In the reign of the Jiangjing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty,
the emperor
was obsessed with alchemy of Taoism.
In the pursuit of immortality,
his self-indulgence and negligence
caused the country's decline.
Thus, complaints were heard everywhere.
What a rare treasure!
I'm sure His Highness will like it.
Please put in a good word for me, sir.
No problem.
I hope you're paying attention.
Yes.
Light up!
"The Prequel of Gold Conveyors: Super National Treasure"
The Nine-tailed Fox?
He is nothing to me.
Mr. Gu,
we heard that
he is a notorious thief.
That's right.
No matter what he got up his sleeve,
he is nothing more than a crook,
who sneaks around, in front of me.
Have you already encountered him?
Well,
you don't understand.
As conveyors,
we should avoid fighting.
It's unprofessional
to always fight against your enemies.
Still don't get it?
Have you heard of
the theft in Gem Street last year?
I have.
Of the twelve jewelry stores in Gem Street,
eleven of them were emptied overnight.
It was exactly the work of the Nine-tailed Fox.
But there were twelve jewelers in all.
Why is it that only Hengsheng Jewelry
got away with it?
Let me put it this way.
As long as Ping'an Convoy is here,
even the best thief in the world
would have to keep away from us,
let alone the Nine-tailed Fox.
Ping'an Convoy
will keep our clients safe.
Fu, hurry up.
I'm pulling the cart now.
Why don't you do it?
Be a good loser. You're paying your bet.
Am I right, Madam?
Both of you, shut up!
Look at Wang Zhaoxing. All work and no talk.
Are you tired? We can have some rest if you want.
No.
It's been a hard journey.
I'll tell the chef to add 100 grams of meat for you.
100 grams of meat for each person?
That's not enough.
I didn't say each person.
I meant 100 grams per pot.
Madam, no wonder you're called a miser.
What's wrong with spending wisely?
I'm running the business on a shoestring.
If I don't scrimp,
everybody will have nothing to eat.
Why did you stop?
Someone is fighting.
Protect His Lordship.
How dare you! Let him go!
He ran away fast.
It's fine.
With a few plasters you'll be good.
Zhu,
go get more salve from the cart.
Miss Gu,
thank you for saving our lives.
You are welcome.
By the way,
Who was that masked bandit
I don't know.
He seemed to have popped out of nowhere.
I was so scared.
Please follow me.
My master wants to see you.
This way.
Oh, it's you,
Mr. Xu.
Thank you
for saving my life.
Stop it.
I don't need your gratitude.
Please wait.
Daniu.
What's wrong with the boss lady?
I don't know.
Madam, Madam.
What are you waiting for? Go!
Hurry, hurry.
Do you have any questions?
Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
Mr. Xu looks like a kind person to me.
Are you kidding me?
He is nothing but a pest, a scrooge!
What happened between you two?
It was ten years ago.
Xu Wanhai used to be our client.
Once he wanted us to escort some jewelry to Qingzhou.
After much hard bargaining,
he only paid us 20 taels of silver
and made us sign an affidavit.
It wasn't much money,
but he played by the rules.
Let me finish.
After that, my dad set off right away
with the jewelry.
But Xu Wanhai changed his mind
right after they got out of Cangzhou.
He insisted to go westward.
Go westward? Isn't Qingzhou in the east?
That's right. Guess what he said?
He said, "We're not going to Qingzhou.
It's written on the affidavit that we're heading to Jingzhou."
My dad didn't believe it at first.
But he was dumbfounded when he saw the affidavit.
Why?
That damn Xu Wanhai
replaced the word Qingzhou with Jingzhou.
Qingzhou is in Shandong, and Jingzhou is near Xiangqian.
They are over 1,000 km away from each other.
That's unheard of. Then you should have rejected him.
It's standard practice to follow the affidavit,
so we couldn't break the treaty.
My dad had no choice but to go to Jingzhou.
I didn't know that
your father is a man of his word.
We spent over 200 taels
for the task during the journey.
It costs the convoy a year's worth of income.
Not only that,
my dad finished up seriously ill.
Since then,
our Ping'an Convoy
has made a clean break with Xu Wanhai.
Zhaoxing,
Junior,
what's the matter?
Look at you.
All dressed up!
How does it feel to be a convoyer?
Come on.
As a commander in the Royal Guards,
I have to hide in a convoy all the time.
You must keep your identity secret.
It's Father's decision and I'm sure it'll play a role.
I don't see the point of it.
Let me show you.
Wang Zhaoxing, attention!
Yes.
The Military Governor wants you to investigate
the theft of the dragon pattern jade
in Prince Jin's Mansion secretly.
You must find out the thief and get the stolen treasure back
without fail.
Yes.
I've heard about the case.
People say that
the criminal is a man called the Nine-tailed Fox.
Exactly.
This person is elusive
and good at martial arts.
There's nothing the government officials can do.
That's why the authorities sent us for this.
It's said that
the Nine-tailed Fox is roaming in Cangzhou.
You can use your position as a convoyer
to look into the case in secret.
B-Boss Lady,
it seems I have less salary than the others.
You're not wrong.
I deducted part of your pay.
But why?
You're new here,
so you had to pay for your work clothes.
-Stop counting. Let's go for a drink. -Okay.
It includes one outfit, a pair of boots,
three socks, a new quilt,
two piles of toilet paper...
Stop.
Fine, deduct it as you want.
It's not up to me. That's the rule.
That's what happens to everyone.
I'll just follow the rules.
Hold on.
Here you are.
I noticed that your boots are a bit small.
They'll wear out sooner or later.
I'm making winter clothes for my dad these days.
So I made a pair of boots for you.
How much do I have to pay you?
Do you think I'm Xu Wanhai,
the miser?
You can have them for free.
No, I can't.
It'll break the rules.
Stop nagging.
Do as I say.
But...
But what? They are a gift.
Don't say you don't need them.
Why don't you give them to me instead?
Officer Deng, what brings you here?
You didn't invite me,
so I invited myself.
Bro,
Miss Gu doesn't make boots for others that often.
You should just take them.
Thank you.
Miss Gu, is your father at home?
Sure.
Dad, we have a guest.
Mr. Gu.
Officer Deng.
It's been a while.
What,
are you here to play chess with me
because of leisure time at work?
That's it.
I'm on business now.
And I can't wait to play chess.
But it's not what I came for.
The magistrate wants to see you.
Girl,
The magistrate has just taken office.
And we don't even know him.
What could he possibly want from us?
Don't worry. Let's play it by ear.
As the saying goes, "A new official applies strict measures".
Will he put us in trouble?
Dad, don't think too much.
Your Excellency, Mr. Gu and his daughter have arrived.
Nice to meet you, Mr. Gu.
Greetings, Your Excellency. I'm Gu Ping'an.
Officer Deng
speaks very highly of you.
Nice to finally meet you.
You've lived up to your reputation.
Officer Deng is only joking.
Please don't take it seriously.
That's right.
Don't take it seriously.
What can I do for you, Your Excellency?
I'm just asking you for a favor.
Actually, one of my friends wants to hire your convoy.
Oh, that.
You've found the right person, then.
Ping'an Convoy will keep our clients safe.
Good. That's a relief!
Mr. Xu, come out.
Mr. Gu, how do you do?
Miss Gu.
Mr. Gu, Miss Gu, don't get me wrong.
Mr. Xu is hoping to apologize to you today.
Save it. There's nothing to talk about.
I'm done with him. Dad, let's go.
You may go now.
But the Nine-tailed Fox would be laughing.
What? The Nine-tailed Fox?
Officer Deng, just tell them the truth.
Yes, Your Excellency.
Mr. Gu, Miss Gu,
have you ever heard of the Immortal Dew-collecting Tray?
Dew has been considered auspicious since ancient times.
According to a legend, skilled craftsmen made the tray
under Emperor Wu of Han's orders.
If one drinks dew from the tray every day,
they'd be immortal.
But later, the national treasure
was lost during the war.
It hasn't been discovered until recently.
Am I right, Mr. Xu?
Precisely.
I received a treasure not long ago.
It's proven to be the tray
used by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
But what does it have to do with the Nine-tailed Fox?
The Immortal Dew-collecting Tray is priceless.
I had found a buyer
and was going to sell it in three days.
However, I got an unexpected letter yesterday.
Come and go without a trace. The Nine-tailed Fox.
Let me see it.
Hm, it's his handwriting.
The guy leaves a note to the owner of the treasure
every time before he steals.
How arrogant!
Exactly.
The Nine-tailed Fox has committed unforgivable crimes.
And the court has issued
arrest warrants for him.
But the thief has always been unpredictable.
No one knows what he looks like.
Mr. Gu,
Didn't you always say that
you had a fight with the Nine-tailed Fox?
Well, actually,
I didn't really spar with him.
You also said that
the Nine-tailed Fox wouldn't have the guts to show up
as long as Ping'an Convoy was here.
Well...
That's true. So what?
That's it.
I hope you can go to Mr. Xu's residence
and protect the antique.
You'll be out in the open
while Officer Deng is guarding in secret.
This way, we can surely catch the Nine-tailed Fox.
I'm afraid I can't do it, Your Excellency.
What,
are you really going to turn me down?
I dare not.
It's just that we have decided
to never serve Xu Wanhai again.
That's right. Please understand.
I don't buy it.
Maybe you are just chickened out
at the mention of the Nine-tailed Fox.
No, we're not.
He's a mere thief.
We've never paid any attention to him.
Then why are you afraid to accept the commission?
Afraid? How absurd! Listen,
there's nothing I'm afraid in the world.
Stop it, girl.
Don't worry, Dad.
Your Excellency, we'll take the job
and work with the government to catch the thief.
Great! Mr. Xu, you should thank them.
Hold on, Xu Wanhai must agree on three conditions
before we work for him.
Please say it, Miss Gu.
I'll make Mr. Xu agree.
Alright, listen.
Firstly,
during this period, everyone in Xu's mansion
must obey my orders.
No one shall interfere with us.
Secondly, Mr. Xu must provide
free clothes, food, accommodation and transportation for us.
Shrimp and fish,
wine and meat must be served every meal.
Meat for every meal? That's too much!
Don't rush. Let me finish.
Since the tray is priceless,
and it's hard to value the treasure,
we'll ask for 2,000 taels of silver as payment.
What? 2,000 taels of silver?
Right, and you must pay first.
If you break any of the rules above,
Ping'an Convoy
can quit at any time.
You, you are robbing me.
It's fine. You can say no.
Your Excellency, there's nothing we can do.
Mr. Xu, that's your fault.
Well, fine. I agree.
Girl, you were too impulsive.
We shouldn't have taken the job.
Dad, It's about our reputation.
How could we lose face
in front of His Excellency?
But the Nine-tailed Fox isn't someone to be trifled with.
If the treasure is lost,
I'm afraid
we won't be able to have a foothold in Cangzhou.
What are you afraid of, Dad?
The Nine-tailed Fox is not a monster.
He's just a thief.
With Officer Deng's help,
there's nothing to be afraid of.
But I'm feeling so upset.
Who knows what
Xu Wanhai will do this time?
What else can he do?
He's given us the money.
That's ten times the loss
we suffered.
A leopard doesn't change its spots.
I don't get it.
How did Xu Wanhai become so generous all of a sudden?
I'm so worried.
I can go with Boss Lady
if you're really worried.
Great. Girl,
my legs are not good,
so I can't go with you. You may bring Wang Zhaoxing along.
In this way, you'll have a helper,
and he can learn
how to be a good convoyer.
Come on in. This way, please.
How luxurious this place is!
The koi is worth
at least twenty taels of silver each.
Twenty taels of silver? That's expensive!
Xu Wanhai would rather spend money on
his fish and birds
than on his servants.
Please, please. Serve tea.
I'll get Lord Xu.
Officer Deng, you're early.
Yeah, I've been waiting for you for a while.
Hi, Wang.
Have a seat, everyone.
Make yourselves at home. Have some tea.
Mr. Xu is mean as hell.
Does he call this tea?
It's simply water.
What do you mean?
Miss Gu,
we have always put our guests first.
As the saying goes: a hedge between keeps friendship green.
The more we respect the guests, the lighter the tea gets.
Oh, I forgot.
Maybe martial artists like you
neither care nor understand about table manners.
Am I right?
Well, we poor conveyors
indeed don't know how to be phony.
Someone is so shameless
that they tampered with the affidavit on purpose.
Who are you referring to?
You know who I'm talking about.
Don't play dumb.
You, you...
I've got a bellyache, Xiaoyu.
Tell His Lordship.
Honey, honey.
Madam, stop making trouble.
I'm making trouble? Are you serious?
She provoked me first.
This is bullying. I want to die!
You must do me justice.
Don't be angry, honey.
Xiaoyu, get her out of here.
Baby, slow down, slow down.
Be careful, babe.
Forget it, don't let them get to you.
Let's get down to business.
A bunch of misers.
Look at you. Are you really angry?
People say that Miss Gu
in Ping'an Convoy
is an open-minded girl.
Is it all fake?
Of course not.
I won't sink to their level.
Alright, alright. It's okay.
Mr. Xu, it's time to show Miss Gu the antique.
Well, this way, please.
Come in.
I've never seen so many treasures
in my life.
Yeah, I wish I could have one of these.
This is bad.
You must move all the treasures out,
apart from the tray.
Why?
It says on the contract
that we'll only be responsible for the safety of the tray.
As for the other objects,
they're out of our hands.
Besides,
it's stacked with stuff here.
It's easy for the thief to hide.
That's right.
Who is to blame if a fight breaks out,
and the objects are shattered?
I won't blame anyone. Miss Gu,
it's the only treasury in my residence.
If I move the stuff out,
where else can I put them?
It's none of my business. According to the agreement,
you must do as I say.
Miss Gu,
there's not enough room.
No, no. Don't touch it.
Don't touch it. Don't touch it.
The vase!
My porcelain jar!
It's killing me.
This one looks pretty, too.
Leave it alone.
Fine, I'll move, I'll move.
Mr. Xu, do you need any help?
No, I don't. I don't need help.
I, I can do it alone.
What the heck is this? Is this for people?
It's your lunch.
Mrs. Diao, this is too much.
Officer Deng,
that's nonsense.
On the basis of the agreement,
You asked for shrimp and fish,
wine and meat for every meal. Here you are.
Are you feeding cats?
Daniu.
-Bro. -Sit down.
Mrs. Xu,
the food you provided is fine,
but we don't like it.
We might as well cook for ourselves.
Are you sure?
Honey, what are they doing?
Don't worry.
I've told the servants
to hide all the meat.
There's not much she can do.
That's very considerate of you!
Give me a kiss!
There you go!
-That's what I like. -Braised fish!
Come on.
Come on, enjoy.
Okay.
-Hello, everyone. -Mr. Xu is here.
What are you having for lunch?
Nothing, it's just some home-made dishes.
Would you like to try some?
Come on.
It seems good.
Braised fish?
Where did you get the fish?
It was raised in your pond.
It's such a big fish, Mr. Xu.
That's my koi!
The soup is good, too.
Right, try it.
Where did you get the eggs?
They're not ordinary eggs.
Your canaries just laid them.
Quite fresh.
Canaries?
They are a bit small.
But enough for a soup.
Yummy, yummy. Come on.
I've waited for two years for them to lay eggs.
My canaries, my canaries!
Mr. Xu, they won't lay eggs any more.
They're right here.
Look, look.
My canaries!
I'm really amazed.
Even the cheapskate can do nothing
when confronted with the miser.
I'm full.
I've always wanted to teach him a lesson.
It's a good thing I came.
Boss Lady, you've had your fun.
Let's get to work.
I don't need you to tell me.
One, two, three.
What kind of lock is this?
It's called the Eight-treasure Lock.
It's octuple-locked.
No one can open it without the key.
With the treasury and the chest,
I believe even the Nine-tailed Fox
can't open it.
Watch out!
You two stay here.
Go!
Who are you?
The Nine-tailed Fox.
What?
Are you the Nine-tailed Fox?
Prove it to me.
The dragon pattern jade.
I'm glad you know.
Buddy,
you disturbed me yesterday.
Are you gonna do it again?
Stop it there, Nine-tailed Fox!
Save us the trouble.
Wanna catch me?
Bring it on.
Take this, you thief!
What are you waiting for? Go help him!
This is interesting.
I happen to be bored today.
Girl,
do you want to make a bet?
If I lose,
I'll go down without a fight.
You have my word.
What's the bet?
I'll try three times in three days.
If I fail to steal the tray,
I'll turn myself in.
If you lose,
I'll take all the treasures of the Xu's,
and you can't get in my way.
What do you say?
Are you afraid?
Of course not. I'll bet.
I'll show you what I got.
What?
The Nine-tailed Fox has shown up?
What do we do, honey?
Alright, don't worry.
I've set everything up.
The treasury is heavily guarded.
No one can steal the tray.
Great.
I'm counting on you, then.
Why did you shake your head?
I didn't.
Spit it out.
It's important to know about our enemy.
But we know nothing about the Nine-tailed Fox so far.
We can't let our guard down.
It's fine.
I have my own plans.
Officer Deng and his men have laid an ambush outside.
If the Nine-tailed Fox comes,
we'll have him trapped right away.
Don't be too confident.
Or you might overlook it.
Listen and learn.
I didn't bring you to lecture me.
You asked me first.
Now you're angry.
Fine, then you tell me
if there's any weakness in the security measures.
Nope.
That's it.
But it doesn't mean that
the tray is safe.
What are you talking about?
Nonsense!
According to military tactics,
you should attack your enemy when they're in chaos.
Stop it. What military tactics?
You're just a scout,
okay?
What's wrong with a scout?
What matters is the truth.
You really don't understand how it works, huh?
I'm the boss and you have to listen to me.
Now the back garden is shorthanded.
Go help them.
You sure?
Well,
don't blame me
if something bad happens.
What a goosie.
Boss Lady!
Zhu, how's it going
Rest assured. Everything's all right.
The Nine-tailed Fox must be too afraid to come.
Fire, fire, fire!
Put out the fire!
Do something! It's on fire!
Let's go!
The tray...
We need water!
It's on fire. Hurry up!
That way, that way.
Put the fire out. Hurry!
Go get more water. Come on!
Miss Gu, you're sweating.
Thank you.
Geez.
How did it get on fire all of a sudden?
Where's the tray, Miss Gu?
Where's my tray?
Don't worry, it's right here.
My tray, my tray.
Oh no.
It's killing me.
Gu, where is my tray?
Give me back my treasure!
Stop it!
It was in the chest just now.
How did it vanish in a blink of an eye?
My God!
It's got to be the Nine-tailed Fox.
Nine-tailed Fox, go to hell!
Alright, alright, will you calm down?
It's just a tray.
Don't be a drama queen!
You know nothing. Without the tray,
my family and I will all be executed.
What? Are you serious?
My tray.
Stop crying! Xu Wanhai,
Get your wife under control!
The priority now is to get the tray back.
Easy for you to say.
You tell me how we can get it back!
You don't have to go.
What do you mean, Wang Zhaoxing?
Nothing's missing. Of course you don't have to go.
My tray!
Honey!
What happened on earth?
I just want you to know that
it's easy to get the tray
out of the treasury.
What?
Even if the treasury is impregnable,
kerosene can still go through the door.
Once the building is set on fire,
you'll surely move the chest out of the room
and get distracted by the fire.
This way, I can easily get the tray.
That's called looting a burning house.
Darn it, Wang Zhaoxing, how dare you!
Get out of here!
Bro, bro, don't leave.
Miss Gu, don't be angry. We can talk.
I didn't know Wang is so resourceful.
Without the fire he set today,
we would probably be fooled by the Nine-tailed Fox.
Wang Zhaoxing, it's not over yet.
Mrs. Xu, hold on.
You mentioned the execution.
What did you mean?
Did, did I say it?
My wife just said it wrong.
Mr. Xu,
are you hiding something from us?
N-no.
Well, if you don't tell us the truth,
we'll just quit according to the agreement.
Don't, don't, Miss Gu.
Can I have a word with Miss Gu alone?
Come in.
What on earth is going on?
What are you doing?
Miss Gu, please save me.
What do you mean?
It's all my fault.
I do hide one thing from you.
Actually, I'm not going to
sell the tray to another rich man.
Instead, I'm giving it to His Majesty.
His Majesty? Why?
Get up before talking.
You're living in Cangzhou,
so there's a lot you don't know about the capital.
In fact, His Majesty is also in pursuit of eternal life
just like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
His Majesty believes that
the tray can collect nectar.
So he sent people
looking for the treasure everywhere.
When I got the Immortal Dew-collecting Tray,
I wrote to an official I know
and told him that I'd present it to His Majesty.
His Majesty was very glad
as he heard about it.
He has sent a courtier
to take the treasure.
Now the courtier will arrive in Cangzhou
in three days.
If the tray got stolen
and I couldn't give it to them,
I would be held responsible for this.
Of course my whole family would be executed.
Damn Xu Wanhai.
Not only would his family be executed,
but also we would get involved in this.
Dad, take it easy.
How can I? We'll be in big trouble
if we lose the national treasure.
I've told you that there is something fishy about this.
And yet you wouldn't listen.
I wanted to take the chance
and teach Xu Wanhai a lesson.
Who would have known that he hid the truth?
A leopard doesn't change his spots.
Why did he take us with him?
Come on,
you always brag that
the Nine-tailed Fox would chicken out
at the sight of your convoy's flag.
As a result, everyone in the city knows that
Ping'an Convoy is the thief's nemesis.
Well, I, I was just saying.
Never assumed that we'd really meet him.
Isn't it a good thing?
Others are struggling to know
his whereabouts.
Isn't it your chance?
But the Nine-tailed Fox is cunning.
It's not easy to catch him.
Besides, if the tray gets stolen,
Miss Gu and other people will be in trouble.
It's only been a few days.
And you've already started to worry for her.
Don't talk rot.
Is the tray really that important?
His Majesty is thinking about
immortality all the time.
I heard that the court ladies
have to get up at dawn
in cold weather
and collect dew in the royal garden.
Forget it.
Father has spoken that
you must protect the tray
before the arrival of the courtier.
I know.
Since we've made a bet with the Nine-tailed Fox,
we must be prepared.
Do you have any good ideas?
What can I do about it?
Dad, I come all the way back
to ask for your help.
At this point,
I can only show my trump card.
It's useless to close the door
to prevent the Nine-tailed Fox.
On the contrary, we should just open the door
and put the tray in the open.
Will it work?
Change is the only constant.
If we open the door,
the Nine-tailed Fox would be too suspicious
to break in rashly.
Am I right, sir?
That's impressive.
But it's just a bravado.
We must set up an array to prevent the thief.
An array?
Yes.
It's called the Nine-grid Array
and evolved from Qimen Dunjia.
This array consists of 81 red lines
from nine directions.
There are bells on each of the red lines.
Once someone touches the red lines,
bells will ring.
Great, the Nine-grid Array
is like a guardian
who works 24 hours a day.
What, do you have concerns?
With all due respect,
the array is good,
but there's a slight problem with it.
What is it?
It has everything from one to nine,
why don't we add a ten?
I'm all ears.
If we can tie all the red lines together
with silkworm silk from outside to inside,
the array will be a whole.
Once the thief touches it,
it will have a domino effect.
I never thought of it.
Good, we'll do it your way.
Hold on, in that case,
we should call it the Ten-grid Array instead.
Ten-grid Array? Sounds nice!
Let's call it the Ten-grid Array.
Stop walking back and forth.
It's annoying. Aren't you sleepy?
Ping'an.
Xiaoyu, what brings you here?
You must be hungry after a night of hard work.
Have some pastry.
I am.
Wait.
Madam, you can't be too careful.
Now you know the rules. Xiaoyu, ignore him.
He is a dummy.
You are the one who sets the rules.
Fine, fine.
Are you satisfied?
Wang, why don't you have one, too?
I made them myself.
How is it?
Yummy.
Xiaoyu, how old are you?
Eighteen.
It must be hard to work for the Xus.
If I were your parents,
I wouldn't have sent you here
to suffer.
My parents have passed away.
Do you have other family?
I have a sister, who's working as a court lady.
That sounds good.
She said that when she saved enough money,
she would take me out of here.
We would run a pastry store together,
and no one would bully us anymore.
Xiaoyu,
you're an amazing baker. You'll get there.
Ping'an, Wang,
I'll be looking forward to your visit.
No problem.
It's the first round.
See you tomorrow.
Although we won last night,
I found a weak point.
What is it?
The reason that the thief was able to run away
is that we cared about the tray.
So what?
So, we need one thing
to defeat the Nine-tailed Fox.
What's it?
You'll know when you get there.
Don't keep me in suspense.
You're a man of few words,
but your actions never ceases to amaze me.
Is that so?
I just realized how little I know you.
I must learn more about you.
Why?
You'd better give up.
Here we are.
I've been living here for so long.
How come I've never heard about the antique store?
Because they don't sell antiques.
They make them.
What?
Welcome, Your Excellency.
I'm glad you came.
Be as you were. Get up.
Where is Xu Wanhai?
My master is away on business.
And he'll be back soon.
Your Excellency.
Mr. Gu, Miss Gu.
Thank you.
No worries. No worries.
Thanks to you,
we've taken such a good job.
If something goes wrong,
I'm afraid we would be executed as well.
You have a sharp tongue.
If I had been honest with you,
would you have agreed to help?
Definitely not.
Well, I had no choice.
I have just taken office,
and the local troops don't listen to me.
I'm shorthanded.
How can I keep the tray safe?
That's why I thought of your convoy
and asked for your help.
After all,
you just don't want to lose your post, do you
The government won't be held accountable
if you're not in charge of this.
Don't get me wrong.
I've written to the grand coordinator and asked him for help.
Maybe the reinforcements are already on the way.
Never mind.
Distant water can't quench present thirst.
Now we must work together.
That's the right way.
I agree.
Come in.
How amazing!
The Ten-grid Array is flawless.
I'm flattered.
Officer Deng,
I'll rest easy
if you can catch the Nine-tailed Fox.
Yes, I'll try my best.
Can you do it or not?
Well...
I heard that you spend more time on chess
than on your cases.
I dare not.
I'll expect you to act the part.
How arrogant!
A new chief brings in new aids.
I'm afraid he wants me to resign,
so that he can promote his own men.
I've counted the pastries last night.
How come some of them are lost?
Have you stolen them?
No, My Lady. I didn't eat any.
You're still lying, huh?
I'll beat you to death.
What a thief! You deserve it!
Stop it!
I ate those pastries.
Any problem?
We stayed up all night.
And I just grabbed something to eat.
You've got him to back you up.
Someone,
lock the door of the kitchen.
I'd like to see
who has the guts to steal food.
Are you okay, Xiaoyu?
I'm fine. Thank you.
Last night was the first round.
I just gave it a try and it's not over yet.
I'll come again at midnight
and take the tray.
Thank you in advance.
The Nine-tailed Fox.
He's getting more aggressive.
He even told us the time of his arrival.
The thief looks down upon us.
The Nine-tailed Fox is doing this on purpose.
Don't let him get to you.
Slow down. Be gentle.
Xu Wanhai, what are you doing?
I've told you
not to put anything else in the treasury.
Miss Gu, cut me some slack, will you?
It's a rare treasure I just obtained today,
called the Musician Clock.
Slow down, lightly, lightly.
Miss Gu,
it's from the northern Song Dynasty.
At the beginning of every hour,
musicians would walk out of the door
and chime to tell the precise time.
Look, they're coming out. Clank!
Isn't it amazing?
It is amazing. Move it out of here.
Miss Gu, I'm begging you.
No way.
Mr. Gu.
Say something, please.
My residence is full of stuff.
I can't just leave such a treasure
in the yard.
It'll break.
Who knows if you lied
to get the stuff.
It costs me an arm and a leg!
I swear!
Enough. Stop nagging and move it out.
I'll do it for you if you refuse.
Mr. Gu, I'm kneeling down.
What are you doing?
Don't give me a hard time, please.
I'll pay you double
to compensate for your loss, okay?
You don't owe me.
Just have a conscience when doing things.
Get up.
Girl,
the object alone seems fine to me.
It can at least tell the hours.
It should be of some use tonight.
Fine, since my dad said so,
you may just leave it here.
Just this once.
Wang Zhaoxing.
Everything's OK.
Are you cold?
No.
I'll make another tour.
Xiaoyu.
Wang.
What are you doing?
It's the Ghost Festival today.
I'm burning some paper money for my deceased family members.
Can I ask you a question?
Sure.
What will you do
when you lose all your family
in the world?
Why are you asking?
Don't you have a sister?
But, she...
What happened to her?
Nothing, I gotta go.
Her Ladyship would yell at me again if she can't find me.
It's already midnight.
Why is it so quiet?
Could it be that the Nine-tailed Fox was bluffing?
The Ten-grid Array is impeccable.
I guess there's nothing he can do.
Although I can't break the array,
I can at least destroy it.
So you didn't take in the smoke.
I knew you'd take action at midnight,
so I held my breath in advance.
That's smart of you.
Too bad, I still got the tray.
Don't forget about the bet.
I'll come tomorrow for my reward.
Wake up, wake up.
Are you alright?
How did it go?
He escaped.
What? Then where's the tray?
It's lost.
Lost? Now we're doomed.
We've lost the tray. Why are you smiling?
Officer Deng, relax.
The Nine-tailed Fox has taken the tray,
but he lost in the second round.
Jia Zuozhen!
Jia Zuozhen is the owner of an antique store.
But
he only makes antiques instead of selling them.
Because his craft skills
are unparalleled,
his work is perfect as the real thing.
I see.
The Nine-tailed Fox just stole a fake.
Then where is the real tray?
I've carried it with me.
Geez, Bro.
You've been taciturn at other time.
It turns out you're even more cunning than the thief.
All warfare is based on deception.
We must outsmart the fox in order to defeat him.
Actually, it's easy to guess.
When you have a priceless treasure,
the safest way to keep it
is to carry it with you.
That makes sense.
Zhaoxing.
Junior.
Haven't you caught the Nine-tailed Fox?
He ran away again last night.
But I've found some clues.
Please look into them for me.
You even suspect them.
I have a feeling.
Maybe the thief is someone among us.
So I must investigate
everyone related to this case.
Okay, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
His Excellency has arrived.
Thank you for visiting me on short notice.
I'm so delighted.
Mr. Xu, now we are
all in the same boat.
If you make a mistake,
I'll be in big trouble.
Yes.
Your Excellency.
Miss Gu,
where is your father?
Oh, his legs hurt again,
so I sent him to see the doctor.
Mr. Gu is suffering at such an old age.
I feel so bad for him.
The good thing is that
the grand coordinator has sent an army
to help.
They'll arrive tonight at the latest.
We'll have had a break by then.
How are you feeling, sir?
I'm feeling much better.
Your legs are not completely cured.
I'll make some plasters
for you to apply when they hurt.
Good.
Zhu, take the prescription
to the drugstore for three packs of herbs.
Fine.
Sir, have some rest.
I'll get more prescriptions filled.
I see.
Doctor.
Madam, Madam.
Zhu, why are you back alone?
Where's my dad?
He's been kidnapped by the Nine-tailed Fox!
Send the tray to Dongshan Temple
at noon today.
Or I will kill your father. The Nine-tailed Fox.
Bastard!
Madam, where are you going?
Nonsense, I'm going to save my dad.
Calm down, it's a trap.
I don't care. I must get my dad back!
Miss Gu, think about it.
If we go to save Mr. Gu now,
the Xu's mansion will be unguarded.
But if we don't go,
and something happens to my dad,
what do I do?
So we must chill out
and discuss what should be done.
No more discussion.
Now we only have less than an hour
before the noon.
It'll be too late if I don't go.
Calm down, Boss Lady.
Let me go. That's my dad. You understand?
Do you have
no family?
Boss Lady.
Officer Deng, I'm leaving the tray to you.
What about you?
I need to help her.
What if the Nine-tailed Fox comes?
The magistrate's reinforcements
will arrive in the evening.
Fine. Go and return quickly.
Girl, girl, girl.
Dad.
You're awake.
Where are we, Dad?
I don't know.
That jerk has knocked me out.
When I opened my eyes,
I found that we're here.
Girl, it's so stupid of you.
How can you leave the tray behind?
We conveyors should always put the goods first.
Dad, you're the most important to me.
Have you been injured?
I'm fine.
How did you two get caught?
He ended up like this because of me.
I should have listened to you.
It's too late to say that.
Let's find a way to get out of here.
We're about 1 km
west of Dongshan Temple.
We're trapped here.
It's useless to know the location.
A pigeon?
What's this?
Nothing.
Where does the pigeon come from?
Don't ask so many questions.
With the carrier pigeon,
we'll be rescued.
Do you have brush and ink?
No, who would carry those around?
You can use this.
Why haven't your friends come yet?
They should be here by now.
It's killing me.
I wonder how it goes with Officer Deng.
The damn Nine-tailed Fox is so despicable.
As a manager,
how can you curse like this?
What a crafty wretch you are!
Let's fight with the gloves off
in combat if you are a man!
Don't forget that I'm a thief.
There's nothing a thief can't do.
What do you want on earth?
Nothing special.
Just stay here and enjoy yourselves.
I've got business to attend to.
What do we do?
Give me the liquor.
Are you mad?
It's like throwing fuel on the fire.
Give it to me.
Hurry up.
Be careful.
Dad, be careful.
Please move.
Climb up!
Freeze, thief!
There.
Thief!
Officer Deng, why are you here?
I'm wondering too.
Someone just threw the note
under my feet
when I was making a tour.
You seem to have a mysterious friend.
Anyway.
The key is that we've caught the Nine-tailed Fox.
I'm not the Nine-tailed Fox. You've got the wrong person.
Knock it off.
Do you think you can fool us if you deny it?
I'm not Nine-tailed Fox!
Boss Lady,
it's simple to tell if he is the Nine-tailed Fox.
Do you remember?
The first time we met him in the woods,
his right arm was injured.
He's an imposter.
I told you.
The Nine-tailed Fox has hired me to fight you guys.
If it wasn't that you...
Tell me, who is the Nine-tailed Fox?
I don't know, either.
Every time we met, he covered his face with black veil.
But he should be working for the government.
Then take a close look.
Is there someone among us
who looks like the Nine-tailed Fox?
Why are you pointing at me?
I knew you're the Nine-tailed Fox
when I saw your height and body shape!
How dare you! You're talking nonsense.
I think he's telling the truth.
Wang, what are you saying?
Officer Deng,
do you really think it has gone off without a hitch?
Actually, the jig was up last night.
Wang Zhaoxing, are you serious?
Listen to me, the thief
tunneled his way in
to steal the tray.
But that's the problem.
Since he tunneled his way in,
how did he know
the exact location of the tray?
Someone must have entered the treasury beforehand,
and told him where the tray was after measurements.
It was the Nine-tailed Fox who told me
where the tray was.
Before last night,
Apart from Mr. Gu, the boss lady,
Xu Wanhai and I, only you had entered the treasury.
Is that what makes you think I'm the Nine-tailed Fox?
Can you show us your arm?
Wang.
You indeed wronged me.
Oh,
you were not here yesterday,
so you don't know that
someone else has also entered the treasury.
Who was it?
It was the magistrate.
Where is the tray now?
It's still at Xu's mansion.
Xu Wanhai refused to
let me take the tray out.
I had no choice but to leave it there.
Don't worry.
I've already reported it to the magistrate.
The magistrate has arrived.
Your Excellency, what brings you here?
How can I do nothing after what has happened?
How's it going, Officer Deng?
I don't know. They've left for two hours.
It's not safe here.
Bring the tray
and go to the government office with me.
Well...
What?
Don't you see the grand coordinator's troops?
Fine, fine. Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu.
Hurry, get Her Ladyship out.
How dare you! What are you up to?
Your Excellency,
where are you going?
Back to the government office, of course.
The grand coordinator's troops are already over there.
Your Excellency,
there's one thing I'm not sure. Please enlighten me.
What is it?
How old are you?
I'm 42 years old.
When did you take the imperial exam?
I, I don't remember.
Then let me tell you.
You took the exam in the 16th year of Zhengde,
and became a Scholar.
Exactly. It was indeed the 16th year of Zhengde.
That's weird.
It's already been over 30 years.
According to your age,
could it be that you were a ten-year-old kid
when you took the exam
To be honest,
we've already investigated.
The real magistrate was born in 1506.
So he is 53 years old now.
Your Excellency,
should I call you the Nine-tailed Fox?
Nine-tailed Fox, you have a lot of nerve
to disguise yourself as an official.
What have you done to the real magistrate?
I tied him up and threw him into a cellar
before he came to Cangzhou.
There's nothing you can do now. Just give up.
Then show me what you got.
Go.
You...
It can't be wrong. Search him.
The dragon pattern jade!
Now we can return it.
The Nine-tailed Fox just lost his life
because of the bet.
I didn't expect that
the case would end up like this.
I gotta go and report it to the court.
Excuse me. See you later.
You have solved another crime.
I just can't express my gratitude.
Enough, save it.
It's part of our job.
Miss Gu is right.
No words can express my thanks. So that's it.
We're leaving then.
Take care.
Bros, it's time to leave.
Alas, I can finally have a nice sleep.
Madam, we've worked so hard these days.
Can you get us more meat to eat?
Fine.
100 grams each?
100 grams per pot.
No way.
Lady Boss, please.
Don't act like Xu Wanhai.
Come on, sit down.
Those conveyors are not far away yet.
The Nine-tailed Fox has died.
They won't come back.
Xiaoyu, go to the kitchen and make some snacks.
I feel sorry for the Nine-tailed Fox.
And those stupid conveyors.
Little did they know that the tray was a fake.
I'm telling you,
there's no substitute for experience.
God bless you.
When the courtier arrives tomorrow,
we'll give him the real one.
By then, we'll have had a promising future.
Sweetheart.
Who is it?
Officer Deng?
You scared me.
What are you back for?
I'm here for one thing.
What is it?
The tray.
The tray? Aren't you holding it?
It's not what I need. Give me the real one.
The real one?
You...
Right,
I'm the real Nine-tailed Fox.
No.
It can't be true.
The Nine-tailed Fox has died.
The man who died is my apprentice.
I asked him over to fool you.
But
he wouldn't have had to die.
I helped it along
since he couldn't escape.
You are so vicious!
I'm a thief.
Help, help.
It's not gonna work.
I've killed everyone in your mansion.
Honey, now we're doomed.
I knew you are a cunning old man by nature,
so you won't entrust the tray to outsiders.
You'd use this fake tray as a bait
and hide the real one
in a safe place.
These days,
I explored everywhere in your house,
but was still unable to find it out.
Where could it be?
It was not until this morning,
what Gu Ping'an inadvertently said
reminded me.
It did remind me.
From your perspective,
there's only one trusted place
in the world for the tray.
This place is...
No, no.
Stop playing dumb.
When you were asked
to leave here this morning,
You brought nothing but her,
which proves that my conjecture is correct.
Lady Diao, are you giving it to me?
Or I can take it myself.
It's not here. It's not here.
No.
I'm begging you. I'm begging you.
I'll give you everything I have.
It's all yours. On one condition.
You can't take the tray away.
Mr. Xu,
you asked for this.
Stop it. I'll give it to you.
Honey, now we're done for.
It's karma. It's karma.
You deserve it.
How can you stay alive
after seeing my face?
Run!
Honey.
Mr. Xu,
farewell.
Don't move.
Aren't you back home?
You old fox.
Almost fooled us.
Impossible! The disguise was perfect!
You're indeed very smart.
No one expected that a constable
would be the powerful Nine-tailed Fox.
You took the risk
to draw everyone's attention.
And then blamed everything on
that fake magistrate. Too bad,
there's one thing you didn't take into account.
I have proof that you are the Nine-tailed Fox.
What is it?
The scapegoat's right arm is also injured,
but it's fake after all.
When I cut you,
I used a special skill.
So the cut is unique.
No one can imitate it.
I've been a legendary thief for so long.
But I lost to you today.
You won the bet.
Xiaoyu, catch it.
Xiaoyu, give me the tray.
Xiaoyu, give him the tray. Quick.
Stop there.
I'll break it if you come closer.
Xiaoyu, give me the tray.
I'm begging you.
If you don't give me the tray,
our whole family will die.
No.
Many people died because of the tray.
I must destroy it.
Forget it.
I'm having rotten luck today.
Wang, remember.
I'll get to you sooner or later.
What do we do, honey?
It's killing me!
Xiaoyu, why did you break it?
I had to ruin it for my dead sister.
Your sister is dead?
It can't be. Isn't she in the royal palace?
Last night,
I received a letter, saying that my sister...
she suddenly died.
How did she die?
It's all because of Jiajing, that goddamn emperor!
In pursuit of eternal life,
he ordered court ladies to collect dew for him
in the royal garden at dawn, including my sister.
When my sister got sick,
Jiajing was so ruthless
that he had them whipped
and forced them to keep working.
As a result,
my sister died of hard labor.
My sister is not the only one
who died like this.
But that goddamn emperor is getting worse.
If the tray was sent into the royal palace,
more girls would die
because of it.
I can't let that happen.
Stop crying, Xiaoyu.
Sorry, Ping'an.
I've put you all in danger.
Come on, you did the right thing.
Don't hate me, Wang.
I hope such things as the tray
won't exist in the world anymore.
You never know.
Maybe it's fate.
Xu Wanhai, you've presented a treasure.
What do you want as a reward?
Nothing, sir.
Just say it.
Whatever you want, His Majesty will give it to you.
His Majesty is kind enough.
I dare not push my luck.
I hope His Majesty can care about the people,
so that they can live a happy life.
I didn't expect that
the miser would clean up his act.
After what happened,
perhaps he wants to turn over a new leaf.
But the tray is broken.
Can he trick people in the royal palace?
Rest assured.
Jia Zuozhen is the best craftsman.
Jia Zuozhen has restored the tray.
Now it's good as ever.
Hurry up.
I'm going to drink nectar with the tray.
But...
But what?
There's a flaw.
If the tray is filled with water,
in less than an hour, it will...
It's killing me!