Episode 12
At the time, Brother Li held the position of Imperial Tutor,
but he never refused the common folks.
Establishing lecture halls outside the Palace walls,
his pupils are spread across the land.
But there were few students he was proud of.
I've seen all of them.
But you...
I have never met before.
I was not a quick study. A discredit to my teachers name.
I also did not receive his teachings for long
so it's natural that Mr. Zhou not know me.
So be it.
As long as Brother Li's signet is here,
I am obliged to help.
It's unfortunate that the reason to see this signet again, after so many years,
is for matters of the Court.
When Brother Li left the Captial after he was dismissed
he was full of resentment, vowing to never return.
Who knows if my current foray into the Court,
is something that Brother Li would have agreed to.
At the time, Teacher knew he was going against the Emperor.
But he did not waver from his convictions, remaining outspoken and just.
It is the character of a great Philosopher.
Hence, I believe
that there are many paths in the world.
Secluding on-self in the mountains is one way, to display on-self in Court is another.
If you can maintain a pure heart, not giving voice to, opinions contrary to your conscious,
to immoral thoughts, then
why worry about where you stand?
Do you know why Brother Li adorns this jade cicada?
To have no desire, ascetic TN. Extract from "Ode to the Cicada" by Cao Zhi
Content in being solitary, sing
Call brightly, ferociously Like that of an honorable man.
Very good.
I am glad that in this life
I can meet another exceptional pupil of Brother Li.
I am content. Give me your hand.
To travel so far in this dreary winter at your age
only for the ties of friendship.
I am very grateful.
Seeing this jade cicada, a trip to the Capital is nothing,
I shall not excuse even a trip to the border lands.
Well then,
seeing as the matter you've entrusted as been resolved,
it's time for me to return to the temple.
Farewell.
Take care Master Zhou.
Oh,
Back then, Brother Li had a favorite pupil,
while he was from a Martial family, was high spirited
he was also extremely bright. Had you been there,
you and he would have been a glorious pair.
Thank you for your favor.
A person as such. It's a shame to not be able to meet him.
Yes, a shame,
we can never meet this person again...
.
Chief, Chief are you alright?
She's here...
I don't know why. Nihuang has recently began to suspect my identity.
Constantly investigating and inquiring everywhere.
I probably can't hide it from her any longer.
If Duchess Nihuang keeps pursing in this manner,
there could be trouble.
Nihuang to me,
is different to other people.
If Mei Changsu cannot keep it from her,
then let Lin Shu dissuade her.
Chief,
Duke Mu is here
to ferry Mr Zhou home,
my Lady need not have come.
Isn't Mr. Su here as well.
It's the middle of winter and yet Mr. Zhou is willing to travel for you.
It looks like Jiangzuo Alliance's power
is far greater than it seems.
We are just a bunch of misfits.
Fate brought us together, thus we formed a brother hood.
Putting righteousness as our tenet,
not questioning your birth rights, or your sources.
Thus we reached where we are today.
Mr. Su are you trying to tell me
that the person you sent to help me with the navel battle
is someone you know
nothing about?
That person came from Jiangzuo Alliance.
Mr. Su you would not, not know.
If even Mr. Su doesn't know his background
then it seems that I know more than you.
What else does my Lady know?
That, though he changed his name,
modified his appearance,
I still recognized him.
Mr. Su, do you not want to know who he is?
Who is he?
His surname is not Yun, his name is Wei Zheng.
He was a Lieutenant in the Chiyan Army,
under the command of Marshal Lin Shu.
He is also a convict.
First on the Langya List, Mei of Jiangzuo.
You hold the reigns of the largest Alliance in the pugilist world.
Wei Zheng takes orders from you.
To say that you don't know his background
it's somewhat hard to believe.
So what if you believe
or not.
Then please tell me
within Jiangzuo Alliance
is Wei Zheng the only former member of the treacherous Chiyan Army?
Do you believe that the Chiyan Army committed treason as well?
I don't know.
I was very young at the time.
But I believe,
the people I knew,
would never betray the Emperor and Country.
Since my Lady is clear on this point
why delve so?
There's no point in judging this now.
The case is closed.
The Crown Prince and Prince Yu, would never redress this case.
Because this case,
is one of their great accomplishments.
Correct.
Who would put their hope in the Crown Prince or Prince Yu for this?
There's only one way to reach the goal.
Prince Jing.
So the person you really want to help
has always been Prince Jing.
My Lady the weather is cold, you should rest.
No matter, you may leave.
Yes, my Lady.
Sister Chen,
Jingyan has decided on a perilous path.
Dark times and uncharted futures.
Should your noble soul hear me,
please bless him.
Yes,
only Prince Jing can do it.
But it's so hard.
One wrong step and he'd be at Deaths' door,
with no returns.
Who ever thought about returning?
Did Wei Zheng thought to return?
Wei Zheng is different.
Wei Zheng is a former member of Chiyan army.
He wants to redress the injustices!
But what about you?
Who are you?
When I can to the Capital under the name of Su Zhe
many people wondered who I was.
Some asked me directly, others investigated covertly.
But soon, they all arrived at an answer.
So no one asked further;
Who Mei Changsu is?
I never expected,
that the first person to ask me this, would be you.
How would you like to answer?
Former member.
Former member like Wei Zheng.
If you are a former member of Chiyan,
why do I not know you?
The Chiyan army had 70,000 soldiers, how could you know them all?
But I know Wei Zheng.
He was a Lieutenant in Chiyu Battalion.
He takes orders from you,
I will not believe that you were a lowly ranked soldier.
What we are scheming on has nothing to do with war.
Wei Zheng is not good at such endevours.
Further more,
his identity must not be exposed.
Do you know Lin Shu?
I know.
- Did he really die in battle? - Yes
- Where? - Mei Cliff
Where is he buried?
The Heaven and Earth entombs the 70,000 Chiyan soldiers.
Nobody collected his remains?
Not even one thing?
The battle was devastating.
Corpses piled like a mountain.
Who could tell which was Lin Shu?
I know what a battle field looks like.
But if you were a former member of Chiyan,
why is it that when I mentioned Lin Shu
you did not refer to him as Marshal?
But directly said his name?
Just a name,
whether it be Lin Shu, or Marshal,
or what ever, it's not important anymore.
There was a mole here.
I remember there was a mole here
Song: The west wind blows pass, cold rain in the mountains
Home and country, remembered vaguely in dreams.
Thinking of you, yet to not see you, brings further sorrows
Hard to bare separation, but we must.- I know it's you
I know you are my Lin Shu-gege
When will the flames of war rest.
Everything washes away in the river of time.
The candles are spent, but tears will not dry.
The land is as always, but she is not.
Hard to bare separation, but we must separate.
Entrusting the wild geese to head south,but where shall this heart go?
She is no longer.While the Firmament rotates as always
Nihuang,
A woman's instinct, is always so inexplicable.
The less there is to go on, the more I suspected.
Everything washes away in the river of time
The candles are spent, but tears will not dry
The land is as always, but she is notLin Shu-gege
Hard to bare separation, but we must separate
Entrusting the wild geese to head south- Lin Shu-gege,
please don't leave me anymore.
Don't ever leave me anymore.
Only this love is unchanged
Hard to bare separation, but we must separate
I am no longer the Lin Shu you know.
But where shall this heart go?
She is no longerWhile the Firmament rotates as always
Only this love is unchangedI was to always protect you.
I used to think that I can always protect you.
You have! Ever since I headed the Southern Border,
to Qing-er (Prince Mu), to the Mu Family of Yun Nan.
You have always been our pillar of strength.
Every time, when I an in trouble, you were the source of my strength.
I believed that you were by my side, that you'd return.
Just like when we were young, when I had run far,
and couldn't run anymore,
my Lin Shu-gege would carry me home.
The times have changed.
We can no longer return to those times.
How have you become like this?
You were never scared of the cold before.
Everyone call you Lil Fiery
What did you experience in these years?
What kind of cruel things,
can wipe away all the traces of a person? Making you unrecognizable.
Don't ask about this now.
I will tell you in full if we get a chance in the future.
The things I wish to accomplish upon returning to the Capital
are very dangerous. I cannot expose my true identity.
I know.
Especially Sister Dong and Jingyan. They must never find out.
Regarding Sister Dong, I understand
but why can we not tell Prince Jing
I cannot involve any sentiments in the schemes I'm orchestrating.
Including you.
Then what can I do to help?
After today, I am still Su Zhe.
You are still the Duchess.
There can be no slip ups.
Okay. I can do that.
I can wait until you change back to my Lin Shu-gege.
Mu Qing is almost back.
You should not let him see you cry. That won't be good.
I'll leave first.
Lin Shu-gege
Can I still come over to Su Residence?
To visit you?
If you really want to see me,
then come.
.
Chief,
Physician Yan
What is the prognosis?
Restless thoughts, accumulated cold Qi,
resulting in a weak constitution.
For the next few days, decline all guests, so that he can rest.
Is Chiefs' situation critical?
What would you call 'critical'?
Being a deaths door? That's critical.
He will not recover time and again
if he insists on toiling like this without restraint.
We know that...
but you know the way Chief is.
Fortunately you're here,
if it's just us, there'd be no one to stop him.
Greetings your Highness.
Minister Shen. You've just been instated as the Minister of State Revenue,
you must be busy. It's great to see that you still have time for a stroll.
I've been sorting through the ledgers at the ministry,
and found some discrepancies in the canal transport records.
Seeing as it's a holiday,
I wanted to take opportunity and check the ports.
- Canal transport? - Indeed.
Brother Zhao, what kind of goods are these?
How can fruit and vegetables be so heavy?
Feels like metal barrels.
Mind your own business.
Am I not paying enough?
Give it to the gang.
Your Excellency, according to ministry records
this should be a shipment of fresh fruits.
Sign: Ministry of State Revenue, Official Transport - Oi, come help
Okay
Hurry up...
Weight and size may not always be associated.
But according to the type of cargo on record,
it shouldn't be this heavy.
What kind fruit weigh this much,
can they really stomach it?
Seems that the official cargoes have some secrets to hide.
Regardless of the secret,
anything associated with Lou Zhijing
has something to do with Eastern Palace. You must be careful.
Rest assured, I'll be most careful.
If I need manpower, I will ask your Highness for help.
Alright.
Put them here.
Brother Zhao, there's two more official cargo ships pulling up into the dock.
Keep the lads moving.
They also have black fire.
That'll make it six shipments in total.
This is not the usual volume compared to past years.
- Who's the sender? - I don't know.
We need to track where they end up.
Black fire in the Capital.
Definitely nothing good. Chief is in the capital too.
- Don't be sloppy. - Yes.
Slowly.
Young Master, you are back.
- Is the Marquis back? - Yes.
Check the things that you need to take back.
Be careful, don't miss anything.
Father.
You are back.
- Continue on. - Yes, your Excellency.
I will get the servants to clean your room.
No need. I still have to perform a few rituals.
Just here to pack some stuff and will be leaving soon.
Marquis, we are ready.
Alright.
Father.
Cultivating or meditation on the Dao, all that's good
but, please don't use cinnabar.
What do you know.
Yujin,
Father,
You still have enough money to spend?
- Branch Chief Li, - What is it?
Prince Yu sent some more gifts.
We've refused him twice already, why is he still sending? So annoying.
- Send them back. - It's not anything valuable this time,
Just some toys, for Fei Liu.
We'll accept them.
Your Highness Prince Yu.
Looks like you've lost to me.
- They accepted? - Mhm
Good.
Our victory over the Eastern Palace in the Court debate
all depended on his help.
I need to thank him.
But he didn't accept any of the usual gifts.
Only you had the right idea and got my gifts past his door.
I just know how to cater to one's interest.
The simple child that Mei Changsu keeps at his side may be his body guard,
but he's treated more like a younger brother.
While the Divine Talent is hard to decipher,
I still have ways to make a child happy.
Don't be so modest. As before,
thank you for the help these past years.
Attendants, prepare the carriage.
your Highness is heading out?
While your gift catered to their interest,
it's still just toys. Not nearly enough.
I heard that Mei Changsu took ill. I'll pay him a visit myself.
Your Highness is indeed more thorough
- What happened? - We had it under watch, but it changed hands a few times and we lost track.
- Where did you loose track? - Shizi road.
Quickly
Lost track? Six shipments of black fire.
How could you loose track of such a large amount?
Black fire?
It's smuggled gunpowder,
that stays off the books.
According to law, only Pili Hall in Jiangnan, who make firearms,
and the Fireworks Factory,
which is administered by the Ministry of State Revenue, can legally get gunpowder.
Any additional gunpowder is considered as smuggled goods.
Brother Zhao, how much black fire is there?
There isn't much in each shipment,
but all added up, it's not a trivial matter.
The sender and receivers are still unclear.
I had people trailing the cargo,
but who knew they'd loose track of it all.
So there's a large amount of black fire
with an unknown purpose, somewhere in the Capital.
Gunpowder is dangerous.
But the Chief often goes around the Capital.
Mr. Shisan, I'm really worried
We must find where the gunpowder went.
You don't have enough people, I'll send Tong Lu to help.
We need to report this to the Chief,
and advise him to be more careful.
With the year end homage rituals approaching, coupled with all the matters of the Inner Palace,
I am unable to take care of everything. Consort Xushu,
Your Majesty,
In the Inner Palace, only you,
Sister Yue and Sister Yuan, are Consorts of the first rank.
You are the oldest and command the most respect,
you need to assist me in handling some matters.
Yes your Majesty.
Your Majesty what is the matter? Are you unwell?
You just wish that I'm unwell, right
I had no such intentions.
I had been lenient in the pass, resulting in a loss of etiquette in the Inner Palace.
His Majesty is not please.
From today...
- Your Majesty - Your Majesty
- Your Majesty,
How are you feeling Mr. Su?
Just a slight cold, your Highness need not have come.
Recently I have benefited much from your council.
You pay no mind to worldly luxuries. I could find no gifts to convey my thanks.
It's the coldest period of the year, not a good time to be careless.
Be sure to look after yourself.
Your Highness! Prince Yu!
It's a catastrophe! Your Highness! Prince Yu!
Go check, quickly!
Fei Liu! Release him. Let him in.
Your Highness, Your Highness, all is not well
What is not well?
Word from the Palace, her Majesty the Empress has fallen ill.
What?
Don't be anxious your Highness. Head to the Palace now and have a look. Go quickly.
Take care.
- Lets go. - Please.
The Capital is so big, we were really quite lost at the start
Fortunately Tong Lu investigated all the recent express boats that came to Officials Transport dock.
On the books the cargo is just listed as fruits, spices
fabrics and home-ware used by Noble households.
A myriad of goods heading every where.
A lot of the goods were pre-orders. It's hard to figure out the suspects in such a short time.
But to be able to use Official transport, it definitely not people from the Pugilist world.
There should be Nobles from the Court involved.
Miss. Gong Yu is correct. There's a lot of goods for years end celebrations
the receivers are spread throughout the city. It was supposed to be hard to track
but coincidentally, I met...
Just tell me what you found.
Of course, We found 4 shipments of gunpowder near the North city gate.
It was taken to a walled house. It's actually an illegal fireworks factory.
Fireworks factory?
It the years end. Fireworks prices are on the rise, they're making huge profits.
But profits from the official fireworks factory
will be handed to the Treasury
So the former Minister of State Revenue, Lou Zhijing opened this factory to
profiteer off the the illegal fireworks. He kept part of the profit,
but the bulk of it was taken by the Crown Prince.
I see. While Lou Zhijing has been dismissed, the Crown Prince will not give up on this piece of meat.
So the factory is still operating.
The black fire was for the fireworks.
We're not the only ones who've taken notice.
The new Minister of State Revenue, Shen Zhui also sent people to investigate.
This is not a small matter, report it to the Chief.
.
Mr. Shisan, please allow me, I can disguise...
I bought a vegetable farm near the West Markets,
Tong Lu is now a greens vendor, responsible for delivering goods to the Su Residence.
Chief has ordered that all communications to be sent by him.
Hand everything you learn about the illegal factory to Shen Zhui.
- I understand. We'll co-operate with Minister Shen. - You may go
Chief, according the new from the Imperial Physicians Hall,
The Empresses illness is not serious.
Not serious?
Correct
Then why did Prince Yu's people panic?
It's because it was a surprise, plus, the initial symptoms looked server.
So it scared everyone.
But according the Imperial physicians, there really wasn't any issues.
Ask the Duchess to visit the Empress and verify everything in the Palace.
Also try to get a copy of the prescriptions.
Chief, you're suspecting that this illness is 'man-made'?
It's too coincidental. I need to make sure.
Speaking of the people who'd like to target the Empress.
The most likely culprits would be Nobel Consort Yue and the Crown Prince.
And because of that, its not easy for them succeed.
The Empress and Nobel Consort Yue have been sparring for years. She would be vigilant against Consort Yue.
Even at the zenith of her power, Consort Yue couldn't do anything.
Unlikely that she'll succeed now.
Nobel Consort Yue has only just been reinstated, plus the Court debate.
She's definitely not recovered all her powers yet.
The Empresses' illness is not life threatening.
If it was by the Crown Prince and Consort Yue, why would they be so light handed?
They wouldn't slip up on such a good opportunity to kill the Empress.
It's not their modus operandi.
Chief, are you saying the Easter Palace is actually innocent in this?
It's too early to make assumptions.
Perhaps there's something good about the Empress missing the year end Rituals that we haven't thought of.
Or maybe, it really is just a coincidence.
But there's only a few days till the year end Rituals,
if the Empress does not recover, there'll be further troubles.
So we need to investigate quickly.
Yes.
I have a feeling, that this isn't so simple
There's something hidden behind it all.
Did I overlook some details...
Empress Yan
To have troubled your Highness the Nobel Consort. Her Majesty is much better now.
The Imperial physicians advised her Majesty to rest and not trouble with any matters of the Inner Palace.
So my Ladies not need enter.
I see, we shall not trouble the Empress further.
Wait.
Miss. Qi Hong, are these her Majesty's tea cups?
Yes.
How exquisite.
Your Highness, how is her Majesty?
The Imperial physicians said there's no trouble.
The Prince Consort is with her.
The Prince Consort is much troubled then.
But no matter what illness, there must a cause.
Your Highness
.