[English subtitles are available.]
The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty
Episode 42
Congratulations, General Gao.
Mr. Tang.
I don't think your visit
is just for congratulating me.
I want to ask you to dine with me.
Dine with you?
Unfortunately,
I just ate.
So I will take a raincheck for that.
Come have another meal with me.
General Gao,
this meal may be
very important for you.
Try some.
Ms. Dong's noodles are definitely a must-try in the capital.
You came to find me
not just for noodles.
Let's enjoy the delicacy first.
Just get down to the business.
It's hard to imagine
what your life must be like
in the past thirty years.
What do you mean?
All prisoners of war
will leave indelible marks both in their bodies and souls,
not to mention being captured for thirty years.
They should feel lucky if they don't go lunatic.
But you are still in shape and even high spirit.
Thirty years?
If I was imprisoned for even a few days,
I will definitely eat three bowls of these noodles
best in town when I am finally free.
I am not a gourmet.
Then General Gao,
where were you imprisoned exactly
in these thirty years?
What were you thinking about every day?
What did you eat?
What did you do?
Who could you see?
Where did you sleep
and how was the bedding like?
I am very interested in all the details
so maybe you can share with me.
General Gao, you never said anything
about your experiences in Oirat.
This is a bit illogical, don't you think?
Or
you didn't want to lie,
so you had to keep quiet?
I'd like you to clear up my confusion.
Thirty years ago,
Emperor Yingzong and I went for battles against the Oirats
but the troops were trapped in the Tumu Fortress.
I was captured together with him and
I was tortured there
while watching my fellow soldiers tortured to death one by one.
I gradually lost my hope of survival.
The act of killing Esen Taishi's horse was
just my attempt of letting him kill me.
But instead of killing me,
he just tortured me for the next five years.
Five years later, one day,
he came to me with a child.
Esen said
the child's mother was just killed by the Han people.
And he didn't want to raise a child with hatred in his mind.
As long as I could educate that child treating him like he was of my own nation,
and taught him the culture of the Han,
he could spare my life.
When I started, I was still overwhelmed with resentment.
I thought this kid and I
were rivals.
But I didn't expect
after I got to know the boy,
I suddenly found out
there was not a trace of hatred
or any evil thought
in his heart.
At that time I suddenly realized,
the Oirats that I had been hating
also knew what love
and kindness was in their heart,
just like the Han people.
Who was that child?
Mr. Gao, my teacher.
Why are you here in the capital?
I came for the future of Oirat.
After we achieve our goal,
please return to the prairie with me.
Do you know
why I returned to Ming?
I know.
Are you going to violate the Khan's will?
In my mind,
you were not returning to Ming.
You "came" to visit Ming.
And he is not
the most admired Khan in the Oirat people's heart.
I have your family under protection
and will send them to Oirat as soon as possible.
In this case
you will have no worries at all.
Do you have to be so merciless,
even to me?
In my mind,
you are like my father.
You were the one who taught me
for the interests of the prairie,
and the Oirats on horseback,
one should not hesitate to sacrifice himself.
Just say it.
What do you want me to do?
Representatives from various places
have come to the capital.
We're ready to cooperate for a major mission.
If we succeed,
it will change the whole game of this country and even beyond.
I want you to make contact with them
as the representative of Oirat.
This is not
going well for me, right?
Ms. Dong.
Coming.
You want one more bowl of noodles?
Ms. Dong.
I don't want to eat your noodles anymore.
Please go to the restaurant next door
to get two stir-fried dishes for us.
Keep the change
as your errand fee.
Why are you still standing there?
This is not enough for you or what?
Off you go.
General Gao,
in the story you told,
was the boy who survived miraculously
Aras?
How did you think of him?
Aras
was the son of a friend of mine in Oirat.
He was also my god son.
So I went to the Iron Market to honor him.
The boy in the story
was that man who just came and called me his teacher.
Who is he?
He was
the second son of Esen Taishi,
the former Khan of the Oirat.
His name is
Amasanj.
Mr. Sui!
Mr. Sui.
This is not good!
That stingy Tang Fan
gave me such a big silver ingot
saying this is my errand fee.
And he was very kind to me!
Something must go wrong!
Your Majesty, you must promise me don't get angry.
I have to break the bad news to you
since this is an emergency.
Just say it.
My people have found out
General Gao Yi's life these years in Oirat.
And what did you find?
Gao Yi was indeed a prisoner of war
and imprisoned and tortured by Esen at first.
But later for some reason no one knew for sure,
he pledged loyalty to Esen
and became a general in Oirat.
He made great contributions
in Oirat's battles against Tartars at the east
and Uihurs in the west.
His invincible performance even won him
a laudatory nickname as Black General.
Black General.
Do you need such a thick iron chain
to lock me, a weak scholar?
Do you know why you are still alive by now?
Because you won't kill me.
Although you were Amasanj's teacher,
it's clear during your conversation that
you actually don't agree with his ideas.
So you will not obey his orders.
If you want me to guess,
General Gao, you didn't really want to betray Ming.
For the past thirty years,
although Ming and Oirat had many battles,
they were
just harmless and minor conflicts.
No large-scale wars broke out.
You should take credit
for the peace.
You are a smart man.
You suddenly returned to Ming this time
because of Amasanj.
There are some problems within Oirat.
After
Esen died,
his eldest son Borona Halle
and second son Amasanj
got into a feud between brothers.
Borona Halle had the support of the old ministers
and gradually prevailed.
In order to turn the table around, Amasanj
decided to break the balance between Oirat and Ming.
And he started to act
a few years ago.
So Aras
worked for Amsanji.
There were a group of children
who grew up with Amasanj.
Aras was one of them.
These children
received my education since childhood.
They could speak fluent Chinese
and know everything about the Central Plains.
No wonder Aras could penetrate into the palace.
When I taught them,
my intention was they would become
a bond of mutual trust and liaison
between Ming and Oirat when they grew up.
I didn't expect
Amasanj would send them
to Ming working as secret agents.
So
Borona Halle
sent you back to Ming.
Yes. He did it for two purposes.
The first
is as a friendly gesture to Ming.
The second is to
find out his brother's plan.
No.
This matter is not that simple.
You are Amasanj's teacher.
If you stayed in Oirat,
you would always be a threat
for Borona Halle.
I don't want to let Oirat get into a war with Ming.
I don't want to get involved
in the power struggle between the brothers, either.
Even if you don't want to,
with your authority and appeal,
Borona Halle didn't want to take his chances.
So he sent you back to Ming
hoping the Ming royal court would kill you for him.
However, Amasanj
had guessed
Borona Halle's plan, too.
So he asked you to kill me
to show your loyalty to him.
However you didn't kill me.
You won't be able to hide this fact from Amasanj for too long.
By the time
both Ming and Oirat will treat you as a traitor.
The world might be big,
General Gao,
but you will have no place to hide.
The moment I decided not to kill you,
I had anticipated my death.
So
I want to invite you to stay in my humble place for a few days.
First,
you can pretend to be dead
and stay out of their sight.
Second,
I don't want you to get in my way.
What?
The key.
As long as you go back with me,
I guarantee with my life that
I will definitely clear your name.
Then, with the help of the Ming's royal court,
let's stop Amasanj's scheme together.
That's not gonna happen.
Why?
Believe me, General Gao.
His Majesty will soon
know what I have done in Oirat.
He will never tolerate me for once pledging loyalty to them.
Everyone knows
a loyal minister will never have two masters.
No one will understand my intentions.
I can understand you!
I believe that His Majesty will understand you too.
Just because he is a monarch,
he won't support me even if he understands me.
It's about setting a standard for others. It's either black or white.
You should know this hidden rule.
It's getting late.
Mr. Tang, have a rest.
General Gao.
Wait!
It doesn't matter if you want to go.
But can you do me a favor?
What is it?
Can you uncuff me for a while
to let me go to the toilet?
Ms. Dong's Restaurant's noodles were not freshly made.
I have endured for a long time.
This Ms. Dong is so abominable!
May I?
You are a general,
you know that a gentleman can be killed but can't be humiliated.
After all, I am an intellectual.
If you force me into doing something
I feel humiliated,
what should I do then?
It will stay between us.
What are you afraid of?
No!
This will become my nightmare for the rest of my life!
What should I do
if it haunts me forever?
I will go crazy before I crap my pants.
No,
I will kill myself before that.
You!
War allows deceit.
Now you have two options.
One is to go back with me and surrender yourself.
The other is to take me to that meeting so that I can investigate.
What if I choose not to go anywhere?
It's up to you.
I am not in a hurry.
Anyway, you are not going to ditch me now.
Look over there!
You go over there.
Think about it.
Take your time.
What are you looking for?
I will find it for you.
I should strangle you to death now.
Do it.
If you don't,
I will follow you anywhere you go.
No one is in the room.
Sir, nobody in the back hall.
We are too late.
Gao Yi transferred his family.
He has gotten ready for it.
Where are you going?
Mobilize the Warden's Office of the Five Wards
to put the whole capital on heightened alert
and find the whereabouts of Tang Fan and Gao Yi.
Tang Fan?
Tang Fan came here to find Gao Yi
and we never heard news from him since.
If he got Tang Fan,
you can't put vigilance all over the city.
Otherwise, you might spook him
and only make Tang Fan's situation more dangerous.
What should we do then?
Just wait here doing nothing?
Yes.
We wait.
Put this on.
Where are we going?
When we arrive, you will know.
[Huanyi Brothel]
See you!
See you next time!
So this is your destination.
You are a frequent customer?
You can say that.
I knew it.
Such a playboy.
No, let me explain!
I came here for business!
For business!
Mr. Tang…
Would you like to sit down with me?
No.
Please pretend I hadn't been here today.
Understood.
I won't believe anything you say in the future.
Come on!
Why did you guys choose to meet at Huanyi Brothel?
It might look bustling,
but the crowd is exactly what makes it the safest place.
But this is Wang Zhi of the Western Depot's territory.
Let me get behind you!
What now?
Don't let her see me!
Let's go!
Hurry up!
Sui Zhou,
could you please not walk around?
You make me feel dizzy.
We can't just keep waiting!
If it weren't for Tang Fan,
do you think I will wait here wasting my time?
As long as they make any action,
with the many informants of our Western Depot in the capital,
I will know.
But what if there is no action at all?
Then at least it means that Tang Fan is still alive.
How can you be sure of that?
Commander.
[Huanyi Brothel]
Why are you here too?
Give me my people back!
Let's put personal grudges aside for the time being and
talk about the real business.
Sit down.
Don't become laughingstock for others.
So everyone has come.
It's not easy
to get all of the tribes together.
These years
you have been treated unfairly.
I don't even have to talk about
how difficult it is for you to establish a mutual market with Ming.
Let's talk about everyone present here
has to pay tribute to them every year.
Without tribute,
you can't even enter the capital.
What are that tributes?
Your people lead a life pinching and scraping
to save those things to dedicate to the Ming emperors.
But how did they treat you in return?
They used to give you some silver, gold or silk.
But now they just give you
piles of
Ming Banknotes.
What are they?
Just waste papers!
The whole world has been abused by Ming for a long time.
You have been abused by Ming for a long time!
I called everyone together
just to give you a chance to seek revenge.
As long as we work together,
we can overthrow the rule of Ming.
Even if you say so,
I heard
Ming developed two extraordinary weapons.
One is called machine crossbow
and the other is the Bolang bomb.
The machine crossbow
can stop thousands of troops from entering the city.
And the Bolang can kill thousands of soldiers on the battlefield.
So…
You don't have to panic.
Since I have called everyone here,
of course I have countermeasures
for what he said.
Soon enough,
an incident that will shake the Ming's foundation
will happen right here.
What is this for?
Be careful.
The royal court's officers!
The Western Depot and the Imperial Guards!
Who leaked the news?
Since so,
let's get out and fight!
Let's rise in rebellion today!
Calm down.
We're in the Huanyi Brothel.
In Ming,
it's not a crime to visit a brothel, right?
Everyone just go home and wait for my good news.
When the time comes,
I will send someone
to contact you separately.
What happened inside?
What is this for?
We just received a secret tip that
someone was conspiring against the state
right in Huanyi Brothel.
Commander Wang.
Why are the conspirators
in your Huanyi Brothel?
And there are also agents from the Western Depot who are on alert here?
Sui Zhou.
As an Imperial Guard,
how can you take orders from the Western Depot?
Put down your weapons!
Do you guys want to rebel?
The rebels are inside the building!
Commander, please give order to search inside!
Since when you get to tell me what to do?
Who is the commander here?
I am!
I order you now…
What?
Got it!
Search the place!
You got what?
Come back here!
I haven't say anything yet!
Step aside!
Get out of the way!
Don't move!
Stand up.
Stay still.
The Western Depot came in.
Hurry up! Let's go!
What happened?
What are you doing?
Stand up.
Stop.
Wait!
Listen to me first.
If you have anything, say it in front of His Majesty?
Let's go.
Don't move!
Squat down.
I am talking about you!
Where is Tang Fan?
Gao Yi is now a felon wanted by the royal court.
But just now
Tang Fan helped him escape.
That's impossible!
I saw it with my own eyes.
You and I both know Fan very well.
There must be some misunderstanding.
He must have a plan.
When did Tang Fan hide any secret from you and me?
Even if he will hide it from me,
will he hide it from you?
That person just now…
I know him.
Li Zilong?
Yes.
He got involved with
all the major cases I investigated.
This man is a great threat to Ming.
He even tried to repeat
the big explosion happened the eleventh year of the Chenghua reign.
He must be planning a bigger conspiracy right now.
And we must know what it is!
This person is secretive in his movement and trace.
Where should we start?
You can try to get in touch with him, right?
Flower embroidered umbrella!
Take a look at the umbrellas!
I heard so much about you, General Gao.
You have forsaken a dark regime for the more promising one.
I have been admiring
your great contributions to the Oirat.
I am an uneducated boor. I am not used to the social chats.
I came here today
to confirm some details of our cooperation
As the plenipotentiary of Amasanj.
Very good!
Wanting to confirm the details
shows your sincerity to cooperate.
Just ask away.
Your said you will shake the foundation of Ming.
I don't know how you're going to do that.
I will arrange this.
You just wait to watch the good show
and launch your attack against Ming on time.
The Oirat cavalry never fears war.
There is no turning back for us once they charge.
So this time
I need to know
what you're capable of doing.
That's easy to confirm.
If I can't make a big scene of turmoil by then,
you just don't make any move.
And you will make a move when you guys enjoy a good show by then.
Why would I bother explaining to you today?
Mr. Li, you look like
just a businessman.
I don't know how many armed forces you have in the capital
for you to put on that "good show".
No more, and no less.
Just enough to pull it off.
It seems that
you still don't trust me.
Over the years
I went on countless battles for Oirat with great achievements.
Do you still think
my loyalty lies in Ming?
This is not what I meant.
General Gao,
don't make this hard for me.
Since we want to strike a deal,
I will never make it hard for you.
I am going to give you a gift.
You don't have to tell me the details.
But you have to tell me
the approximate time and goal of your show
so that me and my troops can get ready
for the great change that's going to happen to Ming.
Mr. Li.
As you put it,
I have taken the first step in this cooperation.
Why did you go to the Huanyi Brothel last night?
Do you still have to ask?
To fine a prostitute, of course.
Why did so many envoys go there?
Do you still have to ask?
The more,
the merrier.
Why did you dress in the outfit
to pretend to be an ordinary Ming person?
Do you still have to ask?
This outfit
is to show my respect to Ming.
Is there a problem with that?
No problem at all.
We can't torture these envoys for confession.
After six hours,
release them one by one.
Yes.
Commander.
General Gao is here.
It is said that
you are His Majesty's most trusted person.
Yes.
His Majesty trusts me.
His Majesty does, but I don't necessarily.
I know it better than anyone
how you see me.
Since you don't trust me,
why did you come here to find me?
For Tang Fan.
For someone who is
willing to give himself to the enemy for Ming.
He asked me to come to you.
So I came.
Where is he now?
Listen to me carefully.
Tang Fan exchanged a news with him own life.
In the Beginning of Spring Festival in two weeks,
Li Zilong
is going to assassinate His Majesty.