Brother.
What are these?
[Chief of Great Yan's Helian Tribe, Helian Chuan] I have some good news for you. Elder Tubo of the Hongchuan Tribe wants to take you as his concubine.
Look at these.
These are all the betrothal gifts they sent—
a full twenty-something chests of them.
Look.
Look at these
gold and silver jewelry.
Elder Tubo also promised
that after you get married,
he will give us 500 horses
and 200 acres of pasture.
Two hundred acres.
Our Helian Tribe hasn't been
this glorious in a long time.
Elder Tubo is over 70 years old.
He also already has three wives and concubines.
Brother,
you're not joking, are you?
My dear sister,
you should be sensible.
Yes,
Elder Tubo is a bit old.
But you also know
the Hongchuan Tribe
is the most powerful
of the 13 tribes in Great Yan.
He is a bit old,
but his wives and concubines are not young either.
Even if you marry him as a concubine now
and bear him a child,
in a few years,
when he and his wives and concubines are gone,
this Hongchuan Tribe
will become the backyard of our Helian Tribe.
Just thinking about it makes me happy.
Give up on that idea.
Mind your own business.
Yan Xun will not marry you.
For that female slave,
he even stopped fighting the war with Great Yong.
You still expect to marry him?
Stop daydreaming!
Do you think
the Hongchuan Tribe giving you a few horses
can bring back the past glory
our Helian Tribe had?
Let me tell you,
even if you sell me to Tubo,
the tribes of Great Yan will still look down on you.
You will still be the worthless prodigal
mocked by those tribe elders,
the—
I'm warning you:
Obediently marry Elder Tubo.
Otherwise, I'll strangle you to death
and send your corpse to him.
[REBIRTH]
[Episode 11]
General Cheng,
what else do you want from me?
Do you, Lady Helian, feel that I, Cheng Yuan, have lost power
so you don't even want to see me?
General Cheng, why say that?
I am just
an ordinary female officer in the army.
What makes me capable of being a fair-weather friend
and looking down on you, General Cheng?
It's just that I can hardly protect myself now.
I'm afraid it's not like before,
and I can't help you with anything.
What if I said
I am here to help you?
Would you believe it?
I address you as General Cheng
only because of our past alliance.
You are a stray dog now,
how can you help me?
I am a stray dog, indeed,
but I am also the one who knows Yan Xun best.
What are you trying to say?
I can help you
become Yan Xun's queen.
What do you want me to do?
Strange.
In the past, when this black eagle saw His Majesty,
it would stop.
Why is it acting so abnormal today?
It's Chu.
The black eagle brought Chu back!
Chu.
Your Majesty.
Why did you call for this black eagle?
Your Majesty,
I have never seen this black eagle before,
nor do I know how to call for it.
It flew over
while I was practicing horse riding.
Maybe it was tired of flying
and wanted to stop and have a rest.
Is this eagle
raised by Your Majesty?
I see a white silk ribbon tied to its leg.
This is a custom of Great Yan's herdsmen to make a wish.
Does Your Majesty have any wish you wish to fulfill?
Why do you suddenly want to learn horse riding?
Because Your Majesty has been either hunting in the paddock
or leading people to look around for Queen Chu.
I want to help Your Majesty.
Even if we can't find Queen Chu,
I can accompany Your Majesty to hunt
and relax.
I'll teach you how to ride a horse.
Come with me.
Chu...
Chu?
I asked Black Eagle to find you.
Did...
Did Black Eagle bring you back?
Yes.
Yan Xun.
Look at me.
I'm Chu.
Chu.
I miss you so much.
Yan Xun.
I'm Chu.
I am your Chu.
I missed you so much.
Your Majesty.
Let's drink.
[Tangjing, Biantang]
Is Beauty Han here?
Beauty Han,
I have prepared for you...
Oh, it's the Empress.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
I must ask for your forgiveness for one thing.
I failed in raising our son,
causing him to made a grave mistake.
What has Ce done now?
Your Majesty,
Princess Fu, whom Ce brought back,
is actually a criminal slave from Great Yong,
Chu Qiao, a general of Great Yan's Xiuli Army.
I originally thought
Ce was just acting absurdly
which was why he had feelings for that woman.
So I turned a blind eye
and let him be.
But at the state banquet that day,
he and Chu Qiao
echoed each other with King of Ximeng,
colluding secretly.
I suspect
Ce might be secretly colluding
with Ximeng.
You mean
Ce colluded with General Chu Qiao of Great Yan
and the King of Ximeng,
right?
Does Your Majesty find this amusing?
I think
since we Biantang are bordering Great Yan and Great Yong,
now that they are at war,
no matter who wins or loses in the end,
it wouldn't be a good thing for Biantang.
If Ce can really make Ximeng
an ally of Biantang,
that would indeed relieve one of my worries.
Does Your Majesty really think so?
As for this Chu Qiao,
if Ce likes her, let him be.
She's just a female slave.
Besides, I've heard
this slave once helped Heir Apparent Yan rebel.
I saw her that day too.
She is quick-witted
and capable.
If she can be used by Ce,
it's also a good thing.
But this Chu Qiao's
relationship with Heir Apparent Yan is extremely complicated.
I am not at ease letting her marry Ce.
Isn't that
exactly what you and I want?
If we
had not gone through all those twists and turns,
we wouldn't be in such harmony today.
Someone,
bring the snacks I prepared.
This is your favourite pastry,
Milk Poria Crisp Custard,
I had the imperial kitchen prepare for you.
Come, have a taste.
Thank you, Your Majesty,
for remembering my preference after all these years.
Leave.
Yes.
Your Majesty,
don't ruin your health with anger.
I will definitely do my best
to plan for you.
Your Majesty,
His Majesty not only sent people
to deliver those gold, silver and brocades,
but also specifically ordered
that your meals in the future
will be made by the small kitchen.
He said the chef in the small kitchen
is best at making the Poria Crisp Custard you love.
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
What's wrong, Yan Qing?
Heir Apparent...
What happened to Heir Apparent?
News came from the Prince of Chang's mansion
that Heir Apparent caught a plague...
and passed away.
What?
Heir Apparent...
passed away.
Your Majesty!
Impossible.
Xu is not dead.
I'm going to find him.
Your Majesty.
I'm going to find him.
Your Majesty.
Let me go!
Your Majesty.
Xu!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Xu!
He who couldn't tolerate
my son with Crown Prince Maocheng,
so he killed Xu.
He lied to me.
He said he would spare Xu.
Yet he used such a despicable method
to kill him.
It's my fault.
I was incompetent.
I failed to eliminate Chu Qiao for you,
causing you to suffer such a grievance.
Your Majesty, please don't be sad.
Just punish me.
Lord Zhan.
Her Majesty sentenced you to 40 lashes.
You should put your clothes on.
Otherwise...
Otherwise, you'll be beaten to a bloody pulp.
That is what I deserve.
I must remember this pain,
so I won't disappoint her.
Continue!
Last time in the palace,
Her Majesty already noticed
the connection between us and King of Ximeng.
Before she figures out
our relationship
and makes a move against us,
we must act first.
Yes, we must act first.
I'll keep it brief.
The first step is to find some people.
Find some people?
Let me ask you.
Do you know anyone
in Tangjing governor's office?
Not just the governor's office.
Also the Supervisory Bureau, the Penal Bureau, and the Censorate—
do you know anyone in any of these?
Qiao,
if I did,
I wouldn't have gone to such great lengths
to have you train an army in my stead.
They don't need to be high-ranking officials.
Even bailiffs would do.
Bailiffs?
Right.
You just need to
have them copy the files
and prisoner lists in their departments for me.
Minglu,
I need your help.
My help?
Have you forgotten
that you are the one who killed my father?
What about Yan Xun, who rebelled with me?
He is the Heir Apparent of Great Yan.
What does that make him?
If the Muhe clan hadn't
tried to cover up their negligence
by blaming the soldiers defending the city,
how could your father and the soldiers of Zhenhuangcheng
be sent to the guillotine?
And that brutal Emperor of Great Yong—
why don't you ask why Zhenhuangcheng fell?
Why don't you ask the high officials responsible for the imperial city's safety
why they killed a few imperial guards?
That's because Muhe clan are trusted aides of the Emperor of Great Yong.
The lives of a few mere imperial guards
mean nothing to them.
They could just be killed just to vent their anger.
Then I'll kill you first,
and then kill them one by one.
You can't even kill me.
How can you kill them?
You're just saying all these to make me give up.
You're trying to tell me
that in this world,
I can't kill them,
and my father
died in vain, right?
No.
It's quite the contrary.
I'm giving you a choice.
Right now,
you can either kill me with this sword,
or you can use it to help me,
so we can create a new world together.
A new world?
In this world,
the lives of noble clans are not the only ones that matter.
Soldiers, commoners, and slaves—
our lives and deaths
should not be decided by others,
but should be firmly in our own hands.
I need your help.
Help me change this world
dominated by the royals and noble clans.
Then no one will die like your father
and the soldiers of Zhenhuang cheng did.
If you don't believe me,
you can kill me anytime.
The world you talked about—
is it real?
Qiao.
How is your selection going?
I've chosen one.
Come and take a look.
This person's name is Wang Shi'er.
He's from Pingyang County.
He robbed 5 tombs of princes from previous dynasties,
and was locked up in the county prison by the governor of Tangjing.
He will be exiled to Guanbei soon.
Dig from here.
After digging through these 3 walls,
you will reach the back wall of the prison.
Leave from here at midnight,
and you can definitely escape.
Let me see.
Let me see too.
You...
Give it to me!
Let me take a look too!
This person is proficient in civil engineering.
He knows how to observe the terrain and weather, [Grave Robber, Wang Shi'er] and is also well-versed in the Eight Diagrams Array. Let me see!
It's mine!
Shoo!
-Let me see! -Don't snatch!
Let me take a look!
Let me see!
Let me...
Xiao Ran, a quack doctor.
He's proficient at developing various poisonous weeds.
He was sued for murder by a patient's family
and was sentenced to death with a reprieve.
Doctor, save me.
Doctor, is my disease...
incurable?
It's kidney deficiency.
Kidney deficiency?
What is kidney deficiency?
[Jianghu Doctor, Xiao Ran]
He killed someone?
Simply put,
the patient he treated couldn't be cured.
So he just fed him poison,
saying that since he was going to die anyway,
he might as well test the poison for him.
Qiao.
Are these people you picked
here to work for us
or to take our lives?
The Xiuli Army was also a rebel army of Great Yan back then.
Because they couldn't establish themselves in Great Yong and Great Yan—
leaving them with nowhere to go—
they followed Yan Xun and me.
These people
are imprisoned
and have skills.
They were imprisoned due to misfortune and accidents.
They are far from being extremely wicked.
They are just right to be used by us.
All right.
Qiao,
you call the shoots.
The one up ahead! Make way!
Everyone.
This restaurant
originally belonged to a friend of mine in the capital.
Due to changes in his family,
she was forced to leave Tangjing.
Therefore,
she left this restaurant to me.
From now on, this restaurant
will be our hiding and resting place.
Friend?
Female scammer.
-Female scammer? -Female scammer?
Look at this dilapidated and shabby restaurant
full of holes.
Do you know how much she scammed from His Highness?
This...
Plus this...
And this.
Song Cheng.
Your Highness.
Come up.
Your Highness.
You've got a death wish?
So full of nonsense.
Your Highness!
Full of nonsense.
Get off!
Everyone,
this is the current Crown Prince of Biantang.
-Him? -Him?
This is the token of my Crown Prince's Mansion.
It has my father's seal on it.
Take a good look at it.
This is no ordinary...
When did you get that?
If you found out,
how can I be called a master thief?
I...
Who knows if you're the real Crown Prince
or a fake one?
If you really are the Crown Prince,
why don't you take us to the Crown Prince's Mansion?
Your teeth are very good.
It means it's being taken care of.
Scram.
You know what?
The belt on his body
is indeed a royal item.
I've seen this kind of pattern
in Prince Su's tomb.
Let me take a look too then.
The ink pad color left on his fingers are purple
and wasn't washed off.
There's a scent of pear blossom and crabapple on his clothes.
He must have passed through
Shengan District and Minhe District in the Xicheng.
Besides the royal mansions, Xicheng
is full of residences of nobles and generals.
He really is the Crown Prince?
Your Highness!
You are all convicted people.
Whether you were wronged,
made a mistake,
or were forced,
leaving you with no choice but to go astray,
His Highness brought you out of prison today
to give you a new choice.
You can choose to serve His Highness
and live a new life under a new identity.
♪ Facing the wind, I tread through frost ♪
♪ Measuring rivers and hills, hooves rise light ♪
♪ The horizon lies far ahead ♪
♪ Swaying gently ♪
♪ Through pine mists, past 1,000 hills ♪
♪ Wrapped in the vast moonlight ♪
♪ Having drunk the surging waves ♪
♪ I care not how far the road ♪
♪ When I was young, I penned down a long chapter ♪
♪ I wrote poems praising the prosperous world ♪
♪ The wind was not yet full, the moon not yet round ♪
♪ Rushing me to charge forward ♪
♪ Strong wine to the wild plains ♪
♪ Beyond the pass, sand blows like arrows ♪
♪ I ride and whip my steed ♪
♪ Chasing 10,000 miles of cloud and mist ♪
♪ Mountains and rivers fade behind ♪
♪ The wind crowns me ♪
♪ Your eyes glow with flame ♪
♪ Strong wind breaks the lute strings ♪
♪ Playing for 5,000 years ♪
♪ I ride my horse toward the south ♪
♪ Endless spring beneath my hooves ♪
♪ Hoofbeats fade away ♪
♪ Rolling over peaks and ridges ♪
♪ A single neigh echoes between heaven and earth ♪
♪ Treading on the clear wind ♪
♪ The realm unfolds like a scroll ♪
♪ Chasing the bright moon ♪
♪ My spirit swallows mountains and rivers ♪
What's going on?
Princess,
there seems to be a lantern festival on Tianque Street tonight.
There are pedestrians everywhere ahead.
I'm afraid we have to take a detour to return to the residence.
♪ The dust in the world ♪
♪ Is blown away easily by the wind ♪
♪ Who can stay calm ♪
♪ And not be scared? ♪
♪ A slight ripple ♪
♪ Floating life hangs by a thread ♪
♪ The more pulled, the softer it gets ♪
♪ Who dares to say forever? ♪
♪ Let it be ♪
♪ Grudges and grace were never meant to be ♪
♪ Why must you take and demand so much? ♪
♪ Go weaving ♪
♪ Grand and glorious excuses ♪
♪ We face ♪
♪ The heavy thunderstorm together ♪
I have roughly figured out
the locations within Tangjingcheng.
Centered around the palace,
the Six Ministries are located in the southeast
and southwest corners.
And the official of the Ministry of Works, Zhang Qingzhao, whom we are looking for,
is not among the 6.
He belongs to the secret Manufacturing Bureau.
The Manufacturing Bureau is responsible for palace reconstruction,
Tangjing's city defense,
and the waterways connecting Biantang with other countries.
They control all the open and secret files of Biantang's city defense.
It's a confidential office.
As for Zhang Qingzhao himself,
it's difficult for an outsider to find out about his whereabouts.
Then where do we start?
We can only use the dumbest method.
The dumbest method?
Princess Fu!
Princess Fu.
His Highness and I specially prepared this for you.
Do you like it?
Zi Ming prepared all these for you.
She wanted to celebrate your birthday.
Today is Princess Fu's birthday.
No need.
I'm not used to celebrating birthdays.
Princess Fu,
my family declined when I was young,
and I was sold as a slave.
It's all thanks to His Highness for saving me,
and you for taking me in.
I am grateful,
so I sincerely want to celebrate your birthday.
Princess Fu,
take a look at this first.
This pair of agate bracelets
symbolizes two flowers growing on one stalk.
It means I wish you and His Highness
a long and lasting relationship.
No need.
I don't usually like wearing jewelry.
Let's eat.
Princess,
this is Hong River fish.
It's very rare.
Do you not like this fish either?
I...
I'm choking on a bone.
Are you surprised? Are you shocked?
What are you trying to do?
Fu.
Zi Ming was being ridiculous last night.
You've also been going out early and coming back late these days.
You must be very tired.
So I specially designed this house-carriage for you.
House-carriage?
Please get on, Fu,
to the house-carriage.
Qiao.
Look.
In this house-carriage,
you can not only rest and drink tea,
but also stay overnight and use the toilet.
This small icebox
can store some guiling jelly
and rose drink in summer.
They're for you to stay rested and refresh yourself
on the road.
How is it?
Not bad.
Thank you,
our dashing
and charming Crown Prince,
Handsome Li.
It's just a small token of my regard. Don't mention it.
Oh, right, Handsome Li.
I have something to ask of you.
Go ahead.
You are going to be an envoy in one the coming days
accompanying Zhuge Yue?
Yes, Qiao.
What's wrong?
Based on my understanding of Zhuge Yue,
his visit to Biantang this time is not simple.
He must have his own purpose.
Whether it's for Ximeng
or for himself—
you must be careful.
Also, [Tangjing, Biantang] tell me everywhere he goes to those few days.
This is the main street of Tangjing.
It's called Tianque Street.
There are 64 districts in Tangjing.
Tianque Street and the palace
splits it into half.
There are 32 workshops on each side.
There are two markets both in the east and west.
The east market is mostly restaurants
and theaters.
The west market sells silk, gold, jade,
spices, herbs,
and even rare animals.
There are 4 canals
in Tangjingcheng.
Among them, Furong Canal leads to the southeast of the city,
which is the Imperial Garden built by my father.
Jinshui River leads to the northwest,
where 12 ancient temples are located in the suburbs.
Don't forget the purpose of this trip.
We are not here for sightseeing.
I can't do this anymore.
Zhuge—
King of Ximeng,
we've been walking for a few days.
You've visited everywhere in Biantang,
from government offices to brothels and theaters.
Haven't you seen enough?
Besides,
what's so good about watchtowers?
This is already the third one we've climbed today.
Your Highness,
how many watchtowers like this are there
in Tangjingcheng in total?
There are...
30 in total.
Your Highness,
it's 130.
You call this 130?
Isn't this 130?
I...
130.
Let's go look at the next one.
The audience has assembled. The show begins.
Xing'er,
I know you have many questions,
and I owe you some explanations.
I don't know why,
but my feelings for him
make me hurt so much.
You mean
these stitches might be some kind of code?
I asked you to meet here
to discuss a cooperation with you.