General Man last said "Remember what you promised me years ago?". So he continued, explaining how many army he commanded and helped General Ma years ago, and General Ma said he remembered, and how he entered the city with more army to assist General Ma and again General Ma agreed but scowling and General Man asked "Did respected benefactor remember what you told me? You asked if I have any wish for any reward?" and General Ma scowling said "And I remember you said you did not wish for any reward, if you can remember that!" and General Man said "Yes I remember, I said I only wished for General Ma to lead with dignity and honour and have a healthy and prosperous life" and General Ma sneered "So now you wish to be calculative of all the things you have done for me?!" and General Man said "No my respected benefactor. I only wish dear benefactor to remember his promise, that you will agree to my any demands as long as I ask for it" and General Ma said "Yes I remember that..." and General Man said "I now wish dear benefactor to agree to my one and only demand; to let Lady Yuen go" and General Ma said "You dare to disobey me for this woman? Why? Give me a good reason!" and General Man hesitated and then said "What benefactor doesn't know is Lady Yuen and I once knew each other many years ago and I owe her my deepest gratitude for something she has done for me" and General Ma finally reluctantly relented and so Susanna was let go.
Our loved up couple are still strolling. What a lovely escape. Anyway they stopped by a place for drink and heard a story about a Japanese monk wanting to bring back a guanyin statue he ordered the locals to make but his ship was stalled by something, can't remember and so he concluded the guanyin statue or guanyin herself has found her home and wishes to stay with the local. So he gave the statue to a local temple to be honoured. Sam Hou and Hin Yeung hear the story intensely.
Next scene, Emperor in the morning meeting with fellow robotic mindless dumb disloyal stupid ministers. Why? Not one offered any opinion. Then General Ma said loudly "Lady Lau has been missing for days. She can't be found in this palace!" and the emperor said "Are you sure? Have you searched every corner of the palace grounds?" and General Ma said "She is no longer here. And my only conclusion is she has left this palace! And since Officer Ko can't be found either, they must have eloped together. I demand your majesty to order for the search and arrest of the eloped couple immediately!" and Emperor said "If Lady Lau can't be found I understand. What makes you think Officer Ko is involved? I have already said he is on an errand on my behalf" and General Ma demanded "What errand? Where? How many days?!" and Emperor said "As you know errands can take time. I can't be keeping count on how many days" and General Ma said "Fine! Then issue the order against Lady Lau!" and I was thinking why no one says "Oi! Shut up lar! Emperor has spoken!!" but not one defended the emperor. And I was thinking of a chinese saying, "Wong Tai ng kap, tai kam kap" which literally is The Emperor is not concerned but the eunuch is which basically means why should you care so much or be so urgent about something when someone affected by it isn't? This scene literally is that. General Ma continued "We have to give to the foreign king an explanation! The peace must be maintained! Why is your majesty hesitating?! Issue the order!" and every idiot there kneeled and said the same thing and Emperor who should consider firing all of them was trapped when eunuch rushed in and announced to his surprised "Your majesty, Officer Ko Hin Yeung has returned and wishes to report to your majesty!" and so General Ma looked like an idiot. Hin Yeung strolled in followed by a eunuch holding a jade guanyin statue (small one) and he stared at General Ma who stared back and he said "Your majesty, I have delivered the item you have ordered me to and in gratitude the people of the village asked me to bring back this jade guanyin to your majesty" and Emperor was very happy and said "Good! Good! Well done!" but General Ma said "What about the order your majesty, against Lady Lau?" and Hin Yeung asked "Lady Lau is missing? Have you searched every corner of this palace? General Ma, isn't it your responsibility to ensure the security of this palace? How can a maid simply vanish for no reason?" and wow, Hin Yeung, some personality, YEAH! General Ma stuck now when another eunuch rushed in and said "Your majesty, the empress dowager requests for your majesty's immediate presence at her quarters. She said she found Lady Lau!" and everyone surprised of course, including the emperor.
General Ma, Hin Yeung (can't remember if he was there), Emperor all rushed in to see Empress Dowager sitting and Sam Hou looking pale and sick on the lounge chair with the empress dowager's maid. Empress Dowager explained "It seems Lady Lau fell into a well and couldn't scream for help until my maid walked by and found her and rescued her" and Emperor asked "Are you alright?" and Sam Hou said weakly "Yes I am fine, just a bit tired" and General Ma said "Fell into a well for days and could still scream for help? Even without a drop of water and a bite of food?" and I was thinking, oh dry well issit? Anyway Empress Dowager was very angry as she said "General Ma, from your tone, are you doubting my explanation? Are you suggesting I am in cohort with Lady Lau?!" and General Ma sheepishly said "No I am not" and Empress Dowager softened and said "General Ma, I haven't been feeling well, please forgive my tone" and I was like why apologise? Slap him! Kick him! Be mean! Be Empress Dowager Kwok! You don't owe him an apology!!!!!!!!!!! Emperor diffused the situation and said "Since Lady Lau is found and all is a misunderstanding, let the matter pass" and so General Ma once again the complete idiot and most failed villain said "If that is the case, then we can have some time to prep Lady Lau and prepare her for the wedding to the foreign king!" and all looked at him sheepishly. Yes, he has a one track mind.
Sam Hou, Hin Yeung and Emperor in a room and Emperor said "Why have you returned? I thought you have both left already!"
Yeah, how they can come back in? Show us lar! I mean at least Sam Hou, how? "Hang Kung" issit?
Hin Yeung explained "We passed by a village and heard a most curious story.." and went on to talk about that Japanese monk and Guan Yin statue and Sam Hou concluded "We realise we are meant to be here. We can't just abandon your majesty and just run away and let you deal with all the problems. We can't be that selfish" and Hin Yeung agreed.
Pause here.
Damn right Sam Hou! I feel the emperor has up to his sleeves or neck or whatever dealing with problems thanks to these 2 and General Ma and let's not even mention the frequent flooding of Yangtze river, famine, hunger, rebellions, corruption, etc which doesn't exist in this series because the universe revolves around General Ma and Sam Hou. However I don't get what was the connection between the story and their decision to return.
Emperor was very touched and said "I thank you both for your concern for me and I am happy you have returned to assist me. But the foreign king is still a problem..." and Sam Hou said "We have a solution. I will disfigure my face so that the foreign king will reject me when he sees my ugly face with a cream called *** (didn't catch the name)" and Hin Yeung actually agreed!! Emperor looked worried.
The doctor came to see the emperor and explained "That *** cream will certainly destroy the skin and leave a permanent scar but to do so the person will be in extreme pain for days" and the emperor panicking raised his voice "I already know that! I want to know now whether there will be a remedy, a cure for the disfigurement?" and the doctor said "No".
Sam Hou and Hin Yeung in the room. Hin Yeung asked "Are you sure?" and Sam Hou said "This is the only way that I won't have to marry that foreign king. I am sure. This way we can be together and still achieve our dream of a little home and farming for livelihood and a life in anonymity" and Hin Yeung gently said "Yes" but Sam Hou said "But once my face is disfigured, how can you stand looking at me for the rest of your life? Will you not wake up one day and look at my face and think you have made a mistake?" and Hin Yeung said gently "Never. If you think I would think so, then when this is all done, I will blind myself and when I am blind I will not be able to see and your feelings won't be affected on how I might see you. I may be blind but I can still farm and I can still smell the flowers we grow and I can still feel your touch" and Sam Hou very touched said "I am ready".
Pause here.
Kinda desperate for them to do like this! Blind himself? What am I watching? Qiong Yau series? I was half expecting Hin Yeung to cry and grab Sam Hou and said "Wo bu guan! Wo ai niiiiiiiiiiii Na! Dau, wo de yian jing!!" and Sam Hou screaming "BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Anyway Sam Hou nervously closed her eyes as Hin Yeung was about to apply the cream when Emperor rushed in and stopped them and said "Stop!! I will not allow you to do this!" but Hin Yeung said "We have agreed. I will blind myself after this" and Sam Hou said "This is the only way" and Emperor said to Sam Hou "Will you be willing to do anything to avoid this marriage?" and Sam Hou said "Yes" and Emperor said "Even if it means sacrificing your own good name?" and Sam Hou said "Yes" and the Emperor said "Then you will follow my plan. There will be a banquet for the foreign king and I want you to dress up and dance for him, as provocatively as you can" and Sam Hou and Hin Yeung looked at him as their one last hope.
I just realise Hin Yeung is not very smart.
Anyway come banquet, Emperor said "The wedding has been set! Lady Lau shall marry you. But before that, Lady Lau wishes to dance a special dance for you" and lusty king eagerly said yes when Sam Hou walked in,very revealing dress and danced very provocatively for the king, that even Hin Yeung squirmed a bit and we see flashback as she danced where a guy tattoos something black huge mark on Sam Hou's right upper arm and she was in pain and Hin Yeung rushed to her and the Emperor stood back, eventhough he wanted to hold her himself and king saw the mark and sudddenly he became very dizzy. Then Sam Hou finished and Emperor said "Well done Lady Lau! You must serve the king well as his concubine and do not let us down!" and Sam Hou said "Yes your majesty" and he awarded her a seat next to the king. She sat down, the king stared at her black mark and said "Have you had that mark since birth?" and Sam Hou said "Yes" and he said "It looks like fire, a black fire" and I realise it does as Sam Hou said "I never noticed but now that you said it, yes it does look like a flaming black fire doesn't it?" and the King looked uncomfortable, so were his assistants.
Next scene King said "I beg your majesty to allow me to cancel this union!" and General Ma was shocked as Emperor pretended to be shocked said "Why? I thought you liked Lady Lau?" and King said "I do, but our culture treasures fairness above all else, and despises darkness and all matters relating to the colour black. Lady Lau's birthmark is black and looks like the shape of fire and worse still, the bottom of the birthmark looks like some burning logs, like a really big fire" and General Ma said "That is just superstitions. It is just a birthmark" and King said "You don't understand. Years before we had huge disasters ..." and he went on to explain all these were believed to be due some black fire or something. "And so Lady Lau will be considered bad luck and if I marry her and bring her home, I will be ostricised by my family and people and will do injustice to my ancestors. I am most sorry!" and Emperor said "Well, if that is the case, I can't force you to do so. Alright, the union is cancelled" and General Ma frowned as King said "Thank you for your understanding. Our people owe their deepest gratitude to your majesty's compassion!"
Sam Hou, Hin Yeung and Emperor were very happy as Sam Hou said "Your majesty have thought such a brilliant plan" as Hin Yeung said "All those years in the monastery, your majesty has exposed yourself to different cultures and so knew this king's culture is wary of black fire markings. Your majesty is indeed the wisest!" and Emperor smiled and said "The stay at the monastery has taught me well..." and he went on to credit the head monk there and he said "However, Sam Hou will have that tattoo on your arm forever" but Sam Hou smiled and said "The King's culture may see this black flame marking as bad luck but since it saved me from having to marry off so far and separating from my home, family and friends, to me it is a good luck mark and I shall wear it gladly" (something like the reason for Empress Dowager for still wearing that last jewelry Sam Hou's mother made).
Problem solved
Next we have General Man approaching Siu Shun outside the palace as he was running errands, knowing he was his son although you are right to think how did he know since no scene to tell us that so just assume Susanna told him. He became friendly with Siu Shun who was scared of him, treated him to expensive food, later General Man told Susanna how he thought Siu Shun is a good kid but too eager to please and so has a certain fakeness to his personality as Susanna explained he has to be that way since he is a eunuch and if he makes mistake he will be punished severely and the later in the palace general Man insisted on adopting Siu Shun as god son and Susanna happily orchestrated that although Siu Shun was confused but was given a huge jade and he took it and called a very happy General Man "Godfather".
With Michelle Siu Shun expressed his doubt on General Man's sincerity although Michelle smiling assured him General Man seems genuine. And so Siu Shun was happy to have a powerful man as godfather.
Later Sam Hou was with Po Yin and Kam Ling, both expressed how happy they were she was ok although Kam Ling smirked too much when Sam Hou thanked Po Yin and called her gracious and giving and noble. Alone, Kam Ling was busy shredding flowers as she spitted out her contempt for Po Yin as she said "Who does she think she is? Gracious? Giving? Noble? I will show her!" as Fei Yin fueled her anger by spitting venom herself as they were busy fanning something, like the flowers being burned and the smoke covering the clothes Kam Ling wore as Kam Ling said "Do this more. Soon, that Concubine Yin will get her just desserts!"
Smoke to cause miscarriage perhaps? Kam Ling is so devious, so petty, so cruel and malicious. What has she to gain in doing all that? Dumb woman. I am pretty tired of her already.
General Man and General Ma practising shooting arrows, General Man shot right at bull's eye whilst General Ma missed slightly as General Man said ...
I shouldn't say Benefactor eventhough that was what General Ma was to general Man. It should be Teacher. I will now use Teacher because Yan Si can also be teacher.
"Teacher has never missed" and General Ma "My skills are not as before. Anyway I know there are some old veterans retiring. I have someone I could recommend, he is the son of a very close friend of mine..." and General Man looked doubtful as General Ma said "Something wrong?" and General Man said "I can only accept those who are skilled in all the areas of combat, not just because he is a son of someone" and General Ma said "If that is the case, I shall reject this friend of mine" and General Man then shot another arrow that missed and General Ma said "Please, don't put my request to your heart. I can always reject this friend, don't be too bothered by it" and General Man said "I am most sorry teacher" and he walked away. General Ma's face turned ugly as he shot his arrow which struck right through General Man's bull's eye arrow! He was pretending!
General Man then came to the temple, closed the door and we see Hin Yeung and emperor walked out from behind.
Next episode, POOR GENERAL MAN! He became paralysed or rather invalid!
No comment on performances or story. The best was still last night but I must say the emperor is wise. I am just disappointed in BTROC universe the Tang Dynasty is reduced into such a small mindless robotic world. No other ally for the emperor? Not one who dares to fight General Ma? What happened to the rebels Hin Yeung were liasing with? Not one scene, not one sign, not one peek! What a small small world.
Oh on acting, yes, that foreign king, god awful performance!
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