Original subtitles

[Legend of Zang Hai]

[Episode 33]

His Majesty flew into a rage in court today.

I fear he has already learned of the stolen Gui Seal.

And the Queen of Dongxia suddenly died last night.

In this world,

such coincidences do not exist.

The Hostage's Mansion is heavily guarded by the Imperial Guards.

It seems His Majesty not only knows about the theft

but also suspects the people of Dongxia.

And Cao Jingxian has had the seal.

Now we're in trouble.

Cao Jingxian did not show up today.

His injuries are quite serious.

He won't make a move anytime soon.

What matters most now

is to find a way to clear Antu of suspicion.

If you are right about His Majesty's stance,

I fear we are powerless.

Your Highness,

please don't dwell

and go inside.

You're still recovering.

I've lived here for ten years.

I used to despise this place.

But now, I won't be able to see it much longer.

[Hostage's Mansion]

You're here.

I...

have obtained it.

But I...

am no longer going to make it.

We've planned this for so long.

Yet I didn't expect

that the one to have the last laugh

would be you.

In that case,

from here on,

I'll leave everything to you.

You may go now.

Zang Hai,

what do we do now?

The Imperial Guards have surrounded the mansion for days.

Have you seen Antu at all?

How is she doing?

News from the mansion has been sealed off.

Not to mention seeing her,

we can't even find out how she is.

Don't panic just yet.

Nothing has been concluded now.

But I fear this situation

won't last for long.

I'll go beg my father

to find a way for me to see Antu.

Don't.

The mansion is heavily guarded.

There's no chance of sneaking in.

Even if your father is willing to help,

matters will only become

more complicated and backfire.

By that time,

not only will we fail to help her,

but your entire family might get implicated.

How will she endure it all alone?

Don't worry.

I'll do everything I can

to get her out of danger.

Sir.

What is it?

The Surveillance Office sent this letter to us.

The Surveillance Office?

Was it Mr. Cao's order?

Indeed.

These appear to be secret letters from Dongxia's hostage.

Ready my horse.

I must go and see His Majesty.

Yes, sir.

Sir.

Sir.

Something happened.

What is it?

We went into town and found Zhen Tower surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

They said that the owner of Zhen Tower was the hostage princess

and had worked to sow discord

between Dongxia and the Great Yong.

Another squad of guards is heading for the Hostage's Mansion.

This is bad.

It's the Princess of Dongxia.

What happened to her?

Haven't you heard?

The Queen of Dongxia just died.

Rumor has it the princess killed her.

Killed her mother?

How utterly ruthless.

- Look! - They're out!

Halt!

Who are you?

Step back!

Move.

I've received word.

After the Queen's death,

a new Queen has ascended the throne.

It's Miss Xiang's elder sister,

Mingxiang Yinzhu.

Somehow,

The Surveillance Officers found evidence

of Miss Xiang's attempts over the past decade

to incite conflict between Dongxia and the Great Yong

and submitted it to His Majesty.

They claimed she resented being made a hostage

and bore hatred in her heart.

These are all false accusations.

Cao Jingxian knew His Majesty was going to investigate the Gui Seal

and set this trap.

And the newly crowned Queen

has outright revoked Miss Xiang's royal status.

She formally requested His Majesty

to handle this in the Great Yong,

saying Dongxia wouldn't intervene.

In other words,

Dongxia abandoned her.

In essence, yes.

Though gravely wounded,

Cao Jingxian still has such power.

The Queen is dead.

He has the Gui Seal.

Antu and I are the first ones he'll eliminate.

What do we do?

Should we go and rescue Miss Xiang?

Do not act recklessly.

If we make any move,

it may bring her certain death.

Is there no way out of this?

Master,

please forge a writ from the Office of Scrutiny for Justice for me.

You're entering the Imperial Prison?

No...

Absolutely not.

Hai,

you have a sensitive identity.

This is dangerous.

I won't act recklessly. I've yet to avenge.

Please help me this time.

But the seal

is not so easily forged.

But you are certainly capable of it.

It doesn't need to be perfect.

It only needs to fool the prison guards.

But if there's even a minor misstep,

neither of you will make it out.

Hai,

what exactly are you planning to do?

What I'll say next is very important.

Don't ask why.

Just do as I say.

And make sure nothing goes wrong.

Today,

I'll take this forged writ

to see Xiang Antu.

I know nothing

about her situation.

So I must see her as soon as possible.

What you must do

is wait for me at home.

No matter how late it gets.

Once I return,

we must immediately devise a plan

to rescue her.

Time is of the essence.

She may face danger as early as tomorrow.

We might only have a few hours left

to save her.

Master,

please trust me.

We will rescue Antu.

You may leave.

Yes, sir.

Zang Hai.

I'm sorry that you suffer.

Why are you here?

Don't do anything foolish for me.

Don't worry.

I came here fair and square.

Did the Emperor allow you to participate in the case?

No.

This is fake.

You are insane.

Forging official documents is tantamount to deceiving the Emperor.

They'll find out when verifying it in the morning.

You must leave the Capital now.

Don't worry about me.

I've taken this step.

There's no turning back.

To Dongxia,

I am already a discarded figure.

Death is all but certain for me now.

I won't let you die.

You will leave here safely.

The Emperor detained me

because he suspected Dongxia had taken the Gui Seal.

If the seal isn't recovered,

he will not rest.

If I leave,

he'll simply take it out on Dongxia.

My sister has only just ascended the throne.

Her foundation is still weak.

If war breaks out between the nations,

Dongxia will face utter destruction.

Don't worry.

I've had a plan.

Don't do anything more for me.

While you can still escape,

leave quickly.

I've lost too many loved ones.

Now,

I cannot lose you too.

Wait for me.

Mr. Sun.

Mr. Zang,

it's so late.

His Majesty has retired for the night.

If there's anything,

please speak of it during court tomorrow.

Mr. Sun,

I have a matter of utmost urgency

and must see His Majesty at once.

I ask that you announce me.

Mr. Gao,

Mr. Zang left you a letter.

When?

He gave it to me before he left.

He specifically instructed me to deliver it to you at this time.

What is Hai trying to do?

Master,

what I told you

was both truth and falsehood.

I will do everything I can to save her.

But I must go alone.

I will confess everything to His Majesty.

You know what that means.

Tonight, you must flee the mansion and hide.

If I fail,

please take Guanfeng and Shilei and flee far away.

If she and I return together tomorrow,

then we shall meet again.

What did Hai say?

He fooled us all.

He went alone to save Miss Xiang.

That's so dangerous.

We must go help him.

We may no longer be able to.

Hai is making a perilous move,

risking death to save a life.

He wanted us to stay out of it

so that he could proceed without worry.

[Hanzhang Hall]

Mr. Zang, we've arrived.

Mr. Zang,

please.

Your Majesty,

Mr. Zang has arrived.

I hereby come to confess my crime, Your Majesty.

Zang Hai, Vice Minister of Works,

what crime have you committed?

Speak.

The item Your Majesty lost...

Silence!

Guards!

Tie him up.

Yes.

Now leave.

Yes.

Now you may speak.

A few days ago,

I, without permission,

entered Your Majesty's Hanzhang Hall

and unlocked the mechanism

in the side hall

to take the Gui Seal.

Zang Hai,

how dare you!

Where is the seal?

Your Majesty,

the seal is now with Cao Jingxian.

That night,

I brought the seal back to the Astronomical Bureau,

but Cao Jingxian took it.

Deceiving the Emperor is punishable by death.

Your Majesty,

it is a capital crime,

and stealing the Gui Seal even more so.

I have confessed everything.

I could not possibly be deceiving Your Majesty further.

Why should I believe you?

There is one more reason.

That day in the hall,

I saw a wooden carving

signed with Deer

and Goose.

Only then did I realize

my father and Your Majesty

once shared a deep bond.

So I have come today,

daring to ask Your Majesty to honor that past bond.

Your father?

Who are you?

I was once called...

Zhinu.

I am the son of Kuai Duo,

the former Imperial Astronomer.

Ten years ago,

all fourteen members of my family

were slaughtered.

I alone survived.

I returned to the Capital

for revenge.

Raise your head.

How can you prove you are Zhinu?

When I was a child,

my father often fiddled

with a wooden deer sculpture.

I asked him about it.

He only said,

"In the jungle,

you never know exactly

what beast is spying on you from behind the leaves."

But he told me,

"I hope it'll be a deer you meet in your most treacherous moments

in the future."

Where is that deer sculpture now?

It burned with the mansion

the night my family was slaughtered.

Your father bought you this life.

Rise.

- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Sun Defang!

Your Majesty.

Send people to Cao's Mansion at once.

Do not let anyone leave the premises.

Search every corner of it.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Who are your enemies?

Zhuang Luyin,

Cao Jingxian.

There is one more, whom I have yet to identify.

So,

Zhuang Luyin and Cao Jingxian

had recent downfalls

all because of you?

So to find this unknown person,

you stole my Gui Seal.

Your Majesty,

the three of them killed my entire family

all because of the seal.

Thus, only through it

can I uncover the third one.

But…

But you neither found the third one

nor kept the Gui Seal.

So all these years,

they've been searching for the Gui Seal.

Zhuang Luyin,

after massacring my family,

was not content to leave empty-handed.

He even flayed my parents

and hung their skins in the mansion's cellar.

He then had Chu Huaiming use his position

to search for the seal everywhere.

As for Cao Jingxian, he used the Surveillance Office

to track any trace of it.

Years ago,

he even placed his adopted son in the Astronomical Bureau as a spy

until I eventually brought the seal out.

Had they known from the start

that the seal was in Your Majesty's hands,

perhaps all this could have been avoided.

Are you blaming me

for not announcing to the world

that I possessed the Gui Seal,

which led to your family's slaughter

and many more deaths?

I dare not.

Zang Hai,

you are too naive.

Even if I had made it public,

they would not have stopped.

Would Your Majesty be willing to enlighten me?

You wish to know

what truly happened?

I've relentlessly pursued

the third enemy.

If Your Majesty would reveal the truth to me,

perhaps I may finally identify the third one.

Can you craft birdcages?

I met your father

when I was still a prince.

I was fond of woodworking and carpentry.

The late emperor doted on me

and allowed Kuai Duo...

- Your Highness. - to be my study companion.

Your Highness.

Kuai Duo inherited his family's craftsmanship

and became

my dearest friend in childhood.

Those were

my most unforgettable days.

With Kuai Duo by my side,

[Deer, Wild Goose, the 15th year of Wuhe] I tasted

the joys of a commoner's life.

In the 20th year of Wuhe,

the long battle for the crown prince's seat

finally came to an end.

The one chosen by the late emperor

was not Prince Yan, the legitimate eldest son,

nor Prince Qi, who was virtuous and capable,

but me, a prince born of a concubine and motherless.

In reverent accordance with the initial decree,

following the rites and respecting the will of the people,

I solemnly informed Heaven and Earth and bestowed the golden book

to establish the crown prince, continuing the legacy of generations.

From then on,

I could no longer pursue carpentry.

Instead, I was taught the arts of rulership by the Crown Prince's tutor.

[Deer, Wild Goose, the 20th year of Wuhe] Kuai Duo entered the Astronomical Bureau

to learn from his father.

Being born into an imperial family

brings no peace.

At the time,

I had yet to understand

what fate lay ahead.

In the 35th year of Wuhe,

Dongxia stirred trouble at the borders, posing a threat of invasion to us.

The late emperor resolved to personally lead a campaign against Dongxia.

As Crown Prince,

I remained in the Capital to oversee state affairs.

The army sent back frequent reports of victory.

The entire capital rejoiced in triumph.

Yet within the palace,

a silent conspiracy targeting me was brewing.

Your Highness.

Your Highness!

What's the matter, Your Highness?

Your Highness, Your...

Someone! Summon the imperial physician!

Summon the imperial physician!

Sir,

bad news!

The Imperial Academy of Medicine reports

that the Empress suffers from another migraine

and has all physicians summoned to Her Majesty.

What?

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Please hold there.

I shall seek a physician from outside the palace now.

Your Highness?

Help me

find a person...

Kuai Duo...

Kuai Duo...

Go.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness, please hold there.

The poisoning was recent.

There was still time for treatment.

But I fear

the enemy may have more schemes in motion.

Mr. Sun,

ask the Imperial Guards

to send more troops over.

But the guards have all been dispatched

to Shenwu Gate for night duty tonight.

Sun Defang.

Yes.

Go to the Five Armies Camp

and find Xue Zhao.

Have him bring men to protect the throne.

Yes, Your Highness.

Being born into an imperial family

brings no peace.

You are right.

They failed to poison me,

and they will come again to kill me.

Very likely tonight.

Go home.

Leave.

Don't stay here and die for nothing.

Go.

Rest assured, Your Highness.

I will not let them harm you again.

Soldiers, heed my command!

[Hanzhang Hall]

His Highness is in danger.

Hurry to the front gate and defend it!

Yes!

[Hanzhang Hall]

Where is His Highness?

I request an audience!

Who are you?

What is your purpose?

I'm under orders to deliver His Majesty's final edict to His Highness.

Your Highness,

His Majesty has passed.

By the late Emperor's edict,

the Crown Prince shall ascend the throne!

[Final Imperial Edict]

Your father saved my life.

Your father

was the one I trusted most.

The Great Yong army collapsed overnight.

The late Emperor fell ill from grief and died at the border.

All of this stemmed from the Gui Seal.

The last command

the late Emperor gave me before his death

was to seize the seal.

[Final Edict: Seize the Gui Seal] I first ascended the throne,

and my rule was unstable.

Thus, I had to plant my own man in the Directorate of Ceremonial.

And that man was Cao Jingxian.

The second thing I had to do

was win a great battle,

to wash away the shame of the Great Yong.

Dongxia defeated us with the Gui Seal,

but their queen died soon after,

and the seal vanished.

Following Cao Jingxian's advice,

I appointed Zhuang Luyin, who was guarding the frontier.

Our army sharpened its blades

and marched again on Dongxia.

This time,

Dongxia, without the Gui Seal,

finally bowed to us.

The third thing I did

was secretly send your father

to Mount Dansui in Dongxia to search for the seal,

under the guise of overseeing the Fengshan Altar's construction.

I knew

your father would never disappoint me.

And I waited for three long years.

One night in the ninth year of Zhenshun,

your father returned.

Your Majesty,

Mr. Kuai has returned.

I, Kuai Duo,

greet Your Majesty.

Rise, please.

Your Majesty,

I retrieved it.

Is this the Gui Seal?

Indeed.

How can such a small thing

control the ghost soldiers?

I haven't seen it in action.

I've only heard of its immense power.

Dongxia once possessed it,

but they are now subject to us.

As the ancients said,

fortune and misfortune go hand in hand.

I do not know

which one it will bring.

How is this thing used?

Your Majesty,

I...

do not know either.

Do you know

what it feels like

to hold this in your hand?

I no longer fear anyone.

The world is now within my grasp!

Your Majesty,

you are Heaven's chosen.

Even without it,

the entire world

would still belong to you.

You don't understand.

Without this

in a few years,

you might be calling someone else

Heaven's chosen.

Your Majesty...

I was merely making a joke.

Rise.

In the end,

you still don't wish me

to possess this item, do you?

I dare not.

You are not unaware

of the tragedies from years past.

If Dongxia uses this again

to wage war against us,

you

will regret it,

and so will I.

A state's deadly weapon

must not be revealed.

A ruler's weakness

must not be exposed.

But Mr. Kuai,

you truly know

a lot of my weaknesses.

♪Conceal the ambition in my eyes♪

♪In my palm, I hold a dangerous desire♪

♪Turbulent waves hidden in my sleeves♪

♪Silent thunder echoes around♪

♪However cunning you are♪

♪I can see♪

♪Right through you♪

♪Schemes are my armor♪

♪Overt plans are my weapons♪

♪With restrained fury♪

♪I purge the world's corruption♪

♪The night is not dark♪

♪Because♪

♪My heart burns bright♪

♪I control the shifting clouds♪

♪I command the falling rain♪

♪The compass of the human soul is unpredictable♪

♪There will always be ups and downs♪

♪I hold the power of life and death♪

♪I grant and I take away♪

♪When faith burns like the scorching sun♪

♪I will sing aloud with you♪

♪I am the sowing season♪

♪I am the autumn harvest♪

♪I am the world♪

♪I am the people♪

♪And you are also me♪