Your Highness.
Help me save my father.
I would rather have him punish me right now.
He can't withstand the cold.
The weather is freezing, he will get ill outside.
Quick!
The water is cold, they can't be far.
Focus the troops.
Search Xingqing Palace, Eastern District, and Pingkang Street.
We must avoid alerting the enemy,
the soldiers of Dragon Army must go in without armours.
As you wish.
Wait, search the Eastern District first.
Search the drains of Eastern District...
and where it overlaps with waterway of lantern tower turbine.
Yes.
My lord.
The Crown Prince tracked down the Emperor.
The Dragon Army is on the way to Pingkang Street.
His Highness is wise when it comes to picking his way.
This is bad.
If the Crown Prince finds out where His Majesty is,
he will change his thoughts about the Crown Prince.
Evidences that point to the Crown Prince's treason will be useless.
Once the Crown Prince gains momentum,
the odds will be against the Right Counsellor.
Si Fang.
Which general of the Dragon Army is following His Highness?
Brigade Commander Guo Shou Yi.
We still owe him a present for the Lantern Festival, right?
Consider it done.
" The Longest Day in Chang'an "
Episode 44
If we follow the order of the Crown Prince,
will the Emperor suspect us for disloyalty?
Don't be so paranoid.
First, we need to save him.
Commander Guo, we are His Majesty's personal bodyguard.
We all know they never see eye to eye.
We are not doing this to get credits.
If His Majesty loses his faith in the Dragon Army,
the Royal Army that stood tall for 30 years will be gone.
We will be disbanded.
Disbanded?
You are being too optimistic.
We all know the classified information of the palace defence.
If they don't need you,
they don't need you to be alive.
Enough of your chatter, start searching now.
-Yes. -Yes.
Commander Guo.
Stay frosty!
-Yes! -Yes!
Get in the line if you are ready.
The present Right Counsellor sent is at your doorsteps.
What does he want this time?
He wants you to do nothing.
But the life of our lord is at stake.
This is a pressing matter.
They get the credits and you get to die.
Understood?
Yes.
Stop kicking him!
Brother Feng, let me borrow your men from the Blaze Gang.
Wang Yun Xiu hasn't returned...
after she went to get reinforcement, she might be in trouble.
Brother Feng.
I need more men, we can accomplish great thing together.
What may that be?
Rescuing the Emperor.
It will be easy. All gates are closed.
He must still be inside the city.
Zhang Xiao Jing has no power left in Chang'an.
It's not impossible to find his hideout.
All the bureaus and departments are fighting for boons,
they are after their own gains.
No one has the time to search for the Emperor.
Why don't you start going after your boon as well?
Brother Feng, are you worried your master won't get rewarded?
We have a chance to show the Emperor what we got,
why do you even care about Prince Yong?
Father!
There is an old man here.
What happened to this old man?
Help him up. Let's help him up.
-Help! -Come on.
Get him to the carriage.
Come.
Where are you headed, sir?
We can give you a ride.
Pardon my rudeness.
My name is Zhu Ci.
I am a record officer at the Minister of Personnel.
This is my wife, Madam Wang. This is Zhu Xuan, my son.
Greetings.
What do you want?
We want to send you home.
Did you family chase you out?
If you have nowhere to stay,
after our work is done,
you may come home with us.
I know the owner of Long Sheng Clinic very well.
I'll get their best healer to treat your wounds.
What is it that you want?
Just tell me.
He is such a generous person.
We have never met before and he keeps asking what we want.
Where is it?
Okay.
-Let's go. -Can we find him?
-Yes. -Are you faster than Xiao Gui?
I know Chang'an well.
What happens after we found the Emperor?
What do you think?
We will send His Majesty back to the palace.
Of course not.
Today,
all those who've seen the sorry state of the Emperor will die.
So, if you send him back to the palace as soon as possible,
the people of Chang'an will be safe.
Xiao Gui didn't tell us the truth. Who is the mastermind...
that gave him the order to...
orchestrate such a grand scheme?
So, we are the troop that serve His Highness.
After our job is done, we'll say it's the Crown Prince's order!
Yes!
Who is that?
The Personal Troops of the Crown Prince.
You serve the Crown Prince?
If we don't serve His Highness,
we couldn't have known about Commander Guo's operation.
If you don't trust us,
you can inquire His Highness yourself.
This is a pressing matter.
All of you must follow my command.
Of course. We have such order from His Highness.
The Community Officers will lead the commandants into the streets.
If anyone encounters an old man in white robe,
record the location at once.
Yes.
Do not act recklessly when you find the target.
His Majesty must not be hurt.
Verify his identity before you take any action.
-Sir Zhu is here. -Sir Zhu is coming.
-Sir Zhu is here. -Get up.
Sir Zhu is here.
Everyone, come out.
Sir Zhu's carriage is here.
-We are here. -Sir Zhu.
We are here.
We are finally here.
-Mother. -Watch your step.
Sir, watch your steps.
I hope this is enough for you.
A few of the families gathered some food for you.
They want to express their gratitude.
Don't be so formal with me. I didn't do this alone.
Some of my colleagues in Minister of Personnel helped out too.
This old man is injured.
Old Man Xia, get some hot food to keep him warm.
-Sure. -This way, please.
Slowly.
Sir, have a seat here.
Have a seat. I have to send these away.
Tonight is a festive night for everyone.
Yes.
I will be right back. Don't worry.
Have a seat.
Here.
I know you.
I didn't steal the pig!
We need that pig!
-Yes, I know that! -We need it!
I know, I didn't steal it!
Get some rest.
We need it! We need that pig!
It's already 4 o'clock in the morning. Let's go.
We need that pig!
Sir, have your seat. Here.
Have a seat.
Here.
I hope you are not offended.
On this street,
most of the kids live without parents.
We wanted to save them,
but honestly, it's beyond our capabilities.
But we have Sir Zhu to thank when he inspected the register.
He comes here often to help better our life.
Go on, bring them here.
The kids get to survive,
so we asked Sir Zhu to be their teacher.
The families on the street gathered some money,
but we could only afford to buy that pig...
as a token of gratitude for him.
So, we keep a tight watch on the pig.
Where are the kids' parents?
Some were killed in action,
some killed themselves because of huge debts,
some are sick and bedridden,
some have their bodies hanging on a branch.
Some had their farmlands taken over by officers...
and died from anger of losing the lawsuit.
This street is full of tales.
More and more people are coming here out of desperation.
Impossible.
We are in the third year of Tian Bao era.
It's the golden age of Great tang.
How are you leading such a miserable life?
You're a liar.
I hope I am.
I think we are living in peace as well.
But as you can see,
this is the life we are having here.
Have you heard anything about the Grand Auditorium?
Please, tell me.
It looked terrifying, but it's actually not that bad.
They say the lantern tower malfunctioned.
The candles inside caused a fire to break out.
The roof of the Grand Auditorium was burned,
but it can be fixed within a few weeks.
-Who said it? -The Emperor.
Nonsense!
Zhu Xuan.
Where did you find this man?
Zhu Xuan.
Come on, look who's here.
Uncle An!
Look.
You made it!
I worked all night on this for you.
Thank you, Uncle An!
This kid speaks the Sogdian's language?
He loves to ask questions.
He asks when he doesn't understand.
So, he speaks plenty of languages,
jack of all trades, master of none.
Do you know what this thing is?
It's a Celestial Sextant. In the 9th year of old calendar,
Commander Liang Ling Zan taught himself mathematics and astronomy.
He spent his free time studying this instrument.
At first, he made a wooden prototype.
The Emperor learned about it and praised him.
The Emperor ordered Master Yi Xing and Liang Ling Zan...
to replace the material of the sextant with bronze.
They used it to measure the 28 Constellations...
and their distance between the North Pole of Earth.
For the first time in history,
they discover the movement of sun.
With this discovery, Master Yi Xing...
composed the calendar the Great Tang is currently using.
They were once nameless,
but I gave them the funding they needed.
But this calendar has been given to the Fusang nation.
Sir, do you like astronomy too?
It's my ambition to be like Master Yi Xing and Sir Liang.
I want to create an invention that will help the people...
for years to come.
Good.
I as the Emperor...
will get you the finest teacher there is in this land.
Who exactly are you?
Who else can he be? He is an old man.
-I am not that old. -Yes.
Have some food, they are getting cold.
Deep down in your heart,
I bet you are blaming the Emperor for this miserable life.
He failed to take care of his people.
Blaming him won't help at all.
He is over 60 years old.
Back in my hometown,
only the fortunate get to live past 50 years old.
People get old, the mind get muddled and all jobs become hard.
It's normal.
Zhu Ci.
How many families are on this street?
-Well... -I will support their livelihood.
As for you and your son,
from tomorrow on, you will be the vice-minister.
Standard lower fourth rank.
Your son will study in the Official's Academy.
He will be studying alongside the officers' and royalty's sons.
Sir, you are so generous.
Yes, indeed.
People approach me to get their boons.
What's wrong with that?
This is for you.
Granny!
Dried meat.
Look.
Dried meat!
Take it.
Don't steal our pig!
I will be accepting the dried meat.
Send me back to the palace.
-Darling, he is... -Let's go.
You...
Send me back to the palace?
The old man we beat just now,
was there something odd about him?
Sure, Master!
Every time I gave him a punch,
I could feel a chill down my spine.
It felt like my ancestors are loathing me!
Enough with your nonsense.
Yes, you should have given me a punch too.
But Master,
was that old man some sort of big shot?
He has porcelain skin,
he didn't look like a servant.
I did meet him before.
But he was wearing the Dragon Robe back then.
Impossible.
This can't be happening.
-This can't be happening. -Send me back to the palace!
Send me back to the palace!
-Stop right there! -Send me back to the palace!
Who told you that? Where is he now?
I...
This is the pig feed I got from the public house.
-Do you want some? -Off you go!
My pig feed!
-My pig feed! -Teach her a lesson.
You senile old fool!
Enough of your nonsense!
Calm down.
Meeting the Emperor...
might change your family's life...
for the better.
What? You don't trust me?
Is this the carriage?
Yes, Master! This is the carriage.
What is taking Big Eye so long to scout the area?
Right, Master.
Yan Zhao, the cousin of Yan Tai Zhen...
is working in the Evergreen Inn.
I bet he knows what is going on inside the palace.
Master.
What is going on now?
Yan Zhao just visited Yan Tai Zhen in the Taizhen Palace.
-After he came back, he said... -What did he say?
He said...
Just say it.
The Emperor went missing.
He went missing?
Was that old man...
really the Emperor himself?
He is.
I just paid a fortune to get this job!
And now I am going to be executed.
Master.
Such a waste of money.
And I even got the two of you involved.
Master.
I have an idea.
You two, get all our men.
Follow that carriage.
When everyone arrives,
get them to a quiet spot.
Remember,
leave none alive.
Understood.
I want you to listen closely.
You are simply killing a senile old man with no name.
You couldn't have known about his identity.
-Yes, Master. -We know nothing.
Go, now!
Let's go.
My goodness.
We didn't know anything.
Indeed, we didn't know anything.
Our carriage can't enter Daming Palace.
The others need Fish Pendant to enter this place.
I don't need that.
I can enter as long as they see this face.
Your Majesty, there are something...
I am not sure if I should tell you.
Darling...
Do tell. I like it when you talk.
Have a seat.
If you are indeed the Emperor,
you shouldn't go back to the palace right now.
You should be leaving the city.
Why?
Your Majesty may be living inside Chang'an,
but you failed to see...
that out of thousands of officers in this city,
half of them got their jobs by paying money.
We have more officers now, but no one to do their jobs.
We create jobs according to the numbers,
bureaucracy became a burden and job-scopes overlap.
All those files they presented to you...
are mostly falsified information.
It's all the more reason for Your Majesty to leave this city...
and learn about the hardship and suffering of the people.
Your Majesty sits high on the throne,
you haven't heard the voice of the people.
All the policies may seem fair,
but when it comes to execution of policies,
the officers bend it to their will.
They oppress the people to get promotions.
All the glory you see in Chang'an...
are built upon the people's suffering.
Then again,
how long will it last?
-My father is right. -Xuan, silence.
Leave the kid be.
I changed the old calendar...
to the Tian Bao era...
because I wanted the Great Tang to keep prospering.
Xuan, you need to be diligent and sensible.
Do not aim for greatness that is just for show.
If you use window dressing to gain control,
and never try to improve yourself,
you would be lying to everyone and yourself.
But no matter what you get from the lie,
your mind will never be at peace.
I will bear that in heart.
What does that mean?
Are you saying I did nothing but window dressing?
You are being hijacked!
Be smart and get that old man out of here!
Get him out or get killed!
Xuan, keep your mother safe.
I am not that old.
I can protect my people.
Kill him!
You first.
I can't move my legs.
Get him!
I am the Emperor!
What do you want from me?
What did you say just now?
You are the Emperor?
Don't listen to him! He is just a feeble old man!
Get him!
Kneel!
Granny, let me help you up.
Are you hurt?
Granny, did you see an old man in white robe?
I...
Did they bullied you?
I am fine. I tripped myself.
The pig thief. The pig thief is in trouble.
White robe and long beard.
Where did he go?
-He... -Where did he go?
My pig feed!
-Granny, stay safe. -My pig feed!
Go on without me, I will regroup with you later.
Watch your back.
My lady, what do you want?
Stay out of this.
Granny was bullied.
I came here to ask around...
and help her get a payback.
Good, I know who did this.
Get on the carriage and I'll tell you.
Young lady!
Leave! Don't get on his carriage!
Young lady!
The pig thief said,
'send me back to the palace'.
Who is there?
I am the Emperor!
I order you to arrest these thugs!
-Check his identity. -Yes.
Do not let the Emperor get hurt!
Kill them all!
How dare you!
-Volley! -Save them!
Spare the thugs for interrogation.
Kill them.
Stop!
-Volley! -Stop!
Stop!
Why did you fire the arrows without checking?
We have order from the Crown Prince.
Guo Shou Yi, stand down.
-Volley! -You...
Who are you?
Who ordered you to ignore the safety of His Majesty?
Commander Guo, you are part of this too!
We are all getting order from the Crown Prince.
Before we left,
he reminded you to act swiftly!
Now, do it while we have the chance.
You!
Zhu Ci, run!
My child?
These are my people!
You mindless scoundrel!
These are my people!
You fiend!
Save the Emperor!
Do not let the enemy hurt the Emperor!
Be careful!
I will blow you to pieces!
You scoundrels! You cannot kill me!
Get on the carriage.
Daji Tavern.
Sure, wait for sunrise.
The Crown Prince's men infiltrated the Dragon Army.
They tried to ambush the Emperor.
Guo Shou Yi saw everything.
He said so himself and is willing to be our witness.
A man of unkindness, dishonour and disloyalty.
How is he the son of the Emperor?
General Gan.
The fate of Great Tang is in your hand.
You shall punish the Crown Prince for his sins.
Well...
Worry not, I will send the order out immediately.
The Crown Prince is committing treason.
We have the evidence.
Kill him on sight.
Those who succeed shall be rewarded.
Go, now!
Go to somewhere safe.
Uncle Guo, what is going on?
Guo Shou Yi told me that...
Your Highness...
ordered an assassination on the Emperor.
I did no such thing!
Which is why you need to leave.
Your Highness.
You need to stay alive in order...
to prove your innocence.
Everyone is waiting in line to get rid of me.
I must take my leave for now.
You are leaving me too?
I must find Your Highness a safe hideout for the time being.
In this vast land,
nowhere is safe.
Please, wait here.
I need only one hour.
Come to the Peacekeeper Corps after an hour.
I will keep you safe.
But the Right Counsellor seized control over it.
I have my way to deal with that.