Music
Yihuan promised me
she would save me whatever happened.
If you go back on your word
and try to kill me
I will
no longer keep the secret for you.
Master.
Yihuan didn't go back on her word.
But that day
you exposed her and Big Brother
in front of Songgotu and so many imperial guards.
Though we managed
to patch it up
Kangxi had a reason to suspect us.
So he insisted on killing you,
and asked us to supervise on it
just to test us.
I don't care.
You should solve your own problem.
Master.
Didn't you say
you pledge to die for Duke Pingxi?
He still cherishes illusions on you.
But after staying in the Pearl Valley for so many years
I've known so much about your father and surviving supporters of the Ming.
They hate Duke Pingxi
as much as they hate the Qing dynasty.
So
they would never truly cooperate with Duke Pingxi.
If...
I can't survive
I'll at least weaken your power
and cause destruction to you and Kangxi.
I'll be
paying Duke Pingxi back then.
Master Xueyi.
I know you hate my family
so that you want to stop us from staging a comeback.
You only want to protect Wu Sangui
to pay him back.
But have you thought about it?
Now Kangxi is determined to cancel feudatories
and he's getting prepared secretly.
Without the support from the Anti-Qing Alliance
I'm afraid Wu Sangui can't survive.
Master Xueyi
hope you'll think carefully about it.
Don't dream to
beguile me into
sacrificing myself to protect you!
I won't be fooled.
Nor do you want to kill me.
If I die in prison
you'll be exposed, too.
Master.
We never thought of killing you.
Though you only used me
and even killed my brother
I still failed to hate you.
After all
we've been living with each other for years!
Master Xueyi.
You've been my master for ten years.
If I had been hardhearted enough to kill you
I would have killed you in the Palace of Eternity.
Why would I wait until Songgotu came
so that you had the chance
to expose Yihuan and me?
Well...
then you have to ask your other masters
for help.
If Kangxi doesn't spare me
you'll have to rescue me on the execution ground.
Otherwise
I must
tell Kangxi the truth
and get both of us doomed
in a life-and-death struggle.
Master.
Godfather.
Kangxi has suspected Yihuan and me.
Priestess Xueyi is going to be executed
at a quarter to one tomorrow.
Kangxi asked Yihuan, Qingcheng and me
to supervise on her execution.
Your Highness.
Don't worry.
Leave this
to your other masters
and me.
By then
we'll rescue her on the execution ground
disguised as Wu Sangui's subordinates.
However
Kangxi will definitely strengthen the security
in case of the rescue accident.
It'll be very dangerous
if you go to rescue her.
It will be far too risky
to rescue a woman from the execution ground.
But
we can wait halfway
and kill Priestess Xueyi.
That'll be easier.
Godfather.
You still want to kill Priestess Xueyi?
Priestess Xueyi
hates the Ming dynasty
for selfish motives
and even works for Wu Sangui, the traitor.
She deserves more than death.
Make way. Make way.
Stop looking! Stop!
Make way. No more looking.
No more looking.
I hear
the prisoner is a deadly foe of Duke Pingxi.
She disguised as a senior maid in the palace
and assassinated His Majesty to frame Duke Pingxi up.
Oh, that's capital offence.
Fortunately, His Majesty was lucky enough
to survive.
I hear His Majesty will be supervising today.
She's a senior maid in the palace...
She's kept in such a special iron cage.
Is it because they fear
we may assassinate her halfway?
We fail to take action now.
What should we do?
We'll have to do it on the execution ground.
Go.
Childe Yingqi.
Your Majesty.
After executing Priestess Xueyi
your father can lay aside all anxiety.
I'd like to thank you on behalf of my father.
Get up.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
What's wrong?
Do not do anything
during the execution.
Why?
I find that
many civilians down there
are disguised by the imperial guards
led by
Lord Suo, Songgotu.
See?
The bearded one who looks like a squire
is Lord Suo, Songgotu.
Doomed.
It seems His Majesty insisted on killing Priestess Xueyi
just to draw snake out of its hole.
How can I inform my masters?
Where are you going?
I'm going to
look on
near the execution ground.
Don't horse around!
What if there are assassins in the crowd?
Won't you be in danger?
Come back.
Stay with me.
Your Majesty, it's time.
Start the execution.
Yes.
It's time.
Time to execution.
Wait.
I have something to say.
Somebody.
Bring her up.
Yes.
Wait.
What are you doing again?
Your Majesty.
Assassin!
Protect His Majesty.
Assassin!
Grand Master.
Yihuan can handle that.
Don't get us exposed.
Stop. Stop.
What are you doing?
Don't you recognize me?
Put the sword away.
Lord... Lord Suo.
Why you?
Lay Attendant.
His Majesty asked us to lie in ambush
in case of assassins in the crowd.
After the mess you made
we become assassins!
Uh...
Sorry.
Come on. Take it back.
They're with us.
Put away the sword.
It's all right. It's all right.
Be cautious.
It's all right.
Lady Attendant.
Lord Suo.
Your beard isn't sticky.
When I made the mess
my father and masters should have taken action.
Why didn't they fall back instead?
Lady Attendant, look...
Sorry I took off your beard.
Lady Attendant.
What are you...
What are you looking at?
Nothing.
I'm checking if there's anyone suspicious.
Suspicious?
Yes.
Priestess Xueyi.
What do you want to say?
I want to
tell on spies around you.
Okay.
If you can atone for your crimes
I can spare you.
The two spies
are Lady Attendant Li Yihuan
who you love most
as well as
her brother Li Jianqing
namely Dr. Li.
They're from the Pearl Valley.
The Pearl Valley...
Bro. Zhu.
is one of the bases
What should we do?
with the Anti-Qing Alliance.
Do you have evidence do you have
when accusing them?
Sure, I do.
Lord Oboi said
he planted a spy in the Pearl Valley.
The spy
reported to him that
Dr. Li and his sister
are from the Pearl Valley.
How did you know Oboi said that?
I was on good terms with some other senior maids
in the empress's palace.
I heard them talking in private.
What?
What on earth is Master Xueyi doing?
So this is your so-called evidence.
Then who asked you to assassinate me?
No one.
I...
just hate it when Wu Sangui brought the Qing Army in.
So I tried to assassinate you
to frame him up
and bring up the civil strife between you.
Now I finally understand.
Since the Qing was founded thirty years ago
civilians have been living a peaceful life.
If wars break out again
countless innocent people will die, won't they?
So I regret.
I don't wanna die.
I will expose
the spies from the Pearl Valley
to keep me alive.
Somebody.
Cancel the execution
and take her back to prison.
You two, take her away.
Songgotu.
You told what Oboi said
to the empress, didn't you?
So the rumor that Dr. Li and his sister are spies
came this way.
A repeated slander makes others believe.
I almost trust it.
Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
I...
I just let slip a remark
when chatting with Her Grace.
I didn't expect
her senior maids
to get out the rumor.
Songgotu.
I know you're the empress's uncle.
It's understandable to defend her.
But I'm also a human
who has feelings.
I need a girl like Yihuan
who is sensible and interesting.
Yihuan is from the Han nationality and was engaged at a young age.
She will leave the palace to get married.
She will not threaten the empress.
Got it?
Your Majesty.
You really get me wrong.
I didn't do this
to defend the empress.
Instead, I did everything
just because
I'm worried about the safety of
Your Majesty and our country.
But now...
I know I'm wrong.
I was worrying too much.
I won't do that ever again.
Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
Fine. Get up.
Yes.
Songgotu.
You heard what Priestess Xueyi said
on the execution ground, too.
Do you believe her?
Uh...
Tell the truth.
Don't let me down.
Yes.
Your Majesty.
I think Priestess Xueyi
was just repeating a rumor
without evidence.
She can't be completely trusted.
But if you want me to
stop suspecting Dr. Li and his sister
I still feel
uncertain.
Finally, you told the truth.
In fact
I'm thinking
the same way as you did.
If Priestess Xueyi really changed her mind
before died
she should have told all the truth.
But...
she was obviously
absolving Wu Sangui
and framing up Dr. Li and Yihuan.
It means
she was also driving a wedge
just as Oboi did.
I don't know why
but I still
feel somehow uncertain.
Your Majesty.
Will we
kill Priestess Xueyi
or not?
Keep her.
She might help later.
Yes.
Now you can tell me
what happened, huh?
Master Xueyi changed her mind
because of Wu Yingqi.
Wu Yingqi?
Junior Fan told Wu Yingqi that
master wanted to betray us
before she was executed.
On the night before the execution
Wu Yingqi asked Shi Qinghong
to meet her in prison.
General, you...
Shush.
Time is limited.
I must make a long story short.
Okay.
I come on the command of Chile Yingqi.
He asked me to tell you
not to expose the real identity
of Li Yihuan and Zhu Cixuan.
General Shi.
Please tell Childe Yingqi and Duke Pingxi.
I'm not afraid of death
or want to live by betraying them.
That's because
I don't believe the Anti-Qing Alliance
truly want to cooperate.
So I want to get them killed for Duke Pingxi
before I die.
Childe Yingqi knew
your loyalty to his father.
But he told me that
we must maintain
the cooperation with the Anti-Qing Alliance
instead of fighting each other.
This is the first reason.
Second
and most importantly
Zhu Cixuan is the last crown prince
of the Ming dynasty.
When Duke Pingxi killed Emperor Yongli
everyone in the world hated him and cursed him.
If you kill Zhu Cixuan again
won't you make Duke Pingxi public enemy?
If one day
we really start a rebellion
who will respond to us
by then?
But... but...
So...
When you're taken to the execution ground tomorrow
you mustn't expose
their true identities.
Instead, you should make up for them
and absolve them as far as possible.
This is not only the order from Childe Yingqi
but also the one from Duke Pingxi.
He said
we couldn't leave the great country
to the Zhu family
or the Aisin Gioro family.
The Wu family should have it.
Okay.
Since it's the order from Duke Pingxi
I will
risk any danger to do my duty.
Master Xueyi really is
loyal to Wu Sangui.
She listened to Shi Qinghong.
She sounded like betraying us.
In fact, she made Kangxi more firmly believe that
she was driving a wedge
to revenge herself.
That explains.
Among the lookers-on
I saw Sis. Fan rushed in
and whispered to my father and masters
before they left.
You should have told me.
I was freaking out.
I was almost trying to slip away.
Wu Yingqi told me when Kangxi wasn't noticing
after he arrived.
I didn't have time to tell you.
Uh...
How did Shi Qinghong get into prison?
Wu Sangui isn't an easy guy.
Just like Oboi
Wu Sangui
has operated a large information network in the royal court.
He has spies in the royal court
and even in the imperial harem.
A jailer in the prison
was bought over by him long ago.
I didn't expect Wu Yingqi
to truly help us.
He's not helping us.
He's helping his father.
He knew cancelling feudatories was just a matter of time.
So he helped us to draw us over to his side.
All right.
Finally we see some hope
in recovering the Ming.
Your Majesty.
May I ask
why you still feel uncertain?
Maybe that's exactly
why they're suspicious.
Maybe...
it's a new breakthrough to find the truth.
First.
They have an obscure origin.
I asked several times
but they refused to tell me.
I wonder
where you and your brother come from
and what your origin is.
And why did your masters
teach you
so much knowledge and skill?
Junior Long.
You have no idea.
People like us
have our own rules.
Especially my masters
who don't want to be ministers.
They have their rules.
I can't tell you.
I must be loyal to them.
But meanwhile
I don't want to lie to you.
If you trust my brother and me
we'll stay here
and work for you.
But if you don't believe us
we'll...
we'll leave the Forbidden City.
Though I keep telling her
I trust them
I still
feel curious about that.
Later on our trip to Shanxi
they were upright
and was devoted to defending me.
That reassured me.
But...
when Priestess Xueyi mentioned again that
they two
were spies with the Anti-Qing Alliance.
She reminded me
of something suspicious.
What is it?
I always feel
they don't behave like brother and sister.
Don't behave like brother and sister?
Your Majesty, you mean?
Whenever I was intimate
with Yihuan
Dr. Li
stared at me weirdly.
Weirdly?
What do you mean weirdly?
It's weird
but hard to tell.
He wasn't behaving like a brother.
More like...
more like Yihuan was his lover
and he was jealous.
He was exasperated
and kind of tried to fight me.
He even pulled his sword out.
Later Yihuan explained that
her fiance was
Dr. Li's best friend.
And Dr. Li was worried she would disobey family moral customs
because he valued them very much.
But I still feel weird.
Will Dr. Li
be the fiance
of Lady Attendant?
Well...
after what happened in Pleasure Restaurant
I started to
suspect him.
But I didn't dare to think deeper.
If...
if they're lovers
instead of brother and sister
but stay with me with a fake relationship.
Oboi wasn't driving a wedge.
They really have evil intents.
Your Majesty.
Shall I
go check their background?
I'll leave this to you.
Do not drop any hint.
Got it?
Yes.
I'll
check their accent first.
It doesn't help.
They know oral stunts.
They can say all accents.
You can check
upon little information
Yihuan revealed.
For example, when she was ten
there was a draught in her hometown.
Many villagers died of starvation.
To help the poor people
her brother even robbed the government.
Find out
which governments were robbed
or prefects were assassinated
over these years
and see which of them
suffered from a draught when Yihuan was ten.
It's wise of you, Your Majesty.
Whatever you may get
do not make a rash act.
Nor can you alert them.
Wait
and I'll judge.
I see.
Your Majesty.
If great robbery
occurred in different places
for many reasons,
local governments may not report it.
So we don't have complete information.
Please be patient
and give me more time.
Jianqing.
Tell me the truth.
Are you the real brother
of Yihuan?
Sure, I am.
Why are you asking, Uncle?
Why are you still lying to me at this moment?
In fact, when you were together
I kind of felt weird
about your relationship.
I didn't think more about it.
But after hearing that His Majesty and Songgotu
also suspected if you were real brother and sister
I started to suspect you.
Kangxi and Songgotu
suspected I wasn't Yihuan's real brother?
Exactly.
Jianqing.
Can't you tell me the truth
at this moment?
Exactly.
Yihuan and I
are not real brother and sister.
I'm an adopted child.
Yihuan is the biological daughter of my godfather.
We were engaged since little.
We're
an unmarried couple.
You!
Wish you good luck, Your Majesty.
Get up. Don't stand on ceremony.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Leave us.
Yes.
Your Majesty, I'd like to ask for punishment.
I shouldn't have
told what my uncle told me
to my maids
without restrain.
I failed to control them
so that they circulated erroneous reports
to hurt the girl you love.
I want to
ask for punishment.
Forget it.
I know you cared for me.
So you might lose control.
But just this once.
You, as the empress
should be the model for all consorts.
I don't want you to be the source of rumors.
I know I'm wrong.
I won't do that ever again.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
I know you will learn a lesson.
Fine.
Forget it.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Doomed. Doomed!
You'll really
get me killed.
Are you my families?
You're exactly killers!
Uncle, don't worry.
Kangxi is just
suspecting Yihuan and me
without any evidence.
We've got the copper box
and completed our mission to find the spy.
We're still here
just to get more information.
Once something goes wrong
we will leave right
and won't get you involved.
It's not that easy as you imagine.
You can't control
how it goes.
Just like me.
I tried to stay away from you.
But now
I've been involved without being aware.
Uncle, don't worry.
To assure you
meanwhile
to save his own face
Godfather hasn't told anyone else
about your existence.
Only Yihuan, Qingcheng
and I
know the secret.
You!
Why did you recognize me?
You shouldn't have recognized me!
Your Majesty, you seem
to be fatigued.
I haven't slept well for days.
Sometimes I felt sleepy
but I couldn't fall asleep.
You're too tired
to stay energetic.
Do you want a doctor to check on you?
No need.
I have something on my mind
so that I feel restless with anxiety.
A doctor will not help.
Your Majesty, are you worrying
about Lady Attendant?
Not to mention you
or your uncle
even I feel
somehow uneasy.
Empress.
Since I took over the reins
I've been too busy with state affairs
to keep you company.
Among all consorts
I may not love you most.
But I...
always trust you most.
Do you understand?
Yes, I see.
I'm grateful for your trust.
I just hate myself
for being unable to help you.
I sent Songgotu
to check on the relationship of Dr. Li and Yihuan.
Before I confirm
if they're
real brother and sister
I won't feel calm.
But this will
take a long time.
So I've been anxious.
So you're worried about this!
I have a plan
to test if Dr. Li and Li Yihuan
are real brother and sister
and get an immediate result.
Enlighten me.
Your Majesty
do you want to
be a matchmaker for Dr. Li?
Good idea!
Empress.
You really are smart.
Your Majesty.
Let me get you changed.
I can't even pull it.
Pick that one.
That one.
Your Majesty.
You're in a good mood, huh?
You asked the empress to take all consorts
and princesses for fun.
May I have fun with them?
No.
You must stay with me.
Why?
I'm a mere Lady Attendant.
We're not working in the Imperial Study now.
Why can't I go and have fun?
We'll see some fun.
Clam down a bit.
Through the curtains
we can see
the outside.
But they can't see us.
Here's the fun!
For real?
Bro. Zhu?
Who is he?
How handsome he is!
I haven't seen him before.
He's not from the royal family.
But...
as he's in the imperial garden,
he must be someone His Majesty appreciates.
Come. Come here.
He carries a medical kit.
He must be an imperial doctor.
Aren't imperial doctors
all old guys?
When was there a young one?
Hurry. It's over there.
Doctor. Doctor.
She doesn't feel well.
Come and check on her.
What are you talking about?
Bro. Zhu?
Your Majesty.
Why did you bring my brother here?
To offer him a blind date.
Blind date?
Yeah.
Blind date.
Your brother is a great guy.
And I appreciate him.
But he doesn't
even have someone to sleep with.
So...
I invite all princesses
to this place
as a matchmaker for him.
Your Majesty.
Aren't you a wrong matchmake?
What?
Was your brother also engaged at a young age
as you did?
But he never told me about it.
No.
We're from a poor family.
How could we afford a fiance for him?
Fine, then.
Your brother is a rare talent in both literature and martial arts
with a promising future.
He's also handsome.
Look!
The princesses
are looking at them stealthily.
They seem to be infected.
And isn't he also
enjoying it
with so many beautiful girls around?
Your Majesty.
You're the emperor.
Why do you enjoy being a matchmaker
instead of taking care of state affairs?
I can't always be devoted to state affairs.
I should also find something fun
to enjoy.
Besides
I should care for
my talented minister.
When I get you a sister-in-law
and make your brother prince consort
we'll be relatives.
Won't we
be much closer?
Look!
Your brother has a good state.
Princess Qing
is the most beautiful girl of Plain White Banner.
What's wrong with Bro. Zhu?
He didn't use to have the lust for women.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Get up.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Minister Li.
Have you seen the beauties I asked you to see?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Do you think they're beautiful?
All princesses
are gorgeous.
So...
have you picked the one I asked you to?
I was in such a hurry
that I failed to pick her out.
Okay.
Get back and think about it carefully.
Answer me tomorrow.
Don't worry, Your Majesty.
I won't let you down.
You may leave.
See you, Your Majesty.
What?
You're not happy when I find you a sister-in-law?
Sure not.
I'm just thinking
what good luck my brother has
to find a princess as my sister-in-law.
Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty.
Yihuan.
What are you laughing at?
What was that fun?
Junior Long asked you to have a blind date
and you went there!
Are you highly delighted
after seeing so many princesses?
What are you kidding?
When did I go to a blind date?
What have you got?
Among so many consorts
which one do you like?
Kangxi told you that?
Today, Kangxi asked me to the imperial garden
because a prince consort
didn't know she had an infectious disease.
Now she's ill in bed.
She fears the princesses who contacted her
might also be infected.
So he wanted me to observe them
and isolate whoever has been infected.
I observed them for a long time
but found nothing.
But...
why did Kangxi lie to me that
you were in a blind date?
Doomed.
Uncle reminded me that
Kangxi still suspected us.
He even suspected our relationship.
But I didn't expect him
to test us
in such a way.
Have you given yourself away?
I don't think so.
Luckily, I looked at Uncle
before I reacted.
He winked at me.
I was thinking
if Kangxi was testing me.
So I pretended to be indifferent.
I don't think
he found anything wrong.
It's my fault.
He possibly found something wrong
because I failed to control myself
when I saw you
getting intimate with him.
We must be more careful in the future.
We've found the cooper box
and rooted out the spies.
I want so much to take you away.
But Godfather still asked us
to stay with Kangxi
gather military intelligence
and help Wu Sangui to rebel.
But make a deal then.
This time
you ask me to pretend to be close to Kangxi.
Don't ever blame me for that again.
You said
you gave up on Kangxi.
Can I not believe you?
Look!
How beautiful
the twin lotuses are!
Yeah, Your Majesty.
Twin lotuses
stand for harmony.
This is a propitious sign.
Dr. Li.
Girls of our nation
are all outgoing and optimistic
instead of being reserved.
Yesterday
after seeing you in the imperial garden
Princess Qi, Princess Qing
and Princess Lan
all thought you were handsome
and came to confess to me.
Dr. Li.
Which one do you like?
Whoever you like
I'll marry her to you.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
But...
I'm an ordinary man
from a humble family.
I'm not good enough
for a royal princess.
How insincere you sound, huh?
Or do you think
the princesses are not good enough
for you?
You get me wrong, Your Majesty.
I don't mean setting my sight too high.
But I was engaged
since I was little.
Did you?
Yihuan.
Yesterday you told me
your family was too poor
to get your brother engaged.
But your brother said he was engaged.
What on earth is going on?
Your Majesty.
We both told the truth.
Yihuan didn't tell you completely
to save my face.
So are you still engaged then?
I was engaged at a young age.
My fiance and I
grew up together.
and were attached to each other.
But...
I left my hometown for education
because I was too addicted to medical skills.
Consequently
something changed.
What was it?
Sorry, I was too shy
to tell you the truth.
Did your fiance break your engagement?
Exactly.
Though she didn't
tell me frankly
but I knew
she fell in love with someone else.
That's why I came to the capital
in a fit of sorrow.
Dr. Li.
You're a great man.
Why did she change?
How blind she was!
Was the other man
even better than you?
He really was better.
That's why
I was so desperate.
Since so
why are you still missing her?
New things come to the fore
while old things die.
I'll get you another marriage.
One who has seen the ocean
thinks nothing of mere rivers.
Though my fiance loved someone else
she hasn't
broken the engagement yet.
And the other man
has married many concubines.
So...
I'm still waiting
when she changes her mind.
I didn't expect you
to be such an infatuated man.
Your Majesty.
Yihuan thought
I forgot my fiancee.
So she said I didn't have one.
But she has no idea.
I've carved my fiancee
deep in my heart.
I'll marry no one else in my life.
Yihuan.
Why didn't you tell me?
I was worried for your brother's marriage.
I was thinking the same way as you.
I thought
since the girl loved someone else
my brother should find another girl.
Unexpectedly
he's so stubborn.
Among all diseases
the lovesickness is the hardest to cure.
Dr. Li.
Though you have supreme medical skills
you still can't do anything
to cure your own lovesickness.
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