A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
ADAPTED FROM TIANXIA GUIYUAN'S NOVEL HUANG QUAN
EPISODE 20
Shaoning.
In this palace,
there are traps everywhere.
Don't you think
it's better to be drunk than sober at times?
Father is too ruthless.
I don't mind being on house arrest in East Palace,
But Father even ordered a palace attendant
to reprimand me.
Chen Ming.
You were ordered to reprimand me, right?
-Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. -See how I kill you.
Ning Chuan!
-Please forgive me. -I'll kill you.
Go now!
You lowly servants! I'll kill all of you!
I'll kill you!
Don't be mad anymore, okay?
Ning Chuan, don't blame Father.
All this is
because of Ning Yi.
Otherwise, Father wouldn't have removed the Royal Guards from his residence.
Father removed the Royal Guards?
Then doesn't that...
Doesn't that mean I'm the culprit?
It's over.
-Ning Chuan. -It's really over now.
Ning Chuan, don't give up on yourself.
Father will find out the truth and clear your name.
The truth?
Do you think Father cares about the truth?
He doesn't.
Why did I do all this?
I just want him to see my good sides!
I want to hear him compliment me.
I want him to know
that only I, Ning Chuan, am his son from the queen.
It's too late now, Shaoning.
It's too late.
It really is too late.
The only regret I have now
is that I wasn't able to kill Ning Yi before he got out of Zongzheng Temple!
After Mother died,
you've always been the one protecting me.
But now,
I can't protect you.
Shaoning. Don't cry, my dear sister.
Ever since we were kids, I don't know what to do when you cry.
I'm always panic-stricken.
Mother is not here anymore.
You're the closest person to me.
If I don't protect you, who will?
I promise you, Shaoning.
When I become an emperor,
I'll give you the best things in this world.
I don't need the best things.
I just want you to be by my side.
I promise I will.
Whoever dares to harm you
is my enemy.
You're right.
Whoever stops me from becoming an emperor is also my enemy.
I'll kill the person for sure!
Ning Yi, do you hear that?
I want to kill you!
-Ning Yi, do you hear that? -Ning Chuan.
I want to kill you, Ning Yi!
I want to kill you.
I want you to die.
Uncle, think of a way to help Ning Chuan.
Princess Shaoning.
I have an idea.
But...
As long as it can help Ning Chuan, just do it!
Hurry and report to Official Zhao.
I've already given my report for the day.
How are things at Prince of Chu's residence?
How else can it be?
The Royal Guards have been removed.
His Majesty has probably lifted Prince of Chu's house arrest.
He just didn't say it directly.
Be careful of yourself.
I think the one in East Palace is...
That's why the Crown Prince is so anxious
and said things he shouldn't have.
Then tell Official Zhao.
Why are you dilly-dallying?
There are some things I can't just say.
I don't have proof.
-How can I say it? -Proof?
Why? What happened in East Palace?
-Did the Crown Prince really say that? -I hope it was a drunk man's words.
This can become serious.
If the Crown Prince really wants to kill Prince of Chu
and if something happens, you and I are both doomed.
No.
You must find proof.
-Do you have any? -Well...
-Where do I find proof? -Hurry and report to Official Zhao.
Only he can protect us.
Think about how you're going to say it.
You can't let him think that we're lying.
-That's the only thing we can do. -Hey, Chen Ming.
Official Zhao is waiting for you inside.
-Hurry. -Yes.
Wu Ying, let's meet here again tomorrow.
Let's discuss it then.
All right.
Goodness.
My goodness.
Nanyi, you saved my life back then.
Yet you still need to brave the wind and starve with me.
I was always worried that you'd be hungry.
Today, I finally have a chance to repay you for saving my life.
Today, you can eat whatever you want on this street. It's my treat.
Really?
Of course.
I'm now a government official.
I just received my salary for the month.
Looks like there's an advantage to being a government official.
Sirs.
-Please stop. It was my mistake. -I told you to go. You deserve it.
Spare me.
-Stop it. -Do you know what you did?
-It was my fault. -Are you blind?
Please stop.
Wei Zhi, come out!
Are you blind?
Are you sneaking around?
-What are you doing? You... -I didn't mean to...
My lord, what should we do if he doesn't fight back?
That's why I asked you to go to Qingming Academy
and dress up this way.
He has guilt in his heart.
He won't be able to resist.
Nanyi, do you know another advantage to being a government official?
You can mind other people's business?
That's called eliminating injustice in this world.
Who is minding other people's business?
You don't know whose way he blocked.
Duke Chang!
Duke Chang?
I wondered who it was.
The one I'm going to beat up today is the Chang family's dog.
Who dares to make such noise on the streets?
Wei Zhi pays respect to Duke Chang.
The newly-appointed Ultimate Scholar.
You have so much time.
Are you minding this lowly peasant's business?
I hate seeing officials bully ordinary citizens.
I wonder if you dare to do the same in Chengming Palace.
Scholar Wei.
Will you accuse me of misconduct at the palace for this lowly peasant?
There's nothing wrong with that.
All right, Scholar Wei.
I'll remember this.
And also you, lowly peasant.
Duke Chang.
It has nothing to do with me.
I deserve to be beaten up and scolded.
When did I abuse my power to bully people?
I deserved to be treated like that.
Sir, I'm doomed because of you.
Get up.
From now on, you're going to be my servant.
If anyone dares to bully you,
I'll stand up for you.
Wei Zhi.
Let's see until when you can occupy
your minor position.
You don't need to worry about that.
Let's go!
Move.
-Move. -Disperse.
What's your name?
My name is Chang Ji.
Chang Ji.
Have you eaten?
Eat whatever you want from this street. On me.
-Let's go. -Thank you.
Let's go.
Make a few more stitches here.
More stitches here too.
The colors here are great.
Here...
Wei Zhi pays his respect to His Highness.
Come here.
See if you like this pattern.
Come on.
I'm still an adolescent.
What do I know about these extravagant things?
It seems I'm the example of someone who does irrelevant work.
It must be hard for the Ultimate Scholar
to bring food to me.
I never thought
the Yugao flower I'm so used to seeing in the fields as a kid
would be so precious once stitched by Your Highness.
This pattern is so cool and easy to stitch.
You can ask the seamstresses to start working on it tomorrow.
I thank you on their behalf.
-Now we have a skill to make a living. -More stitches.
Over here.
So that there would be a contrast in color.
Yes, Your Highness.
"O Swallows, in the great halls of the lords you used to nest,
into the commoners' homes you've all flown."
I hope the seamstress' daughters
can use this silk brocade as their wedding gowns one day.
That day will come.
Your Highness.
If you don't eat this food now, we'll have to feed it to the horses.
Scholar Wei.
You aren't here to deliver the food?
You're not doing what you're here for.
It seems my residence is cursed.
Whoever comes here does irrelevant work.
Forget it.
Let's eat.
By the way, share some of the food with Huo Laosan.
The wine too.
Yes.
I must be blessed
that I can taste the imperial food and wine in this lifetime.
Thank you, Your Highness.
You can't just drink this wine though.
You have seen the plays by the street performers.
The wine might have been poisoned.
I know.
But the wine here is precious.
This is royal wine.
If I can taste it,
I'd die happily even if I have to go and see the God of Death tomorrow.
You can drink the wine.
But return the jar to Scholar Wei.
Or else, he might get fined for losing the royal jar.
He'll be a laughingstock then.
Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness is so considerate.
-Next time I receive my salary, -This is good wine.
I'll pick some silk brocade and make a dress for my mother.
Really? Come here.
Will your mother like this pattern?
If so, I'll make a beautiful dress for her.
I'll also give one to your brother, okay?
Your Highness is very generous.
Are you sucking up to me?
Your Highness!
-Get the doctor! Hurry! -Yes, Your Highness.
Huo Laosan.
ROYAL KITCHEN
How do you work? You can't even do a simple thing.
Don't you know? This is...
This is the royal food from His Majesty to Prince of Chu.
Chang Ji.
Shouldn't you ask the official for forgiveness?
Ask him to be lenient as it's your first time.
I apologize, sir.
I was too clumsy. Please forgive me.
Never mind. I'll get another one.
Please wait a moment, Scholar Wei.
I don't dare to trouble you.
I know where the wine is. I'll go get a new one.
It's his first time in the palace. It's normal to be nervous.
I hope you understand.
All right. That's understandable.
Back when I first entered the palace,
I was also the same.
You're quick.
Thank you.
-I wasn't able to examine it carefully. -Shut up.
Your Highness, I don't think he'll make it.
Let's go to the palace.
Your Highness.
Your Highness!
Please forgive my impetuousness.
Your Highness is under orders to reflect at home.
You can't go to the palace without permission. Please reconsider.
Huo Laosan is very close to me.
He died unjustly.
Should I suppress myself and just stay here?
That's not what I meant.
I'm also to blame for what happened today.
Please let me investigate it.
Otherwise, I won't be at peace.
Investigate?
Scholar Wei.
Someone used you to poison me.
It was done by the people around you.
They should all be bound and tortured.
You must find out what happened!
Your Highness, even though I don't really know Huo Laosan,
we were both involuntarily involved in the royal battle.
I assume Huo Laosan wouldn't want to harm innocent people either.
If someone really did it...
Your Highness!
Your Highness.
Your Highness, I have checked.
This wine was delivered here directly from the royal kitchen.
Only the staff there and Scholar Wei's men touched it.
Was there anything suspicious?
Among Scholar Wei's servants,
someone named Chang Ji looked quite familiar.
I think I have seen him with Princess Shaoning before.
Wei Zhi.
You knew who did it.
You still want to take your chances.
You want to protect that person, right?
Please investigate thoroughly, Your Highness.
I just don't want innocent people to be harmed.
I don't want his death to be on Huo Laosan.
I swear on my mother's name
that once I find the mastermind,
I'll make sure he is punished by the law.
All right.
Within one day,
if you can't fulfill your promise to me,
don't blame me for being ruthless.
Thank you, Your Highness.
Feng Zhiwei.
Eliminate all evil.
Don't harm any more innocent lives.
Your Majesty.
Regarding Ning Qiao's treason case,
we...
found something.
Speak.
Does Your Majesty still remember the case
where Bloody Pagoda assassinated Chief Adviser?
I do.
Chief Adviser Hua Wenlian
was my classmate.
And he was the only one
I could drink and have talks with
after I became the Emperor.
I was deeply saddened when he was killed
by Bloody Pagoda.
I asked Ning Qiao to investigate the case.
And now,
Bloody Pagoda has confessed
that it was the Crown Prince
who gave them the order to secretly assassinate
Chief Adviser Hua Wenlian.
Just because he said
that East Palace was built extravagantly,
Ning Chuan wanted him to die?
Continue.
Bloody Pagoda found out that Ning Qiao's men
followed them to East Palace.
The Crown Prince was worried he'd be exposed, so he made a move first
and created the Wugu Incident
to frame Ning Qiao.
Bloody Pagoda also said
that they were the ones
who made the cursed item back then
and hid it in Ning Qiao's residence.
Then Ning Qiao didn't want to be unjustly accused.
So he contacted Yuan Chong from the suburbs camp to rebel.
Afterward, Yuan Chong surrendered
and was killed.
Your Majesty.
Yuan Chong should still be alive.
Alive?
Your Majesty.
After Yuan Chong surrendered,
the Crown Prince ordered them to send Yuan Chong
to Minhai secretly.
I think the Crown Prince
framed Ning Qiao of treason.
He didn't do anything even when he was forced to rebel.
He really was the Ning Qiao I knew.
My good son.
Your Majesty.
I believe that knowing Ning Qiao's personality,
he wouldn't want to see Your Majesty this way
because of him.
That was his personality.
Back then, why did I only listen to
and believe the others,
but forget how he truly was?
As Ning Yi has said,
Ning Qiao was nice to him
even though he didn't have a mother
and had lost his father's love.
How could he rebel and think of killing his father and brother?
I was wrong to believe Ning Chuan and Chang Yuan.
How could I have been so stupid?
I killed Ning Qiao
and made Ning Yi misunderstand me for so many years.
Your Majesty.
After Prince of Chu was released from Zongzheng Temple,
all he wanted
was to clear Ning Qiao's name.
Why don't Your Majesty grant him his wish?
We only have the statement of two men from Bloody Pagoda.
If we use those as evidence,
I'm afraid we'll give Chang Yuan a chance to retaliate.
Order Yao Ying and Gu Yan secretly
to investigate further.
Investigate thoroughly.
I shall obey your order.
WEI RESIDENCE
Did Princess Shaoning really do it?
Let's just follow the plan first.
I know what to do.
Wei Zhi pays respect to Princess Shaoning.
Wei Zhi.
You helped Ning Yi frame the Crown Prince.
How dare you ask me for lunch? Do you want to eat this?
-Eat it. -I just told His Majesty the truth.
Eat this!
And if you didn't chase and hit me that day
and take your anger out on Stableman,
how would I have discovered their skills and caused all this?
What?
Are you blaming me now?
Did I do this to the Crown Prince?
You jerk.
Enough!
Don't think I won't hit you because you're a princess.
Hit me.
It's not as if you haven't done it before.
I have nothing now.
My brother is going to be gone too.
What else should I be afraid of?
Stop it.
Didn't you want to have a drink with me? Where's the wine?
Huaishi, serve the wine.
Your Highness, do you really want to drink?
Drunkenness can erase 1,000 worries.
Aside from drinking, what else can I do?
Do you know this wine jar?
Isn't this from the royal kitchen?
Your Highness.
Do you have a guard named Chang Ji?
I think so.
Is he still with you?
How cunning.
And you said you're not working for Ning Yi.
You want to get information from me while I'm drunk?
I have nothing to do with Ning Yi. Why would I help him?
What reasons might I have to harm the Crown Prince?
If the Crown Prince didn't do anything wrong,
who could cause him harm?
I don't know exactly what my brother did,
but I don't believe it.
I don't believe the Crown Prince would kill Father.
What the Crown Prince wants most in his life
is to get recognition from Father.
No matter what he did wrong,
he just wanted Father to like him.
You weren't born in the royal family.
You wouldn't understand.
From the moment you were born,
you can naturally get your father's love.
But what about royal children?
Getting a father's love
is a blessing from heaven.
You can only get it by working really hard.
Your Highness, stop drinking.
You've had too much. I'll take you back to the palace.
My uncle, Chang Hai, borrowed Chang Ji.
Why were you asking about him?
Official Zhao, that was what happened.
Tell me.
Nothing will happen, right?
Did Chen Ming tell you that?
Yes.
Go.
Come back here.
Don't tell anyone about this.
Official Zhao.
Your servant pays respect to Your Royal Highness.
There's no need.
Are you here because Father wants to see me?
It's not His Majesty.
I have private matters
that I hope the Crown Prince can just ask someone to check.
What are you saying, Official Zhao?
Your business is my business.
Since you're already here, just tell me what you need.
If I can be of help, I'll do my best.
I hope Official Zhao
will put in good words about me to Father.
Have a seat.
Your Royal Highness.
This is what happened.
Your Royal Highness.
Your servant, Chen Ming, is from my hometown.
Something happened in his family
and it was brought to my attention.
If the Crown Prince would permit,
please let Chen Ming come with me.
So something happened in his family.
That explains it.
I knew something happened.
Something happened?
Your Royal Highness,
I'm more confused now because of what you said.
Official Zhao, this is what happened.
Yesterday, Chief Housekeeper told me
that he couldn't find Chen Ming.
Chen Ming was given to me by His Majesty. How can he be gone just like that?
I was just worrying about that.
After hearing you say that, I get it now.
He must have known something happened at home.
That's why he left without a word.
However, Chen Ming is really rash.
Who does he think I am?
Am I not an understanding person?
Right, Official Zhao?
You're right, Your Royal Highness.
He doesn't know his manners.
I'll discipline him when he comes back.
In that case,
I'll make my leave.
Take care.
Your Royal Highness.
Throw the body into the mass grave outside of the city to feed the dogs.
Don't let anyone see you.
Yes, Your Royal Highness.
Are they trying to rebel?
How dare they poison my gift?
Your Majesty.
I was careless as well.
Please punish me.
Do you know who did it?
Chang Hai.
Is the Crown Prince involved?
I don't have any proof of that.
Chang Hai is so bold.
I remember Huo Laosan.
When Ning Yi helped relieve the disaster back then
and was released from Zongzheng Temple,
I told him I wanted to reward him.
Yet he said...
In Zongzheng Temple, there's a convict named Huo Laosan.
Would you please give him to me?
I never thought he would end up saving Ning Yi's life.
Prince of Chu is deeply saddened because of this.
Your Majesty, please give justice to this innocent person.
EAST PALACE
This unlucky guy angered the Crown Prince.
Never mind that he died.
He's even troubling us.
We have to go to the mass grave in the middle of the night.
Shut your mouth. The Crown Prince is in a bad mood.
He even killed the servant His Majesty gave him,
let alone nobodies like us.
There are some things I can't just say.
I don't have proof. How can I say it?
-Take him away. -Yes, my lord.
Your Royal Highness.
Something bad happened.
Wake up. Come on!
Hurry. Wake up.
Where's the body?
Hurry and report to the Crown Prince.
Let's go.
Uncle.
You've always been cautious and had the situation well in hand.
How could you do something so rash at this critical time?
Wei Zhi was originally Ning Yi's spy.
He's cunning and devious.
How did you think of using Wei Zhi to kill Ning Yi?
They couldn't find any reason to blame me.
Now, it seems like you just granted them this chance.
Your Royal Highness, don't worry.
I'll take responsibility for my actions.
If His Majesty questions me,
I won't implicate you.
Uncle.
That's not what I meant.
We examined Chen Ming's body.
He died from sword wounds indeed.
But...
But what?
Your Majesty.
There was an unknown substance in his palm and between his fingers.
When I went to retrieve his body, I asked someone to examine it.
This unknown substance is the same as the poison in the wine.
It is also the same poison Your Majesty was poisoned with.
I shouldn't make any assumptions, right?
Your Majesty.
Your suspicions are reasonable.
Shouldn't we give the Crown Prince a chance to explain?
I hope it's not what I think.
-Gu Yan. -Yes, Your Majesty.
Search East Palace secretly and look for the poison.
I shall obey your order.
The Royal Guards took Chen Ming's body.
It's all over.
It's all over now.
Your Royal Highness.
Take care of yourself.
Go, Uncle.
Go back to Minhai.
Once you're there,
the Chang family will protect you.
That's beyond Father's reach.
Let me take the blame
for what happened here in the capital.
After some time, the Chang family
can help Ning Sheng become the Crown Prince.
Uncle.
You'll still be the Crown Prince's uncle.
You can still return to the capital honorably.
Ning Chuan.
I have been with you for 30 years.
Don't you have faith in me?
It's normal to seek benefit and avoid harm.
Uncle.
I don't blame you.
I was about to go to the palace and confess to His Majesty.
I'll take the blame for everything.
That way, I can protect you.
Your Royal Highness, you just need to say I did everything.
Ning Chuan.
You can choose to believe me or not.
I may sound presumptuous,
but for the past 30 years,
I have been treating you as my own son.
If I can use my life
in exchange for yours,
I will
die happily.
Uncle.
Ning Chuan.
Subtitle translation by Coleen Chua