Episode 27Reporting to the emperor
The imperial city is hard to penetrate
and easy to defend.
But stations in the country outskirts have little protection
It is very likely our army would be annihilated in one night!
The imperial city is strongly fortified
and has adequate provisions.
Your majesty need not worry
We cannot be content
We must think of ways to rescue the emperor!
I am the emperor
Big brother is also the emperor
Who's the real emperor?
It's your highness, naturally
The subjects only listen to your commands
Only me?
Then
guard the imperial city well. Don't let them charge in and kill me, that's all I want!
Emperor
Please, out of your brotherly love,
you must think of ways to save your older brother!
Emperor
Your brother was captured because he went to battle for you
You must rescue him
He wanted to be emperor himself, and willingly went to battle.
What does it have to do with me?
Emperor!That's the truth!
He wanted to lead the war himself!
Besides
He stole my Sister Yu
and I didn't say anything about it!
Don't pretend I owe him anything!
As ruler of the kingdom,
you dare say such things!
...We are rescuing him...
Second brother already said he would go,
besides killing people is uncle's thing.
Nothing to do with me
Emperor, so you're not making any effort to send troops and save him?
You and uncle are in charge of fighting wars
You decide yourselves
End of court!
Emperor!
Hey!
Immediately open your gates!
Otherwise we will kill your emperor!
Attack!
Qi You!
Heaven is kind to me
allowing me to see you one last time.
You can't die!
You must come back alive to finish our deal,
to personally hand me the jade pendant!
I'm afraid I won't be able to
I won't let you die!
Prepare to fight the enemy!
Commander Han, quickly open the gates
Once the gates are open, Han troops will charge in
and the imperial city is dead!
We have 100,000 imperial soldiers
There must be a way to fight them back
We must save him first!
I'll notify the emperor first
Emperor arrives!
Emperor!
Look!
Quick! They're about to break in!
Release the arrows!
Good brother
Big brother loved you for nothing
Quickly tell them to stop!
They will hurt your brother!
I don't care! I don't want to die!
Release the arrows! More arrows!
This...
More arrows! Don't stop! More arrows!
Qi You!
Qi You!You can't go down there!
Qi You!No!
Let me go down there!Ya Ya!
Your life is important
Qi You!
Fu Ya
Emperor
We can't continue shooting arrows
Your big brother has been hurt
I don't care if he's hurt!
Don't stop!
Whoever stops, I'll strip his family
and kill his nine degrees of kindred!
Don't stop! I don't want to die!
I can't die!
I can't die! I don't want to die!
I'm not going to court. Don't come over here!
I'm telling you, I'm not going to court!
What emperor doesn't go to court?
Do you want to be emperor or not?
Look at all the court officials
Who really considers me the emperor?
Especially that Grand Tutor Yang
Ever since he taught me school, he loved to put on a serious face
He would punish me with planks or make me copy books for no reason
Now great
If I don't open the city gates,
he has more reason to lecture me!
And in front of so many subjects,
I won't have any face left!
If you don't go now,
they will still find you here.
You can't hide from it
Think of a way to save me!
Emperor don't worry
Times have changed
Grand Tutor Yang was strict towards you
because back then you were only a crown prince.
Now you are already the Emperor
However much audacity he may have,
he only has one head.
I promise
that he won't dare offend the Emperor like before.
Really? You're not lying to me?
Emperor don't be afraid
Whoever dares offend the Emperor
I'll be the first to shame him!
Come, let's go to court
I...Let's go!
Where is this emperor?
Outrageous!
Coward!
No regard for his own blood!
Now,
he's not even attending court!
Who said the emperor wasn't attending court?
Your majesty
Don't yell at me!
10,000 years to the Emperor
See, I told you there would be no trouble
Subject respectfully asks the emperor to discuss official court business.
Tell them to rise
Please rise
Thanks your majesty
Subject has news to inform the emperor
Don't subjects have to kneel
when informing the emperor?
That depends on whether the subject
has any respect for the emperor.
Excuse subject's transgressions
Hehe, Grand Tutor is kneeling before me!
He's actually kneeling before me!
Subject has news to inform the emperor
The Han troops are threatening us with the emperor
They're just outside the city
Your majesty should personally open the gates to face the enemy
First,
to appear on behalf of the royal family to comfort the people
and second,
to encourage and raise the morale of our troops.
And third?
Third, once the gates are open,
our kingdom and people will perish. We will all be captured.
But the emperor
faced the enemy head-on for Shu's kingdom and people.
Now he's in the enemy's hands,
...
how could your majesty not lift a finger to save him?
Which emperor is Grand Tutor referring to?
He's also the emperor
I'm also the emperor
Everyone is the emperor!
So many emperors, which one is the real emperor?
You're making me confused
Reporting to emperor,
a kingdom cannot tolerate two rulers.
Your majesty already has firm hold of the dragon court
You are naturally and undoubtedly the kingdom's emperor
As for the First Prince outside,
please issue an imperial decree
declaring him Han Cheng Emperor.
Issuing a decree is easy
but I must ask,
is Han Cheng Emperor greater or is the Emperor greater?
Replying to the emperor,
Han Cheng Emperor is only a title of honor.
The Emperor controls the real power
That means everything in Shu Kingdom still goes by me, right?
Right
Yes, emperor
The Emperor is the master of the kingdom,
the representing figure of the whole country.
Emperor, please immediately issue the decree and send troops
to save Han Cheng Emperor.
Then what if I...
what if I'm not willing to?
Not willing to?
Han Cheng Emperor
is the emperor's own brother!
How could the emperor neglect his own blood relative?
Right!
How could the ruler of the kingdom
say such words?
When the two brothers were princes,
didn't they have mutual love and respect
for each other?
In the moment of life and death,
how could he be so heartless?
Now what?
What are you afraid of? If they're vicious
the emperor can be even more vicious!
Quick
Emperor please calm down
I'm not fit to be ruler of the kingdom?
The way you're acting now,
are you fit
to be my subjects?
Subjects are terrified. Emperor please calm down.
All listen to me. I've already decided.
Strictly defend the gate
Do not open!
Violators will have nine degrees of family killed!
Do not discuss this again! Court adjourned
!
Emperor!
Darling, you're awake
Darling's awake
Come
Help her up
Is he dead?
I...I don't know either
If he's dead,
remember to tell me.
Sister Yu,
what do you mean?
Yes
Sister don't worry
If he leaves
I will go with him.
I can't let him wait too long
Sister
What a silly thing to say
Is he the only person in your heart?
If Sister leaves,
then what about us?
Sister, Yu er is not being cruel
I promised Qi You
I would follow him in life and death.
His parents and brother
have already abandoned him.
In this world,
he only has me left.
Good sister, don't think of these
Perhaps there is still a chance of survival
Right!
There's no hope!
Crow's mouth! Saying these words again
Why is there no hope?
I heard the subjects
asking the emperor to issue a decree
giving First Prince the title of Han Cheng Emperor,
and to rescue him.
That's great news!
Why is there no hope?
The emperor wouldn't agree to it
What did he say?
That damn emperor said
whoever dares open the gates
will be killed for treason.
Whoever dares mention the subject of saving him again
will be beheaded, along with nine degrees of kindred.
How could it be?
First Prince has always treated His Highness Qi Xing
kindly.
Yes
Your body's still weak. Come back!
Ya Ya!
Yu er, sorry
I couldn't bear seeing you marry Meng Zhi Xiang,
and originally thought that sending the Northern Han troops
would save you from this danger.
I wanted to save you
But I didn't think
it would turn into this.
I really didn't
Sorry, I'm really very sorry
Is he dead?
Reporting to princess,
he can still make sounds.
He's not dead yet
This is a good way to tell
Dead people do not make sounds
Vile woman, kill me if you have the guts!
What did you say?
No so fast. Idiot!
He's purposely
trying to infuriate me
so that I kill him.
But
I won't fall for his trap.
Killing you would be letting you off lightly
I'm telling you
This princess's
favorite game
is to hear people cry for mercy.
That should be easy
Servant
has plenty of human torture methods.
A Nu
Are you going to splash salt water on his wounds?
You're quite cruel
Reporting to princess,
this is not salt water, but sugar water.
Sugar water?
What's salt water?
When sugar water is splashed on the body,
after a day,
I guarantee bugs and ants will be crawling all over his wounds,
biting and stinging his entire body.
Extremely painful
Compared to the pain of using salt,
this is 10,000 times worse.
Hey, you hear that?
You just need to say
"Princess please have mercy"
and this princess will let you off the hook today.
What? You can't hear
me talking to you?
Are you seeking death?!
Stop!
Liu Lian Si! What are you doing?
Imperial brother!
Let me kill this person!
To dissolve the hatred in my heart!
I already told you not to touch him
You dare disobey me?!
Imperial brother!
He's our enemy!
You won't let us kill, torture, or humiliate him
Could it be
that you're sympathetic to him?
Keeping him alive will bring us endless future trouble
Shut up
To kill him or not, I will decide
I don't need you to interfere
Besides
I want to exchange him for
a rare treasure.
Your highness is brilliant
You can exchange their emperor
for anything.
How would they dare refuse?
Right, I heard
that Shu Kingdom is affluent, with vast territories
and many treasures.
This time,
our national treasury will be replenished.
What would I want those material things for?
I want to exchange him for
a priceless treasure.
I dare ask Han Emperor, what treasure
is worth going through so much trouble?
Even if you don't tell me, I know
That priceless treasure is Princess Fu Ya
But
our emperor has already given instructions
to exterminate her at all costs.
Liu Lian Cheng
You want both kingdom and beauty
No way!
The emperor is really refusing to open the gates and send troops?
Is empress dowager unaware of this?
You suddenly come to beg me
as if it were my idea to not send troops and save him.
You think I'm more heartless than tigers and wolves!
Subject is frightened
Mother and son's hearts are linked
Empress dowager couldn't possibly not care
about Han Cheng Emperor's life and death.
You've misspoken again!
Han Cheng Emperor has never
regarded me as a mother.
Since when did he consider me his mother?
It's Empress Dowager who didn't want her son first.
What status are you using to speak to me?
Are you the late emperor's imperial concubine,
Han Cheng Emperor's empress,
or the woman the emperor likes?
Regardless of your status, you have no right to make decisions in the back palace!
Qi You was right
Empress dowager has always been greedy
Your own son is in a critical moment of life and death
Yet you're only concerned
about losing power.
If I don't retain the power,
how will I plot and calculate
to save him?
Empress dowager is willing to save Han Cheng Emperor?
Please forgive Pan Yu for my rude and impetuous words
If empress dowager is willing to save Han Cheng Emperor,
Pan Yu is delighted
and sincerely submits to empress dowager's instructions.
Brother
Subject here
What was the situation on the battlefield that day?
That child Qi You is brave, skillful in fighting,
and great at military strategy.
How could he fall into the enemy's hands?
Empress dowager
Right now, we should be thinking of how to save him
Why ask those unimportant questions?
No, those questions are crucial
Knowing why we lost
affects how we save him
and where to start.
What a great pillar of the country!
You don't even have the insight of a woman!
Replying to empress dowager, Subject explained last time
that because of a spy in my army,
Han Cheng Emperor
was defeated and captured.
Of course I knew there was a spy
But is this spy hiding among the troops
or in the palace?
Sister, drink this
I can't. You drink it.
It's been several days
You won't eat anything
At least have some nourishments
She's right. People are iron, food is steel
You can't give up
You still have someone to save
Right
That's right
I went through a lot of trouble to brew this supplement tonic
Hua Gong Gong gave me this awful prescription
...No old hens,
only pigeons.
But the imperial kitchen
didn't have them.
It wasn't easy to get a hold of two pigeons
If you don't eat it,
you would be wasting my kind intentions.
Thanks Sister
Then
where did you find the pigeons?
I secretly "borrowed" two
from Maiden Su.
What? You stole these pigeons?
Hey!
What do you mean "steal"?
...Based on the friendship between Maiden Su
and our miss,
if I asked her
she would give them to me anyways.
Besides,
she had an entire cage full of pigeons.
If I take two,
it shouldn't be a big deal.
An entire cage?
Yes
I didn't think
such a gentle, graceful person like Maiden Su
would also have cravings for pigeon.
Keeping an entire cage,
and secretly having a feast.
She's keeping pigeons
but they're definitely not for feasting.
Then...
what can you do with pigeons,
other than kill and eat them?
Deliver messages
Strange
We only have one message pigeon left
Weren't there 3 yesterday?
Is it because you were careless
and didn't shut the cage properly,
so they flew away?
Impossible
Everytime I feed them,
I'm especially careful.
Father never replied
and pigeons are getting fewer by the day.
How will we deliver messages in the future?
Sister Yao
Yu er?
Sister Yao
Yu er, you're here
Is Sister writing a letter?
Yes
In a few days
I'll be leaving the palace,
so I'm writing father a letter
telling him not to worry.
Why does Sister Yao keep pigeons?
Is it because you use them
to deliver letters home?
Sister is joking with me
I keep this pigeon as a pet
to admire
it flying freely,
and because when it's tired,
it returns home to rest.
These two good fortunes
I also seek but cannot attain.
I keep it for fun
to console my loneliness.
Sister has such a sensitive heart
Even a pet
can bring you sentiments of the changing seasons.
If only humans
could be like pigeons,
flying freely
and returning home when tired.
What happiness
Sister has seen through my mind
I miss my father too much
Sister's filial piety is admirable
Our sisterly friendship...
in your heart
how much weight does it carry?
In this icy palace,
only Sister genuine cares for me.
In this world, aside from my parents
you are my only dear relative.
Me too
Sister
Don't forget our
sisterly friendship.
I really like this pigeon
Can I have it?
No!
Since Sister likes it,
Sister can have it to play with.
Thanks Sister
I will find a cage
and take good care of it.
Miss
This is our last
messenger pigeon.
Don't you think that Sister Yu
already suspects me?
She didn't expose me because of our old friendship
She took the pigeon away
to destroy evidence for me.
Then aren't we exposed?
Let's leave the palace immediately and return home
Can we still return?
I don't know when
daughter will receive this letter.
A perfectly fine daughter
Why would you send her to that
dark place?
My poor Yao er
Don't worry. I told daughter
that once the Emperor defeats Shu,
we'll bring her back.
We'll be reunited as a family
Shu Kingdom won't surrender to you
because you've captured me.
If I were you,
I would kill me in an instant
to avoid future consequences.
Kneel down!
You just need to say
"Princess please have mercy"
and this princess will let you off today.
What?
Didn't you hear
what I said?
Princess
Go
Don't worry
I will come back alive
to give you the jade pendant.
Jade pendant?
Give it to you personally
Princess
Why is it you?
You scared me
Dare I ask why princess
is in the prisoner tent this late?
I can go wherever
I want to go.
None of your business!
Servant is worried for princess
This person has typhoid fever
He's sick?
Then
Then why hasn't he been treated?
His cheap life
won't end that quickly.
Besides this person once offended princess
so why save him?
That's up to me!
I'm telling you
If anything happens
to this person,
I will...
I won't have anyone to beat up for fun.
Then you can take his place
I'll beat you three times a day!
Understand?
Quickly go!
Quickly get the army doctor!
Yes
Faster!
It's you. You're here.
Guard Mo
Is there really a spy in the palace?
We can't go wrong by being cautious
Guard Mo
We just shot this messenger pigeon
It's from outside the palace
It's the same kind
Someone is indeed playing tricks in the palace
What does the letter say?
Can I see?
Empress dowager should be the first to read it
Strange
Why hasn't Father
replied to my letter yet?
Sister Yao!
Sister Yu
Quick, leave with me
Maiden Yu is so hurried
Where are you taking my miss?
Come with me if you want to live
What does Sister mean by this?
Sister Yao
You're the spy from Northern Han?
I...
She is actually
the daughter of Northern Han court official Xiang Yun!
I've been so blind!
Empress dowager calm down
Mo Chou
will seize this vile person right now!
Northern Han is so deceitful
I fear that
she's not the only spy in this palace!
We're sisters
Why did you lie to me?
Why?
I don't know what you're talking about
You must be wrong
Yes, I was wrong about you
I thought you were pure and kind
but I didn't think you were so full of schemes.
Why would you harm Qi You?
By harming Qi You, you're harming me!
You know?
Collaborating with the enemy to betray the kingdom ...you don't want to live anymore?
You must be mistaken
I'm not guilty of this crime
That's why I came to ask you
Are you or are you not
the spy Northern Han sent?
I don't have anything to say
I am just a typical
woman from Shu.
Sister Yao
We've known each other as sisters
If you don't tell me the truth,
how can I help you?
You can't help her!
Su Yao is an enemy spy
She has now been exposed
Quickly kneel to be arrested!
Wait
Empress dowager orders
that the spy be captured.
Anyone who resists will be killed on the spot!
Why is empress dowager so certain
that Su Yao is the spy
from the enemy kingdom?
The evidence is conclusive
What else do you have to say?
Thank the empress dowager for me,
for giving me a letter from home
and relieving my homesickness.
Su Yao dies with no regret
Don't touch her
Miss...you...
Good sister,
you've served me for so many years.
How could I bear
watching them interrogate you with torture?
You go first
I'll be there shortly
Thanks miss
Sister Yu, goodbye forever
Guard Mo, what are you doing?
Empress dowager wants her alive
for questioning. Take her away
Yes
You're really not going to confess?
I don't have that much patience
to waste on you!
Are you going to confess?
Confess!
Never mind
This girl seems frail and weak
but her inner heart
is stronger than a man's,
stronger than steel.
She definitely won't talk if we use torture
Two kingdoms are at war. Each person works for her own master.
I won't blame you
You live deep within the palace
You couldn't possibly obtain
Shu army's lineup chart.
As long as you tell me
who is the planted spy in the palace,
I promise to give you a quick death
and spare you from
a long, drawn out torture.
I can tell you
but I will only speak to one person.
Who?
Pan Yu
Pan Yu?
Your majesty is writing to the new Shu emperor,
summoning him to surrender?
Whether Shu surrenders or not,
I don't really care.
I just want to exchange Meng Qi You
for a person.
Who are you exchanging him for?
Preposterous! I'm discussing important military matters
How dare you eavesdrop!
I already heard, what's done is done!
Imperial brother,
who are you exchanging him for?
Eavesdropping on military plans is punishable by death
You don't even pretend
to not have heard,
and dare ask another question in reply!
So what if I ask you?
If imperial brother won't say,
it's because of a guilty conscience!
Don't think that just because Mother and I
spoil and indulge you,
you can
criticize me without thinking.
If any of this
leaks out,
I will deal with you using military law.
Leave!
You came