01x22 - Episode 22

[bunniefuu]

My Lord said there are few people in the mountains, so it's easiest to avoid being seen.

Suizhi is always so considerate.

- Suizhi.

- Mr. Cheng.

This is…

Mr. Cheng.

Long time no see.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Here.

He is going on patrol incognito, so now he is Mr. Third.

The officials of the Eastern Capital's garrison,

together with those of higher and lower ranks,

seized other's farmland,

bribing the Ministry of Revenue, and altering records.

I have thoroughly investigated

the farmland plots that have been seized and recorded them in the register.\

I have compared it

with the tax and corvée ledgers,

and have grasped the Chen family's

methods and evidence of seizing farmlands.

Back then, the imperial court demoted you, and sent you to Luoyang, being the Director of the Ministry of Revenue.

But in my heart, you are still my Imperial Censor.

After three years of lying low,

you have still maintained your duties.

Finally, you've thoroughly investigated

the Luoyang officialdom.

I am greatly comforted.

Your Majesty, although

I report this to you alone today,

the evidence that has been investigated

is not the work of myself alone.

Although the Luoyang officialdom has been

controlled by the Chen family and other families,

there are still many loyal ministers who are devoted to the public and you.

Please note down their names.

I shall surely reward

and promote them for their efforts.

Yes.

Back then, we were all students of Mr. Xu, and you dared to argue with Mr. Third.

Haven't seen you for three years,

now we've grown estranged.

Having walked for so long, aren't you thirsty?

Sit down and have some tea.

I think, in order to deceive Prince Ning,

making Cheng Lang come here

and suffer from all the disdain is really wronged him.

Serving the country and Your Majesty is my pleasure.

Your Majesty.

Mr. Third. You are the one who suffer,

putting on performances in Chang'an every day.

Me too. Why don't you comfort me?

When you were Your Majesty's reading companion, you were always acting wildly.

Only you could be the notorious Floral Envoy.

Without being detected by others, and you can find joy in it.

Still, you understand Suizhi well.

The Chen family's reach

extends to all six ministries.

All thanks to Prince Ning.

Cui Mao also revealed many details of the Chen family

acting as the intermediary,

assisting Prince Ning

of buying and selling official positions.

And most of the money and land he embezzled were offered to Prince Ning.

If we are to remove Prince Ning, we must first take down the Chen family.

The more important the Chen family is, the less we can act rashly.

We must wait for a reliable opportunity

to capture them all in one fell swoop.

We can't give Prince Ning any chance

to meddle or to overturn the case.

Keeper Chen gets so much bribe

and doesn't want to stop at all.

The Ministry of Revenue has future troubles.

Perhaps it won't be long before we can take actions.

[Fuyun Temple]

My visit this time is to encourage all the students. The new policies have been issued.

I'm awaiting your distinguished success to unfold a grand plan and prosper the country.

We shall remember it well.

Your sister once served

as a maid for writing supplies, so she could teach you how to read.

I usually deal with flowers

and medicinal herbs.

How about teaching you something else?

Look. This is called lithospermum.

Right, that one is goosefoot vegetable.

Both of these are edible. We can rely on them

to fill our stomachs in the future.

However, in here, soldiers often come. We need to be cautious.

Come on, look.

Did you see these yellow ones?

This is called buttercup. There's more over there.

Look, although they look like water celery, the whole plant is poisonous. It's not edible.

If you eat it, it will upset your stomach and cause blisters.

Remember?

There's some more over here.

This is called pea leaf. You can make a sound with it.

Look.

From now on, whenever you blow on this, I'll know you're calling me. Give it a try.

Extract the arrow.

Mount the bow.

Draw the bow.

Release the arrow.

Archery skills are to be inspected

once every five days.

It is for you to practice diligently

and improve accuracy.

What have you all done?

Your hands are fine. How can you be good at archery?

How can you go into battle

and k*ll enemies in the future?

Bring them here.

- Since you can't concentrate on

sh**ting the straw men.

- Hurry.

- Then let's see the real people

next to the straw men.

- Hurry.

Either be warriors skilled enough

to sh**t well,

or be murderers who k*ll the innocent.

Hurry, get in position.

sh**t.

Otherwise, you will be discharged

from the military and get out of here.

Prepare.

Extract the arrow.

Mount the bow.

Draw the bow.

Draw the bow.

Release the arrow.

How are you? Let me see.

Bear with it.

Soldiers and generals shall

protect the nation and the people.

You do not protect the people, yet you are k*lling the innocent here.

I am here to protect the people

with decent household register.

But you sl*ves, worth no more than livestock.

It's an honor for you sl*ves to die here.

Did your sister die the same way?

Take them away.

Mr. Third is used to sitting

in a carriage every day.

Today he rides a horse himself, you must take good care of him.

If he gets bumped or bruised, I'll have to come up with an excuse for him lying to his elder brother.

If you're not at ease, might as well come along with me.

Let's go.

What makes you to stay for one more day to make purchases?

Luoyang's bright stars and moon?

The bright moon here does not belong to me.

- Protect His Majesty well.

- Yes.

Why didn't they wait for us to come back?

Let's go.

My father taught me to distinguish herbs for saving people.

But now that I've made my choice,

I won't regret it.

We can't live in constant fear of being shot, nor can we indulge them to k*ll randomly.

I am not strong enough,

and this is the only resort I can do.

Will it work?

Definitely.

How is it?

- What's going on?

- General, the new soldiers ate night snack secretly.

And they mistakenly ate

poisonous wild vegetables.

No wonder they can't practice archery well. Gambling and drinking all night,

you deserve to die from the poison. Hurry up and brew the medicine to save them.

General, many are poisoned. There is not enough medicine.

Who has a stomach ache? The wild vegetables are poisonous.

Who has a stomach ache? The wild vegetables are poisonous.

I-I feel terrible.

- Hurry.

- Save me.

Come on, hurry.

There is insufficient porridge and rice provided. So I often go to the back mountain to dig wild vegetables to fill the stomach.

I went tonight and found a piece of buttercup dug up, fearing someone in the camp might eat it by mistake.

So I hurried back to make this medicinal soup.

You can treat people?

My mother family once ran a pharmacy,

so I know some of it.

Kuh-seng, lycoris leaf. They can indeed detoxify and induce vomiting.

- You dug them up from the back mountain?

- Yes.

Use what's available locally. Very good.

General. General.

- General.

- General, save me. General, save me.

- Save them.

- Yes.

- General, save me.

- Save me.

- General.

- General, save me.

- General, save me.

- General, save me.

Feed them this.

Thank you for your help, lady physician. I owe you this favor.

You're welcome.

I remember you, a lowly sl*ve.

You're not doing this out of kindness, right?

Indeed.

What exactly are you up to?

I want to live on.

General, you are discerning. I dare not hide anything from you.

When I saw the buttercup got dug up,

the first thought that came to my mind

was not worry, but joy.

I am glad

that perhaps I am not destined to die.

Heaven has given me another chance.

If I die for your training, of course, I deserve it.

But General, you have seen it. The new soldiers are slacking off and negligent in training.

If I die by a stray arrow, I would never accept it.

I want to prove to you, apart from being a useless target, I can do more for you.

I know pharmacology, am familiar with herbs, skilled in writing, and can keep accounts.

General, please let me and her

to work at the physician's.

I will surely work diligently.

General, if it weren't for these two

delivering the medicine in time,

I'm afraid the entire new soldier camp

would have fallen ill en masse.

By then, if the Ministry of w*r places the blame, you couldn't escape the blame.

I just happen to be short of hands. I see these two sl*ves are smart and resolute.

Why not grant her request?

Fragile girls struggle to survive

in desperate situations.

General Yuan, we were wrong. We should not have been slacking off.

Not only harmed others,

but also harmed ourselves.

General Yuan, please grant her request.

Let's temporarily suspend

the archery skills inspection.

After recuperating,

train the military discipline first.

If there are some who are slacking off,

they will be dealt with by military law.

- Yes.

- Yes.

Your request

is granted.

Thanks, General.

Your starched noodles.

The starched noodles mentioned by Lady He doesn't look anything special.

Since we're here, have a taste.

- Get a bowl, let's eat it together.

- Thank you, my lord.

Shopkeeper, a bowl of starched noodles.

You're out of luck today. The last bowl has already been bought by this gentleman.

Sir, I am willing to pay three times the price.

Could you please give up

this bowl of starched noodles for me?

May I ask you the reason for this?

He is a glutton, if you don't have a decent reason,

he surely won't give it up.

To be honest, I have a daughter, who was harshly treated by her husband and ran away.

Unfortunately,

she fell to her death from a cliff.

Until now, her remains have not been found.

And her husband showed no concern about it, and arranged a new marriage before the mourning period was over.

I worry my daughter will become a lonely soul with no one to care for.

So I thought to buy some of her favorite foods. This is one of them.

And her favorite Hu cakes, the hairpin flowers my wife made for her.

I hope her to be born into a good family

in her next life

and marry a kind and harmonious husband,

living in comfort till old age

with children all around.

Back then, in Luoyang, the baked Hu cakes you sent me also had a layer of honey brushed on it.

This is my family's exclusive roasting method.

I don't usually pass it on to outsiders.

You're in for a treat today.

The color of this cake is different from others. Where did you buy it?

It's not bought, but I made it myself.

This is my family's exclusive roasting method.

Brush a layer of honey before roasting, and brush another layer after it comes out of the oven.

It's crisp and sweet, with excellent flavor.

I can give you the noodle. But without it, I have nothing to fill me up.

May I ask you to exchange a few pancakes with us?

Of course. You are willing to give it to me. I really thank you.

My daughter is still waiting. I take my leave.

Sir.

Do not worry.

Since your daughter's remains have not been found, perhaps she was saved by some divine physician

and is now living a carefree life.

If you pull yourself together

and enjoy each day with an open heart,

perhaps, you two could reunite.

Thank you for your blessings.

If my daughter knows it, she would certainly be grateful to you.

This Master He

wishes for his daughter to marry well,

if he were to know of Lady He's current situation, I wonder what he would think.

His love for his daughter is genuine, but he really doesn't understand his daughter.

Take it and go.

Yes.

Bear with it.

Bear with it.

Alright.

After you were shot by the arrow,

you contracted lockjaw from the metal wound.

This is the wound medicine I obtained

from the physician.

Apply it several times a day, and you will get better soon.

The day after tomorrow, the physician will go into town to make purchases. I can go with him as an assistant.

At that time, I will try to notify my friends in Chang'an to come to save us.

- My lord.

- How is it going?

Those officials, upon hearing the name

of the Stables Bureau, showed cold shoulder.

Not to mention going

to the military camp to save someone.

Qiushi, deliver this letter

to the military camp

and tell Mudan that I am thinking of ways to save her, and to make sure she takes care of herself.

Once she's out of the military camp, I will get her a decent household register and marry her.

And I will surely protect her well. Let her wait for me.

Moreover, this is the peace amulet

I got from Mount Zhongnan. Take it to her as well.

Yes.

Shred the letter

and return it to the Liu Mansion.

I guess I don't need

to teach you what to say, right?

I understand.

Regarding He Weifang…

Rest assured, Your Highness. I will make her pay for the pain you endured.

Stop! She has done nothing wrong,

why are you beating her?

This sl*ve acts suspiciously, and she even has the wound medicine.

She must have stolen such a precious medicine. Naturally, she must be beaten to death as punishment.

She did not steal it. The medicine was a reward

from the military physician.

If you don't believe it,

you can just go ask him.

Don't be afraid. I will take you to see the physician.

Don't be afraid. I will take you to see the physician. Let's go. I'll carry you.

Another one dead. Later,

carry them all out and dispose of them.

Why was this person beaten like this? What mistake did she actually make?

She did not make a mistake.

She never knew her name or surname,

and never knew who her parents were.

From the time she could remember,

she was sold off with her sister.

Just because she offended someone of high status, then she was poisoned to mute and driven out of the mansion.

When she was almost starved to death,

the two of them simply because

they stole a bowl of rice porridge,

then were taken to the yamen

and sentenced here.

She didn't get enough to fill her stomachs.

What crime is there?

Seeking medicine for treatment,

why should she be criticized?

The world has treated her unfairly.

She didn't deserve to be left here in the hemp clothes of a criminal sl*ve and have her body exposed in the wilderness.

I can't save her.

I just hope my clothes can give her a last shred of dignity.

Later, we will send them out of the camp.

You come along too, as a send-off for your friend.

Thank you.

He Weifang, right?

General said that a banquet be held in the army today,

but there is a shortage of kitchen staff, so you are ordered to go and assist.

There's a pretty young lady hidden here.

Young lady, stop working. Come play with us.

Sirs, you're under General Yuan, aren't you?

Leaving the ranks without permission.

It seems that you are drunk.

I'll go ask General Yuan to come.

What's the hurry?

Wait until we've had our fun, naturally, we'll ask him to join us.

Resist us?

Don't come over.

Who are you?

Stop.

Jiang Changyang.

Thank you.

No way.

You're so cunning.

How could you…?

Sir, this sl*ve died a terrible death. And she had a serious illness.

I'm afraid she'd dirty you.

Hurry! Something's wrong

with the lady physician. Go help.

Who dares to bully the lady physician? I'm the first to punish him.

I can't catch my breath. S-Save me.

If you can't catch your breath, slit your own throat, then you could breathe.

Lady physician, are you all right?

I'm fine. These soldiers took advantage of me being alone in the kitchen, wanting to act indecently to me.

Fortunately, they suddenly suffered from paralysis, so I could escape.

Rascals! How dare you to lay a hand

on the lady physician!

Bros, beat them hard.

How dare you to lay a hand on her!

Act indecently? How dare you!

Stop it.

Stop beating, stop!

Still laughing?

If you weren't that lucky, they suddenly suffered from paralysis, then you would have met your end here today.

I've never been lucky.

The reason I'm alive to see you is that someone risked her life to inform me.

He Weifang will come to help in the kitchen tonight. General Yuan has ordered to t*rture her to death.

Yes, rest assured.

- Who is it? Chase her.

- Yes.

Yuan… Harm…

You…

Is the soup ready?

The soup's not ready yet. Maybe you go serve the other dishes first.

Okay, then hurry up.

She was in imminent danger,

but at the crucial moment,

she still thought to warn me.

I can never repay her grace and favor in my life.

Now that you are safe and sound, then her efforts have not been in vain.

But some people are different.

He Weifang is the floriculturist of my mansion,

if you k*lled her, who would manage the flowers of my mansion?

She was convicted and sent to my camp, naturally, she's under my command.

You are a mere Floral Envoy, what right

have you to meddle in my military affairs?

And you have no authority to punish me.

You said I am a Floral Envoy.

Favored by His Majesty, I naturally beat whoever I please

and k*ll whoever I desire.

I am an official, and she is a sl*ve.

- I don't believe that you would dare k*ll me for her.

- It's not for her,

I do it for the flowers of my mansion.

How arrogant!

Do you know How many generals

are there in Chang'an?

And how many Floral Envoys are there?

Will the person behind you protect you, or will he respect His Majesty?

General Yuan, now I finally understand what suffers the official sl*ves would face.

They live in fear

of getting their throats be pierced and die silently one day.

Now, do you want to die or to survive?

I want to survive.

I want to survive.

Why do you want to k*ll me?

He is a person promoted by His Highness.

Who has the capability to order him around?

Send him to the Ministry of w*r and ask Mr. Zhang

how the Ministry of w*r manages people.

He can't keep the army discipline well

and makes cruel actions. He dares to defy me!

Don't you even respect His Majesty?

If Mr. Zhang asks how to deal with him…

Let him decide on his own.

Anyway, if I don't vent this anger,

I would go tell His Majesty about it.

Yes. Take him away.

It's County Princess.

County Princess took action against you, are you surprised?

She knows I don't fall for Liu Chang at all.

Why did she do so?

I'm afraid Liu Chang did something again that made her utterly hate you.

Even going to the Ministry of w*r, General Yuan won't confess

that it's County Princess

who asked him to do so, right?

Of course.

Unless he doesn't want

his whole family to survive.

Whether it's Yulu, or the mute girl,

I can't let the instigator be punished.

Enslaved in the army, it was a near-certain death.

But you still fought for a glimmer of hope.

Ants are tiny and can be crushed.

But if ants swarm, they can gnaw through a high platform.

I don't even know your name.

How shall I pay tribute to you in the future?

Never forget her is the best way

to pay tribute to her.

Prince Ning has controlled

the Ministry of w*r for years.

And I have been waiting for an opportunity

to take this down.

I broke into the military camp at night

and saved a woman.

This news will soon be

spread throughout Chang'an.

Just using you as a reason to cleanse the filth of the Ministry of w*r

and replace with

a kind and stern leader to take over.

It's just a pity I didn't arrive a bit earlier

and save the life of this mute girl.

But you have already saved

the lives of other sl*ves.

I thank you on behalf of them.

All the pods are here.

May you in the next life have an abundance of food

and make a bright sound.

Jiang Changyang.

How did you know that I'm in the military camp?

After you returned, was it Fu who told you?

How are they doing? Are they alright?

There was no time to return.

It was Mr. Xu who asked Yunniang

to pass the message to me.

You suddenly had trouble, yet you still remembered

to let him avoid disaster.

In the court, you didn't mention

the Wanguan Hall. They naturally thank you for that.

Yunniang has found out

it was the County Princess behind all this.

She knew that saving you is no easy task.

Mr. Xu wrote to me, telling me to hurry back.

He said if I fail to save you, I won't need to go back to see him.

Please thank Mr. Xu and Yunniang for me.

I'm the one who hurried over.

Aren't you going to thank me?

Thank you, Mr. Jiang,

With your thanks,

my coming here was not in vain.

I'll take my leave here then, I'm off.

Mr. Jiang.

'Fragrance Recital' - Zhang Zining

♪ In endless Chang'an,

the zither's melody distant ♪

♪ Plum and willow trees bask in the sunshine,

as splendor returns with the year ♪

♪ Copper palace battlements,

songs and dances, glass goblets ♪

♪ Idle clouds and duckweed,

a thousand flowers burst forth ♪

♪ Time passes gracefully,

affairs settle like fading smoke ♪

♪ Let the years go by,

carried by the wind to early desires ♪

♪ If the heart is like water,

the bloom is ever-present ♪

♪ Still cherish the moon of my hometown,

to meet for long ♪

♪ The distant night sky strewn with stars,

reflecting the lovely moon ♪

♪ The peony's magnificent beauty

fills the Fragrance Garden ♪

♪ With a heart as my lantern,

I don't mind the distant mountain paths ♪

♪ The flute's sound,

a fleeting life's wishes fulfilled ♪

♪ Time passes gracefully,

affairs settle like fading smoke ♪

♪ Let the years go by,

carried by the wind to early desires ♪

♪ If the heart is like water,

the bloom is ever-present ♪

♪ Still cherish the moon of my hometown,

to meet for long ♪