Episode 33
When you fight with a man like Sima Yi...
...you need to find his lifeline and kill him with it.
Besides, the General is attacking Shu to get information.
My plan is working. Who cares how many man looks up to Sima Yi?
Plan?
Sir Ding, please have a look.
This crime of building an army in secret...
...can get the whole Sima family killed.
By holding one of the slaves captive...
...we can confirm that Sima Yi is secretly building an army?
General sent the assassins to test them.
We found out that their backgrounds are unknown.
All of them can fight well. They surely have been secretly trained.
If this person reveals the truth...
...with the proof that they are building an army...
...we can eliminate Sima Yi once and for all.
What if this person refuses to talk?
The danger always lies underneath.
Think about it. If the Sima family...
...finds out that their soldier is missing...
...wouldn't they worry?
We're doing this to alert our enemies.
You're here just in time.
I found a new herb. When you put it in...
...the fragrance is very unique. Jian Jia will surely love it.
She'll appreciate my sincerity. Come, smell it.
Smell it. It smells nice.
What are we doing here?
The Shu army is well prepared.
It's useless to keep fighting. It's better to retreat.
Our 10,000 men have been marching for a month!
Now that they're here, they're to leave without a fight?
Are we here for a trip or to pick flowers?
Xiahou Xuan, mind your words.
You should know very well who the General is.
All right then.
Then, General, please give me an explanation.
Cousin, you should know who our enemies are now.
You've been leading the troop to attack Shu.
Do you not know who our enemies are now?
Troubles are stirred from within.
You're being foolish.
Even if you're fighting with Sima Yi...
...you need to care about the war!
What if I've evidence to prove Sima Yi's treason?
What did you say?
I've captured one of the soldiers that Sima Yi recruited in secret.
I can't believe that there is such a place in your place.
As an official, keep secrets to yourself or lose your life.
General. General Xiahou.
What's this? -This is Sima Yi's secret soldier.
I'm interrogating him to get...
...the location of Sima Yi's hideout for the rest of the army.
I'm only a house servant. -Enough.
What did you say? -I'm only a house servant.
A house servant? How can a house servant be so good in fighting?
I'm telling you. Your comrades...
...have all been killed by Sima Zhao.
What benefits will you gain by siding him?
If you tell me where Sima Yi hides the army...
...I'll give you a huge reward.
I'm really just a house servant.
I've only entered the Sima household for 3 days.
Keep hitting him.
Enough.
You're punishing him in private based on a baseless assumption.
Isn't this too much? - Hiding 10 armours...
...and 10 soldiers is a crime of treason.
These 30 men is just the tip of the iceberg.
Sima Yi is definitely hiding an army of soldiers.
What an imagination you have.
Cousin, come and take a guess with me.
If this person is who he says he is...
...then why did Sima Zhao kill all the other house servants?
Why? Because he is guilty.
General Xiahou, General is doing this for the sake of Wei too.
It's better to kill the wrong person than to let him go.
If Sima Yi wins and successfully deceives General...
...Wei will fall into his hands.
Let me ask you. Apart from this statement that you haven't got...
...do you have any other evidence?
Very soon, Sima Shi will find out that his men are in trouble.
What worries him the most?
He'll be worried that this person will reveal...
...the location where Sima Yi hid his army.
He'll definitely send men to inform the soldiers to leave.
By then, Prince Consort He will take over the rest.
The hibiscus float and the spring orchid's flowers fall.
This time of the year in Luoyang is truly beautiful.
I never knew that you enjoy sceneries too.
Why is Sir Ding so serious?
Look, standing on the top and watching the people beneath...
...the streets and houses are just like a chessboard.
And hundreds of thousands of lives are like chess pieces.
And you and I are the players of the chess game.
Lately, Sima family is out of control, isn't it?
Even if Sima Yi really has recruited an army...
...I don't wish to let this be the end of him.
After all, he is an elder of 4 reigns.
If it really comes to a war...
...even if he wins, General will be ill-famed in history.
Sima Yi is almost 70 years old and military power stripped away.
Giving him a chance is the appropriate way to handle this.
You're standing so high up yet you dare not enjoy the view.
Instead, you're being cautious, like you're walking on eggshells.
Sima Yi has been in 4 reigns. He is no longer alone.
He has a big and powerful family.
He is highly respected by many in the court
Behind him is a great number of students and followers.
General is unable to charge ahead...
...while you and I are being looked down.
This is all Sima Yi's fault.
Sima Yi, this huge mountain is blocking the General's future.
He is blocking yours and my future too.
I want to help General to remove this mountain.
Prince Consort He, this is of extreme height of risk.
Aren't you afraid this will cause trouble for General, you and I?
What I worry is that one day it will drag everyone down.
That will not happen.
Sima Yi is good in plotting, but doesn't he have two sons?
I guess Sima Zhao's man is passing his letter to his brother.
Master, there's a letter from your brother.
What did he say?
Did something happen?
Nothing.
I need to go out.
Look, this chess piece has moved.
He is leaving the city. - He is very anxious now.
He is going to ask the army to move their base.
Brother Hou Ji, why did you come back?
Where is Master Shi? -He left the city for a hunt.
Which way? -Towards Kaiyang Gate.
Masher Sh“!
Masher Sh“ Go'.!
Masher Sh“!
Uncle Hou!
Who's there?
Uncle Hou.
Uncle Hou. -I almost missed you.
Uncle Hou, stop talking. I'll take you to the physician.
Useless! You couldn't even follow him.
He saw me. I couldn't follow him anymore. So, I came back.
It's too late now. Sima Shi must have already informed his army.
Are you sure that no one was captured alive by Sima Shi?
Zhao Wu was shot dead. He didn't survive.
Leave.
General has done so much, gone so far and...
...planned so much, yet we didn't get anything in return.
The Sima family is alert now.
For us to get the evidence of their secret army is harder now.
What a waste of your great plan.
Sir Ding, I don't think this is the time for you to be at ease...
...and rejoice in our misfortune.
To defeat someone like Sima Yi, we need to act from the court
He is full of manipulations.
I'm afraid even with our forces, we may not win against him.
Now, you've killed his men.
I'm afraid the sleeping tiger has been awakened.
Mount the horse! Your Majesty is great! Yes! Mount the horse!
Quick! That's right! Mount the horse!
Squat down and neigh like a horse! Hurry! Lift your hoofs!
Mount the horse! -Your Majesty!
Your Majesty! -Hurry!
Your Majesty, are you all right?
Do you want to die? Someone! Take him away and beat him up!
You're the one who should be beaten up!
Your Highness, please calm down. - The way you serve His Majesty...
...is to let him play so wildly?
His Majesty is still young. He has been studying whole day.
It will affect his health. Besides, we always battle.
His Majesty need to practise his fighting skills too, right?
You call this a practice? What does mounting the horse mean?
His Majesty should learn how to ride and shoot.
I'm trying to train His Majesty so that he won't be afraid of horses.
If Your Highness feels that I've other intentions...
...I'm afraid Your Highness is over-thinking.
Don't think I don't know about your schemes and secrets.
From today onwards, you're not allowed to step into Jiafu Palace.
You're not allowed to see His Majesty.
Your Highness, you've forgotten about General...
I haven't! You forgot! Eunuchs can't interfere with court affair.
Within the harem, I've the final say.
You're helping General, aren't you? Then, go and serve him.
Someone, take him away! -Yes!
Your Majesty! You've to save me!
Your Majesty! -Don't take my friend away!
Don't take my friend away!
Your Majesty! -Don't take him away!
Your Majesty! Save me! - Don't take my friend away!
Your Majesty, have you finished your homework?
Your Majesty, look at how you're neglecting your studies.
How are you going to explain to the Grand Tutor when he returns?
Don't let Grand Tutor come back. I'm afraid of him.
Your Majesty! Grand Tutor is the loyal official in our Great Wei.
Your Majesty! -I don't want him to come back.
Grand Tutor was entrusted to help Your Majesty by the late emperor.
I don't want him to come back. -Your Majesty!
Report!
Grand Tutor, a letter from your home in Luoyang.
Grand Tutor!
Physician! Get the physician! -What happened?
Grand Tutor!
I went back and forth of Shu to lure Sima Yi's army out.
Now, you're telling me that we didn't achieve anything?
General, although we have failed this time...
...we now know very well that Sima family has a secret army.
Sima Yi's intention to rebel is so obvious now.
General, you must act as soon as possible.
Send more men and keep an eye on every single movement of...
...the 3 horses.
We need to keep an eye on them but we can only do so from outside.
Sima Yi must be well prepared this time.
It will be harder for us to look for evidence to prove his crime.
General, don't you have someone on our side in Sima residence?
According to Sima Zhao, everything that Sima Yi does...
...he'd discuss with Sima Shi.
But can Sima Shi keep things from the woman sleeping beside him?
No way! General Xiahou will be unwilling to involve his sister.
He's on good terms with Sima Shi. If we offend him...
...we will lose a great help in the court
Forget it. Don't talk about him.
Talking about him angers me.
This cousin of mine only sides the outsiders.
In his eyes, the Sima family is more important than Cao family.
General Xiahou has always been loyal to the country.
If Sima Yi intends to overthrow the state...
...he will surely destroy him for the sake of the country.
General!
General, you've finally returned!
I almost lost my life!
I got it. You were scolded by Her Highness, so what?
You're such a cry baby. Are you even a man?
I'm not a man.
Fine, when I go to the palace tomorrow, I'll frighten her.
Don't worry, your position remains.
I don't mind insults like this. I'm only worried about you.
Her Highness only treats me this way because she knows that...
...Sima Yi is coming back soon. She should know my master.
The one that she attacked was not me, it was you.
General, Sir Han is right.
This is where General and Sima Yi should fight.
Brother. -What are you doing here?
I heard you just came back from the battle. So, I came to see you.
We achieved nothing. It's not worth talking about.
Following a foolish general, it's a success that you survived.
Only you would say that.
Don't be sad. My mother said that father admires you the most.
There will be a real battle where you can make a name for yourself.
Come. Come over here.
How is everything at home? - Uncle Hou was hurt He's resting.
I know. Big brother said that some robbers attacked him.
But I don't believe that. -What did you hear?
Big brother has a secret army in the Northern Qishan.
How did you know?
A cloth seller came to our house. He went to choose cloths.
He doesn't look like a merchant to me.
After they left, I followed them.
I found... -Who else knows about this?
I didn't even tell my mother. - Then, why did you tell me?
Because I believe that the one who will keep Sima family safe is you.
Is big brother going to use them to fight against Cao Shuang?
Is our family going to be...
Don't ever say that word. You hear me?
Yes.
I need to go to the court I can't stay at home all the time.
Keep an eye on big brother. -Got it.
And our sister-in-law.
This is all my fault for letting you take the risk.
Li Sheng must be full of bad intentions.
I hold no position.
If I die, my father will not be sad too.
Why does Li Sheng want to kill me?
Li Sheng must have known General and Grand Tutor are fighting.
So, he used you to make himself a hero in front of General.
A useless man like me can't be used to gain recognition.
But, now that I think about it...
...I'm such a useless man.
Why do you keep helping me?
What do you mean?
Are you suspecting me? -If you want to help my father...
...you can just go to him.
You're a smart man, yet you don't understand?
I don't. Please explain.
The one I'm helping is not the Grand Tutor, it's you...
...Sima Zhao. -You must be kidding me.
If you say this to my big brother, perhaps, it's more believable.
It's because the Grand Tutor and your brother are of high position.
If I commit myself to them now...
...I'll be labelled as a traitor and be looked down upon.
I don't do things that are unnecessary.
So, you kept giving me opportunities...
...so that I can turn into a somebody from a nobody, right?
Your father was able to pass the throne to Emperor Wen.
He is indeed very impressive. I admire him.
Now, Wu and Shu are at war, Wei is having internal wars too.
Grand Tutor's old. The next person who will be in power depends on...
...one's ability to strategise, manage and fight.
Are you willing to lose to your big brother?
Your words are offensive to my family and I.
It seems like you're not being careful of how you talk.
Careful? Will being careful bring you victory?
I'm willing to be your wings...
...but it depends if you want to be the eagle.
What exactly do you want?
I want to make you the emperor, just like Emperor Wen back then.
While I assist you, like how your father assisted him.
Isn't this a little too ambitious?
The Grand Tutor's prestige has surpassed Emperor Wu back then.
If you can be as powerful as the Grand Tutor...
...then not just Wei, conquering the world will be an easy task!
The world? This is the world of Cads family.
Cao family? That emperor is just a spoilt child.
Do you think that he can conquer the world and unify the country?
A boy like him?
How is Hou Ji? -Teacher.
His injuries are severe, but he is fine. Don't worry.
Teacher, the way they treat Zhao is too unruly.
How is everything in the court? -Not doing well for us.
Without you around, Cao Shuang has become more outrageous.
He Yan, Ding Mi and others misused their power for their own gains.
They control the Imperial Secretariat...
...and claimed lands in the northeast of Luoyang as their own.
The officials who refused to give gifts to them...
...have been demoted.
Many officials look forward to the day of your return...
...to set things right in the court
Let's talk at home.
Before you go home, please come with me to a place.
You'll understand once you're there.
Please get in.
General and I are old. -Is it?
We knew each other since young. - I've done my job. See you.
Teacher, look.
This is Cao Shuang's new house.
How grand.
The location is great. The palace is at the side, arsenal at north.
He has the 2 most important places in Luoyang within his reach.
There's more. Do you see the tower?
That's a tall tower. -From that tower...
...he can see your house very clearly.
This was specially built to keep an eye on you.
Teacher, you should move too.
He thinks too much. Zhong Hui, you think too much too.
He can't sleep well. He's still having a fever.
He nags a lot...
...about how you don't allow him to see Butcher Zhang's daughter.
Let me. -I'll go and cook for you.
The medicine is ready.
Let me.
It's bitter. -All medicine is bitter.
Hungry. -You're hungry?
I'll cook for you. What do you want to eat?
Five-flavoured Meat.
Fine, hold on.
Hou Ji, I don't know how to cook Five-flavoured Meat.
The soup is the main thing. Smash the bone and grind it.
Add fermented soybean. Cook in high heat.
Remove the floating foam. Add salt.
Grind the leaks into sauce. Add pepper.
Lastly, add some orange zest.
Got it.
Old tofu.
You must use old tofu. -All right.
Less salt.
Our master likes it light. He can't take too much salt.
For the past years, His Majesty was not by my side.
For the wicked ones distance Grand Tutor from Your Majesty...
...I'm helpless too.
His Majesty is still young.
When he is older, he will understand.
Although I'm the Empress Dowager...
...within the palace, I've no one to depend on too.
May you watch over us. -Why would you say such a thing?
You understand my current situation very well.
I don't have a son. The late emperor made me the empress.
My two younger brothers are still young too.
I hope that Grand Tutor will have my back.
I'll treat Your Highness' family as my own. Do not worry.
I heard that your granddaughter is beautiful and smart
I'd like to matchmake her with my younger brother, what do you say?
Is Your Highness talking about Rou?
But Rou is only 13 years old.
She is young. I'm afraid it's too early to talk about marriage.
This is exactly the age when a girl blooms into a woman.
My family will treat her like our own child and love her.
What's wrong? Grand Tutor, you're not willing?
I'm willing.
I was just taken by surprise by Your Highness' love for my family.
I thank Your Highness on behalf of my family.
With Cao Shuang being so powerful now...
...Grand Tutor must be on the same team as I am.
I understand.
Rou is still so young.
How can we... How can we let her get married?
If it wasn't for the situation that we are in...
...and we need to work with Her Highness...
...I don't wish to let Rou get married so early too.
Guo family has a lowly background.
I heard that the sons are rude and not studious.
Rou is mature and good in studies.
She wouldn't be able to communicate well with her husband.
How will she survive that kind of life?
Dear, can you beg father again?
Find a knowledgeable match for Rou, all right?
You know that Cao Shuang hates my father to the core.
If we take a wrong step, our entire family will have to die.
By then, even if Rou wants to marry a low-class labourer...
...she wouldn't be able to do so.
Although Guos are not prestigious, they are pan of the royal family.
In times of need, they will be able to protect Rou.
In our family, apart from being able to enjoy glory and hon0ur...
msometimes we need to sacrifice for the family too.
She's being too much!
She arranged a marriage with Sima Yi?
Isn't she trying to show me who is in power?
General, Her Highness is not the focus now.
The focus is Sima Yi.
With Sima Yi's position as the Grand Tutor...
...and so many noble families out there...
...but he is marrying his granddaughter...
...to the low-class Guo family.
He wants to form an alliance with Her Highness to fight against you.
The emperor is still young.
Her Highness has the final say to all affairs in court
Sima Yi saw this opportunity.
With Her Highness on his side, he gained himself the imperial seal.
The one holding the imperial seal is His Majesty, not her.
She is a woman. If she misbehaves, eliminate her.
General, I got it. Why don't we test Sima Yi?
How do we do that? -Why do we control Her Highness?
We just need to control His Majesty.
All we need to do is to separate Her Highness and His Majesty.
We move her back to her palace?
Her Highness has only moved in because His Majesty is young.
We can use the excuse that His Majesty has grown up...
...and move Her Highness back to Yongning Palace.
Her Highness is Sima Yi's support
Sima Yi's ill intention will be shown through what he'll do next.
Fine, chase Her Highness away.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty is training hard. Good shot!
Uncle, come help me make a shot. -Sure.
Come.
Come. Pull harder. Harder.
All right.
Aim. Release!
Uncle, you're amazing!
Your Majesty, if anyone dares to look down on our Cao family...
...I'll shoot him dead for you.
Great! Uncle, did you bring so many people here to play with me?
Yes. When I'm done with work, I'll come and play with you.
Your Majesty, we're done with the training today. Let's go boating.
Sure!