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Guardians of the Ancient Oath
[This story is purely fictional.]
♔ Instagram @skysoultan ♔ Episode 13
Morahan and the Langs
pay respects to Pontifex.
My respects, Pontifex.
Father, he’s so rude.
Shut up.
Morahan and the Langs
pay respects to Pontifex.
My respects, Pontifex.
The Ancestral God says
God blesses all his followers
and all his followers can be enlightened.
A benevolent god
can safeguard people and their homes.
Thanks for God’s protection.
This year marks God's millennial birthday.
He’s selected the Chosen One.
Please train him well
to carry on the legacy of Lang.
Thanks for God’s protection.
Fires go out. Oceans break.
Birds crow. Disaster has come to this world.
The Chosen One
has taken the hint from God.
How have you been, General Wanqi?
Thanks for asking.
I’m fine.
Ming Yefeng
is a handful.
You must be careful.
Since God has chosen this place,
the annual Praying
will be held
under this Divine Tree.
We’ll follow God’s order.
Marquis!
Marquis! Where are you?
What’s...
Your Highness. Yi Jiumo and Ming Yefeng
must've
acted in collusion
in Baize.
I don’t think going there...
This Pontifex
has father’s ear.
I must do something,
or I’ll end up dead.
Your Highness. I can’t go with you
but please listen to my advice.
I’m listening.
Yi Jiumo is extremely powerful
and can see through people's minds.
Your Highness,
you must be sincere
to move him.
I also want
to show him my sincerity.
Your Highness is outside already.
Why don’t you come in?
Mr. He.
Marquis is going to court.
Is his carriage ready?
Yes, sir.
It’s at the gate.
Good.
Jinyang.
You worked all night
right after you came back from Li City.
I prepared some cakes
for you to eat.
Thanks, but I’m not hungry.
Check on Hongyi when you have time.
He had too much fun outside.
I’m afraid she might
feel bored at home.
I’ll go visit her later.
Let her sleep for a few more hours.
Mr. He sent men
to deliver some fabrics to me.
I’ll pick some before going to see her.
Sure.
It’s said you were selected by God.
I’m sure you own supreme power.
Why don’t you cut to the chase?
Can you tell me
who is
the Chosen One
you said?
You should know
a pontifex
cannot reveal God’s will
in private.
Otherwise,
he doesn’t deserve
to be a Lang.
Today, under the Divine Tree,
you already said
the Chosen One had been selected.
Even if you tell me now,
it won’t be a violation.
I heard you were imprisoned in Baize for years
by its former leader Bai Nuo.
Don’t you want
to catch up with the fun you missed?
Pontifex Yi.
I’m a man of my word.
I promise
if you announce
that I’m the Chosen Once,
once I ascend the throne,
I’ll crown you Heavenly King.
We can share power and wealth together.
What do you think?
Heavenly King?
Truth is,
as the sole Pontifex
chosen by God,
I can gain as much power and wealth
as you have if not more.
Yes. You deserve it.
I’m simply trying
to express
my sincerity to you.
I appreciate that.
You may go back.
You may not care about power
or wealth,
but what about the future of Lang?
You don’t care about that either?
You should know
I’m my father’s only son
in this world.
It’s only natural
for me to be the Chosen One.
And only by selecting me
will all tribes pledge allegiance to Lang.
If internal strife occurs,
can you take the responsibility, Pontifex?
The Chosen One is supported by all.
If you can gain support
from all tribes,
you’ll have nothing to worry about.
You mean
as long as I win their support,
I’ll be the Chosen One,
right?
God will make his own judgment.
You may leave.
Marquis Zhenbei,
I’ve read
your report.
Thanks to you,
Li City is out of danger.
Thank you, Your Highness.
I simply instructed my brother
to do his own job.
Hongxuan. After you left,
I had no one to play with.
Mother.
Is there anything else?
Everyone,
do you have other things to report?
I, Pang Hua, and my colleagues,
are charging General He Yao
with treason, corruption
and murder.
What? Say that again!
We’re charging
General He Yao
with treason, corruption
and murder.
Treason?
That’s
no joke.
I’m not joking.
I have proof.
Ever since He Yao
was appointed General Zhenbei,
we’ve been receiving reports
of impeachment.
This didn’t happen recently
but started three years go.
All my colleagues have read the reports
but since we had no
solid proof,
we didn’t report it to Your Highness.
Until this time, the water shortage in Li City
gave us the evidence
suggesting that it was all He Yao’s doing.
What do you mean it was his doing?
How was he connected to the water shortage?
We've obtained letters as evidence.
He Yao wrote all these letters
to Baize of Lang.
Over the past years,
he used Baize
to get rid of dissidents in Li City.
He extorted the locals for money
and hogged the water supply
to squeeze money from people.
There’s evidence for everything he did.
How did you get these?
Left Cavalry Commander,
Baili Hongshuo,
sent his deputy Mu Qi
to deliver the letters to us
for Your Majesty and Your Highness to review.
He Yao is my cousin
and General Zhenbei I appointed.
How could it be possible?
Greed can change people completely.
What to do, mother?
Treason is a major crime.
Ridiculous!
Sorry, Your Highness.
Hongxuan.
Yes, Your Highness.
Are you aware of this?
I am.
Why didn’t you report it?
Sorry, Your Highness.
I went to Li City
to restore the water supply.
I had had no idea
about General He’s doing
in the city.
After I arrived there,
I heard a thing or two from my brother.
He was overwhelmed,
so he discussed it with me.
But I knew little
about what happened,
so I couldn’t give him any advice.
Baili Hongxuan.
Is this
all your brother’s idea?
You have nothing to do with it?
I have complete faith
in him
and I support him.
Shut it!
Your Highness,
treason is unforgivable
and cannot be wrongly declared.
Please uphold justice, Your Highness.
Pass my order.
Summon He Yao back immediately.
Her Highness’ order:
Summon General He Yao back immediately.
My lady.
All fabrics
are from the biggest stores
in town.
They're the best.
Marquis will be happy
wearing clothes you sew
with these fabrics.
I should thank Mr. He
for arranging everything.
Every time this year,
Mr. He is the busiest
and the happiest in the mansion.
The winter clothes
need to be made with the finest fabrics.
Thank you.
The store owner has brought
the best of this season.
This way, please.
What you’re looking at
are the new arrival of this season
and the best from the south.
Cloud Brocade.
The texture is good
but the color is too bright.
Is there anything better?
You have a good taste, my lady.
The Cloud Brocade
came all the way
from Badong.
That place is most famous
for its weaving techniques.
This way, my lady.
There are black and blue ones.
Wanxi.
My lady.
I feel cold. Where's my cape?
What time is it?
Almost noon.
Let’s call it a day.
We can continue some other day.
Is Her Ladyship...
Is she OK?
I'm sorry.
Her Ladyship doesn’t feel well.
That's all for today.
Slowly, my lady.
You don’t need to follow me, Wanxi.
Pick the fabrics with Mr. He.
My lady.
Do you feel unwell?
I’m fine. Go ahead.
My lady.
I’ll ask the physician
to come to treat you.
No need.
Please wait a minute.
I’m going now.
Don’t go. No.
Yah!
Whoa!
May I ask
why you’re waiting for me?
Are you curious about
who the Chosen One is?
I am, of course.
But whoever it is
has nothing to do with me.
You're confident.
I don’t believe in others
but myself.
Fires go out. Oceans break.
Birds crow. Disaster has come to this world.
The lines...
Fire never quenches.
Water never dries.
Once upon a time,
catastrophe befell the earth.
However,
Gods couldn’t allow all beings to suffer,
so they shaped stones to repair the sky
and used turtle legs to support the four corners.
They also ended the flood and killed beasts
in exchange for
peace in the world.
Their contribution is remembered by all.
Ming Yefeng. You are
as capable as them.
The Chosen One shall bear great responsibility.
Who are you?
Pontifex Yi Jiumo,
selected by God.
Ming Yefeng,
all must follow God's will.
What you said
are tales
from ancient times.
Well, the Langs
don’t believe such stories.
Even if
I were born in such a time,
I wouldn’t be able
to quench the fire or repair the ocean.
My lifelong dream
is none of God’s concern.
You probably don’t understand that.
Whatever you want
can be obtained by power.
You know that, don’t you?
Or else why did you run around
to gain support from all tribes
and bribe them?
What do you want?
Don’t worry, General.
You and I
want the same thing.
Her Ladyship wasn’t in good shape.
She had to take medicine earlier.
I’m afraid she caught a cold just now.
She kept saying she was feeling cold.
Winter has come.
She needs more care.
This way, please.
Ling Jun.
My lady, the physician has arrived.
Let him examine you.
My lady. Let the physician in
to diagnose you.
Then
we will
all be at ease.
I asked you here
to remind you
that you're endowed with incredible power.
Don’t waste it.
Please relax
so that I can take your pulse.
Thank you.
You seem nervous.
Do you have trouble sleeping lately?
A little bit.
At the turn of seasons,
yin and yang energy are imbalanced
which affects your liver and spleen,
causing insomnia.
It's not too serious.
It’s common at this time.
Some medicine
can make you feel better.
She also gets tired easily.
I see, given that symptom,
I’ll write down
a set of exercising skills for her.
Physical exercise
is good
for health.
Thanks.
This way, please.
Sure.
The pawn has been placed.
The seal is loosening.
The clock is ticking.
That’s why we must act fast.
Or the world will be in chaos.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Hongxuan,
you know what?
Your deed today
is really giving me a headache.
What do you mean?
You could've told me
that you were going to bring down He Yao.
Why did you ask Pang Hua
to impeach him?
I was so nervous out there.
Your Majesty,
do you believe what they said?
I only hope Your Majesty
can be objective and fair.
Hongxuan. Look.
What is this?
Are you implying
I used others’ hands to do my business?
No.
The hand has two sides.
They’re both mine.
You're my nephew.
He Yao is my cousin.
Which side should I take?
You mistook it.
This is the officials’ decision,
not something I can change.
After Hongshuo
obtained the evidence,
he didn't say a word to you?
Hongshuo is serving Your Majesty wholeheartedly.
Hongshuo’s decision
is also mine.
But all the evidence
had to go through
strict scrutiny.
He Yao is greedy
and violated the state laws.
He shall be punished accordingly.
I know
mother betrothed an orphan to you,
deprived you
of Duke Pingyuan’s title
and sent Hongshuo to the border.
That’s unfair to you.
He Yao abusing his power
is no secret to me.
But you need to think for me.
I managed to ascend the throne
when I was little
with you and other loyal officials’ help.
If you people
can’t get along
and force me to be the peacemaker,
how miserable will my life be?
Your Majesty,
I’m simply doing my job.
Hongxuan.
You're loyal and diligent.
I know that.
Mother does have her plans
but she never means to harm you.
Since father passed away,
her life isn’t easy.
Don’t be too hard on her.
Besides, you still have me.
You’re kind to me.
I’ll never forget that.
Hongxuan, you’ve done
enough for me.
Now, all you’re asking me
is to be objective and fair.
How could I let you down?
Also, as the emperor,
it’s my duty
to be just.
Rest assured.
I’ll get to the bottom
of He Yao’s case.
If what the officials said
is true,
I won’t spare him.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Have some tea.
Did Pontifex
give you any hint, Your Highness?
He’s so stubborn. I’m furious.
About the Chosen One...
He said nothing to me.
God bless us.
Morahan.
Please convey our message to God
to pray for Lang
and bless us with abundant resources next year
so that we’ll become invincible.
Invincible!
Please ask God
to select the Chosen One for us.
I’m guilty.
My respects, Your Majesty and Your Highness.
He Yao,
you said you’re guilty.
What did you do?
Your Highness.
I was misled
by the crooked,
hurt the locals
and almost had
Left Calvary Commander implicated.
As General Zhenbei,
I’m guilty
of misconduct and misplacing my trust.
He Yao,
about your misconduct,
what did you do
and who misled you?
No disrespect in court.
Your Majesty, Your Highness.
This was my advisor Yuan Qing.
I didn’t know
he was evil
and let him work for me.
Luckily, Marquis Zhenbei and Commander Baili
intercepted proof of his guilt.
He knew his crime was unforgivable,
so he wrote this concession letter
before committing suicide.
He had his family
behead him
so that I could hand it in to Your Majesty.
He confessed
that he did everything?
I’m guilty of negligence.
Please punish me.
He committed tons of crimes
behind your back.
Your Highness,
although I knew nothing
about what he did,
as General Zhenbei,
I failed to discipline my staff,
and I should be punished for that.
Your Highness.
The collusion with Lang
lasted for years.
Extorting people for money,
raising tax
and hogging the water supply
are way beyond
an advisor’s power.
It’s impossible that General He
knew nothing about it.
Your Highness.
I trusted him too much.
I swear I knew nothing at all.
This advisor is unforgivable.
Death is too light a punishment.
Your Majesty.
Advisor Yuan Qing
dared not and couldn’t do this alone.
Pang Hua,
according to you,
Yuan Qing couldn’t
and dared not do this alone.
Then how many people in Li City
are involved in this?
Do you have a number?
Are you saying
all generals and commanders
colluded with Lang
and it's organized crime?
I didn’t mean that.
Your Majesty, Your Highness.
Permission to speak.
Letters between Li City
and Lang
have been submitted
before being confirmed by the Ministry of Penalty
that they were written
by General Zhenbei.
There was his seal, too.
Jiang Hong. You're the Minister of Penalty.
What’s your conclusion?
Marquis Zhenbei is right.
Had Yuan Qing
done everything alone,
what about those letters?
How did
General Zhenbei
write those letters
without knowing anything?
He Yao. How do you explain that?
That...
Your Highness.
I didn’t
write those letters.
Yuan Qing
copied my handwriting.
It was him. He forged those letters
and he stole
my seal, too, Your Highness.
Alright.
Examine the confession letter
and see if it’s Yuan Qing’s handwriting.
Jiang Hong, have a look yourself.
Minister Pang,
you're the head of the Supervision Agency
and you initiated the impeachment.
You should join them, too.
The Chosen One has emerged.
He’s intelligent and brave, one of a kind.
Morahan. Approach.
God has revealed
who the Chosen One is.
Lang will continue to develop and prosper.
God bless us.
Are the handwritings identical?
Your Highness.
They are the same.
Your Highness, that only shows
Yuan Qing copied
General He’s handwriting
to write the confession letter
but it doesn’t mean
he wrote
all those letters to Lang, too.
Baili Hongxuan.
What are you trying to say?
Treason is a serious crime.
We cannot wrong the innocent
or let go of the guilty.
All suspects
must be investigated thoroughly.
All are equal before the law, including my family.
General He isn’t just guilty
for negligence.
What?
Are you questioning my judgment?
I dare not.
This case is still not clear.
Yuan Qing is dead. We’ve lost the witness.
To prove General He’s innocence,
a thorough investigation is needed.
We can’t close this case now
or concluded it as negligence.
We have the evidence
and the truth.
General He Yao
will be punished accordingly.
Is that
not enough?
I hope Your Highness can be fair
instead of covering for your relative.
How dare you, Marquis Zhenbei!
For the sake of our state
and the safety of the border,
I had to say this with all due respect.
The evidence is solid
to prove treason.
Please don't be misled by lies
and disappoint the loyal.
Are you accusing me
of covering for a traitor?
Mother.
Hongxuan didn’t mean that.
He’s always blunt.
His words might be harsh
but he only said such things
for the sake of our country.
Alright.
Everything is clear now.
Mother. What should we do about it?
Your Majesty...
Hongxuan.
I said I’d be objective and fair.
Don’t you believe me?
I...
I’m the ruler of Yo.
Who else
is more concerned
about Yo’s safety than me?
Who else hates
traitors more than I do?
Sorry, Your Majesty. I lost my calm.
My lady. Are we going to fabric stores later?
There are
several big ones in town.
Not today.
Tell the owners to come some other time.
Wanxi. I don’t feel well.
You may leave.
Again, my lady?
Let me go get Mr. He.
No need.
I mean,
the physician has examined me.
I’m fine.
Don’t trouble Mr. He
or report it to Marquis.
He’s busy.
I don’t want him to worry.
Yes. If you need anything,
tell me anytime.
Mother.
Yuan Qing committed a heinous crime.
What should we do about him?
He committed treason.
Killing himself isn’t enough to redeem his sin.
Degrade all his clansmen to slaves and maids.
He Yao failed to discipline his staff.
Remove his noble title
and demote him
to Governor of Ye City.
He Yao. Objections?
Thank you, Your Highness.
Minister Pang.
Yes, Your Highness.
You and your colleagues
already knew the crimes in Li City
but didn’t report them in time.
You’re guilty of misconduct.
Punish me, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
Li City is remote.
They couldn’t oversee everything there.
They might be at fault,
but they obtained the evidence
and sorted things out.
That should be considered a merit.
Please have mercy on them
and offset their fault with their merit.