Original subtitles

-What's wrong? -Stop.

-Say that again. -Enough.

-Say that again. -Step back.

Enough. Step back.

Let them go this once.

Those prisoners,

our Yanzhou army shed blood and sweat to capture them.

What right do you Jizhou troops have to take half?

-Exactly. -What right do you have?

What right?

Captain Fan and our Military Administrator are deeply in love.

-Right. -Soon they'll be family.

Half?

You should give us all of them.

It's only right.

-Exactly. -Only right.

Shut up!

Nonsense!

Captain Fan already has a husband.

How could she possibly fool around with Military Administrator Li behind his back?

Bullshit!

Captain Fan's husband died on the battlefield long ago.

Even if he were alive,

how could he compare to our Military Administrator?

Exactly.

Wait. Isn't your Military Administrator Li supposed to marry the Grand Princess?

So why's he tangled up with Captain Fan?

-Exactly. -None of your damn business.

Our Military Administrator visits Captain Fan every single day. So what?

You, on the other hand,

could it be that your master

has his eye on Captain Fan too?

-Bullshit! -What did you say?

You got a problem?

-Then fight. -Why did you strike first?

-Stop it! -Let go.

-Attention! -Watch yourselves.

PEACE AND PROSPERITY ALONG THE BORDERS

We're all brothers in arms,

yet you fight and injure each other over prisoners.

Where are the military regulations?

Lord Li, you be the judge.

You and Captain Fan are practically family now.

Why split the military merits so clearly?

How dare you!

Such gossip shouldn't be spoken carelessly.

I don't care if Military Administrator Li likes Captain Fan or not.

But taking away the military merits of our Yanzhou warriors?

That's not acceptable.

-Right? -So what?

-You got a problem? -Don't you?

All troops, hear my command!

TOKEN

Captain Fan and I have known each other since we were nothing.

Just like all of you,

we share the bond of fighting side by side, of life and death.

Today, Captain Fan and I have sworn to be brother and sister.

From now on,

I will treat her as my own sister.

If anyone dares to spread rumors, stir up trouble,

or slander Captain Fan's honor again,

they will receive 30 strokes of the military cane, as a warning to all.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Let's go.

Captain Fan.

YAMEN

You all go ahead.

Let's go.

Just now, calling you my sister,

that was only a temporary measure.

There are gossips in the army.

If it offended you, please don't take it to heart.

How could I?

I've always considered you as an elder brother.

I'm just afraid I don't deserve.

After all, I've barely read any military books,

and I hardly know characters.

The way to know a person lies in their inner qualities.

It has nothing to do with reading or literacy.

Then as your sister, I pay my courtesy to you, my brother.

Is that how it's said?

I hereby return the greetings. That's how it's said.

Then I'll take my leave now.

ADAPTED FROM THE NOVEL ZHU YU BY TUAN ZI LAI XI ON JJWXC.NET

HALL OF ARMS

This is absolutely outrageous!

Even in the palace,

I've never been treated with such disrespect.

What are you doing?

You still expect me to drink this?

No. It's been days now.

The Marquis of Wu'an hasn't returned,

and the Grand Princess won't see me.

Let me tell you.

If you keep me waiting here like this today,

I will immediately set out for the capital.

I'll go before His Majesty. I'll file an imperial complaint.

What's all this commotion?

Greetings to the Grand Princess.

Your Highness cares so deeply for the soldiers

that you haven't found a moment

to see me all these days.

How truly touching.

You may go.

I've been overwhelmed with affairs lately,

truly unable to spare a moment.

I hope you'll understand.

May I ask why you've sought me out?

Your Highness has been away from the palace for quite some time.

His Majesty and Empress Dowager An are deeply concerned.

So they specially sent me to come and see how the Grand Princess is faring.

Mother and His Majesty

know that I am here, at the northwest front,

and yet they're not angry?

Eunuch, you may as well speak directly.

Your Highness is remarkably perceptive.

Indeed, before I came,

His Majesty and Empress Dowager An specially asked me

to convey a message to Your Highness,

"Now that the Chongzhou rebels have been pacified,

as the whole nation celebrates,

this marriage between you and the Marquis,

-it's better sooner than later." -What did you say?

My marriage to whom?

The Marquis of Wu'an.

Preposterous!

My imperial brother is easily swayed.

It must be you foolish servants, dredging up old matters

and fanning the flames, that put this idea in his head.

This marriage, I do not accept it.

Your Highness, you left the palace for less than six months.

Since when did you learn to curse?

The Marquis of Wu'an has earned great distinction in battle.

By any measure, he's a match of the highest order.

Besides, this is His Majesty's decree.

Surely you're not thinking of…

defying an imperial order?

This marriage,

you'd better take it up with the Marquis of Wu'an first.

If he agrees,

then I'll agree.

Easy enough.

I'll see to it right away.

Please convey this to His Majesty for me.

I am grateful…

for my imperial brother's care.

I'll take my leave now.

Finally got that off my chest.

HE

It's been days now.

Busy or not, the Marquis can't keep an imperial decree waiting.

This is a military camp. Please stop here.

Fine.

Open your worthless eyes wide and look clearly!

I have the imperial decree right here!

Let's see who dares to stop me today!

Let's go.

Stop.

I know the Marquis is busy with official duties.

But these past few days,

you haven't found a moment to see me.

Left with no choice, I've brought the imperial decree

and come to trouble you here myself.

Come in.

Please.

I pay my respect to the Marquis.

What urgent matter brings you here, Eunuch?

And daring to enter a military camp

without authorization just to see me?

Marquis, this is tremendous good news!

His Majesty has issued a decree.

Marquis of Wu'an…

The Marquis need not kneel to hear it.

His Imperial Majesty decrees, "Heaven blesses our dynasty.

Now that the Chongzhou rebels have been vanquished

and the nation rejoices,

the marriage between the Grand Princess and the Marquis of Wu'an should be

-concluded sooner rather than later." -Eunuch, say no more.

Go back and tell the young emperor

that urgent matters prevent the Marquis

from receiving the decree.

Consider today's words never spoken.

And no one else here will breathe a word of it.

I wouldn't dare commit such an act of deceiving the emperor.

Besides, this is His Majesty's favor toward you, Marquis.

Just nod once, that's all it takes,

and I can return to the capital and report back to His Majesty.

But if I…

refuse to nod?

Refuse…

Marquis, are you saying you'd defy the decree?

I wouldn't dare deceive the emperor.

Defy the decree?

Marquis. What do you think you're doing?

Marquis of Wu'an…

Are you really plotting rebellion?

The Xie family has served Dayin loyally for a hundred years.

My father even earned the title of martyr.

I simply don't want to tarnish his name.

Go back and tell the young emperor,

if he doesn't want to sit on that throne,

I can easily find someone else to take his place.

Seventeen years ago,

Wei Yan helped him onto the dragon throne.

Today,

I can easily pull him down.

What?

Marquis of Wu'an,

do you realize you're threatening His Majesty?

Please, Marquis, don't kill me.

I'm just a messenger for the decree.

I merely wish for harmony between ruler and subject.

If you misreport my words,

don't let it jeopardize matters of state.

Thank you.

Thank you, Marquis, for sparing my life.

-It's… -Take it yourself.

Leave quickly!

Be gentle.

ARMED AND UNYIELDING

Xie Jiuheng.

Eunuch Li came here on imperial orders.

Cutting off his ear… That's practically slapping the emperor in the face.

What now?

Are we picking a fight with the court?

The young emperor is still playing the fool

under Wei Yan's thumb.

Does he dare pick a fight with me?

His Majesty sits at the throne since he was a child.

He has his authority usurped by Chancellor Wei all these years.

By now, he must be desperate for power.

I don't think he'll let this slide.

If he doesn't want to sit on that throne,

I can find someone else to take his place.

As it happens, I have been

considering deposing the emperor.

Depose the emperor?

Are you serious?

I know the Dayin court is too muddy to look at.

I know you don't want to serve such a worthless ruler.

But if

we support the imperial grandson now, give it a decade or two,

who's to say Yu Bao'er won't turn into another Qi Sheng?

What Yu Bao'er becomes in the future,

I don't know.

But I will never become another Wei Yan.

Alright. By the way,

aren't you heading back to Jizhou Yamen?

What for?

That Li Huai'an keeps visiting Mrs. Fan every other day.

You're really not worried?

Don't look at me like that.

They've already started calling each other brother and sister, building rapport.

And when she's vulnerable, he'll seize the opportunity.

-The most basic courtship tactic-- -Enough.

-You're the advanced one. Happy? -I…

Mind your own business.

Report!

Marquis,

Sui Yuanqing, with the remaining enemy from Chongzhou, is attacking us.

How many troops?

Just a few dozen soldiers,

charging the gate like madmen, with no reinforcements behind them.

Looks like they're here to die.

Xie Zheng!

Come out, you coward!

Let's settle this today.

Why put yourself through this, Young Heir?

Why come all this way just to die?

Save your false pity.

You and Fan Changyu killed my father.

If I don't avenge him,

I'm not fit to live.

Prepare to die!

CHONGZHOU

If he believes it, fine.

If not,

destroy the Eastern Palace seal on the spot.

It must never fall into anyone else's hands.

Rest assured, Master.

LADY YIN, PRINCESS CHANGXIN

Mother?

What brings you here so suddenly?

Why do you treat your brother this way?

Yuanqing said he wanted to avenge Father.

That's filial piety. I couldn't stop him.

Filial piety?

Then why don't you go fulfill it yourself?

I have to stay and take care of you, Mother.

You knew perfectly well the Marquis of Wu'an is hunting you everywhere.

Yet you still stirred up Yuanqing to avenge the prince.

How vicious.

Father never liked me.

And in your heart,

you always preferred Yuanqing too, didn't you?

He's my son.

Of course I prefer him.

Mother,

what do you mean by that?

What mother

doesn't recognize her own child?

After that fire 17 years ago,

I brought you back.

At first,

seeing you so disfigured, my heart ached.

But when I learned you weren't Yuanhuai, my heart ached even more.

So you knew all along.

Then,

why didn't you expose me right then and there?

You were just

a small child then,

disfigured by the Crown Princess just to stay alive.

While recovering in Changxin Manor,

you were so pitiful,

crying every day for your mother.

It softened my heart.

I thought,

since heaven let you live in my son's place, then let you live well.

Consider it good karma for my Yuanhuai, who died poorly and unjustly.

But I was wrong.

I thought you were just a lost dog.

Never imagined you were a starving wolf.

The greatest regret of my life

is taking a viper for a son,

becoming a mother to someone so venomous.

I am Qi Min, the Crown Prince's grandson of the Eastern Palace.

Isn't being my mother

good enough for you?

I only have

Yuanqing and Yuanhuai as my sons.

You…

didn't deserve it!

Don't think that just because you were kind to me,

I wouldn't dare kill you.

I… I gave you a chance.

But don't worry.

Xie Zheng will soon send Sui Yuanqing

to your side to fulfill his filial duty.

-Take her body. It might still be useful. -Yes, sir.

HE

Come in.

Fan,

is it true your husband's going to be the prince consort?

I thought Li Menkan was marrying the princess.

Swapping grooms at the last minute for something this big? Really?

I don't want to talk about this.

Alright.

You asked me to look into Sui Yuanhuai. I found something.

Word is, tonight they're sending out a large force.

Probably a massive manhunt for that bastard.

That traitor's crafty,

slyer than a fox, sneakier than a weasel.

Even the troops your husband…

I mean Marquis of Wu'an

sent before, he's fooled them multiple times.

He's muddying the waters.

When we're tired of searching, he'll slip away.

So he's the son of some crown prince?

He could've…

could've been the emperor?

He could have been, once.

If he was so noble,

why would he pretend to be Sui Yuanhuai?

You've watched plenty of puppet plays. You see it all the time, don't you?

Those nobles and lords, scheming and fighting day in and day out.

It's all just greed for the throne and the power, like flies after meat.

Fan, what are you looking at?

Qian once said

he's terrified of fire,

won't even light a lamp at night.

If that's the case,

we can look for houses that should have lamps lit

but are pitch black.

That narrows down the search.

Why are you so set on finding him, though?

Just to get even for Ms. Yu?

You wouldn't understand. That man…

might be connected to something huge.

He once showed me a tiger tally.

Said it had something to do with the Jinzhou tragedy.

It's connected to Jinzhou?

Then Yan Zheng must really want to catch him

and get some answers.

Take my token. Tell them there's an operation tonight.

Good training for our squad.

Got it.

-Someone's inside. Circle around. -Okay.

GRACE IN HEART, PURITY IN FORM

Throat's been cut. Looks like he's been dead a while.

How did he die?

Keep searching. See if he has a tiger tally on him.

What tiger?

The tiger tally, like in the operas. Just search him.

Okay.

Captain Fan Changyu pays her respects to the Marquis.

Jin Changsheng pays his respects to Prince Consort.

One more word and you're transferred to the kitchen brigade.

Yes, Prince Consort.

I'm going, Prince Consort.

Sui Yuanhuai is dead.

That trail… is gone cold.

Sui Yuanhuai just died like that?

Looks a lot like Sui Yuanhuai.

All the evidence

points to him being dead.

But the more proof we have, the more suspicious it gets.

Have Zhao Xun come identify him personally.

Either way,

in this world, Sui Yuanhuai no longer exists.

For years, there have been rumors

that Wei Yan held the tiger tally by imperial order, seeking reinforcements

to break the siege at Jinzhou.

But on the way, he suddenly turned back to the capital,

delaying the rescue.

Back then, Wei Qilin was transporting grain but suddenly diverted to Chongzhou.

Wei Yan must have ordered him to use the tiger tally

to mobilize troops there.

Yet in the end,

Prince Changxin never sent troops,

and the grain was delayed,

and no one knows why.

If Prince Changxin saw the tiger tally back then

but claimed it was fake and refused to send troops…

That would mean Wei Qilin was truly wronged.

Seems like…

we're getting closer to the truth

about the Jinzhou tragedy.

If only we could find that tiger tally.

I searched Prince Changxin's belongings,

even Sui Yuanqing's personal belongings.

Nothing.

That Sui Yuanqing

would rather be tortured than tell us where the tally is.

He even had the nerve to mock me.

I should've let Mrs. Fan cut him down with one blow.

Marquis,

Zhao Xun has examined the body.

As you suspected,

the dead man isn't Sui Yuanhuai.

It's a double raised by Nanny Lan.

Not only does this double look like him,

every single burn scar on his body was meticulously replicated.

And the woman who died in the manor, has her identity been confirmed?

Zhao Xun identified her.

It's indeed Princess Changxin.

Killed his own foster mother just to save himself.

To catch Sui Yuanhuai… No,

time to call him by his real name.

To catch Qi Min,

we'll need other leads.

Anything else?

All leads are dead ends.

Strange thing is,

every time we close in,

it's like they're ready for us.

I suspect he's got eyes inside the command.

Looks like someone's being used as a pawn,

and they still think they're fighting for justice.

Marquis, what's our next move?

Take Zhao Xun to see Sui Yuanqing.

Bring him the news of Princess Changxin's death.

First squad, left. Second squad, right.

Spread out in a fan formation.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Check the bushes and rocks.

Copy that.Turn everything over. Leave no spot untouched.

-Let's move. -Check over there.

Nothing here.

Over there.

Follow me.

Master, it's the Xie army.

Sui Yuanqing wasn't enough.

Looks like the Marquis

won't stop until he has my head.

How's Madam's whereabouts?

No sign of her yet.

Master, the Li family took plenty from us,

and still no sign of their support.

They're letting the Marquis hunt us down.

You don't think they've turned on us?

If the Li family had turned,

we'd have been captured long ago.

But for being grandfather and grandson,

Grand Tutor Li and Li Huai'an really aren't on the same page.

Almost time now.

He should be here soon,

if he believed me.

Master.

With Grand Tutor Li's help,

I'm most pleased.

-I need to tell you something. -I don't want to hear it.

I just want you to know.

Anyone in this world can be a prince consort.

But I, Xie Zheng, will not.

I already married into your family.

I belong only to Fan Changyu.

For this lifetime,

my heart is yours alone.

You…

Can you stop being so good to me?

The kinder you are,

the more uneasy I feel.

Is it because of who you are?

You know?

I saw that letter.

I know he was your father.

I also know what you're afraid of.

But I want you to know.

I'll keep investigating,

until I find the truth.

And on this path,

I want to be by your side.

But Sui Yuanhuai is dead.

What if the truth isn't what we think?

That's the second thing

I wanted to tell you.

I'm planning

to release Sui Yuanqing.

What?

-You may go. -Yes.

Young Heir.

Zhao Xun.

You traitor!

You betrayed my big brother!

Young Heir.

It was your brother who betrayed you.

A traitor.

Seeing that my big brother has already escaped,

you want to coax a confession for the Marquis

and drive a wedge between us brothers.

Save your breath.

Even if I can't kill you today,

my brother will avenge me soon enough.

And Princess Changxin's death, who will avenge her?

Mother is dead?

Marquis of Wu'an!

Some hero you are,

laying hands on a woman!

The one who killed the princess wasn't the Marquis of Wu'an.

It was Sui Yuanhuai.

No.

We should call him Qi Min.

Who?

All these years,

your dear elder brother,

he isn't Sui Yuanhuai.

He's Qi Min,

the former Eastern Palace grandson, killed by Prince Changxin.

The real Sui Yuanhuai

died 17 years ago,

in that fire at the Eastern Palace.

No.

Impossible.

You're just using me to go after my brother.

Young Heir,

wake up.

Qi Min killed the princess to fake his own death and escape.

He's already reclaimed his identity as the imperial grandson.

He's Qi Min, the one who destroyed your family and left Changxin Manor in ruins.

No…

It's not like that.

It's not like that.

Aren't you my brother's lackey?

Why are you telling me this?

That's right.

I used to follow Qi Min,

but that was for the sake of the true imperial line.

He is brutal in his nature.

He's unfit to inherit the throne.

I was forced

to turn to the Marquis of Wu'an.

Sui Yuanhuai…

No…

Qi Min.

I'll tear you limb from limb.

Avenge my father and mother!

Young Heir.

I can let you go.

Let me go?

Why?

My mother, Nanny Lan,

raised Qi Min for years

and died by his hand.

I only regret I'm not strong enough.

If you can eliminate Qi Min,

both our vendettas will be settled.

You're nothing but a lackey.

But if you let me go,

I'll give you what you want.

Young Heir, this way.

You really think he can find Qi Min?

They've been brothers all these years.

He'll find a way.

19TH DAY, 7TH MONTH 17TH YEAR OF ZHENGPING

Sui Yuanqing escaped from prison.

What?

Get this to the post officer. Send it to the capital now. No delays.

Yes, sir.

YAMEN

NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS EPISODE

Subtitle translation by: Wanjiao Song