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♫ Grudges and karma, right and wrong ♫

♫ Tears and blood in the past life ♫

♫ A parting lasting for years ♫

♫ Keeps the truth hidden ♫

♫ Fate is full of twists and turns ♫

♫ Misfortune and happiness intertwined ♫

♫ Let the wind take away obsessions and lies ♫

♫ Through storms and uncertainties, I devote myself to you ♫

♫ At least you share my joy and sorrow ♫

♫ Unraveling mystery fearlessly in this dream ♫

♫ Hand in hand with you, I wander this splendid world ♫

♫ My heart remains untainted by the mortal dust ♫

[Melody of Golden Age]

[Episode 6]

[Shen Mansion]

People can't

always count on others

to lend a helping hand.

We'd better rely

on ourselves if possible.

A servant of the Yan family.

Miss.

Master sent me to remind you

that three days have passed

yet you still haven't

visited your maiden home.

You said you'd visit tomorrow.

Please don't change your mind again.

Alright.

I see.

Liuniang.

[Yan Mansion] Everyone in Xiang'an says

that the Great Chief and you are deeply in love.

It brings

so much honor to me.

Pretty. So pretty.

Is it good?

Pretty.

So pretty.

Liuniang.

You finally came home

after so many days.

Why are you alone?

Where is your husband?

He has some urgent matters at work.

The case matters more.

How can a case matter more than you do?

[Yan Yijiao, The fourth child] How can a newly-wedded woman

visit her maiden home alone?

He'll come after work, right?

Yijiao, why did you come back today?

Did you come back to see me?

The bracelet my husband

ordered for me arrived.

I stopped by to see you.

What about you?

Check out my bracelet.

Isn't it pretty?

I liked it at first sight.

No matter what nasty things she says,

just ignore her.

What's so pretty about it?

What a show-off.

[Yan Mojie, The fifth child] Where is my brother-in-law?

He told your sister

to bring a lot of snacks and fruit.

Feel free to have some.

Come on, honey.

Master.

Isn't our Liuniang

a poor girl?

Others enjoy their married lives.

But our Liuniang

has to work and do people justice.

Where are you going with this?

I've failed my job as a mother.

Look at me.

I can't do anything

other than dressing up.

I never do any work.

And my husband says I bring luck to the family.

I wanted to have a cute and sweet

little girl.

But I ended up giving birth to a pair of chubby twin boys.

You have no idea how naughty the younger one is.

Liuniang.

Meet your fourth sister more often

to get some of her luck.

Stop working all day

and running around as a married woman.

That's right, Liuniang.

Stop doing menial jobs

at the Ministry of Justice.

I'm telling you.

As a woman,

how can you change your life?

Run the Shen household well.

Mojie.

I heard from my colleagues

that the last time they patrolled the red-light district,

they saw you drinking in a brothel

and chasing after the girls

all over the place.

Nonsense.

You have the nerve to criticize me?

You are a disgrace to the family.

So sharp-tongued and mean.

Where is your feminine charm?

I'm sharp-tongued and mean?

If I were your husband,

I'd visit the red-light district all day.

- Watch your mouth. - That's enough.

The Great Chief has arrived.

Greetings, Great Chief.

But I think

my wife is perfect.

I got caught up in official duties.

Father-in-law, Mother-in-law.

Please forgive me.

Don't mention it. It's just the right time.

Yeah, exactly.

I'd like to express

my gratitude to you for having raised her

so well.

That's how she turned out so incredibly intelligent.

Come in.

Father-in-law.

Liuniang told me

that you enjoy tea.

These fancy porcelain cups

are from the Yue kiln.

This is Zisun Tea bestowed by Her Majesty.

These are way too valuable.

You're blessed to have Liuniang.

Even the Princess of Valor said

that I had found a good wife.

Princess of Valor?

Pan Yanzhi?

I thought all his calligraphy works had vanished.

It's an imitation.

A few years ago,

I obtained rubbings of Pan Yanzhi's works by chance

and imitated the brushwork on a whim.

Even you were amazed.

It must truly be indistinguishable.

It seems you learned to mimic handwriting

from your father.

I merely know the basics.

But there isn't a handwriting

my father can't imitate in this world.

It's just calligraphy.

It's not worth mentioning.

Son-in-law, come here.

Let's eat together.

Son-in-law, come on. Let's eat.

Father.

We have many things to do at home--

Since your father asked,

we should stay for the meal.

It's just that we need to return early

for some important matters.

I get it.

Totally.

Liuniang.

As your father, I am glad to see you

having a good marital life.

It's just that…

Did Prime Minister Zhang talk to you?

He has spoken to me many times

with clear implications.

The assignment to Xichen

hasn't been settled yet.

If his affair isn't handled well,

then…

Leave it to me.

I'll handle it properly.

Big pigeons with fluffy feathers.

Fallen feathers in the cage.

What…

Yaya, stop.

Great Chief.

Great Chief.

Great Chief.

- Someone went to the pigeon coop. - Who was it?

It was Madam.

She made a choice, after all.

[Shen Mansion]

My lord.

The curtains

you for a few days ago

are ready.

It's a special fabric

made in Xichen

that blocks the light perfectly.

My lord asked for this

specifically--

It's just right

for sword practice.

What a waste.

You'd better contain your temper.

So moody.

Who's going to be willing to serve you?

At the Yan Mansion,

who swore by oath

to serve me well?

You keep avoiding me.

How can you serve me well?

Do you really want me to serve you?

We are married, after all.

Even if something were to happen,

no one could say anything.

Do I look like I'm afraid of gossip?

It is only right for a wife

to attend to her husband.

Alright, fine.

I'll serve you.

You smell so nice, honey.

Would you like to have a sniff

of me, as well?

Giving me a hard time?

Guards.

Light up the lamps

by Madam's side.

Great Chief, something happened at the Ximing Temple.

We have enough manpower.

The Great Chief wants you to go back to the Ministry of Justice.

I… It's not like I want to follow you.

Don't come back

begging me for assistance.

[Buddhist Lamp Burns, Sins Completely Absolved]

Neat handwriting.

Outstanding brushwork.

These bloody words

appeared on the wall out of thin air?

It's not blood.

It's a special kind of ink

made of minerals mixed with cinnabar.

Once applied on the wall,

it doesn't show immediately

and only turns red after the rain.

The culprit wrote it long ago

and waited for last night's rain.

The Buddha statue in the main hall shed blood tears.

Why did the culprit do this?

He was provoking us.

The Buddha was enraged

and shed blood tears.

I heard the statues would shed blood tears

to lament the coldness of the world.

This is a warning to the people.

Sorry about that.

I wasn't paying attention.

Yan Liuniang.

Our Ministry of Justice

really can't do without you.

You have no idea.

The floor here

stopped being shiny.

My lord.

Good morning, my lord.

Isn't this the wife of the Great Chief?

Why is she cleaning the floor here?

Exactly.

This is inappropriate.

Here. It's still a bit dirty.

Wash that rag well

before wiping the floor.

My lord, your belt has fallen.

Your belt has fallen.

You two quarreled?

No.

No?

Then why did you suddenly come back?

Just tell me.

What have you done again?

I gained weight again.

I have to exercise more.

I became a spy.

Are you sui--

Are you suicidal?

I heard that

a spy once sneaked into

the Shen Mansion at midnight.

By sunrise,

not only did he disappear,

but his whole family--

His whole family disappeared.

Moreover,

at midnight,

someone saw that

the soul collector dragged them

into the Palace of Death.

You may get your whole family killed.

You're way too bold.

Well…

It's very complicated.

Right.

How did it go

with Mr. Xu?

Rest assured. Marshal Xu has put some inspectors on it.

My lord, excuse me for a second.

It's fine.

Yan Liuniang.

I forgot to tell you something.

Your master returned from his travels. Someone spotted him.

But the Imperial Guards

arrested him the moment

he entered the city.

What?

Get your Great Chief here.

Shen Du.

Shen Du.

Shen Du.

The Great Chief is busy.

I am the wife of your chief.

Who dares to stop me?

Shen Du, come out.

Kick her out.

Shen Du, come after me if you have a problem.

Why did you arrest my master?

Don't take yourself so seriously.

You're not that important.

Release my master.

[Chen Wen] Shen Du, let my master go.

- Release my master. - Liuniang.

Master.

Look at you.

You've gotten married

yet you're still reckless.

Master.

Please drink less,

especially not what others

offer you.

My disciple often

speaks her mind.

Please don't mind her.

I know.

What do you know?

I…

That's it for the game.

Go ahead.

What do you want to ask me?

I heard that you've developed

a unique cinnabar

which turns visible

only with water.

That's right.

I developed it to prevent the corpses from decomposing.

I wonder if only you have access

to this special cinnabar?

Before I retired,

I had given the formula

to the servants of a few old friends

for pest control.

It worked really well.

Please tell me their names.

I see.

This is why the time of disappearance

differs so much from

the time of death.

Delay the decomposition.

Repel the insects.

That's right, it's the cinnabar.

There were herbs around the corpses.

We thought it was meant to cover the stench.

But in fact, it was mixed with

an anti-decomposition cinnabar.

That's why the coroner got the time of death wrong.

Master.

Master Chen,

could you deduce the actual time of death?

What kind of disciple

would exhaust their master?

Master.

We have a case to solve.

Please do us a favor and show us what you've got.

My master has won this game.

I won?

I won.

- Let's go then. Take me to the morgue. - Let's go.

- To the morgue. - Master, be careful.

Judging from the level of decomposition,

my master deduced the time of death.

Early spring, fourth year of Shengli Era.

Midsummer, same year.

February or March of the fifth year.

June of the sixth year.

Mid-August of the sixth year.

Can't you narrow it down a bit more?

I don't think

it's necessary.

These are found in the stomachs of the male victims.

Judging from the level of decomposition,

we believed that even if the victims had eaten something,

the contents in their stomachs

would have decomposed along with the body.

I was too hasty.

A forensic shouldn't hold predetermine conclusions.

The more bizarre and shocking the case,

the more we must proceed methodically.

The key

often lies in

some inconspicuous details.

Seeds.

That's right.

Seeds can only be

digested and expelled

through bowel movement

when a person is alive.

And the whole process takes less than a day.

All these victims had seeds in their stomachs.

It means they were killed

shortly after eating these.

What makes sense

may not necessarily be the truth.

Sometimes, what you see with your own eyes

may not necessarily be the truth.

There is a high chance that someone has used tricks

to make you believe that it's the truth.

I am enlightened.

What a coincidence.

All these male victims

had seeds before they died?

When there are too many coincidences,

it's no longer a coincidence.

These seeds

are not from ordinary melons,

but gourds from Xichen.

Tribute gourds from Xichen?

They're from the Imperial Palace.

No.

These noblemen had access

to Xichen gourds

on another occasion.

The Mizar Festival.

The Astronomical Bureau

determines the date of the Mizar Festival every year.

The feast is funded by the government.

Empress Dowager gives out treasures during the feast.

But the date differs every year.

So when is the next Mizar Festival?

In three days.

Great Chief.

Empress Dowager is still in a meeting.

Please wait a little longer.

The Buddha statue wept blood.

Those rampant rumors

gave the Empress Dowager headaches.

Even the Princess of Valor

has been implicated and grounded.

Empress Dowager has decreed.

It is a critical situation.

If the case

is not solved within five days,

it will be handed over to the Imperial Inspectorate.

I accept Her Majesty's decree.

You don't have to be

so courteous

to meet me every time.

I heard something happened at Ximing Temple.

It was plotted.

This nursery rhyme is just the beginning.

This matter is getting serious.

Prince Xian is in deep trouble.

Princess of Valor has also been grounded.

Empress Dowager meant to discipline all her children.

Forgive me for asking this.

Does it have something

to do with you, my lord?

How dare you?

Forgive me for being abrupt.

I just want to find out

the truth

to share your burden.

I have nothing to do with this.

However,

how's it going with the investigation?

I'm still clueless.

How dare you make a fool of me?

Aren't you afraid I'll kick your family out of officialdom?

Please allow me to explain, my lord.

You asked me to check the pigeon coop

to figure out

what Empress Dowager thinks about Prince Xian.

According to my investigation,

you were being paranoid.

How can you be sure?

The communication

between the Imperial Guards

suddenly increased.

Many of the messengers return midway.

It's a method to conceal

the real routes.

Besides, many Imperial Guards

have been mobilized.

I believe their job

is to keep Prince Xian safe.

Why would Her Majesty do so

if she means to harm him?

Even so,

it's merely your assumption.

Isn't it also a speculation

that Prince Xian is in danger, my lord?

I'll trust you for now.

However,

I want a conclusion soon.

Rest assured, my lord.

I will soon apprehend

the mastermind behind this.

Good to know.

The assignment to the frontier

is about to be issued.

There isn't much time left for you and Mr. Yan.

[Zhang Baohuan, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites]

Empress Dowager.

If you don't play,

I will

win this game.

Alright.

In that case,

I will ask you for a reward.

Sure, tell me.

What would you like?

Thanks to Your Majesty,

the feast of the Mizar Festival

will be held by me.

Will you also allow me

to decide whom to invite?

In the past, we've always invited

those who could recite poems,

compose verses, and sing.

This time,

can we invite some

real talents and beauties?

Invite whoever you want.

Have you

taken a liking to some young ladies?

I really

appreciate it, Empress Dowager.

Madam Xu,

here's the list you gave me.

I'm going to invite

everyone on the list.

Thank you, Minister Zhang.

Don't mention it.

I'll count on you

to look after me.

In that case,

all those who know

the cinnabar formula

are invited to the feast.

The murderer is among them.

It's not easy to find the murderer

among these people.

It might be better to have the murderer come to us.

We can save ourselves

a lot of trouble.

The deceased women

had similar ornaments.

And they were courtesans

skilled with pipa.

If I disguise myself as one of them

to attract attention,

the murderer will naturally make a move.

Then you can catch him on the spot.

No way.

This is too risky.

I won't let you do this.

I…

Get someone from Tongming Hall

to dress up like the target.

- Understood. - No way.

The courtesans of Tongming Hall

are also civilians.

How can we risk the lives of the civilians?

Besides, that murderer

is ruthless.

If anything happens,

how can you compensate her?

So you know it's dangerous.

If anything happens to you,

what should I tell Empress Dowager

Prime Minister Zhang, and Mr. Yan?

I strongly advocated

for a thorough investigation of this case.

If I hadn't intervened,

it would have been closed long ago.

Now we've reached the final step.

I should put it to an end.

A female official

should take the risk to solve cases.

You want me to risk the lives of civilians.

I can't do that.

Can't you tell if you're

up to the mark to disguise as a target?

They're skilled at playing the pipa.

Are you?

Madam turned out to be so talented.

So?

Am I skilled or not?

You have exquisite skills.

Go on and play another piece.

I'm tired. Let's call it a day.

Are you tired or you can't play?

Are you planning to get by with these few verses

at the Mizar Festival?

I wasn't

prepared for it.

I'll speak whatever

comes to mind that is important.

First of all, when you play…

This is the wrong outfit.

You should wear something

cooler.

This may not be necessary.

The key lies

not in the melody or rhythm,

but in the vibe.

Watch me carefully.

You know the postures. The very basics.

Stretch your leg.

Cross-legged.

That's right.

Take it slow.

Spin.

Spinning.

Fluttering. Look how the skirt flies up.

Let the skirt fly.

Mother…

Can you stay seated?

You keep spinning.

I can't even see your fingering.

It doesn't matter.

This is what matters.

Watch closely.

Raise your arms above your head.

Bring them down from behind your head.

Keep your posture enchanting. Show your face.

Eyes. Look at my eyes.

A woman's charm.

Focus. Focus on the eyes.

Look at my eyes.

That's right, pay attention.

Spin again.

Give it a shake.

Usually,

this piece should have

fallen to the ground.

Mother.

Dance later. Please sit down first.

I just want to learn a piece of music.

It's not about the quantity, but the quality.

Back then,

I mastered just one piece.

A true master

doesn't need a second piece at all.

And your father

never lasted until

the second piece.

Come on, Mother.

What are you talking about?

Once you play the pipa on the back

like I taught you,

men couldn't contain themselves.

Mother.

I just want to learn a pipa piece

to solve a case.

What do you think I'm doing?

I thought

you wanted me to teach you

some pipa moves

to please your husband.

You got me wrong.

Uncle.

What is my mother

thinking about?

Just because I got married,

what I think and do

must be about

pleasing my husband?

Your mother was sent to the opera troupe

at an early age.

The troupe leader

taught us

to tolerant everything,

give up our self-esteem,

and entertain our customers.

Fortunately, your father took pity on her

and provided her with

a place to settle down.

Therefore,

the best future

she could think for you

was to marry a nice man.

Then, by my mother's standards,

I certainly don't have

a promising future.

I'm not married to a nice man.

Your mother has told me many times

to keep you safe

in the palace,

lest the White…

your husband…

hurt you.

But now that you are safe,

she is relieved.

But now she's focused on

securing your position as the Madam

of the household.

She shouldn't be bothered.

Whoever

fancies this position can take it.

I don't need a man's protection.

I just hope that

I can become

powerful enough

to protect myself

and my family.

I am fortunate to have been born into

an age where women can be officials.

I don't need to serve my husband.

It's just that

I need to learn a pipa piece

to captivate

the attention of the entire audience.

You said

it was for a case.

I need to perform a pipa song

at Liushang Pavilion

to lure the snake out of hiding.

♫ One glance affirms the fate between us ♫

♫ Upon meeting again, I know you're the one for me ♫

♫ Gaze at the stars, dreaming about the old times ♫

♫ We are forever bound ♫

♫ Before the candlelight, do not ask my thoughts ♫

♫ Affection binds us, forever and ever ♫

♫ The evening breeze tells of my deep love ♫

♫ From now on, I have someone to cherish ♫

♫ With deep affection, you are the one for me ♫

♫ I share the autumn moon and spring breeze only with you ♫

♫ Your palm lines ♫

♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is deepening ♫

♫ With deep affection, you are the one for me ♫

♫ I share the autumn moon and spring breeze only with you ♫

♫ Your palm lines ♫

♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is deepening ♫

♫ You are the one for me ♫

♫ Embracing each other, how serious we are about our love ♫

♫ Every moment is treasured ♫

♫ From dawn to dusk ♫

♫ You and I, forever inseparable ♫

♫ You've stormed into my world ♫

♫ Growing immersed, I become reckless for love ♫

♫ I break through obstacles with unmatched resilience ♫

♫ Because you are my responsibility ♫

♫ With deep affection, you are the one for me ♫

♫ I share the autumn moon and spring breeze only with you ♫

♫ Your palm lines ♫

♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is deepening ♫

♫ With deep affection, you are the one for me ♫

♫ I share the autumn moon and spring breeze only with you ♫

♫ Your palm lines ♫

♫ Your gaze ♫

♫ Our love is deepening ♫

♫ You are the one for me ♫

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