House of Harmony and Vengeance

SHAN tells YIN the reason she takes part in the Belle Contest is to prove her mother’s innocence. She gives YIN a present, telling her to open it only after the contest. YAN points a knife at BUT in an attempt to arrest him. Out of his expectation, BUT dashes against him. LAW’s shoes break just before her turn. YIN offers to lend her her Fairy shoes but she worries that YIN will not have enough time to change shoes then. YING GOONG GOONG confirms that SHAN is the daughter of the death row inmate when LAW is performing. He orders the archer to shoot and kill SHAN when the opportunity arises. The empress tells the emperor that she has found FA. YAN, BUT and DOU, who have been hiding behind the curtain, go up to stop the emperor as he is about to leave. The empress exposes SHAN’s identity as soon as she has finished her part. The emperor returns to the theatre at once after YAN and BUT have told him about the empress’s crafty scheme.

SHAN and FA are heading to the pier. As they are taking a rest, BUT shows up suddenly, claiming he has learnt about SHAN’s real identity. He also tells her to stay in Changan and participate in the Belle Contest. In addition, he reveals to the mother and daughter how he has been passing himself off as LUNG. WAN goes for acupuncture in the company of LONG. They bump into YUEN and CHUNG, and the former provokes WAN deliberately. LAW takes to wine. When YUET asks her why she is so upset, she replies that is because THIRD PRINCE is going to marry her, while her true love is CHUNG. BUT suggests YUET to make contingency plans. YIN, who overhears their conversation, suspects that SHAN is still in Changan. YIN practices the sword dance. LAW can see that she is burning with anger. YIN swears to teach SHAN a good lesson should she betray her once again. The emperor intends to promote YAN to Assistant Conservatory Commissioner.… ...

SHAN falls from the stage at the command performance. YING GOONG GOONG gives BUT a good telling-off for disappointing the emperor and empress. He demands an explanation from BUT. And if he is not satisfied with it, the imperial conservatory will never use Cheung Lai Yuen again. SHAN tells FA that the emperor did attend to their appointment but fate had it that they missed each other. YIN is filled with hatred. Unwilling to see her suffer, YAN is determined to expose BUT’s real identity as soon as possible. YAN submits a rebellious poem to the emperor, claiming it was written by LUNG. The emperor orders the arrest of BUT as a result. TOU near gets caught as he is trying to save BUT. Thanks to YAN’s help he manages to go away safe and sound. YIN wants to visit BUT. She turns to YING GOONG GOONG and her father’s old friends for help but fails. Dressed as a jailer, SHAN manages to see BUT at last.… ...

YAN demands that the government official who set fire to the inn will point BUT out with menaces. The man turns him off, unwilling to get involved. BUT agrees to turns himself in to BUT after the Belle Contest but YAN does not trust him. LONG’s Warrior Dance not only impresses YIN and YUET but also BUT, who decides to make him the first male dancer ever. SHAN falls down from a height during practice. Going up to her help, BUT takes the opportunity to express his love for her. LAW is disappointed that she will not be performing at little princess’ feast. She tells CHUNG to arrange a meeting between THIRD PRINCE and her. Little princess has fallen ill. There is nothing the imperial doctor can do to help. The empress recalls what the monk from India has once said. She therefore tells YING GOONG GOONG to look for SHAN immediately. If he fails, she will have all the dancers killed so as to save little princess.… ...

YAN ties BUT up and grills him about the truth. What is more, he, claiming to be representing YAN, takes the money to Five Mile Slope to CHOW so as to find out about the truth. YIN would like to chat with BUT yet his attitude makes her feels snubbed. SHAN is very worried when she learns from TOU that BUT is not feeling well. CHUNG finds out that it was LAW who cut YIN’s fairy shoes. He decides not to expose her though. The maids in the palace have SHAN’s pendant. YING GOONG GOONG takes it to the empress, who is still mad about what happened years ago. YING GOONG GOONG suspects that FA was one of the dancers who danced in the command performance. The empress orders to have FA and her children killed. On the other hand, YING GOONG GOONG gives BUT a painting of SHAN’s pendant, which he says belongs to the daughter of a death row inmate, and tells him to find out who is the daughter. SHAN overhears their conversation.

YIN is recuperating from her injury. Judging from SHAN’s recent behavior, she believes SHAN is coveting after her position of principal dancer as well as the man she loves. As YIN is injured, BUT suggests SHAN taking the lead at the command performance. His proposal disappoints YIN to the core. SHAN tells FA she is going to lead at the command performance. FA reminds her to show her pendent to the emperor as she dances. YIN has recovered but she decides to hide the truth. LAW is the first one to perform at the command performance. SHAN is astonished when LAW puts on the sword dance. Before she comes to her senses, YIN appears and then takes the lead. The emperor rewards LAW with a piece of jade; while YIN and SHAN each gets a glowing pearl. SHAN demands YIN why she attacked her during the performance. YIN pours out her hatred on her. She also wonders whether she will refuse to be promoted principal dancer if SHAN suggests promoting her.

SHAN and YIN have very different styles. YUET believes it is difficult for SHAN to handle movements that express the beauty of pliancy, for she has never fallen in love. YAN takes YIN to watch the reed so as to let her know what it means by being inflexible yet yielding. SHAN has specially cooked some congee for BUT. Imitating YAN, she spoon-feeds BUT, trying to learn to be gentle. By doing so, she almost chokes BUT to death on a fish bone. YUEN goes to Fragrant Snow Sweet Demeanor to see CHUNG. She hopes that her heavy make-up will catch his attention. A man peels YUEN as she is taking a bath. CHUNG goes to her help. SHAN asks the THREE GOLDEN FLOWERS to buy her the best quality fabrics, out of which she plans to make a flag for YIN for daily practice as well as the command performance. Looking at the needle pricks on SHAN’s hands, YIN is touched. Thanks to YIN’s teaching, SHAN manages to handle the new steps after some hard practices.

It grieves YAN to remember his past and how he was cheated by the person he trusted most. He goes on a drinking spree to try to forget his sorrows. YIN is dancing as he wakes up. She gives him a slap for saying that BUT is not good enough to be her fiance. When he wakes up, he apologizes to her. He also tells her the pain of being unable to prove his identity. She tells him he can always come to her whenever he feels like talking to somebody. SHAN has been promoted to senior dancer but her promotion meets with the boycott and insult of CHIN and other girls. YIN suggests putting on the lotus dance instead of the sword dance on the birthday banquet of the empress. BUT does not find this a good idea though. Chow, the Chief Constable responsible for the case of the death of the Magistrate’s son, is surprised to find that DOU is still alive. BUT and DOU go to the woods to bury the horsehead fiddle. CHOW discovers them.… ...

MUI asks BUT and YIN when they are going to tie the knot. That YIN and BUT have been engaged comes as a blow to YAN. Someone bumps into MUI and injures her when she is praying for BUT and his future wife at the Matchmaker Temple. She starts feeling paranoid and is convinced she will not live to see her grandson getting married. BUT asks YIN to do him a favor by pretending to be his girlfriend so as to make MUI happy. WAN has a severe chest pain on her way back to Cheung Lai Yuen after a private show. With LONG supporting her, she sits on the floor to rest, during which he declares he will be the first male dancer in history. YAN finds YIN’s steps like the lotus. YIN is pleased about his observation. SHAN blends swordsmanship with dance-style moves but BUT finds her moves too simple.

MUI blames BUT for claiming to be LUNG, her grandson. BUT is nervous. But when he learns from her maid, SIU MEI, that she is suffering from dementia, he decides to get away with it by saying that MUI has mistaken YAN for her grandson. YAN plays a sad song. BUT encourages him to forget about the past. He also takes the opportunity to invite BUT to take up the post of music instructor. The red mark on YAN’s face has turned into little spots after applying MUI’s ointment. He turns to SHAN for help. FONG, one of the dancers of Cheung Lai Yuen, has never been invited to perform because of her body odor. She puts a red hot coal under her armpit in order to solve the problem. YIN and BUT have a good time playing the horsehead fiddle together. BUT’s boil breaks out. He asks SHAN to go to the mountain to gather medicinal herbs with him. WAN recommends LONG to Cheung Lai Yuen. BUT agrees to hire him as a classroom assistant.

Thanks to BUT’s help SHAN is allowed to return to Cheung Lai Yuen. She is grateful to his help. The reason he helped her, he explains, is because he finds themselves bearing striking similarities to each other. YAN finishes his new song after watching YIN dance. BUT likes YAN’s new song, which he titles “Peach Blossom Fairy”. He also invites YAN to lead the song at the Third Prince’s feast. For fear that he will make a laughing stock of himself, YAN requests BUT to take up the important job instead. YIN likes the new song a lot too but she mistakenly thinks that BUT is the composer. She gives him the score that her father has left behind so as to show her appreciation. BUT wants to play the new song with the horsehead fiddle. YAN requests to sit at the back of the stage. LAW makes an all-out effort at the Third Prince’s Feast. On the other hand, Cheung Lai Yuen’s performance, under the lead of YIN, wins the applause of the emperor.… ...

YAN suspects that his mother and BUT’s mother came from the same village. DOU starts to worry. SHAN practices hard so that she can pass the dancer trainee exam and join the other girls. DOU finds YUET’s tenderness beautiful. LAW and the dancers of Chun Yat Yuen go kite-flying in the Ten Mile Pavilion. CHUNG and Third Prince are also there. LAW cuts the string deliberately, creating an opportunity for herself to go up to say hello to the prince. YIN injures her legs again. The doctor puts some ointment on her legs across a cloth. She feels a lot better after BUT massages for her. THIRD PRINCE has gone to Fragrant Snow Sweet Demeanor. BUT takes YIN there with the excuse of looking for CHUNG. As requested by THIRD PRINCE, YIN plays the zither and takes part in a wine drinking game. The prince is amazed by her knowledge of art.… ...

BUT dashes to the execution ground to plead for SHAN, who was only trying to drive the wasp away and save the emperor. On the other hand, he tells his family YAN remembered seeing him once at a restaurant. He is therefore worried the truth will come to light sooner or later. His family members suggest killing YAN. BUT decides to give SHAN 50 birching as punishment, YIN suggests redeeming SHAN’s sins by good deeds. BUT only agrees to dismiss SHAN. BUT suggests opening up a beauty parlor with CHUNG as they visit a spring. WU FUN-FONG wants to become a dancer at Cheung Lai Yuen but her strong body odor is her obstacle. Her father bribes BUT with gold bars. SHAN sees them. Though unwillingly, BUT agrees to hire SHAN as a dancer. YUET tells SHAN she has no flair for dancing. SHAN swears she will make a great dancer and so YUET agrees to take up the challenge.

BUT introduces YIN to the people in Cheung Lai Yuen, requesting YUET to take care of her. BUT and DOU require YAN to finish the second half of the movement but the muse has left him. A drunk stops YIN’s sedan chair. SHAN exposes her identity as a girl when she is helping YIN out. She has become YIN’s trusted servant since the incident. YAN’s music has a western flavor. BUT therefore believes he used to live in the Western frontier. BUT takes YAN to the country. The scenery reminds the musician of how he and FUNG played together once in front of a waterfall. YIN requests to go out to practice when BUT and YUET are discussing about the command performance. Burning with curiosity, BUT follows her. Although she is well aware that he is peeping at her from a distance, she pretends to be ignorant about his presence to make him fall for her eventually.

YAN discovers a letter written by FUNG requesting that BIN and LUNG get married. Unwilling to take another guy’s wife, BUT decides to break off the engagement. YIN accuses her elder brother, YUK-LONG, when she sees him dancing. In her opinion, as the son of the Calvary General he should try hard to become a government officer for the sake of family reputation. SHAN runs into LUNG again. She decides to put him up upon learning that he is homeless. Cheung Lai Yuen is recruiting dancers. SHAN’s mother, TING HEUNG-FA, encourages her to have a go when she sees the ad. The Full Moon Feast of the princess is approaching. Three of Changan’s conservatories have been invited by YING GOONG GOONG to put on a command performance. YUET points out frankly that BUT’s music does not appeal to refined taste. BUT invites LUNG to join Cheung Lai Yuen when he hears him play again.… ...