Episode 5 - The revenge of Mei Lin - Slaying the culprit of Qingzhoun massacre.

Episode 5 - The revenge of Mei Lin - Slaying the culprit of Qingzhoun massacre.Prince Jing softly whispers : « Undying ».As he proudly contemplates the little bottle of « red coix seeds potion» he managed to snatch from the persistent Luo Mei. Suddenly, Qin Yan, his bodyguard, shouts : « Zhang Yin went to Wenhua pavilion, so did Mei Lin. »No time to spare, Prince Jing immediately mounts his horse and rides in the dark night.In the lugubrious Wenhua palace, War Minister Zhang Yin is thoughtful. Tonight’s operation must be successful. He has had enough problems with Prince Jing in the past. Since the end of the battle of Qingzhou, when the latter dismissed him from his position, he has arbored resentment ever since. Thinking about it, the Crown Prince scolded him when he lost the assassin he sent to kill Prince Jing. He cannot afford another set back.Crown Prince : « The man you sent to kill her is now under Prince Jing’s control. The only option now is to loose something to survive. You can’t keep any of those Momai warriors. »Zhang Yin opposes : « Your Highness. »But he suddenly remembers the imperial flogging ceremony. When the Crown Prince belittled him saying : : « Minister Zhang it is not time to celebrate yet. Once a dead piece becomes a living one, it indicates that she has become useful in another way …It’s nothing strange that Xiyan beauty can’t take the repeated punishment. Prince Jing wants to save her. I want to kill her. »War Minister Zhang then realizes that, he should better stay silent and suffer the humiliation, once more.Crown Prince : « Minister Zhang, I kept the second-rank official position for you. Why leave the others an opportunity to use those warriors against you? The battle in the court is a battle of public opinion. The method must be able to withstand public scrutiny.If the Momai warrior are discovered. At most, I will be accused of misjudging my subordinates. But you, you committed arson in Qingzhou, and attempted to assassinate a Prince. Each is a capital offense punishable by the execution of all your clans. It’s for you own Good. Make a quick decision. »Zhang Yin: « Thank you for reminding me your Highness. »Yes, he plotted the Qingzhou massacre. But now that the situation is tense, His Highness wants to let him defenceless. He's been used and dropped ? No way!After Miss Mei left promising to help him flee the city via the black market, 9 of the remaining Momai Warriors, all dressed in black, kneel before him.Zhang Yin : « Prince Jing has discovered us. If the Qingzhou case is re-opened we will die. Everyone, abort the mission and go into hiding among the civilians. »Momai Warriors : « yes. »Wang Qang is lurking in the shadows : «Tonight, No-one must be left alive at Wenhua pavilion. »He then lets, black dressed eastern palace guards armed with bows and arrows, enter the premises.Looking at War Minister Zhang from behind a pillard.Mei Lin whispers : « So you are the true culprit of Qingzhou massacre. »This is when the eastern palace guards launch a burning arrows strike.The Momai warriors are set on fire like human torches.Mei Lin recognises : « Phosphorus coated garment. Who did this? »On impulse, Mei lin twirls a dagger, and jumps at War Minister Zhang from the 2nd floor.Mei lin stabbs Zhang Yin by the heart against a wooden door.Adrenalin is rushing through her body while she stabbs and subdues the culprit of Qingzhou great arson. The souls of the dead may rest in peace. As, the place is falling apart in flams. Minister Zhang takes advantage of the situation to escape through a secret passage.Mei Lin looks at the bookshelf, she spots the « red cox seeds potion » boxe and have it.A bookshelf falls over her. The pavilion is ablaze. Mei Lin is trapped under the « year of the goat » bookshelf.Is it her destiny? Is she a scapegoat about to be burnt, like the inhabitants of Qingzhou were? Absolutely not, she must live.She painfully pushes, and extracts herself crawling with great difficulty.She stands up, nearly walks, a burning beam falls over her and propels her into the burning emptiness. Luckily, Prince Jing is down there, on horse back. He catches her, as a grey veil falls over them, safeguarding his forbidden attraction for Mei Lin. Prince Jing glares at her silently as Mei Lin looses consciousness.Somewhere else, in Wenhua pavilion, Miss Mei gets burnt on the right arm, meanwhile she is fleeing.At Zhanyue pavilion, Prince Jing aims at Mei Lin with his crossbow and slowly goes at her. He has to kill her. After suffering the bittings and sniffing of the hallucinating Mei Lin. She told him she found the Master of shadow works. He cannot let her recognize him and spoil his plan.Mei Lin : « I’ve got the « red coix seeds potion », you can’t make me kill anymore. I am not your killing machine. ( she continues ) You took advantage of the grudges in Qingzhou to kill innocent people. General Weibei was wronged. He shouldn’t die. The one who should die is you, the Master of shadow works. »Prince Jing understands that she is still hallucinating and lowers his weapon.Checking out if she sees his moving hand before her face. Mei Lin unexpectedly grabs Prince Jing’s arm and bites him forcefully. Prince Jing silently jumps to avoid screaming.Mei Lin : « Does it hurt? (She giggles). You can’t feel pain in shadow works. You turned me into a killing machine. The first lesson in shadow works is : taking a beating. Which will never stop. It won’t stop. It won’t stop until you die in pain. Or no longer cry in pain. »Mei Lin starts crying at the memories of the pain she felt becomes more and more vivid.Prince Jing looks at her painfully. He feels compassion seeing her in such a tourment.Mei Lin’s hallucination continues. Now, she is at a picnic with her father and her mother in a foggy glade. She joyfully promises to her parent that, after the Weibei army enters the city. Mother will open a fruit cake store and father will do stonework .Prince Jing glares at her curious then softened, before leaving.As he walks out and sees « Undying Flowers ». He reminisces that moment and utters : « A dead piece has some how made a way out. »

Read More

Episode 5: If she dies, then that is her destiny.

Jing He and his subordinate discuss the scheme that was used to save Mei Lin and obtain the fake emblem of the Wei Bei army. Qing Yan worries about Jing He's internal wound, but he reassures him by telling him the name of the flower (you can't kill me). He tells him about the disturbance between Minister Zhang and Murong Xuan Li. The female general Luo Mei sends gifts to Jing He. There are many boxes of tonics. Even after many years, she still thinks of Jing He, the subordinate comments. Jing He asks that if General Yin comes, she inform him immediately. Luo Mei traveled all night after learning about the assassination attempt on Jing He. She didn't even drink a sip of water on the road, says the female general's subordinate. Luo Mei says that she didn't go to visit Jing He's mansion in person because she already sent the tonics (she says it in her own way, with a closed and serious expression). And that if he wants to reciprocate the gesture, he should come visit her in person. The subordinate tells her that Luo Mei always sends him gifts and Jing He never reciprocates. Why does she bother? Luo Mei receives the portrait of the beauty from Xian who tried to assassinate Jing He, but she retorts: I asked you to investigate her identity, why give me this portrait? (Could it be jealousy?). The subordinate adds that she found nothing wrong with her and that the king's decree must be right. She could not bear the insult, her pride as a woman in front of Jing He and that is why she tried to assassinate him. Luo Mei laughs (she is very brave). The subordinate says: Jing He has become so reckless, why does Miss Luo Mei still think of him? Luo Mei says that they are already partners and she would hate to see him succumb. But she thinks that he has changed and that his request for clemency for the beauty was to maintain the alliance between the two nations. Suddenly, several gift boxes arrive for Luo Mei from the crown prince to congratulate her on her arrival, but she briefly assumes that they were from Jing He to Luo Mei. Luo Mei quickly orders them to take some of the boxes she brought to repay the crown prince.
Luo Mei is in her general's mansion and remembers the past when she won a fight with Jing He to get a dagger (Jing didn't believe she could beat him and didn't want her to be a soldier because she couldn't protect her there). She replied that she didn't need his protection, and she was determined and made him promise that if she beat him the dagger would be hers. And so it happened. The emperor made this promise if it happened, she could go on the expedition to Xian.
Jing He at that time said: General Yin, you are excellent in martial arts. I admit defeat. However, I gave you a treasure, and later I will think about what you can give me in return.
(In the present tense.) Luo Mei is practicing her martial arts and Jing He arrives to visit her. She almost hits him with the sword, but stops in time. They look at each other with a sparkle in their eyes. (She sees him standing, walking, then says: "I knew you would rise again"). Jing He says: General Yin, we haven't seen each other for many years, let's get drunk together today. But it's a pity that there's only wine, so there's nothing to entertain yourselves with, Jing He says. He says to call some dancers to liven things up. Luo Mei says, a little irritated, that there are no dancers in the general's mansion. JH says that's a pity. Luo Mei looks at him puzzled. JH says he heard that she brought a treasure from Nanyang. The red coix seed. He heard that it dispels all worries. He asks: Which is better? Wine or red coix seed? Luo Mei asks if that's why he came to the general's mansion. He asks if she's willing to give it up. She says that prolonged use can cause loss of consciousness. JH says he knew but he could tell that she was sensible. Luo Mei says that she only uses it to ease the pain but that JH wants to use it to escape reality. And that she thought JH had changed. He says that he had indeed changed. And that having a beautiful companion while serving wine is more relaxing and enjoyable than those days serving with weapons. She gets angry again and with disappointed eyes says: General, have you forgotten your great ambitions? To protect the nation? He laughs disconsolately and says that General Weibei no longer exists. Now he is the carefree Prince Jing. At that moment Luo Mei stands up silently and furious. And he turns towards the balcony drinking the wine. She says that they have lost the Wei Bei army, but there is still another army, that of Pingnan. That it is enough for him to recover his ambitions. He claims that he is a guilty man and that she is asking a criminal to lead the troops. And that he is ashamed to face the people of Qingzhou. She looks at him with determination and some fury, that Qingzhou was burned, but as long as the city still exists, it will be able to feed many people of Great Yan. That this was thanks to his efforts. In a war there are always victims, and let the defeat of the Weibei army in Qingzhou be the reparation for what happened in Qingzhou. And it is not worth sacrificing General Wei Bei again. He shakes his head no and says that her words are enlightening, but unfortunately he has had problems for several years and it is difficult to resolve them at the moment. And he came for the red coix seeds. And he hopes she can give them to him. With somewhat sad eyes she says yes, but it is the same rule, if her wins, the seed goes to him. He laughs and says: General Yin is excellent in martial arts and has already defeated all the warriors of the great Yan. I admit defeat. She then says determinedly: Then I will not give you the coix seed. Then, JH says decisively: General Yin, the time has come for you to repay me... for this dagger. She looks at Him.... Jing He leaves happy because he has the coix seed. He tells him the name of the flower (it cannot die). Then, his subordinate arrives and tells him that Minister Zhang has gone to the Wenhua Pavilion and Mei Lin too. JH mounts his horse and runs there. Mei Lin flies into the pavilion and finds Minister Zhang, and fights him. Minutes before, Zhang tells his Momai warriors to hide. But they don't know about a trap set. Archers with fire arrows hit the Momai warriors, who, as Mei Lin realizes (she had clothes soaked in phosphorus), make the fire spread faster. She fights some of them before the fire. She runs and grabs the coix seed, quickly swallows the contents of 5 seeds, the cabinet falls on top of her, and even staggering, she manages to get out from under the wooden cabinet. When she reaches the balcony, a wooden beam with fire falls on top of her, which falls right below (into the arms of Jing He), who had stopped at the door (due to his own trauma regarding the fire).
At that moment, Princess Zi Gu prepares herself with a dagger given to her by her brother. She hides under the bed sheet with the dagger under her pillow, as a way to face the emperor who is coming to visit her. She does this even though the female servant warns her that it is a capital crime to hide a dagger when near the emperor. Zi Gu says it's okay, she won't let the emperor know.
The emperor arrives at Zi Gu's room and finds her sitting on the bed, hidden under a blanket. She takes off the blanket, and the emperor sees a dagger under the pillow. She tries to say that she would not harm him. But he interrupts her and says that he already knows that. He shows her a flowery handkerchief and asks her if she knows what it is for. She says that she knows that it is to test the concubine's chastity on their wedding night. The emperor takes the handkerchief, and with the dagger he makes a small cut on her hand and drips the blood onto the cloth. He says that he is not interested in the concubine, but only in peace between Xiyan and Yian. And that he does not want to force her to do anything, but only for her to live in peace in the harem. And that he will return the dagger to her only when she understands this.
The eunuch next to the king receives the news that the Wenhua Pavilion is on fire, and he becomes worried.
Mei Lin and Jing He are in the carriage heading to the mansion. At this point, Mei Lin is hallucinating and thinks that Jing He is a tree full of various leaves that fight toxins. She sees Him as a tasty stem and tasty leaves, and she starts naming the leaves. She starts biting and smelling Jing He, thinking that he is this tree. At first, he is scared, but then he joins in the game to help her. But... the moment she calls him the master of shadows, he becomes worried. When they arrive at the mansion, He holds that weapon that looks like a small bow (a crossbow), and faces Mei Lin, who calls him master and kneels as if she saw the master. He shoots the crossbow, but she dances the martial art and manages to dodge. The two of them stop facing each other, He pointing a dagger at her. Until he realizes that she is talking to the statue right behind him. Then, she starts hallucinating seeing her father and mother. They talk about their dreams. A cake shop for her mother, her father continues to work with jade stone. Mei Lin puts the jade clip that her father gave her for her wedding, and puts it in her mother's hair. The mother complains and says it is for her wedding, but she says she will not get married, and they fight and play. The mother and father say that they will not let her husband mistreat Mei Lin. Mei Lin says that no man can stand her, because with her skills, she is the one who can mistreat her husband. Jing He looks at the scene and is a little confused. (JH is very handsome in that black outfit). She looks at Jing He and cries, says that she has no way to go back home, her family is dead. Her mother always says that home is where she finds spring flowers. She looks at Jing He's lock of hair that falls in front of his face and she thinks it is a spring flower. He gets scared and gives her a brush, saying it is a spring flower. He gives her one brush after another, until he takes her to bed with all the brushes in her hand, thinking they are flowers. And then she falls asleep. Jing He talks to the healer, who tells JH that the coix seeds will not be able to cure Mei Lin, only neutralize the disease for one year. And that the antidote is very difficult to produce with many rare plants. JH tells him to try hard to produce the antidote. And the healer tells him that even if he manages to produce the antidote, it may not be in time to save her life. Then Jing He says, that if that happens, then it is Mei Lin's fate.
The crown prince is copying Buddhist scriptures in the temple, his subordinate arrives and privately tells him that the Wenrua pavilion was burned down and Minister Zhang also died, leaving only the jade ring, which Jing He's soldiers arrived too late to stop , and that now the proof that Jing He had is no longer valuable with Zhang's death. The Crown Prince says it's a shame that this pavilion full of history turned to ashes, and that he and Jing He as children stole a sword from there. And that he hopes to still be the big brother of his third brother, Jing He.
YueQin and the emperor play chess, Yueqin apologizes for losing again. The Emperor says that YQ always strives to concede some moves and let the Emperor win. But YQ retorts and says that he lost due to his own inferior abilities. The emperor says that he won't have his great chess partner because he will soon be back in Xian, but there is something that won't let him sleep and that only when YQ is in Xian can this problem be solved. YQ presents the emperor with an incense prepared by himself using a recipe from a famous healer, the emperor asks him to light it immediately, and comments that he enjoyed the smell of fresh plum blossoms. The emperor praises YQ for so many skills, playing the zither, making wine, incense, calligraphy, etc., that there is nothing he can't do. But YQ says they are small skills, but thanks the emperor for the praise and asks what he wants him to do in Xian for the emperor. The emperor says he will have enough to do to keep the peace between Yian and Xiyan. YQ then asks, to further promote peace between the two peoples, that he can tutor the cultural teaching about Yan to the young peacemaking beauties (they came from less civilized places). The king allows it and says that YQ is worried about Zigu, but there is no reason as she is a symbol of peace and everything will be fine with her. And that YQ can go to a certain palace, closer to Zigu to tutor the beauties. And after the wedding ring ceremony, he can return to Xian.
Qing Yan tells Jing He that the Wenhua Pavilion has been burned to the ground and the bodies are unrecognizable. Mei Lin wakes up with the brushes in her hands and is happy to look at her arms (she thinks she is cured). Jing He enters the room and asks what she saw in Wenhua Pavilion. She says that he saw the shadow master, and that he said that Jing He discovered that he was involved in the Qingzhou massacre, and so he asked all Momai warriors to stop their actions. Jing He asks if who she saw was a middle-aged man with a scar on his eyebrow. She says yes, and Jing He informs her that he is war minister Zhang Yin. Mei Lin then concludes: Zhang Yi is the real culprit for the fire. And that he didn't die in Wenhua Pavilion. And all the Momai warriors wore clothes coated in phosphorus, which caused the fire to spread quickly through their bodies. And obviously they were silenced. Mei Lin asks: Is the person responsible for the Wenhua Pavilion fire also responsible for the Qingzhou fire? Jing He says he is also investigating this. She asks why Zhang Yin burned down Qingzhou? Jing He says that after the battle of Qingzhou, he relieved him of his position. And that ZY has held a grudge ever since. Mei Lin got angry and reasoned: If he wanted to kill him, he could send many momai warriors, like me. Why did he sacrifice 100,000 innocent Qingzhou people? Jing He also irritated says: he also wants to know the reason. And he says he can try to kill him if he wants. So why were the soldiers of the Weibei army sacrificed?
PS:
Something I don't understand: Yueqin and ZiGu's kingdom of Xian is nothing like the two make it out to be in court. (We know that this brotherhood and filial love doesn't exist, but at every turn that's what Yue Qin and ZiGu make it out to be all the time. But that's unrealistic.)

Read More