Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Warm on a Cold Night]

[Episode 25]

[He'an Hall]

Between the 21st and 23rd year

of the Dingkun reign,

there was a serial murder case.

My father passed away

in the 3rd year of the Dingkun reign.

During the 3rd month of the 21st year,

the first victim appeared.

During the 7th month of the 23rd year.

the fourth victim appeared.

This victim

was a Qi.

Father.

Father.

These victims had all been wearing

clothing,

Am I dreaming?

accessories,

or

sachets with peony patterns on them.

But why can I see Father

so clearly?

Father.

Come in.

Why are you here?

Han Zheng.

Why are you...

So

I really am dreaming.

That victim of the Qi race

was Kaka's mother.

According to Kaka,

his mother was 7 chi tall,

even taller than

than ordinary Qian men.

According to the coroner,

the victims died from

blunt force trauma to their heads.

Therefore,

the weapon was very likely

something like a metal rod

or a hard stone.

In that case,

the murderer should be

a tall man in his prime.

But the victims

were neither raped

nor robbed.

It shows that the culprit's intentions

were elsewhere.

Father seems to agree with you.

If only you weren't the person

who killed Godfather.

How nice would that be?

The Inspection Bureau and the Law Department

have been scouring the moat for three days.

They found eight bodies in total.

Among them,

there are four people whose time of death

matches that of the Peony Case.

Three are male,

and one is female.

Judging from their physiques,

one of the three male corpses

had a tall and large build,

and was at least 8 chi tall.

One of them was small and short,

Short?

around 6 chi tall.

Another one was 7 chi tall,

but rather skinny and feeble.

Thin?

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Go on.

Look at your drawing.

Who can understand it?

Jiu'er understands.

You care a lot about Jiu'er, don't you?

Although Jiu'er might never

talk to me again,

it's okay.

I'll still care about her.

It really is a dream.

[Girl, slim, short, tall]

This is great.

I got the details of the case sorted out

in my dream.

But

why did I dream of Han Zheng?

Eldest Brother,

if you feel unwell,

tell me.

Is this pressure suitable?

What? Too hard?

Enough.

You've done enough.

What do you want? Tell me.

Eldest Brother.

It's nothing much.

I just want to ask you something.

Aren't you in charge of

relations with the Qi?

You know them well.

I've heard that after a Qian

ingests the Qi Vital Stone,

it might not only damage their body,

but also cause sudden death.

Is there anything else?

Why do you ask?

Well...

Well,

I've been writing a script recently.

There is a Qian character in it

who is taking Qi Vital Stones.

I just want to know

what will happen to that person.

What you mentioned regarding the damage to the body

and death

will only happen

after prolonged and excessive consumption.

Consumption in small amounts over a short period of time

wouldn't have

such serious consequences.

On the contrary,

it will sharpen your five senses,

energize you,

and strengthen your body.

That's good.

But...

But what?

But taking

a particular Qi's Qi Vital Stone

will cause them

to form a strange connection.

Strange connection?

What do you mean?

This Qi Vital Stone is powerful.

It seems to be able to

connect two people's senses,

allowing them to experience synchronicity.

Synchronicity?

The most common example is

when the Qi

can enter into

this person's dream.

And this person

can see everything

the Qi is going through

in their dream.

I can't believe it.

That means

they can see each other

in their dreams every night.

You can say that.

Oh my god.

T- This isn't right.

How can they meet in their dreams?

This...

I...

Tell me.

Since Miss Jiu'er

is dreaming of Prince Han every night,

wouldn't it be easier for her to fall in love with him?

That's what I'm afraid of!

I- I'm not afraid

something will happen between Jiu'er and Brother Han.

I'm afraid my script will be ruined.

You...

I watched you grow up.

There are two things about you.

The first is that

you wake up very late.

The second is that

when you don't need anything,

you will never think of me.

You came to me of your own accord,

and so early in the morning at that.

Is there another possible reason for it

other than Miss Jiu'er?

Well...

I just wanted to...

Tell me.

Why did Miss Jiu'er

consume a Qi Vital Stone?

She...

It has been really hard on her.

She has had a strange disease since she was young.

She is losing her five senses

and her body is weak.

But it's strange.

Whenever she comes into contact with Brother Han,

her symptoms are alleviated.

Really?

Yes.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes,

I wouldn't believe it.

Brother Han

is in prison now.

In order to treat Jiu'er,

he had to secretly

make her consume his Qi Vital Stone.

I see.

I was worried at first.

I was worried about

Brother Han's health.

I also suggested

we get some Qi Vital Stone

from other places.

But he didn't agree.

Now that I'm thinking about it,

he's really taking advantage of her.

Then is spending all your time with Miss Jiu'er

while Prince Han is in prison

not taking advantage of her?

You're right.

We'll play fair

and compete fairly then.

Eldest Brother,

I'll take my leave.

Just go.

[He'an Hall]

Jiu'er.

Bring that over.

Okay.

Jiu'er.

Jun.

Morning.

Morning, Your Highness.

Jiu'er.

Go talk inside

with Prince Jun.

Let's go, Jun.

Go.

Jun.

Why are you here so early?

Is there something urgent?

It's nothing serious.

It's just that

I had a strange dream yesterday,

so I stopped by.

A strange dream?

What strange dream?

Well,

I dreamed of Brother Han yesterday.

You dreamed of him too?

Too?

She did dream of Brother Han.

You dreamed of him too?

What did you dream about?

It's strange.

He appeared in my dream

and discussed the case with my father.

He also said

he cares a lot about me.

He cares a lot about you?

He means he cares a lot

about the Peony Case I'm investigating.

Not only is he seeing you

in the dream,

he even dragged your father along.

He's up to no good.

Jun.

Look at this.

No.

I can't tell her.

He and Jiu'er meet every night,

so I'll accompany Jiu'er every day.

Jun.

What did you dream of?

Me?

I dreamed that

he shapeshifted into a huge wolf dog.

I threw a branch for him,

and he picked it up.

I even petted his head.

Jiu'er.

What are you doing today?

I didn't sleep well last night.

I want to take a nap later.

When I wake up,

I'll go to Uncle Liu's

to investigate the Peony Case.

There's no need

for a nap.

We don't have much time left.

Kaka wants us

to solve the case as soon as possible.

Let's go find Uncle Liu right now.

Let's go.

Hurry up.

Time is of the utmost importance.

Look.

We're almost there.

It dropped.

Let me help you.

No.

That's against the rules.

You said you wanted to buy a gift.

I didn't expect you to buy so many.

I didn't know how hard Uncle Liu had it

until I talked to you.

Bin's mother died right after

giving birth to him.

He is also a little slow.

All these years, Uncle Liu had to take care of Bin

while working.

How did he get through it alone?

Bin needs someone by his side.

Uncle Liu often comes in late and leaves early

because

he has to return home to take care of Bin.

Otherwise, with his qualifications,

he'll at least be a Senior Inspector now.

Here we are.

Uncle Liu.

Bin.

Jiu'er.

Are you sure

Bin will like this?

Of course.

All kids like these things.

Open the door. I'm Su Jiu'er.

[Qian, Bin]

Sister Jiu'er!

Why are you here?

Good boy.

He is Bin?

Yes.

Sister Jiu'er.

Prince Jun.

You're here?

Uncle Liu, they're here!

Father, Sister Jiu'er is here.

Come in.

Come in.

Come in.

Let's go.

Prince Jun

bought these toys

for Bin.

Look.

Your Highness.

You bought so many things for him.

Thank you.

Bin.

His Highness bought

so many toys for you.

Haven't you forgotten something?

Thank you.

Thank you everyone.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Bin.

They gave you this.

Why are you giving it to me?

Because we're friends.

It's okay.

I'll leave it with you.

I'll come to you if I want to play with it.

Kaka.

Bring Bin out to play.

I'm going to talk

with Prince Jun and Jiu'er.

Okay.

Let's go.

Your Highness.

I'll take them out to play.

Be careful.

Okay.

Your Highness, there's nothing

I can offer you.

This is some biluochun I got from the Inspection Bureau.

It's serviceable.

Your Highness,

please don't mind it.

Of course not.

I love biluochun.

Here.

Here.

Thank you, Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu.

How old is Bin?

Bin is 26.

Something happened to Bin

when he was seven.

It damaged him here.

Ever since then,

his mental age

has been stuck at seven years old.

So in my eyes,

he is still a child.

From another perspective,

it's not a bad thing.

Everyone says that children

are the happiest.

Look, Bin is so cheerful and kind.

It's obvious.

Within our home,

he is carefree.

But whenever he goes outside,

there will always be someone

commenting on him.

Those kids outside

call him "big fool."

Sometimes, they even bully him.

Bin got hurt a lot.

Luckily,

Kaka always helps him

and keeps him company.

No wonder

his hand is injured.

I see.

Uncle Liu,

we're here today

about Kaka's mother's case.

Kaka told me.

Your father and I

handled the case

together.

If you have

anything you want to know,

just ask me.

Most of the information

is already recorded in detail

in the case file.

But

there are some gaps

we need you

to fill in for us.

Okay.

Why does this case file

look so rumpled?

It rained heavily a few years ago.

The storehouse was flooded,

so most of our case files

got soaked in water.

That's why it became like this.

Look here.

In the 24th year of the Dingkun reign,

the murderer

was caught red-handed

by an Inspector.

During the pursuit,

the murderer jumped into the moat.

Later, the Inspection Bureau found eight bodies in the river

while investigating the case.

Four of them

matched up with the time at which

the murderer jumped into the river.

That's all

my father had recorded.

At that time,

your father's health had already deteriorated.

He only managed to investigate this much

before he...

Uncle Liu.

Did the Inspection Bureau

investigate each of them

for a motive?

We did.

One of these four bodies

belonged to a woman.

She didn't have the physical ability

to commit such a case,

so we ruled her out.

The other one

was a sickly and elderly person.

We ruled him out as well.

As for the other two,

one was a bricklayer

with a large build

and the other

was a waiter with a small figure.

Both of them

were young and healthy.

Both were suspects.

Kaka's mother was a Qi.

She would have been as strong as a Qian man.

From this point of view,

that tall bricklayer

is the most suspicious.

Uncle Liu,

can you tell us

in detail

what happened back then?

Yes.

Alright.

[Peony Case]

That day,

it was raining very heavily.

We received a report

saying that a woman

had died in an alley.

What's wrong?

When we arrived,

we realized that

that woman was

Kaka's mother.

It was raining very heavily.

We didn't find any

witness or physical evidence.

However,

Kaka's mother also died

from blunt force trauma to her head.

This was similar to

the victims of the Peony Case.

And Kaka's mother was wearing

a hairpin

with a peony flower carved on it.

So we inferred that

the person who killed Kaka's mother

was the culprit of the Peony Case.

Kaka.

Are you sure this hairpin

belonged to your mother?

When I went to the market with her,

she set her eyes on this hairpin.

She didn't bear to buy it.

Later, my father made some money

and gave it to her

so she could buy it.

Who knew

that same day,

something happened to her.

My father blamed himself for it.

But this hairpin

doesn't have a peony on it.

It doesn't?

Moutan petals are round and smooth,

and don't have many wrinkles.

However, peony petals are tightly packed

next to one another.

Although they are similar,

if you look closely,

you can still distinguish them.

The decoration on this hairpin

is indeed a moutan.

Look.

Could the murderer have

made a mistake

because he couldn't distinguish between them?

Impossible.

The only unifying feature

between the victims was the peony.

It shows that

the peony was the murderer's fixation.

I remember my father

once solved

a serial murder case

where the murder

only targeted women who owned cats.

He was once abandoned

by a woman who loved cats,

causing his mentality to be twisted.

Similarly,

this was someone

who was extremely fixated on peonies.

How could he have been unable to distinguish

between a peony and a moutan?

One more thing.

Uncle Liu.

I understand if the others at the Inspection Bureau

couln't distinguish between them.

Didn't my father

notice the difference

between them?

Commander Su

didn't point that out.

But his body

was very weak at that point.

He had been pushing himself to continue working.

Perhaps he didn't notice

because of his condition.

[Prince Ying's Residence]

General Chilan is here.

You're here.

Your Highness.

There's something

I must talk to you about.

I know

why you're here.

But there's no rush.

Come play chess with me.

I don't know

how to play Qian chess.

Then let's play Qi chess.

Captured.

Captured.

By the way,

about what happened last time,

I've sent Eunuch Li

to the Law Department

for interrogation.

However, he refuses to admit that

he was involved

in the Qi Vital Stone trade.

Not even I could get it out of him.

If he refuses to confess

even to Your Highness,

it means the person

behind the Qi Vital Stone trade

is very powerful.

I'll keep investigating.

I've demoted Eunuch Li to the Laundry Service

for attempted assault,

to take accountability for what he did to you.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Captured.

Your move

is too hasty.

Really?

I won.

You...

When did you

come up with this move?

Everything has been going according to my plan

since the beginning of this match.

This move is called "the rat crosses the river from the left

to kill the tiger and depose the elephant."

Amazing, right?

What strategy is this?

I've never heard of it.

An old friend of mine

came up with it.

He taught me secretly.

I'm curious.

Hundred Beast Chess

is only popular in Qi.

How did you learn it?

You play so well, too.

A few years ago,

a courtier gifted me a set.

My wife liked it very much.

I often played with her.

I've heard about

what had happened to the Crown Princess.

She must have been

a very unique woman.

In my heart,

she has no equal.

I've never even

shown

Han Zheng

this move.

I've taught Your Highness today.

Speaking of Prince Han,

I think

you can't wait

to get down to business.

I'll get straight to the point.

What will happen to Han Zheng?

He killed a Senior Inspector by mistake.

After the trial,

if he's found guilty,

according to the legal code of the Qian,

he'll probably be sentenced

to 20 years in prison.

But there's one good thing.

Given the lifespan of a Qi,

20 years later,

Prince Han should still be in his prime.

Your Highness.

Are you making fun of us?

I'm just kidding.

Since Han Zheng is a Qi,

even if he must be imprisoned,

it should be

in a Qi prison.

What do you think?

In my opinion,

allowing Han Zheng to return to Qi

will be to set a dangerous man free.

I'm afraid

he won't even have to walk through the prison doors.

That's not true.

You can send someone

to check on him regularly.

You can just send him to prison

once in a while

as a pretense.

Your Highness.

I'll be frank with you.

If Han Zheng is really found guilty

of manslaughter,

he will be punished.

In exchange for bringing him back

to be punished in Qi,

I will agree to any demand you make,

with the exception of the Qian-Qi Six Treaties.

For the next five years,

we can double our tribute

of white camels, horses, gyrfalcons,

black gold, Qi knives, and grains.

If I remember correctly,

during the beginning of autumn last year,

you captured two

Qian travelers.

The men you are calling travelers

were clearly spies.

Besides doubling the tribute,

if you let them go,

I'll allow Prince Han to return with you

to receive his punishment in Qi.

These two spies

have been hiding in Qi for years.

They have too much intel.

Even if I agree,

the King of Xueqi might not.

In that case, I feel sorry

for Prince Han.

To the King of Xueqi,

his son's life

cannot compare to the Qian-Qi Six Treaties.

That's fine.

But it can't even compare to two spies.

It's settled then.

I will persuade His Majesty.

Your Highness,

don't break your promise.

I have one more condition.

Your Prince Han

repeatedly stirred up trouble in Jiuxiao City.

This time, especially,

he created grievances amongst the people

of Jiuxiao City.

In the future,

he is not allowed to enter Jiuxiao City again.

Only this will appease the anger of the people.

What do you think?

Alright.

Are you sure

you can make Prince Han agree as well?

I heard from Jun that

he has a close relationship

with Miss Jiu'er.

I'm afraid he'll be unwillng to leave her behind.

Prince Han seems defiant,

but he knows what his responsibilities are.

On crucial matters,

he knows how to make the right choices.

Alright.

Another round?

Sending me this far is enough, Your Highness.

General Chilan.

Please wait.

I've prepared a carriage for you.

It'll send you back.

There's no need to stand on ceremony, Your Highness.

We Qi

don't need carriages.

It's not ceremony.

Consider it

my concern for you.

This way, please.

Be careful.

Send someone to escort her along the way.

Yes.

Captured.

Have you decided?

Are you sure?

What do you mean?

I made a mistake?

Or are you lying to me?

Take a guess.

You must be afraid

I'll capture your leopard.

That's why you got riled up.

You're trying to

confuse me on purpose.

I'm making this move.

Forget it.

I gave you a chance.

When did you

come up with this move?

Everything has been going according to my plan

since you made

your first move.

This is called "the rat crosses the river from the left

to kill the tiger and depose the elephant."

The rat crosses the river from the left to kill the tiger and depose the elephant.

What a silly name.

You're the silly one.

Where did you get hurt?

Are you okay?

Does it hurt?

Liu Fu.

Yes.

At what time did I

meet Jiu'er today?

A quarter past seven in the morning.

When did I leave Jiu'er?

I think it was three quarters past five in the afternoon.

One, two, three, four, five.

I spent 10 hours

with Jiu'er!

Wait.

Your Highness.

Why are you counting this?

Think about it.

Jiu'er only sleeps

for 8 hours every day.

That means she only spends 8 hours

with Han Zheng in her dream.

In that case,

didn't I spend 2 more hours with her

as compared to Han Zheng?

Yes.

Right?

Tomorrow,

let's go even earlier to see Miss Jiu'er.

Yes.

Jiu'er has been busy investigating the case lately,

so she hasn't had time to think about Brother Han.

Gradually,

their feelings will fade, right?

Are you hoping Miss Jiu'er

will forget about Prince Han?

But why are you

helping him get out of prison?

That's a different matter.

If Brother Han is innocent,

I will uphold justice for him.

If Prince Han

is released from prison,

what will you do

if Miss Jiu'er's feelings for him are rekindled?

I'm not afraid.

It's absolutely impossible

between Brother Han and Miss Jiu'er.

Why?

Like you said,

Brother Han

is the only son of the King of Xueqi.

He has to go back to inherit the throne.

Besides, a Qian and a Qi

cannot have children.

Right?

Yes.

How could the King of Xueqi allow

Brother Han to marry Jiu'er?

What's wrong, Your Highness?

Help! Help!

Wait.

Whenever I mention Brother Han marrying Jiu'er,

my heart aches.

I'm going to bed.

I'll take my leave.

Brother Han marrying Jiu'er.

Brother Han must not marry Jiu'er.

Take your hand away.

Brother Han?

It's me.

It's really you?

Aren't you...

Aren't you in prison?

How did you get out?

Didn't you let me out?

How is that possible?

That is a crime.

Don't frame me.

I know it wasn't you.

You

would love for me to

remain locked up in that prison.

That's not true.

I just told Liu Fu about

how to clear your name.

If you had come earlier,

you would have heard it.

Come earlier?

I have been waiting at your door

since an hour ago.

Even if it's impossible between Jiu'er and me,

do you stand a chance?

Aren't you a prince too?

I'm also a prince.

But I have a brother!

I don't have to inherit the throne.

Besides,

my mother has agreed

to me marrying Jiu'er.

So what if your mother has agreed?

Jiu'er won't.

There's no rush.

After you return to Qi

and inherit the throne,

I'll spend time with Jiu'er.

One day, I will get through to her.

Brother Han.

How did you get out?

The agarwood in the prison

has already blocked your five senses.

I don't know.

A fog suddenly appeared

and the guards

fainted.

My door was opened,

so I came out.

Someone opened the door for you?

Could it have been Jiu'er?

Impossible.

Even if we don't consider the fact that

Jiu'er still resents me,

the person who saved me

wore black clothes

and deliberately used agarwood

to mask their scent.

Jiu'er

has no need

to go to all that trouble

to hide her identity from me.

Who could it be?

I don't know.

No matter what, it must be a trap.

Why did you come out if it was a trap?

I have to fall into his trap

to find out what he's after.

No wonder girls don't like you.

You're so petty.

I'm going to bed.

What?

Han Zheng is gone?

Stop pretending.

Exactly. Why are you playing innocent?

Tell us the truth. Where did you hide him?

Me?

I...

Jiu'er.

If it really was you

who released Prince Han,

send him back in

right away,

before things get out of hand.

Yes.

That's right.

If this gets to the Law Department,

it'll be serious.

Why do you all have to

blame it on me?

Listen.

What are they saying?

They said

it was Jiu'er who released me.

I knew it.

And?

What else are they saying?

There are no signs of a struggle

in the cell, right?

The door of the cell

was opened with the key.

Even a fool would know that

this was done

by someone from the Inspection Bureau.

That's right.

You have the closest relationship

with Prince Han.

I can't think of

anyone else

who would set him free.

Exactly.

It makes sense.

What do you mean?

I've always been

the closest to Jiu'er.

Doesn't it make sense

that they would suspect it was Jiu'er

who released me?

How does that make sense?

She has already cut ties with you.

Can you understand Qian writing?

Seriously.

You're reading it for nothing.

That's why I called you here.

What does this say?

You'll have to beg me.

Forget it.

I'm not investigating the case anyway.

I might as well leave

and save the rest of the case

for Su Jiu'er

to worry about by herself.

Don't.

I'll tell you.

I'll tell you.

He hasn't made himself clear

about what happened to Hu.

How could I let him go?

You're investigating the Peony Case right now,

and you need help.

We understand if you did this

impulsively.

Yes.

Since we're all on the same side here,

we can cover it up for you.

Just admit to it.

You...

This...

Commander Yan,

I really don’t know

how Han Zheng escaped from prison.

If you

still don't believe me,

you can report it to the Law Department

and let them handle it.

Commander,

I don't think that's appropriate.

It's not.

As one of our patrols,

Prince Han

has already gotten someone killed.

Hu—

Forget it.

Anyway, that's in the past.

Now, he's gone missing.

If we report it to the higher-ups,

how humiliating would it be

for the Inspection Bureau?

It'll be devastating,

Commander Yan.

Su Jiu'er.

Hand me your badge.

What?

You are suspended. Go home

and wait for your punishment.

If we can't find Han Zheng

within three days,

we will report it to the Law Department.

Jiu'er has been suspended?

Why don't you go out now

and tell them

-it wasn't Jiu'er who did it? -Let go.

Let go!

What I'm holding now

is important evidence.

Why are you still talking about evidence

at this juncture?

The flower on this hairpin is a moutan,

not a peony.

Yes.

Don't change the subject.

Boss,

I don't understand.

Didn't you say

we should treat Jiu'er better?

Why did you suddenly...

-I... -I...

I just couldn't help it.

When Hu left,

she looked very sad.

But now that she's alive and kicking

and working cases...

I'm used to treating her like this.

Got it.

Got it.

It's perfect timing.

Go and tell him now.

Go with me right now.

Someone is there.

Did you hear that?

Where is he?

He's not at home,

and he's not at Qiwei Pavilion.

He's not with Jun either.

Where exactly did he go?

Mother.

I'm back.

You're back?

Han Zheng?

You're here?

How dare you come to my house?

Let's go.

Come with me to the Inspection Bureau.

-Listen to me... -Jiu'er, you’re back?

Jiu'er.

The food is ready. It's time to eat.

Mother.

Did you know

he escaped from prison?

The Inspection Bureau thought I was the one who let him go.

They've even suspended me.

Isn't that good?

I told you, that job of yours

pays badly, works you too hard,

and puts you in danger.

You're better off without it.

Mother, what's wrong with you?

He's Han Zheng.

Have you forgotten about Hu?

How could you let him into our house?

Jiu'er, I have something to say.

What do you have to say?

I thought about it

over and over again.

I finally remember now.

I can be sure that on that day,

when I left the courtyard of the Western Chamber

with Keyuncha,

Hu said to me,

"Han, you're befuddled."