Mother.
What’s wrong?
Good news!
Grandfather’s envoy has arrived.
We defeated the enemy.
In one night,
32 battalions were wiped out,
and over 10,000 soldiers were killed.
What a huge victory!
That’s wonderful!
Merciful heavy!
Our Jiang family can survive!
Mother?
I’m fine. I’m just so happy
that your grandfather made a triumph.
These are happy tears.
You and father have become estranged lately
because of Consort Su.
This huge victory came at the right night.
Heaven is on our side!
I doubt it.
I’d rather take it as Stewardess Han’s bless
even after she’s dead.
Is his name Yang Jian?
Who’s name?
You know him.
Master Jiang’s disciple.
Yes, that’s right.
Why did you bring him up?
So…
Is he OK?
Why are you interested
in Master Jiang’s disciple all of a sudden?
I thought you know better
about Master Jiang’s situation.
Bring that disciple to me.
Why do you need to see him, mother?
Do you have any tasks for him?
There’s something I’d like to tell him in person.
Bring him to me now.
If you won’t do it,
I’ll ask Xiao'e then.
No need.
I’ll bring him to you.
Your Majesty.
What are these?
Stewardess Han had tailors
make these garments for me.
Imperial Wardrobe Bureau just delivered them to me.
Do you want to put them on?
Try them on.
I’m sure Stewardess Han
would like to know
if they fit you,
and if you like them.
Go put them on.
If Stewardess Han were alive,
she’d do like you said.
Yet now, she isn’t around.
Do you…
hate me?
No.
It’s OK.
Even I hate myself.
I killed Stewardess Han.
She died because of me.
Even though I wasn’t the killer,
I’m just as guilty.
It’s not true.
Don’t blame yourself.
It’s not your fault.
You… you couldn’t
do anything about it.
Your Majesty,
you need to let yourself go.
It’s not anyone’s fault.
I mean…
it’s not Consort Su’s fault, either.
Are you…
concerned that I’d blame Stewardess Han’s death
on Consort Su?
Xiao'e,
I want to ask you a question.
Do you think
between protecting yourself and killing your enemy,
which one is more important?
Your Majesty,
I’m confused.
Let me… elaborate it.
What I’m saying is
if you had an enemy
who was extremely dangerous,
the enemy could be a person,
or a beast,
would you protect yourself first
from being hurt,
or would you
attack your enemy first
even if both of you might end up dead?
How would you choose?
I knew some men
who went out hunting in the morning.
If they ran into
beats like tigers, leopards, wolves and bears,
their first instinct
was to hide themselves.
They wouldn’t risk their lives to fight,
no matter how big the crowd is.
Think about it,
even if
they managed to kill the beast,
but if their own men
got hurt, or even killed,
then who would
support their families?
Thank you.
Yang Jian?
What brings you here?
I asked him to come here.
May I ask why I’m here?
I want to know you.
Why would you want to know me?
I’m considering whether I should help you,
or kick you out of the palace.
What do you want to know?
Is it true
that you’re Jiang Ziya’s disciple?
Your master’s left the palace,
why are you still here?
I’m here by order.
You can tell
a person’s background
from his or her manners.
It’s impossible to hide it.
Judging from yours,
you’re certainly not a civilian.
Answer me, who your father is.
I don’t know.
Ever since I was born,
I have never met my father.
I’m not even sure
he’s alive or dead.
What about your mother?
Tell me who your mother is.
I don’t know that, either?
I’m simply
an ordinary orphan.
You’re lying through your teeth.
Don’t think I wouldn’t
drive you out of the palace.
You don’t know me.
How can you be so sure
that I’m lying to you?
Because I already know the answer.
Mother,
are you saying
you know who his parents are?
During the royal family banquet,
you held Consort Su without hesitation,
can you tell me why?
When you held her,
what was that expression in your eyes?
Do you know Consort Su,
or have you
met Consort Su
in private in the palace?
Look at you,
your eyes are darkened
when I mention that woman.
Your Majesty,
it’s a misunderstanding.
He did that to fight demons.
Do you also know the answers
to the questions you just asked?
I want you
to tell me the answers.
No matter what your answers are,
I won’t hurt you.
I did know
you were trying to frame Consort Su.
In the Palace of Brightness,
Stewardess Han,
who took care of me,
was chopped into pieces.
The maid in the Palace of Longevity
ended up dead, too.
Those are two innocent lives.
Shouldn’t I hate that women
for their death?
I have every reason to,
and I should take revenge on her
so that Stewardess Han can rest in peace.
Majesty,
wasn’t it you
who claimed that
the Palace of Longevity was haunted by demons?
If you hadn’t started it,
those two poor women
must’ve still been alive.
Watch your mouth!
He’s right.
Consort Su hates me as much as you do.
She once asked me,
“What on earth have you gained?”
She asked me if I was happy.
She asked me
if that was what I wanted.
On my way to the Hall of Nine Dragons,
finally, I’ve come to my senses.
If I insisted on
targeting Consort Su,
then none of us would win.
We’d both be losers.
I’m thinking…
perhaps, helping you…
is helping Consort Su,
more importantly, helping myself, too.
That’s why I asked you to come here,
and I hope
you can answer my questions honestly.
You should know
due to His Majesty’s order,
the Palace of Longevity
is even more heavily guarded than before.
In this entire palace,
I’m the only one who can help you.
Think wisely.
Your Majesty,
I’ve never lied to you.
Everything I said is truth.
Like I told you,
I am indeed an orphan.
Su Hu from Jizhou Prefecture
is my foster father.
He raised me,
and treated me like his own son.
You just said that
your master had ordered you to stay here.
That’s also true.
That was master’s order.
Other than that,
I wanted to stay, too.
All I know is
I’m Consort Su’s brother.
I have to get her out of here.
It’s my job to protect her.
That’s…
my promise to my foster father.
I’m not sure what the future holds,
I guess
only heaven knows that.
Tell me,
are you answering my questions
as Consort Su’s brother,
or her lover?
You should’ve already
known my answer, Your Majesty.
I’ve answered
all your questions.
Now I believe it’s your turn.
Xiao'e.
Yes.
Go to the Palace of Longevity,
and bring Consort Su here.
Mother,
why summon her so urgently?
Are you using me
to frame Daji?
Didn’t you just say you want to help me?
I’ll help you.
I swear on our Jiang family’s ancestor
that I won’t tell anyone else
about what I saw and heard today.
Had I broken my oath,
I’d be punished by Heaven.
You have to promise me one thing as well.
Take Consort Su to leave the palace,
go as far as possible.
Can you do that?
We can’t stay any longer.
Thank you
for finding a burial place for Li’er.
Whenever I miss her,
I can come here to visit her.
You will come back?
Are you staying in the palace?
Li’er told me
that I must live,
and avenge her.
What about Yang Jian?
Haven’t you two agreed
to go off together?
Li’er died for me.
I must take revenge.
Had I...
left with Yang Jian,
how could she rest in peace?
My guess is
she would want you to be happy.
“To be happy”?
Should I leave with Yang Jian,
or stay to take revenge?
Is it that hard to decide?
I don’t understand
what your struggle is.
Right.
I also owe you my soul,
otherwise,
you wouldn’t leave me alone.
I have tons of things to finish.
I need to take revenge,
yet I want to leave with Yang Jian,
and you’re waiting for my soul.
What if I made my decision,
but in the end,
I still wouldn’t be happy,
what should I do then?
What about Yang Jian?
I’ve already told you
I want to be alone for a while.
Am I a prisoner?
Look.
There isn’t even
a hole on the wall.
Am I in prison?
Your Grace.
No…
You aren’t in prison.
Then what is this?
The Queen
sent the priestess to see you.
It’s you.
Why did you bow?
Don’t you recognize me?
We’ve met during the royal family banquet.
Yang Jian and I have the same master.
I assume
you aren’t here today
as his friend.
Is it true
that you’re the new priestess?
Yes.
I’m here upon the Queen’s order
to summon you
to Her Majesty’s palace.
Your Grace,
there’s nothing to worry about.
Trust me.
Just go as asked.
Even if I don’t want to go,
I still must comply.
Her Majesty personally
sent her priestess
to pass her decree,
how could I be negligent,
or have objections?
Let’s go.
You look different
from what I heard from Yang Jian.
Before I met you,
I had heard a lot about you.
No,
about Daji.
Yang Jian mentioned that name frequently.
Every time I heard it
I thought to myself
if some day in the future
that I could meet her,
we’d be best friends,
we’d tell each other everything.
That’s really what I thought.
You seem to have an agenda.
Your Grace…
Back in Jizhou,
there were hundreds if not thousands of women
who adored Yang Jian.
For those who wanted to get close to him,
they’d first
get close to me.
I don’t like him at all.
You know he’s
sneaky and unreliable.
He does nothing but eat and sleep
all day every day.
He’s stubborn as an ox, too.
Whenever I talked to me,
I’d end up furious.
What did those women see in him?
There’s no way I’d like him.
I’m not blind.
I deserve better men.
If I had a thing for him,
why would I tell you
his feelings for you
during the royal family banquet?
If you were who you said,
why did you help the Queen
to pass the decree to me?
My relationship with her
is an open secret in the palace.
What on earth is your purpose?
Yang Jian is waiting for you in the Queen’s palace.
Your Grace,
you should accept
the Queen’s decree.
I promise
you have nothing to worry about.
You can trust me.
Actually,
Her Majesty…
is trying to help you and Yang Jian
to leave the palace.
Your Majesty, I get a call of nature.
A call of nature?
I get that, too.
Just do it here.
Right here?
You drank more than I did.
Where should we…
Where should we pee?
Let me see.
Right there.
Over there.
Next to the pole.
Majesty!
Get the Imperial Physician.
Yes.
The liquor is poisoned.
No, he has internal injury.
Hurry, go get the physician.
The King
is cursed by the demons.
Worldly treatment can’t cure him.
Who are you?
Stop right there.
Duke Wucheng, my respect.
I’m Shen Gongbao from the Kunlun Mountains.
Kunlun?
Correct.
I’m the prime disciple
of the Primeval Lord of Heaven.
Upon my master’s order,
I’m here to aid Shang to eliminate the evil.
When the business is bad, I feel bad.
When the business is good, I’m exhausted.
That old fart!
That old geezer!
He had to leave now,
and be some official?
Couldn’t he pick another time?
I can never count on him.
Here, your noodle.
Father?
Why are you back?
You old geezer!
Honey,
I’m back.
That’s a fancy robe.
Yes.
Where are the gold pumpkins?
There are no gold dates.
Oh I forgot, they’ve given me the gold.
Then why did you come back?
I don’t want to work there anymore.
But now you’re back,
we have to return
the gold pumpkins, right?
It’s too early for you to come back.
You can’t…
Return the gold then.
I can’t stay there any longer.
You know what…
Are you sure you want to quit?
Tell me the truth.
Did you do anything stupid
that annoyed the King?
I didn’t.
The Queen literally bagged me
to stay in the palace,
but I refused her.
To be honest,
that place is terrible.
Look, our house is way better.
Look…
Nonsense!
Don’t you dare lie!
We’re doomed. We’re dead.
Did you offend
the King in the palace,
and you flee and come back here?
Answer me!
You… Do you want all of us
to die with you?
Don’t be mad.
Listen to me.
That’s a kitchen knife, not a broom.
I… I…
Mrs. Jiang… I…
Stop it, calm down.
Master, why did you come back?
What happened?
I don’t want to work there anymore.
Liar!
You must’ve done something wrong,
so you fled the palace.
Mrs. Jiang,
after all,
Master is the head of the family.
If others saw you
hold a knife against master,
they’d laugh at him.
The head of the family?
What can he do?
He can do tons of things.
He can chop firewood and carry water,
you name it.
Stop right there, old geezer!
Listen to me,
Lanying and I can run the noodle shop,
and that bean pole can help.
Three of us are enough.
Get out of here.
Get out. Mother! Mrs. Jiang. Leave!
The business is not bad.
Get the hell out now!
Leave!
Go, leave!
Get out!
Who is in charge here?
Get your ass out!
I’m the shopkeeper.
What’s wrong?
What can I do for you?
I’m surprised
the shopkeeper is an old hen!
What did you say?
This is your tax bill.
How come the amount increased
tenfold overnight?
Ten… tenfold?
I don’t care about the number.
That’s not my job.
I’m here to collect the money.
Hurry up and give me the money.
Hurry up.
I…
I’m Jiang Ziya, an Imperial Astronomer.
Imperial Astronomer?
Yes.
Where’s your seal?
I... I forgot to bring it.
You’re being ridiculous.
How could I collect
so much money right now?
You’re saying
you can’t pay it?
Yes, we can’t.
No, we won’t.
Then you leave me no choice.
A chick like her
isn’t worth one tael of silver,
but half of it .
Hey, what are you doing?
Take her! Stop it.
What are you doing? Let me go.
Let go of her. Let me go.
Father… Let her go! Mother…
You can’t take my daughter.
You dare touch her,
I’ll kill you!
Mother…
Don’t hurt my wife!
I… I’ll kill you bastards!
Mother…
Let me go. Let go!
Mother… Let me go!
Let go of my mother!
Let go of me!
How dare you do this to me?!
Let go of me!
Let go!
Mother.
Get up.
You want to die?
What are you waiting for?
Go kill him!
Leave!
This is not over.
You’ll regret this.
Go, go.
You can be useful after all.
Look at this place.
It’s a mess.
Clean up the place.
Do it carefully.
Yes, Mrs. Jiang.
You…
go change your outfit.
What are you waiting for?
Your uniform will only draw
thieves and bandits.
Go take it off.
Why is my heart racing?
It’s out of control.
It’s not my first time
seeing him in a fight.
How come my heart is still racing?
Lanying, wake up!
He’s going to leave soon.
He’ll never stay with you.
Am I crazy?
Who’s crazy?
Wipe your sweat away,
or you’ll catch a cold.
Lanying,
I… just now, I was…
I…
It wasn’t what you thought.
You know…
I didn’t mean it.
I mean…
Do you understand?
Phoenixes are singing in heaven, stars are falling on the ground.
Where did that come from?
My father did say that I’m blessed.
Could he be wrong?
Honestly,
you don’t seem
to have a look of a rich gentleman.
Not even a little bit.
Wu Ji.
What does your father do?
My father?
Why did you ask that?
Is he rich and powerful
or at least…
is he a landlord?
Why on earth
it was a penniless loser
who took my virginity…
Virginity?
Lanying, don’t say that.
If others heard that,
they’d think
you and I had a thing.
Listen,
I’ve made a decision.
What decision?
From now on,
I’ll be a good wife to you.
A good wife?
I’ll go wherever you go.
Only if you’re successful,
can I lead a good life.
Tell me now,
what can I do to help you?
What can you help me do?
Your Highness,
they’re all quakes.
They are useless.
The King’s life is in danger.
Should we…
Hold this.
Should we use this?
Do you… think
it will work?
We’ll have to wait and see.
OK.
Master Shen,
please save the King’s life.
Duke Wucheng, you aren’t too dumb.
A few minutes later,
nobody could save him.
Your Majesty,
why did you agree to help Consort Su
to elope with her lover?
If you reported this to His Majesty,
he’d have her killed
without hesitation.
I got… softhearted.
If Consort Su and Yang Jian
do have feelings for each other,
perhaps,
they’re the last hope
to save Shang.
If I tried to harm her,
she’d definitely fight back.
In terms of this matter,
no matter who should be blamed,
I seriously don’t want to
keep fighting with Consort Su,
and hurt more innocent people.
I’m too shortsighted.
Remember,
whatever you see today,
do not tell anyone else about it.
Keep it a secret.
Just do
what I tell you to.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Saying goodbye to your parents?
With the Queen’s help,
won’t you be able to
leave with Yang Jian anytime you want?
The Queen won’t help us for nothing.
I’m sure of it.
Have you forgotten
we have unresolved business?
You’ll let me leave so easily?
No matter where you are,
your soul will always
belong to me.
Your location doesn’t matter.
Whatever you want to do,
just go for it.
After I leave,
can I live the life I want?
After you and Yang Jian
leave the palace,
whether your life will be happy or not,
others can’t tell you that.
You have to try it yourself,
otherwise, you’ll never know.
With Yang Jian there,
you’ll be happy.
Really?
What did you see?
Ever since you came,
have you had true happiness
even for a moment?
Have you trusted anyone
even for a second?
Have you had inner peace
even for a minute?
You’ll have a happy life.
A moment,
that’s how long Yang Jian and I
can be together.
What on earth are you afraid of?
The Queen truly wants to help you.
There’s no scheme.
Don’t worry about a thing.
All you need to do
is to be firm.
Don’t forget that
Yang Jian is waiting for you.
That’s all.
If I leave now,
what about my deceased parents?
If I leave now,
what about those innocent people
died in Jizhou?
If I leave now,
what about Li’er?
I’ve promised
that I’ll avenge her.
If I leave now,
how could I forget those things I’ve done?
Ever since I came to
this hellish palace,
in order to survive,
I’ve done so many things.
I abhor the King
yet I have to face him every day.
I don’t know who I am anymore.
You’re Daji,
the one who Yang Jian misses dearly.
I’m afraid…
I’m no longer the one
in his memory.
I fear that
the kindness that left in my heart
will vanish.
I’ve changed.
Every inch of my skin
is covered with filth.
That disgusting smell
will never leave me
no matter how hard
I wash myself.
No matter how many clothes I wear,
it’s still there.
How could a person like me
go be with Yang Jian?
How could we be together?
How could we be happy?
Go ask Yang Jian.
If you keep struggling like this,
you’ll never know the answer.
Only he can eliminate your worries.
Just go ahead.
Don’t you want to be happy
even just for a second?
Lift up his robe.
Two inches under the left breast.
There’s a bruise.
Is it about
a size of a fingernail?
It is.
Please save the King’s life.
Master, please save the King.
What’s this?
It’s a heavenly pill I made,
the Violet Gold Pill.
After the King takes it,
he’ll be cured instantly.
He’ll be healthy again.
Forgive me, Duke Wucheng.
His Majesty’s life is on the line.
Your Majesty, are you OK?
Your Majesty,
you’re awake.
So it was a dream.
I dreamed that
I was about
to be dragged to hell.
Master Shen is from the Kunlun Mountains.
He’s here upon his master’s order
to cure your disease in person.
Master Shen’s pill,
the Violet Gold Pill
saved your life.
You’re from the Kunlun Mountains.
Looks like,
I owe you a great deal.
Your Majesty,
the Violet Gold Pill you took
has cured your disease,
and has strengthened your physique.
You’ll be healthier than before.
I’ve done my deed. I shall leave now.
Please wait, Master Shen.