How about this?
Since we got together,
Jing and Li
should show us their swordsmanship.
Lan,
don't
embarrass me.
I haven't had any chance
to hold a sword in the past one year.
I'm a little rusty.
Junior, it's okay.
Let's just do what we used to do.
I'll remind you if you forget.
Jing, you're so powerful.
Take it easy on Li.
Why don't you
cover your eyes?
No way.
It's like I'm bullying my senior!
How about this?
I'll cover my eyes, too.
That's fine.
Why don't we use this scarf?
When I see it,
I can think of many things in the past.
Junior,
only after you left did I understand
why you said that
you wanted to conceal your identity and get away from
the martial arts world.
How can we live only for ourselves
in this troubled world?
Senior,
I just hope I won't hold you up.
I don't care.
Neither the swordsmanship manual nor the fame
are as important
as you to me.
Senior,
you and I
are no longer what we used to be.
Li.
Miss Qing,
I don't buy
a word you said.
Your Excellency,
every word I said
is true.
I'm not convinced.
Are you?
Great.
Let me convince you.
Someone.
Forgive me, Your Excellency.
Torture her.
Forgive me, Your Excellency.
I was wronged.
Here comes Her Highness the Concubine Mindai.
What are you doing?
What brings you to Yongxiang Jail, Your Highness?
Central Regular Attendant,
here belongs to the Qin palace.
I'm within the Qin palace,
am not I?
Yes.
Are you abusing a maid?
Well.
Someone,
put her down.
Hurry. Put her down.
Yes.
Put her down.
I was ordered by His Majesty
to investigate Concubine Li's departure from the palace.
Investigate?
More like a punishment to me.
She's stubborn.
I had no choice but...
Zhao Gao,
the case is still unclear.
How can you use such cruel punishment indiscriminately?
What if Concubine Li is being held hostage
or wrongly accused?
Aren't you afraid that His Majesty will blame you
when he returns to the palace?
Well...
His Majesty is on his way back to the palace.
If you don't want to
fall out of favor,
I advise you to stop.
Yes.
OK.
You can leave.
I'm leaving.
Yes.
Qing.
Your Highness,
thank you for saving me.
Qing,
His Majesty is on his way back to the palace.
If Concubine Li
is still missing,
I'm afraid
you'll suffer again.
Your Highness,
I really don't know.
I really don't know where she is.
Qing.
On sales.
Senior, here.
What have you got?
I heard that
Lü Buwei poisoned himself.
Is it true?
I think so.
Word travels fast.
Luoyang is in chaos,
fearing that the king of Qin will turn against them
and pin the blame on them.
Many people are fleeing from Luoyang.
Lü Buwei was powerful and wealthy.
All the states vied with each other for him.
Why did he kill himself?
Someone from Luoyang said
the king of Qin
gave him a secret order
to move to the land of Shu.
After that,
he killed himself in despair.
I think
the poisoned wine
might be given by the king of Qin.
How unkind and ungrateful he was.
Despite his longing for fame and fortune,
Lü Buwei served the state of Qin all his life.
The king of Qin could just kill him.
That was really chilling.
Yes, I have also heard that
the king of Qin is very cruel to his enemies,
killing the elderly, the weak, women and children.
Junior,
what's wrong with you? Why don't you say anything?
From what I know of Ying Zheng,
he's not like that.
Even though Ying Zheng
feels helpless and bitter about his birth,
Lü Buwei is, after all, his real father,
so he still has a sentimental attachment to him.
So those rumors are true.
Lü Buwei is really...
Even so,
it's a fact that he killed his own brothers.
Since he killed his own brothers,
what's so strange about him killing his own father?
His two younger brothers
are actually the children
of Queen Mother Zhao and Lao Ai.
They never lived with Ying Zheng.
But
Ying Zheng used to be
manipulated by Queen Mother Zhao and Lü Buwei.
Besides, Queen Huayang
is manipulative.
No one
has treated Ying Zheng sincerely since his childhood.
So he has no one he can trust.
It seems
you know Ying Zheng better than anyone else
after spending one year with him.
Junior,
she's just stating what she saw in the palace.
There are so many rumors out there,
and they're bound to be exaggerated.
That's all.
In any case,
Lü Buwei couldn't return to Qin.
That's good
for the six states, isn't it?
That's all my fault.
If you don't want to hear what I just said,
you can forget about it.
We were supposed to be having a nice dinner.
But I ruined it.
I'm sorry.
No, Li, don't think too much.
Don't you like the food here?
Have some more.
Here.
Thank you.
Who was guarding Concubine Li's chamber?
I'm here.
Go and pick up the sword.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Why did you bring it to me?
I want you to kill yourself with this sword.
I...
I...
Your Majesty, spare my life. Your Majesty, forgive me.
If you don't do it,
I'll kill all your seven clans.
Your Majesty.
Do it.
Listen,
he not only guarded Concubine Li improperly,
but also disobeyed my orders in public.
Kill all his family members.
Drag him down.
Someone.
Yes.
Zhao Gao.
I'm here.
Pick up the sword.
Your Majesty, spare me.
I know I'm guilty,
but I venture to say that
to solve the case of Her Highness the Concubine Li,
I've led a search in the harem
and tortured those maids day and night,
though I've got no clues so far.
But please believe me, Your Majesty.
I was so worried, and burning with anxiety.
If my death can bring Her Highness back,
I shall die.
Stop talking. Pick up the sword.
Your Majesty, with all due respect,
Central Regular Attendant is in charge of the palace affairs.
I've been away from the palace for the past few days,
and he's the only witness.
If he were executed now,
I'm afraid it would be harder to find Her Highness the Concubine Li.
That's a good point.
I'll spare your life today.
If you can't find Concubine Li,
I'll have your head.
Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.
I'll make up for my crime
and bring Her Highness back safe and sound!
Lan.
Li, what are you doing here?
You're not with Jing, huh?
I haven't seen you for a long time,
so I want to catch up with you.
They were both quick
and left soon.
OK, let's have a chat.
You've traveled around all the states
with Mr. Ge over the years,
and must have met a lot of heroes.
I wonder
if any young man has won your heart.
Why do you ask that out of the blue?
As the saying goes, a man should get married on coming of age, and so should a girl.
The elder sister is like a mother.
As your elder sister,
I certainly care about you.
I never want to get married.
You're so young.
Why don't you want to get married?
Do you
have someone in mind?
I...
Lan,
you can tell me everything.
I have always thought of you
as my closest sister.
I hope you'll be happy.
It doesn't matter
whether he likes me or not
if I have my beloved.
I'm contented as long as I can be by his side,
watch over him
and take care of him.
I know
he's destined
to be with someone else,
so I'll be satisfied as long as he's happy
and joyful.
How could you be so silly?
You were silly
to enter the Qin palace
to protect Jing.
But I understand.
I mean it.
Rabbit.
Lan, don't worry.
You like Senior Jing so much.
I'm not gonna keep you waiting forever.
Junior,
she was under constant surveillance in the palace
and couldn't speak freely.
What she said yesterday was merely an outburst.
Don't take it to heart.
She's just so different from before.
She's not as cheerful as she used to be,
and she seems to be hiding something from me.
I don't know.
Even though she's back,
I still feel uneasy.
She's been through a lot in the last year
in the palace,
so she can't be the same as before.
After spending one year in the Qin palace,
she's forgotten about what happened in Puyang, huh?
After spending one year with Ying Zheng,
she no longer regards him as a tyrant, huh?
I can't figure it out.
She has her reason.
I'm sure she'll tell you
when the time comes.
What's her reason?
Jing. Han.
Look, I got a rabbit.
You're good at not only kung fu,
but also hunting.
I'm flattered.
It's getting late.
Let's find a place to make a fire.
OK.
Go.
Good-for-nothings.
Idiots.
It's been a day and you still haven't found her.
Your Majesty,
General Meng led 1,000 elite soldiers
to the 300-li border between Qin and Wei this afternoon.
500 Huben guards
are searching villages and private houses
in Xianyang.
You'll be kept informed
as soon as there's any news.
I don't believe
Concubine Li is the kind of mother to leave her child behind.
She endured humiliation in the palace
just to stay with Tianming
day and night.
She wouldn't just leave.
Someone
might take her.
If she left the palace without permission,
it must have been an accident
that she didn't take Tianming with her.
Li Zhong.
I'm here.
Watch over the wet nurse and the prince day and night.
Anyone entering or leaving the wet nurse's room
must be checked by your trusted guards.
Yes.
The palace is heavily guarded.
I don't think she left the palace herself.
If she could,
she'd have run a year ago.
You mean
someone helped her leave the palace?
And it's most likely
someone from the palace.
It's good that we're together.
It's the best thing in the world,
isn't it?
Lan,
do you remember
the day we became
sworn sisters?
Sure.
It was the first time
I met a girl
of my age and interest.
I was so happy.
So did I.
I've lived with my seniors since I was a kid.
I felt very lucky
to have met
such a cute and smart girl like you.
Sister,
don't forget me.
What are you talking about?
We'll never be apart.
I can't forget you even if I want to.
When we miss each other,
we can look up at the sky
and watch the same moon.
I believe
the moon will tell how much we miss each other.
By the way,
I've received a pigeon from my informant.
Troops have been sent out of Xianyang to search.
So we're not far from the border between Qin and Wei.
Our pursuers will be here soon.
We must leave here as soon as possible.
How about
going and hiding in the Taihang Mountains?
My dad has a hut there.
It's small, but it has all the essentials.
The Taihang Mountains are beautiful now.
I can even hunt some wild game for you.
What do you think?
That's a good idea.
Hidden in the mountain,
we can live on the forest,
and don't need to show up in the market.
I don't believe the Qin army can find us
no matter how mighty they are.
We can take refuge and have fun at the same time.
Sounds like a wonderland.
What do you think, Junior?
I won't go.
If you don't like it,
we can go somewhere else.
Li, what are you worried about?
I'm going back to Xianyang.
You had a hard time getting out.
Why do you want to go back?
Li,
we worked so hard to get back together.
And now you want to go back?
There's something I didn't tell you.
I bore Ying Zheng a child.
Junior.
Senior.
What did you say?
My son is called Tianming.
As his mom,
I must return to the Qin palace.
I'm sorry I lied to you.
Ying Zheng,
Ying Zheng...
I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him.
You can't kill him.
He's the father of my child.
My child can't live without a father.
You are Ying Zheng's woman,
so you always think of him, don't you?
No wonder you've been
defending him.
Have you forgotten our blood feud
and Master's wish for us
to save the world?
No,
I haven't forgotten Grandpa's last words.
But I'm
a unfilial granddaughter,
and I can't fulfill
his dying wish.
Get out!
Get out!
Jing.
Take care of yourselves.
Li.
Li.
Li.
Junior, calm down.
Li, don't go.
Li.
Li.
Li, why do you have to go back to the Qin palace?
For the sake of my child,
and for the sake of my senior,
I have to go.
I don't get it.
Although he's the child of the king of Qin,
we can bring him out.
Jing will take him in.
I can help you take care of him.
Lan,
you have your destiny,
and I have mine.
Remember, no matter where we are,
we look up
and see the same moon, don't we?
I won't let you go, Li.
Tell me what's the problem?
We can solve it.
Tell me what's your problem?
Lan, I'm leaving.
Listen,
don't hesitate and love bravely.
I always want you to be happy.
Promise me, will you?
Li.
Jing.
Jing.
Jing, she's gone.
Go after her!
Go after her!
So you knew
she bore the king of Qin a child.
Junior, it's not what you think.
Really? What is it then?
Tell me, what is it?
I...
You've been lying to me all along.
You've given me hope,
and then despair.
You're both lying to me!
Junior, calm down.
I'll go get her back.
Yah.
Yah.
Junior.
Junior.
Why did you lie to him?
When I left the palace,
I had planned to go back to it.
What?
If we run away,
Ying Zheng will chase us
to the ends of the earth.
With Qin's power,
it won't be hard for him to do that.
But my child Tianming
will spend the rest of his life in hiding.
Isn't this kind of homeless life
too cruel
for an innocent child?
You're thoughtful.
Well...
Are you going to hide it from Junior forever?
Tianming is his own flesh and blood.
If Senior Jing
knew his own son
was in the Qin palace,
he'd risk his own life
to save him.
We both know very well
how dangerous it is
for an outsider to sneak into the palace,
let alone rescue a child.
But if we stop him
from seeing his own child,
he would be miserable.
But now he's misunderstood you.
You have to bear all the pain alone.
It's better
to drag everyone in.
Senior,
after I left the palace,
I realized one thing.
What is it?
Lan likes
Senior Jing very much.
She has traveled the world with Mr. Ge Nie
since she was a child,
so she's open-minded
and understanding.
If she can be with Jing,
she can help him understand the swordsmanship manual
and refine his training.
Isn't that a great thing?
Moreover, Senior Jing is supposed to
fulfill Grandpa's expectations.
If he knows about Tianming,
it will not only worry him
but also become a hindrance to him.
Senior,
promise me
you won't let him
know the truth!
Junior,
I thought it would be a good thing to take you out of the palace,
but I never thought it would make you suffer even more.
I'm not going to lie,
I know that Miss Ge Lan likes Junior Jing,
but I thought,
I thought this is the fate of some people.
They love someone so deeply
that they don't mind even if they can't get a response from the beloved.
They feel contented
as long as they can stand beside their beloved silently.
If there is someone in the harem
helping Concubine Li leave the palace,
then that person
isn't supposed to be in the palace now.
Meng.
Yes.
Find out
who's been on leave
in the palace and the harem these days.
Yes, Your Excellency.
By the way,
Bai,
instigate the imperial guards as well.
I see.
Concubine Li
ruined our plan before.
I'll take this opportunity to teach her a lesson.
Let's go.
Junior.
Junior.
I'm going back to the palace alone.
I'm sure Ying Zheng won't hurt me.
Please don't go back to the palace again.
It'd be great if you can look after Senior Jing
on my behalf.
Don't miss me.
Yours sincerely, Li.
I never imagined
Marquis Wenxin would be so narrow-minded.
Great Chu invited him to serve as its prime minister,
but he didn't budge.
His Majesty sent him a letter
and he killed himself in shame.
I didn't
plan for this.
His Majesty has declared that
all spongers of Marquis Wenxin must leave Qin.
Those who were previously granted
the patronage of Marquis Wenxin
are in great fear.
The connections built by Lü Buwei all his life
have been completely destroyed.
It's imperative that
we find another loyalist in the Qin court
to protect the best interests of Great Chu.
What about Lord Changping, Prime Minister of the Left?
I remember
he's from the Xiong branch of the Mi family in Chu,
and the son of the late king of Chu.
He was born in Qin
and serves Qin.
Although he is a son of the late king of Chu,
he has no feelings for our state.
In all the years I have been here,
he has never talked to me about Chu.
He's not someone we can rope in.
Oh,
what about Li Si, the new Commandant of Justice?
I read on his appointment letter that he is from Chu.
Li Si?
Li Si was a sponger of Marquis Wenxin.
He was trusted by the King after he wrote
the Memorial on Expel Foreign Guests to the King.
Since Marquis Wenxin can't come back,
let's start with Li Si.
I understand. I'll send my men to sound it out.
Tell me
what he did to you.
He didn't treat me badly.
And she is favored by His Majesty.
His Majesty visits her again tonight.
I'm going back to Xianyang.
We worked so hard to get back together.
And now you want to go back?
I bore Ying Zheng a child.
I'm gonna kill him.
You can't kill him.
He's the father of my child.
My child can't live without a father.
You are Ying Zheng's woman,
so you always think of him, don't you?
Jing,
I know there's nothing I can say to comfort you right now.
But since Li went to the Qin palace for you,
and came out and met us against all odds,
she must have a reason
and just couldn't tell us.
It doesn't matter
what her reason is.
She chose to
go back to the king of Qin instead of me.
Her decision
speaks for itself.
Han.
Junior.
Jing.
What are you still doing here?
Li asked me to look after you.
I'm not a kid.
I don't need you to look after me.
Junior,
no matter what you think,
everything Li did was for you.
I don't believe it.
If she
did everything for me,
why didn't she tell me the truth?
Did she trust the king of Qin
more than me?
Doesn't she know what kind of person I am?
Senior, did you enter the Qin palace
just to protect her?
What do you mean?
Report.
Your Majesty, Her Highness the Concubine Li came back.
Don't come any closer.
Don't do it!
Fengyi, His Majesty has ordered us
not to torture Her Highness.
Why are you so nervous?
I haven't scared her
with our corporal punishment yet.
I'm just here to teach her the rules of the harem
on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen Huayang.
Your Majesty, the criminal Han Shen is here.
One of you two is lying.
Who is it?
Tell me.
Who the hell is lying?
Fine.
In that case,
I'll take what you said as a lie.
Han Shen
is guilty of holding the concubine hostage.
Someone.
I'm here.
Put her in the harem.
No one is allowed to visit her
without my permission.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Stop!
What's the matter, Your Excellency?
Is Her Highness asleep?
Yes, she is.
You may go.