Episode 28
Scene 1: Taiwan, prison
Haikui brings a blanket for Yao Yun, who does not have a bed in prison. Jin Hanchen receives the blanket, saying that he will need it that night. Haikui is suspicious of his reaction.
Scene 2: Taiwan, prison
Jin Hanchen tells Yao Yun that he got permission to interrogate her. After she refuses to admit that Shi Shizong entrusted her with the costal defence plans of Taiwan, he threatens to take off her clothes and rape her. In the nick of time Haikui is able to stop Jin Hanchen from doing so. Jin Hanchen claims to have received the order to rape Yao Yun from Feng Xifan, but Feng Xifan and Hong Xu, who enter afterwards, deny knowing about such an obscene order and have Jin Hanchen arrested instantly. Haikui tries to talk to Yao Yun but Yao Yun reacts very coldly.
Shi Shizong sitting on the stony beach, thinks about the awkward situation and the imprisonment of Yao Yun.
Feng Xifan and Hong Xu are talking about the news that the relationship between Haikui and Shi Shizong has broken. They expect that this would result in Shi Shizong being exposed because the bonds to the royal family that had protected him have now fallen apart. But things happen differently from what Feng Xifan and Hong Xu had expected: Shi Shizong comes in and confesses that he drew the map and that Yao Yun is innocent. Shi Shizong is ready to write a confession if they free Yao Yun first.
In a dramatic scene Shi Shizong writes the confession and Yao Yun is released.
Scene 6: Taiwan, on the streets
Yao Yun walks the empty streets alone. Suddenly Hong Xu appears along with his men to imprison her again without Shi Shizong knowing it, who believes in the lies of Feng Xifan.
Scene 7: Taiwan, in front of Feng Xifan’s residence
On a rainy day Feng Xifan and Captain Cook of the royal Dutch ship come out of Feng Xifan’s residence. At that moment Haikui arrives on her horse. Captain Cook, who is instantly attracted to the woman, presents her with a compass which is something new to her and Feng Xifan. At first Haikui is very harsh to the foreign guest but later on she promises to return him a present the next time he comes to Taiwan.
After the Dutchman left, Feng Xifan and Haikui go into Feng Xifan’s residence. He criticises Haikui’s behaviour towards the Western man. Haikui in response asks how he could accuse Shi Shizong of being a spy. Feng Xifan dismisses her accusations and shows her the written confession of Shi Shizong who capitulated for Yao Yun’s sake. Haikui cannot believe Feng Xifan’s words, because she does not want to admit that Shi Shizong loves Yao Yun, not her. She also concludes that Feng Xifan not only wants to kill Shi Shizong but also the whole Shi family living on Taiwan.
Yao Qisheng lies on the sickbed. He and his wife get to know of the imprisonment of Yao Yun and Shi Shizong through a letter that they receive from Fu Weilin. Yao Qisheng tries to calm his wife down by telling her that Yao Yun will not be killed. The servant interrupts and informs Yao Qisheng that Aman, the daughter of Shi Lang, has arrived. Because she is the commander of the women’s army and has a lot of influence, Yao Qisheng wants to talk to her despite his illness.
Scene 10: Fuzhou, Yao Qisheng’s residence
Aman is worried about Shi Lang and Yao Qisheng’s discord. But Yao Qisheng puts Aman at ease that they merely have different points of view. Yao Qisheng does not support Shi Lang’s demand for sole command over the troops. Moreover, his strategy would be to attack with the northern monsoon, whereas Shi Lang wants to attack with the southern monsoon in summer. Aman gives Yao Qisheng a memorial that Shi Lang wrote to the emperor. Reading the letter, Yao Qisheng gets furious about the fact that Shi Lang again requests the emperor to decide the matter of military authority. He fears that Shi Lang describes him to the emperor as a stumbling block to his ambitions.
Scene 11: Beijing, Imperial Palace
The emperor talks about the Taiwan issue with Li Guangdi, Giyesu and Laita. Kangxi is very dissatisfied with the repeated delays in the planned attack on Taiwan resulting from the disagreements between Shi Lang and Yao Qisheng about strategy. Laita and Giyesu use the opportunity to speak against the war plans. Laita warns of the heavy losses if the fleet sank due to the stormy weather at sea and expresses the believe that the discord between Shi Lang and Yao Qisheng will not end. Citing objections of the censor Sun Hui and others, Giyesu also speaks against the war and argues that in an attack on Taiwan the losses would overweigh the gains. But Kangxi angrily interrupts him by saying that the matter of Taiwan is of primary national interest and deserves every effort and sacrifice. Li Guangdi advocates Shi Lang’s plan to attack the Penghu-Islands in the sixth month and reassures that his strategy will be victorious. Li Guangdi thinks that Liu Guoxuan will not expect an attack in summer. The emperor himself is angry about the fact that Shi Lang and Yao Qisheng are continuously disagreeing with each other. Finally he comes to the conclusion that he has to separate Yao Qisheng from Shi Lang, because they are like two stallions which cannot live together in one stable.
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