His Majesty has a requirement. He only listens rather than watches the show.
And his seat is turned back from the beauties.
The beauties are to interest him
and make him turn around involuntarily.
All the beauties have been registered.
Once His Majesty turns around,
the girl is selected.
What a nice voice.
I wonder
how she looks.
A good voice isn't equal to a good look.
But the person who makes such a beautiful voice
must have
a broad chest.
Yes.
Anyway, you come up with an idea.
You must make His Majesty
immerse in it.
I will
make His Majesty turn
the chair around.
what does “chubby Huan
and skinny Yan” mean?
A chubby girl.
a chubby girl?
But the voice
is very beautiful.
His Majesty has made his verdict.
You'll come to serve in the palace tomorrow.
No, no. Hey.
A chubby girl?
what a poor judgment of mine.
Li Shanchang.
What?
I told you
to focus on the beauty selection and let him do his thing.
Why must you take him
to the beauty selection?
This is
how Suzhou local officials to show their loyalty.
I told him that
if he lost him in women,
I'd personally take him back to Yingtian.
Your Grace, please allow me to explain.
I tell you what.
P-Please listen to me.
His Majesty's seat
is turned back from the stage.
He only listens but cannot see the beauties.
Are you sure he can control himself?
Move.
Your Grace...
Here's come the empress.
Why is she here?
I can't hide behind it.
Sir Hong, run. Run to Kunshan.
Your horse is faster than my donkey. I'll catch you up later.
OK.
Come on.
Quickly, quickly, quickly.
Long live the empress.
Move aside.
Whoa.
Yay!
Your Grace,
the imperial robe was found in the stable.
I was too reckless.
I just barged into the building
and scared him away.
Stop!
What are you doing?
Give us your money.
You bold bandits,
do you know who I am?
Who the hell are you?
Are you
the emperor?
I am, actually.
Then I'm the emperor's grandfather.
Get him!
Frisk him.
OK.
What? Nothing.
But
your gown is nice.
It's either silk or satin.
Remove his gown.
OK.
Who dares remove my gown?
The horse seems worthy some money.
Take it with us.
Bad luck!
Damn!
Big red door faces the sun,
rake gold and jewelry in.
Lotus singing makes some noise,
the boss eats meat, I drink soup.
Big red door faces the sun,
rake gold and jewelry in.
Cook.
Ah! Who is it?
Who are you?
Hey, say something.
Hmm?
A ghost!
Hungry.
I'm hungry. Hungry.
He's just hungry.
Famished.
Famished?
How come?
I'm hungry, too.
No one gets a full belly these days.
But this is all I got.
I haven't eaten anything the whole day.
I'm hungry, cook.
Look at you.
Anyone?
I'm famished.
Famished.
Famished.
Coming.
Get up, get up.
Hungry.
Open your mouth.
-You're awake? -Emm, yummy.
Yummy.
Heehee.
#NAME?
Emm, very delicious.
Slow down.
Emm, very nice.
Tasty.
Don't choke on the food.
What's your name?
My name is Qiao Er.
Stop living as a beggar.
I
will rename you.
You
have good qualities.
I'll name you Qiao Yi
Well, a fortune-teller has checked my date of birth
and all my ancestors were beggars.
But I don't care being a poor guy.
My nickname is Happy Poor Man.
Tell you what,
no one in this
world is happy being a poor man.
But it's OK,
I'll make you rich.
Although you look like a prime minister,
you don't have to be a big-talker, do you?
Regardless.
What you just fed me with
is the most delicious food in the world.
Hey, Sir Hong.
Mr. Liu.
What happened to you?
Ugh, help me up.
Come on.
Well, it's a long story.
A long story.
Let's go.
Go.
wait.
Lad.
Thank you for you delicious stew.
Oh,
do you have any money?
Yeah, yeah.
Here.
OK.
This.
This.
This is for you.
S-so much?
This is too much.
No,
not very much.
Lad,
you saved me from hunger.
This
is nothing.
Tell me,
what did you
feed me with?
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
Come, come.
Come and have a look, guys.
It's a good horse, guys.
Come and see. Have you seen a good horse like this before?
Come, come, all of you.
See? Look at the horse.
It's a prime horse.
How much
is the horse?
Ten taels of silver.
You give me 10 taels of silver, you can have the horse.
5 taels.
10 taels. No bargain.
Hey, horse appraiser, horse appraiser.
Come and have a look.
He charges me 10 taels of silver.
Is the horse worth it?
Hmm.
A fine horse.
Black mane.
Small head.
Long body.
Charcoal-fire fur.
It's the best horse breed.
It's Chitu horse. You're a pro.
I've appraised horses for decades,
I only heard about this breed,
now it's standing before me,
I'm
so lucky to see it.
Very lucky.
10 taels of silver is a good deal.
Do you hear it?
Several centuries ago,
its ancestor
belonged to Lv Bu, a hero in Three Kingdoms Age.
Later,
it became Guan Yu's mount.
It's a real Chitu horse.
A few years ago,
during the Boyang Lake War,
the emperor got
one from Chen Youliang.
It is actually His Majesty's horse.
It's an imperial horse.
Old dude,
-what are you talking about? -This is...
This is an imperial horse.
Tell me,
where
did you get the horse?
It's none of your business.
-Tell me. -Let go.
Tell me.
Give me my horse back.
Let go.
Who's selling the horse?
This guy.
The four of them.
Arrest them.
Why?
What did we do? Why do you arrest me?
Why?
You have stolen an imperial horse
and robbed His Majesty.
His Majesty?
His...
His Majesty?
The guy who
we robbed was really the emperor?
Really what?
You ballsy bastards.
Ah!
Arrest them.
Ah!
Please get up, Your Majesty.
I'm here with your food.
Oh,
you cooked for me again.
Yeah.
I have cooked
for you many times.
Yes.
Look,
this is the dish you ordered.
Red Maiden.
Ha, look at the redness.
It's a beauty.
No wonder the dish is called Red Maiden.
Here,
let me feed you.
Take a bite.
Come on.
Another bite.
Quickly.
Good?
What?
Are you unhappy with my cooking?
No.
What's the matter?
I'm full.
Hey,
leave.
Two bites
and you're full?
Not bites.
I'm full when
I see your beautiful face.
Hey,
people say
pretty faces satiate men.
Hahaha.
I'm afraid I make you lose your appetite.
Come on.
Oh, it just hits me that
ever since you went to Suzhou
with Li Shanchang
for the beauty selection,
you've been acting like this.
I went to Suzhou in disguise.
You threw yourself into
a bunch of beautiful young girls in disguise, huh?
Huh?
Turning your chair around after listening to the singing and music?
The Voice of Suzhou, huh?
Humph.
The girls wore heavy makeup.
You were there for voices
or pretty faces?
Huh?
Come on.
I won't stop.
You were already there,
why did you run away?
You felt guilty.
Hadn't I been there,
you'd have made trouble.
Yimu.
What?
Do you know
who our distinguished guest is?
Uh...
He is
the prime minister,
Lord Li of Central Secretariat.
You must serve him well.
Oh,
dear prime minister.
I'm privileged to have you here.
I'm Song Yimu.
Greetings, prime minister.
Your stay has really
glorified my humble restaurant.
I'll have your chair changed.
Hey, servants.
Sir.
Get a golden chair
for prime minister.
Coming.
No need. No need.
Sir.
Prime minister.
Please.
Please sit.
Please sit.
Where's the menu?
Here.
Leave.
Please look.
Prime minister,
it's the first time you came to my restaurant,
so you probably don't know.
I don't charge
a single official who
dines in my restaurant.
All
the ministers of
Ministry of War, Construction, Rites, and Punishments
often come to dine here.
Sir,
you don't need to worry.
We don't
talk business here.
Eat for free?
I can't do this.
We'll pay for the meal.
OK, let me see.
Farewell, concubine?
Uh, uh...
What is this?
Uh, well...
It's “wangba”.
Huh?
“Wangba” is a nickname.
It's actually
turtle.
Turtle?
Uh, yes.
Yes, turtle.
The turtle is put
in the middle of the plate.
And a spring chicken
is cut in half
and placed on both sides of the turtle.
Then steam the dish.
“Farewell, concubine.”
Here, be impressed.
OK.
Impress me.
Well,
uh,
Lord Hu is a regular customer of mine.
He knows everything about my restaurant. Heehee.
You don't need the menu, right, Lord Hu?
Well, there's much new stuff.
Praise Fengyang, celebrate Fengyang,
Fengyang is a good place.
Hey, you stinking beggars.
Do you know who owns the place?
Who owns the place?
Our boss,
Mr. Song who is wealthy enough to buy half of the city.
Do you know who he
dines with?
They're either
high-ranking officials
or members of the royal family.
Open up your eyes and look,
what is it?
Hmm?
Do you read?
Emperor-approved beggars.
Emperor-approved beggars?
I'll take you to law enforcers.
How dare you forge an imperial order?
You don't believe me?
Fine, let me ask you,
who is the highest-ranking official
dining in there?
Prepare yourself for the name.
Our prime minister,
Li Shanchang,
Lord Li.
Good.
You take it
to Lord Li and let him see
if it's the emperor's handwriting or not.
My lord.
What?
A bunch of beggars are looking for trouble out there.
Chuck them away.
The ringleader said they were emperor-approved beggars
and gave me this.
Please verify the authenticity.
Oh,
it is the emperor's handwriting.
Two months ago,
a beggar saved his life
and he gave him this
to show his gratitude.
Come out, I'm waiting for you to bring me to justice.
Uh, Yimu,
do you have leftover food?
Yes.
Take the beggars to the backdoor
and give them the leftover food. Make it quick.
Uh, prime minister,
you're very benevolent,
I'm on it.
Come, next.
This is freshly cooked.
Wow, fish.
I want fish, too.
Hey, leave the pork knuckle to me.
Shut up.
Shut up.
Go back in the queue.
-There's still good stuff left. -Heehee.
Did the empress
cook all these?
Y-Yes.
I'll have a taste.
The empress is a good cook,
how does it taste so...
One by one. Queue in line. No hurry.
Hey!
All right, all right, the buckets are empty.
Shoo. No food left.
You cook less and less. It's not enough.
So many of us here.
No food left already?
Hey, catch it.
-Eat mine. -Thank you. Thanks.
Guys.
Guys, listen.
After the officials finish eating
in the evening and come out,
we remember how they look,
before the morning assembly tomorrow, let's wait
on the imperial lane and beg them for food.
We don't care who they are,
we stop their horses
and litters.
They dine here for free behind the emperor's back,
they dare not to do anything to do.
Lord Liu.
Lord Song.
Is Lord Liu around?
Lord Liu just set off to the morning assembly.
I'll go catch him up.
Lord Liu,
Lord Liu.
Lord Liu, look.
They bribed Hanlin Academy.
You're taking your time as an expostulator.
Bancheng Royal Restaurant.
Yingtian City is said to be the city of great goodness,
I think you're turning a blind eye to it.
A great expostulator like you
knows nothing about it?
I've heard about it. But Lord Song,
the invitation alone
doesn't mean bribery.
Did censor's office
also get similar invitations?
No.
But I do have heard that
many high-ranking officials
frequently dine at Bancheng Royal Restaurant.
If he does send me an invitation,
I'd like to try.
You...
Lord Liu,
how can you say this?
The country has only been built for several years,
the officials are already corrupted.
Alas,
it looks like
you, too, have disappointed me.
If you don't have to go, I'll go.
One invitation for two. I'll go
and I'll get His Majesty there, too.
Go. Quickly. Keep up with him.
Stop.
Shout.
Have pity on us.
Have pity on us.
We've been starving for days.
Aaahh!
You mobs, how dare you get in the prime minister's way.
Who's calling for justice out there?
We're calling for justice,
we're stopping you to ask for food.
How dare you?
We aren't average beggars,
we're given the permission to beg for food
by the emperor.
Prime minister,
just have pity on us.
You had a nice dinner last night
at the restaurant
whereas we're still starving.
Please have pity on us.
Give it to him.
Yes.
Now get lost.
Thank you, prime minister.
Go, go.
Chief Secretary Xu of Ministry of War.
He drank so much last night at Royal Restaurant
that he can't even walk a straight line.
Listen to my order.
Go.
What? What? What are you doing?
This is His Majesty's handwriting.
Where did you get it?
Never you mind.
Will you give us some money?
The prime minister gave us the money.
How dare you threaten me?
I dare not to.
Lord Xu,
you got very drunk last night
at Bancheng Royal Restaurant.
Should we
hit the drums at the gate
to sober you up?
You!
Guys, come on.
Let's go hit the drums.
Wait.
I don't have any money with me today.
Come on, Lord Xu, be benevolent.
Have pity on us poor beggars.
I'll take some money with me
when I go to attend the morning assembly, OK?
No.
We won't let you leave without getting the money.
You!
Four masters of Beggars' Gang.
Here.
What are you going to do? What are you going to do?
Go. Get him off the horse.
Get down. Pin him down.
What are you doing?
Take off his boots.
Don't touch my boots.
I'll give the money tomorrow, OK?
Go.
How am I supposed to attend the assembly like this?
Run.
Give me my boots back.
Hey, there's a guy on a donkey.
Oh,
that's Lord Liu.
Qiao Yi,
what are you doing here?
Run.
Run.
Turn back.
Wait, wait. Stop.
Give me my boots back.
How do I attend the assembly?
I'll give you the money tomorrow.
Your look pale
and emaciated.
You're black-eyed
and speak slowly.
Your Majesty, you're having a poor appetite.
Nonsense.
Poor appetite?
The Imperial Kitchen makes loads of rich food.
Right, Your Majesty?
You know what?
Courtier Liu is right.
I've been
having a poor appetite lately.
Uh,
Courtier Liu,
tell me,
how do I get my good appetite back?
Your Majesty,
there's a thing
called clean meditation.
After clean meditation,
you're open to any food.
What are you talking about?
His Majesty now has a poor appetite,
you ask him to meditate?
Explain what clean meditation is to me.
Your Majesty, it means starving yourself.
Answer me,
how many days should I starve myself?
The master says at least three days.
How many days do you starve yourself?
I-I did what the master told me to do.
Hey, hey
why do you keep bothering him?
Where are your boots?
Your Majesty,
I got up late this morning,
I left home in a rush because I didn't want to be late,
so I got on the horse without putting on my boots.
Lord Xu,
I don't think that's the case.
I just didn't want to be late for the morning assembly,
or else I'll get spankings.
Courtier Liu, what's your suggestion
to cure my poor appetite?
Your Majesty, I don't have a solution at the moment.
Allow me to think
and I'll get back to you before noon.
Lord Liu, a quick word, please.
See you.
See you.
Lord Liu, have you heard of this saying
among the folks?
What saying?
People say, a bad doctor doesn't know
how to prescribe the patient.
Oh, OK.
You mean a workable prescription, right?
I do have one.
Do you?
Where?
Look.
Here.
Prime minister, prime minister.
Can't you put on a pair of boots first?
Damn those emperor-approved beggars.
Emperor-approved beggars?
You don't know?
I don't.
You didn't give them any money?
No.
They said you did.
What are you talking about?
Ridiculous.
Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Grace.
Arise.
Lord Liu, you're a good doctor.
Please take a look at him.
Your Grace,
His Majesty is missing something.
See?
Hey, be careful with your words.
I was right.
Ever since he came back from the beauty selection,
he's been like this
and he doesn't admit it.
And I still doesn't.
My sickness can be anything but
lovesickness.
Your Majesty, it's human nature to miss food or beauty.
Either one of them
can make you feel sick.
His Majesty is missing food
rather than the beauties.
He's having a poor appetite,
how can you say that he's missing food?
Your Grace,
people's fondness differs.
Let's say girls,
not every beautiful girl
can make the world stricken with lovesickness.
The one who is lovesick
is often missing a particular girl,
The same logic applies to food.
The Imperial Kitchen
cooks all the best food in the world,
but you, Your Majesty, are getting more and more sick.
You want something else.
You're right.
In the these days,
I've been thinking about...
Thinking about the guy who
saved my life at a shattered temple in Kunshan.
What is his name again?
The young beggar?
Jiao Er, but you gave him the name, Qiao Yi.
Yeah, Qiao Yi.
He
made me this, uh,
soup.
What's the name of the soup?
Well, I can't remember.
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
That's the one.
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
I called you here because I want you
to post the imperial note
and try
to get Qiao Yi here
to make me one bowl of
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
Your Majesty,
he's a beggar.
The ingredients that he used
were all leftovers.
And he's not a cook.
But I just want to eat that.
What's your solution?
I do know one place, though.
They have this dish called
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
Really?
Yes.
Where?
I got it with me.
Invitation.
Huh?
Bancheng Royal Restaurant.
It's for Song Lian of Hanlin Academy.
Yes.
Mr. Song thinks
this is bribery,
so he resents it.
You're invited, too?
No, they wouldn't dare.
They know that I talk a lot.
Also,
they know that even if I dined there,
I wouldn't do anything for them.
I'll try their Pearl Emerald Jade Soup
with you.
Right.
Hey.
What are
you two talking about?
I've heard that the Imperial Orchestra
will perform at Royal Restaurant tonight?
A little bit entertainment.
Also a bunch of beggars sang
Fengyang Flower Drums at the door?
Yes.
You were there, Lord Liu?
I'm asking you if
they can do an improvisational performance?
Uh...
Listen,
you
pick several pretty female beggars
and spruce them up.
You use the tune and melody
of Fengyang Flower Drums
and change the lyrics however you want.
Let them sing eulogistic stuff,
just get rid of the beggary lyrics.
Got it?
This way, please.
Two lords of Hanlin Academy.
Two lords of Hanlin Academy have arrived.
This way, my lords.
Long Sword Chamber.
It's the name of one of the offices of Ministry of War.
Well,
I didn't know
the small restaurant
had such a “quiet” place.
The quieter it is, the more inside stories it has.
Hanlin gentlemen are here,
we're only waiting for imperial censors.
Once they're here,
this will become the public canteen of the cabinet.
Hey, sir, look.
Hanlin Chamber is open.
Two lords,
we got anything you can think of,
birds, animals,
fish and games.
See?
They got all kinds of animals.
Even more than the Imperial Zoo.
Humph.
Rare guests, rare guests.
Lord Song.
Ah, Lord Song.
I've heard of you.
Your name is well-known.
You're the teacher of the Crown Prince.
See, ever since my restaurant was open,
Hanlin Chamber has been empty.
Who are you?
The owner of Royal Restaurant.
Song Bancheng.
Aren't you called Song Yimu?
Ah, right, Song Yimu, Song Yimu.
Uh,
most of my customers
ask me this question.
Bancheng
is my nickname.
Yimu, Bancheng, that's a huge difference.
Ah, let me explain.
He's original name is Yimu,
but our boss's wealth is
away more than one acre of land.
I'll do the math.
In Yingtian,
he owns
9 pawn shops, 12 silk workshops,
and over 30 spinning mills
The profit that he makes
is about half of the taxes
that the Ministry of Revenue can collect from Yingtian citizens.
So he had to change
his name to Song Bancheng.
The name that your parents gave you
was registered in the household book with the government,
can you change your name so easily?
Yes. I'll be honest,
you know,
to buy over the Ministry of Revenue,
as long as you got this,
name, age,
even gender,
you can change anything you want.
Huh? Magical.
Of course. More than that.
You Hanlin nerds...
Oh, no, sorry, Hanlin scholars
know nothing about it.
There are more changes can be made.
I know a friend
who has several names, which means he has several identities.
Nonsense. Listen,
your name is Song Yimu in the household book,
then you're Song Yimu forever.
You can't change it unless you have the emperor's approval.
Huh? The emperor's approval?
I never thought about it.
I wouldn't dare and it would be a waste of time anyway.
Because that's daydreaming.
All right, all right.
It's a mess here.
I'm dazzled. Serve the dishes.
Two bowls of Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
You've got a good taste, Lord Song.
But you didn't come all the way here
for the soup, did you?
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
And one piece of flat-bread for each of us.
Got it?
Sir,
guess what they have ordered?
What?
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
They're here for the soup.
Can Pearl Emerald Jade Soup
taste good?
Is pearl good stuff?
As dumb as the turtle.
No turtle,
“Wangba”.
Yes, “wangba”.
What?
He went crazy.
And then,
he scratched me.
I know what happened as soon as I hear it.
It must the guys of Ministry of War.
They're drunk.
They got drunk
before anyone else does every time.
They
are bad drinkers.
Sir, let me...
Let me give you another toast.
Well,
look at
all those chambers,
it got all the ministries here.
Humph,
I think I can hold the assembly here.
Your Majesty,
do you know what people call this place?
What?
Public canteen of the cabinet.
Humph.
Ridiculous.
Have a taste.
Let's try the Pearl Emerald Jade Soup.
OK.
What do you think?
It looks like it's not
the Pearl Emerald Jade Soup that you want.
How do you know?
I can tell by the look on your face.
They just got the same name.
Praise Fengyang, celebrate Fengyang,
Emperor Hongwu was born in Fengyang.
Huh?
The lyrics of Fengyang Flower Drums
have been modified.
The original lyrics depict beggars.
Nine years of famine in a decade.
What?
Nine years of famine in a decade?
What are they singing now? I want to have a look.
The lyrics are wrong. No! No!
Stop! Stop! Stop!
Stop singing!
Stop singing! Stop singing!
You don't get to tell me what to do. Look!
We're emperor-approved beggars.
Isn't he Qiao Yi? Qiao Yi!
You're now Lord Song.
I don't care about that, Lord Liu.
You bring Qiao Yi to the imperial palace,
I want him to cook
Pearl Emerald Jade Soup for me.
Quickly.
Go, go, go!
You see
that tall guy?
I know he's Song Lian just by looking at his back.
Is it him? I'll go have a look.
Where is he?
Don't fall.
Go.
My lord, have pity on us.
Have pity on us beggars.
How dare you? Do you know what I do?
What do you do?
Hmm?
Whoa, you have a strong smell of alcohol in your mouth.
You drank a lot last night at Bancheng Royal Restaurant, right?
Listen,
I'm here to arrest you. Soldiers!
Yes!
Arrest them.
Yes!
How dare you!
We're emperor-approved beggars.
My lord, they're emperor-approved beggars.
Who knows it's true or false.
I don't care,
throw them in jail.
Yes.
We're emperor-approved beggars!
We're emperor-approved beggars!
Move!
Let go of me.
Lord Liu, save me!
I'm a emperor-approved beggar!
How dare you arrest me.
Let go of me.
Lord Song,
you were at Royal Restaurant lat night
and you don't have a hangover?
You have my admiration.
No, I wasn't.
Prime minister, please maintain your image.
You think I don't recognize you
when you wear your daily clothes?
You were there!
You-You...
You're the prime minister
yet you got such a heavy hangover . You're just...
Unbelievable!
Music