Hao men ye yan Page #2

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Minister Yin

Your Majesty

I envy you

for having such a personable and astute son

gifted in both cultural and military affairs

Unlike my nephew

your Crown Prince

who only knows to sing and dance

If Your Majesty does not like

the snow leopard carving

it can be replaced at once

I like it

When it snows

this creature stays inside

the cave to groom his fur

When the sun comes out,

it emerges shiny and sleek

it knows about changing with the weather

This is a clever beast

May your servant suggest that

a tiger would be even more appropriate

According to the Book of Change

a great man descends from a tiger

a gentleman from a leopard

Your majesty is a great man

The tiger has an appropriate air of majesty

Governor Pei Hong of You Province

Your Majesty

Why are you silent?

I was thinking, perhaps

this snow leopard should be gifted

to Minister Yin

Why is that?

Because he too knows how to change

with the weather

Governor Pei's suggestion is excellent

We shall bestow on Minister Yin

this beautiful carving

My deepest gratitude to Your Majesty

As for a replacement...

let it be a tiger then

Better still, carve a flying dragon

Long live Your Majesty the Empress

Your servant Pei Hong

bows before the Empress Dowager

Governor Pei greeted the Empress

as Empress Dowager

Did you all hear that?

Yes

What does this signify?

Nobody dares speak?

Then let me explain

The late Emperor has ascended

to the heavens

if the Crown Prince succeeds the throne

the Empress will become

the Empress Dowager

Thus, I am the usurper

Have we understood you correctly,

Governor Pei?

No wonder you are a respected scholar

With three words

you have rearranged the hierarchy of the court

According to our ancestral customs

the Emperor kneels to the Empress Dowager

as a son to his mother

But the Empress kneels to the Emperor

as a wife to her husband

Are you the Empress Dowager?

Or the Empress?

Should I kneel?

Or should you?

Please advise us

Which is the correct procedure?

Your humble consort kneels

before Your Majesty

Your Majesty

Late Emperor

did your spirit in heaven

witness this vile exchange?

General Yin

Your Majesty

The province of You is now yours to govern

I am your servant, Your Majesty

Imperial Guards

Your Majesty

Pei Hong is condemned to be beaten to death

and his entire clan executed

At once, Your Majesty

What was it that you said we should carve?

A flying dragon

Let it be a dragon and a phoenix

This is too brutal

They say that Pei Hong himself invented this

form of punishment

for the late Emperor's use

Pei Hong is dying because of me

If you have any regrets

I can pardon him at once

No pardon

I am grateful to you

You don't have to be

Did you help the late Emperor

in this same way?

No

Then why are you being so generous with me?

You give me what the late Emperor

could never give

Lord Chamberlain

Present

I hereby proclaim

the Empress coronation will take place

on the fifteenth day of this month

Your Majesty

the traitor Pei Hong is dead

He has returned

He is not a threat to you

But you said that the people anticipate

his succession

Yin Sun

What do you think you're doing?

This gift from the Emperor

is an insult to father

It may be an insult

but more than that, it is a test

If your father had not been able to withstand

a little humiliation from time to time

he would never have reached his present rank

or been trusted by three successive emperors

What worries me is your little sister

She is far too innocent

I cannot get the eyes of the phoenix right

Imagine the eyes of Empress Wan

The Empress' eyes are

sometimes soft and charming

and sometimes frightening

A phoenix with a steady gaze

is what would please the Empress most

The coronation is only two days away

I fear this will not be ready in time

From now on

it is best if you stopped seeing the Prince

Why?

When the late Emperor was alive

this match was our family's blessing

Now that he is gone

I fear it may be our downfall

My heart will never change

Make it change

Learn from the Empress

Who cares about losing a kingdom

when in the presence of such rare beauty?

You can hardly be more secure on your throne

I can't ruin you anyway

Qing, why don't you leave us

Yes, Your Majesty

In the heart of hearts, do you not trust me?

The person I do not trust is my dear nephew

I wonder how his rehearsal

for the coronation is going

Your Majesty

this rehearsal

adheres to the usual rules

only wooden swords are employed

Please examine the weapons, Your Highness

Thank you

We have heard that Your Highness

is an expert swordsman

Mere childish endeavours

I have not practiced in years

It is the Emperor's wish

that our performance at the coronation

should impress the entire court

Swordplay is always impressive

and performance is my specialty

In that case, please begin, Your Highness

I am dead

You really meant to kill him

We would not dare

He said he is dead

What does the Empress think he died of?

He...

mistook a deadly combat for a show

Precisely

And I thoroughly enjoyed the show

How did you manage to lose so badly today?

Did you think I lost?

I hope that you will do better

at my coronation

Why do you wear a mask when you perform?

It transports an actor to the highest state

of his art

Without a mask

happiness, anger, sorrow and joy

are simply written on his face

But with a mask

a great artist can convey to the audience

the most complex and hidden emotions

In that case, what do you see

on my simple face?

Six parts arrogance, three parts disquiet

and one part guilt towards your late husband

You are wrong

It is disappointment... disappointment in you

I no longer look to you to fulfill my dreams

I can only pray to the heavens to have mercy

and protect us both

You are incapable of even

the most basic play-acting

Your sorrow, anger, bitterness and uncertainty

are there for all to see

You permit danger to follow you everywhere

You think hiding behind a mask

can elevate your art?

The highest level is to use your own face

and turn it into a mask

You are here

Yes

This is what you asked for

Do not smell it

The poison

is a thousand times deadlier than arsenic

If I can't smell it

how do I use it?

You blow it into the ear with a quill

What is it made of?

Why is it so poisonous?

It's made of Erysipelas from the Northeast

ground together with

black scorpions of the Northwest

So nothing is more poisonous?

No

What can be more lethal than this?

The human heart

There aren't any...

Any what?

There aren't any scorpions in the palace

I hear you brought back a song

I heard it from the Empress...

Trees live on mountains

and branches live on trees

My heart lives for your heart

but you do not see me

How pitiful...

Who?

The boat girl

She loves him

but he does not see her

No

You are talking about me

You think I'm pitiful

She pities me too

Both of you

use my suffering

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