Lang Ya Bang / Nirvana in Fire
Episode 23
Xia Jiang is very loyal to Father.
That is exactly why I don't understand
his willingness to help Xie Yu.
What if it's because Xie Yu did something for him?
That must be it!
Sir you really are brilliant. What kind of connection can Xia Jiang have with Xie Yu?
Xie Yu must have Xia Jiang's secrets in his hands.
Xia Jiang will save Xie Yu's life to keep his mouth shut. This is a deal.
Right. This must be the deal that they agreed upon when they met in the prison.
Don't get excited your Highness.
I am just guessing, I need to talk to him to verify it.
You want to talk to Xie Yu personally?
You have some influence in the prison. Can you arrange the meeting?
That's not hard to do.
He has the heart of a wild beast and he'll be trying to save his life.
It will be hard to convince him.
That'll depend on how you do the convincing.
Shifu.
Has Dong-er been quiet the last few days?
Shimei has never dared to disobey you. She's been reflecting in her room.
I know the relationships among you all are good.
But don't you dare join up to fool me.
We won't dare.
Dong-er is still immature. You are the eldest you should look after her more.
His Majesty is moody recently. Tell her to stay still and don't cause further troubles.
Yes.
By the way, when will Qiu-er be back?
Xia Qiu contacted me via pigeon post few days ago saying that the matter will soon be...
Shifu, what's the matter?
I feel as if someone is here.
Someone?
No body is here.
Shifu, you are guarding the Xuanjing Bureau
I believe, even the masters on the Langya list won't dare to break in here.
Brother Chun, stop being so childish.
I am grounded at the moment.
Brother Chun...
It's you?
Nobody noticed you?
Do I need to reply?
- Tell Mr. Su that I will come. - Okay
This is this Imperial prison.
Those who come in from that door are all famous people.
But when they take this path down to the prison cells,
how many didn't cry for their mothers and fathers.
From bureaucrat to prisoner
of course they will cry.
There are some that didn't cry.
Look at that cell, the 'Han' cell, its for members of the Royal family.
Although it has been empty for quite some time but many years ago
the eldest prince, Prince Qi was locked in there.
You've seen him, father?
Yes. He was an unyielding man.
Sir Su, please come in.
Please.
Minister An.
Is it here?
This is 'Han' cell, for members of the Royal family.
Over there is inner prison.
I will break your bones if I heard you talk about Prince Qi again.
Sir Su, please be careful. The place is cold and dark. If you hurt yourself
I will never be able to explain it to Prince Yu.
Sir Su, this is the room.
Please help yourself. I will wait for you outside.
Thank you, Minister An.
Wait for me outside.
Please.
Marquis Xie, I hope you are well.
We haven't seen each other for only a fortnight and you don't seem to recognized me anymore.
Of course I recognized you.
When you first arrived at Capital, weren't you a guest
at my manor?
Yes, when I first met you,
you looked elegant and smart.
Your eminence had made people not dare to look at you.
So you're here to rejoice in my failure.
That's a low act for you.
My life is ill fated so I have been wronged and hit hard times
Don't you think you're like a villain, chasing me to here?
So you do know there is such a word as 'villain' in this world.
It's true you are in trouble, but you have not been wronged.
You and I both know that what Zhuo Dinfeng has stated is all true.
Every single accusation is backed with indisputable proofs.
You are at deaths door,
but now you are shamelessly denying everything in your last attempts at saving your life. But in the end,
the one you are saving is Xia Jiang.
What are you laughing at Marquise?
You are too hasty.
I am laughing at you for bringing up Xia Jiang so quickly.
Is it because the execution order hasn't been made yet?
Prince Yu is losing his patience.
Otherwise, you wouldn't aggrieve yourself,
to come here.
How can it be a grievance to visit you Marquise.
I believe once you see me
you will start thinking about how you lost to me. Right?
You must want to know where you went wrong?
Where the oversight was?
How the world has come to this.
From a prestigious minister to a prisoner on death row.
You don't need to think too much,
I am here today, to explain to you,
exactly how you lost to me.
The reason you lost to me, is because you are stupid,
and because I'm smarter than you.
So whatever you're thinking of,
or what counter moves you have against me,
I can see through it all. But on the other hand,
you can't see through me. How can you not lose?
And in the end, you can't even figure out how you lost.
Is this not stupid?
Oh that's right, do you know who else is smarter than you?
Xia Jiang,
he's much smarter than you.
Do you think that everything will be finished after losing to me?
As long as he's around, you'll keep losing.
Let me explain to you how this smart person will deal with you.
Firstly, he'll come visit you, this Marquise who's fallen on hard times.
And he'll make a deal with you.
As long as you keep his secrets, he'll save your life.
Of course this deal is genuine.
He'll definitely think of ways to make sure you walk out of this prison alive.
If you are not sentenced to death, and manage to leave here,
then his end of the deal is completed.
Next, you'll become an average exile convict,
and be sent to cold and harsh lands far away.
And at the same time,
the value of your existence will disappear.
The case is closed, no one will question you anymore,
there won't even be people who'll listen to you.
No matter how much secrets you have on Xia Jiang, you'll have no chance to say it.
Anywhere on this long road from the Capital to the penal colony,
can become your entrance to hell.
Think about it,
would anyone notice or care about the death
of an exiled convict?
When you die,
you will take all of Xia Jiang's secrets with you to your grave.
From then on,
this smart person can rest without worry.
There's nothing for him to worry about anymore.
That sounds pretty good right?
Marquise Xie, should we have a proper conversation now?
Sorry to not have greeted you earlier Prince Yu.
Director Xia you are too kind.
What orders have you on this visit.
The spring tea is already on the markets, yet Director Xia you are still drinking old tea, you really are one of integrity.
Everything I have, is from his Majesty, I dare not be wasteful.
I cannot compare to your ethical character Director Xia.
You have overpraised your Highness.
I didn't come for anything big today,
but Father put me in charge of hearing the Marquise of Ning's case.
There are some small issues that pertain to Director Xia,
so I decided to check with you when I passed by.
Pertaining to me?
That's interesting. Please go ahead your Highness.
In the 17th year of Kaiwen, Xie Yu instructed Zhuo Dinfeng to assassinate a school teacher by the name of Li Chongxin in the province of Xian.
He said it was done for you Director Xia. I would like to know if it's true.
Assassinated for me?
Marquise Xie, there aren't that many opportunities left for you to talk.
I suggest you seize one as soon as you can.
Tell me, does my previous analysis make sense?
Even if what you said is true,
that is a worst case scenario.
Xia Jiang should believe me.
He knows that if he can get me out of here, I will not betray him.
I have no reason to betray him. There is no benefit for me.
But things can change within an instance in this world.
Who knows what'll happen tomorrow?
Even if you don't have a reason to betray Xia Jiang, instead of believing you,
it'll be easier for him to believe a corpse.
That will match Director Xia's style of conduct more.
Marquise, just think about yourself,
back then, why did you want to kill Zhuo Dinfeng.
Isn't it the same reasoning.
There is no old enmities between me and Xia Jiang.
He knows me and I know him.
This is my last bet.
If I don't believe in him, would I have to believe in you instead!?
Why can't you believe in me?
Believe in you?
My current situation is all thanks to you! To believe in you,
it'd be faster if I just committed suicide.
Your current situation is not thanks to me, you only have yourself to blame.
I will make you believe that I'm not joking.
Xia Jiang has reasons to kill you, but I don't.
You don't? Mr, Su...
you probably wish that I should die sooner than later.
Marquise you've over estimated yourself again.
Once you leave this prison, you're just an exiled convict.
Your life or death makes no difference to me.
I assailed you before because you were a threat to Prince Yu.
But you've lost completely,
so your life is absolutely unimportant now.
Unimportant?
If it's unimportant,
then why have you deigned
to come to this place?
Good question. I actually have no interest in you.
I'm interested in Xia Jiang.
Xia Jiang
Mr. Su, you really make good jokes.
Xia Jiang is my last hope,
and yet you want to use me to get to Xia Jiang?
You really are stupid.
Of course I still want to exploit you.
You should be happy that even at this stage you can still be exploited.
If you were really useless, then you'd be dead.
Mr. Su, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.
I'll still bet on Xia Jiang. I bet that he'll believe me.
He is my last path to survival.
I'm so sorry, your last path to survival,
I've already blocked it.
What are you saying?
Did Zhuo Dinfeng tell you this?
Yes, Zhuo Dinfeng told me. Xie Yu originally admitted it as well, but strangely enough,
not 2 days after you came back, he retracted his confession.
Now he says he kill that person for his own purposes and it has nothing to do with Director Xia.
Since Xie Yu already confessed that this case has nothing to do with me,
why do you still need to verify with me?
Just processes,
I would like to hear you confirm it personally, so I can keep it on record.
This case,
has nothing to do with me.
Li Congxin? What about Li Congxin?
Zhuo Dinfeng did kill him,
but he does not know for whom.
I've never mentioned this case, and I've never said it had anything to do with Xia Jiang.
I know you didn't say this, but what would Xia Jiang think?
How did Prince Yu found out that Li Congxin's death had something to do Xia Jiang?
Was it that I guessed it?
You're the only one who knows the truth, of course it was you who told him.
I DID NOT!
Too late. Xia Jiang is probably already certain
that you betrayed him in regards to Li Congxin.
Perhaps he'll believe that it wasn't on purpose,
to keep more of his secrets he'll still try to save you.
But in his heart, you are no longer foolproof. Your mouth
will not be more reliable than that of a corpse's
In order to tie up all the loose ends, your death will come when you walk out of the prison doors.
Marquise Xie, there is no way that Xia Jiang will keep you alive,
because his trust in you has been obliterated.
Mei Changsu! Mei Changsu!
What enmity and hatred is there between us that you should desolate me so!
What enmity and hatred?
Marquise Xie, we each strive for fame and power and serve our Lords,
using what ever means necessary to reach our goals,
don't you think your question is naive?
Only I can give you a chance at survival,
to believe in me or Xia Jiang, you choose.
Okay...
Tell me,
what should I do?
I want to know why Xia Jiang wants to kill Li Congxin.
There is no meaning for you to know this.
Why is there no meaning?
As long as I hold this over him, Prince Yu will have nothing to worry about.
What is Prince Yu worried about?
Marquise Xie,
you are the most important supporter of the Crown Prince.
Since Xia Jiang is willing to go through all this trouble to save you,
then, Xuanjing Bureau who are not supposed to be part of party conflicts,
must already be standing with the Crown Prince.
I've already said this,
Xia Jiang saving me,
has nothing to do with party conflicts.
That's good then,
as long as I have this secret
I'll be able to exploit Xuanjing Bureau as well.
You are underestimating him.
He will not let you exploit him so easily.
How to exploit him, that's my problem,
Marquise Xie you need not worry about it.
What benefit is there for me,
if I tell you all these things.
You'll live.
In the Capital there's Prince Yu, in the pugilist world there's Jiangzuo Alliance,
we can definitely keep you alive.
13 years ago,
Li Congxin wrote a letter for Xia Jiang,
the letter copied
the handwriting of Nie Feng.
Who is Nie Feng?
Nie Feng,
was the Chiyan army's vanguard General,
he was also executive officer Xia Dong's husband.
So, Xia Jiang was able to easily
get samples of Nie Feng's handwriting.
He gave them to Li Congxin,
who wrote a letter
that not even Xia Dong could tell the difference.
What was the content of the letter?
It was a letter to cry for help.
It said, Commander General Lin Xie has intentions to rebel.
I found out.
In order to silence me, he sent me on a suicide mission.
Please help.
So the so called denouncement letter
from Nie Feng is fake.
You then rushed to save Nie Feng
but because you arrived too late,
you only brought back his remains. That is also fake.
On the surface you were saving Nie Feng,
but in reality you ambushed the vanguard general
who was completely in the dark and sent him to his death.
You brought his remains back to the Capital
and using Li Congxin's fake letter as evidence,
you told his Majesty and Xia Dong,
that he was killed by Command General Lin Xie.
Is that correct?
Getting to the bottom of this old case,
it should be very useful to Prince Yu.
Then what happend?
At the time,
only me and Xia Jiang knew the letter was fake.
He had his goals,
I had mine.
In order to keep his disciple Xia Dong from finding out,
he did not utilize the forces in Xuanjing Burea,
instead he secretly signaled me.
So I ordered Zhuo Dinfeng to kill Li Congxin.
That was how it happened, it had nothing to do with party conflicts, are you happy now?
Mr Su!
I will keep my promise.
I'm Sorry.
Xiao-Shu would not blame you.
Today is not a day where you can enter the Palace.
Why have you come?
I wanted to see you Mother, so I came.
If Father found out, he'll just admonish me.
What is it?
Are you not feeling well?
Did something happen outside?
Mother,
I miss xiao-Shu.
How is he? Did he take the medicine?
Chief has just been sitting there ever since he came back.
The two of us don't dare go ask.
He's right, we've never seen the Chief like this.
Physician Yan, would you be able to check?
Yes, yes, could you check?
Get him to take his medicine in another 4 hours.
We can now confirm that Xia Jiang has no intention of participating in the party conflicts.
There is now a rift between him and Xia Dong.
We don't have to focus on him anymore.
What's wrong my Lord?
After hearing Xie Yu's revelations,
were those the only things you thought of?
After so many years,
the situation has changed dramatically.
There is no point looking into the old case. Besides,
Xia Jiang is not our enemy now.
To create another formidable enemy for unimportant matter,
is not a wise mans' doing.
Not a wise mans' doing! What an answer.
Do you know that Nie Feng's case was the cause of the Chiyan Army rebellion case?
Now even this source is fake!
Who knows how many dark hands are behind this absurd case.
Both Prince Qi and the Lin family suffered a great injustice!
But you,
you think that it's merely an old case?
My Lord did you only realize today,
that Prince Qi and the Lin family were wrongfully convicted?
In my impression, you have always insisted
that they were innocent?
I...
It used to be only my unwavering belief in Prince Qi and Commander Generals character.
But today...
But today, you found a reliable and accurate clue
that solved a mystery that you couldn't add up in the past.
What's next then? What do you want to do next?
Of course it's to continue the investigation.
I want the truth of how Prince Qi and Commander Lin was set up,
to be investigated thoroughly and bring the matter to light.
Then?
Then...
Then bring forth the truths that you've found
and call for justice from the Emperor?
Make him to redress the rebellion case,
and reprocess the convictions?
Shouldn't it be done that way?
Do you really think that
Xia Jiang and Xie Yu
is capable of driving to death a talented and honorable Prince?
Or to remove a famous House like that of the Commander General?
Grandmother...
Jinyang, Jinyang...
Jinyang...
Xiao-Shu
Xiao-Shu...
I understand what you mean.
But why, why!?
Even if Prince Qi was overseeing all Court affairs, has the support of many courtiers,
have differing political views with father,
he was kind and noble. He had no intention at all to rebel.
Why would father be so suspicious of him!?
They are father and son.
All the Emperors in history,
which were not father and son.
It is known that our Emperor is harsh and cold hearted.
My prediction is
while the Emperor was suspicious,
in deference to Prince Qi's power and influenced,
he dared not to reduce his power.
Xia Jiang realized the Emperor's worries.
Of course he would aggravate situation in order to help the Emperor, make a decision.
Do you think
father believed it?
Did he believe that both Prince Qi and the Chiyan Army engaged in a conspiracy?
The Emperor is suspicious by nature.
I think he believed it.
That explains why he was so harsh and cruel
and punished with no second thought.
In spite of this,
if father wasn't already suspicious
how could he not question such ludicrous accusations.
If he had done so...
I hate that I wasn't in the country at the time
It was fortunate you weren't in the country.