02x08 - Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

Merciful Bodhisattva, no matter what my junior sister wished,

please consider her sincerity and fulfill it.

General Commander.

Are there any clues here?

It is not easy to hide here. There were nothing suspicious.

Then it means that the only place that Duan Tongzhou could have gotten those oil lamp residue

is from Qian Tian Court. Let us go.

Yes.

Master.

Are there any news from the Eastern Seas?

Master, do not worry. I have already sent the letter.

What were you planning to tell me?

The person is here. He is waiting for you in the Chamber of Elixirs.

- Go make and serve us some good tea.
- Yes.

- Master.
- Respected Leader.

How was it?

Frightening but not dangerous. When Xun Feizhan saw my palm mark,

he immediately went to the manor of Xun Baishui that night.

He surely has already discovered how matters are connected.

You sure?

I am sure.

This General Commander who leads the 50,000 strong Imperial Jin Army

must get involved in this matter.

Since we have already successfully initiated the conflict between those uncle and nephew,

I believe that this General Commander Xun will involve himself in this matter.

[Qian Tian Court]

Surround it!

Master!

Master, there are so many people from the Jin Guards and Patrol Guards outside.

They have already surrounded the whole Qian Tian Court, all exits blocked.

It was General Commander Xun who personally led them.

How did Xun Feizhan know to investigate here?

We do not have time to think about that now.

Look for a place to hide first.

Commander Xun!

Why must you interrogate my disciples?

I have disturbed high priest.

I was instructed by His Majesty to help the Patrol Guards look for the escaped prisoner, Duan Tongzhou.

I discovered that he has special oil lamp residues on him that are only made by the inner court.

I suspect that this person has recently frequented the Qian Tian Court.

Oh?

This place is different from others.

Not only are there a lot of rooms, there are also a large number of servants,

and a lot of devout followers in the morning. The movement of people is quite a complicated one.

With a great martial artist like Duan Tongzhou,

it is indeed a good idea to hide here.

Important prisoner of the government...

Looks like what Commander Xun means is...

you are planning to search every room?

There is an offering stage for the gods in your front courtyard.

Although I am not a believer, I still dare not casually offend it.

- Thank you.
- But...

I know that just using relying on the verbal decree of His Majesty of asking me to catch the terminal,

it is indeed improper for me to search door to door.

But if I ask for another decree, I fear that..

I understand.

Commander Xun is only doing your job.

Moreover, thinking that an important criminal of the government is hiding in my manor,

I also feel very uneasy.

But....there are a lot of items here that were given to me by the emperor.

Hope everyone can be careful when they do the searching.

Thank you, High Priest, for being magnanimous.

Commander Xun, please do as you please.

- Search!
- Yes!

Older brother, did you not tell me that you have nothing to do with Song Fu's matter?

Your Lady Highness, I am not directly involved.

But this matter is currently what His Majesty is angry about.

Just a few connections would also be hard to explain.

With Feizhan's personality, who can predict what he really will do

in the end?

I entered the palace today just to inform you about it.

Feizhan will never do things to the extreme.

I...am just worried about the future.

What about the future?

Your Lady Highness, is it really okay to you that Crown Prince

will need to rely on Xiao Pingzhang of the House of Chang Lin in the future?

Xiao Pingzhang?

The heir of Chang Lin is also not a frivolous and rash person.

That might not really become the case.

What is important is not what they want to do right now,

but what they want to do in the future.

A human heart is ever changing. We must guard against it.

I still have to go to the court to discuss national matters.

I will take my leave now.

This elixir cauldron never stops to function from day til night. Duan Tongzhou

would never dare to hide in there, right?

- General Commander, the area in front is my--
- High Priest,

if I am right,

there should be a trap door around here.

Commander Xun really has such good sight. This area indeed leads to a secret room.

I use that when I go in seclusion to do my cultivation.

Can we open it to take a look?

Commander Xun said that my Qian Tian Court is frequented by a lot of people

so it is easy that an escaped prisoner has mingled among them.

That is why, I tried my best to cooperate with the search of the Imperial Jin Guards

and did not express any complaints.

But right now, you want to open my secret chamber.

The meaning of that is different already.

The secret chamber requires a secret manner of opening it.

An outsider surely will not be able to enter it.

if General Commander insists on searching the secret room of my Chamber of Elixir,

could it be that you are suspecting me

of intentionally hiding an important criminal of the government?

I want to ask you one question.

Please ask.

Are you?

Am I what?

Hiding.

Of course not.

Since you are not, what is wrong in just opening it and looking inside?

High Priest, please.

May I trouble High Priest can lead the way.

Regarding the Datong case, after the Ministry of Justice has investigated it,

most of the case details are already very clear. The crimes of Song Fu and his accomplices are also quite clear now.

Although there was a prisoner that escaped,

it is nearing the end of the year.

If we delay this case just because of this person, it is instead not a good thing.

In my opinion,

let us end this case for now based on the suggestions given by Subject Wu.

Once we catch the escaped prisoner in the future,

we will just try the case again and handle it accordingly.

What do you think, imperial brother?

I will strictly obey Your Majesty's decision.

It is settled then.

I will abide.

General Commander Xun can also go around to look.

Will be offending you then.

I have caused you so much trouble, High Priest. Really so sorry.

If there are any strange events in the future, please immediately report it to us.

The one who should apologize should be me.

I had caused General Commander Xun disappointment.

High Priest, sorry for disturbing you.

After arriving here in the capital for a long time, this is my first time to feel scared.

Xun Feizhan is indeed something.

You said that Xun Feizhan searched Qian Tian Court today?

Why?

Running after Duan Tongzhou.

Did he discover any traces...

or started to suspect Puyang Ying?

If there are no clues at all,

Feizhan wouldn't have recklessly went there.

High Priest Puyang is someone who is heavily favored by Her Lady Highness Empress.

If it is others, I do not think that they will easily dare to offend him.

But Feizhan is a member of the Xun family. He then has no reason to fear him.

Although Puyang Ying is being called the high priest,

he does not really have a government post and does not intervene with government matters.

Logically speaking, he does not seem to have any connections at all

with the matters that has happened recently.

But if he got involved, I really cannot understand why.

I cannot understand what his reasons are.

Although the case of the sinking of the ships in Datong Prefecture was hurriedly closed,

there are still so many questions in the testimonies of Ji Chen and Song Fu.

The important witness, Duan Tongzhou, has escaped.

We still do not know who the man behind all these is.

Everyone in the imperial court is keeping mum about this mutter.

How come I kept feeling that this matter has not ended?

It seems more like a small corner has been opened.

How was it?

We are right. It is indeed Eastern Sea Pearl Gum.

This box was already given to sister 7 years ago.

The damage in her body surely is not that light.

But how is this possible?

Sister-in-law came from a family of martial artists and her internal energy technique is superior than most people.

Will she not sense if something is going wrong with her body?

It is hard for me to explain this to you clearly.

But this kind of injury and her feeling anything bad about her body

is not completely connected.

You said that you can try to nurse her health, right?

If you need any help from me, just give the instructions.

If I need to look for medicinal ingredients, no matter where they are, I will be able to find them.

I know that you will try your best.

I will also do my best.

But I do not want Sister Meng to be more disappointed in the future.

That is why while the preparations are still not complete,

do not tell them first that we can try to nurse her.

Okay.

[Chang Lin Manor]

Miss Lin will come here tomorrow.

She will do a more thorough examination of sister-in-law.

Older brother, do not worry too much.

Lin Xi said that other than damages on that aspect,

this glue most likely has no other effect on the other parts of sister-in-law's body.

Thank Miss Lin for me.

This method is so sinister and evil,

but very hard to investigate.

Pingjing, the wind here in the capital is getting colder.

Can you feel it?

Older brother, are you cold?

Regardless if it is cold wind or torrential rains,

our House of Chang Lin has endured them before.

Pingjing, accompany to go somewhere.

Older brother, where are you going?

The Celestial Prison.

Older brother, Song Fu has already told everything that he knows.

What else do you want to know?

I want to know what really they were thinking

when they did such things.

Thank you.

I thought I heard that the House of Chang Lin is not interfering with the investigation of the Ministry of Justice?

Heir was still unable to endure it

This case has been closed, read, and approved by His Majesty.

He sentenced you to public execution and be cut off in half. Your clan's 3 generations should have also been ex*cuted, but His Majesty was merciful.

He only ordered that the men in your family be exiled or sold.

What? You still do not know about this consequence?

I have your testimony here.

According to what was written here, you were an officer under the magistrate of Yinzhou during the 7th year of Xianguang.

Your western border suffered a sneak attack and got surrounded by enemies. The magistrate and lead officer both escaped.

As a scholarly official, you tried to guard the city by yourself, hence, luckily got commended by the former emperor.

From then on, your political career went smooth sailing.

The Minister Song then

still had some valor within him.

He still had the county and its citizens in his heart.

But when this kind of heart

started to change?

I...

have always loyally served the former emperor and His Majesty. Never had it changed!

Everything I did

was to ensure the peace and stability of His Majesty's government.

For those words, I am a little confused.

You severed the supplies to the front lines.

It is equivalent to giving Ganzhou and the areas south of it to the enemies.

In doing such a thing, how is it preserving the peace and stability of His Majesty's government?

The military situation that happened in the front line

was exactly how Old Prince guessed it. I have nothing to say about it.

But...as the commander of the army,

he did not even have any acceptable reason

and just relied on gut feel

to ask His Majesty for the commander seal to mobilize the army!

Until now,

I still think that move is a bad one!

I am unable to let it go!

May I ask Heir, our Great Liang

has rules governing cabinet and military functions.

May I ask Heir, can the commanders of the four armies from now on

imitate what Old Prince have done?!

That's why, because you cannot accept such act,

you want to use the lives of the soldiers in the front line the citizens of the five regions

to warn the succeeding generations?

I never thought that way.

I indeed gave the order regarding what happened in Datong Prefecture.

It is just that I never expected

that the Great Yu will attack full force and target only Ganzhou.

I only wanted to delay the supplies

and let the Chang Lin Army be unable to actively provoke the battle with Great Yu.

I never thought of severing the supplies to Ganzhou.

Saying some honest words, people in the government

who are like me are numerous.

We all want to see the Chang Lin Army...

see your Chang Lin Army lose a battle, to blunt your spirits.

So the House of Chang Lin will know to temper themselves and stop doing great achievements that is overshadowing their master!

We all want to see you get defeated in one battle!

Get defeated in one battle?! My older brother almost died in Ganzhou!

Do you guys hate our House of Chang Lin that much?

I admire Old Prince.

He is benevolent and magnanimous.

But the House of Chang Lin

has great power over the whole government and their words cannot be refuted.

The Chang Lin Army looks down on everyone else and is composed of huge military number.

This is already an undeniable truth.

Even if your House of Chang Lin can be loyal to the very end.

But in front of borderless power, can you guarantee that your descendants will not change?

Will not covet for the imperial throne of the Great Liang?!

Do you know that Private Assistant Qin is the Langya martial arts expert Duan Tongzhou?

I know.

He told me about it after becoming my private assistant.

Then is Duan Tongzhou working under for you?

Ji Cheng and Duan Tongzhou joining hands to k*ll the witnesses were personally seen by me.

If Ji Cheng is not conniving with you, why then will he risk such great danger to do such a thing?

I didn't.

I never sent anyone to Qi Zhou.

I never had.

To be honest,

I really believed you.

How many people in the government

have the same thoughts as Song Fu?

I have something to do, you return first.

Where are you going Brother? You are still injured, so I have to watch over you.

To the palace.

Heir, are you here to accuse me of committing this crime?

I don't dare.

This box collection was given by Your Lady Highness.

Since I found out that something is wrong with them,

I naturally should inform Your Lady Highness first.

Report?

You are displaying these items here in the Zhengyang Palace,

to ask me what happened?

It's already been 7 years. How am I suppose to know what happened?

An item that the inner palace servants had custom made based on your instructions

and then used your name to send it out,

but got manipulated by someone along the way.

Your highness should be mad,

But the person who should be bearing your anger

is it me?

You-

The design drawing, the materials, the craftsman,

how it should be made, checked, stored, and sent out,

I think that all these should be investigated.

It is just that the involved people are most in the inner palace.

Even if I ask His Majesty to give a decree,

it will not be as convenient as Your Lady Highness personally supervising it.

It is why I came to the palace today to earnestly ask Your Lady Highness to give me justice for this matter.

To ask a decree from the Emperor?

Are your words suppose to blackmail me?

My conscience is clear

So I am not scared of anyone framing me.

I wouldn't dare.

If you have to think like that, then nothing can be done.

But everyone has a limit,

as for me,

if it involves my father, my wife, and Pingjing,

I surely will not keep silent about it and endure.

Since you won't investigate-

Who said I won't investigate?

They actually dared to extend their hands up to my Zhengyang Palace.

I also cannot endure their existence.

I already said it can't be the Queen.

Or else, they did it so clumsily.

The people involved with the queen is too little,

but we should take the chance.

After all, this matter involves the inner palace and has happened long time ago.

The Queen investigating it will be more successful then us.

Brother you need to rest, how are you going to go on like this?

Moreover, we don't have any clues about this matter so there is no point on getting anxious about it.

Brother, let me take care of it.

When there is process I will tell you.

Pingjing, good thing you are here.

Have the letters from Donghai [Eastern Seas] and Northern Yan arrived?

Yes.

Very good.

It's about the same time as I have calculated.

Master has Baishen's guidance so you naturally were able to predict things.

- Subject Xun.
- I am here.

About the matters that two state letters have successively mentioned, what are the opinions of your cabinet?

State letter?

Ha?

I was able to receive abridged copies of the state letters successively sent by Donghai and Northern Yan, respectively,

but the Court for Dependencies did not send a copy to the cabinet?

What are you so busy with these days that you have forgotten about this?

Your Majesty, please forgive me.

Your Majesty, because of Song Fu's matter,

we now lack a Grand Secretary.

There were also a lot of government officials that were involved and the post-event handling of this matter is quite numerous and complicated.

I am unable to do as much as I wanted and neglected some duties.

Hence, I arranged some tasks in the cabinet to the assistants.

When I checked on them, I usually go through in passing and cannot remember them in details.

That's why, I was unable to reply to Your Majesty properly when you asked me.

This is really a huge mistake.

Your majesty, please punish me.

Get up. It is enough that you admit your mistake.

No need for any punishment.

Thank you, your majesty.

Give it to him.

Your majesty,

Donghai and our Great Liang are connected by marriage.

We should immediately approve their request to send an envoy here.

Although it is already near the end of year so it is quite inconvenient for us,

counting on how long it will take for them to travel here,

their envoys surely will arrive by next year already.

The timing is just right. As for Norther Yan...

Your Majesty, the Northern Yan is currently having internal strife.

There are two parties that are greatly divided in their imperial court. Their present situation is still not clear.

I think that if they come again during the spring,

it would be better.

As for the matter they are requesting...

You should reconsider.

How about this? The cabinet must hurry and write a reply letter.

I will take a look at it.

As you say.

I think so too.

Minister Xun.

Minister Xun, how is your health lately?

You don't look too well.

Thank you for worrying about me.

My health is fine, it's just that in the palace

a matter like that of Song Fu happened,

as the head of the cabinet, I feel so ashamed.

Song Fu will be ex*cuted today.

I actually have complex feelings about it.

But Minister Xun and him does not really have any private relationship,

it isn't your fault.

Thank you for Old Prince's comfort.

You must compare very well the thickness of the root and stem, the shape of the leaves,

and the number of petals and color. You must not get it wrong.

I understand. It has to do with my sister-in-law so I won't make a mistake.

This plant likes to stay in shaded areas and is not easy to find or pick. You must be careful.

Do not worry. While I was in Langya Court--

Even if you are the Little Mystical Dragon of the Icy Pond, it will be of no use.

Chouyun Gorge is a place...

I am better in climbing cliffs and jumping across gorges.

Father.

Pingzhang, come.

I heard that father has been in the study since early morning. What are you busying about?

The abridged version of some documents sent by the inner court and the the year-end celebration documents

sent by the Ministry of Etiquette, I still haven't read all of them.

These tiring miscellaneous matters have always been done by me.

You do not need to read them.

You also know that they are tiring?

The doctor already said that you must nurse your health.

During the end of the year, there are a lot of matters that must be handled.

Make sure not to tire yourself.

To tell father honestly, for this year,

I actually planned to use the excuse of recuperation to lessen my activities.

What is wrong?

Nothing.

I was just thinking that it will be good

when Pingjing can handle these matters too.

You are relying on him?

I did not know that Heir has come. I caused you to wait.

I am so sorry.

You all leave first.

Do Heir have any private words you want to tell me?

Our Chang Lin Manor have received the ceremonial schedule sent by your manor.

May I ask Minister Shen if you did not find anything wrong about it?

We only followed the usual rite sequence that Old Prince used to set every year.

May I ask in what way did we offend you?

The past years?

In the past, Crown Prince was too young and does not prepare for the ceremony.

As a prince with the highest position, my father leads the imperial family in praying and giving offerings to the heaven and earth

and this is based on old rules and examples. But this year,

the Crown Prince has already reached 10 years old and has officially transferred residence to the East Palace. With such a huge matter happening,

it is just natural that all ceremonial rites must be changed accordingly.

But you, instead,

did not even change the order of positions and just directly reported this to our manor.

If my father did not notice it and approved of it,

will this be an error made by your Ministry of Etiquette

or our House of Chang Lin belittling the Eastern Palace?

Heir, please do not be mad.

I indeed did not think about it well.

Plus the fact that His Majesty has always said

that Crown Prince is of a younger generation, hence, must pay respect to his royal uncle.

In my Great Liang, the crown prince comes first. There are so many highly ranked imperial uncles in history.

As to how the respect should be paid between them, as the minister of the Ministry of Etiquette,

Minister Shen surely knows about it more than I.

Yes. Yes. Our ministry would immediately correct it.

Once everything has been properly arranged, I will personally visit you to apologize.

I came today not to let anyone answer and apologize.

I just want that Minister Shen from now on

to keep to your duties.

Stop overthinking.

Respectfully sending off Heir!

Pingzhang.

Come.

Pingzhang, you injured your lungs. You should not easily get angry.

Or else, your injuries will just relapse. Your wife will get worried.

Feizhen, you do not know...

I know. For the year-end security, there are a lot of matters that the Imperial Jin Guard must communicate with the Ministry of Etiquette.

When I arrived, I heard a bit of what you two were discussing.

This minister of the Ministry of Etiquette has always been sly, you should know that.

He surely did not intentionally set up a trap to harm your house. It is most likely he was fawning.

For these past years, a lot of people are already used to the concept that after His Majesty,

it is the Old Prince. That's why, it is not that easy to change that. Do not mind it.

Feizhan, you are a smart person.

How frightening is a habit like that,

you will already know just thinking about it.

A human heart has always been hard to predict.

I observe others while they observe me.

Both side are like that. As for what the real intention is,

I fear that words are not enough to win their trust.

Although human hearts are hard to predict, things are proven by time.

A lot of people are just having the wrong ideas. They will eventually understand the truth.

Feizhan, you also have a lot to do.

Do not mind me anymore.

The people who are with me are just outside. I will be fine.

It is okay. Just let me walk you out.

Please.

Older brother!

You are finally home. I have been waiting for you for a long time.

Waiting for me?

Leave now.

Older brother, I have something to ask of you.

You did not cause any trouble again, right?

No such thing.

I just want to go out of the city tomorrow to go to a certain place.

But it is a bit far so I will not be able to return the same day.

But father gave an order that I am not allowed to go anywhere around new year.

Cover for me.

You are going out of the city at this time?

Go where? Do what?

Nothing special.

It is just that it was too boring staying in the house these past days.

I want to have some fun in Chouyun Gorge.

Chouyun Gorge?

Yes.

Does this have to do with your sister-in-law's matter?

I just knew that I cannot hide anything from you.

Can you not guess so accurately?

You are usually very energetic and showy.

But during such critical times, you quite have a sense of propriety.

What are you going to do there?

Lin Xi said that there is a medicinal ingredient to nurse sister-in-law's health that can only be found there.

But no matter how fast I travel, I still will have to stay outside for a night.

If father or sister-in-law ask for the meantime,

you must cover for me. You must not leak anything.

What is it?

I have caused you and Miss Lin so spend so much time and effort for this matter.

Brother, can you stop saying things like that?

At most, I will just be staying outside for 1 to 2 days.

We two have different tasks.

Your injuries are still not fully healed so you naturally must stay attend to the matters here in the house.

For errands like this, just leave it to me. Once you have fully recuperated,

all matters here in the house, big or small, will be yours.

I will just stay at home all day and let sister-in-law cook me something nice.

If you keep treating problems like a game,

a state of mind like that is also a realm of its own. Go now.

Just leave the house to me. Stay safe.

Thank you, brother.

♫ The long, slow song rises like wind flowing through the corridors reaching the imposing, opulent and bright Imperial Hall ♫

♫ Memories of that certain year, when far-away borders blazed with fires of w*r, in vast fields of ice and snow ♫

♫ From this world, the many slanders pass through the vermilion gates, over the palace walls ♫

♫ Beneath iron armor, together with silken skirts and silver spears, hair grows hoary as though with early frost ♫

♫ Hoping for the day when we can sincerely join hands in a faraway place without a second thought ♫

♫ Fiery liquor consumed at the end of the world, at the limits of exhaustion, is a feast! ♫

♫ There is little intention to return the real men to the w*r in the north, though willing, they are not given free rein ♫

♫ Discussions about their heroism led them to be questioned, and suffer dismal complaints around them, unable to clear their names ♫

♫ Good bows hoarded; likewise, so as not to injure, sigh against the way of heaven when stored indefinitely ♫

♫ Clouds of fear calm shameful waves, the night air stops their bickering by starlight ♫

♫ There is little intention to return the real men to the w*r in the north, though willing, they are not given free rein ♫

♫ Discussions about their heroism led them to be questioned, and suffer dismal complaints around them, unable to clear their names ♫

♫ Good bows hoarded; likewise, so as not to injure, sigh against the way of heaven when stored indefinitely ♫

♫ Clouds of fear calm shameful waves, the night air stops their bickering by starlight ♫

♫ There is little intention to return the real men to the w*r in the north, though willing, they are not given free rein ♫

♫ Discussions about their heroism led them to be questioned, and suffer dismal complaints around them, unable to clear their names ♫

♫ Hoping for the whole world to remain at peace, quench the fires of w*r ♫