ADAPTED FROM QING LINGYUE'S NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME
I just want to see a peaceful world.
And may all citizens
get to enjoy the serenity.
That's why
I aid Huang Chao.
So what do you wish to tell me then,
Mr. Yu?
Since you have broached the topic,
I do have a few suggestions.
Pray tell.
Whose horse carriage is outside?
It belongs to Prince Ju of Yongzhou.
He has been waiting for a while.
Has Mr. Yu Wuyuan returned?
I, Feng Ju of Yongzhou,
greet Mr. Yu.
It's you, Prince Ju.
Greetings.
You're too courteous, Mr. Yu.
I learned that you had come to Yongzhou,
so I came to visit you.
New Year's Day is approaching.
I figured I would bring you some festive gifts as well.
I've already had them place the gifts in your room.
I appreciate the thought.
However, I am terribly tired today.
May I ask you to come again another day?
Mr. Yu…
Of course. I'm sorry to bother you today.
I will come again another day.
See Prince Ju off.
Please.
Yu Wuyuan behaves too arrogantly.
What do you know?
The Empyrean Yu family
is said to be knowledgeable in all matters.
Even the heir of Lord of Jizhou, Huang Chao,
regards him as his One-Line Tutor.
Naturally,
we must lower ourselves and be humble when we seek wisdom
from someone like him.
We'll just make a few more trips here
in the next few days.
If we can secure his support,
Feng Lanxi won't pose any threat to us.
They have left.
The fish
has taken the bait.
You mean
Prince Ju of Yongzhou?
I've heard that he and Feng Lanxi
do not get along.
He is the perfect pawn
to use against Feng Lanxi.
We can even use this chance to stir up civil unrest in Yongzhou.
Why not?
Why did you send him away then, sir?
The longer the bait is placed,
the more anxious the fish gets.
The more I want to use him as my weapon,
the longer I must wait before allying with him.
I'm sure he'll come again
in the coming few days.
You deal with him.
STELLAR TALENT
Your Highness, I've had them prepare the things.
Send some of the liquor from the palace
to the other residence as well.
They've already been sent.
Have Ms. Huan assist me in getting changed.
You will come with me to the palace.
Yes, Your Highness.
Master.
We brought Han Pu here
to celebrate the new year with us.
We're finally all together again.
Today, on behalf of all the disciples of the Tianshuang Sect, I wish you
-good health, good blessings, -Good health, good blessings,
-and success in martial arts, -and success in martial arts,
-and may all your wishes come true. -and may all your wishes come true.
May all of you
find improvement and success in your cultivation as well.
-Thank you, Master. -Thank you, Master.
Langhua, distribute the red packets.
All right.
-One by one! Don't rush! -Thank you.
-Thank you, Master! -Thank you, Master!
-Here. -I wish everyone
peace and happiness on New Year's Eve.
We wish you peace and happiness, Master.
-We wish you peace and happiness! -We wish you peace and happiness!
Cheers!
-Happy New Year, Master. -Cheers to you, Master.
-Happy New Year. -Happy New Year.
Fireworks!
-Master, let's watch the fireworks. -Fireworks?
-Father, come on. -Let's go.
Let's go.
-Let's go. -Let's go.
We bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
May the New Year bring bountiful harvests.
Such a joyful festive
is worthy of a nationwide celebration.
We will proceed with the Rite of Giving.
The princes shall present their gifts to His Lordship.
Feng Chang, you have a leg injury.
You don't need to get up.
Thank you, Father.
I present my gift to you, Father.
I am untalented.
I acquired a little gift for you,
a naturally formed Qilin coral.
May the divine creature bless you
with good fortune
and our nation with peace and prosperity.
You're thoughtful, Chang'er.
Give Prince Yongxin, Feng Chang,
ten jade beads,
10,000 taels of silver leaves,
and a mansion outside the capital,
along with ten servants.
Thank you, Father.
His Lordship bestowed Prince Chang with a mansion and servants.
Could it be…
Those are usually gifts
given to an idle prince.
His Lordship is telling us
that Prince Chang will not be succeeding him.
I present my gift to you, Father.
The scroll I present to you
is a construction plan
for all the water channels within Yongzhou's borders.
May our military forces be strengthened
and our nation prosper.
Bring it to me.
Good. Very good.
Splendid.
You know my heart well, Prince Yongping.
If this irrigation system is implemented,
it will allow us to resist enemy forces.
Not only that,
but it will benefit our people and the future generations to come.
Reward Prince Yongping
with 10,000 taels of silver leaves,
and a pair of Sun and Moon Pearls.
Thank you, Father.
Sun and Moon Pearls?
Those are traditionally the most valuable gifts given to a prince
before he is crowned the heir.
I present my gift to you, Father.
Feng Chang presented a treasure. Lanxi contributed to our nation.
But my gift is for you, Father.
I know
you work hard day and night for our people, Father.
You often go without rest.
This pillow is made from 10,000-year-old agarwood from Nanhai.
It can calm one's mind.
I've had physicians
include fragrance sachets that can help soothe your nerves.
May you rest assured and be free of worries, Father.
Good.
Ju'er has grown up.
He knows how to be considerate of his father now.
So long as the people of Yongzhou can live in peace
and my sons can live in harmony,
I can truly be free of worry.
Reward Prince Ju
with 10,000 taels of silver leaves,
and a pair of Jade Ruyi.
You're all grown up now.
Don't wander around anymore.
Stay by my side
and share my burdens.
Thank you, Father.
I will make every effort
to assist you, Father.
His Lordship first gave Prince Yongping those gifts
and then had Prince Ju stay to assist him.
His Lordship's intentions…
JIZHOU
-Your face is so rosy. -Do you remember…
-Never. -So…
-Where is Grand Tutor Ran? -Official Zhang is more…
-Good. -It has been a while.
-I haven't seen you for some time. -Yes.
Why isn't Grand Tutor Ran Bo
at tonight's banquet?
Father.
Grand Tutor Ran is up in his years.
His legs are weak.
I will go to the palace gate and check.
All right.
Go on.
Your Highness.
The entire Ran residence has been seized.
Please give the orders.
Grand Tutor Ran manages the censorate.
However, he has colluded with other ministers
and attempted to frame me
time and time again.
There is no need to keep him alive.
How will we explain it to His Lordship?
I will handle that.
Understood.
Father.
The news came from outside the palace
that Grand Tutor Ran
has passed away.
What did you say?
Grand Tutor Ran was up in his years.
He did not make it through this winter.
I have ordered them
to handle the matters of his funeral.
Please do not worry, Father.
Your Lordship.
Grand Tutor Ran was already 70 years old.
He devoted everything to Jizhou.
And now, he has passed away all of a sudden.
It must be because he knows
there is no need for him to worry about Jizhou any further.
Your Lordship, this is a joyous occasion.
Official Wang is right.
Jizhou had always been on Grand Tutor Ran's mind.
Now he has passed on,
he must have left in peace after seeing how Jizhou had prospered
under the rule
of Your Lordship and your heir, Prince Huang Chao.
-Indeed. -That is right.
Father.
Grand Tutor Ran contributed significantly to our nation.
He is a true pillar of Jizhou.
Please grant him a posthumous title.
What do you think, Huang Chao?
Let us give him
the character "Qing."
Very well.
Let's go with that.
Yes, Father.
Let us have a toast to console
Grand Tutor Ran's spirit in heaven.
I thank you on his behalf, Father.
-To Grand Tutor Ran. -To Grand Tutor Ran.
YOUZHOU
Father.
I dedicate this "Heavenly Garment" dance to you.
I wish you a blessed birthday.
May our nation be blessed with auspiciousness and peace.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Chun'er.
Come to me.
Yes, Father.
Chun'er.
-Have a seat. -Father.
Your dance demonstrates the elegance of Youzhou.
Tell me what reward you would like.
I ask for no reward. I only wish to please you, Father.
If I were to be wed next year,
I would not get to dance for you anymore, Father.
Chun'er.
Although you are of marriageable age,
I cannot bear
to see you be wed to a faraway place.
How about this?
I will tell all the states
that those who wish to marry you
will have to spend a few more years in Youzhou.
Thank you, Father.
-Father. Please. -Here.
Report!
It will be midnight soon, Your Lordship.
Please light the fireworks to bid farewell to the year.
All right.
Chun'er.
Welcome the new year with me.
Yes, Father.
Sir.
Feng Ju is here again.
It's time.
I'm sure you are aware
of the situation in Yongzhou.
My father is in his prime.
That is why
he has yet to name his heir.
I have great ambitions.
So I wish to fight for the title of the heir as well.
However, Lanxi is calculative and cunning.
I have lost to him repeatedly.
That is why I wish
to seek your help.
I'm afraid you might not be aware of this, Prince Ju.
The Yu family has rules.
We are not to participate in succession wars.
I'm afraid
I can't be of help to you.
I apologize.
May I ask
another question?
Of course.
Right now,
my father wants to strengthen our military power.
To do so, he needs sufficient funds.
I wish to help him.
So I thought I could investigate
and seize embezzled funds and use that money
to fill the treasury.
What are your thoughts on this matter, Mr. Yu?
It is a very good deed.
If you are able to accomplish this,
you will surely gain your father's appreciation and favor.
However,
there is a tremendous obstacle in my way.
If I investigate corruption,
I might lose supporters in court.
They will think
that I sacrificed my partners
for personal gains.
So Your Highness wishes to have the best of both worlds.
I have a plan
that will allow you to keep your supporters safe
and get Feng Lanxi
into trouble.
Thank you very much, Mr. Yu.
Here.
-Thank you. -Hold it well.
-Don't mention it. -Slowly now.
-There is enough. Please maintain order. -Yongzhou is one of the largest states.
The capital of Yongzhou is bustling.
But to think there are still so many
who suffer in poverty.
There is no peace to speak of in turmoil times.
Between the rise and fall, the commoners are the ones who suffer.
Only in a peaceful world
can they truly live without fear or worry.
Someone will need
to put an end to these chaotic times.
Out of the way! Out of my way!
-Back off! -Back off!
-Move! -Back off!
Who is in charge here?
What do you want?
Fengxi.
Master.
Are you the person in charge here?
Yes.
I am Bai Jiande of the Tianshuang Sect.
We happen to be celebrating New Year here.
So we set up this shelter to provide porridge and alms.
Who gave you permission to do that?
Did you notify the Ministry of Revenue?
It's a kind deed.
Why should we have to notify the Ministry of Revenue?
Moreover, I don't believe Yongzhou has a law
that states we must notify the Ministry of Revenue of this.
These are our rules.
Unreasonable rules.
How are they unreasonable?
You want to distribute porridge.
When you do that, the poor will gather in this area.
And all of those who crowd this area are paupers!
If you want to distribute porridge, go ahead.
But first, you must give us 100 silver leaves.
Is it 100 silver leaves?
What? You can't afford it?
I'll tear this place down then!
Don't forget this, sir.
You can abuse the common folk,
but heaven is watching.
Fine.
-Men! -Stop!
I have Minister Feng's official plate in my hands.
To see this plate is to see her.
Who is causing a ruckus?
So you are one of Minister Feng's.
I am the subordinate of He Youde, a censor of the Ministry of Revenue.
I handle the matters of finance and food in the city.
Sir, these unruly civilians were gathering here.
That is why I came to discipline them.
Is that so?
But I only saw
an arrogant man disturbing the commoners.
No.
I wouldn't dare.
I wouldn't dare, sir.
Distributing porridge on the first day of the month is a good deed.
Yet the Ministry of Revenue wants to collect money for it?
Could it be that you are used to enriching yourself illegally
under the guise of official use?
The Ministry of Revenue is under the jurisdiction of Prince Ju.
Could it be that those who work for Prince Ju
are all the same as you?
I think it is time
for Minister Feng to have a chat with Prince Ju.
It's a terrible misunderstanding.
I was blind and ignorant.
I have offended the heroes.
I hope you will forgive me.
Get out of my sight!
Yes, sir. I will do so right away. Right away.
Let's go!
-All right. -Come over, everyone.
-Come over. -Carry on.
Zhong Li, thank you for your help.
No need to thank me.
His Highness arranged all of this.
Black Fox?
Where is he?
Please follow me.
-Are you all right, Fengxi? -I'm fine.
How was my acting, Your Highness?
It was all right.
At least you didn't disgrace me.
Thank you, Prince Yongping.
No need to thank me, Master Bai.
Why did you let them go, Your Highness?
They are only small fry.
If we are to correct this for good, we need to start with the higher-ups.
I didn't know she had such an idea as well.
All right. Let's put this aside.
I'll help you distribute the porridge.
Let's go.
Three officials of the Ministry of Revenue
embezzled eight million taels.
How dare they!
Ju'er.
You've certainly given me
a "spectacular" start to the new year.
We'll use this opportunity
to fix the problematic practices in the court of Yongzhou.
I would like to know who else is involved.
Feng Ju.
Investigate the case of corruption
in the Ministry of Revenue with the Three Ministries.
Anyone found guilty shall be severely punished.
Understood, Father.
According to the information we have,
the three people Prince Ju impeached today
were all members of his faction.
Why would he remove his own supporters?
Prince Ju must've seen how much it costs
His Lordship to raise troops.
He sacrificed his own
to claim credit, investigate corruption,
and fill up the treasury with confiscated funds.
On the other hand,
he can use this chance
to cut off ties with the corrupt officials
and protect himself.
It would be killing two birds with one stone.
Does he not fear losing the hearts of his other subordinates?
Feng Ju and Yu Wuyuan have gotten close recently.
Mr. Yu is one of the aides of Prince Huang Chao of Jizhou.
I don't think he came to Yongzhou
without ulterior motives.
If he is
providing Feng Ju with ideas,
I think Feng Ju will have other tricks up his sleeves.
Do you mean
Prince Ju wants to use this chance to get rid of dissidents?
Raising an army will consume a lot of money.
My father must want the treasury to be full at this time.
As such,
even if Feng Ju committed mistakes,
I'm sure my father would let things go
if Feng Ju
could supply the money needed.
What's more,
he has a royal decree.
It's even easier for him to make arrangements now.
Notify all officers
that no mistakes can be made during this period.
Yes, Your Highness. I will caution them.
Is there anything else troubling you, Your Highness?
I'm wondering
what Yu Wuyuan's next step will be.
He wouldn't simply help Feng Ju out of the kindness of his heart.
Not to mention
he is one of Huang Chao's.
Could it be
that he intends to use this opportunity
to disrupt Yongzhou's internal affairs?
That is possible.
The Finest Gentleman
is no simple character.
Mentor.
Have them keep an eye on him.
Yes, Your Highness.
Greetings, Father.
May you live for a millennium.
Why do you look so anxious?
Father, the royal treasury was robbed.
The royal treasury was robbed?
After receiving your order,
I started looking into the matter with the Three Ministries.
To check the ledgers,
I ordered someone to retrieve them overnight.
But when the person in charge got there,
he discovered that the royal treasury had been robbed.
Not only was all the money gone,
but the ledgers of the past years went missing as well.
How dare they!
The royal treasury was robbed when I just issued orders
to investigate corruption.
It can't be a coincidence.
Any suspicious leads?
What?
Why aren't you speaking?
I…
I worry that I do not have sufficient evidence,
and I might end up getting charged with framing important ministers.
Don't be concerned. Tell me.
Yes, Father.
I questioned the three guilty officials.
All of them replied
that there was another person involved.
Zhou Zhong, the other Vice Minister of Revenue.
Zhou Zhong?
He is a relative
of the Feng family by marriage.
The two families are close.
They are bound together for good or ill.
As the Vice Minister of Revenue,
he manages the finance and warehouse departments.
He is in charge of overseeing the royal treasury.
He is currently
the most suspicious.
Also,
after yesterday's court meeting,
Minister Feng met with Lanxi in private.
She went to see Zhou Zhong afterward.
Arrest Zhou Zhong and put him in the dungeon.
Interrogate him thoroughly.
If he is indeed guilty,
he shall not escape punishment.
Yes, Father.
Vice Minister of Revenue, Zhou Zhong?
It appears that
Feng Ju has made his move.
Can you be certain that Zhou Zhong was not involved?
I can vouch for him.
He is upright and honest.
He has been a law-abiding official of the Ministry of Revenue for many years.
There is no possibility of him embezzling funds.
What should we do now, Your Highness?
Solving the embezzlement case
and eliminating corruption in the court
are the most crucial matters to my father right now.
If we get involved recklessly,
we will definitely incur his wrath.
Things will go against us then.
As such,
we must find the truth before Feng Ju closes the case
to turn things around.
Find a chance
and sneak inside the dungeon
to see Zhou Zhong.
Tell him to say nothing but the truth.
He mustn't let himself be coerced into confessing to false charges.
Yes, Your Highness. I will do that at once.
Yu Wuyuan,
what other motives do you have besides disrupting Yongzhou's affairs
for Jizhou?
I'll use your body
to get the Sacred Jade Moon.
Your Highness. Something bad happened.
What's wrong?
Minister Feng was injured.
Minister Feng's maid came earlier.
She said Minister Feng went to the dungeon by herself last night.
She had yet to return when dawn came.
The Feng family went searching for her.
They found her unconscious
on the way to the dungeon.
Prepare the horses immediately!
Yes, Your Highness.
How is she, Your Highness?
The poison she is suffering from is odd.
It messed up the yin and yang energy in her body,
misaligning her five elements.
I will need the support
of pure yin energy to cure her.
What should we do then, Your Highness?
Don't worry.
I've sealed her blood vessels for now.
Take good care of her.
I'll be right back.
Yes, Your Highness.
An important minister in my faction was attacked last night.
They gave her a strange poison.
We need the energy of pure yin and yang to cure it.
As such, I need your Jade Moon Chant to help me.
Let's go. Life is at stake.
She once expressed feelings for me.
Feelings for you?
What does that have to do with anything?
Come on.
We've temporarily suppressed the poison.
But she is unconscious. We can't expel it from her body.
We need someone to draw the poison out.
You acted recklessly again.
I'm fine.
Tianshuang Sect practices similar techniques.
I'm better at it than you.
The poison has been removed.
She will wake up soon.
The residual poison in your body may have been expelled,
but it still did your body harm.
Come with me.
Are you still mad that I drew the poison into my body to get rid of it?
So you knew I would be mad.
Even if you want to save others, you can't let yourself be harmed.
I know.
Don't worry. I know my limits.
I hope that's the case.
Are you worried about me?
No.
Why are you pulling a face then?
I saved her because of you…
So it was because of me--
Because it was an emergency.
It was the right thing to do.
Understand?
How kind and benevolent of you.
Look.
Didn't you have
any other thoughts in mind when you saved her?
Should I have other thoughts?
I thought you would at least be jealous.
You said it was in the past.
Why should I mind?
Did you want me to be jealous or something?
Why are you mad?
Who is mad?
Do not gauge my heart with your own mean measure.
What's with that face then?
I was thinking about how suspicious the entire thing was.
Do you mean the matter of Minister Feng getting poisoned?
Why did the specific cure for that poison
happen to be the Sacred Jade Moon?
Do you mean
the culprit was actually after us?
They were using
this opportunity
to test us.
To verify
if we could actually use the skill.
Who could be behind this?
No matter who they are,
we are in danger.
I worry they will target us.
So for the time being, you and I must be together.
We can't be separated and must look out for each other.
I'm just worried that the person behind this
might have other schemes.
Have you ever heard of giving yourself away by being overly conscious?
Your Highness, Young Lady is awake.
Greetings, Your Highness.
I've caused you trouble.
You just recovered. No need for formalities.
I've heard that there was a female minister in Yongzhou
as capable as any other man.
Now that I've met you in person,
you truly are a great beauty.
You must be Ms. Feng.
Thank you for saving my life.
No need to be so courteous, Ms. Qiwu.
You have such lovely looks and a beautiful name,
but you have poor eyesight.
Your name means a phoenix residing in a Chinese parasol tree.
You should find the best Chinese parasol tree.
Why did you set your eyes on the cunning Black Fox?
I don't believe I caught your full name.
Right, I forgot.
I am Bai Fengxi of the Tianshuang Sect.
So you are Heroine Fengxi.
Do you know me?
I've heard a lot about you.
I didn't think I would get to meet you today.
That's such a coincidence.
I wanted to meet you too.
Do you remember anything about the person who attacked you?
That person is highly skilled in martial arts.
He knocked me out in one move.
I wasn't able to see what he looked like.
I feel a lot better now.
We can discuss this matter later.
I worry
that Prince Ju will use this chance to harm the Feng family.
My family has served Yongzhou for a hundred years.
I can't let the family fall under my lead.
Qiwu, we expelled the poison from your body,
but the residual poison remains.
You need rest.
You mustn't overexert yourself.
I don't know what you guys are talking about,
but I can help you.
You?
I've heard that Feng Qiwu of Yongzhou was a heroic woman
who served in court and led the Feng family.
As a woman, I have deep respect for you.
I will help you.
Didn't you say that we need to stay together for now?
We'll use the chance to resolve this matter.
All right.
Rest well, Minister Feng.
Leave the matter
of treasury theft to us.
Of course, I've heard that you are highly intelligent.
We will need your assistance.
I can't go to his residence.
He can't go to where I'm staying at.
How about this?
Can we stay here
and trouble you for a few days?
Of course.
Thank you, Your Highness, Ms. Feng.
Xiao'er, please prepare the rooms for our guests.
Yes, miss.
It's settled then.
Master Bai.
Ms. Fengxi and His Highness have been investigating a case together.
She might not be able to return to the residence.
She asked me to inform you.
That girl.
I got it.
Have a seat.
We have some leads regarding the matter you asked the Fountain Abode
to investigate.
According to their investigation,
around the time the fake Empyrean Token appeared,
Gongye Zhi, a famous ironsmith in the Imperial City, went missing.
Based on our findings,
he was very likely
one of the Token Keepers.
The mastermind might be among the Token Keepers as well.
Missing…
His Highness said this case might involve significant matters.
You must be extremely careful, Master Bai.
I thank His Highness for his caution.
Ten thousand silver leaves
and a chest of old ledgers were stolen.
But it is peculiar.
It's understandable
for them to steal money and valuables.
But why ledgers?
That's why Feng Ju accused Vice Minister Zhou
of orchestrating an inside job.
To incriminate him,
Feng Ju got someone to steal the ledgers.
If we can't find the ledgers,
Vice Minister Zhou won't be able to escape the blame.
To prevent someone from tampering or stealing the ledgers,
specific personnel
will use long ladders to put them
on the highest shelf after they are sealed.
Ordinary people can't get their hands on it.
Even with my Qinggong,
I would need support to reach the top.
I checked.
There are no other signs of support used
apart from two handprints.
Could this person be four or five zhang tall?
What's this?
The floor here is made of special material.
It is extremely tough.
This person would have to weigh
over hundreds of jin to leave such a mark.
Weigh hundreds of jin
and be four or five zhang tall?
If someone like that really existed,
he would've been seen as a monster
and gotten locked up the minute he entered the city
How could he possibly manage
to come and rob the treasury?
Could a demon actually be behind this?
There is another possibility.
Several people were working together and stacking one on top of the other.
It gives the illusion of a giant,
but it was just a simple trick.
I didn't expect you to be so good
at reasoning and deduction.
That's not the only thing I'm good at.
You are like a treasure
to me.
Even so,
it's hard to know how many of them are there
and who they are.
We've got a long way to go before we uncover the truth.
I can answer that question.
There should be five of them.
Why?
If they just wanted to frame Vice Minister Zhou,
they only needed to steal the ledgers.
Why did they steal money and other valuables?
They must have been tempted by the treasures
here.
What would you do
if you were in their position?
I would take as much as I could, of course.
That's right.
Sixteen taels weigh one jin.
Ten thousand silver leaves
weigh a total of 625 jin.
A regular adult
can carry around 100 jin.
So we can infer
that there were around five of them.
I see.
Each chest contains 2,000 silver leaves.
A total of five chests went missing.
It takes skill to get those five chests out of here
without anyone noticing.
Look at this.
There are traces of wax here.
But it's new.
It must have accidentally come off when they were moving the chests.
The sealing wax used in the royal treasury is distinct.
This should be a clue.
Congratulations, sir.
The Sacred Jade Moon can only suppress the blood curse temporarily.
If I want to remove it completely,
I will need the Empyrean Token.
I have been making preparations to rebuild the Locust army in secret.
Now that you've acquired the divine skill,
will we be leaving?
Why?
I want to see
how Feng Lanxi solves this.
I guess we'll be staying here for a while longer.
It would be good if we could use this opportunity
to get rid of him.