A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
ADAPTED FROM TIANXIA GUIYUAN'S NOVEL HUANG QUAN
EPISODE 14
Are you asking me
to let you stay at Qingming Academy?
Do you know what place this is?
It's where the Emperor looks for talent.
Good.
Now,
where did this seal come from?
-House of Lanxiang. -Yes.
What kind of place is that?
Look, you're from a brothel.
This is an academy for talented people.
As foolish as I can be,
I could never let you pretend to be one of us.
Bad man.
What did you say?
You're a bad man.
You brought him here?
Good.
This young man has a sharp mind.
He can tell that I'm a bad man at just a glance.
That's impressive.
Then...
What are you?
A good man.
Good man?
Do you want me to take you and this good man in?
Yes.
Wei Zhi, you can't do things like this.
Look, I may be the headmaster of this academy,
but I can't allow unqualified people to be in our academy.
I don't care if I'm qualified or not.
I'm a good man.
You're a bad man.
He is interesting.
I like you. Please sit.
Then, tell me.
Why do you think I'm bad?
If you can give me a good explanation, I'll let it go.
But if you can't,
I'll have to be a bad man.
Tell me.
Headmaster Xin, why are you asking him to humiliate you?
Humiliate me?
I'm always the one who humiliates others.
I really want to hear how others humiliate me.
So, go ahead.
Headmaster Xin, you are right.
This seal did come from a brothel.
The reason why I was at the brothel was because I had no choice.
But you were at the brothel because you were unfaithful to your wife.
Headmaster Xin, you are in charge
of Qingming Academy. You nurture talent for the Emperor.
So you must know how Han Xin had to beg for food
and how Liu Bei had to sell shoes.
As they say, heroes often have humble beginnings.
Today, if you reject me because of my background,
not only is it unfair, but it is also detrimental to public good.
Headmaster Xin,
you don't deserve to be in charge of this academy.
You're wrong.
Why did I go to the brothel?
I went there only to investigate important matters
and fulfill my duties to His Highness.
My wife, Dahua, and I love each other very much.
We are very close and I am sure our union can last for a very long time.
My morals are intact.
As for finding talent,
I never look down on heroes with humble beginnings.
I never judge someone's appearance.
Do you see anyone in fancy clothes here?
Do you know what the rules here are?
Do you know how much effort I have put into this place?
If I can answer those questions,
-will you grant me this favor? -Yes.
I believe that if one is not excellent,
one should not wear fancy clothes in the academy.
The reason is probably because the clothes worn in the academy
have to do with the difficulty of the exams.
This is how Headmaster Xin
tries to motivate his students to work hard
regardless of their backgrounds.
Everyone is equal.
Headmaster.
Am I right?
Yes, you are.
See, at Qingming Academy,
those who wear silk have one exam at the end of the year.
Their score must not be lower than excellent.
For those who wear satin,
they have two exams at the end of the year.
Their score must not be lower than outstanding.
See?
As the headmaster,
I try to recruit talent by treating them well.
I care about their abilities, not their backgrounds.
My mind is like the vast ocean.
How could a normal person like you understand me?
-It might take some time-- -Wei Zhi, your student...
Thank you, Headmaster.
All right.
I guess women...
and good men are the hardest to refuse.
Now that you're a student here, you must remember this.
Qingming Academy belongs to the Emperor.
Yet when our students walk out the door,
people call them students of the Crown Prince.
Do you understand the meaning behind this?
I do.
Students of Qingming Academy
must follow all orders of the Crown Prince.
What about this good man?
He will follow all orders of Headmaster Xin.
All right.
Come. Let's make some tea.
THE YEAR OF RENYIN
I don't understand.
This wooden figure
was handed by me to the fake sorcerer myself.
Even if I were the bravest person in the world,
I wouldn't have dared carve the Emperor's name on it.
If one day, someone found out about it and manipulated it,
I'd be killed for sure.
Headmaster Xin, that's right.
I'm worried
that we're like a mantis trying to catch a cicada,
unaware of the canary behind.
We framed Prince of Zhao,
so that he would be charged with treason and be controlled by us.
But someone else has used the situation to their advantage.
This can only mean trouble for you, Your Royal Highness.
This is all my fault.
It's all my fault.
That's enough, Headmaster Xin.
Please...
No need to blame yourself.
If the canary does exist,
there must be someone who knows about this.
Do you mean Duke Chang?
No.
Duke Chang is your biological uncle.
Even tigers don't feed on their young.
He wouldn't do something like this.
Or could it be that I'm too naive and can't see through others?
What I mean is...
I know what you mean.
Let me think about it.
The only people who knew about this were myself, you, and Duke Chang.
He was the one who told us not to do it.
He knew about it, but it would never have led back to him.
Headmaster Xin, it's highly possible.
However,
I don't think it's reasonable
for Duke Chang to harm me.
He wouldn't do that.
You're right, Your Royal Highness.
But if it wasn't Duke Chang,
who could it have been?
One other person knows about this.
-Who? -The main person.
Ning Yan?
Do you mean that he was acting all along?
When we did it,
we were suspicious that Ning Yan had a wise counselor.
Maybe that person told him to do it and act like he fell into our trap.
Prince of Yan.
Could you find out if Prince of Yan has been up to anything lately?
He is always very careful.
That is why I've never been able to see through him.
Our enemies are still hiding in the dark. It's a tricky situation.
I can't wrap my head around it yet.
But I can say Prince of Zhao trusts me to some extent.
I'll head out now and go see him.
Maybe I'll be able to gather some information from him.
Thank you, Headmaster Xin.
Don't mention it.
Your Royal Highness.
What is it?
Is it really not Duke Chang?
Look into Prince of Zhao first.
Could it really be my uncle?
"Before Heaven places great responsibility on a man,
it first frustrates his spirit and will, exhausts his muscles and bones,
and exposes him to starvation, poverty, troubles, and setbacks,
-Silence! -so as to stimulate..."
You brought that fraud here.
Sorcerer? Divine bird?
They are all liars.
You tricked and framed me.
I am innocent!
How did the sorcerer trick you?
He said that I...
That bird said that I am...
You are what?
Xin Ziyan.
Go get the sorcerer and the bird.
They can prove
that I never carved Father's name on the wooden figure.
It's too late.
The sorcerer said
he will be punished for revealing the secrets of the heavens.
He has fled to somewhere safe.
What?
He fled?
You liars!
Xin Ziyan, you wait and see.
I'm going to tell the Crown Prince.
I'll tell him everything!
Your Highness.
Go then.
Go tell the Crown Prince everything. Every single little detail.
How are you going to explain
that the divine bird called you Crown Prince?
You carved the Crown Prince's name on the wooden figure.
That, I know.
Whether you carved the Emperor's name or not,
I cannot say for certain.
I can go with you to see the Crown Prince.
I could even go see the Emperor with you.
Let's reveal everything to them.
Come on.
Let's tell them.
-Headmaster Xin... -Your Highness.
I...
Those were just words of anger.
Don't take them seriously.
Look at you.
I thought you had a chance to become a Crown Prince.
Why are you so hasty?
You can't do great things like this.
I understand.
Never mind.
The sorcerer left you a message before he left.
I suppose you no longer need the message.
What is it?
Never mind. It's nothing.
Headmaster Xin.
I apologize for my temper.
For you, Your Highness,
I have run myself ragged, talking nonstop.
I would like some water.
Of course.
Wait a moment.
-Please, Headmaster Xin. -Thank you, Your Highness.
Headmaster Xin,
what did the sorcerer want to tell me?
When the sorcerer left...
When the sorcerer left, he said,
"For the dragon to soar into the sky,
a storm must be overcome.
To overcome the storm,
the key is..."
What is it?
"The key is the second brother."
Second brother?
Ning Sheng?
I'm here today not to go to Qingming Academy,
but for you.
Your Royal Highness.
According to what I know about Ning Yan,
I think that something dubious might be going on.
If we tell Father before getting to the bottom of it,
you might be punished as well
because the wooden figure was discovered in East Palace.
This sorcerer
is very wise.
Yesterday, when I ran into Ning Sheng,
a servant at House of Lanxiang, Wei Zhi, was there, too.
He can prove
that the wooden figure I gave him did not have the Emperor's name on it.
As long as I can prove
that it was someone else's doing
and that it's an attempt to frame me, everything will be fine.
Headmaster Xin, if you can find Wei Zhi
and help me through the storm,
in the future, when the dragon soars into the sky...
When the dragon soars into the sky,
you will be there, right by my side.
Thank you, Your Highness.
I am eternally grateful.
Wonderful.
But this servant of House of Lanxiang...
What was his name?
-Wei Zhi. -Wei Zhi.
I don't know him. How will I find him?
It's fine if you don't know him.
Someone else does.
He is just a servant at House of Lanxiang.
What if people heard you were protective of him?
Had it been anyone else, I wouldn't have interfered.
But this servant
is Zhu Yin's brother.
Do you mean Prince of Chu?
Even if he agrees to come meet you,
your entrance is heavily guarded by the Crown Prince's guards.
With your current relationship,
I doubt he would ever agree to come.
You should give up on that.
Headmaster Xin.
Just tell him
that I have something to discuss with him
and that it has to do with Ning Qiao's death.
We have already cornered Ning Yan.
We will be able to avenge your family and my brother, Ning Qiao, soon.
But why...
Why do you look so sad?
Eight years.
My family has been suffering for as long as I can remember.
I feel like I've been trying to avenge my father my whole life.
Now that it's about to happen,
I feel lost somehow.
The day we avenge your father
is the day you are reborn, Zhu Yin.
Leave House of Lanxiang.
Find someone to settle down with and start your new life.
Settle down?
Your little raccoon always says,
if women knew how big this world was,
how would they be willing to be locked away in their houses?
I have heard it so many times
that I am curious about the world now.
I want to see just how big it is.
If I weren't a prince,
I would've loved to be like you
and travel the world without any worry.
I'm curious.
After you avenge your brother,
and the Crown Prince and Prince of Zhao get what they deserve,
what will you do, Your Highness?
Will you continue to fight for the throne and hope to become the emperor one day?
Forgive me, Your Highness.
I shouldn't have asked that.
Honestly, I don't know.
I don't mind your asking.
I just...
I don't know how to answer you.
Even though that little raccoon always causes trouble,
House of Lanxiang seems so quiet and empty without her.
I miss her a lot.
Actually, she is your lucky star, Your Highness.
If she hadn't helped Ning Yan bury that wooden figure,
your plan wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
I want you to go to East Palace and switch out the wooden figure.
Will you do that?
I will.
I promise you.
Once it's done, we won't owe each other anything.
Deal.
Other people only spoil things.
She does some things miraculously well and other things terribly though.
Whenever she gets involved in something, she causes a lot of trouble.
Well, she is Xin Ziyan's problem now.
I look forward to hearing
what trouble she'll cause at Qingming Academy.
Sir, the academy has its rules.
Even if you're not a student, you should still follow the rules.
Put these on.
No.
The door is behind you. I don't care if they kick you out.
I'm not leaving.
Sir.
Just don't embarrass me, please?
-Put them on. -Hey there.
Hello.
We met at the door that day.
What a coincidence.
Let's introduce ourselves.
You got in already?
Was I fast?
I spent a lot on these clothes.
Let me introduce myself.
My name is Yan Huaishi. I'm from the Yan family in Minhai.
One of the four most prestigious families?
That's right.
The Yan family is very affluent.
Why are you wandering around in the capital?
Didn't they treat you poorly at the door?
Businessmen are everywhere.
Even if the Yan family is rich,
it's just in that area.
There are many opportunities in the capital.
Well, we know you now.
-Goodbye. -Goodbye.
Wait...
You haven't introduced yourselves.
We can be friends in the academy.
How about that?
I don't think that is necessary.
You are a woman dressed as a man. You must have an interesting story.
I'm new in the capital.
I don't know this area well.
Shouldn't we look out for each other?
How ridiculous. I don't know what you're talking about.
Don't try to hide it from me.
When I was a young businessman,
I often saw big families dress their women up as men,
so that they could do business.
That's how I can tell.
Your eyes sparkle like a river in the spring.
If you aren't a woman,
there must be a problem with my eyes.
My name is Wei Zhi.
Sir Wei.
What's your name?
Gu Nanyi.
Sir Gu.
What a silly name.
Put these clothes on.
How is this an important academy that nurtures excellent talent?
It's like a farm on the outskirts of the capital.
Have some food.
Can you take off your hat?
There's no sun or bugs.
No answer? I'll take it off for you.
You have a mole there.
I have one, too.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
-Seven pieces of meat. Is there a problem? -Eight pieces.
No, it's seven.
Eight.
You want eight pieces?
If you think you didn't get enough meat, just say so.
As long as you don't cause trouble, I'll give you as many pieces as you want.
I only eat eight.
When can I get rid of you?
Give it back then.
Fine. Here.
I guess he is not coming.
It's you.
You finally came.
Didn't you say Ning Qiao left me a message?
Aren't you cold?
This autumn rain
has cooled down the air.
Stop being sentimental about the seasons.
It's the beginning of autumn.
Then, it'll be the autumnal equinox and cold dew will appear.
Then, winter will begin.
Winter is unbearable.
Everything will be dead and gone.
Not even the bugs will be out.
So I have to wait and wait
until the insects awake in the spring.
Everything gets better from there.
At least
-I can hear the cicadas. -Enough!
What are you trying to say?
Day after day,
I have only my shadow as company.
Day after day,
it's as if
it is the only day.
I know what that life feels like.
I would never be a prisoner like you, you fool!
Didn't you say Ning Qiao left me a message?
Ning Yan.
Tell me.
Will your last words be similar to Ning Qiao's?
I'm wrong.
I must be wrong.
Of course, I'm wrong.
How could you be a fool like me
and become a prisoner?
You won't be a prisoner
because what you committed was treason, which will get you executed.
No!
No way.
As soon as you find Wei Zhi,
the servant from House of Lanxiang you protected that day...
As soon as you find him,
he can prove that I never carved Father's name on that wooden figure.
Someone is trying to frame me.
I'm an innocent man!
"I'm an innocent man"?
I never would have thought that you could say that.
Back then,
did Ning Qiao say those exact words?
-That's different. -How is it different?
Only the innocent survive.
Yet, there are two kinds of innocent.
Those who are unfortunate and those who are useless.
Ning Yan, would you like to be an unfortunate innocent man?
Or would you become someone who is useful?
I told you, it's different!
I'm not Ning Qiao, who was useless and unfortunate.
He was framed by the Crown Prince.
He couldn't retaliate.
That was how he was killed.
Did you know
that what happened back then was planned by me?
I'm the true dragon.
I'm destined to soar into the sky!
The Crown Prince
set up the Wugu Incident to frame Ning Qiao.
How do you know he is not doing the same thing again?
What do you mean?
Ning Yan.
You probably don't know
that it was the Crown Prince
who set up everything.
Just like in the past
when he framed Ning Qiao.
If that's true,
I'll have to retaliate.
No, that can't be true.
I already admitted to doing this in front of Ning Sheng.
I also talked to the sorcerer.
Xin Ziyan saw me.
Xin Ziyan is just a subject.
If the Crown Prince falls,
don't you think he would find another master?
As for Prince of Yan,
he has probably been waiting for the title of the Crown Prince to be vacant, right?
You are saying
a third person knew about this
and tampered with the wooden figure.
Yes.
Under the circumstances,
the Crown Prince will believe I did it.
If it wasn't you, the Crown Prince, or Prince of Zhao,
could it be Prince of Chu?
Ning Yi
has not let me down.
These recent events have been very interesting.
Your Highness, His Majesty wishes to see you.
He is asking to see you at this late hour.
He must be worried about the wooden figure.
Do you know what you're going to say?
Father doesn't know that the wooden figure has his name on it.
I guess
I need to think of a strategy that will help me deal with this mess.
Ning Yan.
I don't know if I should ask you this.
Ning Yan, did something happen to you
that made you decide to use the wooden figure?
Let me rephrase my question.
Back then,
why did the Crown Prince
decide to frame Ning Qiao?
Just like me,
Ning Qiao knew too much.
Back then,
Ning Qiao was ordered to investigate Bloody Pagoda.
Coincidentally, he discovered the Crown Prince's secret.
To keep the secret,
the Crown Prince orchestrated the Wugu Incident to frame Ning Qiao.
Now,
Ning Yan, you are helping me investigate Bloody Pagoda
because they killed the Royal Guards.
You discovered the secret.
The Wugu Incident is happening again.
Think about it.
Is it a coincidence?
Is it?
Am I, Ning Yan,
about to be framed, like Ning Qiao?
Ning Yan,
before the Crown Prince decides his next step,
you should go to Father
and tell him the truth.
Tell him the truth
about the Crown Prince supporting Bloody Pagoda,
killing important officers, and plotting to kill two princes.
With these accusations,
not only will he lose his title,
he will probably lose his life too.
Only when the Crown Prince is dead
will you be able to sleep well.
Only when the Crown Prince is dead
will the true dragon be able to soar into the sky.
No.
Why not?
Even though the Crown Prince caused Ning Qiao's death,
I helped him do it.
If Father learns about what happened,
I will also be killed.
You are now the Crown Prince's pawn.
If you don't do something, you'll be manipulated.
Ning Yan,
do you really want to just sit by
and wait for death?
Do you want to die?
I'm leaving for my new post at the border.
I won't be able to stay by your side.
Please listen to my last advice.
You must be cautious.
The Crown Prince is unpredictable.
You must be cautious of him.
Vice Minister Ge.
I have no choice.
I can't do anything.
I need to see Vice Minister Ge and ask for his advice.
That's it.
That's what I need.
-Vice Minister Ge. -Vice Minister Ge?
Vice Minister Ge was sent to the border by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince has been wary of you for a while now.
He sent your trusted advisor away.
Ning Yan, my brother.
You have no one by your side right now.
No one...
No one by my side...
About what happened to Ning Qiao,
you were just following the Crown Prince's orders.
You had no choice.
You were not the mastermind.
If you turn yourself in, first of all, you'll live,
and second of all, you know my relationship with Ning Qiao.
If we can avenge Ning Qiao,
I promise that you will be safe
in front of Father.
I need to see the sorcerer.
Ning Yan.
Whom do you want to see?
The sorcerer.
The sorcerer?
He said he needed to see the sorcerer and do what the heaven had ordained.
Wait.
It's difficult to find birds that can speak.
As for a masked sorcerer...
Yes?
I found one.
Prince of Yan is sick as well?
-Zhao Yuan. -Yes, Your Majesty.
Could there really be something evil going on?
Your Majesty.
Whether there's sorcery going on,
well...
I can't say for certain.
But there is one weird thing.
Subtitle translation by Sophie Chang