Brother Li used to be the Imperial Tutor back then, but he also taught the common folk. He gave lectures outside the Imperial Palace. He has students accross the land. But only a few of his students were to be proud of. I've met all of them. But you, Sir, I've never met you before. Oh, I was not among the best to deserve my teacher's esteem, and did not study too long with him. So naturally, you would not have heard about me. Oh, but no matter, you have brought this token of Brother Li to me, so I will provide you my assistance. Although I do recall, that when Li was dismissed from the court, he was filled with so much resentment. He vowed that he would never return to the Capital again and would have nothing more to do with the affairs of the court. And now that I must get involved in something he had avoided for years, I am not so sure if this is the right thing. Teacher Li knew that if he expressed the truth then, it would offend the Emperor, yet he expressed it, since that is what a true man of knowledge should do. That is why I believe that everyone of us should uphold the truth and demonstrate it to everyone, whether you live in the forest, or at the court. If one stays true to one's self, by expressing what's right to achieve justice, no matter how difficult, one can never go wrong. Do you know why Brother Li chose to wear this jade cicada amulet? It was a way of showing his indifference to fame and wealth and a way of expressing his joy in teaching with fierce words. That's true. I never thought I would get to meet another brilliant student of Li, especially during my remaining years. I am very pleased. Now give me your hands. Despite your age and the weather, you have chosen to travel this far to do a great favor for an old friend. For that, I cannot thank you well enough. To see that jade cicada, I would go anywhere, even to the frontier fortress, not to mention just the Capital. Well then. Now I have done what you've asked me to do, I should go, and head back to my temple now. I bid you farewell. Have a safe trip, Master Zhou. You know, back then, Brother Li used to have a favorite student. He was born of nobility, the son of a general. Although he was very passionate, he was quite brilliant. If you had met him, you both would have had so much in common. I appreciate your compliment. Although I'm afraid that I have never met such a man, Master Zhou. That's a pity. Sadly, we shall never get to see him anymore. Chief. Chief, are you alright? She's coming, Li Gang. I've no idea why Nihuang started to get suspicious for she has been tracking down my identity through various means, I can no longer hide from her. If Princess Nihuang has been that determined to find out who you are, she could cause you trouble, Chief. Nihuang will never do that. She just wants to know the truth, and if Mei Changsu can't convince her, then Lin Shu will have to face her. But Chief… Young Prince Mu Qing was just here. He has left with Master Zhou. Why have you come in this weather, Your Ladyship? You should not be out in this weather, either. Yet even Master Zhou was still willing to meet you out here in the cold. It seems the Jiangzuo Alliance is quite a formidable force. Jiangzuo Alliance is made of unconventional and unrestrained men. We became brothers there by our fates, sworn our allegiance to serve. We have no names nor origins. That was how the alliance has grown. So are you now trying to tell me that the man who came to help me with our battle at Qingming River was someone you never knew when you sent him to me? He is from Jiangzuo Alliance, right? It was where we lost track of him. And if he hadn't been sent there by you, why would the alliance bother to help us? What other things have you assumed? Quite a number of things. For instance, I do recognize him. Do you wish to know who I think he is? Who is he then? His surname is not Yun. He's Wei Zheng, once the lieutenant of Young Marshal Lin Shu of the Chiyan Army. He's a wanted rebel, and you took him in. You are Langya Hall's top scholar, and chief of the largest sect of the land, and you claim you do not know Wei Zheng. How can I even believe that? What do you believe? And what don't you believe? Just tell me one thing. Is Wei Zheng the only rebel you have from the Chiyan Army? Do you believe the Chiyan Army was a rebel army? I don't know. I was young at that time, but I believe that the people I knew would never betray the throne. If you believe that they were innocent, you would not even ask that. It's useless to discuss if they were or weren't innocent. They've decided it, neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Yu will re-open the case. They won't consider it, not when they are clearly satisfied with its results. That's true. You can't expect the Crown Prince or Prince Yu to fight for truth and justice. There's only one prince who will want to pursue that aim. Prince Jing? So the one you intend to support is Prince Jing? My Lady, it's getting cold. It's time you went to bed. Alright. You may go, get some rest. Yes, My Lady. Oh, Sister Consort Chen, my son has decided to tread on a dangerous path right now. Who knows what may happen to my boy? If you can hear me now in heaven, watch over him and guide his way. Right. Only Prince Jing can achieve that, but how can he? One careless mistake could get him killed. There would be no turning back. Turning back is no longer an option. Did Wei Zheng have the choice of turning back? Wei Zheng's different. He's a former Chiyan officer who has chosen to serve a new leader. Or the same one? Who are you, really? I came to the Capital with the name, Su Zhe. Still, many kept asking me who I really was. Some were straightforward, while others did it covertly. Soon, they found their answers. And before you became famously known as Mei Changsu, who were you then? I never would've thought that you'll be the first one to ask that. Then I deserve an answer. A soldier. A Chiyan soldier like Wei Zheng. If you're another Chiyan soldier, why don't I know you then? With 70,000 soldiers, how would you know all of them? Well, I know Wei Zheng. He led the Chiyu Battalion back then. And now he follows your orders like a subordinate. I do not believe that you're not of higher rank. Our plot does not involve the battlefield. Wei Zheng is not familiar with it. Furthermore, his identity must never be exposed. Did you know Lin Shu? I did. Did he really die then? Yes. Where did he die? Meiling. Where did you bury him? There were no graves for seven thousand soldiers. So none of you even buried him? Haven't you thought of collecting his remains? It was a fierce war. Corpses have piled up. Who could even tell who Lin Shu was? I know what a battlefield is like! And if you really are a former Chiyan soldier, why did you address him as Lin Shu then, and not as Young Marshal? Why call him by name? A name is just a name. Whether he is Lin Shu or Young Marshal, it doesn't matter now that he is gone. I knew I'd find that mole there. I remember you have a mole there! Westerly winds gust on a cold rainy night in the mountains. Home and country remain in my dream. I think of you but you're not in sight. I long for you all the more. I knew it was you. I always felt that it was you, Lin Shu, my beloved. When will the war end? Winner takes all. The candle is spent, but the tears won’t dry. The country is still young but she has aged. I bear with the parting. I don’t want to, but we must part. I entrust the swan goose as it flies south. But where should I pin my heart? She has aged as time passes by. Nihuang. A woman's intuition is always so difficult to ignore. For every slightest trace that I've seen, the more I knew it was you, Lin Shu, dearest. Oh, my beloved. Don't ever leave me again. I don't ever want to lose you again, my love. I am no longer the Lin Shu you knew, Nihuang. I wish I had taken better care of you. I thought I would be looking after you all our lives. But you have always been looking after me. Since I became the south border commander. I've been the defender of Qing and Mu Manor. But during my most difficult times, I would imagine that you were just right there with me to give me more strength to go on. So you've never stopped looking after me. You have always been there for me. Like when I was a little girl, when I would run too far away and lose my way back home, you would always find me and carry me all the way back. Those times are long gone. We can never bring back those times again. What happened that made you change this way? You were never affected by the cold before. Everyone called you a little furnace. What have you gone through that changed you? What have you suffered all these years? What could wipe all the traces of the man you once were and leave you unrecognizable? Enough of that. All your questions will be answered at a later time. What I plan to do at the Capital is very dangerous, so my real identity must not be exposed. I understand. Not even to Xia Dong and to Jingyan. They must not know, either. With Xia Dong, I understand, but why keep that from Prince Jing? What I plan to do here must not involve any previous affection, even yours. Is there anything I can do to help? Go on with your life. I will still be Su Zhe and you are Lady Nihuang. We cannot afford any mistake. Alright, but I will wait. I'll wait until I can have my Lin Shu back. Your brother will be back. Better not show him that you've been crying. It will not help. I should go now. Lin Shu, wait! Would you mind if I… came to visit? You will always be welcomed in my home, Your Ladyship. Hey, Chief? Chief. Careful. Well, Doctor Yan? How is he? His overworked mind, matched with the cold weather has made him tired and more ill. Decline any visits in the following days, so he can get enough rest. Does that mean his illness is that severe? Why do you think it hasn't been? Would it be severe enough if he died tomorrow? Even if he recovers from this, if he still keeps on over-exerting himself, he may not be so fortunate the next time! We know that, Doctor, but you know how the Chief is. That's why it's good you're here. If we told him to get some rest, he would only snap at us. My respects to Your Highness. Minister Shen. I thought you'd be busy at the Ministry of Revenue, since you've just taken over. How did you find the time to go out? I have been checking some previous accounts and I found something curious with the water transport, so I took my time of rest from work to inspect it at the wharf. Water transport? Yes, Your Highness. Brother Zhao, what's in those sacks? Just fruits and vegetables? How could they be so heavy if that's all they are? Stop meddling with the products. Here, just take your money. Share it with the others. Minister, according to the ship record, these ship transports they have should be fresh fruits. Hey, come help me here. Alright! Hurry up! Although the weight has nothing to do with size, the products from the official ship's report should not bear this much weight. How can fresh fruits be so heavy? They have to be something else. It appears the official ships for water transport do have some secrets. No matter what those secrets are, those accounts Lou Zhijing made will have to do with the Eastern Palace. So take care. Don't worry. I will, Your Highness. Should I need more guards, I will turn to you for assistance. Anytime. Just pile them here. Brother Zhao, two more ships are arriving in the port. Tell the others to hurry. But Brother, those two ships contain gunpowder. What? There are six ships that already brought gunpowder in. That would be considered illegal. Who sent them here? No idea. Then wherever all that gunpowder will be going is something you must find out. It wouldn't be good if they were sent to the Capital, not while the Chief is still there. So stay alert. I will. Whoa! Welcome back, Young Master. Is my father back home? Yes, he's in there. Inspect every item we have at the carriage. Do not miss a single thing. Yes, My Lord. And do it carefully. Father! You've returned! Yes. Now go manage it. Yes, My Lord. I'll have the servants clean up the main room, Father. Don't bother. The dojo will do in the next few days. I'm just came to bring my alchemy equipments back to the temple. My Lord, the carriage is ready! Alright! Father? You've been nurturing your soul for so long. Can't you just rest at home and spend the day with me? Yujin, I don't have the time. Yujin? Yes? Do you have enough money left to spend? Branch Master Li. What is it? Prince Yu has sent some gifts again. Why does he keep sending them? We've refused them twice already. It's so annoying! Send them back! It's not something precious this time. Just a few delicate toys for Fei Liu. Accept them. Yes, Chief. Well, Your Highness? This time you've lost in your wager. Oh? So he accepted your presents? Hm. That's good! It was through Mei Changsu's full support that we were able to defeat the Eastern Palace at the court debate. So I wanted to thank him for that, but he kept refusing all the precious gems and antiques I've sent him. Yet you were able to find a way to make him accept those gifts that weren't even expensive. I simply plucked that sentimental chord in him. That strange-minded boy who's always with him may be the most protective bodyguard Mei Changsu has. Yet in his heart, he is like a young brother to him. The Kirin Scholar may not be easy to please, but it can be quite easy for one to think of ways to please a child. An easy, but effective move. Banruo, you have a sharp mind, which is why you are valuable to me. Have the carriage ready! Yes, Your Highness! Is Your Highness leaving? Well, even if those presents were finally accepted, they're merely toys, my dear. They're not enough. I heard that Mei Changsu is ill, so I should go and pay him a visit. Your Highness is really very considerate. What happened? Our brothers followed the truck, but after several turns, they lost them. At what area? At the cross roads. Come on! Just disappeared? They were carried by six ships! That's a huge amount of gunpowder! How could you lose track of that? What gunpowder? Someone secretly purchased gunpowder, without the Kingdom's authorization. As regulated by law, gunpowder can only be used by the arms shop under the Ministry of War, and by the fireworks factory, which has been authorized by the Ministry of Revenue. Other than that, it would illegal to have them. Brother Zhao, how much gunpowder were sent here? Each ship didn't have much, but since it came from six ships, it would be a huge amount. No one knows who ordered them, so we asked my men to follow the truck to see where it was going, but then, they just lost sight of the truck. So that gunpowder is somewhere in the Capital, which will be used for some unknown purpose? It could be for some dangerous plot. And the Chief could be there when it explodes. Oh, Sir Shisan, I'm worried about his safety. Go find the truck that carried the gunpowder. If you don't have enough people, I'll have Tong Lu help you. Yes, Sir. We should also warn the Chief about this, so he doesn't fall into danger. The year-end ceremony is approaching. I still have so much to do, and I'm afraid I can't do it alone. Consort Xu? Yes, Your Majesty? You, like Consort Yue, and Consort Yuan of the first rank have years of experience. You shall assist me for now in dealing with some affairs. That way, you will earn the respect of everyone. Yes, Your Majesty. What's the matter, Your Majesty? Are you not feeling well? Well, I'm sure you wish I wasn't well. Of course not, Your Majesty. I have been too lenient for so long, which is why ethics is no longer being observed. His Majesty is not happy about this. In the future, I will… - Your Majesty!
- Oh, Your Majesty! Your Majesty? Your Majesty. Are you alright? Oh. Oh dear. Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
- Are you alright? Your Majesty? Tell us. So how are you feeling? It's just a cold, Your Highness. I'll thank you for coming to see me. It's nothing. The recent instructions you gave were very beneficial to me. I wanted to express my appreciation, but then I forgot that you don't like lavish gifts. The weather will get worse, so don't neglect your health next time. We still have more battles to face together. Your Highness! Your Highness, Prince Yu! Something terrible has happened! We have to go back! Your Highness! Your Highness, where are you? Go see what it is. Yes, Chief. Fei Liu! Put him down! Let him in! Your Highness! Your Highness, I bring bad news! What's the bad news? It's the Empress. She… she collapsed and fell ill! What? It's alright, Your Highness. You should go back and see your mother. And better hurry. Look after yourself, you hear? Let's go. This way. The Capital is so vast, we don't even know where to start looking. Then Tong Lu thought of investigating the Ministry of Revenue's official ships that arrived. From the way it appears, those ships were carrying fruits, perfumes, southern silk and other items used by the rich folks for the new year. Various cargos were separately delivered to various residences, so it will be difficult to find a possible suspect right away. Carrying citizen's cargos is forbidden in an official ship. That means there could be some officials involved. What Miss Gong Yu said is true. But the items are meant for the new year, and the parcels have been sent everywhere. So it would really be difficult to check their contents. Fortunately, I overheard someone, - who was telling his friend that…
- Just sum up the whole story, Son. We may be running out of time. Right. We learned that four ship loads of gunpowder were sent to an enclosed courtyard near the north gate, near a fireworks factory. It must be illegal! Every end of the year, fireworks' prices would soar, that's how they would make a profit. They'd give the profit to the Minister's Revenue, who then hands it to the state treasury, so the former Minister Lou Zhijing started this illegal factory to gain full profit from making and selling fireworks. He kept some for himself. The rest went to the Crown Prince. That explains it. Lou Zhijing's in prison, but the Crown Prince will not give up his profits, so that factory is still running and using gunpowder that was illegally shipped to the Capital to make more fireworks. And we're not the only ones who found out about the illegal factory. That new Revenue Minister, Shen Zhui, is looking into it. This is not a trivial matter. Report this to the Chief. Hm. Sir Shisan, I can do that. I can pose as… I bought a vegetable farm within the Capital. Tong Lu is in charge of it and delivers vegetables regularly to the House of Su. The Chief has instructed that any information should only be delivered by him. If you learn anything more about the illegal fireworks factory, inform it to Shen Zhui. Yes, Chief. We will assist Minister Shen with this. You may leave. Chief, the news from the Imperial Physician's Office is that the Empress' illness is not serious. Not serious? Yes. Then why was Prince Yu's servant so distressed about it? Because it was so sudden, and the symptoms seemed quite serious at first, so naturally they all panicked. But then, the imperial physician did say that she's not in real danger. Ask Princess Nihuang to inquire about it, while she goes to pay her respects. And try to obtain her prescription from the imperial physician for me. Do you suspect that the Empress' illness was caused by someone? It's just too coincidental. I'll have to find that out. Well, if there's someone who would want to harm the Empress, the most probable candidates are Consort Yue and the Crown Prince. They would be regarded as the most suspicious ones, which makes them unlikely to succeed. The Empress has had differences with Consort Yue for years, and she's very watchful of her. Consort Yue could never win over the Empress, even when she was still at her peak. She can't possibly win over her now this way. Consort Yue just recovered her title, and then she also had to go through that court debate. She probably still feels resentful over them. So why is the Empress not gravely ill? If the Crown Prince and Consort Yue caused that, why would they would be so gentle about it? They would simply kill her, if they had any chance to do that. They would not be that considerate about it. Chief, are you saying that this time the Eastern Palace is innocent? It's far too early to draw any conclusion. Perhaps it would benefit someone if the Empress failed to attend the year-end ceremony. Or perhaps the Empress has really just fallen ill. We're just a few days away from the year-end ceremony. If the Empress does not recover before that event, then something else must be going on. That's why we should investigate it ahead. Right, Chief. Why can't I shake off this feeling that there's someone I've overlooked? Someone has hidden behind all this. Who would want to make Empress Yan ill? What's the connection? Thank you for all your concern, My Ladies. The imperial physician said Her Majesty's condition is not that serious, but he did advise that she must rest quietly for a few days. Please understand that she cannot be disturbed. Alright, it would be best if we just let her get her rest. Hold on! Qihong, I have to ask. Is this the tea ware Her Majesty uses everyday? Yes, My Lady. How delicate they look. Your Highness, how is Her Majesty doing? She's not seriously ill. My wife is looking after her. She should be better. Yes, she is a strong woman. But then, if she grew that ill, something could have caused it. Actually... Your Highness.
