"Episode 13"
Into the battle!
General Liu.
You fought on the battlefield with my father.
You're experienced in the battlefield.
You'll be the vanguard.
Engage the enemy at the narrows.
You're treading on dangerous ground.
I'm not going.
Chief Commander Wei.
It came easy for you to become the officer.
Just by using the gift of the gab,
you became the chief commander.
But this is not the court. It's a real battlefield.
You can't talk nonsense.
If you want to die, why don't you be the vanguard?
I know your concerns.
This time, the enemy is waiting for us to wear ourselves out.
It looks like we're at a disadvantage to engage the enemy at the narrows.
But this battle...
we're faced with the enemy troops in full force.
The only thing that works...
is to make the enemy take us lightly.
If you are afraid...
we'll change the generals.
I've been through a lot of battles, and I'm never afraid of anything.
-I don't trust you. -All right.
General Liu engages enemy directly. Commander Yang ambush from the side.
If you can't do your best to follow my tactics,
you're disobeying the military order and will be court-martialled.
-You... -We're at war and as soldiers,
either we speak bluntly to kill the enemy,
or we obey the military order.
If we lose this battle,
I can't escape the blame.
I suppose all of you know.
My family carries the name of a sinner.
If we're defeated,
you'll either be demoted or fined.
But as for me,
it's a dead end.
So, to me, there's only victory.
No defeat.
What if your tactics don't work?
I'll sacrifice my life on the battlefield.
Your Majesty.
What's the report?
Your Majesty, Princess Royal has returned to Yan Du,
and entered the palace.
-Princess Royal is back? -Yes.
Isn't she in Beidian?
I ordered you to keep an eye on them day and night.
Why is she back and I...
didn't know about it?
Your Majesty.
The scouts that I sent,
would report Princess Royal's whereabouts every day.
I think Her Highness must have used a substitute.
Her Highness suddenly showed up at the palace gate.
The commander of the imperial guards couldn't stop Her Highness.
Her Highness is now in Cheng Xiang Palace.
Her Highness said she wants to visit the empress dowager.
I got it.
-You're dismissed. -Yes.
Wei Guang.
If you're away to lead the army to the war...
the person behind the assassin comes to cause trouble,
how should we deal with it?
Your Majesty.
All my strategies are in the letter.
Imperial Mother.
Have some water.
Which imperial physician is in charge of treating Imperial Mother?
Send him here.
Let's see if he still wants to live.
Don't give them a hard time.
I'm getting old.
It's the same no matter who prescribes the medicine.
Get up.
His Majesty is here.
Greetings, Imperial Mother.
Rise.
Your Majesty, we are siblings.
No need for the formalities.
How was it?
It's been a year. Do you miss me?
Princess Royal.
Aren't you enjoying your days in Beidian?
What brings you back here?
Imperial Mother is ill. As the eldest daughter,
I should come back to serve and do my duty.
It's enough to have the empress and I by Imperial Mother's side.
No need to trouble you.
Your Majesty is so busy.
The empress has a lot of things to attend to.
I happen to be free.
Of course I should look after Imperial Mother.
Sit down and have a good chat. Then, I'll have a peace of mind.
Yes.
Brother, I want to ask you something.
How is the battle between Wuci and our country?
Thanks to Imperial Mother's great blessing.
We win each battle.
I'm back because there's one thing that I don't understand.
The people are confused too.
Why did you pick a nobody?
-His name is... -Wei Guang.
That's right.
Why did you ask Wei Guang to become the chief commander?
I have my reason for that.
I had a dream.
I dreamt of a fairy.
She wanted to grant me a chief commander.
She even played a riddle with me.
The fairy played a riddle with you?
What riddle is that?
A girl doesn't want to get married.
She got married to He Tian Xia.
She sleeps with the ghost every day.
Guess a last name.
I suppose Imperial Mother has guessed it too.
It's Wei Guang's last name, "Wei".
That's right. It's the name "Wei".
No wonder you chose Wei Guang.
This is too hilarious.
What nonsense is this?
Since you think things through for me,
I'll accept the challenge.
I know you don't like me staying here.
I'll get going.
But I'll be back.
Imperial Mother, I shall take my leave.
The Director of Integrity, Ye Ning Zhi, seeks an audience.
Send her in.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Rise.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Why did the Princess Royal return without the imperial order?
She surely comes with an ill intention.
She even questioned me,
why did I choose Wei Guang as the chief commander.
How did Your Majesty answer her?
I gave an excuse that it was a dream from the fairy.
A girl doesn't want to get married.
She got married to He Tian Xia.
She sleeps with the ghost every day.
It's the character "Wei".
Will the Princess Royal believe in such a nonsense?
I did not intend to convince her.
Why don't give her a ridiculous reason?
There are two reasons for this.
First.
It's so that Her Highness couldn't have your number.
Second.
It's to tell her...
that Your Majesty don't even bother to come up with a reason.
Your Majesty has a well-thought-out plan.
Your Majesty completely disregarded them, the rabbles.
Your Majesty is wise.
Did Your Majesty come up with the countermeasures with Grand Marshal?
It was me.
I knew Princess Royal is coming back. So...
I suddenly thought of this idea.
Tell me. Why did you come to see me?
I almost forgot.
Your Majesty.
These are the injustice cases found when I investigated on the harem.
I hope Your Majesty will give them justice.
Let the prime minister take care of it.
The prime minister is passing the buck.
He's afraid to offend anyone.
Forget it then.
I'll take a look when I'm free.
Over the years, the empress has indeed...
acted inappropriately.
What kind of wine is this?
Why is it so strong?
This is a tribute from State of Xiaqiu.
The envoy has said it.
Even the winebibber couldn't drink more than three cups.
Let's taste just a little then.
I need to go through the memorials later.
Right.
I have a few memorials about the harem.
Take a look when you have the time.
No need for that.
Someone has told me.
Several officials in the harem,
bullied the palace maid from the Pear Blossom Academy.
I've got to the bottom of things.
The palace maid was insensible. It was just a misunderstanding.
It was Lang Kun who was being impeached.
He has 18 big mansions on Long Hua Street.
Your Majesty has misunderstood Lang Kun.
Lang Kun's houses are passed down by the ancestors.
In order to avoid suspicion,
Lang Kun has informed me beforehand.
I always thought that,
we don't look at family background in choosing one for a job.
That's why I didn't bring it out into the open.
All right. Let's not talk about this.
Let's not spoil our mood because of such a trivial matter.
But I am very curious.
Who has been telling Your Majesty these trivial matters?
If that person is not satisfied with me,
she could have told the empress dowager.
Why did she bother Your Majesty with these matters?
Right now, we're at war. Your Majesty is worried about the war.
Who was it who didn't know how to be considerate?
Was it the Grand Marshal?
Or the Assistant Minister of Rites?
Or the new minister, Madam Ye?
Don't be mad.
I merely recalled it, and brought it up to you.
You said Lang Kun is innocent.
He's innocent then.
I have no objection.
All right. Rest earlier.
I should head back to the palace.
Your Majesty.
There's a report from the front line.
Chief Commander Wei was surrounded by the enemy.
I already know about this.
I want to know the countermeasures.
Your Majesty.
I think we have picked the wrong person for the job.
Chief Commander Wei has no experience in leading the army.
It's not too late to salvage the situation.
There's no need to talk about it.
Changing the commander before the battle is a military taboo.
Do you not understand this?
Grand Marshal.
You tell me.
Your Majesty.
I think we should send an envoy to Xi Yue to borrow 30,000 of soldiers.
With the 120,000 soldiers guarding Yan Du,
we've a total of 150,000 soldiers.
If we fail to defend Ning Province,
we can still defend the area outside of Mu City.
That's right.
The nearby mountain is shaped like a gourd.
We are now at the top half of the gourd.
We'll continue to fight and fall back.
We'll lure the enemy to the narrow track in between these two areas.
Turn the gourd tactic into a sack tactic.
We'll have a counter-siege.
Wuci's vanguard...
will see that we keep falling back.
He'll start to take things lightly.
He thinks that victory is in sight.
But he's actually falling into our trap.
Chief commander.
Your plan is brilliant.
In the past...
I've crossed the line.
I hope you'll forgive me.
General, don't take it to heart.
Right now, we only see the enemy's vanguard.
The army is still keeping a vigilant eye.
This battle is a protracted war.
If we want to gain the final victory...
we'll need the cooperation from all of you.
We'll follow your lead.
Your Majesty.
Madam Ye, why are you blocking the way?
Lower the palanquin.
-Ning Zhi. -Greetings, Your Majesty.
What's wrong with you?
As a court officer, you got yourself so drunk.
How is that appropriate?
You even dare to stop the emperor's carriage?
If it's someone else, she would have been dead by now.
Your Majesty.
Wei Guang is surrounded.
Wei Guang is heavily surrounded, Your Majesty.
I already know about that.
I'm worried and scared.
I've heard from the others,
that drinking will give me the courage.
So, I drank it all at once. Then...
I feel like...
I'm as light as a feather.
Help Madam Ye up.
-Go to Guang Xuan Palace. -Yes.
Your Majesty.
I... Your Majesty.
I can't stand.
I'll sit down.
Your Majesty, please forgive me.
I want to know the news about Wei Guang.
If there's news of him, it will be sent to Your Majesty at once.
I won't disturb Your Majesty. I'll just sit here.
I won't talk.
Your Majesty, Chief Commander Wei sent a secret letter.
Your Majesty.
I'm sure you've received news that I have been surrounded.
But don't worry, Your Majesty.
This is just a gourd tactic that I'm using.
The gourd?
What gourd?
You dare to see the military information? Go over there.
Our army is now at the top of the gourd.
It looks like we have been surrounded by the enemy.
When the enemy troops come to the narrow track,
we'll change the gourd tactic to the sack tactic.
We'll have a counter-siege.
A counter-siege?
Chief Commander Wei didn't let me down.
Ning Zhi, don't worry.
Stand right there.
-Greetings, Your Majesty. -Ning Zhi.
Ning Zhi, wake up.
Wake up.
-Your Majesty. -After you left...
the Grand Marshal sent another news.
Wei Guang pulled the counter-siege and annihilated 30,000 soldiers.
Also, he executed three of the enemy's generals.
That's great.
Wei Guang.
When she wakes up,
tell her again the things that I just said.
She's sleepy now.
I'm afraid she would have forgotten it.
-Yes. -All right. Go on.
-Amazing. -That's amazing.
Great!
This woman looks familiar.
I think I've seen her somewhere before.
I remember it now.
She's Ye Ning Zhi, who performed for the empress dowager in the palace.
-That's amazing. -I didn't notice it back then.
But right now, I find her quick-witted and interesting.
She's different from the women in the palace.
Great! Again!
Shopkeeper, come here.
Sir, what can I do for you?
Is the circus troupe going to perform tomorrow?
They perform here seven days in a row.
-Today is the first day. -There will be seven days?
I'll be here for the show for the next six days.
Reserve this room for me.
I'll pay you double the price.
All right. Enjoy your food, sir.
Great!
Your Majesty.
Didn't you have an appointment with Mr. Liang and Mr. Li tomorrow night?
I'm coming to see the show for the next six days.
Cancel everything.
Yes.
Shopkeeper.
Didn't you say that there will be a show for the next six days?
Where did they go?
I wanted to tell you just now.
This circus troupe boarded the ship and left.
Why would this happen?
I heard that the leader broke her waist during practice today.
She's going to recuperate in her hometown.
Do you know...
where did they go to?
About that.
Sir, they've just been here for a day.
Nobody knows where they're going.
Ning Zhi.
Chief Commander Wei had a great victory.
The news will come later.
Don't worry.
Congratulations, Your Majesty.
Ning Zhi.
Don't have to be reserved in front of me.
It's been a long time since I've been so happy.
Talk to me.
All right.
There's something that I don't understand.
No matter where you go,
you'll remember the name of even an insignificant officer.
How do you have such a good memory?
Actually, it's not that I have a good memory.
I was trained.
Why did you train in this?
I dare not say it.
Do you even have times where you dare not speak?
Cut all the pretences.
-I'll say it then. -Go on.
Her Majesty takes me along whenever there's a banquet in the palace.
Do Your Majesty know why?
Why?
Ning Zhi.
Who is that woman,
whose face is blushing like the jujube under the banyan tree?
Your Majesty.
That is Zhang, Mr. Wang De Quan's, the Minister of Revenue's wife.
Well, who's the woman with the chubby figure?
Your Majesty, that's...
Tell me. Are you telling me or not?
Your Majesty, that's... Have you forgotten?
That's your relative, Mr. Zheng Xiong's family member.
That's how it happened.
I see.
It must have been hard on you.
Actually, I haven't seen Her Majesty for half a month.
I wonder...
how is her condition now?
What's the matter?
Still thinking about the empress?
Didn't she pinch you all the time?
She did pinch me. At times, she would beat me too.
If I make a mistake, Her Majesty would say that scariest phrase.
Drag her out and chop off her head.
But later on, I heard that...
Her Majesty praised me in front of others.
She would laugh when she talked about me.
Then, Her Majesty have new maids.
None of them is to Her Majesty's liking.
Sometimes, Her Majesty would mistakenly call others Ning Zhi.
If so,
I'll find a chance to take you to apologise to her.
I'm sure she'll understand.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
I have a favour to ask of Your Majesty.
What now?
Lang Kun's men,
Mr. Chu and Mr. Wang are still in the palace.
They always cause trouble for the girls at Pear Blossom Academy.
Just now, you wanted to ask for the empress's forgiveness.
Now, you're going to do things to offend her.
What are you thinking?
You should know the empress's temper.
When she gets angry, she wouldn't even consider personal relations.
That's right.
I'm afraid of Her Majesty.
But I'm even more afraid the girls at Pear Blossom Academy will suffer.
When I entered the palace, they helped me a lot.
Without them,
there's no way for me to have a foothold in the palace.
I believe that we can't bite the hand that feeds us.
It's the same be it inside or outside of the palace.
"Yong De Palace"
Recently, the officers submitted the memorials to impeach Lang Kun.
He's your trusted aide.
If you believe him, I should believe that you've a good judgement.
But there are a few officers around him who are often impeached.
I think we should send them to the Ministry of Justice.
Your Majesty.
I've told you before. There's been a misunderstanding.
I've verified that they have no bad records.
Don't worry, empress.
The truth will speak for itself.
If they really didn't do anything,
the Ministry of Justice won't do anything to them.
On the contrary, it can prove their innocence.
-Your Majesty, this... -All right.
I've made up my mind.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Stop the palanquin.
Get up!
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Why did Your Majesty hit me?
I've told you before.
I'm the empress.
I need no reason to hit a person.
Your Majesty.
Wei Guang...
Wei Guang went missing at the front line.
Right now, his life is left hanging in the balance.
Your Majesty.
Just now, His Majesty was at my place.
According to the latest report,
Wei Guang has returned to the camp safely.
-Congratulations, Your Majesty. -How's the war going?
They've reached the border of Wuci.
That's great.
Wei Guang rendered an outstanding military service. Good!
Come on. Be careful.
Be careful.
Report!
What's the battle report?
We won!
We won.
-We won. -We won.
We won.
You're a bunch of trash!
You said I'll recover three days after taking the medicine.
I can fully recover after a month.
But I've been coughing for half a year.
Your Majesty.
It's important to take the medicine.
Your Majesty has to stay happy.
Shut your mouth.
You keep saying the same old thing.
You're so annoying!
Get out of here!
Yes.
Your Majesty.
Why don't I accompany you to the Imperial Garden?
No.
I'll go by myself later.
Madam Ye.
Her Majesty doesn't want to be disturbed.
Madam Ye.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty seems to have lost weight.
Don't you worry about me.
Did the imperial physician slack off?
It's windy. Your Majesty shouldn't be out with just a few layers of clothes.
Your Majesty.
Are you all right?
Summon the imperial physician! Hurry!
No need.
They won't be of help even if they're here.
I've just been coughing for a long time and it affected my voice.
What's the matter? I slapped you in the face.
You wish that I fall seriously ill, and it's best if I kick the bucket?
Your Majesty, you knew that's not what I think.
I want to thank you.
That day, Your Majesty told me the news about Mr. Wei.
I was really scared back then.
What's there to thank?
I was just shooting my mouth off.
Everyone will know about Mr. Wei even if I didn't pass the news.
Don't think that I was comforting you that day.
Your Majesty, why do you love to talk tough?
What can I do?
Do you want me to beg you to return to my side?
Your Majesty, you know,
I'll never work with Lang Kun.
I can't let my fellow sisters at the Pear Blossom Academy down.
After all, you just feel that I'm a mean person.
You've been the female officer for some time.
You wouldn't come back to serve me.
Right?
I agree to it.
Let me send Your Majesty back. Don't catch a cold.
Who is it?
Who are you?
I'm the new palace maid from the Pear Blossom Academy.
-I... -Stand there!
The maiden needs to get 30 strokes for trespassing the harem. Come with us.
Let's go.
-I didn't mean to. -Let's go.
-Please let me go.
I won't do it again.
Be quiet. Step aside.
Madam Ye is here.
Ning Zhi.
Don't touch Madam Ye.
Is Madam Ye someone that you can touch as you please?
When I came in just now,
I saw someone lying down in this form.
This is disrespectful to the guardian deity.
According to the palace rules,
that person will get strokes.
My bed.
Let me experience it once more.
Did anyone bully you recently?
No one dares to bully us.
Those who usually boss us around would bow down,
and got their tails tucked between their legs when they see us.
Young lady.
Do you know who's the one they talk about the most in the harem?
It's you.
They know we are close to you.
So, they try to rope us in, and fawn over us.
Well.
Quickly tell me.
This was what Eunuch Li said.
There's a sense of justice in Madam Ye from head to toe.
She's a good heroin that's hard to come by.
Madam Ye.
What are these? There are so many of it.
-Look. -My goodness.
Look at the colour.
-It's so beautiful. -This bangle is crystal clear. Nice!
-It looks good. -Ning Zhi.
Are you really going to accept these gifts?
We'll accept the compliments and the gifts.
Divide it between everyone.
But we still have to take down this vicious man.
His and Her Majesty think highly of me.
If we don't fight back now, when is it?
Don't hit me!
No.
Please.
Please don't hit me.
-Is this... -Don't hit me.
-the new palace maid? -Don't hit me.
Don't hit me.
She looks quite pretty.
She's very pitiful.
Her father was an officer.
Then, he committed a crime and the whole family was banished.
She was a rich young lady.
She fed the family by picking up rotten vegetables from the street.
She came back only after her parents passed away.
Don't hit me.
Don't give me 30 strokes.
Why was she beaten?
She lost her way when she went out to run some errands.
She was arrested by the guards.
They said she trespassed the forbidden land.
They wanted to give her 30 strokes.
They only let her come back after she knocked her head.
She has been having nightmare since then.
Don't be afraid.
I'm here.
No one will bully you anymore.
Your Majesty.
If we want to find out the culprit who's hiding in the palace,
I do have a plan for that.
Your Majesty can order the officers to each present a memorial,
about the current situation.
Those who advocate to take advantage of our favourable position in war,
to negotiate peace with Wuci, and fight for favourable conditions,
they'll be loyal and do their duties for Liang dynasty.
And those who advocate to continue the war,
until we wipe out Wuci,
Your Majesty has to take precaution against them.
There are 520 officers who are above the third rank.
120 officers advocated to continue the war till Wuci is destroyed.
So many of them want me to face internal and external problems.
Wei Guang.
I think it's getting more dangerous.
I hope you can return soon.
I'll surely tell you the secret of your dad's execution 18 years ago.
I'll return everything that Wei family has lost.
I'll give you everything that you want.
Madam Ye, this is the letter from Chief Commander Wei.
Thank you.
Ning Zhi.
The situation at war is in our favour.
Everything goes according to my plan.
I've went into battle for more than a month.
Each day is a long day.
But it's not the war that makes me feel unendurable.
It's the feeling of missing you.
I wish time would pass faster.
Be a little faster.
I can't wait to return to see you.
Ban Ling Er.
You've got quite some nerves.
You didn't kneel upon seeing me.
Greetings, Your Highness.
Don't be afraid.
I'm just playing with you.
Your Highness, mind your conduct.
What are you hiding from?
You walked around in the palace two nights ago.
You happened to run into me.
According to the palace rules...
the imperial guards should give you 30 strokes.
At that time, you kept begging me,
so that the imperial guards would spare you.
You said you're willing to do anything.
I took pity on you.
So, I pleaded for you.
What should you do then?