His Majesty has passed away!
He had his punishment.
He couldn't see Wu Meiniang before he died.
And Zhangsun Wuji!
They're so worried about Wu Meiniang,
I'll get her out of Ganye Temple.
Taking the vow is a serious matter.
No worldly men can manage it.
If you decide to proceed,
you must persist and conduct yourself properly.
The razor shaves your head,
and removes ties of the mortal world.
With the round head and plain gown,
you shall become a nun.
You can't go in!
This is a Buddhist temple,
men are not allowed inside.
I know, I only wish to see Wu Meiniang.
Just for a while.
I can't help you.
sis Wu...
Please don't make a scene.
sis Wu...
You mustn't make such a racket.
sis Wu, it's Zhinu!
sir! sis Wu...
Please lower your voice! sis Wu...
sir! sis Wu...
My name is Mingkong.
You're mistaken, please go away.
sir! sis Wu...
Help me...there are two of them!
Who are you? How dare you mess with us?
You'll be dead!
The Prince of Wu sends his regards to Honourable Zhangsun.
Prince of Wu?
since you became the Inspector of Anzhou,
you have suddenly taken an interest in fishing.
Don't you care about what goes on in Anzhou?
Everything about Anzhou will be handled by the Magistrate.
Tang has a hard working Emperor...
How can His Highness...
A prince like me needs only indulge in fishing and gardening...
Is it possible...
If you're really enjoying that,
you wouldn't be drinking so much.
In the past in Chang'an,
you would never indulge
in such excessive drinking like today.
You're obviously trying to drown your sorrow with wine.
But if you keep drinking like this,
will your hands be steady enough to wield a sword or shoot an arrow?
Why torture yourself?
In the past? You don't understand.
To me, the past is a vague memory.
since I arrived in Anzhou,
I've tried not to think of Chang'an.
The current Tang
doesn't need a sword wielding Prince of Wu.
They have no use for me.
I understand what you're saying.
But I seriously doubt if
what you're doing is worth it.
To give His Majesty peace of mind,
you'd rather waste yourself away in Anzhou
and spend your life fishing and gardening?
There's nothing wrong with it.
At least there's peace.
Peace? You have good intentions,
but others are suspicious.
The only one with qualms about me is Zhangsun Wuji.
But not Zhinu. Over the years,
he has always treated me like a brother.
Everything I do for him is worth it.
Not everything is that simple.
When I was in Xianling Palace,
Her Highness told me a story.
A tiger on the mountain had an idea.
It wanted to befriend a sheep.
But the sheep refused,
because the tiger's sharp claws could hurt it
and its teeth could tear the sheep apart.
To show good faith, the tiger pulled out his claws and teeth.
Guess what happened then, Your Highness!
Why bother to guess?
Without its claws and teeth,
the tiger wouldn't survive.
Indeed, though the sheep had no intention to hurt the tiger,
a tiger that cannot defend itself
will inevitably be eaten by other beasts.
Zhangsun Wuji is someone
you must guard against.
Back then you allowed Wu Meiniang to bewitch you
and missed a perfectly good chance.
Now that you're in Anzhou,
you should work hard
to ensure you can protect yourself.
Cairen Wu is a friend.
I'm grateful to her for stopping me from making a terrible mistake.
Let's not talk about it.
You want to drop the subject,
because you know deep down what I'm saying is true.
What you said is possible.
Watch out!
Assassins! Protect His Highness!
Let's go back!
I'm sorry! The assassin got away!
Your Highness,
there was a murder in the city.
11 bodies were found in a courtyard in Willow Lane.
Didn't I tell you to refer all murder cases to Magistrate Liu?
Zhangshi Yang gave the order.
If we find any suspicious looking people from Chang'an,
we must report to Your Highness.
All 11 victims were from Chang'an.
Father, trouble in Anzhou!
We just received a message from a homing pigeon.
"The Prince of Wu has launched an attack."
Our team on Willow Lane might have been taken out completely.
Where is His Majesty?
Outside Chang'an.
He's hunting in the Forbidden Garden in the western suburbs.
Western suburbs?
Where Ganye Temple is located.
Exactly!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
...11 bodies.
Every blow was fatal.
The work of assassins.
The victims claimed to be
merchants from Liaoxi.
They arrived in Anzhou 2 months before you did.
According to their passports,
they all came from Chang'an.
They kept homing pigeons outside.
Inside the house, we found white vitriol, weapons,
gold and silver, poison and... a diary recording your routine.
The victims were not merchants.
They're spies sent to watch me.
someone capable of this is either Zhangsun Wuji
or His Majesty.
Your Highness, you still maintain
you do not regret the decision you made at the North Gate?
I trust Zhinu won't do something like this.
To say Zhangsun Wuji is behind this,
it's more probable. But then again,
if these people work for Zhangsun Wuji
who would dare to kill them?
I guess I'm the only one who can take them out in Anzhou.
It makes sense for them to pin it on me.
Exactly! Except for Zhangsun Wuji,
who'd dare assassinate you in Anzhou?
I bet it's all part of a conspiracy.
He kills his own spies
to make His Majesty believe you harbour treasonous intent.
Then he sends the assassins after you before he reports to His Majesty.
Why is the cage empty?
What's wrong?
They've probably sent a homing pigeon with word to Chang'an.
Your Highness, we must do something.
Don't be a sitting duck.
I don't believe Zhinu would do this to me.
Why didn't you hack me with your sword?
Your Majesty is an expert swordsman,
please forgive us.
I'm telling you,
anyone who pretends and lets me win will be punished.
Get up! start over!
Your Majesty, you have made great progress!
If they had to let me win,
how can I ever rule over the courtiers?
Greetings, Your Majesty!
I believe your swordsmanship is comparable to Father's.
Even you make fun of me!
When is he coming back?
Probably 9 o'clock tonight.
You plan to report this to him?
Not when it involves the Prince of Wu.
Yes? Chong!
We have men in Xiangyi County, in the eastern part of Anzhou.
send them over to Anzhou
to investigate last night's incident.
If we have evidence, I will report to His Majesty.
Aye!
What brings you to the Forbidden Garden?
The same reason that brought you here.
I'm here because I was too tied up with state affairs,
I didn't have time to practise sword-playing.
I'm doing this to relax.
What's keeping you busy?
There's no place in Taiji Palace where you can do your sword practice?
speaking of practice,
you used to summon swordsmen to the Palace.
Why is it since you ascended the throne,
you always choose to practise in the Forbidden Garden?
I was told
practising the sword is like playing chess.
One must remain calm to hone one's craft.
You're so close to her out here.
How can you remain calm?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm talking about Ganye Temple
and a particular person living in seclusion.
I came to visit her.
In the 4 months since you became Emperor,
you've made an excuse to come here twice.
Don't tell me it's not because of her.
If you ask me, you're now the Emperor,
if there's something you really want,
no one can stop you.
Rather than running around outside Ganye Temple.
Why not go in and ask to see her?
Or simply bring her back to the Palace?
You don't understand. Before I ascended the throne,
I came here to see her for the last time.
she changed into a nun's robe
and told me her name was Mingkong.
she said Wu Meiniang didn't exist anymore.
I can still remember her eyes.
she had no sentimental attachment to the secular world.
she's no longer the sis Wu we once knew.
someone once told me
to be nice to a woman
you may not need to do anything.
stand by and respect the decision she makes may be more important.
But...what if she's made the wrong decision?
I was wrong in what I just said.
Under the current Tang
Zhangsun Wuji is the key decision maker.
Edicts you want drafted by the secretariat
require his approval before they can be issued.
Edicts have been amended or rejected over the past few months.
Even if you want Meiniang back, it may not happen.
We can only continue to respect her decision.
I have to go. I'll come again.
Wu Meiniang, should you change your mind
and want to return to the Palace,
even if I had to go up against my Uncle,
or risk universal condemnation,
I will bring you back.
Your Majesty,
Abbess Jingyin of Ganye Temple wrote back.
she said in her letter,
for the past month,
everything about Wu Meiniang
is going well. You don't have to worry.
That's good.
Tell the Abbess not to let down her guard.
Everything Meiniang comes into contact with must be tested and checked.
Aye!
That's Wu Meiniang, isn't it?
Yes!
I heard the late Emperor was quite fond of her.
That's right!
What a pity he was wrong about her.
More devoted people like Consort Xu
since His Majesty passed on,
chose to kill herself and follow him,
while this woman who claimed to be with him forever
shamelessly went on living after His Majesty moved on.
Exactly!
Mingkong has been able to eat and sleep since she came.
I bet...
This is a Buddhist temple.
How dare you carry on with your gossip!
Go copy the sutras.
Yes!
Amitabha!
Are you alright?
I'm fine. I'm just hungry.
This is for you.
Thank you!
You're welcome.
Get ready for the morning service.
Take your belongings with you.
Mingkong, I want you to stay.
Did you bring it?
This is everything I have.
Here's a map and a key. Good luck!
Is Gaoyang still in the Forbidden Garden?
Your Majesty, Her Highness said
she'd return to Chang'an later.
she wants to visit someone in Ganye Temple.
she should be there by now.
It's a good thing she has a visitor.
Your Majesty,
an urgent message from Anzhou.
Please take a look.
Burn it!
Aye!
Your Majesty, Chancellor Zhangsun requests an audience.
Meiniang!
You intend to spend the rest of your life in this pit?
Your Highness, I told you repeatedly
my name is Mingkong.
I know what you're going to say.
Wu Meiniang doesn't exist anymore.
I don't care who you are,
I only know you're my friend.
And right now,
you're cooped up in this pathetic place,
wasting your life away.
Cultivate the mind until the Five Aggregates are empty.
I can be free from all sufferings.
There's nothing wrong with a life like this.
Even in the secular world,
you can also waste your life away.
You have a point.
Life is the secular world
isn't really carefree at all.
At least I'm not happy.
Or take Zhinu for instance,
he's now the Emperor and yet he still has his problems.
Zhinu...
What kind of problems would His Majesty have?
Plenty.
The feud between Empress Wang and Consort Xiao in the harem.
One comes from an illustrious family,
the other is young and pretty who bore him a son.
They're constantly at each other's throat.
since he ascended the throne,
he has worked very hard
and gets up at 3 in the morning.
But what's the use?
Even if he wishes to reward someone,
he needs the approval of old courtiers like Chancellor Zhangsun,
before he can make it happen.
When Father was alive, none of would have happened.
Meiniang...I mean, Mingkong,
Zhinu is in trouble
and he needs help.
What about the Prince of Wu?
He's a good choice.
A few days after Zhinu became the Emperor,
Chancellor Zhangsun found an excuse
and sent him away to Anzhou as an Inspector.
He's not coming back anytime soon.
Your Highness, actually...
Meiniang!
Meiniang...what's wrong?
Yuwan, send for a doctor!
No...I'm fine!
Meiniang, you...
Are you pregnant?
I can't let anyone know
I'm carrying Zhinu's child.
No wonder you're wearing such a loose robe.
How far along?
A while.
It's a good thing you're carrying Father's child.
Why didn't you speak up?
If you tell someone, by law
they'll take you back to the Palace.
When the child is born,
you can live in the Palace as a Consort Dowager.
The years I spent in the Palace,
made me realise the harem
is the most treacherous place in the world,
and the most sinister and heartless place.
I don't want my child to grow up in such a place.
You want to run away?
This is the Forbidden Garden guarded by Imperials Guards.
It won't be easy to get out.
If you get caught, you're dead.
Don't worry about me.
I've already made the arrangements.
Ever since I found out I was pregnant,
I've been preparing to leave.
Promise me, Gaoyang!
Keep this secret for me.
Don't tell anyone.
Are you sure about this?
There's no turning back once you step outside Ganye Temple.
Life outside the Palace may not be any better than inside,
especially for a child.
Before I came to the Palace,
I had seen children of poor families.
They might live deprived lives,
but they grew up laughing and fighting.
Their smiles were genuine.
Tell me, Gaoyang...
Li Chengqian, Li Tai, Li Ke,
Zhinu, who is now the Emperor, and you...
Which one of you
has led a carefree life with no worries?
Tell me, when was the last time
you had a big hearty laugh?
Very well!
Whatever you need,
you must let me know.
Remember the Grand Assembly?
It's about that time again.
somehow, whenever I think about it
I feel a bit sad.
It's as if whenever I close my eyes,
I can see the Grand Assembly,
and the fireworks on the closing night.
Time flies by and everything has changed.
Don't think too much, Meiniang!
The key right now
is to take good care of yourself.
Your Majesty!
Chancellor Zhangsun!
Greetings, Your Majesty!
Uncle!
Please get up!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
since I ascended the throne,
I've told you to spare the formalities.
A ruler and his ministers have duties to perform
and must adhere to certain etiquette.
Why are you here?
After the Prince of Wu arrived in Anzhou,
I've sent scouts after him
to monitor his each and every move.
Last night, all 11 of my scouts were killed.
You think Ke was behind this?
It appears he's involved.
I believe my men must have come across certain evidence
that made it necessary for the Prince of Wu to silence them.
What has he ever done to make you so wary of him
that you had to put him under constant surveillance?
His talent with the sword and pen
has made him outstanding among the princes.
After he lost the fight for the Crown Prince title,
he uttered the words, "I'm not reconciled".
He sent chills down my spine.
It's necessary to guard against him.
Not just for me,
but for you as well.
He's my own brother.
speaking of which,
the Prince of Wei is your brother by the same mother.
He should have been much closer to you.
But after he lost the fight for the Crown Prince title,
the things he did,
have you forgotten already?
What do you think I should do?
send a Censor to Anzhou at once to monitor him
and keep him grounded within his mansion.
You don't understand, Uncle.
since last night,
your men were not the only ones under attack.
someone tried to assassinate Ke.
Assassinate him?
Exactly!
Perhaps it's his ploy to clear himself.
I find this suspicious as well.
But I have a different interpretation.
I don't think the Prince of Wu harbours treacherous intent.
Is it possible someone killed your men
stationed in Anzhou
and pretended to assassinate the Prince of Wu
to make you suspect each other?
What you said caught me by surprise.
But I think
you're finding excuses for him.
But, Uncle... Your Majesty!
You're busy with state affairs,
and Empress Wende's birthday is coming up next month,
which you should take charge of.
Don't trouble yourself over something so petty.
Let me handle this for you.
Your Majesty, the Prince of Yong requests an audience.
Father!
sujie, what are you doing here?
Your Highness!
Chancellor Zhangsun!
Come here...
You've gained weight!
Father, I learnt a new piece from the Book of Rites.
I want to recite it for you.
Good!
About my suggestion...
Do as you see fit.
Aye! Goodbye, Your Majesty!
Father!
Come, read it to me.
But I'm hungry. Let's go back to Xianling Palace.
Mother has prepared many dishes.
I'll recite it for you after we eat.
Very well! Let's go see your mother.
But, Your Majesty,
the Empress sent invitation earlier.
Father...
Tell the Empress for me
I'll go visit her some other time.
Aye!
Let's go!
His Majesty heads for Xianling Palace.
Are we going home?
No, after we arrive in Chang'an,
take me straight to Ganlu Hall.
I have something to tell His Majesty.
Aye!
Milady, His Highness has been gone for so long.
Is it because of Zhangsun Wuji.
He failed to bring His Majesty back?
Of course not!
Zhangsun Wuji was in Ganlu Hall for a long time.
He must be giving His Majesty a hard time.
sending sujie over there
will give His Majesty an excuse to leave.
Besides, His Majesty dotes on sujie.
He won't ignore him.
Milady!
His Majesty is on his way here with His Highness.
Brace yourselves!
Milady will reward you.
Go greet His Majesty!
Aye!
Your Majesty, Princess Gaoyang requests an audience.
Gaoyang?
Father...
sujie!
I promised to spend time with sujie.
We're going to Xianling Palace.
Tell Gaoyang I'm tired.
I'll talk to her tomorrow.
Your Majesty, Her Highness said it's urgent
and it's about Consort Dowager Wu.