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[General And I]
[Episode 15]
I don't care what it is you are after.
If you collaborate with me, you must agree to my condition.
Do tell.
I want Bai Ping Ting dead.
According to what I know
Your Highness and Bai Ping Ting are childhood sweethearts.
Your Highness mustn't get too soft-hearted.
Your Highness.
It's dark and windy at night.
I shall hold the lamp for Noble Consort Zhang.
Don't worry.
I have made arrangements.
He has passed out?
- Wake him up. - Yes.
Prince of Zhenbei.
We meet again.
Prince of Zhenbei is at least quite a noble yourself.
Why would you rather suffer in here?
As long as you come clean with your sins of poisoning the princes
I can get you moved to a more comfortable location.
You won't have to suffer in here.
I want to see His Majesty.
His Majesty has already entrusted this case to me entirely.
Just tell me whatever you wish to say to him.
A dog...
Is a dog even fit to listen to what I have to say?
You...
What an atrocious traitor!
You take advantage of your meritorious military services
to disregard the existence of the king.
You've become too arrogant!
Now that you have murdered the princes and committed a deadly sin
you still show no remorse at all.
- Guards! - Present!
Beat him.
- Hit him heavily! - Yes!
Hit him!
Keep hitting hard!
Hit him until he confesses his crime!
The Queen arrives!
Your Majesty.
Queen, what brings you here?
You are all dismissed now.
Yes.
Queen.
You're unwell.
Why would you still make such a formal greeting?
Quickly. Get up now.
Your Majesty.
I have a few words to say.
Your Majesty, please allow me to speak my mind.
Go ahead.
Our sons died young.
I suffer such great agony.
I wish more than anyone else to seize the culprit who killed them.
But when I think about it carefully
there are many questionable points in this case.
It was only testimony of a mere eunuch sent by Liang State
that had Prince of Zhenbei accused of
conspiring with foreigners to usurp your throne.
That is just baffling.
If it were me who wanted to plot against you
I'd never act so recklessly or let someone find evidence.
Prince of Zhenbei is one who could have victories at his beck and call.
Yet in a conspiracy amidst the harem
how could he have acted so foolishly?
Your Majesty.
This case matters greatly.
Please handle it very cautiously.
Queen.
Are you speaking up for Chu Bei Jie?
That is not my intention.
Your Majesty.
I just want to seek out the true murderer of my sons.
If we let the true culprit get away and end up killing a loyal subject
I'm afraid that we'll have fallen into the trap of a vicious traitor.
It would only cause grief to our friends and please our enemies.
The loyal and patriotic subjects would then be disappointed in us.
Our people would no longer be in favor of Your Majesty.
Queen.
You have lost your beloved sons.
Do you not hate Chu Bei Jie?
If both princes were still alive
Chu Bei Jie could only be a veteran official of a new reign.
However, the imperial court is now greatly unstable.
If Chu Bei Jie chose to take the throne
his military power and numerous meritorious services
would make it easy for him to uproot the very fundamentals of Great Jin State.
Queen.
Will you still speak up for him now?
It is because of Bai Ping Ting
that Chu Bei Jie defied my orders again and again.
He is no longer faithful to Great Jin.
Your Majesty.
Could you not give Bei Jie one more chance?
Let him explain himself.
It has already come to such...
I...
Will you still plead for him?
Your Majesty!
Our sons are dead.
Bei Jie is now your only kin in this world now.
Have you forgotten about that?
Queen?
Queen!
Queen, are you all right?
Anyone? Send for the imperial physician!
- Yes! - Queen!
Queen, are you all right?
Your Majesty.
Don't let anger cloud your judgment.
Now that the world is in chaos
Liang State won't be the only one who wants us destroyed by civil unrest.
Queen.
You've always been frail.
You shouldn't worry so much.
I know what to do.
Your Majesty.
[Imperial Ancestral Hall]
[Memorial tablet of Great Jin's Queen Dowager Ren De]
Mother.
What am I to do now?
Chu Yu greets Your Majesty.
Greetings to Queen Dowager.
Is he called Bei Jie?
Come here.
Come and let me have a look at you.
Go on.
Let me see.
High brows, long eyes. Bright-eyed.
What a lovely face.
Your Majesty, this child is hungry.
Take him to get some food.
Yes, Mother.
Come here. Come with me.
Stop kneeling there. It's cold on the ground.
Get up now.
I have sinned. I dare not get up.
Queen Dowager saved me from being sacrificed in the burial.
I should have stayed hidden from sight forever.
However, the people of my clan refused to take me in.
Life has been very tough.
If it were just me, I'd rather die than bother Queen Dowager again.
However, Bei Jie is the child of the Sima royal family.
I beg Queen Dowager to spare him for the sake of the bloodline he carries.
Please take him in.
Here, get up now.
It has been hard on you all these years.
Back then, the late king listed you as one of his burial sacrifices.
It was only before the burial that I discovered your pregnancy.
I took the risk of swapping you with a corpse
and had you sent back to the Western Regions.
Afterward, I also sent my men out to search for you
but then you had already moved with your tribesmen
and all traces were lost.
Even the scouts couldn't track you down.
I thought that I'd never see you again.
Now that you are here...
But this child has returned at a bad time.
Queen Dowager has a heart of gold. I shall never forget my gratitude.
I'll do everything to repay you in the next lifetime.
Queen Dowager, please take in my child.
I could do so, but on two conditions.
If you can't accept them, I won't take him in.
I will go to whatever lengths to fulfill your orders.
First, this child can't take the name of Sima.
He can't be listed on the royal family tree.
But I can adopt him as my godson.
From now on, I will raise him.
As long as he can stay alive
Queen Dowager can decide whatever name he takes.
Second, this matter must be kept confidential.
When I sent you back to the Western Regions
I never intended to have you return.
The king is my only son.
Great Jin State knows only one king.
If you want me to adopt your son, you have to set my mind at ease.
Chu Yu, do you understand?
I understand.
Please rest assured, Queen Dowager.
Mother.
You look so pretty today!
So do you.
Teeny Tiny.
Would you like to go fly a kite with me?
Yes!
Wait!
Mother, we're going to play outside.
Can you play the zither for us?
My mother plays the zither especially well.
Enough talking! Hurry up!
It's flying so high up!
Look!
Fly it even higher!
It's so high up!
Mother!
Mother, why would you do this?
Bei Jie is still a child!
I did it all for your sake.
You have just succeeded the throne and the imperial court is still stable.
If there is another heir, there is a chance of danger.
How could there not be bloodshed behind the struggle for power?
I even think that I shouldn't have kept this child.
Mother, Chu Yu is already dead.
This child won't pose a threat to anyone.
Mother, please spare him.
Your Majesty is kind and benevolent.
You're a broad-minded and wise ruler.
Your Majesty doesn't have the heart to kill this child
so how could I?
Rest assured, Your Majesty.
I already promised Chu Yu that I'll adopt him after she is dead.
From now on, I'll look after him with great care
and let him grow up in the palace.
He shall become a formidable warrior.
He will overcome all obstacles for Your Majesty and expand your territory.
For so many years...
I've always held you in the highest regard and trusted you.
Never have I once doubted you.
Why would you be the one to stab me in my back?
Why?
What are you doing here?
I heard that the imperial physician was summoned to the imperial study.
I was misled into thinking that Your Majesty had fallen ill
so I rushed over.
Just then, I saw Your Majesty walk out of the study.
I wanted to catch up with you, but Your Majesty walked too fast.
I really couldn't keep up.
Your Majesty came all the way here to the Imperial Ancestral Hall.
I didn't dare to enter and disturb you.
But I'm still worried about Your Majesty's health.
I couldn't just leave, so I ended up waiting by the door.
Come here.
It's been hard on you.
Why did you leave without your shoes?
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
When I heard the news
I was so worried about Your Majesty that I forgot
to put on my shoes in a moment's panic.
I forgot my manners.
Silly Yun Er.
I am healthy and well.
Don't worry about nothing.
But Your Majesty, I overheard you.
Your Majesty truly is greatly troubled by Prince of Zhenbei's case.
Your Majesty has entrusted the case to my father.
Has my father handled it poorly and caused Your Majesty more troubles?
Here, put the shoes on.
A woman's feet mustn't get cold.
I do like walking around barefoot.
Your father has done well.
I have no intention of blaming him.
Put your mind at ease.
Chu Bei Jie is now totally infatuated with that woman.
Everyone knows about it.
However, he is after all a famous general of our time.
Without concrete proof, I can't kill him.
As the saying goes, "The saddle must be put on the right horse."
We mustn't let the true culprit Bai Ping Ting off.
As for Prince of Zhenbei's innocence
we would need them to confront each other.
Your Majesty.
My father has news from Liang State
that Bai Ping Ting is here in Jiankang City.
She actually dares to come here?
Why wouldn't she?
Has Your Majesty forgotten?
Chu Bei Jie is now imprisoned and soon to be executed.
Noble Consort, you mean that she is here to save Chu Bei Jie?
[Hong Fu Inn]
Who is it?
It's me.
After the army of Jin State left, they camped 50 miles outside the city.
In the palace of Jin State
they also sent for tens of thousands of soldiers.
It's been announced by the palace that tomorrow at noon
Chu Bei Jie will be executed within the palace grounds.
Executed?
Exactly.
This has become complicated.
The king of Great Jin has assigned more armed forces
to prevent any possible riots in the army.
However, we only have 120 men.
It's impossible for us to break into the palace to rescue him!
Is the news reliable?
Who is it?
Qingshui River? Bai...
Miss Bai?
General Mo Ran.
It really is you?
It is indeed me.
I've been waiting here for you for a long time.
Miss Bai, whatever reason you have for summoning me here today
I only have one question for you.
Were you the one who poisoned the princes?
General, have you heard about the execution tomorrow at noon?
Then I will get to the point.
I need to ask General for help on this matter.
Could it be...
I hope that General Mo Ran could assist me in breaking into the palace
to rescue Chu Bei Jie.
I'm sorry, Miss Bai.
I can't.
Why?
Before His Highness left, he warned the entire army.
His Majesty is a wise ruler.
His Highness will prove his innocence to His Majesty.
By then, His Majesty will surely clear the prince's name.
His Highness is a military man of Great Jin.
Without the prince's military command, I can't leave my post
and have His Highness damned beyond redemption.
Please don't act recklessly.
Everyone in the city now assumes
that Miss Bai poisoned both young princes.
Should you appear, all will condemn you to death.
His Majesty won't show you any mercy.
Miss Bai, do reconsider your actions to avoid causing greater trouble.
I understand what your prince is concerned about.
He's afraid that should his army barge into the palace
it will cause civil unrest in Jiankang City.
Someone will then benefit from it.
Miss Bai.
Please head back.
You're a wanted criminal.
You're in a precarious situation now.
I am no soldier of Great Jin.
I do not trust that king of yours either.
Therefore, I will have to rescue him.
Miss Bai!
Be sure to tie it securely.
- Make it this long. - Sure.
- Take it. - Yes! There's more over there.
Chop them all off and bring them here. Sharpen both ends.
Be sure to follow the instructions for handling the materials.
- Don't worry. I'll get going. - Go on.
Chief General.
We have prepared all the materials for the bamboo kites.
Miss Bai.
The materials for the bamboo kites are almost all gathered.
We will have them all assembled tonight.
Thank you for the hard work.
Not at all.
Honestly speaking, I've never seen anything so intricate.
Miss Bai's design is so exquisitely crafted.
With these bamboo kites, the plan will surely succeed.
However well guarded the palace might be
who would have guessed that anyone would descend from the skies?
The plan for tomorrow is canceled.
I didn't get any reinforcements.
Didn't you meet Chu Bei Jie's confidant, Chu Mo Ran?
He didn't consent to the rescue.
That heartless fellow.
Doesn't he follow Prince of Zhenbei around all day like a loyal subordinate?
Why has he refused to help when his master is in trouble?
What are we to do next?
Those kites might get us into the palace, but they won't get us out.
Even if we could rescue Chu Bei Jie and kill the king of Great Jin
we won't be able to fight our way out of those heavily armed imperial guards.
Rescuing him by force is our last resort.
You have all followed me here from afar.
I must get you home alive.
Especially so for you, Ze Yin.
Yang Feng and your child are still waiting for you at home.
What are you going to do?
Tomorrow...
Bei Jie, wait for me.
Hold her back!
Who is it? What are you doing here?
Hold her back!
His Majesty arrives!
Run!
- Stop right there! - Arrest her!
Quickly!
Your Majesty!
It's that witch!
She flew down from the sky!
- It's her! The witch! - Exactly!
Witch!
How dare you walk right into our hands!
Your Majesty.
Allow me to interrogate her with instruments of torture.
Make her confess the conspiracy behind the poisoning of the princes.
I believe that there must be a mastermind who told her to do so.
We can get to the bottom of it all today
and put the souls of the young princes to rest.
I came here alone bearing no weapons with a clear conscience
and great determination.
Even if it is an unforgivable sin
I am entirely at Your Majesty's disposal today.
However, all I ask is that this case comes to an end today.
Don't implicate any loyal subjects.
Otherwise, the deaths of the princes shall cause the clan's future demise.
I believe that the princes wouldn't wish to see their family and nation destroyed.
If so, they shall be overcome by the great grief of losing their parents.
You know about the grief of losing one's parents?
His Majesty bestows whipping upon you. Express gratitude!
Thank you for the reward!
Your Majesty is a wise ruler.
Your breadth of mind is as broad as the world.
Your judgment surely wouldn't be clouded by your personal hatred
and shut out the truth that lies before your eyes.
Should Your Highness be willing to appease your anger for a moment
and listen to a few words of mine
I'll pray for Your Majesty and both princes
for all eternity even if I descend into hell.
You're to be killed. Who are you to negotiate any terms with me?
Do you miss me?
I want to see His Majesty.
Don't worry.
Today, you will get to see every person that you wish to see.
- Guards! - Present!
Get Prince of Zhenbei bathed and dressed to meet His Majesty right away!
Yes!
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