Episode 39
Yu Ze.
We're no longer bound to Northern Li.
You don't have to complete your mission anymore.
You're free now.
You should have your own life.
I devote my life to serving you.
I'm no longer your master.
Then I can keep you company as a friend.
You know I might not be able to protect you anymore.
I don't need your protection.
Yu Ze.
This is a very dangerous trip.
You don't have to take the risk with me.
I'm not afraid of death or danger.
Qi Shao.
I've nowhere to go.
If you don't accept me,
I'd rather die.
Yu Ze.
Must you choose this?
You may rest assured.
I won't burden you.
You know that's not what I'm talking about.
Alright then.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for saving our lives.
Thank you for your great kindness.
- Thank you so much. - Thank you.
Duke of Qin is here.
Thank you, Duke of Qin!
Long Fei Ye!
I've really underestimated you!
You went to the southern border...
and instead of contracting the poison plague,
you gained the folks' favour...
and the officials' praises!
Li Quan.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Did you leave behind...
anything suspicious at the southern border?
Your Majesty.
I am sure I did not.
General Mu Qing Wu requests an audience with Your Majesty!
Let him in!
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Rise and speak.
Mu Qing Wu.
You went to the southern border...
and saved the folks from their sufferings.
You've contributed greatly.
I was just doing my job.
In fact, it was all thanks to Duke of Qin.
I'm aware that...
Duke of Qin contributed greatly to...
ending the plague at the southern border.
I will reward him accordingly.
I will also reward...
the soldiers and military leaders.
Qing Wu.
Tell me.
Back at the southern border,
who among the officials and military leaders...
contributed the most?
Your Majesty, I'm afraid you won't need to reward them.
What do you mean?
Ever since the plague broke out,
most of the local officials...
behaved like selfish cowards.
They were so afraid of getting infected that...
they shunned responsibility whenever possible...
and paid lip service to our instructions.
Because of this,
Duke of Qin was furious.
This is outrageous!
How are the soldiers?
More than half of the soldiers at the southern border...
contracted the plague.
Fortunately,
they have strong and healthy bodies.
They've recovered.
By the way,
Duke of Qin treated the soldiers and folks equally.
Most of the time, he would...
prioritise the folks in critical condition.
I'm informed.
Qing Wu.
Get some good rest.
You may leave.
Yes.
I shall excuse myself.
Your Majesty.
Is General Mu trustworthy?
Mu Family has served my clan very loyally for generations.
He's the person I trust the most.
This time, I took the risk...
to poison the people at the southern border...
in order to prepare for my ultimate plan...
and investigate...
Long Fei Ye's relationship with the officials and...
military leaders at the southern border.
Looks like...
there's no special relationship between them.
I can rest assured now.
But, Duke of Qin...
has gained the favour of the folks at the southern border.
Your Majesty.
The next step...
Long Fei Ye.
You forced me to do this.
Emperor Tian Hui...
sacrificed the folks in order to test me.
I must make him pay dearly for that.
Tang Li.
Is the preparation done?
The preparation is done.
We're just waiting for your order.
Brother Fei Ye, I'm worried about...
the precautions taken by Emperor Tian Hui.
If we can't capture the capital in one go,
the see-saw battle...
will victimise the folks.
Emperor Tian Hui is now...
completely focused on us.
So, he'll definitely pay less attention...
to the people around him.
You are very thoughtful...
and that makes me feel very glad.
Now, the General of Cavalry,
General of Southern Conquest,
Minister of Personnel...
and Minister of Revenue...
have all pledged allegiance to the crown prince.
Who would have thought that...
even though my father doesn't see highly of me,
the important officials in the court...
are all on my side now.
Even the Minister of Personnel and Minister of Revenue...
did not reject my gifts.
Congratulations, Your Highness.
Come.
They say a fine fowl perches only on a fine tree.
Who doesn't know that once His Majesty passes away,
the entire Tian Ning will belong to Your Highness?
By then, please take care of senior officials like us.
Of course.
General of Cavalry, your words surprised me.
His Majesty is in the prime of his manhood.
I'm afraid His Majesty will still be very fit...
by the time you pass away.
Dear generals.
I won't let you wait too long.
Your Highness.
That batch of secret weapon...
will arrive in the capital soon.
Everything is ready now.
Right time, right place and right people,
it's time to make a move.
Your Highness.
We received news from the outer palace that...
recently, Duke of Qin is...
making more and more secret deployments.
His Majesty is also secretly gathering his forces.
Both parties are preparing for war.
The situation is tense.
A war might break out anytime.
Looks like there'll really be a coup in Tian Ning.
Your Highness, should we secretly...
fuel the tension?
That's unnecessary.
The internal war between Duke of Qin and Emperor Tian Hui...
will weaken both parties.
Let's just wait and watch.
Mr. Chu.
Duke of Qin must be very busy now.
Why are you free to visit me?
Imperial Physician Gu.
Duke of Qin has a request.
If my guess is correct,
I believe the duke wants me to...
take Ms. Yun Xi away,
so that there'll be nothing holding him back.
Precisely.
A coup is about to take place in the capital.
The duke doesn't want to expose the duchess to any danger.
Unfortunately, even though...
I tried my best to hide the duke's letter of divorce,
Ms. Yun Xi still discovered it.
Please inform the duke of this.
I hope he forgives me.
I will inform His Highness.
Actually, it's not a bad thing.
At least the duke doesn't have to worry anymore.
This is the address.
This place is not known to any outsider. It is very safe.
Alright.
I shall excuse myself.
Ms. Yun Xi.
You came, Imperial Physician Gu.
You're still studying poison?
I used to believe that...
I'm an exceptional poison expert.
But, after the incident of the poison plague,
I realised that I was too conceited.
If I could produce the antidote earlier,
there wouldn't be so many deaths.
It wasn't your fault.
We should blame the people behind the poison plague.
Anyway,
it's always good to pick up more skills and knowledge.
Ms. Yun Xi.
Why don't we leave the capital a few days later?
Leave the capital?
Why?
Do you still want to go back to Duke of Qin's household?
The duke and I...
can never be together.
In this case,
let's leave the capital.
After all, too many bad things happened in this period.
If we continue to stay in the capital,
we'll only be unhappy.
Why don't we take this opportunity...
to travel and explore?
But, you're an imperial physician.
You can't be away for a long time.
I became an imperial physician...
in order to look for the chief and Lady Tian Xin.
But now, I've found you.
I've no reason to work in the palace anymore.
It's not a bad idea.
Perhaps, a little travelling...
can make me forget the things that happened here.
But, I have one request.
Please tell me, Ms. Yun Xi.
This is the one.
Stop calling me Ms. Yun Xi.
I'm not used to it.
Just call me Yun Xi.
I'll call you Brother Gu.
But...
Yes, Ms. Yun Xi.
No.
Ms. Yun Xi.
Just Yun Xi.
Not Ms. Yun Xi.
Alright.
Fei Ye.
What brought you over?
Greetings, mother.
Come. Sit down.
You may all retire.
- Yes. - Yes.
You've gotten a lot thinner lately.
You must have had...
a hard time at the southern border.
Everything went well at the southern border.
Good.
Now that you've returned safely,
I'm assured.
You managed to take care of...
the poison plague at the southern border.
Now, be it among the folks or officials,
I believe you have gained a lot of respect.
Did the emperor and empress dowager take action against you?
Don't worry, mother.
For now,
they won't dare to do anything to me.
Ye Er.
I believe you came to me today...
because you have something to say.
Mother, you've been saying that...
you wish to travel...
and see the beautiful rivers and mountains.
But, I was too busy to plan for you.
Recently, I ordered my men to build a house...
at the Ocean of Plum.
Since the weather is getting increasingly hot,
I think you can go over for a summer retreat.
A summer retreat?
Yes.
Ye Er.
I'm staying here.
I'm not going anywhere.
Mother, why?
Tell me honestly.
Are you about to make your move?
- Mother. - You're my son.
Would I not know...
what you have in mind...
and what you want to do?
I know...
you've prepared this...
for a long time.
I won't stop you.
But, I can't do anything for you either.
If...
you lose,
I will bear the consequence with you.
If you win,
this country will no longer be...
Tian Ning.
Mother.
You actually know.
Yes.
Not long after you returned to the palace,
I started suspecting that you are not my son.
At that time, I blamed myself for being useless.
I was sorrowful because of my son's death.
I was in despair.
But, because of you,
I gained the courage and hope to live on.
Fei Ye.
You are the biggest karmic reward I received from heaven.
Months ago,
when you went to the temple to pray,
I came to this realization.
Mother.
Thank you for treating me as your son.
I too...
see you as my mother.
Please forgive me.
I have a predicament.
I am actually...
I don't care who you are.
To me, you'll always be my son.
I've noticed since a long time ago that...
you intend to overthrow the tyrannical Tian Hui.
The Tian Ning today...
can't escape the fate of a coup.
You are my son.
I have faith in you.
I believe that the country...
will be better in your hands.
However,
I am a consort of the late emperor after all.
I cannot betray the late emperor.
So, I've decided to...
stay here for the rest of my life...
to pray for you...
and atone for my sins.
Mother.
You can't stay here.
It's too dangerous here.
Say no more.
I've made up my mind.
You don't have to persuade me.
Stay here and protect Grand Imperial Consort Yi.
Yes!
Greetings, Your Highness.
Mother.
Your Majesty.
I've found some...
useful information for Your Majesty.
It's about Grand Imperial Consort Yi.
She has been...
chanting in a temple lately.
It's been months...
and she hasn't returned to Duke of Qin's residence once.
This is intriguing.
I almost...
forgot about her.
Recently,
I've been keeping an eye on Long Fei Ye.
But, there hasn't been any discovery.
I've been feeling troubled because of this.
Looks like...
this is an opening.
Judging from Long Fei Ye's personality,
this does seem like the calm before the storm.
Your Majesty...
must take precautions.
Who are you?
Let go of me!
Help!
Save me!
Tian Yu Mountain is just ahead.
My mother-in-law is on a retreat here.
I wonder if she's doing well.
Should we go up and visit her?
Forget it. I don't know how to face her.
Your Highness!
Nanny Gui, what are you doing here?
Please save Grand Imperial Consort Yi!
Some people kidnapped her!
Did you see their faces?
They were all masked.
I only saw the...
token plates from the palace they were wearing.
They are from the palace.
Grand Imperial Consort Yi.
It's been a long time since we last met...
and you're still lacking manners.
Your Highness is the same.
You're always...
doing dirty things behind everybody's back.
People like you...
only deserve to be condemned.
Does the method matter?
I'm the ultimate victor.
The winner is always right.
History is always written by the victor.
What a good excuse.
But, I believe...
this proud empress dowager...
feels restless...
each time she thinks of...
my son.
Right.
It's not just you.
I'm afraid even His Majesty himself...
is anxious...
and sleepless every day...
because of my son.
You're asking for death.
You won't dare to kill me yet.
I'd like to know...
why you're so confident.
Because...
I'm your last bargaining chip.
Then, you should pray that...
you will be...
a useful bargaining chip.
If you lose your value...
before we can use you,
it'll be too sad.
Whether I'm useful or not...
depends on me.
Good.
Let me see...
what my hostage...
is capable of doing.
Imperial Physician Gu, the empress dowager is waiting.
Please proceed.
Brother Fei Ye, as you instructed,
we've secretly gained control over the crown prince's...
gunpowder house in the black market. The folks living there...
have all been evacuated.
Everything is ready.
Start it now.
Gunpowder?
There's gunpowder in the black market?
Yes. I've sent my subordinates...
to investigate in the black market.
They will arrest all suspicious people.
Send a large troop to surround the residence of Duke of Qin...
and monitor them.
Yes!
Your Majesty.
Do you suspect Duke of Qin?
Long Fei Ye...
is very likely storing gunpowder...
for future use.
But, the explosion...
It might be an accident...
or another conspiracy.
Monitor him closely.
I'd like to see...
what he can do under my nose!
Yes.
Your Highness!
Bad news!
The bow and arrows from the General of Cavalry...
- are remarkable. - Your Highness.
Why are you in a panic?
Our gunpowder house in the black market blew up.
- What? - Just a while ago,
His Majesty sent the imperial guards...
to investigate.
- What happened after that? - They caught a warehouse keeper.
Tell the General of Cavalry and...
General of the Southern Conquest to come and see me immediately.
This is the decisive moment.
Your Highness.
Are you going to...
Your Highness!
Please don't be reckless!
What do you know?
My father is a suspicious man.
If he learns that I secretly set up a gunpowder house...
after the incident of the Poison Master,
I might lose my position of the crown prince...
and even my life.
At this point, we can only attack while my father is focused on...
tackling my uncle.
We'll have to strike first.
This is the decisive moment.
It's my last chance.
Looks like this is the place.
How did you know that my mother-in-law is confined here?
The Cold Palace is meant for...
confining sinned women in the royal harem.
There shouldn't be so many guards here...
if she's not here.
My mother-in-law isn't guilty of any crime.
I'm afraid being a subject of jealousy...
is a kind of crime too.
It must be that witch.
It's so heavily guarded.
How do we get in?
Let's wait a little longer.
I know.
Do you know how to go to Qing Yun Palace?
I went there once a long time ago.
Come with me.
I'll leave her to you.
Mother!
- Yun Xi? - Let's go.
Why are you here?
Nanny Gui told me that you're held hostage.
So, I came in with the help of Imperial Physician Gu.
It's too dangerous here.
Leave at once.
No.
I can't leave you here.
The empress dowager can't hurt me yet.
But, you're different.
If you're discovered,
the emperor and empress dowager...
will have another hostage to threaten my son.
Mother.
Let's leave before it's too late.
I'm not leaving.
Mother.
Leave at once.
Brother Fei Ye, your prediction is completely correct.
We blew up the crown prince's gunpowder house...
and the crown prince panicked.
Dear generals.
Today's battle...
will determine the outcome!
Please support me fully!
We are willing to fight for Your Highness with our lives!
Good.
We'll depart now!
Yes!
Old General Mu requests an audience with Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
The crown prince is leading an army to attack the palace.
They are outside of Xuan Wu Gate now.
What did you say?
Say it again.
The crown prince is leading an army to attack the palace.
They are outside of Xuan Wu Gate now.
Are you sure it's the crown prince?
Your Majesty.
It's indeed the crown prince.
What's the size of his army?
Around 5,000 soldiers.
The General of Cavalry and General of Southern Conquest...
are assisting him.
What kind of son is this?
I've sent my subordinates...
and the imperial guards to eliminate them.
Capture the crown prince!
Yes!
Your Majesty.
Is the crown prince...
really the one attacking the palace?
Why is this happening?
Your Majesty.
Yun Xi.
To be honest,
ever since the empress dowager betrothed you to my son,
I was biased against you.
After living with you for some time,
I still didn't like you.
Because to me,
a duchess should be...
a gentle and graceful lady...
from a prestigious family.
But, you are...
cheerful, witty and clever.
On top of that, you are an excellent poison expert.
I was worried about you...
marrying my son...
for an ulterior motive.
Mother.
I'll never harm the duke.
I know.
Of course I know.
You lived with us for some time.
I know very well...
how you feel for Fei Ye.
I can tell that...
you genuinely love Fei Ye.
What surprised me even more...
was the fact that your existence...
made Fei Ye become more and more like a normal person...
with emotions.
So, that was when I was convinced that...
you are my son's...
destined partner.
Yun Xi.
I do not know...
what my son went through...
and experienced...
before 10 years old.
But, I know that...
it must be an unforgettable sorrow.
So, he closed his heart...
and put up a cold shell to protect himself.
You are like...
sunshine...
that slowly warmed him...
and opened him up.
Yun Xi.
I hope you can continue to...
love him and protect him as usual.
Because as his mother, I know that...
he shoulders everything on his own...
and he won't tell anyone.
But, he really...
loves you very much...
and he needs you.
Mother.
I'm afraid...
Yun Xi.
This is a mother's...
last request.
I hope you'll agree to it.
Good.
I can finally rest assured.
Your Majesty.
Please take care.
- Your Majesty. - Greetings, Your Highness.
- Mother. - Your Majesty.
What's going on?
Why is the crown prince suddenly attacking the palace?
Mother.
I'm not sure either.
I find it weird.
The crown prince has always been an indecisive child.
Unless he has no choice,
he wouldn't do this,
let alone launch a coup.
Could it be that someone is...
behind this discord between the two of you?
Mother, are you suspecting...
Long Fei Ye?
Who else can it be?
Li Quan.
What are the casualties of the explosion of...
the gunpowder house at the black market today?
Your Majesty.
I believe there was no casualty.
This is indeed Long Fei Ye's style.
But, what does this have to do with the crown prince?
Prior to this, I couldn't figure it out either.
If it was Long Fei Ye who stored gunpowder...
to fight against me,
why would the gunpowder house explode all of a sudden today?
Now I finally understand.
If the gunpowder...
doesn't belong to Long Fei Ye,
it must belong to the crown prince.
Long Fei Ye secretly detonated the gunpowder...
in order to mislead me into believing that...
he was about to make a move.
So, I sent all my forces...
to confront him.
And while I was at it,
the crown prince learnt that...
I discovered the gunpowder...
and felt that I would take action against him.
So, he thought that he might as well...
take the risk to attack directly...
while the palace is not heavily guarded...
and catch me off guard.
But,
the crown prince isn't capable of doing this.
Mother.
If Long Fei Ye...
can make use of the crown prince,
he must have planned in advance.
I believe...
both the General of Cavalry and General of Southern Conquest...
serve Long Fei Ye.
In this case,
while it is the crown prince leading the coup on the surface,
the one in control is actually Long Fei Ye.
Yes.
The situation isn't that bad yet.
At least...
we can prepare in advance.
Get up.
Don't sleep.
- Someone is coming. - Hide quickly.
- What about you? - I won't be in danger.
Hurry up and hide.
Mother, we must leave together.
Fine. I agree.
Now hide. Hurry.
Hurry.
You two.
Why were you sleeping here?
I've no idea.
The empress dowager ordered me to pick up Grand Imperial Consort Yi.
Yes.
Grand Imperial Consort Yi.
Please come with me.
Your Highness!
All the guards were killed!
They kidnapped Grand Imperial Consort Yi!
Tell Long Fei Ye...
to come and see...
who is behind me!
If you take one more step forward,
your master's mother...
will lose her life!
Father.
You must be senile.
You're using Grand Imperial Consort Yi as hostage.
Their master is me...
and not Duke of Qin.
I can't believe you're so afraid of uncle.
You don't deserve to be the emperor!
You're a joke!
Why don't you open the gate...
and let me in?
Why don't you just abdicate...
and live comfortably as the emperor emeritus?
You still look down on me.
Fine.
Very well.
Archers, get ready!
Shoot!
I'm telling you to shoot!
What are you...
waiting for?
Your Highness, we were tricked!
I knew it, Long Fei Ye.