[Tian Bao Third Year, Lantern Festival] [Chang'an]
[Yuan]
♫ At night she must adorn herself, ♫
♫ Dancing in rainbow skirts before the emperor ♫
Bring the water now!
Hurry up!
Make way!
♫ Who knew a seductive waistline, ♫
♫ Would soon convince the emperor to smile ♫
Uncle, may you have a wonderful day during the Lantern Festival!
The plan will surely work. Everything will go well.
♫ Would soon convince the emperor to smile ♫
Walnut pancake!
Yes.
We are in the third year of Tian Bao.
All the shops in the Western District shall open for the Lantern Festival!
Shops are open!
As decreed by the Chancellery,
in the third year of Da Tang Tian Bao,
the 14th day of the first month,
coinciding with the Lantern Festival.
The sky of Chang'an shall be lit by brilliant light!
As declared by the Emperor,
from now until 9:00 tomorrow morning,
the curfew of Chang'an city shall be lifted.
It doesn't matter where you came from,
as long as you have visited the city, within the next 24 hours, (T/N: in the Tang Dynasty, there were 12 shi in a day. 1 shi = 2 hours in modern day. )
you shall be able to walk freely on the streets!
[Longest Day in Chang'an]
[Episode 1]
[Guangde Street, Peacekeeper Corps]
[Tan Qi the Servant]
He reeks.
We are in a hurry. No time for details. That is all for now.
Freshen your breath.
Come on.
This is the watchtower.
We have use of you today.
[Zhang Xiao Jing, Former Captain of Sleuth-hound]
The man that came before you, when we walked here, asked,
"What is this place?"
This smells nice.
Anything that comes could be surprising.
Most men don't walk the walk or talk the talk.(T/N: Supporting what you say, not just with words, but also through action or evidence.)
I hope you are an exception.
Young Master, he is here.
- I hope you are— - You got the wrong man.
I am Zhang Xiaojing.
The crime I committed
was one of the worst. It's the crime of treason.
The Ministry of Justice and Court of Judicature already ordered me to be beheaded,
never to be pardoned.
I can get you to be pardoned.
The Tang Dynasty hasn't fallen to the point where a boy can disregard the law.
- Are you kin of the Emperor? (T/N: Is your surname Li?) - Young Master.
Since we transported him out of the prison until now,
no one has ever mentioned your identity.
This place...
is where the Jinglong Temple once stood.
We are in Guangde Street, outside the Western District.
On our left, the Jinglong Temple is being rebuilt.
On our right, the Ministry of Capital stands.
This garden has been abandoned for a long time.
It's not even on the map.
Some even say...
it's the private villa of the Crown Prince.
- Chief. - Young Master.
I carry the family name of Li. [Li Bi, Chief of Peacekeeper Corps]
But it's not the same as the royal family.
It's from the previous Sui dynasty.
My family were nobles for six generations.
I befriended Zhang Jiuling at the age of seven.
I knew the Crown Prince at the age of nine.
Director He is my mentor.
General Wang Zongshi is my friend.
I followed Master Ye Shan on Taoism for ten years.
The Emperor summons me often to exchange thoughts on Taoism.
The newly established Yamen... (T/N: government office)
it's been five months?
Four months.
Not bad.
I do have a way to get you out of the death sentence.
After tonight, you can be freed.
You can walk the city of Chang'an freely.
You can look after those who you care about,
but you must complete one mission.
The same mission Cui Liulang was doing?
Yes. He was an illegal loan shark.
His actions exceeded the tolerance of Chang'an.
It's also a death sentence.
Since you used him,
why bother using me?
He is dead.
Captain Cui.
[Cui Qi, Captain of the Royal Escort]
It was my error that brought this failure upon us.
The deputy captain, Huang Shan, and my...
and...
and... Cui Liulang perished.
I'll accept my punishment.
Captain Cui, dismissed and stay put.
Yes.
Your clothes are wet; get changed.
You can't afford to be sick today.
As for Liu Lang's funeral,
I will take care of it.
Captain Cui!
The younger brother is a soldier,
but the elder brother is a bandit.
Interesting.
Cui Qi spent a long time in the Longyou Army.
He was transferred to Chang'an less than six months ago.
He is a righteous person, unlike Cui Liulang.
The mission I have for you...
you can live if you complete it.
Should you fail...
you will suffer the same fate as Liulang.
You will die in prison without even a chance to enjoy three meals a day.
- Coroner! - Yes.
Cui Liulang. Broker and fabric merchant in the Western District.
His was 41 years old.
- Cause of death? - His tongue was pulled out.
He died from the blood loss.
- What about that one? - His neck was broken.
I will be freed once the mission is completed?
Can I trust you?
Young Master already told you who he really is.
You know too much.
You will die even if you don't do it.
Most men don't walk the walk or talk the talk.
I hope he is an exception.
Tell me.
What do you want me to do?
This is the Peacekeeper Corps.
Pacifying the disorder and ensuring the tranquility of the city.
The Peacekeeper Corps is a newly founded secret bureau.
We are in charge of crime prevention for the entirety of Chang'an.
Our supervisor is Director He.
He calls the shots around here.
He's is a third-rank officer, the Director of the Palace Library.
He is in charge of keeping all of the secret and open files.
The Peacekeeper Corps has a unique place in the Imperial Court.
Secretariat, Chancellery, Office of State Affairs,
Ministry of Personnel, National Treasury, Ministry of Rites,
Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice,
Ministry of Works, Censorate,
Court of Judicature, Court of Imperial Entertainments.
Files from the Offices, Ministries, and Directorates are all here.
Chamberlain Xu.
This is Xu Bin.
- Do you know this man? - Zhang Xiaojing.
Sleuthhound Captain of the Wannian County.
I've heard of him but never met him. [Xu Bin, officer of National Treasury]
By using the scroll of the cases,
Xu Bin searched for a suitable candidate for me inside of Chang'an.
He chose you and Cui Liulang.
You know both the laws and rules of the vagabonds.
You know all sorts of people and understand various languages.
You are motivated and have a certain attachment.
You want to live.
By going through rental contracts,
we will find any changes of addresses within the past year.
If ten others can work with me,
we will surely have a result in the next 30 minutes.
I'll give you ten men.
Xu Bin is obsessed with solving mysteries using the case scrolls.
In order to get his hands on the files,
he would rather choose to be a lowly eighth rank chamberlain for life.
There are 35 officers in the Peacekeeper Corps.
I hand-picked them from other ministries myself.
They all act with caution, just like Xu Bin.
[Pang Ling, a professor from the Bureau of Astronomy]
You trust them?
Yes.
Professor Pang, what is the time?
9:00 in the morning, Time of Great Waste!
The world is growing lush and prospers,
but it'll all fall apart soon!
Such an event is called the Time of Great Waste!
The sand table.
All are thriving and glory shines upon them.
There will be no greater city than Chang'an.
Didn't you hear what he said?
The world is growing lush and prospers, but it'll all fall apart soon!
A Time of Great Waste.
The prosperity in front of you might not last long.
The longevity of the Tang Dynasty has me.
Focus only on what's in front of you.
In front of me?
This thing in front of me should not exist!
All of you officers like to get credit for anything.
The fortifications and locations of the headquarters are here.
Should this fall into the wrong hands,
Chang'an will be out of luck!
The Peacekeeper Corps is heavily secured.
Your worry is unnecessary.
There are 108 streets in Chang'an.
There is a watchtower at every 300 steps.
The commandants on top are archers sent by the Commissioner of the north.
They went through the battles of Yuchuan and Sanggan River,
they even defeated the Yabghu.
They have great sight.
All the movements beneath are seen clearly.
361!
If the commandants see anything unusual,
they will signal the Peacekeeper Corps with the secret codes immediately.
When the Corps send out an order to any corner of the city,
we can cover the whole city in a blink of an eye.
361!
Also, the commandants are equipped with a crossbow.
They can acquire any target within the range of 230 steps.
Wherever you are in the city, I will know.
An escape is impossible.
But didn't you say I will be freed after the mission is done?
Why would I want to escape?
I ask very highly of you and demand a lot. [Yao Ru Neng, Crown Prince's Right Hand Guard]
If you do not do things appropriately, I'll send you back to death row at any time.
What is considered a success, then?
Have you heard of the Wolven Squad?
In early September, the second year of Tian Bao,
an encoded letter came from the north.[Cao Po Yan, Wolven Squad]
The leader of Wolven Squad and his men went missing in the Western Region.
They must have been planning something. In order to prevent their plan,
the Peacekeeper Corps was secretly founded.
After months of investigation, we found out about a secret business deal in the Western District.
Someone is looking for a person who can help 16 fake Sogdian merchants
pass the census test at the Western District.
A reward of ¥5,000 was offered.
The time was 9:00 this morning.
Cui Liulang was well-known as a broker in Western District.
That is why I chose him.
An hour ago, the shops were opened in the Western District.
Cui Liulang led Cao Poyan and his men to the district.
Wolven Squad is in the Western District.
The original plan was to have Cao Liulang ask where Cao Poyan would reside.
Four squads of the Royal Escort would follow them secretly,
until they reached the hideout, and all of them could be arrested.
We were hoping to interrogate them to find their true motive for infiltrating Chang'an.
But there was an accident.
Child Prodigy, if you can deploy the Crown Prince's Royal Escort,
why couldn't you keep Cui Liulang alive?
At first, everything was going according to our plan.
We will be raiding the Bingliu Warehouse.
Anyone who knows the place well can scout ahead.
I am Huang Shan of Chang'an.
I request permission to scout ahead.
- Move out. - Yes!
- Gather around! - Yes!
Then?
There is no one out there. Two guards are on watch in the yard.
The rest of them are in the warehouse.
Liulang went in, too?
Yes.
- For how long? - Less than 15 minutes.
Liulang!
The one that got away was Cao Poyan, the leader.
Cui Qi jumped into the channel and pursued him right away.
His armor is too heavy. He can never catch up.
We investigated.
The underground channel in the Bingliu Warehouse was illegally constructed by the owner.
It was not reported to the Bureau of Western District.
The underground channel is connected to the main channel.
After it exits outside the Western District,
it passes through more than thirty streets.
Half the city is connected to the channel,
which is why we can't determine where Cao Poyan exited the channel.
My mission for you is to capture Cao Poyan.
Sixteen men went in,
and fifteen men are dead.
The Peacekeeper Corps went through so much effort,
only to have me...
capture this one man?
Tonight is the Lantern Festival.
The people will be in the streets to see the lanterns.
There is a joke about how their feet don't touch the ground,
but move forward by ten or so steps.
If we deploy too many soldiers,
there will be confusion and casualties.
Stealth is our only option.
If Cao Poyan is planning to cause trouble tonight,
and if people of Chang'an lose their lives,
this guilt will never be wiped from my conscience.
Is it really for the people?
Father!
Greetings, Director He!
[He Zhi Zheng, Director of Palace Library]
Father!
[He Fu, son of He Zhi Zheng]
Father! Father! Father! Father!
Father!
Teacher.
Light shines upon Great Tang.
The world bows down to the emperors!
It's gone!
It's gone! It's gone!
Father!
" Jiao Sui the peasant "
You're not dead.
It's good that you're not dead. It's good that you're not dead.
Are you a merchant?
Did you... also run into bandits?
All of my comrades are dead.
Come on, have a drink.
You don't want to get frostbite.
Come on.
Have another drink.
What is this?
The Golden Fish Pendant.
It's a pass to the palace.
You are an officer?
What is your name?
Jiao Sui of Chang'an.
A shame. Such a shame.
Not at all.
Let me send you away.
Have a wonderful Lantern Festival.
Who are you?
Teacher, if you need some rest,
Chang Yuan can ready the carriage for you.
This land... will know who you are once you get the right outfit.
While you were staring at the Grand Auditorium,
you said, "It's gone."
What is gone?
Chang Yuan, did you catch the wolf?
You don't want him to know who I am?
Just do what you are here for.
If you think you can't handle this task,
you might as well say it now.
The camels.
[Cui Liulang, brother of Cui Qi]
Did you hear anything?
I can't hear anything anymore.
The bells on the camels stopped ringing.
Someone is coming.
Are you a spy?
A smuggler can't be a spy.
On guard!
It would be treason if I divulge any information to you!
This crime can never be pardoned!
I will lose my head sooner or later for it!
Which of you fools ordered taking the load off the camels?
It's me.
Chamberlain Xu! Write this down.
This happened because of me.
Compensate the family of Cui Liulang with ¥100,000...
and a house on Shengye Street.
Chief Li, the Corps has no such budget.
I will pay.
Smart.
Being smart makes you think you can control everything.
Indeed.
What loathsome deals did your brother do?
It's none of your business.
But it does for today.
He smuggled silk and jewelry.
Human and horse trafficking.
He was once a hired mercenary and assassin.
Did he love money so much?
He did it for me!
He did it to get me into the ranks of Longyou Army!
He did it so I can return to Chang'an from Longyou!
In the fifteenth year of the previous era,
my brother wanted me to join the army.
But we were...
farmers that ran away from our baron.
We couldn't be registered.
My brother started smuggling pearls.
He got the money... so I could get into the ranks of the army.
Back then, the Emperor... forbid...
forbid the smuggling of pearls.
My brother can get ¥500 for each smuggling.
He wrapped the pearls in goat entrails and swallowed them.
He made the same deal a dozen times.
He almost lost his life.
After that,
he could only have liquid food for years.
Close the door.
This is classy...
Wintersweet with golden paint.
I need some space.
I am sorry for this.
Chief! We found out the real owner of Bingliu Warehouse.
We searched through two years of the records...
from the bureau's tax files, the census register files,
and the construction plans from the Ministry of Work.
We found the address of the owner.
The Royal Escort is on the way here.
Make way!
The owner can be brought here within 15 minutes.
Also, Captain Cui mustered the troops.
They are heading to the location
the gatekeeper described and that is on the map Cao Poyan drew.
All the commandants and spies in the city are now in place.
The trap is set.
We just have to wait.
Fight!
Fight! Fight on!
- Stop right there!- Stop!
Sir, you might want to try somewhere else. We are closing.
I want to go see the lanterns. I can't get a good seat if we're too late.
Please, I hope you understand.
There is still time.
The owner of Bingliu Warehouse is Li Lugou.
He lives in First of Double Twist Alley, Western District.
He spent ¥50,000 to buy the abandoned land six months ago...
and rebuilt the Bingliu Warehouse.
Every month, from then on, he paid his taxes to the bureau.
However...
according to the construction records from the Ministry of Works,
until three months ago,
that warehouse was still... importing construction soil.
Which can only mean...
that at least three months after the warehouse was rebuilt,
construction was still underway.
It's very possible that the
underground channel that was used by Cao Poyan to escape was dug during that time.
What's more suspicious is that...
up until spring in the second year of Tian Bao,
the name Li Lugou was still listed
for free food on the refugee list in Longjing Temple.
There were only four months in between that and the rebuilding of the warehouse.
How did he get this ¥50,000?
Order the watchtower to send the signal!
What is that drum?
It's been played many times today.
I think there's some kind of a new government office.
They commandeered the watchtower previously used for fire watch.
The sounds of the drums are their signals.
They've been played many times today since the market reopened.
But nothing has happened.
Maybe they are just catching some pickpockets.
Those drumbeats do give an ease of mind.
It's like someone is actually protecting the people.
Report!
Report from the Royal Escort.
Li Lugou, the warehouse owner, and his whole family, [Lu San, Peacekeeper Corps Reporter]
have been dead for over ten days.
- He is dead? - The cause of death.
Their necks were broken. The tops of their heads were shaved.
It's the technique of the Wolven Squad.
There are others from the Wolven Squad still in the city.
Killing five people without alerting any neighbors,
means there is definitely more than one murderer.
Li Lugou was given ¥50,000 six months ago.
Did you find out who gave it?
I couldn't find anything.
Money laundering is all too common in the Western District.
The power behind it is complex.
There is no clue to be traced.
What is this?
The Wolven Squad is planning something big today.
In the end, I still love money.
I was planning to close today.
It's still morning, why are you closing?
Sir, did you just arrive in Chang'an today?
What is it?
The Lantern Festival is different this year.
Something big is going to happen.
We have a holy lantern this year.
The genius craftsman, Master Mao Shun,
crafted a Grand Holy Lantern for the Emperor.
It's right in front of the Directorial Office next to Xingqing Palace.
It's very mysterious.
It's being kept out of sight. They say... it costs Yonzhou's entire year of taxes.
It took one whole year to craft.
But not even the Emperor knows what the lantern looks like yet.
Just waiting for night to fall and the lantern to be lit.
That is when we get to see it.
All of Chang'an is waiting to see it.
When will it be lit?
In the city, this evening, the lanterns will be lit around five o'clock.
But the Holy Lantern will be lit at 2:00 in the morning.
The Emperor will hold a feast on the tower.
All the officers will be there.
If I don't go early to get in line,
once the Dragon Army seals the road in front of Xingqing Palace,
I can't get in anymore.
I didn't plan to go at first. It could be a mess when there is a crowd.
At the Lantern Festival two years ago,
someone was tossing coins in front of Jianfu Temple.
This may sound ridiculous.
Just because everyone was fighting for the coins,
thousands of people got hurt or died from stomping each other.
The whole Dragon Army was deployed.
But just those few people in Chang'an...
It was like tossing salt into the river.
There was nothing they could do.
Captain Cui.
Yes.
If you were ordered to seize the Dragon Army's headquarters,
how many men would you need?
The Dragon Army will all be at Xingqing Palace today,
which is just next to the Grand Auditorium.
Their headquarters may be emptied, but we would still need suicide warriors.
At least fifty of them.
What about the headquarters of the Right Cavalries?
The officers in the Right Cavalries are sons of the higher-ups.
They are barely trained.
To seize their headquarters,
I need...
Twenty suicide warriors are enough.
What about the inner city of the palace?
Chief, what are you planning?
The Wolven Squad is coming tonight.
They have a map of Chang'an.
They have only part of the map.
From Xiude Street, Fuxing Street,
all the way to the royal palace and Pinkang Street,
the roads and channels are clearly drawn in detail.
There are even markers at special locations.
The marked locations are the headquarters of the Dragon Army,
the stables of the Right Cavalries,
the fortifications inside the royal palace... and the manor of the Right Counselor.
Are they going to attack so many locations at once?
Such a detailed map was not drawn for the Wolven Squad. It's for you.
Cui Liulang thought it through.
Even if he died, he made sure you could read the map.
There are even more of the Wolven Squad and a bigger conspiracy is hidden in the city.
♫ Segging and Subtitling are provided by the wonderful Chang'An Warriors Team ♫
♫ In the daytime in the forbidden courtyard, ♫
♫ A warbler has new feathers ♫
♫ Racking their brain to gamble underneath the florals, ♫
♫ Using only the finest jewelry ♫
♫ At night she must adorn herself, ♫
♫ Dancing in rainbow skirts before the emperor ♫
♫ Who knew a seductive waistline, ♫
♫ Would soon convince the emperor to smile ♫
♫ At night she must adorn herself, ♫
♫ Dancing in rainbow skirts before the emperor ♫
♫ Who knew a seductive waistline, ♫
♫ Would soon convince the emperor to smile ♫