Music
Leave us.
I have a private talk with Lady Attendant.
Yes.
Sis. Xue.
What's it?
Is there any news
from my father and Bro. Zhu?
No.
Not any news from them yet.
We haven't had dinner together
for quite a long time.
So today
I cooked for you
and made many of your favorite dishes.
Come and have a try.
Oh, large meatball!
Have your favorite large meatball!
Thank you, Sis. Xue.
I braised them.
Sis. Xue
you cooked it.
It must be delicious.
How does it taste?
So yummy! That's my favorite taste.
Sis. Xue.
Since I was little
you and other sisters and brothers
have been taking care of me.
You'll spoil me.
Lately I've been thinking
if only
we were born
in a peaceful time
instead of one with dynastic changes.
We can't decide
when we were born.
How nice it would be
if Big Brother and we
can always stay in the Pearl Valley
to live a peaceful
and happy life
enjoying flowers in spring
and enjoying the moon in autumn
with the men ploughing and the women weaving
regardless of the dynasty?
Sis. Xue.
How sentimental you are today!
Is there anything wrong?
No.
I just miss the time
we spent in the Peart Valley
and miss our partners.
Now
we're alone in the palace.
What a bright moon tonight!
Let's
enjoy the wine
and enjoy the moon.
Come on.
Let's enjoy ourselves
tonight.
Here.
Today
his Majesty visited me again.
I could see
he was in a very good mood.
When you had a cold war with him
he always looked sad.
Throughout the imperial harem
everyone was in a blue funk
in case of annoying him.
It seems
he only cares for you
that much.
Sis. Xue.
Could you stop bringing him up?
When you talk about him
I feel very lousy.
No.
I must bring him up.
Today, I invite you here to advice you.
We're both from the Pearl Valley.
Kangxi is our enemy.
You'll never have a happy ending with him.
I know.
After we find the copper box
we will leave the Forbidden City.
By then
I'll never see him again.
Sis. Xue.
Could you promise me something?
Could you not
tell Bro. Zhu what happened between Kangxi and me
after he comes back?
Big Brother loves you so much.
If I tell him about this
won't I be hurting him?
Don't worry. I won't tell him.
Junior Sister.
You and Big Brother
are predestined to be a couple.
Be nice to him
and forget Kangxi.
I've been trying to forget him.
But Sis. Xue.
Did you manage to
forget Bro. Zhu?
Soon
I'm forgetting him
very soon.
Since
we can't change our fate
why don't we try to accept it?
Maybe one day
you'll find the advantages of Big Brother
and fall in love with him.
Sis. Xue.
Come and have a look.
What a round moon tonight!
You're right.
The moon turns perfect round on the 16th day.
And it's so round tonight.
People reunite and depart
just as the moon waxes and wanes.
I wonder
when we can enjoy the night leisurely
next time.
Sis. Xue.
Eunuch Li came to me today.
He told me an important clue about the copper box.
I believe it will not be long
before I find out who switched it.
Clue?
Is that man in the palace?
Yes, not only in the palace.
But we're also
very familiar with her.
Who?
Who do you think she is?
In fact, I suspected her long ago.
But...
I refused to think deeper.
Even until today
I still don't want to suspect her.
Junior Sister.
I invited you here
to tell you something about the copper box, too.
Fine. After you.
Junior Sister, you know what?
I've been jealous of you.
Your father Duke Jin loves you.
Masters spoil you.
Senior brothers and sisters protect you.
Also, Big Brother
loves you so much.
How happy you are!
Yeah.
I also feel I'm happy.
But I'm afraid that
if the happiness is merely false appearance
and if someone will break it.
No.
You were born with a happy life.
I wish you
to have a happy life forever.
Thank you, Sis. Xue.
But...
I don't want to be happy alone.
I hope
both of us will be happy.
We will.
We will be happy.
In fact, among all of us
Big Brother and I
share the same fate.
We both
lost our parents
at a young age
and undertook
heavy responsibilities.
We've been having a hard time.
Yeah.
Everyone has his difficulty.
Junior Sister.
Do listen to me.
Be nice to Big Brother
and don't make him sad
or grieved.
Don't deprive him
of the last support.
Wish you happiness.
Cheers.
Who is that?
Come in, please.
Dr. Li?
Where is Lady Attendant?
She is drinking with Imperial Concubine Li
in the Palace of Eternity.
Sis. Xue.
You cried?
I'm moved.
I seem to get an eyelash in my eyes.
It's okay.
Come on. Let's continue
Sis. Xue.
Now could you tell me about the copper box?
Don't rush.
I'll tell you about it
after this round.
Cheers.
Big Brother?
Bro. Zhu.
Yihuan.
Are you alright?
Yes.
Did you drink it?
Yes, she did.
You're late.
She drank the wine I prepared for her.
So you knew everything.
Yes.
I knew.
But I don't dare to believe it
until you tell me.
Bro. Zhu.
Godfather asked me not to expose you.
But since you hurt her
I don't need to care much.
Yihuan.
We had a narrow escape
during our mission in Diandu.
Wu Sangui has planted spies in the Pearl Valley
who turn out to be
Master Xueyi
and Qingcheng.
Sis. Xue.
Is he telling the truth?
You took away the cooper box
and gave it to Wu Sangui, didn't you?
Exactly.
So you invited me to dinner
just to kill me
right?
Duke Pingxi asked me to kill you.
I didn't have a choice.
So I poisoned the wine.
Give me the antidote.
This is the killing pill Duke Pingxi specially made.
There's no antidote.
Bro. Zhu, don't.
Give me the antidote.
I said
no antidote
to the killing pill.
You!
The girl you love
is destined to die in front of you.
You!
What you can do now
is to kill me to revenge her.
Sis. Xue.
If Yihuan dies
I won't let go of you.
To killed by you
is the best ending I can expect.
Big Brother.
Junior Sister.
Wish you happiness.
Sis. Xue.
Big Brother.
This is
the birthday present I made for you.
It's a few days late.
But it's a small token of my love.
You'll find a letter in it.
Read it
and you'll understand.
When the snow falls heavily to inundate the way I came from
when the sweetness isn't enough to replace the pain
Qingcheng.
I have to watch mist rising in front of me.
When the snow falls heavily to inundate the way I came from
when the sweetness isn't enough to replace the pain
Over seventy families of mine
were killed by the cavalry of the Ming
expect my little brother and me.
I was adopted by Master Xueyi.
She took me to the Pearl Valley
and sent my little brother to Duke Pingxi.
I switched the copper box
and sent news secretly
when we escaped in Shanxi.
But to save my little brother
I didn't have a choice.
Duke Pingxi asked me to kill Junior Sister.
I didn't want it
but didn't dare to disobey him, either.
After thinking about it carefully
I had no choice, but to take the poisonous wine.
Then Junior Sister could tell Kangxi that
I was a spy sent by Wu Sangui.
Then...
I wasn't disobeying Duke Pingxi.
Instead, I committed suicide for fear of punishment.
Only in this way could my little brother be saved.
And with my death
Kangxi
will trust Junior Brother more.
The contradiction between Kangxi and Wu Sangui will be intensifies, too.
I can be paying back
our old friendship.
I've had a sad life.
The time that I spent in the Pear Valley
was the happiest moment in my life.
My life is worth it
when I acquainted with Big Brother
I won't see the day
when you're getting married.
I took the poisonous wine for Junior Sister
just as a gift to your wedding.
Last words from Qingcheng.
I didn't expect her to be so poor.
She loved you so deeply
and humbly.
She didn't even dare to tell you before she died.
Sis. Xue.
Sis. Xue, you're awake?
You're awake, Qingcheng.
Am I dead?
Where am I?
Aren't I dead?
No, you're not.
You're in your own palace.
Sorry, Qingcheng.
I didn't know
you had so many difficulties.
But I drank the wine.
What's going on?
You drank the wine.
But not the poisonous wine.
I switched
the poisonous wine.
What?
People reunite and depart
just as the moon waxes and wanes.
I wonder
when we can enjoy the night leisurely
next time.
So you knew it was poisonous?
When I came
I found the pot
different from those we always use in the palace.
I suspected then.
When I looked at it closely
I realized
it was the dual pot.
It has two gems on the cover
one green
and the other red.
They control two kinds of wine in the pot.
One kind is poisonous
and the other is not.
When you press the red gem
you'll have the poisonous wine.
When you press the green one
you'll get the different wine.
To be honest
I haven't seen such a pot before.
But I saw its draft
in Master Xueyi's tool map.
When I saw the dual pot
I was suddenly enlightened.
So you suspected me long ago?
In fact
as early as the copper box was switched
I suspected you.
But...
just for a moment.
Because we grew up together
I didn't believe you were a spy.
When we visited Shanxi
Liu Dezhao knew all our actions
even before we took them.
At that time I knew
someone among us
must have given us away.
But even then
I didn't suspect you
until tonight
you invited me to enjoy the moon and wine.
When I saw the dual pot
I realized everything.
Since you knew
there was poisonous wine in the pot
why didn't you expose me?
Because...
I was waiting for a result.
What result?
I wanted to see
if you really wanted to
kill me as my sister
who grew up with me
and if you really cherished our friendship
or not.
When I saw you
keeping the poisonous wine to yourself
and giving me the safe wine.
I knew
the friendship between us
was real.
Junior Sister.
Will you forgive me?
Sis. Xue.
What are you talking about?
You sacrificed yourself to protect me.
Why will I blame you?
But...
you switched the poisonous wine...
I didn't drink it.
Where was it...
The poisonous wine?
I didn't drink any at all.
But I saw you drinking it.
If you don't believe it
look!
Look!
Sister, where is the wine?
Didn't you drink it?
Did I?
It's here.
But I saw you drink it.
Look!
It's the cup, isn't it?
Where is it?
You had it.
You must have hidden it.
It's on you.
How did you do that?
Yihuan is a so-called jack of all marital arts and hidden weapons
and master of none.
She's only better than us
in the flying sky and small tricks.
Sis. Xue.
When masters were planning
to send you to the palace
and when you were practicing singing and dancing
I was...
learning some unprepossessing tricks
from jugglers
in the Pearl Valley.
That's why I can do this.
But...
to find the copper box
in your room
I fed you some knockout drop.
Oh.
I didn't find the copper box
in your room.
Did you give it to Master Xueyi
and ask her to give it to Wu Sangui?
No, I didn't.
Wu Sangui is
cruel and vicious.
If he has the copper box
collects the three golden keys
and finds the treasure
that'll be bad
for us, civilians.
Thank you.
Qingcheng.
Big Brother.
Don't say that.
I feel ashamed to see you.
Junior Sister.
You shouldn't have saved me.
Like I said in my letter
you should have exposed me to Kangxi
so that I could die as penance.
Don't be daft.
In case of any problem
we'll solve it together.
We're always
families.
Sis. Xue.
Are you worrying
if Wu Sangui will hurt your little brother
when you didn't kill me?
Don't worry.
We'll find a way
to save your little brother.
Qingcheng.
Trust me.
Your problem is mine.
Your little brother
is my brother, too.
I'll think of a way
to get him out.
Thank you!
The urging bastard.
He never stops asking me for money.
Your Majesty.
What happened?
Wu Sangui, the old bastard.
He said since he killed Emperor Yongli
people from the Anti-Qing Alliance
have often dispatched troops for trouble in Yunnan and Guizhou.
He also has to watch out for the attack from Burma.
He keeps asking me for the huge military pay
with various excuses.
Huge military pay?
Read it and you'll understand.
In this one
he wants 500,000 taels.
This one for two million.
Your Majesty.
How much does Wu Sangui ask
for the military pay each year?
Every year, the national financial revenue
is merely nine million taels.
But the expense is up to ten million.
Among it, nine million is paid to Wu Sangui.
It means
it's all because of Wu Sangui
that the royal court spends more than its income.
But Wu Sangui asks so much money
in a flagrant way.
Why can't you refuse him?
I can't.
When he asks for money
I can't refuse him.
What's worse, I must give however much he wants.
Why?
You don't even fear Oboi.
Why are you afraid of the insignificant Wu Sangui?
You have no idea.
Among the seigniors
Wu Sangui rules Yunnan and Guizhou.
Shang Kexi rules Guangdong and Guangxi.
Geng Jingzhong rules Fu Jian.
If they work together to make trouble
I'll lose half of my country.
But Your Majesty
weren't you trying to cancel feudatories?
Yes, I was.
But I need a proper chance.
Before I have a completely safe plan
I can't cancel feudatories.
Instead, I must award them
and win their support.
But through the case in Shanxi
it's obvious that
Wu Sangui had the intention of rebellion.
If you still don't warn him
he'll get more outrageous.
In the case in Shanxi
Wu Sangui did have the intention of rebellion.
But he did it secretly.
I didn't have enough evidence.
Without a ready preparation
I can't pull the trigger.
But I won't give him
so much money.
I'll give him
only 500,000 taels first
with the excuse that
the national treasury is short of money because of the disaster relief.
Well, since you're so generous
why don't you
balance the old account with me?
Which one?
In Shanxi gambling house.
Taking advantage of
the civil strife in the Ming dynasty
you took over the whole country.
Civilians just enjoyed a short happy life
after the war.
What have you done?
Dignitaries of your royal court did the enclosure.
Officials throughout the country
set up all kinds of passes
to charge various taxes with excuses.
This is...
the real business
to plunder a burning house without paying anything.
Junior Long.
I want you to pay the interest
by agreeing to do
what you promised me.
To cancel the privileges of dignitaries
solve the long-standing abuse and handle corrupt officials
so as to make your people live a happy life.
Don't worry.
I always
keep that in mind.
Give me three years.
I'll complete the tasks within three years.
Fine. If you lie to me
I'll call you
a dog!
But you know what?
If I succeed
I'll be the Big brother
and you'll be the junior one.
It's a deal.
Deal.
Stamp.
Since
our alliance cooperated with your father
we could
finally stay together.
Yeah.
But unfortunately
I've got engaged.
I'll still marry the daughter of Headman Dao.
Then...
let's cherish the moment we are having.
BTW
I asked you to secretly check on a boy
named Xue Manlou.
Have you got anything?
Qianying.
Tell me the truth.
What's your relationship
with Xue Manlou?
Why did you ask me to check on him secretly?
Sorry.
I...
I can't tell you that.
But I can promise you
I have no evil intention.
I'm just trying to help a friend.
Okay.
Since you don't want to tell
I won't keep asking.
I trust you.
But...
But what?
The boy named Xue Manlou
died as early as
three years ago.
Impossible.
My little brother must be alive.
You...
You must be lying.
No.
Wu Yingqi must have lied to Fan Qianying.
Master told me that
my little brother was alive in Duke Pingxi's mansion.
He's even
a head taller than me.
Qingcheng.
Wu Yingqi can't have lied to Junior Fan.
But Wu Sangui and Master Xueyi
have been lying to you.
They're afraid you may stop working for them
after you know the truth.
Master often brought me news about my brother.
He was taller.
He learnt the Confucian classics.
He learnt to ride a horse and shoot.
But whenever I asked to see my brother
she refused me with different excuses.
So... my little brother
has been dead.
But why did my master
lie to me?
I always took her as my own mother.
I respected her
as my own family.
But she took me as a chessman.
Why did she do this to me?
Why?
Sis. Xue.
Qingcheng.
Though your brother is dead
you still have us.
We're in the palace.
Be careful if someone sees us.
You're right.
I've lost my little brother.
But I still have you.
I still have you.
Since my brother is dead
I don't have to
take orders from Duke Pingxi and Master.
Sis. Xue.
So you hide the copper box here?
No wonder I failed to find it in your palace.
I feared you may suspect me sooner or later.
I guarded against my master, too.
So I had to hide it
in your palace.
Have a look.
Is this the one you took back?
Exactly.
I carved on the pearl.
This is the real one.
It can't go wrong.
Master asked me to switch the copper box.
I had to fake two same ones.
One for you
and the other for her.
Qingcheng.
Thank you.
Working for Wu Sangui
was a torture for me.
But now!
I'll no longer obey them.
Nor should I be controlled any more.
Wu Sangui
must have killed my brother.
I'll revenge him.
This copper box
is real.
So Yihuan was right.
And Qingcheng wasn't lying.
Kangxi has the fake box.
Wu Sangui has the fake one, too.
They'll never know
we have
the real copper box.
Pretend to be polite to Priestess Xueyi
and never let her realize that
we have seen her through.
I see.
Qingcheng hates Wu Sangui
Nor does she trust Master Xueyi.
We plan to cooperate
and use Priestess Xueyi
to send the false information to Wu Sangui
and force him to rebel
as soon as possible.
You read the memorial to the throne
Wu Sangui reported, didn't you?
How do you feel?
What do you think of it?
Be louder if you want to say something.
I want to hear you, too.
Duke Pingxi
sounds humble in the memorial to the throne.
But he has made himself very clear.
He wants another one million taels
from the royal court.
Everybody.
Do you think I should agree
or refuse?
You get paid
and enjoy the wealth of our country.
But now doesn't anybody reply?
Your Majesty.
I don't think
you should agree to his request.
Go on.
With half of our taxes
wasted on three feudatories
our royal court is overwhelmed.
If you agree to Duke Pingxi's request
Geng Jingzhong and Shang Kexi
will learn from him.
Then we'll have to spend
everything we have on them.
Your Majesty, you can refuse him directly.
With our picked troops of Eight Banners
I don't think Duke Pingxi dares to make trouble.
General Ba Tulu, how heroic you sound!
I really admire you.
But...
don't forget.
Three seigniors have ruled many provinces for long
with great local power
and massive forces.
Duke Pingxi has
more generals and soldiers.
Remaining forces
of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong
are all brave and skillful in battle.
Rather than refuse him
and make him rebel
Your Majesty
I think
it doesn't matter
to pay more money.
Does Duke Pingxi want only the money?
He decides the approval and removement of local officials.
He also controls
all the local taxes
while handing in nothing to His Majesty.
His Majesty gives him nine million taels of silver every year
but he isn't satisfied at all.
Now he's even demanding an exorbitant price.
Official Liu.
You exaggerate their power
and say frightening things.
Has Duke Pingxi bribed you?
You!
That's a pack of lies!
Your Majesty.
I've been loyal to you
without any selfish motives.
You.
Enough!
Ba Tulu and Official Liu both made sense.
What about others?
Your Majesty.
Because of the pay to three seigniors
our national treasury is depleted.
Besides
I hear that
Duke Pingxi forcibly takes people's farmlands
and collects more taxes
in the name of dredging rivers and repairing the town.
He even casts private coins
famous as Money Xi.
Duke Pingnan, Shang Kexi
and Duke Jingnan, Geng Jingzhong
also extort illegal taxes
in their manors.
Now, Duke Pingxi wants more money.
He really is insatiable.
Three seigniors are too cumbersome to be effective.
It's hard to make either a negotiated
or a tough decision.
Songgotu.
Here.
What do you think?
Your Majesty.
I think
these officials
all made some sense.
I'm too superficial
to deal with it.
But I know
everything depends on you, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, we'll take your order.
Junior Long, have some tea.
Still worried about Wu Sangui's request?
Ministers are in two groups.
One group
wants to refuse Wu Sangui.
They think dismantling the feudatories is just a matter of time.
The other group
fears Wu Sangui's power.
Or maybe some of them
are the spies Wu Sangui has planted.
They're for the pacification policy.
Wu Sangui
is crafty and greedy.
Junior Long.
You know what?
His mansion
is even more luxurious
than your Forbidden City.
Didn't he get the money
from civilians in Yunnan
and you?
I think...
Junior Long.
You're the emperor.
Why will you fear such a local tyrant?
You will
cut his head sooner or later.
Wu Sangui is a mortal malady to the royal court and me
just like Oboi.
I'll kill him sooner or later.
But...
if all seigniors rebel in joint force
I'm not sure to defeat them
in terms of either the military forces or the financial resources.
Big Brother.
What do you think of my letter? Okay?
Yes.
It's okay.
Kangxi doesn't want to oppose Wu Sangui for now
so he isn't going to cancel feudatories.
But we must make Wu Sangui believe that
Kangxi hates him
and wants to kill him.
Over the past years
I've been working well with Oboi.
Now Kangxi has taken over the reins of government.
I sent a memorial to throne, asking for money
just to test him.
Since he approved of it
I don't think
he's unsatisfied with me.
But Qingcheng said
Kangxi hated me as if I were a thorn in his flesh
and would kill me sooner or later.
What do you think?
Your Majesty.
In my humble opinion
it's hard to tell
if Kangxi was telling the truth in the morning audience.
Instead, what he told his beloved girl
after the morning audience
may be true.
Father.
When I was in the capital
I saw that
Kangxi loved Li Yihuan
very much
as if she were a soul mate.
He wasn't as nice to Xue Qingcheng
as he was to Yihuan.
But he still cared for Xue Qingcheng greatly.
Since he complained about you
in front of two girls
he loved
it would be easy to figure out
his genuine intention.
What a merciless ruler Kangxi is!
In the past
if I hadn't allowed Dorgon to come into the pass
the Aisin Gioro family
might not have taken over
the great country.
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