
l must see him before he dies
Really? But you need permission to leave!
l know...but l must go Don't tell anyone you saw me
Take care!
Ngai Chun...
Get out of the way!
Pardon my ignorance, sir Why do you suspect Ngai Chun?
He claims to have lived in the desert
and behaves like a Mongol
but l noticed he stepped on the threshold when he left
Mongols consider that bad luck
That's why they're very careful about it, but Ngai Chun overlooked it
l see...you're wise indeed, sir!
l made up a double-headed snake yet he went along with it
that's why l suspect him
He lied about his identity He must be after something
l'm worried he has collaborators within the camp
so l told you not to turn a hair and conduct a discreet investigation
but you let him get away
l will apprehend him soon
Find out who he is
Check up on everyone in the Capital who was in touch with him
Do a background check on the other recruits
to ensure he has no collaborators
Yes, sir!
Dispatch all men to apprehend Ngai Chun
Yes, sir!
Prince Yue is new on the job
Will he tell His Majesty and take credit?
He's new, but he can't shirk his responsibility
He won't say anything until we catch Ngai Chun
When we went after Ngai Chun Nip Dor-po got in the way our purpose
l suspect he's Ngai Chun's accomplice
Again? He's so nosy! Check him out!
Why did you bring me here?
Nip Dor-po, what's your relationship with Ngai Chun?
Take him away! Yes, sir!
Who is Ngai Chun?
What's your relationship with him?
l met him at camp l don't know who he is
Stop quibbling!
lf you're not related to him
Why did you stop me from catching him?
l told you l dropped the weapons by mistake
Really? You helped him get away!
You should have done a thorough background check
l don't know who he is
You're using this as an excuse to get back at me
Looks like l must resort to torture
before you'll tell the truth
Tai Shek!
Master Ha Sin, Tai Shek is picking on me
l want to see Commander Po Chai!
You can't see him anytime you want
Tai Shek is in charge
but Commander Po Chai wants you to go easy on him
We have brought in his parents
What do you want with them?
We suspect your identity that's why we must interrogate your parents
What happened to my son? ls he in trouble already?
What happened? Can you tell me?
Me and my wife left Jinan when we reached Shijiazhuang
my wife went into labor
Luckily a village girl passed by and she helped deliver my baby
After Nip Dor-po was born
why didn't you stay in Jinan and stayed at Shijianzhuang?
Why wait 3 years to move to Beijing?
l'm embarrassed to say
l ran my business to the ground and got hooked on gambling
My husband was heavily in debt l can't possibly tell everyone about it
We didn't want our son to know
Nip Dor-po denied any contact with Ngai Chun
We interrogated his parents separately Their stories seem to fit
Sir, no doubt their stories are in sync
but that's more reason for us to suspect them
Why is that?
When we first questioned his father he seemed uneasy, which was normal
Civilians tend to be nervous in front of a government official
But when we asked about Nip Dor-po's birth
he answered each question with ease
l cross-checked his wife's version and it's identical to his, word for word
obviously it's not incidental
l suspect they fixed their story
Good point!