Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Destined]

[Episode 32]

Zhou Ye used the military intelligence network

of his eldest brother and second brother

to find

the staff who gave a false testimony.

Are you the staff of Lefeng Restaurant,

Zhao Xiaohe?

Giving a false testimony

to slander an imperial official

would be punished with a beheading.

He indeed took money from the Ministry of Justice

and was about to escape.

Here.

Young Master Ye and Shen Ming

found this

in the room where Liu Chun got killed.

The bloody fingerprint on the curtain

might have been left

by Liu Chun when he was murdered.

Do you recognize the mark?

Who is this person?

This is a serious matter.

I want to see His Majesty.

Only His Majesty

can handle this matter properly.

Okay.

Jiusi.

I will get you out of here.

I, Gu Jiusi,

must have cultivated blessings for several lifetimes

to marry such a good wife

who has developed our ancestral business

and dashed around for me.

Jiusi.

I idealized everything

and underestimated the difficulty.

At first, I thought

I could focus on making money to pave the way

for you to serve the people.

But after we came to Eastern Capital,

many incidents happened at the same time.

♫ The night is dark and the moon is shining ♫

Then, I realized that

our power is too undersized

♫ Lovers are longing for one another ♫

and too little.

♫ All of a sudden, my old friend is nowhere to be seen ♫

But we managed to

overcome it step by step.

♫ How much do we know about love? ♫

Trust me.

After I see His Majesty,

♫ The wind blows and the beauty smiles ♫

the matter will come to an end.

♫ Fate is like a carving knife ♫

♫ I don't ask, I don't tell, I'm done with grudges ♫

Jiusi.

We will surely be safe and sound.

♫ The road ahead is still far away ♫

♫ Only your embrace is left in the world ♫

I'm leaving.

♫ Till forever ♫

♫ I'm stuck in this mortal world, restricting myself to it ♫

♫ You and I are isolated islands ♫

♫ I can only rely on you in the world ♫

♫ Love and hatred are like birds of prey ♫

Why did you lie to her?

Why did you say that, Uncle?

You made her think that

once you present the token of the murderer,

you can clear your name.

That should be the case.

Jiusi,

you've contributed to throning the Emperor.

You're also an upright and loyal official.

His Majesty knows that clearly.

Fan Xuan does admire you.

But even with admiration, what if

you are compared with

the Crown Prince,

who is his own

flesh and blood?

Who will he choose?

There are many smart people in the world.

Intelligent young people

always say their ideas out loud.

When they get older,

they will then realize

the real intelligence

is to be reticent about what they know.

So you mean...

If you keep the item,

you will have a chance to survive.

But if you present it to His Majesty,

you will die for sure.

But I believe His Majesty is wise enough.

He will judge impartially.

Wise enough?

I've been an official for more than ten years.

I've witnessed a lot of absurd happenings.

Why do you think

I could become the Minister of Personnel during the previous dynasty?

It was because I was ridiculous enough.

Maybe Fan Xuan is a good person.

But anyone

involved in the whirlpool of power

in Eastern Capital

can't act as they wish.

The Emperor is different from the Commissioner.

The Emperor needs a successor

to balance all forces

so that

Da Xia which has been covered with mud

can keep on operating.

His Majesty needs to compromise

and tolerate so much.

But now you are locked here,

isn't that caused by

you speculating about the Emperor's intention?

Before Lord Liang rebelled,

I had resigned, left the capital

and cut ties with him.

But the Jiang family is closely related to Lord Liang.

No matter who

took over Eastern Capital,

I would surely be treated as his accomplice.

Even Fan Xuan is no exception.

Now that you have been

acknowledged and valued by Fan Xuan,

you should clearly realize that

from now on,

you have to cut ties with me

and not have any contact,

in case the Emperor gets suspicious.

As for the Imperial Prison,

it turns out to be the safest place

for me.

Do you understand?

Uncle,

have you reconciled to it?

You have great ambition

and literacy talent

but nowhere to show.

Do you really accept it?

Jiusi.

Look at you.

What's the point

of saying this now?

If His Majesty summons me,

I will ask for his permission for you to return to the court.

Although you can't be regarded as reinstated,

at least you won't waste your talent.

After all, you still trust Fan Xuan.

Uncle,

do you remember

the first time I went to the gambling house when I was young,

you took me there?

Do you dare to bet

one more time?

You're betting your life on it.

I've been betting

all the way I came through.

But I won

the best wife in the world.

I won

reliable and trustworthy friends.

I also won 300,000 lives

of people in Wangdu.

This time,

I bet His Majesty is a wise emperor.

I bet Da Xia won't

make the same mistake as the previous dynasty.

I believe Da Xia

will be a

new empire

built with fairness and justice.

[Institute of Inspection]

Who is she?

I think she's from the Gu family.

Gu family?

Which Gu family?

The same family as the Deputy Minister of Revenue

who killed somebody and was imprisoned.

Was he wronged?

Who knows? Let's take a look.

Who's beating the drum?

I, Gu-Liu Yuru,

want to see the Emperor

and clear my husband's name.

I see. It's Madam Gu.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Her Highness?

Why did the Princess come for it?

Are you here

for Deputy Minister Gu?

Don't worry.

Since I bumped into you today,

I will make sure the Investigating Censor

deal with the matter impartially.

Come with me.

[Institute of Inspection]

[Institute of Inspection]

It must be a big deal.

Even the Princess is here.

Yes.

I send my regards to you,

Your Highness.

Rise.

Who

is kneeling down there?

I, Gu-Liu Yuru,

am the wife of Gu Jiusi, the Deputy Minister of Revenue.

Why did you beat the drum?

I want to bring accusations before the Emperor.

My husband was framed by a villain.

He is innocent but is now in prison.

Sir, please report to His Majesty.

I would like to hand over the evidence

to His Majesty personally.

What evidence makes

you can't submit it directly?

Sir, I would like to know

if you will address the case.

If you intend to address it,

I will submit the evidence.

Then, you should do so.

Hold on.

Your Highness.

I am not qualified enough

to handle the case.

If so, you should ask Madam Gu

to go somewhere else so the case can be handled.

You should

follow the rules.

Sir,

according to the law,

Dengwen Drum is located

at the Institute of Inspection

so that Investigating Censor

can deal with the grievance of the people.

Once someone beats Dengwen Drum,

their appeal will be passed to His Majesty.

I want to clear my husband's name.

So I hit the Dengwen Drum

to see the Emperor.

May I ask

why it is against the rules?

Yes, it makes sense.

Why can't she do so?

Why is it against the rules?

Come on.

Moreover, Your Highness,

as a princess,

may I ask what position you are holding

to meddle in the affairs

in Institute of Inspection?

Now you are sitting there,

which of the rules does it comply with?

Madam Gu is indeed familiar with the Law of Da Xia.

If so, do you know

according to the law,

after beating the Dengwen Drum and asking to meet the Emperor,

a man needs to be flogged 30 times first,

while a woman needs to be punished by finger crushing?

Madam Gu,

are you willing to be punished?

Finger crushing?

This is too...

How can a weak woman

stand it?

As far as I know,

this is the law of the previous dynasty.

A new dynasty comes with new policies.

His Majesty pitied the people

and has decreed

to revise the law

and abolish this rule.

Has the revision finished yet?

As long as the new law is not issued,

the old law can still be followed.

Investigating Censor,

am I right?

Yes.

Madam Gu.

How about...

forget it?

That's right.

You should go back, Madam Gu.

You can't simply bring accusations before the Emperor.

Are you here today

prepared to be punished?

I don't think so.

Finger crushing is painful.

You look beautiful today.

If you are punished later,

you'll look ugly.

What you're trying to do

is just useless.

You can't save Jiusi.

He

shouldn't have

married an ordinary woman.

Sir.

I

am willing to accept the punishment of finger crushing.

How much grievance she has to do so?

Please tell His Majesty

about the hidden truth of the case.

Gu Jiusi has become

the Deputy Minister of Revenue

at such a young age.

In terms of scheming and judging the situation,

he's an expert.

Do you really think

he's pure and innocent deep inside?

Do you believe that

he has no wrongdoing at all

and he has nothing to do with this case?

I believe.

You can punish her now.

Yes.

[Order]

Execute!

Wait!

[Silence]

Grand Tutor Luo.

Greetings, Grand Tutor Luo.

Liu Yuru.

Gu Jiusi is not worth

you striving

and even risking your life.

I trust him.

I trust my husband.

He is impartial and selfless.

I trust my husband

has lived up to His Majesty's grace

and the people's expectations.

My husband

is a dignified official.

Sir.

Please execute the punishment.

Okay.

Execute!

♫It's like a dream♫

♫Feelings of lovesickness♫

I feel pain even if I'm just looking at it.

Madam Gu

♫Love once begun, will never end♫

should have felt very much grievance

to be willing to suffer like this.

♫Spring breeze passing by♫

♫Like the smile of youth on your face♫

♫Drops of lovesickness immersed in days and nights♫

♫Nowhere to be found♫

♫You once said I'm heartless♫

♫I didn't know I couldn't stop missing you♫

♫Love once begun, will never end♫

♫Follow you everywhere you go♫

Looks like Mr. Gu was wronged.

♫Days and nights, I can't help myself♫

He must have been a good official.

Otherwise, how would his wife

♫What is love and what is anticipation♫

be willing to suffer

such a heavy punishment?

He must have been a good official.

♫Our hearts collide♫

Yes.

♫If only one person understands the hopes I wouldn't give up♫

♫You are the one I hold on to♫

♫If only one person can get me through the storm♫

♫You're the home I come back to♫

♫If only one person can protect me through the long nights♫

♫You're the peace of my life♫

♫Hoping the hands that I'm holding tight are yours♫

♫If I can make a wish, I hope we can be like this for the rest of our lives♫

How is it?

Madam Gu's hands...

♫You once said I'm heartless♫

♫I didn't know I couldn't stop missing you♫

♫Love once begun, will never end♫

♫Follow you everywhere you go♫

♫Days and nights, I can't help myself♫

♫What is love and what is anticipation♫

♫Our hearts collide♫

♫If only one person understands the hopes I wouldn't give up♫

♫You are the one I hold on to♫

♫If only one person can get me through the storm♫

[Wise and Honest]

♫You're the home I come back to♫

Sir.

♫If only one person can protect me through the long nights♫

Please

♫You're the peace of my life♫

take me to the gate of the palace.

♫Hoping the hands that I'm holding tight are yours♫

I'll wait

for the Emperor's summon

there.

♫If only one person understands the hopes I wouldn't give up♫

♫You are the one I hold on to♫

♫If only one person can get me through the storm♫

♫You're the home I come back to♫

♫If only one person can protect me through the long nights♫

♫You're the peace of my life♫

♫Hoping the hands that I'm holding tight are yours♫

Guards!

Get the carriage ready.

Yes

♫If I can make a wish, I hope we can be like this for the rest of our lives♫

[Prosperity Blessed by God]

Greetings,

Your Majesty.

Yuru.

How did you get hurt like this?

Rise.

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

I

beat the Dengwen Drum

to bring accusations before you

so I had to be punished with finger crushing.

I lost my manners due to the punishment.

Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

Guards.

Give her a seat.

[Prosperity Blessed by God]

Thank you, Your Majesty.

When we were in Wangdu,

it was easy for you

to see me.

Now that I'm in Eastern Capital,

how come it is so hard

for you to see me?

Your Majesty is the Emperor now.

Yuru,

you came to see me

to plead for Jiusi, right?

Your Majesty,

if it were just for pleading,

I wouldn't have to

pay such a great effort.

The calamity faced by Jiusi

was caused by the treasury.

I beat the drum and hoped to clear his name

by seeing you.

Firstly, I want to

present the evidence

that shows the Deputy Minister of Revenue, Liu Chun,

colluded with his accomplices

and embezzled the money

to Your Majesty.

Secondly, I'm here to beg Your Majesty

to interrogate my husband.

My husband said

he knows how to help Your Majesty

out of your predicament.

Bring it to me.

Yes.

[Report Letter]

Wang Hong.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Go to the Ministry of Justice

and bring Gu Jiusi to me.

I want to

meet him in person.

Yes, Your Majesty.

[Prosperity Blessed by God]

Yuru.

Go and have a rest.

Later,

I'll ask an imperial physician to check on you.

Your Majesty.

I beg Your Majesty

to not tell Jiusi

about me being punished.

Go ahead.

I won't tell him.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

[Prosperity Blessed by God]

[Embrace Everything and Promote Them]

My daughter is so noble

that she shouldn't marry him.

Why should I condescend

to give a civilian a hard time

and lower my social position?

Your Majesty, there's something you don't know.

Although Gu Jiusi has great strategies,

Liu Yuru

is his only weakness.

For the sake of the Princess,

you just have to find an excuse

to punish Liu Yuru.

But if Gu Jiusi

dares to enter the palace to stop you,

it'll be easier

for us to charge him

with a crime.

Isn't Liu Yuru

reporting to the Emperor?

When she comes out,

ask her to come over here.

Yes.

[Changgeng Palace]

I, Gu Jiusi,

send my greetings to you, Your Majesty.

You look

much thinner.

Sorry to have made you suffer these days.

Get up and talk.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

It's okay for me to suffer a bit.

The priority

is to solve Your Majesty's problem.

Your wife

said you have a good idea.

I won't beat around the bush then.

Tell me.

What can we do for

the disastrous treasury of Da Xia

and the officials of the previous dynasty who are disloyal and immoral?

Since Your Majesty inherited the throne

from the Empress Dowager,

all forces have been

in an undercurrent.

You not only have to employ officials of the previous dynasty

but also show respect to the Empress Dowager.

These people

took advantage of Your Majesty when you haven't gained a firm foothold

and formed a clique for personal gain.

The treasury was almost empty out.

But if we punish them now,

it will give others

a chance to take advantage of

and gossip about it,

then there will be another rebellion.

You're right.

We can't take action now.

But we can't do nothing either.

So, what should we do

now?

I suggest the first step

is to rectify the government

by starting the imperial examination again to recruit talent.

I'd recommend Ye Shi'an

to be the chief proctor.

Ye Shi'an?

He ranked first in the Provincial Examination during the previous dynasty,

and he's also a descendant of a scholar.

He is upright

and knowledgeable.

With him,

he will definitely pick

numerous upright officials for Your Majesty.

It seems like he is very reliable.

Second,

to take down the commissioner of Yuzhou in the south,

Liu Xingzhi.

It seems like our country

and the others are at peace,

but in fact, the east, south,

west and north are all eyeing us.

The commissioners

are also making a move.

We need a great victory

to crack the whip

so that we can ensure peace for Da Xia for the next ten years

and the people can live and work in peace.

Jiusi,

Your move

is so risky.

That's right.

If we win with the move,

we can ensure peace for Da Xia for ten years.

What if

we lose?

That's why we need to take down Liu Xingzhi first.

Yuzhou is facing locust invasions.

They don't have enough provisions.

Speed matters the most in battles. We should take this opportunity

to attack Yuzhou in the south.

We will besiege them for at most a year.

When the grains in the city run out,

we can take them down easily.

Then,

who can be the commander-in-chief?

I'd recommend

Zhou Ye.

We need someone who is meticulous

and firm,

someone who can mobilize the army

and is trusted by Your Majesty.

The three sons

of General Zhou, the Minister of State Security,

are extraordinary talents.

But the reason I chose Zhou Ye

is not only that.

Go ahead.

This battle is not a war of attack

but a war of appeasing the people

and arousing patriotism.

Besides bravery, the commander-in-chief

has to be kind

to the soldiers and the people.

After the battle of guarding Wangdu,

we can know Zhou Ye's personality of being

loyal

and kind to the people.

He can take this responsibility.

What a good saying for

"appeasing the people and arousing patriotism."

I witnessed

Zhou Ye's growth.

I have no doubts

about deploying him.

But

the deficit treasury is gradually rising.

What about the Empress Dowager

who formed a clique for personal gains?

To solve this problem, we need to wait and see.

We have evidence of the entire Ministry of Revenue

embezzled the treasury.

Lu Yong, the Minister of Revenue,

must be dismissed and punished severely

to show everyone.

But the stakes are high.

If anything goes wrong,

everyone in the court

will be panicked and anxious.

I'm inexperienced.

I'm afraid I can't take the responsibility.

I suggest

we need someone

who is well-versed in official paths

and has a close relationship

with the Empress Dowager and old ministers

to handle this matter.

Who

are you referring to?

The Minister of Personnel of the previous dynasty,

my uncle,

Jiang He.

He was the Deputy Minister of Revenue before this.

He has been managing the Ministry of Revenue for ten years during the previous dynasty.

Then, he was promoted to the Minister of Personnel.

He knows a lot about

the Ministry of Revenue of the previous dynasty.

He was a minister during the previous dynasty,

so he must have a close relationship

with the Empress Dowager.

If

he is in charge of it,

I believe the Empress Dowager

will not make things difficult for him.

It indeed can achieve the balance

if he is back in court.

I am truly loyal to Your Majesty.

I will persuade him to be loyal to you.

He was a capable official during the previous dynasty.

If he

can assist Your Majesty,

it will surely be a great help.

Good.

Jiusi.

Let me

think about it.

Yes.

Jiusi.

Well,

what about

your own case?

Zhou Ye has found

the witness of the case.

It's a staff of Lefeng Restaurant.

He was running away from Eastern Capital with his family.

Now he has admitted that

he took a bribe from the Ministry of Justice

to slander me as the murderer.

Following the clues,

he also found the inferior official

who buried the murder weapon and bloody clothes in my house.

That's good.

That's good.

I

will clear your name.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

I've known

who killed Liu Chun.

It's just that it's inconvenient to tell anyone.

I'm here to report to Your Majesty first.

This mark

was left by the murderer who killed Liu Chun.

Thank you, Father.

Your Highness,

I just saw

Mr. Gu was still in the Imperial Study.

His Majesty...

His Majesty lost his temper.

Grand Tutor.

Save me!

Don't worry, Your Highness.

I have thought of

a backup plan for you.

Gu Jiusi

will not leave the palace alive.

That day,

I asked Liu Chun to meet at Lefeng Restaurant.

After analyzing the pros and cons,

Liu Chun decided to confess.

When I left,

someone found

Liu Chun died in Tianshui Pavilion.

I was imprisoned.

Ye Shi'an and Shen Ming

went to Lefeng Restaurant

and found this mark.

After comparison,

it was indeed left by Liu Chun.

When he was killed,

he grabbed

the killer's accessory tightly

and that's how the mark was left.

This accessory is rare to be seen.

Only one person

always wears it.

Why would the Crown Prince

want to kill Liu Chun?

It's unusual that

the evidence was noticeable.

On the day of the incident,

the entry and exit records

of the Crown Prince were also recorded.

Instead of asking why the Crown Prince wanted to kill Liu Chun,

why not ask

why the person

used the Crown Prince?

His purpose

is not only to frame me

but to threaten the others

using the Crown Prince.

Your Majesty.

Recently, the Crown Prince

always spends time with the Grand Tutor.

He goes hunting in the suburbs when he's free.

By the way,

he also went to

Lefeng Restaurant.

The Crown Prince

is of kind nature.

Although he didn't achieve big,

he has worked hard to govern the country.

But since Your Majesty

assigned Luo Zishang as the Grand Tutor,

the Crown Prince has been arrogant and domineering.

He abused power and governance.

Now he made such a big mistake.

Your Majesty.

The Crown Prince is not virtuous enough

to be your successor.

Shut up!

Your Majesty.

I

have only one son.

You put this

in front of me.

What do you want me to do?

But the people of Da Xia

are still counting on Your Majesty.

Please

take care of your health.

Pass my order.

Ask the Crown Prince

to leave Eastern Capital

and go back to Youzhou.

No one

is allowed to go with him.

Liu Chun, the Deputy Minister of Revenue

embezzled the treasury

and committed suicide to escape punishment.

Confiscate all his property.

His offspring for the next three generations

are not allowed to be officials.

Gu Jiusi, the Deputy Minister of Revenue,

was wronged.

Release him immediately.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Deputy Minister Gu.

Please.

[Changgeng Palace]

Deputy Minister Gu,

Please forgive me for not seeing you off.

Manzi,

Escort Deputy Minister Gu back to his house.

Yes.

Minister Jiang,

please accept the decree.

The Deputy Minister of Works of the previous dynasty, Jiang He,

has a talent for great strategies.

He has been an official for 15 years

and has always been loyal to the country.

Hence, he is reliable and trustworthy.

Now he has been appointed as the Minister of Revenue

and is responsible for collecting lost treasury money.

That's all.

I

accept the decree.

Congratulations, Minister Jiang.

I have one more verbal decree.

His Majesty wants to see you.

Thank you.

Jiusi.

You won the bet.

Sir,

have you seen my wife?

She should be waiting for me here.

Madam Gu is tired.

His Majesty asked her to go back first.

Was she unwell?

No.

Madam Gu is so fragile.

His Majesty...

His Majesty pitied her,

so he asked her to go back first.

What happened to her?

Please tell me the truth.

Madam Gu asked us

not to tell you.

Madam Gu hit the Dengwen Drum today

and was intervened by Princess Yunchang.

She was then punished with finger crushing.

Now she is summoned by Empress Dowager.

Are you Gu-Liu Yuru?

Yes.

You dared to accept the finger-crushing punishment in person

to seek justice for your husband.

I can tell

you are a person who knows righteousness

and won't stop

your husband from improving.

I think

you'll have no problem

when getting along with my daughter in the future.

My daughter did have an engagement

with Deputy Minister Gu.

I was thinking

to make a good end for them

and allow you to divorce.