Prince, to be honest,
if there weren't evidence,
who'd believe that the loyal Yang's family...
would turn traitor for personal gain?
It's understandable as the national treasure...
can really make people mad about money.
Though the culprit is Yang Liu Lang,
Yang Ye as his father...
really can't shirk the responsibility.
Prince,
don't blame me for being a base person.
The national treasure...
can easily arouse the greed of people.
Also, the Yangs were the North Han's surrender.
Who knows if Yang Liu Lang...
was ordered to do so?
It seems...
to this case, Prime Minister...
has already come to a conclusion.
People can lie but evidence can't.
Yany Liu Lang wrested the national treasure,
killed the soldiers and fled. It's irrefutable.
Somebody come. Yes, sir.
Ask General Yang to come out for me.
Yes, sir.
Yang Ye pays respect to 8th Prince.
General Yang, you may skip the courtesy.
Somebody come.
Prepare the seat. Yes, sir.
Here... Here... Here... Slowly...
Prince, Yang Ye is a criminal of a grave crime.
How could he sit with Prince on equal terms?
Prime Minister, I'll have my own idea.
I think...
you may be excused for the time being.
When I investigate in a case,
I don't like people bumbling around.
Prepare the seat.
I... I understand.
I'm leaving now.
General Yang, please sit down.
General Yang,
Let's get it straight as we're familiar.
I think General Yang...
definitely wouldn't be a traitor for wealth.
As about the rumor that Yang Liu Lang...
wrested the treasure, killed the guards and fled
I think there must be some unknown reasons.
I'll investigate into the truth.
I wonder if General Yang has any explanation.
My son Liu Lang,
due to my failure to teach him well,
the ways he acts and thinks...
are really different from ordinary people.
Sometimes he even doesn't comply with the norm.
But he isn't bad in nature.
His making and getting into troubles...
is only due to his young disposition.
Yang Ye dares to guarantee with his life...
that he definitely wouldn't fill with greed...
and cast greedy eyes on the national treasure.
Ignoring the life and death of the family,
doing such unfilial things,
I think...
he must have his own reason.
I also trust what General Yang has said.
Thank you for trusting me, Prince.
General Yang,
everyone knows...
you repay the country with supreme loyalty.
Mrs. Yang knows clearly the right thing to do.
I believe the son you've raised...
definitely can distinguish right from wrong.
He wouldn't depart from the right way...
and defy his superior and rebel.
I'm just afraid that the kid...
is young and frivolous and inexperience.
He may be taken advantages of by others.
I promise you...
I'll find out the truth...
and bring justice to the Yangs.
Thank you, Prince.
Get up quickly.
Your Majesty, pay my respects to you.
You're excused from the courtesy, nephew.
It must have been a tough journey.
I was shocked by the Yangs imprisonment.
I thought it's doubtful so I returned at once...
to find out the truth.
I knew that exactly...
you must be the same as me,
prioritize the nation over all other things.
After hearing about the Yang's family,
you would rush back to the capital.
I'm so glad you're back.
No matter what,
there's a trustworthy person...
by my side...
to discuss with me about this matter.
I'm not smart enough.
Only if I could share His Majesty's worries.
Beside,
the martyrs are involved in this.
They're the pillars of the nation.
I dare not watch with folded arms.
I must find out the truth.
Actually, there're evidence and witnesses.
Yang Liu Lang fled with Princess Chai.
These are plain truth.
I think what's of utmost importance now...
is that 8th Prince should help His Majesty plan,
without affecting the morale of the army,
how the Yangs can be punished...
so as to warn the others.
Prime Minister Pan?
Do you know what you're talking about?
You also know that...
General Yang and his family are martyrs,
the patriotic and loyal role models.
If the issue is not investigated thoroughly,
how could the public be convinced?
There're evidence and witnesses.
What Prime Minister Pan's so called evidence...
is just an unknown treasure...
and some know-nothing guards.
What happened in-between?
How much do you know?
Only with this,
you convict the Yangs of...
stealing national treasure and treason.
How would you silence the whole world?
Alright. Don't be angry, nephew.
What you said is right.
But for all that happened,
you can't blame Prime Minister Pan.
He just deals with it according to the law.
Now it's not the time to distinguish...
who's right and who's wrong.
Your Majesty, you're right.
The most important thing is to find the truth...
to avoid damaging You Majesty's prestige...
and losing the support of the people.
For the sake of Great Song and Your Majesty,
the Yang's case must be investigated at once.
I have unshirkable responsibility.
I must get to the bottom of the case.
Alright,
in this case,
you'll help me...
with all your strength...
to find out the ins and outs of the case...
clearly and thoroughly.
This single spark can start a prairie fire.
To prevent it from spreading,
involving more people,
Princess Chai and Yang Liu Lang must be killed.
I didn't do it well. I should be punished.
Now I don't want your cheap life.
I'm incapable.
In these days,
I've searched every corner of the capital,
even the brothels and funeral parlour.
But we still couldn't find their where-about.
What?
I believe no one would dare to hide them up.
Maybe they've left the capital.
Impossible.
They must be still in the capital.
Because they now...
are anxious to see 8th Prince.
Alright.
I'll give them what they want.
8th Prince...
The 8th Prince you're looking for...
has been taken to the palace by The Majesty.
Kill them...
I'll see where you can run.
Liu Lang...
Run quickly...
After them...
Run...
After them...
Hurry up...
Hurry up... That way...
Princess, forget about me.
I'll only be your burden with my condition.
Both of us will get caught then.
Stop saying something like that.
They should just hide in the reed marshes.
Search quickly.
Yes, sir. Run quickly.
Run...
We now have no other choices.
As long as we can escape from this crisis,
we'll be safe.
Run...
Search it thoroughly for me.
Yes, sir.
We absolutely can't let them go.
Yes, sir.
We've searched everywhere,
but there's no trace of them.
Impossible.
Yang Liu Lang is seriously hurt.
He can't run far.
If I'm not wrong,
they should be in this reed marshes.
Princess... Princess... Princess...
Official...
There's a suspicious boat over there.
Let's go.
What?
You let them run away again?
Didn't I tell you to set up...
an inescapable dragnet in Prince's House?
You missed such a good chance.
What's the use of you?
I know I'm guilty.
Your Majesty, please give me one more chance.
I'll definitely find out their where-about...
and bring back their heads.
I'm afraid this time...
they'll be more careful and cautious.
You missed such a good chance.
I'm afraid you can't find them easily.
Your Majesty...
Get out.
Yes.
He's fainted. Spurt the water.
Yes, sir.
Do you confess?
Confess?
How's it?
Official Chai, do you confess?
We offered our service to Song sincerely.
I'm undeserved.
Where is Princess Chai now?
Are you going to tell us?
Go on to beat him if he doesn't tell.
Stop it.
Prince...
Beating a man to extort a confession...
can find out the truth?
Prince...
I'm ordered to do so.
Prince, he's dead.
Your Majesty, 8th Princes asks to see you.
Send him in.
Send 8th Prince to meet His Majesty.
Your Majesty...
What's the matter, nephew?
For the North Zhou rebels' investigation,
how's it going?
Your Majesty,
I've stopped the guards...
to extract confession by torturing...
and questioned the dregs of North Zhou.
But...
Princess Chai is still not found...
any indications of rebelling.
No indications of rebelling.
Your Majesty,
it seems we've made a wrong accusation.
That's strange.
Why did they rob the treasure...
and killed the soldiers to flee then?
What's their intention?
I really can't figure it out.
Nephew,
it seems you have to stay in the palace...
and look into the case with me.
What do you think?
I'm willing to work for Your Majesty.
Alright. You may leave now.
I'm leaving.
Your Majesty,
you asked me to come immediately.
I wonder what I can do for you.
Ren Mei,
I know...
you're most loyal to me...
and try your best to work for me.
You're whole-heartedly loyal.
So I decide,
for the case about the Yang's family,
you'll take full charge of it.
Your Majesty...
You're the only reliable person to me.
I've bothered by Yang Liu Lang's issue.
It upsets me so much.
I don't want to have it dragged on...
which will result in more troubles and problems.
So I want you...
to arrest Yang Liu Lang at once.
Do you understand what I meant?
I... understood.
But...
8th Prince...
As about 8th Prince,
I'll settle that.
Then, that will be much easier for me.
Remember,
you can use any means.
But you definitely can't hurt...
any of the Yang's family.
I just want Yang Liu Lang and Princess Chai.
I'll make Yang Liu Lang, Princess Chai show up,
and bring them to justice.
I... will be waiting for your good news.
I... definitely won't disappoint Your Majesty.
I must go to see...
how this emperor...
is going to deal with our Yangs.
No, you're injured. Let me go for you.
Shut up.
Get lost.
You claim the convicted criminals are clean?
Listen up. Yes, sir.
Have the trouble-makers...
beaten up to death.
Yes, sir.
Stop it.
General Pan, they're innocent.
Don't hurt them.
General Yang,
you're now a prisoner yourself.
You can't even help yourself.
Don't be a busybody.
His Majesty has ordered that...
Yang Liu Lang colluded with Princess Chai...
to seize the national treasure privately...
and intend to rebel.
Now he's fled to escape from punishments.
The whole Yang's family...
hide the criminal and are involved.
We are ordered by His Majesty verbally...
to lash the Yangs in public...
so as to warn the others.
Whoever create any disturbance...
will be imprisoned.
From now on,
at the interval of half-incense-burning time,
one of the Yangs will be taken out...
to be lashed in public.
Somebody come. Yes, sir.
General Yang,
you, as the master of the Yang's family,
Yang Liu Lang has done such treacherous thing,
isn't it related to your family education?
If anyone is to be lashed,
shouldn't you be the first one?
I'm sorry about that.
Dad...
Stop it.
You such a low life animal...
The Yang's family are loyal and patriotic.
You use such means...
to insult them.
Is there justice?
You use such despicable means just to...
force Liu Lang and Princess Chai to show up.
Don't you ever think about it.
Clam down, everyone.
I just carry out the order of The Majesty.
If Yang Liu Lang still has conscience...
he should give himself up...
so as to avoid making his family suffer for him.
Yang Liu Lang,
have you seen it?
Your family is suffering for you.
You settle for being disloyal and unfilial?
Then go on and be a coward then.
Princess...
How's the situation out there?
For the sake of a gold axe, I can't...
get your Yang's family involved.
I can't be so selfish.
What have they done to my family?
Just now, in the market, I...
saw Pan Ren Mei and Pan Bao...
escort your whole family.
They were lashed and insulted severely.
What happened to my dad and mom?
They... They were lashed as well.
Pan Bao lashed your youngest sister as well.
Bastard.
They did this...
to make us show up as soon as possible...
and give ourselves up.
This king...
won't leave my family alone.
Not only this,
my uncle is arrested and tortured to confess.
The descendents of the North Zhou,
many of them are dragged into this.
Too many lives are sacrificed innocently.
The event has to be put to a stop.
The event is caused by my Chai's family.
Let me take up the responsibility alone...
and hand the axe to His Majesty.
No way.
Even if you hand in the axe,
to cover up the crime and stabilize the throne,
he definitely won't leave us alone.
This is the problem of my Chai's family.
I really can't stand seeing you the Yangs...
to be dragged into this.
Princess...
The event...
is not only related to your Chai's family,
it is also related to the safety of the country.
Now I...
really hope I could run out...
and kill the bastards Pan Bao and Pan Ren Mei,
and save my family.
But I can't be impetuous.
It's possible that...
if we act impetuously,
we may fall into their trap.
Do you understand?
Your Yang's family...
have been loyal and patriotic.
But...
the country is more important than the king.
The king should be punished for his misdeeds.
What we should do now...
is to clean the king up for the country.
Clean the king up for the country.
Right.
The only person who can help us...
is 8th Prince.
But we've tried to approach 8th Prince.
He's probably locked by His Majesty...
in the palace.
Then we'll have to pay a visit to the palace.
We must find him...
and ask him to bring justice to us.
With your condition now,
how could we break into the palace.
I don't fear death. What else would I fear?
I fear neither sword nor fire. What'd I fear?
What's that?
What's that thing?
It seems like a kite.
Such a big kite.
No. There are assassinators.
Be careful.
Yang Liu Lang and Princess Chai.
They're the criminals wanted by His Majesty.
Arrest them.
Yes, sir. What happened?
Prince... Prince...
Prince... Yang Liu Lang and Princess Chai...
are the criminal wanted by His Majesty.
I'm about to arrest them...
and have them tried by His Majesty.
8th Prince,
Yang Liu Lang and I risked our lives to come...
to ask you to redress the injustice on us.
You may dismiss.
I have to question them alone.
Yes, sir.
No way.
What are you talking about?
For the throne, Uncle...
killed his own elder brother,
killed my father.
No way.
Impossible.
That's absolutely impossible.
He's not that kind of ruthless person.
I swear...
what I've just said is truth.
If I dishonestly put...
a wrong blame on His Majesty, I shall be killed.
Prince...
Uncle Mute of the Chais had pretended mute,
endured humiliation to carry out the mission,
kept the truth from Princess Chai because...
he's afraid she might be persecuted and killed.
Now...
if it hadn't been a matter of life and death,
he wouldn't have told the truth.
But...
for a matter like this,
with your one-sided story,
how could I trust you?
This axe will serve as the evidence.
This... This is...
It's a golden axe baton.
The real golden axe baton.
That's right.
Then my dad...
witnessed Tai Zong murdered his brother.
So he took away Tai Zong's...
evidence of crime.
So... So the story...
is real.
Uncle... Uncle...
I've always respected you deeply.
It's unbelievable that...
you're the culprit who killed my dad.
His Majesty...
wants to cover up his crime of being a usurper,
he wants to exterminate us.
To make us show up and hand in the axe,
he imprisons my whole Yang's family.
Prince,
please bring justice to my Yang's family.
If this event hadn't...
involved the Yang's suffering of injustice,
I'd rather not knowing the truth.
But don't worry.
I definitely won't let the Yangs...
to suffer from any injustice.
I'll definitely...
bring justice to you.
Besides, this man...
killed his own brother, killed my dad,
he's committed a treacherous crime.
I'll make him bring...
justice to all the people in the world.
Dad...
Mom...
Brothers...
Your wounds are still bleeding.
Are they hurt?
It doesn't matter.
We can still stand it.
Mom only worries about Liu Lang.
Pan Ren Mei has hated us for so long.
He uses his power to retaliate against us.
It's so predictable.
But the whole thing has developed into this.
What mistake has Liu Lang committed exactly?
6th elder brother is clever and resourceful.
He won't fallen into the Pans' trap.
He should be safe.
He'll definitely think of some ways to save us.
8th Prince has arrived.
General Yang, please.
Mrs. Yang, please...
Sai Hua...
8th little sister...
Liu Lang... Mom... Dad...
I'm a unfilial son.
I make you suffer.
8th Prince...
Are you okay?
Mom, I'm fine.
8th Prince...
General Yang...
You've had a tough time.
6th younger brother...
This... What happened exactly?
I and Princess Chai...
asked 8th Prince to save you.
Don't worry, everyone.
I'm here to help you out.
Prince...
Is this an imperial decree?
No, it's my idea.
General Yang...
Mrs. Yang...
Thanks to Liu Lang's hunting for treasure,
he found that...
my dad...
was murdered by my uncle.
The reason why His Majesty frames me up...
and locks up everyone...
is that Princess Chai and me...
found a sinister secret.
No way.
Madam, General... Don't worry.
Liu Lang definitely wouldn't do...
treacherous things.
His Majesty was a usurper.
This...
How could it be possible?
General Yang,
it's a long story.
We'll talk about that later.
Please...
They can't be released.
If Prince want to release them,
you need the written instruction of His Majesty.
Is my order...
not enough?
Yang Liu Lang and the people...
have committed treason.
Pan Bao is ordered to keep an eye on them.
If Prince wants to release them,
how can Pan Bao explain to His Majesty?
You don't have to explain it.
I'll take full responsibility.
General Yang...
Mrs. Yang...
Please...
Report to Your Majesty,
8th Prince just released the Yang's criminals.
Why did 8th Prince release them?
Yang Liu Lang and Princess Chai...
presumed burst in the imperial harem.
8th Prince listened...
to some of their nonsense...
and he released the whole Yang's family.
With 8th Prince meddling in this matter,
I don't know what I should do.
Prime Minister,
if someone want to usurp the throne,
and make the nation unstable,
if you encounter such problem,
what do you think you should do?
Your Majesty, you're empowered by God.
Those who threaten the imperial power...
are acting against God.
Your Majesty should enforce justice for God...
and exterminate the rebels.
Disregarding the close relationship?
Yes.
For stabilizing the throne and nation,
Your Majesty must be decisive,
disregarding the close relationship,
kill them without any exception.
Your Majesty...
Am I still your king?
Your Majesty,
as long as you're sitting on the imperial seat,
you're our king.
A sovereign brings his own courtiers.
Alright.
I, as the existing emperor,
ask you two a question.
Tell me if you met such a problem,
what we should do.
We timidly ask Your Majesty that...
Yang Liu Lang has the late king Tai Zu's
golden axe baton...
and claims that you were a usurper,
is it true?
Yang Liu Lang knows no complexity of things.
He did what he's not supposed to do on purpose.
By the way,
it's hard to distinguish the right from wrong.
Why is it necessary...
to find out the truth?
For everyone,
it'll do just no good but harms.
In this case,
all these accusations...
are true.
What if it's true? What if it's fake?
Your Majesty,
if it's true,
you've committed the crime of...
forging imperial decree and usurping the throne.
All these heinous treason crimes.
I should be executed, right?
I tell you what.
I'm now the king of the nation.
I can...
cut off your heads anytime.
Your Majesty,
you've made a mistake this time.
Yang Liu Lang...
is ready to pay any price to...
make the world know this truth.
As the descendants of the Zhaos,
I Zhao Fang De should serve the ancestors well,
should serve the people of the nation well.
A head is nothing compared with that.
Do you want it?
Take it then.
I'm ready to die for the Song Dynasty.
If Your Majesty wants me bury my conscience,
I'd rather die the cruelest death.
Great.
You're a qualified Zhao's descendant.
You're a qualified Yang's warrior.
One of you is the pillar of the nation.
The other is my nephew.
If I have to kill you two,
I can't accomplish that.
Great.
I'll confess to you two today,
Master Tai Zu...
was really killed by me.
But...
it's just part of the story.
Please explain explicitly.
I did it...
not for usurping the throne,
but for the Song Dynasty.
Because...
I couldn't let an erroneous idea of Tai Zu...
ruin the Song Dynasty.
Tai Zu was of great talent and bold vision,
he was heroic and awesome.
How would he ruin the Song Dynasty?
When Tai Zu was young,
he was really of extraordinary charm,
and of remarkable boldness.
But after he'd taken over the throne,
he enjoyed the comfortable life for too long.
In addition, he became an aged hero.
The Tai Zu...
was no longer the one who pacified the nation,
stabilized the communities,
fought with the shining spears, armored horse,
never got tired in fightings.
One night,
he told me a strange idea.
Come on.
I have a treasure.
What treasure?
This is a great secret.
Since the establishment of the Song Dynasty,
I've accumulated a countless wealth.
I hide it in a very secret place.
This is the treasure I told you about.
Is it true?
This is...
the key to open up the treasure.
When the time comes...
when the time comes...
Since the establishment of the Song Dynasty,
the Song's critical 16 states of Yan Yun...
are still occupied by the Liaos.
I want to use this treasure...
to strengthen my military funds...
to fight a fierce war with the Liaos.
Brother, it's so smart of you to...
repair the house before it rains.
It's really the luck of the Song's people.
Come on.
Let me toss for you.
But...
I've fought with the Liaos for 10s of years.
I've come up with...
a perfect resolution.
What resolution?
I'll use the treasure...
to buy the 16 states of Yan Yun in their hands.
Buy them all.
What?
Brother, are you drunk?
No.
You absolutely can't do that.
If the Liaos got that wealth,
they'd strengthen themselves for sure.
Then we may enjoy temporary peace,
but that won't last long.
Stop that.
I've made up my mind.
Brother,
if you really think that way,
that's equivalent to colluding with the tiger,
to committing suicide.
I do it for the people of the nation.
I do it for the descendants of the Zhaos.
Brother...
You can't destroy the defensive wall yourself.
If those Liaos...
used the money to recruit men and buy horses,
they'd start more wars,
and seize the 16 states of Yan Yun in return.
That's equivalent to self-destruction.
I've made up my mind. No one could change it.
Brother...
how would you offer the nation to others.
I won't promise to let you do this.
You want to rebel against me.
The nation is mine.
Give me the axe. Give it to me.
That's what happened then.
On that night, if...
I hadn't taken away his golden axe baton,
the Song Dynasty of today...
would have fallen into the Liaos' hands.
I know I'm guilty for killing my brother.
But I wasn't wrong.
Your Majesty, you keep Princess Chai around...
to find out the where-about of the gold axe,
kill her to keep the secret?
As the gold axe has been retrieved,
why do Your Majesty still order...
to kill Princess Chai and Yang Liu Lang?
I really wanted to...
let them get away with it.
But they don't know the whole story,
and are determined to reveal the truth.
You know what the consequences...
will be?
I have no choice but to...
take away 2 lives...
in exchange for the stability of the nation.
You both know that...
after I've succeeded to the throne,
I've been working hard, recruiting capable men.
I think I've served the nation well.
Your Majesty,
maybe you're a good king.
But...
seizing the throne by killing your own brother,
can you secure your throne?
What you meant is...
you want to get back the throne?
Your Majesty,
if I were keen on power,
then...
I wouldn't have easily...
let you succeed to the throne.
But...
you killed your own brother after all.
Can your status as the king of the nation...
help you get away with it?
No matter how much I've explained,
you won't leave me alone.
Alright.
If you're so determined in this,
I have no objection.
But I want to tell you...
if the whole story is revealed to the public,
the world is become chaotic and discordant.
Then if...
the Liaos took the chance to invade,
for the consequences of it,
would you two...
be happy to see those?
But we can't leave it like that.
8th Prince,
the reveal of the story will definitely...
damage the nation's prestige and stability.
The consequences are beyond imagination.
What should we do then?
To leave the whole thing alone...
and pretend nothing happened,
I can't do that.
Your Majesty,
I have an idea and I wonder if it's feasible.
For one thing, it can rid the grief of Prince.
For another,
it can pacify Your Majesty's guilt.
General Yang, please go ahead.
Your Majesty, can you go to the Tai Temple?
At the face of 8th Prince,
confess your crime to the ancestors.
Have the imperial robe substitute your body...
to be lashed to repay for the crime.
Yang Ye is stupid.
I can only think of this expedient.
The Song Dynasty should be prioritized.
I hope Your Majesty would understand it.