907 AD, China
the once mighty empire of the Tang Dynasty
has fallen into ruin
Rebellion has spread across the land
and its insurgents
have proclaimed their own kingdoms
This is the period known as
the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms"
It was an era plagued by widespread turmoil
treachery amongst government officials
and a bitter struggle for power
winthin the imperial family
Against this backdrop
our story begins
What blessed night is this?
Drifting down the River Qian
What auspicious day is this?
Dreaming beside my prince
A tender affection has blossomed between
the maiden Little Wan and young Prince Wu Luan
but his father, the Emperor, marries Little Wan himself
Desperate, Prince Wu Luan disappears
into the Southern heartlands
seeking solace in the art of music and dance
Three years later
Prince Wu Luan's uncle has killed his brother, the Emperor
and usurped the throne and the Empress
Empress Wan secretly sends her messengers
to warn Prince Wu Luan of the assassination and urge his return
But she is unaware
the new Emperor has already dispatched assassins
to prevent Prince Wu Luan's return
Trees live on mountains and branches live on trees
My heart lives for your heart
but you do not see me..
From her Majesty the Empress
to Prince Wu Luan
Our country has suffered a great loss
Your father, the Emperor, has passed away
Your uncle has usurped the throne
Return at once on receipt of this
Father..
This helmet does not sit well on you
To call Your Emperor "you" is not appropriate
The correct address is "Your Majesty"
It is hard for me to adapt so quickly
Brother-in-law
Indeed this is not a good fit
I shall have a new one made
The kingdom shall not wait
Seal the door
Sister in law
The correct address is "Empress"
Your brother should not have trusted you
The death of the late Emperor
had nothing to do with me
Is the Crown Prince still alive?
Sister in law seems very concerned
I am his step mother after all
He is 4 years older than you are
Brother-in-law is familiar with the way I remove my make-up
Not just your make up
but also the way you enter your bath
Will brother in law let the Prince go free?
Will you let my hand go free?
This theater is under the Crown Prince's protection
Stay your swords now
Your servant Qing bows before Your Majesty
Your Majesty
Is this the red you had chosen?
Hang it up
This material
was originally intended
for your wedding to the Prince
However
it is now used in my coronation
Why did you run all the way here?
When I was summoned to the inner court
I thought perhaps the Prince had returned
I was just about to ask you
Have you not heard from the Prince?
He never writes to me
Then how do you communicate?
Through dreams
I dream of him every night
And we talk to each other
Did you dream of him last night?
Yes
What did he say to you?
He told me not to eat too much sweets
But then he also said
young girls tend to like sweet things
it is not really a bad habit
I also used to like sweet things
Brother in law really knows how to please a woman
How do I compare with my brother?
The late Emperor was a wise and valiant man
You mean to say
he was not very adept at pleasing you
No..
When he was willing
he could be exceptionally virile
But he was not often willing
Am I right?
The tug between power and love
has tormented past emperors for centuries
You do not seem to be tormented
Before tonight everything was simple
I cared only for my kingdom
But after tonight
when there is you, sister in law
what need do I have of a kingdom?
You certainly know how to flatter a woman
I speak from the heart
Why don't you give away the throne
so we can retire to the woods and live like hermits?
What do you think?
Sister in law
do you want me killed?
I was only teasing
If it is my life that you want
you can have it
You can have everything that is mine
Your Highness
My father..
How did he die?
They say that
while he was taking his afternoon nap
he was stung by a scorpion
There are scorpions in the palace?
They say you can find everything in the palace
Who are "they"?
The people who live there
Including her?
She is about to be crowned Empress again
By whom?
Your uncle
the new Emperor
Wu Luan
Yes
You worried me to death
Empress Mother
You sound a little hoarse
Why are you wearing such a strange mask
and a battered old sword case?
What has happened to you?
This is a question
I should be asking you
What have you heard?
Did I come back
to grieve for my father
or to congratulate my step mother?
Do not use such a cruel tone of voice
against a helpless woman
I have sacrificed more than enough
for you and your father
But
my father's spirit
still wanders restlessly outside the palace gate
Empress Mother
Look into my eyes and tell me
Did my father
really die
from the sting of a scorpion?
Wu Luan
The pain in your eyes
breaks my heart
Don't ask so many questions
Don't think too much
Promise me?
The best way to soothe your father's spirit
is to make sure we are both safe
Especially you
Your Majesty
Forgive me
My shabby clothes
have soiled the Empress' bathrobe
Show me what is inside your sword case
The sword of the Yue Maiden
best suited to close combat
I only use it for paper cutting now
When your father first taught us swordplay
you were always the better pupil
Is this your work?
These are the words of a song from Yue
Can you sing it for me?
It is about a Prince sailing down a stream
and the rowing girl falls in love with him
She sings this song
So it is a love song
No
It is a song about loneliness
You can sing to your young friend Qing
She would not understand
No one can really understand another person
If we did
we would not feel so lonely
When your father allowed you to pursue the arts
I was against the idea
To me, a man should not be
a lonely musician
a product of warm hills and soft streams
A proper man is a prince
who rules over his kingdom
with strength and courage
That is only your idea of a man, Empress Mother
But you have responsibilities
They're bestowed upon you by the heavens above
passed on to you by your ancestors
expected of you by your people
Hasn't my uncle assumed these responsibilities in me?
He..
His Majesty has commanded me to greet you here
You have allowed the Prince to slip away
insulting His Majesty with your incompetence
What do you suggest you should do?
We shall offer up our lives as penance
Very good
Your families will be spared
We thank his gracious Majesty for his lenience
Clean the bridge
This palace is falling to ruin
The late Emperor was a thrifty man
but I am not going to suffer the way he did
Pave the ceiling
with flowers in gold leaf
Yes, Your Majesty
May I enquire
should the central pillar be painted in vermilion
or ink black?
Vermilion is the color of blood
and gold represents glory
Which glorious dynasty
has not been forged with blood?
Minister Yin
Your Majesty
I envy you
for having such a personable and astute son
gifted in both cultural and military affairs
Unlike my nephew
your Crown Prince
who only knows to sing and dance
If Your Majesty does not like the snow leopard carving
it can be replaced at once
I like it
When it snows
this creature stays inside the cave to groom his fur
When the sun comes out, it emerges shiny and sleek
it knows about changing with the weather
This is a clever beast
May your servant suggest that
a tiger would be even more appropriate
According to the Book of Change
a great man descends from a tiger
a gentleman from a leopard
Your majesty is a great man
The tiger has an appropriate air of majesty
Governor Pei Hong of You Province
Your Majesty
Why are you silent?
I was thinking, perhaps
this snow leopard should be gifted to Minister Yin
Why is that?
Because he too knows how to change with the weather
Governor Pei's suggestion is excellent
We shall bestow on Minister Yin this beautiful carving
My deepest gratitude to Your Majesty
As for a replacement..
let it be a tiger then
Better still, carve a flying dragon
Long live Your Majesty the Empress
Your servant Pei Hong
bows before the Empress Dowager
Governor Pei greeted the Empress as Empress Dowager
Did you all hear that?
Yes
What does this signify?
Nobody dares speak?
Then let me explain
The late Emperor has ascended to the heavens
if the Crown Prince succeeds the throne
the Empress will become the Empress Dowager
Thus, I am the usurper
Have we understood you correctly, Governor Pei?
No wonder you are a respected scholar
With three words
you have rearranged the hierarchy of the court
According to our ancestral customs
the Emperor kneels to the Empress Dowager as a son to his mother
But the Empress kneels to the Emperor as a wife to her husband
Are you the Empress Dowager?
Or the Empress?
Should I kneel?
Or should you?
Please advise us
Which is the correct procedure?
Your humble consort kneels before Your Majesty
Your Majesty
Late Emperor
did your spirit in heaven
witness this vile exchange?
General Yin
Your Majesty
The province of You is now yours to govern
I am your servant, Your Majesty
lmperial Guards
Your Majesty
Pei Hong is condemned to be beaten to death
and his entire clan executed
At once, Your Majesty
What was it that you said we should carve?
A flying dragon
Let it be a dragon and a phoenix
This is too brutal
They say that Pei Hong himself invented this form of punishment
for the late Emperor's use
Pei Hong is dying because of me
If you have any regrets
I can pardon him at once
No pardon
I am grateful to you
You don't have to be
Did you help the late Emperor in this same way?
No
Then why are you being so generous with me?
You give me what the late Emperor could never give
Lord Chamberlain
Present
I hereby proclaim
the Empress coronation will take place
on the fifteenth day of this month
Your Majesty
the traitor Pei Hong is dead
He has returned
He is not a threat to you
But you said that the people anticipate his succession
Yin Sun
What do you think you're doing?
This gift from the Emperor
is an insult to father
It may be an insult
but more than that, it is a test
If your father had not been able to withstand
a little humiliation from time to time
he would never have reached his present rank
or been trusted by three successive emperors
What worries me is your little sister
She is far too innocent
I cannot get the eyes of the phoenix right
lmagine the eyes of Empress Wan
The Empress' eyes are
sometimes soft and charming
and sometimes frightening
A phoenix with a steady gaze
is what would please the Empress most
The coronation is only two days away
I fear this will not be ready in time
From now on
it is best if you stopped seeing the Prince
Why?
When the late Emperor was alive
this match was our family's blessing
Now that he is gone
I fear it may be our downfall
My heart will never change
Make it change
Learn from the Empress
Who cares about losing a kingdom
when in the presence of such rare beauty?
You can hardly be more secure on your throne
I can't ruin you anyway
Qing, why don't you leave us
Yes, Your Majesty
In the heart of hearts, do you not trust me?
The person I do not trust is my dear nephew
I wonder how his rehearsal for the coronation is going
Your Majesty
this rehearsal
adheres to the usual rules
only wooden swords are employed
Please examine the weapons, Your Highness
Thank you
We have heard that Your Highness is an expert swordsman
Mere childish endeavours
I have not practiced in years
It is the Emperor's wish
that our performance at the coronation
should impress the entire court
Swordplay is always impressive
and performance is my specialty
In that case, please begin, Your Highness
I am dead
You really meant to kill him
We would not dare
He said he is dead
What does the Empress think he died of?
He..
mistook a deadly combat for a show
Precisely
And I thoroughly enjoyed the show
How did you manage to lose so badly today?
Did you think I lost?
I hope that you will do better
at my coronation
Why do you wear a mask when you perform?
It transports an actor to the highest state of his art
Without a mask
happiness, anger, sorrow and joy
are simply written on his face
But with a mask
a great artist can convey to the audience
the most complex and hidden emotions
In that case, what do you see on my simple face?
Six parts arrogance, three parts disquiet
and one part guilt towards your late husband
You are wrong
It is disappointment.. disappointment in you
I no longer look to you to fulfill my dreams
I can only pray to the heavens to have mercy
and protect us both
You are incapable of even the most basic play acting
Your sorrow, anger, bitterness and uncertainty
are there for all to see
You permit danger to follow you everywhere
You think hiding behind a mask can elevate your art?
The highest level is to use your own face
and turn it into a mask
You are here
Yes
This is what you asked for
Do not smell it
The poison
is a thousand times deadlier than arsenic
If I can't smell it
how do I use it?
You blow it into the ear with a quill
What is it made of?
Why is it so poisonous?
It's made of Erysipelas from the Northeast
ground together with
black scorpions of the Northwest
So nothing is more poisonous?
No
What can be more lethal than this?
The human heart
There aren't any..
Any what?
There aren't any scorpions in the palace
I hear you brought back a song
I heard it from the Empress..
Trees live on mountains and branches live on trees
My heart lives for your heart but you do not see me
How pitiful..
Who?
The boat girl
She loves him
but he does not see her
No
You are talking about me
You think I'm pitiful
She pities me too
Both of you
use my suffering
to lure me into your embrace
Is that not the case?
No
Admit it
No
I am not her
You are her
I am not her
You are her
I am not her
You are her
The coronation ceremony
of Her Majesty the Empress Wan
will now commence