Secrets of Three Kingdoms (三国机密 / San Guo Ji Mi)

Dismissed.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty is still keeping Guo Jia's snake.

Aren't you afraid that he'll bite you someday?

He doesn't work for Guo Jia.

Your Majesty is so diligent.

You've just ended the court session and you're visiting Cao Pi.

There's a matter that I want you to get done.

Guo Jia has sent Deng Zhan to retrieve a portrait of me from Wen County.

Deng Zhan?

Since Young Master Yang already knows

what do you intend to do about it?

Take drastic measures.

We can't allow Guo Jia to interfere with matters in the capital anymore.

You can't have Guo Jia assassinated.

It's unlikely to succeed

and if it does, we'll infuriate Cao Cao to no end.

Your Majesty.

Guo Jia has many enemies out there.

We'll be sure to make it seem flawless.

It will be a bitter pill for Cao Cao to swallow

but he can't do anything to us.

I already told you.

We can't assassinate Guo Jia yet.

Why is Your Majesty afraid to tackle Guo Jia?

Guo Jia is more frightening alive than dead.

But Guo Jia could be useful to me.

Your Majesty... do you think that

Guo Jia can be deceived by your benevolence?

He is Guo Jia!

It's because he's Guo Jia that I'm well aware

he didn't serve under Cao Cao for the sake of wealth and fame.

A man like him will be useful to the imperial family.

Your Majesty, have you lost your mind?

Who is Guo Jia?

He's Cao Cao's most trusted confidant!

I am very clearheaded.

Be it to live in peace with Cao Cao or for the sake of the imperial family

we can't assassinate Guo Jia now.

Young Master Yang.

Do place the general interest above your hatred for Guo Jia.

Otherwise, once Cao Cao takes it out on you

I'm afraid the Yang family will be implicated.

If we don't kill Guo Jia, we'll have to kill Deng Zhan.

If we kill Deng Zhan, Guo Jia will only suspect us all the more.

Will Your Majesty keep killing every person Guo Jia sends to Wen County?

We can't kill Deng Zhan either.

If Deng Zhan is killed in Wen County, we'll get the Sima family in trouble.

Once the Sima family is exposed, my identity can no longer be concealed.

Your Majesty said so much

but you are just saying that we should do nothing at all.

Fine.

You can then...

head back and sit tightly.

I have proper matters to attend to.

Young Master Yang.

I have a very risky solution.

You'll have to get it done.

Eldest Young Master.

This is the messenger dove sent by Second Young Master.

There is one other matter.

- Speak. - There's a visitor.

He claims to be from the Commandant's Office of Xu.

All right, I'll meet him.

I didn't expect the commandant's office

to keep investigating my godbrother's death.

I'm truly touched.

Please draw us a portrait of your godbrother

so we can capture the culprits soon.

Someone, bring me some paper!

Don't bother.

I've prepared some for you.

I'll comply with your orders.

It's done.

Thank you.

My second brother has been in the capital for days.

Do you know if he's safe?

Young Master Sima just rendered a merit in rescuing His Majesty.

His Majesty's rewards should arrive in Henei very soon.

I'm here on a military order.

I can't elaborate much more.

Sure.

I won't keep you for dinner then.

I'll take my leave.

How is this Yi He's face?

What on earth is Zhong Da up to?

He's always like this.

Tell me. Am I not very unlucky to have such a younger brother?

Eldest Young Master.

Mister Li from next door said that someone from the commandant's office

asked him for a portrait of Young Master Yang.

Did he draw him one?

He did.

This is bad.

I have a matter to report to Your Majesty.

Although the Ministry of Works has attended with great hospitality

this is, after all, the residence of an official.

It's against the regulations.

Minister Cao is far away in Guandu.

He's very worried that

Your Majesty has to put up with such humble accommodations.

I ask to remove security from the ruins of the palace quarters

and renovate the palace.

Your Majesty and the empress can then return to the palace.

I've imposed on the Cao family for quite some time.

Have the palace renovated soon.

However, the battle will soon commence.

The treasury will be quite tight on expenses.

Don't make it too luxurious.

Your Majesty shows solicitude towards the people.

How could I defy your orders?

There are also some other matters that I wish to ask Your Majesty.

On the day of the fire, was that young eunuch the only one who died?

Yes.

Libationer Guo, why would you ask me so?

It's nothing important.

When the commandant's office was cleaning up the ruins

they discovered some strange remains.

Your Majesty shouldn't have to worry about such trivial matters.

I'll leave this to you and the commandant's office.

By the way, when will you have the time to give lectures?

I'd like to know what Your Majesty wishes to learn.

Prefect Xun gave lectures on the classics and essays.

Why don't you give me lectures on politics and current affairs?

There are always tons of reports submitted by the officials each day.

Aren't those enough for Your Majesty to understand politics and current affairs?

That certainly is different.

I'd like to know what the general trend of events is like from your perspective.

Sure.

I'll hold a lecture for Your Majesty tomorrow.

If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now.

I had the private quarters set up personally.

Apart from the late emperor's body, there won't be any other flaw.

I know that he's using reverse psychology.

He said he'd remove security measures

so it's obvious that he's tempting us to take action out of guilt.

Reverse psychology?

Guo Jia is laying traps for you all the time.

You have to be very cautious.

But it doesn't seem right...

What is it?

How could he possibly use reverse psychology in a way

that I could spot right away?

His Majesty is very clever.

He could tell that I was using reverse psychology.

Should we still spread rumors of the remains in the palace ruins?

Definitely.

We weren't using this trick to fool His Majesty anyway.

Besides, Deng Zhan will return very soon.

Send someone to fetch him.

Someone will surely be out to stop him from returning safely.

Yes.

Is it the young master of the Sima family?

Your father and Duke Cao are old friends!

Why do you have to go against Duke Cao and seek your own doom?

We're only fighting against each other now

because you also know who Yang Ping truly is!

There's an ambush...

Lang!

Zhong Da!

Zhong Da, where are you?

Lang, I'm over here!

- Zhong Da! - Lang, I'm over here!

- Zhong Da? - Over here!

Zhong Da, are you all right?

I must have been jinxed.

You calculated so accurately.

If you didn't ambush him from here, I really couldn't have defeated him.

This is where the small trails and official route meet.

A fool like him only takes the wide routes.

As my brother, how could you not attack him from here?

Bear with it.

Zhong Da, Deng Zhan mentioned Yi He's true identity.

What does he mean?

Why can't he get a real portrait of Yi He?

Isn't Yi He already dead?

Why would a dead man's portrait get our family involved?

It's not as if he's some imperial family member or vicious criminal.

Zhong Da, listen. Deng Zhan serves under Cao Cao.

Now that we got rid of him, won't Cao Cao...

Are you sure about this?

Lang, it's a long story.

I'll tell you about it when we get home.

Let's take a look at him first.

Come.

Slowly.

I'll finish him off!

Lang.

We can't kill him.

If we do, Guo Jia will have an excuse to pick on our family.

What should we do?

Are we to send him back?

That won't do either.

Isn't that as good as killing ourselves?

What should we do?

We'll think about it.

Look for the portrait first.

It's not on him.

Lang, search the spot where he was hiding.

Sure.