ADAPTED FROM QING LINGYUE'S NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME
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.
Not only are you a great warrior, Ms. Feng,
but you're also a great detective.
Everything I do is worth it
if it earns your compliment.
However,
we still can't find the thieves.
There's something I find curious.
While they were operating, they would need the help of machines.
But they couldn't bring the machines back into the city.
Security in Yongzhou is tight.
If they were transported back into the city,
how could no one notice it?
It will be difficult during normal days.
But it's possible during festivities.
During New Year festivities,
troupes from different cities will come to perform.
The troupes will bring their costumes
and the equipment needed to set up the stage.
They could have easily hidden the machines among the items.
There are more than a dozen troupes in the city.
Where do we even start?
That's easy.
Thieves who steal from the royal treasury
must be troupe members who are in the know.
First of all, the troupe is a small group.
Secondly, the troupe could just be a front.
It can't be a renowned troupe.
On top of that,
for them to better operate,
they will not stay in an inn.
They will probably live in a remote courtyard.
With the scope narrowed,
it should be easier for us to track them down.
Normally, the troupes will leave after the Lantern Festival.
To prevent suspicion,
they must still be inside the city.
The money from the treasury can't be spent in the capital of Yongzhou.
It's likely the money is still with the thieves.
If we can find the money, we can prove them guilty.
That's right!
Is there anything you want to say?
No.
You two have said everything I could have said.
My men will investigate
and find the troupe.
We shall leave it to you, Your Highness.
-So today-- -We leave that to you.
Qiwu,
I've heard stories of you leading 30,000 soldiers
against an army many times bigger at Mount Tong.
I'm deeply impressed.
If you have time today, could you tell me more?
If you're willing to listen, I'll be glad to tell you.
I've heard great tales
about your feats in the martial arts world.
We could talk about it in my study.
Let's go.
Tell me everything about it.
Sure.
I feel like the third wheel.
Your Highness.
I want the Fountain Abode
to start investigating the troupes in the capital.
Understood.
Where are you going, Your Highness?
Should I go with you?
I want some time alone to figure out the case!
This jade hairpin is beautiful.
ACCESSORIES
It looks great on you.
Qiwu, take this as a gift.
A fair gift for the fair lady. I'm giving it to you.
I shall gladly accept it.
I can't accept it without giving you a gift too.
Pick a hairpin, Ms. Feng.
Very well.
How about…
-How about this one? -This hairpin?
A hairpin made from Tung wood is rare.
You picked well.
That means we both have good taste.
ACCESSORIES
Is something the matter?
I find it funny
because a black fox has been following us.
Sir, how much for these?
Ten wen.
Here. Thank you.
Let's go.
Hurry up.
-Hurry. -Let's go.
-Look, this performance is great. -Bravo!
Qiwu, what are they doing?
This is the Magpie Bridge Dance.
Many stories of love novels in Yongzhou
are based on this dance.
How interesting.
Let's forget it.
Qiwu, you said you envied me.
If you do,
be brave and give it a try.
Life is ever so short.
Come with me.
Sir!
-Ladies. -Put it on.
-Done. -Done.
Great!
Great.
Let's go.
Qiwu!
-Great! -Wonderful!
Great!
Yes!
Great!
Sir.
What are you doing here?
I was worried.
Since you're already here,
why are you sneaking around to follow them?
I said I wouldn't come here,
but I came here anyway.
Why would I embarrass myself?
The male protagonists in novels always lay down their pride.
They express their thoughts to win the lady's heart.
Stop reading that nonsense.
I think what you think.
Your concern is my concern.
Gentleman, care to join me for the dance?
To dance with me,
you must prove your worth.
You look like someone I know.
Could that person
be your lover?
No.
He annoys me at every corner.
Your words are mean,
but I sense no hostility in your tone.
You do not dislike that person.
Fengxi!
He's still too proud to show up.
Fengxi?
What did you say?
It's nothing, Qiwu.
Let's dance.
How thoughtful of you.
These are all my favorites.
Eat heartily.
Your Highness.
Xiao'er, prepare some snacks for His Highness.
Never mind.
I'll have a pot of tea instead.
Yes.
Did you have fun last night?
What do you think?
How should I know?
My time with Ms. Feng was a unique experience.
I had a lot of fun.
By the way, I received news from the Fountain Abode.
The only troupe that matches
is the Dafu Troupe from the city's south side.
We found them, so we should investigate.
If they are the thieves, they will be ready for us.
It won't be easy.
The solution is simple.
We will pay them a visit and investigate.
I have a plan.
Black Fox, I need your help.
Me?
SNOW WHITE MELODY
Is this the Dafu Troupe?
Yes.
How may I help you?
We are here to learn some skills.
-Come! -You did it on purpose.
Of course.
You made me dress up as a dancer.
This is easier than that.
Why are you so resentful?
What if I couldn't sing?
Mr. Lanxi,
there is nothing you can't pull off.
Hurry up.
Raise your hand a little more.
Wait.
Let's do it here.
Sir, if you will.
Can I borrow your fan?
The weather
Is ever so sunny and pleasant
-The spring breeze -You sing well!
Carries the fragrance
Of blooming blossoms
And…
-Well done. -Bravo!
Great.
You are indeed a great singer.
May I know your name, young man?
My name is Mu Feng. This is my servant, Xiaoxi.
Very well. I agree to take you into my troupe.
However, you may only stay while we are in the capital of Yongzhou.
After the Lantern Festival,
you two must leave
after getting your payment.
How does that sound?
Thank you.
Miss, can you sing too?
I can't.
My job is to take care of my master.
Very well. You shall do the chores.
Cui Hong.
Take her with you and clean up the backyard.
Yes.
Miss.
See you later, Sir.
Si.
Get Mr. Mu a basin of water
so he may clean up.
Thank you, Mr. Li.
Mr. Mu.
-Mr. Mu, this way. -He can really sing.
I know, right?
My brother.
Why did you agree to let them stay?
We are pretending to be a troupe.
It's best to be more convincing.
If he really is an actor,
he could provide us with some cover.
If our operation is compromised,
we can use them as our scapegoats.
What if they are undercover agents of the court?
That's even better.
This place shall be their grave.
Thief!
Help! Get the thief!
Hurry up!
Come here now!
-What is it? -There is a thief!
-A thief? -A thief?
Where is Mr. Mu's servant?
Isn't she living with you?
We came out as soon as we heard the manager shouting.
The servant had already left the room.
That's right.
Where is Mr. Mu?
Follow me.
Mr. Li, what's wrong?
Mr. Mu.
There was a commotion outside.
Why didn't you go out and have a look?
A commotion?
Perhaps I was too immersed in the script.
My room is far from the others, so I didn't hear it.
Mr. Mu,
where is your servant?
-I don't know. -Liar!
When someone's servant is missing,
their first reaction is to ask about the servant's safety,
not deny knowing anything.
Come clean, where is she?
My brother, she is right here.
Come clean.
Who are you?
Are you not going to tell them the truth?
Mr. Li.
Actually…
Actually,
he's not my master.
He's my husband.
-Your husband? -Husband?
-Who knew? -Why did you lie about your relationship?
We eloped.
I am Li Yulan from the Li family of Sui City.
My husband was in the Qingyan Troupe.
We fell in love.
My father didn't approve of our love.
So we could only elope.
However,
we are worried my father might find us.
We had no choice but to lie about being master and servant.
Mr. Li.
My husband and I are grateful
that you took us in.
It's just that
I missed my husband so terribly.
That's why I came to him.
I'm sorry for the trouble.
Are you Shang Yunhai?
Dear, he knows your true identity.
-Do you know him? -The Qingyan Troupe is famous.
The actor Shang Yunhai is even more famous.
Of course I know.
Over a month ago,
Mr. Shang eloped with a young lady from Sui City.
I didn't expect to meet them here.
It's such an honor.
We had no choice
but to lie about our identities.
Please forgive us.
I see.
It's all just a misunderstanding.
Mu…
Mr. Shang,
there was a thief in the yard.
That is why I brought everyone here.
As it turns out,
we are interrupting.
My apologies.
We'll get out of your hair.
Goodbye.
How do you know
about Shang Yunhai and Ms. Li?
I met them on my way to Mount Wu.
I helped them.
You really are a nosy person.
All you care about is the greater good
and the world's fate.
The fate of my world
is connected to the trouble people run into.
I checked all the rooms.
I didn't find the stolen money.
We alerted them.
Let's continue tomorrow.
Stay here for the night.
We must avoid suspicion.
You can have the bed.
I'll sleep on the floor.
Dear.
You must be starving.
I can do it.
Are you really in love with Mr. Shang?
Of course.
If you love him,
you shouldn't have eloped with him.
Mr. Shang clearly belongs on stage.
His potential is wasted
when he's with you.
A great actor can't go without acting.
His acting career comes first.
You should know as much, Ms. Li.
Is your love more important than his future?
I disagree with what you say.
Before I met her,
acting was my top priority.
After I met her,
I realized
how much I was missing out on.
My view of the world
could be wider.
Mr. Shang,
do not be blinded
by mere love.
Life is a series of decisions.
I had to make sacrifices either way.
I would have regrets either way.
However,
I don't want her to be my regret.
Think it through, Mr. Shang.
Do not let your potential go to waste.
You'd be covered in dust
like a rundown house.
About what you said,
was it true?
It was to fool him.
Don't take it to heart.
Black Fox,
I think I know where the stolen money is kept.
Just as I suspected.
What do we do now?
Inform Zhong Li to make the arrest.
Your Highness and Ms. Feng are impressive.
You caught the thieves in such a short time.
But how did you find out?
I'll explain.
It was a dark and windy night.
-We infiltrated-- -Your Highness.
-I'll explain later.
The thieves had matched their statements beforehand.
We can't learn anything.
According to the Ministry of Justice,
it seems Prince Ju has enough evidence
to convict Vice Minister Zhou.
It's likely Prince Ju will report it to His Lordship
during tomorrow's court meeting.
We found the stolen money
but not the ledger.
They managed to break into the treasury, which means they had help on the inside.
We must get the information out of them
before tomorrow
and find the mole.
Then we look for the ledger.
They made up their statements.
Further interrogation will be a waste of time.
I have an idea.
Who are you?
We may have stolen from the royal treasury,
but only the Ministry of Justice can punish us.
This is an abuse of power!
You're right.
We don't work for the Ministry of Justice.
We are going to abuse our power.
What can you do about it?
-You… -You are in no place to speak.
Bring her in.
Yes.
Tell me.
Who is the mole in the Ministry of Revenue?
I don't know.
That'd better be true.
I don't plan to interrogate.
Get her out of here.
What do you want with her?
What are you going to do?
You can't lynch her!
Calm down.
It will be your turn soon.
She doesn't know anything!
You can't do this! Lynching is not right!
Continue the interrogation.
If they refuse to tell us,
execute them right here.
Well?
I don't know.
I know nothing.
Get him out of here.
I know nothing at all!
My brother!
He doesn't know anything!
He knows nothing.
Er! He doesn't know anything!
Next.
I'll tell you everything.
I'll tell you.
The mole
was Chamberlain Li of the finance department.
Have mercy on me.
Did he already give in?
What's wrong?
Mr. Li, you looked shocked.
Don't you know voice can be mimicked?
Lock them up.
Zhong Li, have Chuanyu arrest the mole.
Yes.
Take them to their cells.
-Yes. -Yes.
That's easily done.
The case has been solved.
Minister Feng, you have nothing more to worry about.
Thank you, Your Highness.
It's time for me to go back.
Don't worry.
I'll visit you again. Wait for me.
Sure.
Show some concern for His Highness.
He's doing just fine.
See you.
Ms. Fengxi is such a peculiar person.
Her actions are unorthodox.
She is ruthless,
even more so than men.
Despite her lack of manners,
I can't help but feel impressed and envious.
Perhaps she is truly
one of a kind.
Your Highness.
We caught the mole
and learned the truth from him.
We arrived before he could destroy the ledger.
We can prove Vice Minister Zhou's innocence.
Send the evidence to Minster Feng.
She must tell my father during tomorrow's court meeting.
-Yes. -Hold on.
You mentioned
you had read a lot of romance novels.
How do they do it?
How do they do what?
Well…
Expressing their thoughts.
Are you going to express your thoughts
to Ms. Feng?
Just tell me.
I'm confident to say
I know the novels published in the Dadong Empire
like the back of my hand.
Whether it's a scholar and a fair lady, or a hero and a beauty,
I know all of the stories.
When it comes to expressing your thoughts, there are standards to meet.
When a man expresses his love for a woman,
there are three requirements to meet.
The mood, the words, and the gift.
The mood, the words,
and the gift.
Is it similar to war?
The time, place, and people who must work as one.
It's not wrong to understand it that way.
Expressing love
is not as simple as fighting a war.
There are two kinds of moods.
The first kind,
special occasions.
The Double Seventh Festival and the Lantern Festival.
And the special atmosphere,
such as the first snow or a trip to the lake in summer.
Anyway, use the special occasions
to let the special someone feel relaxed and pleasant.
Using the opportunity to express your love
will increase the success rate by a third.
This is the same as setting up an ambush.
We set up an ambush at a spot that seems harmless.
We catch the enemies off-guard.
We strike when they let their guard down,
taking them down in one strike.
I am impressed
by your ability to comprehend.
Your Highness understands how mood and atmosphere work,
so let's move on to the second element.
The romantic words.
The romantic words must be told the right way.
If you go in headstrong,
she will turn you down
and even view you as a fool.
If you make it too fancy,
she will see you as a womanizer.
So what you say must be true and honest.
It must be powerful
so it's both pleasant and touching to hear.
Judging by your face,
you don't get it?
How hard can it be?
The romantic words are the main force.
It must be used in the right place.
A battle on the mountain pass
should be fought with blades.
To surround the enemies,
we deploy the archers.
You got it right once again.
With the right atmosphere
and the right words,
your rate of successfully winning her heart is already 80%.
For the last 20%,
you need an external force.
It's known as a love token.
The love token
is usually a hairpin.
"The best gift I have for you is a hairpin of jade and pearl."
That's how it works.
Of course.
We recruit the enemy general after the battle.
We promise them rewards and earn their loyalty.
Expressing one's love isn't that hard.
Your Highness, perhaps it's best to give up on this thought.
All you think about is war and bloodshed.
It's not the same as dealing with love.
It boils down to one concept,
"dream-like."
I know.
It's not the dream about glory and victories,
but rather the dream one has after sunset.
You must make sure you get everything right.
Get up.
Your worry is unnecessary.
I am a prince of Yongzhou,
I know what must be done.
But you…
You spend your time
reading novels instead of proper books of knowledge.
Copy the whole book of Strategies of the Warring States.
But…
This is…
You are being ungrateful!
You used me and discarded me!
So what?
I am the prince, not you.
-Long live the Lord! -Long live the Lord!
At ease.
Yes, Your Lordship.
Present your reports
or the court shall be dismissed.
I have a report for Your Lordship.
I was told you had been attacked
a few days ago.
Are you well today?
My wounds have healed. Thank you for your concern, Your Lordship.
My report is about
the attack from the other day.
I was attacked
because of my investigation
of the stolen money from our treasury.
Minister Feng.
The theft is connected to the corruption scandal.
My father tasked me with the investigation.
Why are you interfering, Minster Feng?
I wouldn't dare compete with Prince Ju,
but this matter concerns Vice Minister Zhou.
As we all know,
Vice Minister Zhou is my cousin's husband.
I couldn't turn down my cousin's request.
I could only investigate secretly
and find the truth before reporting to Your Lordship.
Is it a secret investigation
or an attempt to absolve Vice Minister Zhou?
I wouldn't dare.
I'm willing to be punished for investigating without permission.
But please allow me to finish my report.
Father.
Perhaps Minister Feng has other motives.
As an official,
national affairs are the priority.
If it's not for her personal agenda,
then her conscience is clear.
Speak away, Minister Feng.
Understood.
After my secret investigation,
the official
who allowed the royal treasury to be robbed wasn't Vice Minister Zhou.
It was Chamberlain Li Mu of the finance department.
Can you prove this claim?
I have the evidence
and I've captured the culprit.
The lost money and ledger have been retrieved.
To prevent Li Mu from escaping, I've imprisoned him in my home.
Li Mu pleaded guilty
that he and the three corrupt officials arrested by Prince Ju
are accomplices.
They framed Vice Minister Zhou to absolve themselves.
You retrieved the stolen money?
The money is outside the hall.
Minister Feng,
it's clear you want to absolve Zhou Zhong of his crime
by presenting the spoils
and a scapegoat.
Prince Ju, I would never do that in a million years.
Your Lordship.
I have the statement and evidence
of Li Mu conspiring with the thieves.
Please have a look.
Minister Feng managed to retrieve
the stolen money in such a short amount of time.
This is a great feat.
However, she investigated
without my permission.
Your merit is canceled out by your mistake.
Heed my order.
Minister Feng and Prince Feng Ju shall both investigate
the corruption of the Ministry of Revenue.
Yes, Your Lordship.
Sir.
News from our scout.
After the court meeting,
Feng Ju came rushing to our location.
He will arrive in about ten minutes.
It seems Feng Lanxi solved the case.
Prince Ju
must be greatly frustrated.
He must think I am nothing more
than a pretentious fraud.
Is Feng Lanxi really so talented?
Did he see through your strategy?
He alone is two of the Four Gentlemen.
He built the famous Fountain Abode all by himself.
Of course he's capable.
However, he didn't see through my plan.
He fell right into it.
You let them catch the thieves.
But you promised Feng Ju
you would help him bring down Feng Lanxi.
Feng Lanxi is cunning.
He wouldn't let his guard down
unless he won a round.
The theft
was a decoy.
My true goal
is to eliminate him
and destroy the Fountain Abode.
I'll make Feng Lanxi
lose the right to fight for the rule over this land.
Bring him here.
Yes.
Please.
Greetings, Mr. Yu.
You look like you're in an awful mood.
Is something the matter, Your Highness?
Not exactly.
It's just that Feng Lanxi
saw through the trap you set up.
How could that be?
It would seem
I underestimated Prince Lanxi.
Do you have any other plans, Mr. Yu?
Could it be that you are out of ideas, Mr. Yu?
My plan failed
because I underestimated the opponent.
To make up for it,
I have decided.
I will help you achieve what you desire, Your Highness.
What I desire?
You mean you are willing…
Will you help me become the heir of the lord?
As matters stand,
I have no choice but to disobey my family's rules
and assist Your Highness.
Good.
Wonderful!
This is a blessing in disguise!
The old saying is true!
I, Feng Ju, thank you, Mr. Yu.
Since ancient times,
the eldest and the legitimate offspring
have always been prioritized in the line of succession for the throne.
Prince Lanxi fulfills
both of those criteria.
There is only one way for you
to become the heir of the lord.
You must make His Lordship wary of Prince Lanxi.
His Lordship understands the importance of balance above all else.
He would never allow his heir
to outshine him.
Your Highness.
I will give Your Highness a sachet
that contains the methods to use against Prince Lanxi.
However, it can only be opened
after he leaves the capital of Yongzhou.
Why?
Your Highness will know when the time comes.
One more thing.
I will need Your Highness to put up a performance with me.