Senior brother.
Stop being rude to Master.
Didn’t you hear him
calling me beast?
In his eyes,
you and I are always
rude beasts.
He’ll never treat us as human beings.
What fair laws!
That’s a lie.
He’s been lying to us.
Do you really think so?
Do you think I want it?
Master.
You may know
how hard it is
to turn a beast into a human.
But you will never know
why I insist on having a human body.
Let me tell you.
Go ahead.
A beast
can only see black and white.
How dull it is!
When I hear that
a human being
can see
a totally different world,
a world with
fantastic colors.
From then on, I swore that
I would have a human body.
I would see the colorful world,
even for once.
You practiced for a thousand years,
just to have a look at the world?
Exactly.
Finally, I saw it.
And I was lost
in the colorful world.
After another thousand years,
I came to the Jade Void Palace
and became your apprentice.
Because I heard
the fairyland had a more beautiful view.
You’re disappointed?
Desperate!
Because I found
many lies and injustices
behind the gorgeous colors.
The injustice you saw
is just an occasional phenomenon.
You so-called natural law
is just an excuse
for your private interests.
You said
Yang Jian was the bane to ruin three realms.
Then why didn’t you kill him
straight off?
Why did you
send Jiang Ziya to the secular world?
You said the fate couldn’t be violated.
Then why did you interfere with it
and ask Jiang Ziya
to teach Yang Jian to distinguish the good from the evil?
Why did you think
the so-called good and evil
are the same
in Yang Jian’s heart?
Shen Gongbao, you’ve fallen demonic.
You’ll ruin yourself.
Is losing everything
really that horrible?
I just want to figure out
what the natural law is.
Master.
You said I was falling demonic.
You haven’t tried it.
How could you say
a demon couldn’t succeed.
How could you say
the demonic route didn’t lead to the natural law?
Your Majesty.
The decree is drafted.
Decree?
You Hun.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Go to the Lu State
and give this to East Marquis.
Then stay there
to urge him to finish it
within one month.
Yes.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Fei Zhong.
How do people think of
the burning torture?
It’s wise of you, Your Majesty.
Absolutely wise of you.
In Zhaoge,
those idlers who make trouble around
have disappeared.
No one ever dare to
talk loudly in the downtown area.
If things continue this way,
our city will enjoy a flourishing age
when doors are kept open and lost articles are always returned.
Really?
I don’t dare to lie to you.
Lord Fei.
You really tried your best to work for His Majesty.
You’re a loyal
and capable minister.
If there could be
more ministers like you,
His Majesty will have nothing to worry.
Yeah. Yeah.
You’re right, my dear.
You Hun.
Your Majesty.
You…
should learn from Fei Zhong.
Yes.
I will
ask Lord Fei
for more advice.
Fei Zhong.
How are you going
with your mission?
Your Majesty.
Among all merchants from the Lu State,
there are twenty-one tradesmen,
seven of whom are related with East Marquis.
There are seventeen itinerant merchants,
three of whom use his signboard.
Another inn
nominally belongs to
a rich family,
but is East Marquis’s as well.
Keep a close eye on them!
No one of them shall leave the town.
Go ahead.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Mother.
Silly girl.
What are you dazing at?
Give me a hand.
Your useless father
got back so many
shabby clothes.
What a damn old guy!
Old guy!
After washing them,
I will have to sew them.
Oh, Lanying.
Get the money box to me.
Buy some clothes for your father.
He always said I was mean to him.
When he comes back,
I won’t let him
sell noodles
in shabby clothes.
Mother.
The water is cold.
Don’t get a cold.
Mistress.
Master…
He has been dead.
Shut up.
He must have gone
to practice immortality
in some remote mountain.
He wanted to cheat me by playing dead.
Neve dream of it!
Oh, and you.
Since you came,
everything went out of control.
We’ve been living in a mess.
Since you think
your master is dead,
You don’t need to
stay here anymore.
Lanying, see them out.
Mother.
It has nothing to do with others.
It was all my fault.
Your fault?
What great fault
could you have
to cause my husband to die?
It’s okay to talk nonsense,
But not okay to admit your fault carelessly.
If my husband
really died for you,
I would kill you, too.
What’s the point of getting dressed up?
The queen has lost her eyes.
Who could you show your fancy dress?
Those who still have eyes.
Will the king think
you’re going to Kunde Palace
with good intent?
Sure not. I’m not that silly.
Then why are you going?
Without the eyes,
she will no longer
be the queen.
I’m not going to meet the queen,
but the daughter of East Marquis.
You want to force her again
so that East Marquis will rebel?
Among all dukes,
East Marquis is the most powerful.
If he rebels,
the country
will be half ruined.
What are you doing?
According to your rule,
shouldn’t you get dressed up
to meet the queen?
Didn’t you say?
She can’t see anything now.
Why must I get dressed up?
To chuckle at her misfortune?
Yes.
I can kill her
when she stands in my way
to take revenge.
But I don’t need to humiliate her.
Are you feeling guilty?
You really feel guilty?
Guilty?
Why will I?
In everyone’s eyes,
I’m the most vicious woman
in the world, aren’t I?
I hurt the queen
just to strive for the king’s favor.
Didn’t I?
Wasn’t it a matter of course?
Why would I feel guilty?
You’re quite different
from what you used to be.
You make me feel strange.
Daji.
Even if everyone thinks
you’re the most vicious woman
in the world,
I know
you’re not.
Daji.
Why can’t you stop?
Can I?
You ruined yourself,
before you manage to rule the king’s county.
Daji.
You’ve finally gone the wrong path.
Sister.
Are they
drafting the decree to dethrone me?
Decree?
Dethrone you?
No.
If they are
drafting the decree,
why don’t I know?
No.
Well, they really are doing it.
Sister.
They can’t be.
His Majesty was just so angry
to bring this up.
If they really are drafting a decree,
why don’t we
hear of anything
in Qianming Palace?
They can’t be.
After staying in the palace for such a long time,
the intuition can be horrible.
The silence in the palace
makes me worried and scared.
This is the omen
that His Majesty is going to end everything.
Sister.
Your Grace.
Consort Su comes for greetings.
Since she comes,
my intuition can be correct.
You jackass!
You bitch!
What are you coming for! Get out!
If I’m the jackass or bitch,
what can His Majesty be?
You jackass!
I won’t let go of you.
Consort Su comes to visit the queen,
under the order of His Majesty.
Please make way.
The order of His Majesty?
Why did he send you,
instead of the crown prince,
her own son?
How could His Majesty do that?
Get her in.
Didn’t you hear
she came under the order of His Majesty?
Do not stop anyone
sent by His Majesty,
even if he sends a dog.
Your Grace,
it seems you’re getting much better.
I needn’t have worried about you.
Your Grace.
Greetings, Your Grace.
Your Grace.
How are you doing?
Consort Yang, leave us.
I want a private talk with Consort Su.
You really are the queen as the motherly model.
I’m afraid
I can never learn
your tolerant spirit.
Are you saying this
seriously,
or just for kidding?
I’m serious, of course.
You can as if nothing had happened
in front of a woman
you hate most.
I can’t help admiring you.
Are you coming
to satirize me?
You can’t see anything,
so you feel I’m satirizing you,
whatever I say.
Also, you’ll misinterpret
whatever I want to express.
Guess why I come today.
You don’t come
to tease me.
If you did,
you wouldn’t have
such a careful plan.
Plan?
You mean
I was behind
this incident?
I also know
you don’t come to kill me today.
You don’t want
the throne of queen at all.
All consorts of His Majesty
want the throne of the queen, don’t they?
Why do you doubt me?
You come to me for revenge.
Tell me.
Can I still help you with your revenge
when I’m already blind?
Do you want to kill His Majesty
or ruin his country?
I don’t understand
what you mean.
Revenge?
Why must I take revenge?
I can understand you.
If I saw
my parents
dying in front of me,
and the people
slaughtered
in front of me,
I would revenge them, too.
But you and me.
I’m the queen of the Shang.
You’re the daughter of the minister
who was killed by His Majesty.
We were born to be enemies,
but met by the fate.
How cruel it is
to us!
Your Grace, you have a great imagination.
With so much favor from His Majesty,
I forgot Jizhou long ago.
Forgot?
Do you think…
Do you really think
you can take revenge?
Do you think you can ruin the country
with your own strength?
Tell me.
What you’re planning for?
The revenge has ended.
Has it?
You framed me up
as a demon
several times.
If…
I want to take revenge
on my hatred,
I have been revenging myself.
But now…
All the revenge
is ended.
Your Grace.
You’d better
worry about your own future.
His Majesty
is going to deal with your father.
I’m warning you!
If you…
If you dare to use my father
to ruin the country,
I won’t let go of you
even if I die.
Not me.
But His Majesty.
When I passed Qianming Palace,
I saw him
giving a decree to East Marquis.
His military strength
will be cut by half.
Among the rest,
good soldiers will be picked out
and sent to Zhaoge
as the imperial guards.
All weapons and armors captured
will also be turned in to His Majesty
and be melted
to make burning torture pillars.
There will be one burning torture pillar
in every town throughout the country.
East Marquis should turn in
70% of his taxes,
part for Grand Tutor Wen
and the other for His Majesty.
Stop!
Minister You Hun has left for the Lu State
to issue the decree.
This time,
His Majesty is going to exterminate your whole clan.
Don’t you
want to send a message to your father.
Shut up!
If he knows
your eyes were scooped out,
you are locked up in Kunde Place,
and will be dethroned
someday,
won’t he be grieved?
Your Grace,
don’t you hate His Majesty?
You suffer from such injustice.
Are you really going to
bear with it in silence?
Lord Fei has found out
all informers
you father planted in Zhaoge
and has kept a close eye on them.
No one of your family
can leave Zhaoge,
even a fly.
If your father is
weakened or crippled
even before
he knows
what you’re suffering,
He will never
retrieve defeat.
You want to use me
to force my father to rebel?
You want to use me
to cause confusion in the royal court?
You won’t achieve what you want.
You know what?
I won’t send any messages to my father.
Nor will he know
what I’m suffering.
right now.
Even if I suffer from injustice,
I will conform with His Majesty.
Even if my family loses everything,
we will not rebel.
But why?
When His Majesty issues
the decree to dethrone you,
even if you don’t send a message,
will your father
still be ignorant?
You’re right, Your Grace.
I want to use you
to take revenge.
In fact,
I wrote the decree
to your father.
I slapped myself
for you.
To take revenge,
I have to say sorry
to you.
Exactly.
Your Grace,
I’m not here to tease you,
or kill you.
Only when you’re alive
can you be dethroned.
Now,
you’ve stuck in a trap
that you’ll never escape from.
That’s my real plan.
Your Grace.
Our country will be in great disorder.
Mother.
My father is dead.
I’m begging you.
Dead?
You said he was dead?
You bad daughter!
I must see him, no matter he is dead or alive.
I won’t believe any of you,
unless you show me
his dead body.
Mother.
Stop! Why are you washing them?
My father is dead.
Who will wear them even if you make them clean?
Mother, wake up! I’m begging you.
What have you done?
I just washed them!
You made them dirty again.
Mother, my poor mother.
Husband.
Are you really dead?
Mother.
Your Grace.
Here comes the priest.
There you are, Xiao’e.
What the hell has happened?
Daji came again.
Xiao’e.
Come here. Take my hand.
Your Grace.
Xiao’e.
I…
had a dream.
In the dream,
I walked and walked
in the red wedding dress.
I was excited when I walked,
with inexplicable hope
and expectation.
But curiously,
when I woke up,
I wept,
felt grieved.
Now I understand.
That’s what I’m ended up with.
Your Grace.
Why are you bringing up
such an unlucky dream?
Xiao’e.
Yes.
Later,
can you help me
to find out my wedding dress?
No.
Your Grace.
Don’t. Don’t.
Let me
go for you!
I’m a humble girl.
Instead of being buried in oblivion,
I’d rather die greatly.
Maybe…
This is the best ending for me.
No.
No, Your Grace.
Please consider for the crown prince.
Please consider for our country.
You mustn’t do that! You mustn’t do that!
If you do so,
you’ll just land in
Daji’s trap!
This is the best way
to get myself out of her trap.
If the decree is issued
to dethrone me as Daji wishes,
I’ll no longer be the queen.
So will crown prince.
My father will definitely rebel
and the royal court will be in chaos.
But if…
If I can
kill myself ahead of that,
my son
will still be the crown prince
and our country will be safe.
Don’t you even
understand this?
Consort Yang.
No, Your Grace.
You mustn’t do that.
There will be some other way.
There will be!
If I have to
ruin the whole country
just for my own survival,
I can’t do that.
As a queen,
I should pledge my life to protect my country.
This is
my last order,
as the queen.
Won’t you take my order?
Yes.
Please give the order, Your Grace.
Ask all priests to get prepared.
Tonight,
I’m going to pray to the heaven.
I’ll sacrifice myself
for the gods,
praying for our country.
But before that,
everything must be
kept secret.
No.
Can you?
Your Grace.
Stop! All of you!
Your Majesty.
The priests have started,
against your order.
How dare you!
Your Majesty.
My dear, why are you coming, too?
The queen
asked me to come.
But I don’t know
why she did so.
No one shall disturb the sacrifice.
Whoever go against it
will be cursed by all former kings.
Please think about it carefully, Your Majesty.
Why didn’t I know
about the sacrifice today?
Stop it!
Or you’ll be killed.
It’s too late.
The divination of heaven has been given.
The diviner will be cursed if she leaves.
I’m the king. Who dares to stop me?
Your Grace.
Your Majesty.
Won’t you even
listen to my last words?
You want to suicide and burn yourself.
And you want to threaten me?
Why do you still think
I’m threatening you?
In your heart,
have you ever cared for me?
You deserve it!
What I’m doing
makes you sad.
I regret so much
that I have to kill myself.
Say no more, Your Majesty.
You!
Put it down!
And I’ll let go of you.
Your Grace.
Don’t use such a bad plan!
I…
I’ve sent a message
to Grand Tutor Wen.
It’s too late.
Too late.
Your Grace, listen to him
and put down the hairpin.
All ministers and I
will plead with His Majesty for mercy.
Mercy?
Your Majesty.
Can you show
any mercy on me?
Your Majesty,
in your heart,
our country matters most.
But look
what you’ve done!
Everything you’re doing now
is ruining our country.
Your Grace.
Are you doing this
to ask for sympathy?
She’s mad.
If she wants to die, so be it.
I’m not mad.
I just want to help our country,
with my broken body.
I’m the king.
I own the country.
Why do you bother?
But the former kings
fought everywhere for the country.
Every land
has been cared
by loyal ministers and generals.
Your Majesty.
Can you take care of the country
with your own strength?
You mean I’m not good enough to be a king?
Gods in the heaven.
I’m sacrificing my incomplete body for you.
Hope you can
protect our country
with great luck.
Uncle. Lord Wucheng.
You’re important ministers of our country.
Today,
I’m entrusting my son to you.
Please take good care of him.
I’ll… I’ll appreciate it.
Your Grace.
And Consort Su.
Hope you’ll forget
your hatred on His Majesty
with my death.
I’ll be watching you in the heaven.
Your father
will be watching you, too.
What do you mean, Your Grace?
I let go of the hatred long ago.
But you always
remember that.
That’ll be fine.
I trust you.
But I wonder if His Majesty trusts you.
And if our people
trust you.
Your Majesty.
At this point,
I’ve achieved what I want.
I’ve got nothing else to argue.
Please…
Please take good care of our son.
He’s a good boy.
Dear ancestors,
I, the queen of Shang,
sacrifice myself
for the oracle.
Your Grace.
Mother. Mother.
Jiao’er.
Mother. No. Don’t do that.
Stay away.
Mother. Why?
Why are you killing yourself?
I told you to stay away.
Don’t come over. Mother.
Mother.
Jiao’er, remember.
You’re the crown prince.
You mustn’t easily cry.
Remember!
Mother, could you not leave me?
It’s my fault.
I’m not a good son.
From today on,
I’ll take care of you.
I’m begging you.
Don’t leave me, will you?
Mother.