The Sun Moon Society needs you
My death is worth it
lf the lmperial Guards dig into our son's past
we'll be guilty of deceiving the Emperor
His Majesty is a wise emperor. He needs young men like you to set an example
Alright, l'll go back
The Blue Feather Guards passed the test
l believe they'll remain loyal and serve Your Majesty
That proves Hans and Manchus can co-exist
l hope they'll set an example for the whole nation and unite the Hans and the Manchus
Yung-yurk, come take a look Yes, Your Majesty!
lf you have no objection, the Blue Feather Guards will take their posts
l let you make their selection
l'd love to meet them please make the arrangements
Yes, sire!
Minister Naplan and Mister Ngan are here
Send them in!
Greetings, Your Majesty!
At ease!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Your Majesty...
lf there's nothing else, l'll take my leave
Good! Take care of the Blue Feather Guards Yes, Your Majesty!
Red is eye catching, gold is dazzling
Women dress up for the men who love them
You're trying to decide which color Prince Yue likes
So what if l try so hard? All l get in return is his indifference
Why do you say that?
We've been married for 3 years we get along and respect each other
but we lack the intimacy between couples
One time when l came home
l saw him playing a matouqin but he seems to have a lot on his mind
The chord broke when he finished playing l asked him what happened
He said the matouqin is from an old friend who also taught him how to play
He wanted to say something but decided against it
Maybe he's distraught because of work
l'm afraid if this keeps up we'll eventually grow apart
You worry too much. You just gave him a son He'll love you even more!
l hope you're right
Greetings, Miladies At ease!
Thank you, Milady!
His Majesty will look at western mirrors in Yuet Sum Hall tomorrow at noon
He wants all the consorts and ladies to join him
Noted!
l'll take my leave, Milady!
You consoled me just now lt's now my turn to return the favor
Tomorrow is your perfect chance His Majesty is interested in western ideas
Try to look your best tomorrow and speak to him. l'm sure he'll be pleased
Don't let Lady Wai get the upper hand every time
Western mirrors are different from ours
Such a vivid image!
l won't believe it if l didn't see it
There are 3 of you!
lnteresting!Western ideas are truly amazing!
Why is it so incredible? Do foreigners know magic?
Not magic! Schall von Bell told me by adding a layer of mercury
the glass will become a mirror that can clearly reflect what's in front of it
You're such an erudite l can learn so much from you!
Foreign missionaries who came to China in late Ming
brought practical technology and knowledge but the Ming Emperor was too lazy
There's so much we can learn from the West
Lady Kwai-lun, you're not interested? You haven't said a word!
Your Majesty, Lady Man-kwan is not here l'm worried about her
Why is she late?
Maybe she's not interested in Western ideas She's unsociable and doesn't like crowds
That's why she didn't answer to your summon
No! She's probably sick That's why she's not here
Cheung!
Yes, Sire
Check on her! Yes, Your Majesty!
What's on the table, Your Majesty?
Perfume and rouge
Westerners use animal fat and plant extract to make skin products
Will it be more effective?
Allegedly, yes!
Westerners are willing to pay anything for it. Go ahead and try it!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Greetings, Your Majesty, miladies!
l have urgent news!
What is it? You look nervous!
The Empress Dowager is ill
She just threw a fit and banished Wo Goong Goong from the Hall of Benevolence
Why didn't you tell me sooner?
Let's go!
Your Majesty...
Grandma! Your Majesty...
At ease...Fook just told me you're not feeling well, what's wrong?
The usual!
Your migraine again?
Yes, the doctor said it comes and goes and l often get splitting headaches
l won't get well completely
What did the doctor prescribe?
Don't worry, Your Majesty
The doctor already prescribed medication and l have served it to Her Highness
She's much better now
Why did Fook said you were furious and banished Wo from here?
l didn't want to trouble you and instructed them not to tell anyone
This minion had the nerve to tell Man-kwan and made her come over right away
Wo was worried about Her Highness' condition
that's why he came to me l hope you can both forgive him
Whenever the Empress Dowager has a headache in addition to the doctor's prescription
she also needs Lady Man-kwan to give her a massage
l can't bear to see Her Highness in such pain
so l went against her wishes and notified Lady Man-kwan
When Her Highness realized you were at Yuet Sum Hall with the other consorts
enjoying the Western contraptions
if Lady Man-kwan failed to show up you're likely to be angry with her
That's why Her Highness is upset
l beg you to forgive me, Your Majesty
You did this out of loyalty Of course l forgive you
Thank you, Your Majesty Thank you, Your Highness, milady
Get up!
Thank you!
l failed to accompany you
l beg for your forgiveness, Your Majesty
l can't fault you for your filial piety
Man Kwan is really sweet
she gives me a massage when l have a headache and personally waits on me
Don't blame her
Of course not! ln fact, l feel guilty
As your grandson, l should look after you but she had to do it for me
l didn't realize Grandma is having headaches. l was too busy with state affairs
l didn't even ask after her
Don't blame yourself. You're concerned with state affairs and the welfare of the people
You take care of state affairs so Empress Dowager can enjoy her old age in peace
That's your way of showing filial piety
You certainly know how to console me
You're right, when the Manchus moved inside the Pass
Grandma worked hard for the prosperity we now enjoy
Ruling the country properly is also a way to show filial piety
l'm glad you're looking after Grandma and help reduce her pain
You flatter me, l'm just doing my duty
About the matouqin...
lt reminded me of the late Empress
l was beside myself l hope you won't hold it against me
No, l didn't know the propriety by keeping a matouqin in the Palace
and reminded you of the late Empress
lt was truly my fault!
Because you were chosen by the Empress Dowager
l've neglected you. l feel bad about that
Please don't blame yourself
lt's quite normal since you have other consorts
Don't worry, l'll come see you more often
Your virtues are exemplary in the Palace l just didn't notice before
lf Grandma's headache didn't act up l'll never learn to appreciate you
You flatter me, Your Majesty!
You were working on the Fragrant Flowers embroidery. You should be done by now
l'd like to see it
His Majesty is playing mahjong?
No, Milady
Still reviewing memorials in the study or back in his chambers?
l don't think he'll come by tonight
Why?
He's with Lady Man-kwan
How did that happen?
She didn't go to Yuet Sum Hall
because she was at the Hall of Benevolence waiting on the Empress Dowager
His Majesty complimented on her filial piety and went to her chambers afterwards
You may go! Yes, Milady!
No wonder she didn't show up
She used the Empress Dowager against me She's finally showing her true colors
How vicious of her!
The old hag always favors her Now they put on a show together
l won't sit back and do nothing l will get even!
You have a rash on your face, Milady!
How did that happen?
Look, Milady!
Can it be the perfume?
Must be! You put on a lot just now
Send for the doctor!
l'll throw it away!
Don't wear it anymore!
Wait! Send it to the lady
Why? Knowing her, she'll only return it
She'll never accept it
That's what l want!
Greetings, Milady! At ease!
Thank you, Milady!
Why are you here so early?
Because you didn't go to Yuet Sum Hall
you didn't get the perfume His Majesty gave out
Lady Wai ordered me to bring you her bottle
l don't wear any perfume. Please return to Lady Wai and thank her for me
Yes, Milday!
So unlike Lady Wai to be so nice
Since l didn't accept it no point trying to figure out her intention
l'm done with breakfast Let's get ready for the Hall of Benevolence
Yes, Milady!
Greetings, Lady Man-kwan!
Greetings, Lady Wai!
Why are you wearing a veil?
l sent you my bottle of perfume but you returned it to me
so l decided to put some on Soon afterwards, l got a rash on my face
What are you implying?
l'm telling it like it is!
Stop trying to cover it up!
You're obviously accusing Lady Man-kwan for causing the rash on your face
You said it, l didn't!
But that's what you're implying!
Hold on, maybe there's a misunderstanding
Don't be rash and hurt each other's feelings
That's what she's doing!
She's picking a fight and threatening me to watch my words
All l'm saying is despite the discomfort on my face
l wouldn't dare to second guess Lady Man-kwan's intentions
What do you mean by that?
Whether someone is out to get me the person responsible should know better
His Majesty the Emperor!
Greetings, Your Majesty!
At ease!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Lady Wai, what happened to your face?
Why are you so quiet?
Lady Kin-ching, tell me what happened!
You gave us Western perfume that day
Because Lady Man-kwan wasn't there Lady Wai gave her bottle to her
l didn't accept it and sent it back
Lady Wai claimed she got the rash after she used the perfume
Lady Kin-ching and l both used the same perfume, but nothing happened to us
That's right! We don't understand why Lady Wai ended up with a rash
lf nothing happened to Lady Kwai-lun and Lady Kin-ching
obviously someone tampered with my perfume
l'm most concerned with my appearance l can't tolerate even a tiny bug bite
l would never incriminate Lady Man-kwan by damaging my looks
l don't want to start any trouble l'll consider myself unlucky
Your Majesty, she's obviously picking on Lady Man-kwan
The timing of the incident is questionable
lt had to happen after she sent over the perfume
lt's obvious what's on her mind!
Lady Kwai-lun...
Your Majesty, they're ganging up against me!
l'm sorry to bother you, Your Majesty Please punish us
lt's my fault for causing you displeasure
lt's a trivial matter but l will not tolerate any trouble
l will investigate the cause of the rash
Cheung!
Yes, Your Majesty?
There's a slight flaw in the embroidery Take it back to King Yan Hall
Yes, Sire
Your Highness!
Kwai-lun!
Since you became a cabinet minister you're never home until 7 o'clock
l've prepared a late snack for you we can enjoy it together
Great! What's the smell?
l joined His Majesty in enjoying Western contraptions
He gave me a bottle of perfume This is rose perfume
Who'd have guessed a bottle of perfume would start trouble in the harem?
lt's so unfair for Man-kwan
What happened?
Man-kwan won His Majesty's praise for looking after the Empress Dowager
He even hung her embroidery in Yuet Sum Hall but Lady Wai became jealous
she gave Man-kwan a bottle of perfume which she returned right away
Yet Lady Wai claimed she got a rash from using the returned perfume
You mean she framed her?
Lady Wai plotted to incriminate Man-kwan
His Majesty was not pleased. He believed Man-kwan tampered with the perfume
How evil of her
The late snack is ready...
No, l'm not eating. l still have work to do l'll be in the study. Go to bed
You guard the right and left Wing Gates?
Yes, Your Highness
Did Minister Ngan bring anything unusual into the Palace for his daughter Lady Wai?
He brought exquisite jewelry
What about herbs or powder?.
Yes, fragrant oil made from Tibetan musk for her to put in the incense burner
The smell is quite refreshing
Musk can't mix with Western perfume?
Dr. Fu, if you mix musk with Western perfume will they cause a rash?
Musk can calm your nerves but mixed with incompatible ingredients
the skin may become swollen and fester
lt'll depend on the actual mixture
Are you alright? l'm fine, thanks for asking
You should leave that for the servants Why do it yourself?
l want to make it for Po-tai
What happened to your hand? ls it serious?
Nothing major, just a flesh wound
What a coincidence! We both injured our hand
We're the perfect match
Then why don't you level with me?
Did l do something wrong? You can tell me the truth
You're virtuous and capable Why would l neglect you?
lt's because l finally won His Majesty's trust and l'm busy with official business
l hope you'll forgive me
l see! l worry too much, please forgive me
Not at all...
An official came back from Tibet and gave me a bottle of Tibetan musk oil
l'll give it to you as a token of my apology
Thank you, Your Highness
lf you put some in the incense burner in addition to the fragrant smell
it can calm your nerves. You should try it
Really? l didn't know
You're friends with Lady Man-kwan and Lady Kin-ching
you should share some with them
My thoughts exactly!
How is Lady Wai?
Her pulse is normal l believe the swelling will go away soon
My skin will be back to normal?
Be patient and wait a few more days!
l have something else to report
What happened to Lady Wai also happened to Lady Kin-ching
Really? You know why?
l checked Lady Kin-ching's pulse
Her condition is identical to Lady Wai's
She told me she used the Western perfume and a Tibetan musk oil
They're not compatible?
You're absolutely right, Your Majesty!
Did you use them both?
Yes, Your Majesty
So this is the reason! We were wrong about Man-kwan!
She didn't tamper with your perfume
Luckily the swelling is not serious!
l was so worried!
Luckily the doctor said it'll go away That was a load off my mind
You'll be beautiful again soon
But l don't get it
You used the perfume too Why didn't your face get swollen?
Because His Highness doesn't like the smell l didn't wear the perfume anymore
you really should thank him for sparing you the discomfort, but l must blame him
lf he didn't give you the musk oil you wouldn't share it with me
l wouldn't suffer this underserved ill-fate
lt's not his fault!
But you ought to thank him
He proved you had nothing to do with Lady Wai's rash
His Majesty is not upset with you anymore
ln a way, he did me a favor
Kwai-lun...are you alright?
l'm fine. Now we know the truth, Sire will know you were framed you'll make up soon
lt's enough for him to know l'm innocent
You'll make up with His Majesty Lady Kwai-lun and Prince Yue exchange gifts
Only l'm all by my lonesome
Prince Kung will be back from Mongolia soon
You can show him your embroidery of the desert. l'm sure he'll like it
Are you finished with the sketch?
Yes, long time ago
You have such exceptional craftsmanship!
You must finish this properly
Too bad l don't have your skill l'll only waste your sketch
Why don't you finish it for me?
So you can enjoy the fruits of her labor?
lt's the thought that counts
Prince Kung will appreciate the effort behind this embroidery
l guess l'll finish it myself!
Remember, you must be honest with each other
How's your hand, Your Highness? Shall l help you?
lt's alright, nothing major
You just came back?
Yes, l was with Lady Kin-ching and Man Kwan
Lady Kin-ching had the same swelling as Lady Wai
Really?
According to the doctor the swelling is from your Tibetan musk
You told me to share it
Lady Kin-ching also wore perfume Mixing them will cause a rash
Must be tough for Lady Kin-ching
She suffered an uncalled for ill turn but someone else benefited from the situation
Guess who it is?
Who?
Lady Man-kwan
Now that His Majesty knew the cause
he won't suspect her of tampering with the perfume
She ought to be grateful to you
For what?
Clearing Lady Man-kwan was incidental l feel bad about Lady Kin-ching's discomfort
l must head back to camp
l'll be home late! Yes, Your Highness!
There is something between you two! l just didn't know about it
Greetings, Your Highness!
At ease!
Thank you, Your Highness!
l know you'll complete your training soon l came to take a look!
Stop!
Master Po Chai!
Greetings, Your Highness! At ease!
Thank you, Your Highness!
Prince Yue wanted to test you and arranged for the attack
Now l can fully appreciate the lmperial Guard's loyalty
wisdom, kindness and courage
Thanks to Po Chai's leadership
the strict training of the instructors and the Blue Feather Guards' resourcefulness
You'll meet His Majesty tomorrow as well as other court officials
You must do your best Don't disappoint His Majesty
Yes, Your Highness!
Greetings, Your Majesty
Long live Your Majesty...
At ease!
Thank you, Your Majesty
l see you're highly disciplined
How many of you are Han Chinese?
Nip Dor-po, Lee Kai-cheung and Muk Fung
You may raise your heads
Good! Men of striking appearance
Thank you, Your Majesty
lmperial Guards are your personal guards You allowed Han Chinese to take the position
naturally they're the cream of the crop so as not to disappoint you
Feel free to assess them, Your Majesty
Of course, Hans and Manchus alike will be tested
lf assassins broke into the Palace what would you do?
We are well trained in formation we can definitely protect Your Majesty
What if the assassins outnumber you?
We're prepared to guard your life with ours, placing our bodies before the blade
Your Majesty is most fortunate to have such allegiance
Yi Ho is from the Eight Banners, Sire
lt won't be necessary, Your Majesty
Why do you say that?
The Forbidden City is protected by sturdy walls
Only the Meridian Gate, Gate of Divine Might
East and West Wah Gates have outside access
but they are all heavily guarded
The city is surrounded by a moat with sentries located all over the city
There are sentinels on patrol in the tower gates and soldiers posted underneath
with 2 sentry posts in every 10 yards
We are on duty within the lmperial Palace day and night
Not even a fly can get inside let alone assassins
l'd expect Po Chai to say that
l'm surprised a Blue Feather Guard knows so much
Your Majesty, thanks to Master Po Chai who impressed upon us
Even Blue Feather Guards must know the security system inside out
and be meticulous about every detail in order to do our job
You're Nip Dor-po?
Yes, Your Majesty!
Po Chai, these Blue Feather Guards are truly the best of the best. Good job!
Thank you, Your Majesty! The credit goes to Prince Yue
Your Majesty has great insight and admitted Hans for the job
Though this is a precedent its advantage is quite obvious
Having Hans and Manchus under one roof is fortunate for Qing
That's my wish
Now that it has become exemplary you certainly deserve all the credit
Greetings, Your Majesty!
At ease! Thank you, Your Majesty!
We now enjoy prosperity and harmony between Hans and Manchus
Thank you for carrying out the policies
l am very pleased. l hope this policy will persevere. Any new suggestions?
Ngan Yuk-ming, uniting the Hans and Manchus
Prince Yue was involved Go ahead and make other suggestions
l urge you to allow Han soldiers to guard the border
alongside the Eight Banners soldiers just like with the lmperial Guards
Definitely not, Your Majesty!
Han soldiers are mostly Ming soldiers with questionable backgrounds
They're likely to remain attached to the previous regime
lf you allow them to guard the border it'll be hard to control them if they revolt
Please reconsider, Your Majesty!
What do you think, Prince Yue?
Uniting the Hans and Manchus is an ongoing policy
The lmperial Guards is a much smaller group
than the Han soldiers
To post them on the border with Manchu soldiers is quite a big issue
We should give it more thoughts
You have a point!
Minister Naplan has always been prejudiced against Hans
This is a known fact,just like the dismissal of prefectural magistrate of Yangzhou
Ho Sai-wing has yet to be reversed
Please note, Your Majesty l put Hasa Neipo on the case
Ho Sai-wing is not what he claims to be
He ganged up with his cohorts on illegal activities
covered up for the misconduct of corrupted Han officials
and fabricated a charge against his superior officer
Lung Bi Tai never favored Manchus over Hans
l sent Yung-yurk to Yangzhou to conduct an investigation
Yung-yurk, tell them what you found out
Yes, Your Majesty!
Ho Sai-wing was faithfully carrying out His Majesty's policies to pacify the people
Lung Bi Tai refused to hand over the land he seized illegally from the Hans
and accused Magistrate Ho and other Han officials of dereliction of duty
and eventually dismissed them all
Lung Bi Tai told me it wasn't the case
Lung Bi Tai and Hasa Neipo are your proteges
You should not believe them so easily and not conduct a full investigation
and ignored the outcries from the local Hans
Yung-yurk is your son. l doubt if he would incriminate you with a fabricated story
Your Majesty, l was a fool to believe Lung Bi Tai
Please punish me!
Lung Bi Tai deceived Minister Naplan he had no intention to hide anything
Please go easy on him!
How can a Grand Secretary be such a fool? l'll dock your pay for 6 months
Ngan Yuk-ming will take your place as Chief Examiner at the next state exam
Yes, Your Majesty!
Get up!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Ngan Yuk-ming
Putting you in charge of the Kangxi Dictionary is an enormous work load for you
Can you manage being the Chief Examiner?
l will do my best to complete both tasks so as not to disappoint Your Majesty!
l'm glad to hear that
Mingchu, l'm putting you in charge of the investigation on Lung Bi Tai
You must be very careful Don't count on someone else to do your job
As you wish, Your Majesty
Minister Naplan, your son certainly plays by the book. You should be very proud of him
You bet! At least he earned his job with his own ability
unlike you who relied on your daughter to back you up
How else can you earn His Majesty's trust in a few years' time?
lt's my daughter's good fortune
l won't stoop to your level and bicker with you, goodbye...
Old bastard!
Father!
You still remember l'm your father?
l can't lie to His Majesty
He has bestowed his benevolence on our our family, l must do my job in return
You colluded with an outsider Where does that leave me?
Don't be upset!
Your Highness...
Your son has his orders l'm just doing my job...l should go
The Qing Dynasty belongs to the Manchus
As a Han, Ngan Yuk-ming has no right to be so cocky
Only because His Majesty dotes on his daughter
None of the Han officials can measure up to your achievements
l'm grateful for your understanding
Ngan Yuk-ming is a cocky bastard l will take care of him someday!