Closed Captions were added by Moxi Media. Dongzhen Media, Yingqu Films, Souyi Media, Yuxing Films present. A Dongzhen Media production. Yingqu Films distributes. What are you doing? What are you doing? Answer me. Answer me! Answer me! In the 6th year of Tang Dynasty's Emperor Li Zhi, there was a story-telling old man appearing at a tea shop in the Capital. [Executive Producers: Cao Zhendong, Lu Jianlong] He claimed himself the Supreme Hierarch. His was full of superstitious garbage, all kinds of ridiculousness. Not long after, this reached to the Emperor. [Produced by: Tian Chengzhen, Wang Zihui] Emperor GaoZong was furious. To break the superstitious rumor, the Emperor summoned the old man. The old man cast a spell. Shocking words came out of his mouth. He said Wu Meiniang was going to stage a coup and become Empress. And if the Emperor won't believe it, he could search in her palace. Somewhere in there, there would be a charm cursing Emperor GaoZong. That was when the ministers trying to stop the process of Wu Meiniang becoming the Queen. The Emperor didn't have a choice but to search her palace. [Directed by Xing Zhonghua] At the meantime, the Supreme Hierarch mysteriously disappeared from the prison. Yah, yah! Yah! Yah! Yah, yah! Yah! Yah, yah! Come on! Han! I am Wu Zhaoyi's maidservant, Sun Hongyu. I am here under Wu's command to greet Mr. Di. Thanks a lot to Wu. Thank you a lot for the help. Han, your injuries. I'll be fine. We've only arrived here, and we are ambushed immediately. Something's afoot. We can't stay too long. We have to leave soon. You are Di Renjie? There is a rumor says that you are brave and intelligent. Now I'm seeing you, you have that look different from those good-for-nothings the Judiciary branch. I am the same as anyone. Just that I have more patience, more fairness. If you could be more sensible, you career will skyrocket surely. Do you know why I summoned you with such urgency? My guess is that it has something to do with the Supreme Hierarch. Please rise, Mr. Di. Thank you, your highness. After the incident yesterday, Shangguan Suyi, who served Master with me disappeared out of sudden. I connected the dots, this stunt must be an inside job. That's why Shangguan Suyi must be in on this. This might be a matter of national security, I will do my best to get to the bottom of this. Politically speaking, this is a matter of national security. Personally speaking, you and I are from the same town. I don't have to tell you the intricacy of this matter. Di Renjie, how long do you need? This is a complicated case. I will need 15 days to solve this. Ten days. Miss Hongyu. What are you doing here? What's the matter of me being here? Mr. Di. Yuanfang, Miss Hongyu is a special agent of Wu Zhaoyi. She is here to assist us with the case. Assist? More like surveillance. Miss Hongyu, please excuse him. Yuanfang is a bit of direct. My lord, what shall we do next? We were under attack at Yushui County last time. This time, we will start with Yushui County. My lord, there are three fast rides up the road. Great. Meiniang, me putting you here on lockup is out of necessity. There are a lot of talks among the ministers. Meiniang, is that Di Renjie really capable of solving this case? Your majesty, the ministers is not simply trying to punish me for some crime. They are trying to hold me hostage to threaten you. My lord, there is an inn ahead. Let's have something to eat, freshen up, then move on with our trip. Okay. Are you staying in or having a meal? A meal, please. Great, come inside, please. My lord, I heard there is a Blossom in this town. Oh. A Blossom? A lot of babes. We've got to check it out later. Are you here for business or entertainment? Miss Sun. You don't know about him. He likes to works his cases from a crowed place. The bigger the crowed, the bigger the trouble. Do you understand? Here. These are your meal. This is your drink. Hey, waiter, we haven't ordered yet, what's with all the food? Oh. This is our specialty. We know our guests have to rush on road, so we always prepare in advance. Have at it. Don't move. How dare you! Who told you to do this? Dan... Dancing Fairies. What dancing fairies? We haven't questioned him yet. Why did you kill him? Miss Sun. Maybe you should ask for Mr. Di's opinion before you act. It just doesn't pay to be a Good Samaritan. They are obviously not Supremists. This is a robbers' inn. They specialize in robbing and murdering. I saved you, and you are blaming me? It's fine. No matter who they are, we should go immediately, let's go. My lord, have some food. Miss Hongyu. Come and join us. Hey. What's with the constant long face? We don't own you anything. Do you know anything but eating? My lord. How do you know there's something wrong with that inn? It's all parlor tricks. Not worth mentioning. The Supremists sure have something up their sleeves. They are always on our trails. We've only just received our orders, and a crowed of people have already been aware of it. Hmm. Interesting. Maybe that's just a simple robbers' inn. It's just a coincidence. I hope so. My lord. We'll have to make do tonight. We'll take the ferry tomorrow morning. It'll get us to the Yushui County. Miss Hongyu and me will take turns to stay alert. Have some rest. Okay. Miss Hongyu. What is the nature of the relationship between Shangguan Suyi and you? Don't look at me like that. I'm just curious. We were like sisters. You had friends? I've always thought you had no friends. If you weren't so cold all the time, maybe we could be friends. Don't get so chummy with me. We are not same people. Also, I don't want to be friends with you. [Yushui County] This is the Yushui County. My lord. Should we inform local government? We are working the case off the record. Don't alert local government. I... Hongyu is right. Let's settle in first. Here! Are you from out of town, lass? What? Do you know the rules around here? Mister, what are the rules? The rules are simple. Brother, I suggest you run for your life right now. This lady here won't hesitate to kill you. Yeah. Piss off. Fine, just you wait! Guests. Mister. We would like a table of meal, please. And three top-tier rooms. Great. Mister. Yes? I've heard Yushui County has all the scenery. On my way here, I haven't seen that much people. Mister, there was an incident around here. Oh? What incident? What exactly, us peasants have no way of knowing. However, there have been a lot of dead bodies. Just back there at the Yi Village. That's why, guests, after your dinner, it's best for you not to go outside. Oh. Thank you for your service. My lord. We are here. Let's go. [Yi Village] My lord. Are you trying to scare us to death? You need to report to me before you do anything. I... The tattoos of this crew are the same as those people who attacked us in the woods. So you are saying they are from the same crew. My lord. This tattoo, could it be the symbol of the Supremists? Maybe. I need to work on it more. Mr. Di. I have some confusions. I'm tired. Let's have this conversation tomorrow. Mr. Di sure is strange. He... He's always been like this. Now that we are working the case together, you shouldn't hold back on me. Miss, what he wanted you to know, you will know eventually. What he didn't want you to know, you naturally won't know. After the incident yesterday, Shangguan Suyi, who served Master with me disappeared out of sudden. Dancing Fairies. Hello, Miss. Can I ask for directions? Hello, Mister. Can I ask for directions? Hello, Ma'am. Can I ask for directions? What are you doing? What are you doing? Answer me. Answer me! Answer me! We are a normal inn, I'll have you know. Normal? You don't look very normal to me. Mister, I am here to deliver water for you to wash your feet. Here. Mister. Hmm. From the looks of you, you don't look local. Are you here to harvest herbs, too? Yeah. Hey, waiter. Yes? What's the matter? This town's main business has always been herbs? Hmm. All the scenery has no use. None of the fields is fertile for crops. We can only harvest herbs and make medicine. Then we could exchange them for foods. So everybody here knows their ways around herbs? Come on. It runs in our blood. Of course I know more than you guys. Oh. Come here. Do you know what kind of herb could cause hallucination? There are all kinds of magical herbs. Tell you what, Mister, I've heard from my second uncle that there is a kind of herb that could change someone into someone else. Have you seen this herb? Do you know its name? I think it's something like... Something like... Oh, right! Nightmare! Only just, I've not blessed with a bright brain. Maybe you should ask my boss. He knows more than me. Your boss knows this? Hmm. Go fetch him. Go! Come on, Mister. This time of the day? It's a little bit late. Maybe it's not really appropriate. Well... I don't think it's too late. Right! You are absolutely right. Not late at all. Go fetch him. This... I was just looking at my money. Em. Go. What are you? What's going on, my lord? I'm fine. Just had a weird dream. My lord, I just took a tour around this town. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Who is this? It's the middle of the night. Mister. I want to ask you something. What can't wait for tomorrow? This is Mr. Di. He works cases for His Majesty. My lord. I've seen a lot of lords. This can wait for tomorrow. What is this? Hmm. I've seen a lot of these. You just wanted to save some booze money. My lord, spare me! Yuanfang. Please stand up, Mister. I just wanted to ask something. Thank you, my lord. Have a seat. Have a seat. I wouldn't dare. He asked you to sit, you should just sit. Yes, my lord. Mister, have you heard of a herb called the Nightmare? The nightmare is a rare herb. But a while ago, there was someone who specifically mentioned the Nightmare. Who were asking about the Nightmare? From the looks of their clothes, they were definitely not local people. Did you tell them about the Nightmare? They didn't look like good people, I didn't want to cause trouble. Also, I didn't really bother talking to them. I just said that I didn't know. My lord. There are not much people who had seen the Nightmare. Maybe just a couple of elders. Where are they now? This is kind of strange. Some of these people suddenly passed away this past half year. What about the others? They said they went into the mountains to harvest herbs, then they disappeared. [Qingfeng Camp] We are the Supremists! The Supremists! Please help! Hey. I was wondering, this time of the night, what are you? Yeah. I was just passing by. Passing by? Did you not hear what I said? I said piss off! Lords, this is a misunderstanding. Just a misunderstanding. Get out of here! I'll just leave. Just leaving. Piss off! Great, great drink. Granny, it's fine now. Thank you. Thank you all for saving us. Please have a seat. My lord. Would you please not wonder off? What if you had been in an incident? I was just in thought. I didn't see where I was walking. Thank you all for saving us. Granny, why are people in this town so cold-blooded? No one helped you. They are from the Qingfeng Village. The Qingfeng Village? It's been half a year now. They disappeared for no reason. Then they appeared just today. Miss, how do you know those two were bandits from the Qingfeng Village? They all had the same symbol. Symbol? I've been waiting for you for a long time. My lord, you guessed it right! I did not expect there would be so many moles in a tiny town like the Yushui County. Who are you? Who sent you? Yuanfang, be careful! The color of this blood doesn't seem right. What happened? Someone was hearing in our conversation. Over the following few days, whatever we were talking about, whatever we were doing, we should be careful. Yuanfang, clean this up. Don't let anyone notice this. Yes. Miss Hongyu, would you please take this with you? Find a doctor nearby and take a look at the content, identify it. I've asked around for a lot of people. They all had no idea. My lord. I've disposed of the body. Let's go. We should go back first. Yes. Yo. Our saviors are here. Granny. Granny. Granny. Can we have some food? Sure. Caiwei, fetch the food. Yes. My lord, all these places we've been to, all these people we've questioned, no one knows what this is. It seems that this is a rare stuff. Hey. Can I have a look? Granny, you don't have to look. You won't know. Come on, Yuanfang. I've heard of this medicine when I used to harvest herbs with my father. Oh. This might be poisonous. It's called the Soul-dispersing Powder. My lord. My lord, she really knows. It is made of thirteen kinds of extremely poisonous herbs. Granny. Do you what will happen to people who take this poison? The Soul-dispersing Powder may be extremely poisonous, but it's clear as water. Anyone who takes this poison would drop dead all of a sudden with no warnings. There would be black blood coming out of their mouths. My lord, those people had black blood in their mouths. Granny. Do you know a herb named the Nightmare? It's a peculiar flower. It could change people's appearances. Very rare. Few people could get their hands on it. Have you seen it? Some of these people who had seen the Nightmare suddenly passed away this past half year. They said they went into the mountains to harvest herbs, then they disappeared. Well. Yuanfang. Yes. Get Hongyu, you two go into my room immediately. Thanks a lot, Granny. Excuse us, we'll be leaving now. Take care. Thanks, Granny. Take care. My lord. The Qingfeng Village in the mountains suddenly gone all quite half a year ago. And the group of people dressing black who attacked us, the assassin, they all have the same symbol. So what you are saying is, the bandits at the Qingfeng Village are now a part of the Supremists? They are working for the Supreme Hierarch? So, so the Supreme Hierarch could very well be hiding inside the Qingfeng Village. Hahaha. Yuanfang. You've finally known how to use your brain. My lord. There's still something I haven't figured out yet. You've said that the Supreme Hierarch has already known we are here working the case. Base on his skill set, it's not hard for him to kill us. Why didn't he do it? Comparing to that, I think he's more scared of us knowing about the poison. What should we do next, then? Yuanfang. Go to the local government, have them gather up some troops, and help us to stage a siege around the Qingfeng Village. I would like to meet this Supreme Hierarch. My lord, if we barge into the village without any planning, we could spook them. Wu Meiniang only gave me ten days. If we don't move soon, I could lose my head. Go, Yuanfang. Yes. I'll go prepare. [Happy Inn] My lord. Mr. Di are telling us to gather up troops. He wanted to gather up troops? Great! It had to be Di Renjie! He's making a move! Let's go. My lord, that's Qingfeng Village ahead of us. It looks heavy-guarded. Yuanfang, you circle back, get a hold of the situation. Okay. We'll be here waiting for you. Got it. Follow me. There are quite a lot of bandits here. We are out-numbered. We can't force our way in lest we'll spook them. How about this? I'll go inside after dark. See what's it about, gather some intel. You guys go notify Mr. Di. Don't do anything without orders. Wait for me to be back. Go. Yes. They are back. Where is Li Yuanfang? Mr. Li said that the situation is complicated. He wanted to sneak in by himself when it's dark. He wanted us to wait for him. Not to make any sudden moves. Okay. Is he gonna be okay on his own? This little crew is not a challenge to Li Yuanfang. Rest assured. Di Renjie. I suggest you stay out of my business. So everything we did is under the eyes of the Supreme Hierarch. Let's march over there. It's okay. Let's wait for Yuanfang. I trust him. What the hell is that? You think we are idiots? Who are you? Why are you here? Miss, don't be scared. My name is Li Yuanfang. I am here under Mr. Di Renjie's orders to track down the Supremists. Who are you, Miss? What are you doing at a place like this? I didn't know exactly why I'm here. I'm sure you've been kidnapped here. Don't be scared. Is this the Nightmare? Your clothes and hairpin are from inside the palace. You must be the missing Shangguan Suyi. I don't remember who I was. Miss. Follow me. Where are you taking me? I'm taking you to Mr. Di Renjie. There are a lot of people outside. How can get pass them? Don't be afraid. I know a shortcut. Follow me, hurry. Hey. Follow me! Let's go! Hey! Hey! Let's go. My lord. The girl I rescued yesterday are resting inside now. She looks like from inside the palace. Miss Hongyu, can you confirm if this is the missing Shangguan Suyi? Suyi. Why are you here? Who abducted you that night? Are you okay? Who are you? I'm Hongyu. Hongyu, do you remember me? I'm Hongyu, don't you remember me? I have no idea. Yuanfang. Yes. Contact a doctor immediately. Have the doctor take a look at Miss Shangguan Suyi. See if she's okay. Yes, sir. My lord. What's our next move? Contact the local government, gather up some elite troops. Let's pay this Qingfeng Camp a visit. Yes, sir. My lord, you go ahead, I'll be here staying with Suyi. Miss Hongyu, I need your help, come join us. I... Come on. Suyi. My lord. There's nothing. Nobody's here. Interesting. Mr. Di. This is the best doctor we have at the Yushui County. My lord. As far as we know, her pulse is normal. Nothing out of ordinary. Nothing out of ordinary. So it means that her bodily health is okay. Miss Shangguan, do you really remember nothing about yourself? I don't remember any of it. Please, doctor, take a look at her again. Yes, sir. My lord. The meal is ready. Mr. Di. We could have a little drink outside. We could wait for a bit. Okay. Thanks for the arrangement, Mr. Xu. Please. My lord. I discovered this at the Qingfeng Village. It could be the Nightmare. Here you are. Mr. Xu. The Nightmare is surely a peculiar medicine. I've heard of this Nightmare. I've never seen it. But I heard that the medicine extracted from the flower could alter people's appearances. Strange, amazing. Interesting, interesting. Come on. I'll toast you two. Thank you, Mr. Xu. Who is it? You guys stay here, the rest of you, follow them? My lord. My lord! My lord, my lord, my lord. My lord, my lord! My lord, my lord. My lord! My lord, what happened? Mr. Di. Please forgive me! It's my fault, I haven't been able to protect you. It's all my fault! Where is the Nightmare? No! Yuanfang, Hongyu! You don't have to go. Mr. Xu, what's up with this doctor? Mr. Di, we all know this doctor, there is no way he's a mole! It's fine, Mr. Xu. This doctor is not the doctor you knew. He's not... Well then, he... The Supreme Hierarch went through all this trouble for the Nightmare, and tried to kidnap Shangguan Suyi. My lord. They took the Nightmare. Are they trying to change their appearances again? No! Yuanfang, Hongyu! Follow me to the palace immediately. Yes, sir! Mr. Xu. Yes? I'm gonna have to ask you to keep this Shangguan Suyi safe. Should anything happen to her again, it'll be your fault. Yes, sir! Your Majesty, this is Di Renjie. You may rise. Di Renjie, how is the case going? I've already investigated at Yushui County. There was a group of bandit occupying a village, trying to stage a coup. And I found the missing Shangguan Suyi. It's just... What is it? Out with it. It's just, I've discovered that Shangguan Suyi is their boss. They were making medicines, wanting to murder you. What? How dare they! Di Renjie. Yes! You did good with this case, I will give you a great reward. Thank you, your majesty! Come up here! I will reward Di with a cup of divine wine. Di. Have at it. Come on. Your majesty, I... can't hold my liquor very well. Mr. Di, this is a drink rewarded by his majesty, I'm afraid you can't refuse. My lord, this is a drink rewarded by his majesty, I'm afraid you can't refuse. Move him away. When will Di Renjie be here? Your majesty, Mr. Di is already on his way here. He'll be... I, Di Renjie, request my forgiveness for coming too late. I, Sun Hongyu, request to be at your presence. You may rise. Di Renjie, you've got some tricks up your sleeves. It's just like what you said in your letter. I'll ask you this: Do you know who is the Supreme Hierarch answering to? Your majesty, from what I've been seeing so far, the Supreme Hierarch is answering to no one. Your majesty, we've found the missing Shangguan Suyi. But she's lost her memory. Your majesty, Wu Zhaoyi is framed. Now that she has been cleared, please tell the whole country, and clear Wu Zhaoyi's name. Of course. I definitely know what Meiniang is thinking. I will make her my Queen. Your majesty, Shangguan Suyi has arrived at the station, but I have yet to figure out why she was missing. And why she lost her memory. After I figure out these things, this case will be closed. Great. I want you to be quick about it. Sun Hongyu, you may go back to Meiniang. Nothing could go wrong now. Yes, your majesty. So you are here. Miss Hongyu. Mr. Di sure is capable. Miss Hongyu. Mr. Di has been suspecting you for a long time. We can't be friends in the end. When did you start to suspect me? I never believed in prophecies. The enemy knew what we were doing every step of the way. That's when I began to suspect you. Something's up with you. Every time you kill someone, there is something fishy about it. The reason I didn't expose you is I wanted to see what were you really up to. It's already come to this. I have to die anyway, why should I tell you the truth? And I think you are smart enough to know about the truth soon. Miss Hongyu. It's... not worth it. Shangguan Suyu and I are both orphans. We grew up together. We came into the palace to serve Wu Zhaoyi together. She's smart, ambitious, visionary. Anything she wants, she will have. She's my best friend. And she's my only family. No matter she's good or evil, doesn't matter what she's doing is right or wrong, for her, it's worth it. Di Renjie. Even if you discovered the truth, it's still too late. You lost anyway. No! Miss Hongyu, Miss Hongyu! Why did you do this? When you see through everything, yet there's nothing you can do. Maybe that's the greatest pain of them all. Mr. Di, no one should be too smart. Miss Hongyu. Miss Hongyu, Miss Hongyu! Miss Hongyu sure is a genuine person. I've only known her for a couple of days, but I feel... I... She died because of what she believed in. It's her destiny, of sorts. My lord. What did she mean just now? If I guessed right, the Wu Zhaoyi inside the palace is a fake one. You are saying that someone is using the Nightmare to impersonate Wu Zhaoyi. And Sun Hongyu is working with her. Who could impersonate Wu Zhaoyi? I got it! It's Shangguan! It's Shangguan Suyi! That's right. Then who is this Shangguan Suyi? Where is the real Wu Zhaoyi? No matter who she is, we need to take her back to the palace. No time to waste, let's get moving. Yes. Here comes his majesty. Your majesty, this man... Please punish him for me! Di Renjie, what is going on here? Your majesty, I went to Yushui County under your orders to investigate the Soul-dispersing Powder and the Nightmare. I knew of a group of criminals who are also trying to know about these things. The Supreme Hierarch is one step ahead of us the whole time. That's why I am sure there had been a mole abound me. Until not long ago, Sun Hongyu infiltrated the station. She tried to take Shangguan Suyi away. That's when I know the secret around Shangguan Suyi. The Supreme Hierarch tried everything to cover the tracks, not to cover up the secret about Shangguan Suyi, is to cover up the secret around the Nightmare. This flower could alter one's appearances. That's how the Supreme Hierarch changed into other people. And Shangguan Suyi is Wu Zhaoyi who was drugged with this flower. Shangguan Suyi is the real Wu Zhaoyi? Di Renjie, how dare you! Load of crap! How dare you to say that about me? Do you have any evidence? Do you remember the water you just drank? The Nightmare? Your majesty, Shangguan Suyi has already confessed. I didn't add anything in that water. It was regular water. Di Renjie. You will always be a person condemned by history. Wu Meiniang will come onto power eventually. Hahaha. Ha! Royal doctor Wang, if something happens to Meiniang, I... I will have your head! Your majesty, you don't have to worry too much. Her majesty will be... Just go. Yes. Your majesty, her majesty has waken up! Hurry up! Get Royal doctor Wang to rest. Meiniang, you are awake! How do you feel? My head hurts. Meiniang, do you remember anything? I remember, that night, Shangguan Suyi gave me a cup of water. After I drank it, I felt dizzy. I don't remember anything afterwords. Your majesty, what happened to me? You were framed by Shangguan Suyi, you were missing for days. I was worried sick. Meiniang. Thanks to Di Renjie, you are saved. Summoning Di Renjie and Li Yanfang's presence. Your majesty, this is Di Renjie and Li Yanfang. You may now rise. Thank you, your majesty. Di Renjie, I've heard of him. We are from the same town. Oh? How is Wu Zhaoyi feeling? I feel fine now. The Royal doctor is much more capable, it seems. Of course. Meiniang, Di Renjie is smart and resourceful. It's all thanks to him that I could see you again. Where is Shangguan Suyi? Well, she... She was in a cult. She has already committed suicide. Di Renjie, Li Yanfang, You did great with this case, what do you want me to reward you? It is my job to work for your majesty, I wouldn't dare to ask for reward. Di Renjie, you are very talented at governance. Now is the time I need talents. You should stay here in the capital. I know nothing but solving cases. I'm not experienced enough to be a minister. Di, do not refuse this. Being a minister and solving a case... Your majesty, Yes? If so, I have an idea. Oh? I heard you said that Liang Province has always been suffering from famine. Maybe you could send Di Renjie to be the mayor. He could gain experience there. If he did good, he could come back to the capital to serve you. Your words ring truth. Send my words. Send Di Renjie and Li Yanfang to that post immediately. Yes, your majesty. Your majesty, Queen Wu's coronation is in three days. Maybe Mr. Di could leave for his post after attending the ceremony. It won't be too late. Hey. Queen Wu. Thanks, your majesty. Why didn't you tell me this? Well, these couple of days, you've been through a lot. I wanted to surprise you. Congratulations, your majesty. Congratulations, Queen Wu. You may leave now. Excuse us. You may rise. I... didn't keep you here. What are your thoughts? I, have no thoughts about that. If you wish to remain here, I could arrange that for you. Where the people are, where I should be. Maybe it's just not the time. Di Renjie, you are a smart man. I believe in no time, we will each other again. Excuse me. My lord, there is something I didn't figure out. His majesty has already agreed for you to stay here. Why didn't you fight for it? Did you really think the decision is up for his majesty? I understand. Then why didn't you say so to his majesty? She is no ordinary person. But the desire for power is not necessarily a bad thing. We need a lot of talented people to govern the Tang dynasty. As long as it's good for the people, good for the country, I, Di Renjie, would die for it willingly. My lord, we are leaving, just like that? Relax, it won't be long before we were asked to be back.
