Original subtitles

(Guardians of the Dafeng)

(Episode 14)

No. 1, No. 3,

have you guys discovered my location?

Is anyone there?

Why are you causing a commotion in the middle of the night?

What happened?

Master,

they found Anji Abode.

What?

What's the situation over there?

Do you require any aid?

No need for that.

My identity hasn't been discovered yet.

What are you guys talking about?

What is Anji Abode?

Anji Abode is an abandoned abode located on the east side of the city.

I sent all the children I'd saved to that abode.

It has been barely surviving all these years.

The retired clerks who had nowhere to go

and a group of homeless children and elderly people are all there.

But today,

the imperial court was suddenly remembered the place.

Clean the place up.

Shift that rack.

You guys!

Reverend, we're repairing the abode.

Please excuse us.

I'm here to help.

Clean the place up.

Sweep the top part as well.

I thought they were targeting me.

I thought they wanted to arrest and interrogate the people there.

But...

But they actually repaired and cleaned the courtyard.

They also repaid the debt we had incurred over the years.

The retired clerks visited the Ministry of Revenue several times,

but they were all chased out.

I knew

that they wouldn't approve our request for monetary aid

if there weren't any special reasons behind it.

I see.

No. 1, you're in the capital. Was it your work?

It wasn't me.

It wasn't you?

I'm sure No. 4 wouldn't do such a kind deed.

It's not No. 4.

It's not No. 1 or No. 4, huh?

If so, the only person remaining in the capital...

No. 3.

You guys are overestimating me.

I'm not influential enough to influence the imperial court.

Stay out of this case.

I'll send someone else to investigate it.

Could it be Lord Wei?

Foster Father, we've dealt with Anji Abode.

The Night Guardians didn't show up.

We got the repair personnel of Ministry of Works to help them out.

Great job.

Foster Father, why are you doing this for Anji Abode?

Could this be related to Court Ping Yuan's assassination?

It's just a shelter for the homeless.

There's one more thing, Yang Yan.

Yes, My Lord.

Leave this to Li Yu Chun.

Do you understand why I'm doing this?

Yes, My Lord.

Boss.

Are we distributing the supplies or not?

You scoundrels.

To think that I thought you guys were kind Samaritans.

Fools who can't differentiate between good and evil,

stop pretending.

I'll tell you guys this.

It's either you guys give us Magistrate Liu back

or

Get the heck away from us!

Scram!

The Night Guardians are fulfilling their duties! Do not obstruct us!

Come and arrest me, then.

Come on!

Arrest me!

- Arrest me! - Arrest me!

Arrest me!

Don't do it.

(Waigou Village)

What a waste of these buns.

It's not the first time anyway. At least our conscience is clear.

Boss, do you want some buns?

What buns? I'm being serious here.

Go away.

The magistrate of Taikang County was arrested.

I thought Lord Wei would spare him.

He's doing this for a reason.

You once reminded me that Mount Dahuang had heavy taxes and levies.

Once it's reported to the imperial court, the people's lives will worsen.

You persuaded me to make a plea for the magistrate.

Guess what

Lord Wei said?

What did he say?

There are saltpeter mines in Mount Dahuang.

How did the Kui Tribe find out?

It's right under the Night Guardians' nose as well.

Are you saying

that someone is colluding with the Kui Tribe?

Mount Dahuang is under Taikang County's jurisdiction.

The magistrate didn't report it to cover the Kui Tribe's tracks.

So, the magistrate is the Kui Tribe's spy.

We've already handed him to Jingzhao Prefecture. He's under interrogation.

However, Miss Chu already saw through his collusion

with the Kui Tribe.

And, it's all thanks to Lord Wei.

This is interesting.

What do you mean?

Lord Wei despises evil.

But he's also generous and charitable.

He dresses himself plainly,

loves to brew tea, study, and play chess.

He doesn't look like someone in a position of power.

However, he's meticulous

and very observant.

I heard that he doesn't know any martial arts.

A person like him is in charge of the Night Guardians and the Censorate.

This is perplexing indeed.

Is that truly how you see Lord Wei?

From my perspective,

I view him in a totally different light.

In the past, Lord Wei could rule with his intellect

and quell chaos with his prowess.

His battle level was immeasurable.

No one even knew about his battle rank.

Don't fall behind.

For the victory at Linyuan Pass 19 years ago,

as the commander-in-chief of the three armies,

he only spent a few months

defeated the fierce and seemingly invincible northern Kui Tribe

and Demon Tribe.

Fire!

During that battle,

Lord Wei has achieved unparalleled accomplishments.

Not only did he save Dafeng,

but he was also known as Dafeng's God of War.

Many of the high-ranking martial artists in Dafeng right now

were under Lord Wei's lead since then.

All of them were guided by him before they could grow this powerful.

So,

you guys understand now, right?

Excellent!

I've only heard about the Lord of the North's heroic tales in the past.

Now, it looks like Lord Wei is much more formidable.

But how did Lord Wei lose all of his power?

Not long after Lord Wei established the Night Guardians,

he discarded all of his powers.

But why?

Nobody knows.

Nobody talks about it either.

He's rather avoidant about the topic as well.

Therefore, you shouldn't talk about it either.

Isn't that the constable who joined us in Mount Dahuang?

Isn't he from the Jingyao Prefecture?

Lord Xu, I've finally found you. Miss Chu is looking for you.

Chu Cai Wei?

That's right.

Did you murder him?

No.

You all may go.

Next batch.

Did you murder him?

Not me.

You all may go.

Miss Chu, Lord Xu is here.

Xu Qi An, you're finally here.

Wait. What's going on?

It's all your fault.

It's all because of your stupid "slacking off" skill.

"Slacking off"?

What has this got to do with the case?

I used your "slacking off" skill.

I used it as an excuse to skip the yamen's attendance.

Chen Han Guang agreed to it on the spot.

- Isn't that great? - What are you saying?

Chen Han Guang, that scum.

He said I didn't need to go to the yamen.

He said I should handle all the field cases.

But in reality,

handling all the field cases means

that I have to review all the people involved in the cases with

my Qi Observation.

It's fine if it's only a few people.

But look outside the door.

There are hundreds of related personnel.

I've been observing them with my technique

for days and nights.

I'm starting to get dizzy because of that.

Oh yeah.

Qi Observation could be used in such a way, huh?

Why haven't I thought of that?

I don't care.

I'm tired of this.

Since you're here, I'll leave the case to you.

Look.

The victim is Liu Han.

He's a small banner officer guarding the city gate.

He was murdered at midnight last night.

He died at his desk.

Everything was intact.

He didn't lose any of his money or possessions.

The doors and windows weren't broken down as well.

It's likely that his acquaintance committed the murder.

He was seated upright.

Judging from the head's angle of elevation,

he died instantly without any struggle.

Seems like not only does the victim know the murderer,

but it's also someone the victim fears or reveres.

How did you find that out?

Ordinary people will sit in a relaxing manner

when they're in their study room.

They won't be seated upright

unless there's someone authoritative in front of them.

You have a point.

The case file also stated that no one visited him last night

and that he didn't make any enemies lately.

Maybe

we have to question Liu Han's direct superior.

Liu Han's superior is Jinwu Guards' Hundred-Commander.

He should be outside.

- Tell him to come in. - All right.

Hopefully, this is the last suspect.

Hundred-Commander Zhou, I have a question.

Is Liu Han your subordinate?

Indeed.

Has he been acting strange lately?

No.

During his time guarding the imperial city,

were there any suspicious individuals or items that entered the city?

No.

Could it be that no one discovered them?

Plenty of troops are guarding the imperial city.

It's pointless to only bribe one guard.

It won't work unless all of the guards are bribed.

But what if they bribed you?

What do you mean by that?

Hundred-Commander Zhou, this is just a routine question.

Please cooperate with us.

I didn't accept any bribes.

Aren't you one of the Night Guardians?

You may investigate me if you don't trust me.

I, Zhou Chi Xiong, have never done anything heinous or sinister.

Do you have any other questions?

I have matters to attend to at my station.

If there's nothing else, I'll make a move first.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Are you sure he didn't lie?

I'm very sure of it.

This shouldn't be.

Could it be that I'm overthinking it?

Miss Chu,

there are over 180 people outside awaiting their interrogation.

Should we continue?

What?

I have matters to attend to. I'll stop bothering you.

What do you mean?

Are you trying to run away?

You taught me this. It's the 7th technique of the "slacking off" skill.

You can't just leave me in the lurch.

If this keeps up, I'm going to go blind.

Help me out, okay?

Have you ever heard of

an eye exercise?

Six, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Seven, two...

Close your eyes.

Three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

I do feel refreshed.

Perseverance is the key here.

If you do it once in the morning and once in the evening,

each for a quarter of an hour, it will surely improve your vision.

This is an excellent exercise.

Do you have any other exercises?

I'll promote them to the guys at the Astronomical Bureau.

There's also the last part.

It's called massaging the temples and scraping around the eye sockets.

Put your thumbs on your temples.

Scrape around your eye sockets with your index finger.

Top to bottom.

Alternate it.

Buddy, be gentle. It can kill you, you know?

Be gentle. Be gentle when massaging your temples.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Three, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Sangbo Festival is also known as Xuanwuhu Festival during ancient times.

It is said that the founding emperor of Dafeng once obtained a divine sword

at this very spot.

He meditated in the lake for three years with the sword,

coming out of his retreat after that.

With the divine sword in hand, he regrouped his men.

After that, he won every battle he was involved in.

Ultimately, he toppled the previous dynasty and unified the Central Plains.

This is the place where the founding emperor attained enlightenment

and the source of the livelihood for the millions of people of Dafeng.

Dafeng established its capital near Sangbo.

The descendants enshrined the teachings of the sages at the lake's center.

It implies eternal stability and rule.

That's the origin of the Sangbo Festival.

Every descendant takes pride in the festival.

It's the legend of the imperial city that was passed down for generations.

Ning Yan, have you not heard of it?

You don't know anything, do you?

Are you done?

Don't stop. Tell us something else.

If not, I'm going to fall asleep.

The Sangbo Ceremony holds extraordinary symbolic significance.

Therefore, His Majesty will personally lead the royal family

and the ministers of the court to complete the ceremony.

- I'm done. - Continue.

Continue.

We Night Guardians

protect the royal family in the dark.

It may sound risky, but it's a safe job.

There are over two digits

of martial arts experts above Rank Four today.

Take care not to fall.

Why are you so weak?

What's wrong with you for the past few days?

You look sleepy all the time.

Did you visit the Imperial Music Bureau in secret?

That's not it.

Lord Wei said I'm caught in a plateau in the Qi Refining Realm.

I can only consolidate my realm

by not sleeping and trying to break my limits.

Spirit Refining Realm?

What? You're at the Spirit Refining Realm already?

For some reason, there's a strong feeling inside me.

I can't take it anymore.

- But... - Hey, you're super talkative.

Talk to him. Chat with him.

You see, I...

The Sangbo Lake has impeccable views.

The water is deep, and there are plenty of fish.

- What should I say? - Keep on talking.

I... Ning Yan?

(Emperor Yuanjing)

(Empress)

(There are only two princesses in the royal family of Dafeng.)

(If so, she must be Lin An.)

Your Highness, over there.

Don't interrupt me.

Look over there.

What is he doing here?

- Hurry and chase him away. - Okay.

Her Highness has ordered you three to watch over this area.

Do not leave the area.

Her Highness?

Why is Her Highness giving us orders?

What does she want us to guard here?

The mausoleum?

(Could it be that Lin An is trying)

(to pick on me because she failed to recruit me?)

(She's petty indeed.)

(Consort of Prince Yu)

Lin An.

Aunt.

It's been a long time since you visited me.

The pomegranates in our residence are ripe, but no one is enjoying them.

Have you received any news

of Ping Yang lately?

Ping Yang

did update me about her progress a few days ago.

She said everything was fine.

She hoped that you wouldn't worry about her.

I'm glad to hear that.

I'm glad to hear that.

Aunt, Father is going to host the ceremony now.

Lin An, visit me when you're free, okay?

The ceremony is over.

Greet His Majesty!

The vastness of Heaven and the embrace of Earth,

the four corners of the primal world.

The grandeur of Dafeng,

boundless and infinite.

Only I, with utmost sincerity,

hope that all fields soar.

The waters of the rivers flow ceaselessly.

May the glory of our ruler last eternally!

I've never seen such a spectacle even in my past life.

It's a shame that we're too far away.

We can't see the details.

You're right.

(I remember the royal family of Dafeng will honor their ancestors today.)

(No. 1, No. 3, am I right?)

Looking at the calendar,

today is indeed their ancestral ceremony.

No. 1 isn't online.

And, No. 3 isn't online as well.

This is interesting.

(This is bad.)

(No. 2 is trying to test me.)

(But No. 1 isn't replying to her as well.)

(Is she here as well?)

(Who could she be?)

Help me!

Help me!

Did you guys hear anything strange just now?

Do you mean the tune they played during the ceremony?

It did sound quite overwhelming

and deafening.

Help me!

Help me!

Ning Yan, don't.

- Can they see us? - Don't.

Stand properly. If not, we'll be reprimanded again.

Foster Father, there's a situation over there.

Wait. Did you guys not hear that at all?

No, we didn't hear anything.

I'm sure you visited the Imperial Music Bureau behind our backs.

You're so tired that you're hallucinating.

Help me!

There's a sound. Listen closely.

Wait. Stop looking around.

The rivers encompass all things!

- Your Majesty! - Protect His Majesty!

Protect His Majesty!

Yang Yan!

Protect the empress.

Lin An!

Hurry! Protect His Majesty!

Your Highness, let's go! Your Highness!

Be careful!

Your Highness.

Your Highness, are you okay?

- Your Highness. - Your Highness?

I, Xu Qi An, am here to protect you.

Your Highness, are you okay?

I'm okay.

What are you doing here? Leave immediately.

Hurry and leave.

Yes, Your Highness.

Are you Xu Qi An?

Indeed. You must be...

Silence!

Your Majesty,

I was negligent in my duties.

No one is to enter.

Yes, Your Majesty.

So what if you're Rank One?

You should have had a long life.

You were still burdened by the earthly fate.

You only lived a few more years than ordinary people.

I ascended the throne when I was 20.

I only secured the throne

by defeating all of my enemies.

No one could compete with me.

But in the end, I realized

that my biggest enemy

was time itself.

Your Majesty.

Continue the ancestral ceremony.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Continue the ancestral ceremony!

Your Highness, the ceremony is already over.

Where are we going?

Don't ask so many questions.

You'll know when you're there.

Okay.

Wait, this is...

Leave now.

Wait. Your Highness, what do you mean by this?

Did I do something wrong

for you to take me to an isolated place like this?

Lin An is interested in you. I don't want her to be in contact with you.

Even so, you didn't need to take me this far away.

If not, she'll catch up to us.

Coachman, let's go.

This is Moon Fragrance.

The fragrance represents me.

Moon Fragrance will keep you company

on my behalf.

Shangguan Xi Xue,

you're the future empress! How could you do this?

- Father? - Someone!

Take him away! Bring Young Lady away from this place!

Xue?

- Xue! - No!

Xue!

Foster Father.

Foster Father.

All of the texts related to the Sangbo Lake are here.

Did something happen?

It's nothing.

The divine sword within Mount Yongzhen's river temple has been awakened.

It has now fallen silent once again.

Emperor Yuanjing entered the temple for a quarter of an hour.

No one knew what he did.

After that, he proceeded with the ceremony.

No. 1, you were there indeed.

Before the sword energy soared into the sky,

I saw a demonic aura gathering at Sangbo.

I sensed that as well.

However, it only lasted for a brief moment.

So, that means

a great demon or a practitioner of the demonic art

approached the capital during the ceremony.

The Divine Conqueror Sword was awakened in response to his presence,

scaring off the assailant.

But the Imperial Astronomer is guarding the capital.

Who's daring enough to attack the capital?

Maybe no one tried to assault the capital.

Maybe Sangbo is hiding a dark secret.

No. 3, why do you say so?

There's a friend of mine.

He heard a call for help under the lake.

Could it be that something is hiding underneath the Sangbo Lake?

No. 1, you're from Dafeng.

Did it remind you of anything?

Impossible.

If that were the case,

I would've received news about it.

No. 1 is an important figure in the imperial court.

If so, that means

only the royal family...

No. Maybe Emperor Yuanjing is the only one who knows about it.

I'll try to investigate the case.

I think I know what's going on.

Is there a secret under Sangbo Lake?

This isn't something you guys should know.

Forget about what happened today.

Do not investigate it.

Do not discuss it in private.

- Yes, Foster Father. - Yes, sir.

Your Highness, it's been some days since Princess Lin An tried to recruit

Xu Qi An under the guise of your name.

I don't understand.

Why didn't you expose her in public?

She can do whatever she likes.

Are there any movements from Lord Wei's side?

He sent Yang Yan to the Astronomical Bureau after the ceremony.

However, the Imperial Astronomer refused him, saying that he was sick.

Both Yang Yan and Eunuch Yang, who was sent by His Majesty,

failed to enter the Imperial Observatory.

Your Highness, what should we do next?

Continue to keep an eye on Sangbo Lake,

especially the Imperial Observatory.

Report to me immediately if you find anything strange.

- Understood. - Have you guys come up with a solution?

If not, keep thinking.

Shut up if you can't come up with a solution.

You guys have been bickering for some time.

Have you guys come up with a solution?

Shut up.

Your Highness, don't panic.

Haven't we covered up the incident today?

Although we were safe today,

Huai Qing is very intelligent.

She'll see through me eventually.

And, many people witnessed our conversation today.

If anyone tries to question him,

my identity will be exposed.

It's fine even if we can't cover it up.

At most, let's find another poet.

No.

We can't afford to let him go.

Your Highness,

don't tell me you fell for Copper Guardian Xu?

Me? Falling for him?

He's just a Copper Guardian.

But me?

I'm the eldest princess of Dafeng.

Is that so?

But why did you cling on to him

when he rescued you today?

- How dare you mock me? - I dare not do so.

Hurry and think of a solution. Stop staring.

Your Highness, I have a solution.

I can make him swear loyalty to you.

However, the solution is kind of...

Hurry and tell me. Don't keep me in suspense.

Make him your consort.

Make him my consort?