"Episode 19"
Chief Commander Wei.
It's Your Highness.
Your Highness meet me without permission.
Aren't Your Highness afraid that His Majesty will be mad?
His Majesty ordered me to come.
His Majesty wants me to convey a message to you.
Why Your Highness is the only one who came?
Why didn't His Majesty summon me directly?
Or did Your Highness act on your own...
and would like to come to see me?
His Majesty felt guilty towards your dad,
and would like to build a cenotaph for him.
You're really here because of His Majesty.
It looks like Your Highness is concerned about His Majesty,
and know how to help His Majesty with his worries.
His Majesty will announce to the world,
to redress the injustice done to your dad,
and restore his noble title.
Doesn't His Majesty think this is too late?
I don't even know where my dad is buried at.
The reputation before and after his death.
What's the use of this title?
It won't bring comfort to the dead.
It couldn't get rid of the resentment that I feel all these years.
Perhaps, your dad would care.
He was revered by the people when he was alive.
He would want his name to be cleared after his death,
and not be criticised by the people.
Ning Zhi.
You tell me.
What difficulties do you have?
No matter what happens...
let's face it together.
All right?
I almost forgot.
His Majesty said that there'll be a national mourning for your dad.
"Chief Commander's Manor"
Your Highness.
Why are you sitting on the floor?
Young lady, the floor is cold. Quickly get up.
Leave me be.
I just want to be alone.
Your Highness, are you feeling unhappy?
Isn't it better to return to His Majesty's palace?
Why should I go back?
It's cold in the palace.
There's no human warmth there.
Girls, good news.
Your Highness is here.
What's the good news?
Just now, I saw Lang Kun being arrested at the Imperial Garden.
Really?
Do you know who did it?
Her Majesty's bodyguard.
Isn't he Her Majesty's people?
Is it possible,
that Her Majesty is mad at him for turning to Princess Royal?
I don't know either.
I heard Her Majesty is going through the old cases in the palace,
to redress the injustice.
Anyway, Lang Kun fell into Her Majesty's hands.
He'll either be dead or suffer badly.
Looks like the biter bit. His retribution.
Zi Ling.
Now, you've managed to take a revenge.
Should we celebrate it?
Going through the old cases?
This is...
-This one too. -Look at this.
-What's this? -Look carefully.
Look at this.
"Ministry of Justice"
-Keep looking. -Keep looking.
-Hurry. -Here.
-This as well. -Here.
-This one. -Let me see.
Here you go.
Let's go.
Your Majesty.
What did I do wrong?
Don't ask me.
Check the dossier!
Your Majesty.
I've been falsely accused.
These dossiers were sent from the Ministry of Justice.
Did everyone in the Ministry of Justice falsely accuse you?
Harsh on the palace maids, corruptions, accept bribes.
Own 18 mansions along Long Hua Street.
It's just the tip of the iceberg.
Lang Kun.
You have quite some nerves.
Your Majesty.
I've been with you for so many years.
Your Majesty knows me best.
It's impossible for me to do such a thing.
Very little is known about you.
That's why you went over,
to Princess Royal like a dog under my watch.
Take him down.
When all the evidence has been gathered,
bring him back here to reopen the case.
-Yes. -Your Majesty.
I have something important to do. Can you give me some time,
before sending me to the jail?
Do you think I'm still the same as before?
So long as you plead for mercy,
and I'll spare your life?
No.
Even you've important things to do for Princess Royal,
what does it have to do with me?
You're being ruthless to me.
I don't have to do you the favour.
-Take him down. -Yes.
I've one last thing to say, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty must remember.
In the future, no matter what happens...
Your Majesty must endure the anger.
Only then, it'll be safe.
This should be used to remind your new master.
I never need to learn how to write the word "endure".
Your Majesty, make concessions in order to gain advantages.
This is the best strategy.
Right now, all of you have forced me to stand on the edge of the cliff.
If I take a step back,
I'll fall into the abyss.
But fortunately,
I've been in the palace for a long time.
I've learned how to protect myself.
So, you should return and show concern to Princess Royal.
-Take him down. -Yes.
Your Majesty.
Her Majesty wants to reopen the cases in the harem in the past five years.
Yong De Palace is filled with people now.
Let her be.
I know.
Her Majesty has the authority to clean up the harem.
But everyone is in a state of panic.
This can't go on.
I couldn't be bothered with her anymore.
I remember.
Your Majesty once said to me.
The harem is one with the court.
If the harem is not in peace, it will affect the court too.
Most imperial concubines are from the families of government officials.
If they're tortured by Her Majesty,
I'm afraid the ministers of the court will be terrified.
If so, the court will be in a chaos.
-It will give the culprits a chance. -Say no more!
I don't want to hear it!
Your Majesty, what's the matter?
I just had a dream.
I dreamt of Wei Guang leading the army and have my imperial city surrounded.
He drags me out of the palace, and have my body torn into pieces.
I can't even protect myself now.
How can I be bothered with the empress now?
Among the officials...
more than half of them submitted the memorials to restore,
Princess Royal and Prince Guang Ding's titles of nobility.
Half the country has fallen into enemy hands.
Wei Guang is also...
I'm besieged on all sides.
Your Majesty, Wei Guang wouldn't do that.
Don't be so suspicious.
If Wei Guang is being disloyal,
I can consider stripping off his military power.
But now, he has formidable prestige among the officers and people.
I can't easily make a move.
Your Majesty has the empress dowager.
Wei Guang is indebted to Her Highness.
He'll surely think of the favour that Her Highness did for him.
Never did I expect.
I'm the emperor.
But I need to rely on two women to help me through it.
Princess Royal comes here,
and personally stand bail for him.
How can I not do you the favour?
Lang Kun.
You can leave.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
The Princess Royal is the descendant of the royal family.
She's willing to plead with me for you.
You should thank the Princess Royal.
Lang Kun is my people.
It's a matter of course for me to do him the favour.
Your Majesty has arrested so many people lately.
Your Majesty took quite a lot of trouble.
I'm the empress.
I'm just doing my duty.
Given the honour in this position,
I have to take the responsibility that comes with it.
I can't be like the Princess Royal to do whatever you wish.
That's right.
You've been on the go all day for Lang Kun.
You're looking a little haggard.
Recently, there's a batch of tributes in the palace.
There are a few bottles of pearl powder.
I used it and it's good.
People.
Give a bottle to the Princess Royal.
Thanks for your concern.
Useless thing.
How dare of you to drop the gift from Her Majesty?
Your Majesty, spare me. Your Highness, spare me.
-Your Majesty, spare me. -If Her Majesty doesn't forgive you,
don't you get up.
The palace maid didn't mean it.
Why do you brood over it then?
Your Majesty is really generous.
I'll go back to my residence then.
Get up.
-Yes. -Thank you, Your Majesty.
Wei Guang.
Why are you so early today?
Take a seat.
Mr. Lang, that's quick of you to escape from the trouble.
I thought things wouldn't end up well for you,
when you fell into Her Majesty's hands.
There's nothing to be afraid of when you have a strong backup.
With Princess Royal as the backup,
what am I afraid of?
No matter what happens,
I'll surely be able to tide over the crisis.
Mr. Lang betrayed the old master.
That's a wise choice.
You and I are on the same boat now.
You're a smart man.
I'm considered half the smart man.
I'll just follow you.
Things wouldn't go wrong.
We have a lot of misunderstandings and don't have much dealings.
I couldn't take such compliments.
Mr. Lang is my sworn brother now.
You're my close confidant.
Let's get over the grudges between the two of you.
I almost died in Mr. Lang's hands.
I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to.
One true man.
How unyielding.
But the three of us are now on the same boat.
Not only do we have to work together now.
What's more important...
is to open our hearts to each other.
What do you think, Mr. Lang?
Of course.
What do you think, Wei Guang?
Chief Commander, this is for you.
Wei Guang.
Why are you such a narrow-minded person?
Even if you've forgotten the time when we worked together,
you should think of the time when I collected your dad's body.
I know you still hold grievance against me.
It doesn't matter.
Let's get this out in the open and discuss it.
Today, I'm going to remove the thorns in your heart one by one.
I whipped you before.
You can hit me three times. I won't fight back.
After this,
let's call it even.
How about that?
I'm afraid that Mr. Lang won't be able to take the blow.
Just bring it on.
First punch.
It's for the whipping you took from Yang Biao.
Second punch.
It's for the slander that I made against you in front of His Majesty.
Third punch.
Mr. Lang.
Are you alright?
Does your chest hurt? Should we call the imperial physician?
Mr. Lang.
Are you alright?
How is it, Wei Guang?
Does it mean you've forgiven Mr. Lang?
Mr. Lang has a thick skin.
I couldn't beat him.
That's the way.
All three of us are good brothers now.
Did you have to hit him that hard?
Show me due respect next time.
Let's drink.
Get over the shock. Let's go.
Your Majesty.
Look, the sun is setting.
Why don't we do the arrest tomorrow?
It's good then.
People who have done unethical things should be caught at night.
Hurry.
-Hurry up! Catch that man! -Come with me.
Making up to the enemy.
Destroying the nation, and harm the people.
Your dad wouldn't rest in peace.
Your dad died in the woods 18 years ago.
But you couldn't find his body,
because someone helped to take care of your dad's body.
It's in Chenghuang Temple,
at the foot of the Kongque Mountain in the west of the city.
"Chief Commander"
"Wei Yan"
Chief Commander.
You are...
There are a lot of footprints here.
Over there as well.
Dig up the entire piece of the soil and take it to the manor.
Yes.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Rise.
Ning Zhi, you came at the right time.
After thinking about it, I still think...
you should meet up with Wei Guang again.
Why?
I feel a little uneasy about it.
Although I told him how Princess Royal set Wei Yan up,
he might not believe it.
Besides, Wei Guang loves you very much and I...
I took you as the concubine.
He surely holds a grudge against me.
But I...
It's inconvenient for me to explain it to him.
Wei Guang fought in the battlefield for Your Majesty.
He'll surely not be disloyal.
It's obvious that...
he has let it go.
But he's becoming closer to the Princess Royal.
I'm worried that one day,
he will be misled by the Princess Royal...
to attack me.
Wei Guang is so smart.
He'll surely be able to see through the Princess Royal's ulterior motive.
But all the signs tell me that...
he believes in the Princess Royal more than me.
-Your Majesty. -Ning Zhi.
You're my wife.
I'll do a lot of things for you.
I promised you I will respect you too.
Right now, it's hard to tell which officers are the good ones.
You are the only one I can trust.
I'll go to see Wei Guang.
Chief Commander, these are the eunuch's boots.
The eunuch is not allowed to leave the palace for no reason.
I've asked the palace guard. No one left the palace today.
So, all the footprints that are the same as these boots...
are left behind by that eunuch.
So are these.
Just now, you saw the old eunuch walked bent over his waist.
It's nothing weird to have footprints there.
But did you notice?
The eunuch's footprints are different.
Look.
This is a deeper footprint.
And it's much heavier.
These are the same.
But as for this...
it's different.
The print is light and very shallow.
You mean there are two four-legged eunuchs?
Noble Consort Ning is here.
I'll take my leave.
Your Highness.
Your Highness wouldn't come here without a motive.
Are you here because of His Majesty again?
Your Majesty asked me to tell you.
His Majesty has sent his trusted aides out of the palace.
Soon, we'll find Princess Royal's palace maids from back then.
They somewhat know about the incident from 18 years ago.
With their statements, your dad's death will be...
His Majesty racked up his brains,
just to make me believe,
that Princess Royal gave me some cock-and-bull story,
and that His Majesty is the only one who's telling the truth.
His Majesty did not lie.
Whether or not the story is true, I'm well aware of it.
I'm only interested in your story now.
I have told you.
His Majesty treats me well.
I've fallen for His Majesty too.
Wei Guang.
-Wei Guang. -Don't move.
I just want to hold you for a while.
All these years...
I have been investigating the cause of my dad's death.
I would like to figure out...
why did he end up torn into pieces,
when he was all about serving the country?
Right now, I realised that...
all of these...
are but a joke.
Everyone is forcing me to believe the things they said.
Everyone is using my dad.
Wei Guang.
I was only eight years old back then.
I just learnt to write my dad's name.
Never did I expect...
that his name became a taboo.
If I'm not the chief commander now...
will anyone redress the injustice for my dad?
Nobody thinks they're wrong.
To them...
the one who died was someone insignificant.
But to me...
the one who died was my dad.
Wei Guang.
You've suffered all these years.
-Ning Zhi. -Don't be like this, Wei Guang.
Ning Zhi.
Today, I've finally found my dad's grave.
I want to take you to him.
If the sufferings I had were so that I could meet you...
I'd rather have it worse.
Ning Zhi.
Tell me...
the truth of your story.
All right?
I...
I'm the Noble Consort Ning.
Is it heavy?
It's very heavy.
As compared to your sword?
The sword is heavier.
Why is it that you hold your sword instead of the halberd?
Because I am the Chief Commander.
It's my vocation to hold the sword.
I want to protect more people with my sword.
You can't leave this sword.
It's like how I couldn't get rid of this robe.
I used to think that...
it's good to be an ordinary person.
But later on, I realised that...
a lot of things can't be done by the ordinary people.
Ever since I became Noble Consort Ning,
I can do things that I never could,
and even the things that I didn't dare to.
You're not willing to hold the halberd again.
I'm not willing to become...
the Ye Ning Zhi from the circus troupe.
Do you really want me to risk my life...
to save Wei Guang?
Your Majesty.
Mr. Wei has been victorious ever since he went into battle.
He never once lost.
I'm sure he'll win this time too.
If I lead the troop into battle,
and risk my life to save Wei Guang,
can you promise me?
From now on, be my imperial concubine not just in name only,
and stay by my side forever.
Your Majesty.
Only if I lead the troops into battle...
can Wei Guang be saved.
Can't you promise me?
Every lamp that I see in my eyes,
represents a family.
I finally understood,
why God wants me to put on this robe.
At the same time, I understood that,
from the moment I put it on...
I've already lost you.
Wei Guang.
I'll be the person that I want to be.
I hope that you can persist and walk down your own path too.
Don't look back.
They said I'm lucky.
I became an imperial concubine not long after I entered the palace.
There is no such thing as a guaranteed profit in the world.
My mum was right.
The more you get...
you need to compensate it with the losses.
I saved the person I love the most.
I need to exchange it with the promise of a lifetime companionship.
I don't want this power at all.
I want to save people.
Why isn't there anyone to save me?
I just want to..
be with Wei Guang.
Can't such a humble wish ever come true?
It can never come true.
"Stop the violence."
Guang Er.
Do you know why I want to be a general?
Why do I want to fight the enemy on the battlefield?
It's because those enemies invaded our land,
and kill our people. So, we must eliminate all of them.
Come.
Do you know how to write the character “force" of "military force?"
The upper part of the character is the character "spear".
The bottom part of the character is the character "stop".
Be it practising the martial arts or to go into battle...
it's all to stop the war by fighting war with war.
Use a war to resolve a bigger war.
Let more people live.
You have to be like this when you grow up.
Got it?
Sir.
I know you're hiding here.
Let's come out and meet.
Let's have a drink.
We're friends.
Not the enemy.
Sir.
Don't you have a little helper?
Do you know him?
You couldn't possibly be unaware of it, right?
What's your relationship with my dad?
He was the criminal.
You secretly buried his body.
Aren't you afraid that you would be implicated?
How did you know these words?
The hatred makes you blind.
But it makes people move forward too.
I have my plan.
I hope you won't let your dad down.
Sir!
"Yong De Palace"
Your Majesty, Consort Chen would like to see you.
Isn't she dying?
Why does she want to see me?
She said she knows the mystery of Noble Consort Ning's past history.
Perhaps, Your Majesty would be interested.
Go to Yong Lun Palace.
Your Majesty, do you really want to go to Yong Lun Palace?
Why don't we ask people to carry Consort Chen here?
Consort Chen is dying.
I'm afraid she can't make the trip.
But many people died in Yong Lun Palace.
It's gloomy.
It's not clean. I'm afraid it'll bring bad luck to Your Majesty.
I have nothing to be afraid of.
Get Mr. Lin to send a few imperial guards to protect me will do.
Forget it.
Don't breathe a word about this.
Just send three guards to come with me.
Yes.
"Yong Lun Palace"
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Bring Consort Chen.
Yes.