[English subtitles are available]
What's this?
That's so creepy!
Captain!
[Chen Bing]
What's all the fuss about?
It's just a stone statue.
Dee, have you found anything?
The abdomen is bulging,
and the spots are green.
Must have been dead for a few days.
[Dee Renjie]
These people are dressed in Han costume.
Why are they here?
I think they were probably slaves
taken by the Turks.
Guys, be alert!
Don't let the Turks have the upper hand here!
Yes sir!
Take a look over there.
Yes, let's go.
It's dirty and smelly here.
Why did those Turks
come here?
Had they not run away,
we'd have captured them all by now.
What the hell?
Why are we going back here?
No. Fifteen.
What are you talking about?
There were sixteen bodies here,
but now one is missing.
There's one missing?
Are you sure, Dee?
Did the dead body come back to life?
Who are you?
Your Excellency,
there's only one.
It's the dead body just now!
The dead man has come back to life!
Dee!
Let's get out of here!
[Detective Dee: The Sly Red-eye]
[Fifteen Years Later]
[Fifteen years later, the Empress Wu's birthday is around the corner... All the ambassadors gather in the capital and the entire city is in a festive mood.]
Your Majesty,
All the preparations for the birthday banquet are done.
[Wu Minzhi]
In ten days,
[Empress]
the whole nation
and the foreign ambassadors
will attend the birthday ceremony.
Your Majesty,
Li Ang, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice, has an important issue to report.
Send him in.
Your Majesty,
a strange case occurred in Fangzhou.
All the villagers of Guteng
died overnight.
The Governor of Fangzhou went to investigate
but was killed
by evil ghosts.
Your Excellency,
it looks like they've been dead for days.
Over 100 people died overnight.
There must be something wrong with it.
Let's go and take a look.
This is ridiculous!
Her Majesty is a remarkable monarch
and the people are living in peace and prosperity.
How could there possibly be any evil ghosts?
I'm telling the truth, Your Majesty.
According to the surviving officers,
they did see evil ghosts.
Only one of Governor Zhang's seven men survived,
and the other six were all killed by evil ghosts.
This is the official document submitted by the Fangzhou government.
I dare not lie.
[Memorial to the throne]
Whether this is true or not,
the haunting of Fangzhou
on the eve of Your Majesty's birthday
must be a deliberate attempt.
[Memorial to the throne]
Your Majesty,
you must take precautions.
[Court of Judicature and Revision]
Oh my!
This is terrible.
What have you found?
Look.
There are bruises on the body.
He must have had a violent struggle
with the killer before he died.
The wound was caused by a backhanded stab,
which means the killer must be
a left-handed man with a knife.
That's right.
That's what I thought.
Wrong.
Completely wrong.
[Chen Jiangqiao]
Wrong.
Chen Jiangqiao.
Tell us.
What's wrong?
Yes, what's wrong?
His fingers are blue,
and his chest is black.
He was obviously poisoned.
The killer poisoned him
and then injured him
on purpose.
I think the killer was trying to frame someone else.
Right!
That's what I thought too.
Your...Your Excellency!
I couldn't breathe.
Master,
you...
What?
None of you passed the exam today.
Master,
this is not fair!
Who would have thought you'd pretend to be a corpse?
This is a case I worked on back in the day.
All seven members of Officer Zhang's family were killed in the south of the city.
The murderer pretended to be a corpse
to fool everyone.
That's the trick he pulled off.
Master,
when will you let me work on my own?
Not until you've passed my test.
In fact, you already got half of the information correct.
Every detail counts.
There's a fine line between
the truth and the illusion.
Your Excellency.
Dee Renjie, receive the imperial decree.
Rumor has it that evil ghosts killed people in Fangzhou.
[Imperial Decree]
The imperial court is in shock and people are living in fear.
To quell the rumor,
Dee Renjie is ordered to go to Fangzhou.
He must solve the case before Her Majesty's birthday banquet.
Otherwise, he will be punished by death.
Your Excellency,
isn't Fangzhou
the territory of Prince Li Xian?
Li Xian was relegated to be the Luling King many years ago
and has been living in seclusion in Fangzhou.
After this case is known,
it's said that he harbors a grudge against Her Majesty
and is plotting against her.
I'm afraid
there's going to be another crisis in the imperial court.
This case is of great importance.
Her Majesty has instructed that
you shall leave for Fangzhou without delay.
[Tofu]
It's daytime,
but why are there so few people here?
I can't believe such a strange and bizarre case
could happen in Fangzhou.
And even Her Majesty has been alerted to it.
Your Excellency,
all of us in the government are waiting for you to solve the case,
or we'll be killed.
Your Excellency, this way please.
His Highness has been waiting for you for a long time.
[Prince]
Your Highess.
Your Excellency.
I'm so happy that you're here.
After the crime,
everyone in Fangzhou lives in fear.
Thieves have taken advantage of the situation
to cause chaos and unrest.
I hope you'll find out the truth
and bring peace back to Fangzhou.
Your Highness,
it's my duty to solve the case.
Your Highness, your costume is wet.
I came in a hurry
and forgot to bring rain gear. No worries.
Your Excellency,
this way please.
I smell apricot blossoms.
[Chen Bing]
What are you waiting for?
Leave now!
No, brother Chen!
Let's go together!
Come on!
Take care of my son!
Go now!
Brother Chen!
Master!
[Constable]
You're having a headache again?
I'm fine.
Your Excellency, according to the officers who came back alive,
hundreds of villagers
came back from the dead
and became evil ghosts that ate humans.
But strangely enough,
the only corpses I found during the day
were those of the Governor
and a few officers.
All the villagers had disappeared.
There are teeth marks on the corpse,
and they do look like someone had bitten on it.
Master,
do people really become evil ghosts after they die?
That's nonsense.
The idea of evil ghosts is simply ridiculous.
Your Excellency, when did you arrive?
Had you informed me in advance,
I could have welcomed you officially.
By order of Her Majesty,
[Wang Hongyi]
I'm here to assist Dee Renjie in his investigation.
Your Highness.
That's not right.
Luling King.
You should know more than anyone
about this case in Fangzhou.
Rumor has it that
you bear a grudge against Her Majesty
since you were deposed as Crown Prince.
That's why you committed this murder
right before Her Majesty's birthday banquet.
That's a completely baseless accusation.
I'm innocent.
If you suspect me,
go ahead and investigate.
Your Highness, if you're really innocent,
then why are you mad at me?
Your Excellency had a great point.
I really admire that.
But I do have one question.
If it was His Highness who committed the crime,
why did he do it in Fangzhou
and make himself the major suspect?
With Her Majesty's birthday coming up,
wouldn't it be
asking for trouble?
Then you're saying that
someone was trying to frame him?
Your Excellency.
Tell me.
Who would frame a deposed prince?
Whoever wants to kill His Highness
could be the real culprit.
[Guteng Village]
Master,
do you think Wang Hongyi
framed His Highness?
He's the favourite minister of Her Majesty
and tried to frame His Highness before.
But he's not the only one
who wants to kill His Highness.
The Wu family
has long been trying to replace His Highness.
Even Her Majesty herself
has a grudge against His Highness.
Her Majesty?
No way!
His Highness is her son.
Master,
what's this?
There's something wrong here.
We must be careful.
Who's that?
Who are you?
Master.
[Imperial Guard]
Imperial Guard?
Shen Qingqing?
[Shen Qingqing]
Just like you,
I'm also here to look into the case.
Everybody says that there are ghosts in this village,
but I don't buy that.
I didn't expect to meet Your Excellency Dee here.
How do you know who I am?
You're both wearing official boots
and you're good fighters.
And you came to this place in the middle of the night.
Who else could you be?
You'd better
stay out of this.
You should leave now.
You can't wait to get rid of me, huh?
Are you afraid I'll solve the case before you do?
Master, there are ghosts for real!
Don't panic.
Attack their heads.
Let's go!
Alright!
Block the door!
Quick!
Why did they all run away?
Your Excellency!
You were ambushed!
Who dared to attack an imperial official
in broad daylight?
Your Excellency,
please inform me if you investigate the case.
If something bad happens to you,
I'll be sad.
Don't worry.
I must take a risk when I hunt for ghosts,
or those ghosts won't appear by themselves.
Hunt ghosts?
Are you so scared you're out of your mind?
You're talking nonsense.
Take a look!
Come here.
Burn all those dead bodies.
Yes.
Master,
why did people turn into ghosts?
It's horrible!
Ghost is not horrible,
but it's horrible when people have no conscience.
Master,
what are you looking for?
Autopsy.
All dead bodies were burned by Wang Hongyi,
so how can we do autopsy?
Master,
you kept this!
The bodies came back to life
because of the insect?
I don't know.
As far as I'm concerned,
the dead bodies are afraid of sunshine,
because they like to hide in the shade.
Dee Renjie,
what do you know?
When we first met ghosts,
you knew how to deal with them.
Why did know them so well?
You are suspecting me?
I am just curious.
However,
I never believe anyone.
Before the truth is known,
everyone is a suspect,
including
you!
Your Excellency,
bad news!
Weird things happen successively.
There was another murder yesterday.
The owner of the mansion
is a man over sixty years old,
who made a living by selling wine.
He died from unknown causes a few days ago.
When the mourning was in progress,
his whole families were dead.
Their bodies
have signs of being bitten.
Where is his body？
We can't find it.
It is like a place for Taoist rites.
At that night, the son of the old man
was keeping watch here.
After his son died,
his wife heard something.
Run!
Sweetie.
The old man did have a granddaughter,
but we didn't find her body
after searching around here.
Master,
I found bloodstains on the floor,
and thought the body of the old man was here.
I didn't expect...
[Wei Liaozi, Wu Zi, The Book of Changes]
These books are all about art of war.
[Art of War by Sun Tzu, Spring and Autumn Period of Mo Zi, Six Arts of War, Military Science of Sima Rangju]
How can a wine seller
have these books?
He is not just an ordinary man.
Mr. Qian,
I need his information.
Yes.
Don't panic. Come here.
She can't hear.
I have asked her neighbors.
She is a deaf-mute.
[Constable]
It is said that ghosts cannot stand sunshine.
It's true!
The old man must have grievances.
Look!
All those amulets couldn't suppress him.
Don't talk nonsense!
Nine Stars Amulets?
Where are these amulets from?
They are owned by a Dharma Master from western regions.
People call him
Phantom Rakshasa.
He always spreads rumors and confuse people's mind.
He claims his amulets can save people's lives by expelling ghosts,
but we can't catch him
because he has many followers and he's a tough fighter himself.
Where is he now?
He's always on the go.
I don't know where he is.
I know.
There is a underground city in Fangzhou,
which was an ancient tomb built by a vassal in Qin dysnaty.
The tomb was excavated,
and all kinds of villains occupied the tomb
to do some shady business.
Outlaws,
assassins,
wizards
and some poor ordinary people make money here.
I caught a follower of Phantom Rakshasa,
and he said the altar was just in the underground city.
Little brother, do you want to have sex with me?
I'll thrill you!
Lady,
I..
I am not interested in women.
Oh?
Little brother,
are you interested in me?
There are all kinds of weird people
in this weird place.
Little brother, don't leave me.
This is good!
Although people here are weird,
they all abide by their own rules.
They are not bad people.
Look at this little child.
Some live in luxurious places,
and some, run-down areas.
People who stay here
can barely survive.
They are all poor people with nowhere else to go.
In the society,
those living under the sunshine are not all people,
and those living in the shadow are not all ghosts.
Give me.
Give me, please.
They use alive people to offer sacrifice.
What does the Phantom Rakshasa want to do?
Look!
It's the statue in the village.
I've heard that
people in Guteng Village
were all cursed
because they pulled down that statue.
That's why they became ghosts.
We should fight with the Phantom Rakshasa.
Master,
they're stronger in both number and strength,
so it's hard for us to fight with them.
Gollumbajimu, Jidamatsu.
Protect our king!
The old ghost ran so fast.
Worm egg?
Why are these bugs on herbs?
This is a worm grass called Gumanqing.
According to Grass Records,
[Gumanqing]
the herb is grown in cold place.
Dimensionless Ghost Worms cling to it
and feed on its juice.
These are eggs of Dimensionless Ghost Worms
in the bowl.
So,
the dead bodies could rise again
because they ate Gumanqing?
More than that.
Gumanqing has cold energy
and can help heal injuries.
When people eat the herb,
they won't suffer side effects.
Why?
Jiang Qiao,
find a white rat.
OK.
It's dead?
Dee Renjie,
you are familiar with those ghosts
as well as the worm grass.
Obviously, you have been investigated into it for a long time.
What the hell do you know?
I haven't slept for two days.
I am so sleepy.
I'll go to bed first.
Sir, Dee Renjie has found it.
I knew it.
As Grass Records said,
there's a lost mysterious method
which can bring the dead back to life.
That is to grind Gumanqing into juice,
dip the juice with a silver needle
and insert the needle into the Baihui Point,
which is the convergence of all meridians
to arrive at each vessel
and connect the blood of the whole body.
When the silver needle is in,
the worm egg will invade the brain and the internal organs,
so blood vessels in brain are blocked
and blood in eyes cannot circulate
to form congestive eyeballs.
People will become
walking ghosts with red eyes.
So,
those people were made to kill
without their own thinking.
That's right.
The reason why they can attack people
is that their bodies are controlled
by eggs of Dimensionless Ghost Worms.
Those worms like cold place,
so those bodies are afraid of sunshine
and can only go out at night.
Why did Phantom Rakshasa do that?
I can smell apricot flowers.
It's the smell of the herb.
It smells like this after soaking in water.
You highness,
your clothes are wet.
I was in a hurry,
so I forgot my rain gear. I am fine.
Detective Dee, this way, please.
Please.
I smell apricot flowers.
His Highness was caught in the rain that day,
so the smell
came from him.
Prince?
Phantom Rakshasa wears a mask all the time,
so the prince is...
His highness is not in the mansion.
Detective Dee!
You arrived just in time.
I just drew a painting of happy deers.
I want to invite you to appreciate it.
Come here.
Don't go.
Come here to catch me.
Slow down.
Detective Dee!
Come here.
Catch me.
You can't catch me.
The five minerals powder is a good thing.
It can let you forget
all unhappy things.
You feel like falling in a dream,
I catch you.
and feel as if you are in paradise.
Your Excellency,
do you want to have a try?
You were banished to Fangzhou.
I know you are upset,
but don't forget you are the crown prince.
People who can accomplish great things must bear great pressure.
Look at yourself.
You are addicted to elixirs
and give up on yourself.
Do you forget the wishes of the former emperor?
Don't you feel guilty?
People who will accomplish great things
must bear great pressure?
Everybody said that to me.
You all said I should endure everything for the Tang dynasty,
but no one has put themselves in my position.
My two elder brothers
were killed in front of my eyes.
The Wu family,
those corrupt officials
and even
the Empress
all want me to die.
I am not safe even when I hide here.
I don't want to be an emperor.
I just want to write poems
or draw paintings.
I want to live a life that I want to live.
Why can't I?
I catch you.
You can't.
Come here.
Everybody's here, huh?
I accept a tip-off.
It is said that the prince is plotting a rebellion
and has made ghosts with red eyes.
He spreads rumors and confuses people's mind.
I am sorry, Your Highness.
Search here!
How dare you!
I am the prince!
Your Highness,
Her Majesty ordered me to investigate the case.
If you stop me, you'll violate Her Majesty's order.
Search here!
Your Excellency.
Your Excellency,
I heard that you have found the worm grass
that can turn people into ghosts.
Worm grass?
What worm grass?
Is it this?
Your Lordship,
we found this corpse in the wood shed.
Thanks to you, Detective Dee.
If it were not for you,
I couldn't have found the murderer so fast.
Your Highness,
you've truly betrayed my trust in you.
Luling King Li Xian
is caught in the act
of conspiring against the Empress.
Now, get him imprisoned!
Detective Dee!
Is it the Empress that wants to kill me?
Take him away!
I knew it that
this day would eventually come.
Master,
I've found out the truth.
[To Beat]
This is an effigy called Multi-faced Monster.
[Multi-faced Monster]
The totem of Devil Den Tribe living at the foot of the Helan Mountain.
Devil Den Tribe?
A nomadic tribe.
The tribe was then exterminated
for refusing to surrender to the Empress.
And none of them survived.
So Phantom Rakshasa is the descendant of Devil Den Tribe.
In order to take revenge on the Empress,
he deliberately committed a crime before her birthday banquet.
He was meant to make the Prince the scapegoat,
and cause conflicts between mother and son.
When I got the worm grass,
I wondered
why the murderer would take it with him.
Now it turns out that he left it on purpose
to shift the crime onto the Prince.
According to the Prince's maids,
the worm grass of the Prince
was bought from a merchant from the Western Regions.
It was thought to be a kind of spice
and thus they put it into the Prince's sachet.
As things stand,
the Prince is the scapegoat.
Master,
what shall we do now?
Let's go to the Underground City.
Why is it so empty here?
There he is!
Why does this old demon become a Red-eyed Monster?
We've been taken.
Phantom Rakshasa is only the scapegoat
instead of the true culprit.
Master, let's leave here!
Let's go!
Come with me!
Master!
Get out of my way!
Jiangqiao,
duck!
Jiangqiao.
Hold on.
Hold on, Jiangqiao!
Master,
I...
I didn't disappoint you, right?
Not at all.
Jiangqiao!
Your Majesty,
this is the evidence of the Prince's conspiring against you.
I‘ve bred an evil!
I didn't expect he would conspire against me.
I got him reduced to Fangzhou in those years
to sound him out.
But eventually,
he conspired to get me overthrown.
Please calm down, your Majesty.
Your birthday is coming.
Please stay safe and sound.
As for Luling King's crime,
let me deal with it.
Get out now.
[Chen Jiangqiao]
Jiangqiao.
I'm so sorry for not protecting you well.
Master,
when can I work cases independently?
After you've passed my tests.
Master!
This should be counted as my contribution, right?
After solving this case,
can I work cases independently?
So what?
Are you so eager to leave me?
It's not like that.
I just want to see whether I'm capable of it.
You'll always be my Master, ever and forever.
I won't leave you even if you drive me out.
It has been fifteen years.
I thought I could find out the truth
to comfort those dead bros.
But now it has led to Jiangqiao's death.
So for these years,
you've been trying to track down that issue?
The war
lasted for three years.
We were once ordered at night
to attack the Youming City.
But unexpectedly,
we encountered Red-eyed Monsters.
A camp of my bros got killed.
And I was the only one survived.
Later I went to the Youming City again,
only finding that everything there got cleaned up,
as if nothing had happened.
Then I went to the General
who gave us the order.
But the General also
got executed.
Only after that did I know that
Li Ji, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, and his whole family
were killed for treason.
So the General was also implicated into it.
I owe my bros a truth.
I owe them.
I'm more ashamed to face Brother Chen.
There are too many dark, filthy
and unfair matters in the world.
The reason why I became an imperial guard
was to get them cleaned up
and to bring justice and integrity back to the world.
You're the hero in his heart.
Don't disappoint him.
My father and Master were not only comrades in Arms,
but also fellows from the same place.
After my father died, Master adopted me,
brought me up,
and taught me how to solve cases.
In the future, I hope
I can be a great detective like Master.
Punish vice and to praise virtue.
Support those of justice and integrity.
By the way,
it occurred to me.
Lord Qian told me today that
the dead old man was an official of the Ministry of War.
The Ministry of War!
[Documents]
I find it.
[Registered permanent residence of Fangzhou, Tang Dynasty, Zhao Yuanlang]
That old man's name is Zhao Yuanlang,
once the Vice Councilor of the Ministry of War.
He quit his job out of no reason in the fourth year of the Yifeng period.
The fourth year of the Yifeng period...
It has been exactly 15 years till now.
Moreover,
[Registered permanent residence of Fangzhou, Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yuanshan]
Look, there's one more name here.
Zhang Yuanshan,
Governor of Fangzhou.
That makes sense.
He was in charge of the Ministry of War in those years.
So,
they didn't die by accident.
Instead, they were murdered by someone.
Come with me!
We are late.
Someone has been here before us.
[An official dispatch from the Ministry of War]
It seems that you're in a good mood, your Highness.
I should have known that it was you!
Does it matter now?
Her Majesty has got me reduced to Fangzhou.
So I'm not the Prince any longer,
nor do I have the intention to fight for the throne with you.
Why wouldn't you spare me?
You have no intention to be the Prince,
but someone else will want you to.
Only when you are dead
can I be the Prince without potential threats.
Don't blame me.
It's all because you were born into the royal family.
Li Xian, here's the decree!
Luling King Li Xian,
being cruel to common people,
getting others bewitched by him,
and conspiring against her Majesty,
shall be sentenced to death by law.
Now get him escorted to Luoyang
to await further instructions.
Your Highness,
receive the decree.
Fifteen years ago,
Wu Minzhi was reduced to the region north of the Great Wall
for getting some high-ranking officials framed.
In order to compete with the Prince,
he colluded with the descendant of the Devil Den Tribe, Phantom Rakshasa,
and produced these crucial killers.
In order to test the power of these Red-eyed Monsters,
he bribed officials of the Ministry of War
to mobilize the army.
There were no Turkic people in the Youming City at all.
What awaited there
was only the Red-eyed Monsters.
So
it was Wu Minzhi that murdered you and your bros.
Not only that,
Li Ji, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War then
realized that the military order was a fake one,
and he investigated it secretly.
Later he happened to find out Wu Minzhi's conspiracy.
Your Majesty,
You got me wrong!
You indeed got me wrong!
But Wu Minzhi is such a sly guy.
You got me wrong!
He colluded with Zhao Yuanlang
and Zhang Yuanshan, officials of the Ministry of War,
to accuse Li Ji of seizing personal military domination,
and plotting a coup.
Your Majesty!
Damn it!
He slaughtered innocent people and framed upright officials.
To be the Emperor,
he has killed so many people and destroyed so many families.
Now, in order to frame the Prince,
Wu Minzhi did the same trick again.
He used Phantom Rakshasa to murder people with Red-eyed Monsters
and left clues on purpose,
leading us to suspect the Prince.
Fearing that what he did would be revealed,
he then killed Zhang Yuanshan, Zhao Yuanlang
and Phantom Rakshasa.
However,
he never expected that
Zhao Yuanlang
had written down
all of his crimes.
With this evidence,
the damn Wu Minzhi is sure to be brought to justice.
Detective Dee,
Lord Zhou and Lord Wang
are escorting the Prince to Luoyang.
Dee Renjie!
[Prisoner]
Lord Wang.
How have you been?
Dee Renjie?
Why are you here?
[An official dispatch from the Ministry of War]
Take him away.
Luckily, I can clear my name this time.
Thanks to you for being perspicacious and finding out the truth.
Otherwise,
it's impossible for me to escape my doom.
Your Lordship.
[Prisoner]
Say it.
We went to arrest Wu Minzhi,
but by the time we arrived there,
he had gone.
What?
He got away?
He's a criminal of imperial court.
How did you do your duty?
Well...
Detective Dee,
Wu Minzhi is a crafty old devil.
If we don't remove the source of the trouble,
he's sure to bide his time for revenge.
We must not lay by trouble for the future.
Now pay attention.
Deploy extra pawns.
[Prisoner]
Start a citywide manhunt.
Copy that.
I still lost the game.
[An official dispatch from the Ministry of War]
Your Lordship, here are exhibits of the Fangzhou case.
They have been sorted out as you requested.
All right. Put them there.
Yes.
Your Lordship.
Today is the birthday of the Empress.
Why didn't you participate in the celebration?
All the civilian and military officials at court get together in the palace today.
It remains the same without me.
Your Lordship.
Since you came back, you've been working
on how to bring Red-eyed Monsters back to self-consciousness.
Do you have any clue?
These Red-eyed Monsters
are controlled by the eggs of Dimensionless Ghost Worms.
To help deal with that,
we have to remove the eggs in their bodies.
It is said that a herb called Wapium
can work wonders for it.
It's extremely hot-natured.
It may work.
Buy me some at the medicine shop.
Yes, sir.
[Chang'an]
[Prescriptions of Materia Medica]
[An official dispatch from the Ministry of War]
[Dossier]
The little girl saw the real murderer.
Attention! Saddle up!
This is an auspicious Kylin
presented to your Majesty by the King of Tubo.
It is over a hundred feet high
and weighs about 2,500 kilos,
built over years by 200 skilled craftsmen.
May it bring auspiciousness to Your Majesty and our country.
Good.
Tell the King of Tubo
that we will always be in alliance with Tubo.
As soon as I got to Fangzhou,
I felt that my every move
was in someone's control.
The massacre of Red-eyed Monsters
and deaths of the Fangzhou governor and the old man
were meant to lead me
to unearth Wu Minzhi's crimes.
However, in the Fangzhou case,
the real culprit is you.
Your real name is Li Ruohan.
You're the daughter of Li Ji, the former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War.
Your father was falsely accused of treason by Wu Minzhi,
making you lose your family.
For 15 years,
you've been planning your revenge.
You knew I was looking into the old case,
so I became a pawn in your plan.
Am I right?
Shen Qingqing.
You created the Fangzhou tragedy
and shifted the blame on Wu Minzhi.
To dispel my suspicions about you,
you faked your own death.
Everything you planned could indeed deceive all people's eyes.
However,
a detail occurred to me.
Don't be afraid. Come here.
The little girl was hiding under the bed
and wouldn't come out.
I thought she feared the Red-eyed Monster in the closet.
Actually,
the one she really feared was you.
It was because at that night when the old man died,
she witnessed that
you did something to her grandfather.
Not only that,
Phantom Rakshasa was also someone you found to pretend to be him.
The real Phantom Rakshasa
was killed by Wu Minzhi years ago.
Wu Minzhi is dead and you got your revenge.
Can you just put aside your hatred?
Put aside?
When Wu Minzhi falsely accused my father of treason,
all the civilian and military officials knew my father was wronged.
Do you think the Devil Empress didn't know it?
They used my father as a scapegoat
to shield the Wu clan.
38 lives of my family members
were like ants to them.
If I don't get my revenge,
how am I supposed to face those unavenged souls?
Dee Renjie.
Even if you found out the truth,
it is too late.
What's this?
Who's that?
Your Lordship.
Go. Go. Run.
Run!
Your Lordship,
The herb of Wapium indeed works.
Great.
Hurry to save others.
Yes, sir.
[The Hall of All Lands Into One]
Who are you?
Watch out!
[The Hall of All Lands Into One]
Pardon my lateness.
Don't mind me.
Go kill these monsters.
Got it.
[The Hall of All Lands Into One]
Regardless of other things,
you should consider our brotherhood.
Brotherhood?
What brotherhood?
Look out!
Brother...
Brotherhood...
Bravo.
Leave us!
Detective Dee is not here
to see the play, right?
Your Highness loves stories.
I'd like to tell Your Highness a story.
Maybe another time. I'm tired today.
It's a story I saw with my own eyes.
Detective Dee.
What do you mean?
There was a fawn in the woods
whose father was killed by an evil wolf.
You...
You do me wrong, Empress.
You do me wrong.
Dad.
The fawn was left alone.
She was later adopted by an injured silver fox.
Together they killed
their common enemy,
the evil wolf.
I still lost the game.
And they set a trap together
to attack the king of beasts.
But the silver fox is still a fox.
Little did the fawn know
that she herself
was also a prey.
Detective Dee.
The story you told me
is beyond my understanding.
Such a big plan of assassination
can't be plotted by a single person.
Tell me. Who's the mastermind behind you?
I told you I did it all.
You're still covering for him until now.
Do you know there is an ambush in the birthday banquet?
You'll die in vain if you go.
Do you expect me to believe you?
[A transfer order from the Ministry of War]
It's a transfer order of palace guards.
Why are extra guards deployed tonight?
He planned everything all along.
[A transfer order from the Ministry of War]
Stop now.
You and I are just pawns to him.
I don't believe he would do this to me.
The fawn was so stupid.
She deserved to die.
Detective Dee.
If you were the injured silver fox,
what would you do?
Your Lordship.
Empress sent me to invite you to the palace
for an important issue.
Your Majesty, I have something important to report.
Dee, don't bother.
Stand up.
We don't talk public business today,
but some family matters.
After this birthday,
I'll be one year older.
When people get old,
they neither eat well nor sleep well.
It's been weird these days.
I often dream of Emperor Gaozong.
He asked me,
after I went out of this world,
how would Tang Dynasty continue?
He really got me there.
Dee.
Emperor Gaozong used to trust you the most.
Let me ask you.
After I go out of this world,
should the crown prince be inherited by Wu clan or Li clan?
Emperor Gaozong unified the country
and set a century of presence for Li.
For the unification of the Tang Dynasty,
the Prince ought to inherit the throne,
back to the legitimism.
But Emperor Gaozong granted me Kanglong Mace,
asking me both to warn a self-indulgent ruler
and to punish treacherous court officials.
If someone, for the throne,
murders the innocent
and disregards the common people in the world,
how can such a heartless person
be the Emperor of the country?
When I inherited the throne,
I cleared all the enemies who opposed me.
That's why we can live in a time of peace.
If I had been soft-hearted and irresolute,
I would have already become a victim of others' swords.
The way of ruling a country is not the same as that of solving cases.
It's not a matter of black and white.
Follow me.
The silk is so gorgeous,
but underneath it
are knives and swords stained with blood.
The whole country is like the silk.
Once the silk is uncovered,
there will be another bloody storm.
Dee.
Now the silk is in your hand.
Whether to uncover it or not
is up to you.