Succession War

At the Lunar New Year’s Eve in the 3rd year of JIAQING Era, QIANLONG as usual writes calligraphy with words of blessings at the Yangxin Hall and bestows it upon his son JIAQING.

At the first Day of the Lunar New Year, all the court officials are gathering inside of the Yangxin Hall as well as outside.

With PRINCE YONGXUAN purchasing a large amount of firearms and hiding them in his residence in the capital...

Hearing the death knell coming from the palace, HESHEN worships the heavens, pouring out wine to bid farewell to QIANLONG.

FUCHANG’AN is very uneasy, but HESHEN doesn’t panic at all, because JIAQING is the one whom he taught!

JIAQING receives a record book containing the list of court officials who received bribes from HESHEN, so he immediately instructs LIU YONG...

When JIAQING questions the court officials who received bribes from HESHEN, the record book is switched with another one.

At night, JIAQING visits ROYAL NOBLE CONSORT, who is under house arrest on the conviction of possession of a prohibited drug.

After the plum blossom tree in the palace suddenly withered, word gets around, and rumor has it that the late EMPEROR EMERITUS died of a suspicious death.

PRINCE YONGXUAN asks for an audience with JIAQING and raises his concern regarding QIANLONG’s suspicious death.

PRINCE YONGXUAN takes CHANGDONG back to the palace and wants him to reveal the name of the culprit who poisoned QIANLONG...

On his way to bring injured HELIN back to the capital, FUCHANG’AN notices that he is heavily encircled by a large group of people.

Following a clue, JIAQING discovers where HELIN is hiding; whereas HESHEN comes too late...

JIAQING orders PRINCE YONGLIN to parade HELIN through the streets, seeking to force HESHEN to save him

FENGSHEN-YINDE reports to JIAQING that HELIN is found dead when he arrives at the jail; whereas JIAQING is furious at this because HESHEN beats him to it.

Word gets around after the attempted assassination of JIAQING. In order to show that he is safe, JIAQING urgently summons all the court officials...

In the nick of time, JIAQING regains consciousness, managing to avert disaster.

DOUKOU wakes up to find herself tied up; whereas NAYANCHENG tells her what he has discovered about her family massacre, seeking to persuade her to be a turncoat.

HESHEN manages to escape from the palace, but he refuses to leave. Eventually, he finds DOUKOU.

FENGSHEN-YINDE is under orders to go to Tianjin to capture HESHEN and bring him back, but he accidentally learns about FU’EN’s death midway through!

Holding tight to FU’EN’s dead body, FENGSHEN-YINDE returns to the palace to make an audience with JIAQING, who also shares his grief.

JIAQING is skeptical about what FUCHANG’AN said, so he temporarily detains him.

In the nick of time, JIAQING rushes there. However, PRINCE MIANNING suddenly disappears, which greatly startles JIAQING!

JIAQING calls a secret meeting to discuss countermeasures with three senior court officials...

HESHEN threatens JIAQING with PRINCE MIANNING’s life, forcing him to give in

HESHEN cremates CHANG MEI’s dead body, following which he brings along DOUKOU to meet a mysterious man.

PRINCE YONGLIN finds out that NOBLE CONSORT DOWAGER YING committed suicide and left a note, accusing JIAQING of killing QIANLONG by poisoning him.