You dreamt of a viburnum flower plant with vines,
could it be prophetic too?
So what if it is.
I'm the son of heaven, nothing can affect me.
This dream is different from late Sire's.
He dreamt of 18 kids,
but I was in a strange setting.
Sire, don't worry about it.
I heard viburnum flowers bloom only in prosperous times.
It's an auspicious sign.
If you were held in its vines,
It means you're held by adept courtiers.
It means you are fully protected,
again an auspicious sign.
Viburnum flowers.
But these flowers don't exist.
From what I know, the last time they bloomed
was during the time of Emperor Gao of Han several hundred years ago.
If there really are viburnum flowers,
I want to see.
I see.
No wonder it has captured your soul.
I feel dizzy, I want to rest some more.
Sire, take your time.
Sire...
Imperial physician, Sire has been taking medicine for several days now,
but he still hasn't woken up yet.
Highness, it's a case of excessive internal heat,
it won't go away so easily.
I pray Sire will get well soon.
Let me.
You may go.
Don't waste Sis Gui'er's sacrifice.
The efficacy-enhancing ingredient is a piece of flesh from her.
The time for your revenge will come, just not so soon.
Sire has woken.
How long have I been asleep?
Sire, you've been asleep for two days.
I don't know why, I kept dreaming of viburnum flowers.
Sire, you're awoke now, don't think about it again.
Head...
Shan Zhou...
Xiaoxue...
Xiaoxue...this is your uncle...
Xiaoxue...you alright?
Dead...they're all dead.
Who's dead? Xiaoxue...
Come on...go in...
Shan Zhou, what happened?
Head, Shan Mian's dead... Shan Zhou
I was useless, I failed to save them.
Shan Zhou...
Head...
Shan Zhou...
Viceroy took men to Er Xian Zhuang to kill us all.
Uncle and Aunt...they're all dead...
Li Yuan, only one of us can live.
Brother Xiongxin... Brother...
Don't be rash...
Calm down first... Brother...
Calm down? How can I calm down?
Able-bodied men of Er Xian Zhuang are all here in Wagang.
Those that remained were the old, the young or women.
They were all killed.
Viceroy Li was just executing his order.
What's the use of killing him?
I don't care, he must die.
I must avenge Er Xian Zhuang.
Shan Zhou just died in front of me.
I must avenge him.
Brother... Brother Xiongxin...
Come with me.
Your Honor, there's a band of men in front.
About 5,000 of them.
It seems they're from Wagang Fortress.
Not a moment too soon.
Set an ambush. Yes.
Halt.
Announce yourself.
Shan Xiongxin.
The one who should have been exterminated.
So let me behead you to claim credit.
I dare you to follow me.
Bring it on.
I thought you would be too scared to follow.
Scared? Me?
No? Then follow me.
Wei Wentong...
Wei Wentung, come out...
Brother Xiongxin...
Go away... Miss Yingying...
I have to kill Li Yuan.
Come...Brother Xiongxin's been injured.
Take him to Brother Zheng.
Take it easy.
Be careful. Yes.
Yang Lin and his troop are here to attack Wagang Fortress again?
I dare them! They must have a death wish.
This time they've come prepared.
We must get ready.
Rebels, spare me your tricks!
Come meet your death!
You dared to take up the gauntlet with this pitiful act?
Qin Qiong, come meet your death!
Give way...
Give way.
Shixin, be careful.
Dude, I recognize you.
I wanted to twist your head off last time,
but my brother stopped me.
So you've come on your own accord this time?
Fool, you still remember me?
Dude, even if you're burned to ashes.
Leave your head behind.
What a joke! See who's the one left standing.
Bravo.
Bravo, Shixin.
Bravo.
Tong Pass commander Wei Wentong's dead,
let's go take Tong Pass.
No, it's not the right time yet.
Brother Ji, why not?
Wagang Fortress is still not fully fledged.
It's time to consolidate.
How's Brother Xiongxin?
Brother Zheng said he suffers no internal injuries.
He'll be fine after some rest.
It's Yingying that worries me.
Er Xian Zhuang was wiped out.
She wants to kill Li Yuan for revenge.
I managed to stop her for the time being,
I don't know what she'll do next.
Xiaoxue, have a peach.
You're a pretty and smart girl.
I looked forward to meeting you here.
I knew you'd come,
I've made you two outfits.
Look, you like this one? How pretty!
If we keep talking here, it'll tire Xiaoxue out.
Let her get a good rest and a good sleep.
Once your spirit is restored, we'll show you around.
Right. Come on, take a nap with me.
Aunt... I'm here.
Come on, let's go take a nap
Your aunt here... Come on...
Go take a nap first.
Lie down here.
Take a nap and you'll be fine.
This court has blood on its hands.
Go to sleep.
Aunt, don't go...
Xiaoxue, be a good girl, don't cry.
I'm not going anywhere.
Come on, take a nap.
The girl is traumatized.
It's her heart that needs healing.
We need to think of a way to cheer her up.
Aunt, they're all dead.
Brother Jin Jia, Brother Tong Huan,
the uncles, and the baby that Aunt was carrying.
Xiaoxue, don't cry.
You have us here.
We won't let them die for nothing.
Xiaoxue, from now on, we're your family.
Wagang Fortress is your home.
You're a part of our family.
We won't let you suffer.
You have me.
Whoever dares to bully you, just tell me.
I'll ask Sire to make them pay.
Why is there mourning decor at Tong Pass?
Who passed away?
My Lord, we've been waiting for you.
Please avenge our commander.
Commander? You mean...
He was killed by Wagang rebels.
They tricked him into their formation.
He went into the formation alone and fought hard to break it.
But he was outnumbered and died as a result.
What nerve!
Qing Qiong, I meant to cut you some slack,
but you killed my right-hand man.
I won't pull any punches this time.
But Father, if we go back to Dengzhou for reinforcements,
we may not have enough time.
Luo Fang, Xue Liang. Yes.
You two go back and get me the veteran of
Twin Spears Ding Yanping as reinforcement.
I'm going to set the Snake Formation.
It will be the decisive blow to exterminating the bandits.
Yes.
Father, don't worry, the Snake Formation is unbreakable.
And we have Elder Ding here to help us,
we'll exterminate the bandits, it's failsafe.
Guys, Lord Mount Yang Lin says he doesn't
want a full scale battle,
he wants to minimize the casualties.
He has set up the Snake Formation in Mount Qilin.
He awaits challenges from our leaders.
He says if we can break the formation, he'll retire into the woods,
and leave the court behind him.
What if we fail to break it?
If we fail,
Wagang Fortress must surrender and accept punishment.
Punishment?
And what's this Snake Formation?
What's so formidable about it?
What do you know?
There are no snakes in a Snake Formation.
If there are no snakes, why is it called that?
It's a linear formation, so it looks like a snake.
It's formed by 101 men.
It's treacherous but it's not a big scale formation.
It's not for troops, but for commanders.
In its conquest of North Qi,
Sui used this Snake Formation against many Qi commanders,
none could come out alive.
Brother Ji, what's the trick for breaking this formation?
If we want to break it, we need one man.
Who?
Luo Cheng. Right.
Why?
Luo Cheng? But he left for home yesterday.
Counselor, no one can take his place?
It must be him.
Then it's simple.
We'll send a man to get him back.
Why? It's a good idea.
But let's think about it.
Lord Mount informed us in writing.
So what, Brother Ji?
You don't understand, it's an etiquette between states.
By so doing, Lord Mount considers us a state, not just some bandits.
Right. That's good.
Report.
Miss Yingying took a horse.
She said she's going to the Sui camp to avenge Er Xian Zhuang.
Let's go check.
Come on.
Yingying... Give way...
It's not that I won't let you seek revenge,
it's just not the right time yet.
Revenge needs to be thoroughly planned.
Let me go, I want revenge.
Give way, let me do it.
Miss Yingying, it's too dangerous. I don't think you should go.
Give way!
Our hands are full with Yang Lin's formation,
don't add to our problems, alright?
What formation? Let me go.
Let me kill them all to avenge Er Xian Zhuang.
Yingying...
Give way, or I'll force my way.
Yingying, do you have the heart to do it?
Indeed.
Halt.
Brother.
You want to use this sword to kill your own men?
I know you're devastated, but what's the use of doing this?
I went for revenge a couple of days ago,
and I brought harm to my brothers.
I don't want to see you go to your death.
But I promise you, when the time is ripe,
I'll take you to Chang'an for revenge.
Brother, I still have to wait?
I don't want to wait anymore.
I keep having dreams of our kin getting killed,
but I couldn't go save them,
you know how hard that is for me?
I know, of course I do.
We knew the day we came to Wagang Fortress
that everyone here has a feud with Sui.
This rebellion is not about Er Xian Zhuang.
Once we are of strength, we will have our revenge.
Yingying's still far from stable.
She's calmed down,
but she may still turn impetuous.
If she really barges into the Sui camp,
the consequences will be dire.
Then what do we do?
I have a way.
Luo Cheng.
Heaven bless us. I have a way.
What is it?
We have a military assignment for you.
Military assignment? What is it?
The Sui side has set up a Snake Formation.
It's formidable.
Counselor said only Luo Cheng can break it.
What has that got to do with me?
Everything.
You and Wang Bodang will go bring Luo Cheng back to Wagang.
You can have a break as well.
I'm not going.
Yingying, Counselor said only Luo Cheng can break the Snake Formation.
We must bring him back as soon as possible.
It's for our cause.
I'm not going, you guys can go yourselves.
He's a Sui nobleman,
I can't wait to kill him.
Yingying, I used to be a Sui constable,
'out now Tm a Wagang man.
Yingying, I'm sure you know Luo Cheng.
He's not a man of blind loyalty who can't tell good from bad.
But he's a Sui deputy.
He went back when his father beckoned.
He had no regard to your brotherly bond or the safety of Wagang.
The egg I made him was effectively thrown to the dogs.
You want me to ask him to come back? No way.
Yingying, if you can get him to come back,
I'll let you go into battle.
You mean it? Yes.
My word is a royal decree.
Brother Bodang, I have a sachet here.
If Luo Cheng is not allowed to leave,
give it to him.
There's advice for him inside.
Counselor, I bid you goodbye.
Godspeed.
Here you are.
We're halfway to House of Beiping.
Let's take a break here.
Yingying...
Don't be impetuous. We have a mission.
It'll delay us and undermine the breaking of the formation.
I know what you're thinking.
Put your sword away.
Come on...listen to me.
Let's go.
How pretty... How fragrant.
Viburnum flowers are in bloom.
It's the first time I've seen this.
I heard the viburnum tree only blooms once every few hundred years.
That means something big is going to happen.
It's blooming now,
I wonder if it's good or bad omen.
Indeed.
Sire, you have just gotten well, get more rest.
Sire, I heard something strange happened in Yangzhou.
What?
A viburnum tree in a Taoist temple bloomed.
It's no ordinary flower.
The elderly say it only blooms once every 300 years.
It's very rare indeed.
Bravo.
Sire, your Ode to Jiangdu, together with the musical accompaniment,
has teleported me to Yangzhou.
When I was appointed Yangzhou Superintendent,
I knew Yangzhou like the back of my hand.
The southern life is very different from the northern one.
They have their own music and lifestyle.
Oh yes, I almost forgot,
Chen Shubao had literary talent.
He wrote something like...
Her face fresh as dewy petal, with a bloom bright as the houting flower.
Sire, why bring up that loser again?
Chen Shubao's only fault was having been born into the royal family.
If he were a commoner,
I'd summon him here every day to drink and compose poems with me.
Xuanhua, people say you know his every poem by heart.
Sing me his "Jade Houting Flower".
Yes, Sire.
Her face fresh as dewy petal, with a bloom bright as the houting flower.
Alas the bloom will soon wither, the petals settling in the dirt.
Great lines...
No wonder Xuanhua turned sentimental.
Great lines?
The poet's defeatist attitude is obvious. No wonder he lost his land.
Well said!
Let me tell you, winner takes all.
No one cares about a loser's wail.
Life should be lived to the full.
When the First Emperor of Qin unified
measures, currency, writing and roads.
He was a pioneer.
I too have a wish.
Why not remove the difference between north and south?
What are you going to do?
A lot more than First Emperor of Qin.
Let me tell you one of my ideas.
I want to dig a grand canal to Yangzhou.
Most rivers flow from west to the east,
Few, if any, flow from north to south.
I've decided to dig a canal to link up Chang'an and Yangzhou
to facilitate communication and trade between people of south and north.
It will also facilitates my inspection of people's livelihoods.
Sire, Chang'an and Yangzhou are in the north and south respectively,
the distance is so great between the two places.
The construction will take a long time to complete.
Court coffers alone may not be able to support a construction of such a scale.
What nonsense.
The canal can boost trade between the north and south.
It'll benefit generations to come.
Sire has foresight comparable to First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han.
Who are you to criticize it?
Who else has anything to say?
Sire is right.
I was wrong. Sire, you are right.
No more dissenters?
Then I'll appoint a supervisor for the construction.
Who can do it?
I recommend General Ma Shumou.
Ma Shumou. Yes.
I now appoint you Canal Construction Director.
You're in charge of everything involved.
I give you three months to complete it.
No delays allowed.
Three months? Sire...
You have a problem with that?
No. Your order will be carried out.
Sire's foresight is comparable to First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han.
Wait.
What was that?
Sire puts First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han to shame.
Long live Your Majesty.
Your Honor, I know you've been kind to me.
It still surprised me that you would recommend me for this post.
Canal construction belongs to Ministry of Works.
I can't tell one river from the other.
I really don't have what it takes to do this
Please find another talent for this job.
It's the most lucrative post, many would kill for it.
I secured it for you, and you have qualms?
Besides, Sire appointed you during the audience.
You intend to disobey him?
Your Honor, I know nothing about canal construction.
If I fail to complete it in three months, my head will roll.
You don't have to know anything as long as your men have the expertise.
Your Honor, my men are martial arts practitioners,
they know nothing about it either.
Then find an expert.
I handed you this lucrative post,
if you fail it, Sire will hold you accountable.
House of Beiping
It's His Lordship's order, you're not allowed to leave your room.
I need to use the outhouse, I can't hold it anymore.
Make do with this bucket.
It'll be taken out afterwards.
Deputy... Take it away.
My son, I know you don't like to be locked up,
but spare your father a thought.
He's a courtier,
he can't let you take part in rebellions.
I've done nothing.
Think about it,
if Sire orders him to attack Wagang like Lord Mount,
then he has to arrest his own son.
Mother, it's not that I don't have him in my heart.
I never knew what I wanted to do.
I do now, but I'm": not allowed to pursue it-.
You know how much that agonizes me?
Son, not everything is up to us to decide.
Mother, Wagang is still in its fledgling stage.
It already has to endure attacks from the court.
I'm worry about the safety of Cousin and other brothers.