The Life and Times of a Sentinel

In the 25th year of his reign, Emperor HONG HEI is forced to abdicate by Prince YUE, FOOK-CHUEN inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony on the grounds that his accession to the throne is completely illegal. The story dates back to years ago… Emperor SHUN ZHI, while still on the throne, has nominated CHUEN as the next ruler. Then all of a sudden, Empress Dowager HAU CHONG announces that Emperor SHUN ZHI has died of smallpox, although the Emperor is actually staying at the Coolness Monastery as a monk, accompanied by Imperial Guard KEI TO-TING. TING has not revealed to his son KEI MAN-CHEONG that he has become a monk. While trying to pay a secret visit to his newborn grandchild KEI CHUN-KIT, TING runs into TIN KONG-CHING, a guy he rescued years ago. TING takes on CHING as his apprentice, and gives him a Dharma name “HIN YAN”. Emperor SHUN ZHI has passed away, which alerts TING to the possibility of danger to his family.… ...

Annoyed by HO’s arrogance, PO and his cousin SHEUNG-HEI go to ambush the Manchurian and beat him up severely. The following day, HO gets hung in the street with a tag around his neck reading “Manchurian Dog”. Time announcer CHUNG has fallen sick, so PO offers to take up his job tentatively. PO has scared CHEUK CHI-YING’s pet dog quite badly while patrolling, about which he has a terrible quarrel with the girl. HO, accompanied by his cousin, the First-ranked Imperial Guard TAI SHEK, comes to Sheung Moon House to look for the guy who is suspected to have hung him up the other day. PO and HO get into a fight soon afterwards. In the confusion, CHUNG is injured by SHEK. PO and the villagers decide to cry out for justice by releasing kongming lanterns. One of the lanterns drifts into the Palace and manages to catch the Emperor’s attention.… ...

PO, HO and the rest of the candidates gather at the examination centre for the recruitment test, which will be invigilated by Imperial Guard Superintendent PO CHAI. PO manages to reach the final, but is said to have failed to finish the designated tasks within a specific time frame. Imperial Noble Consort MAN-KWAN is busy working on her embroideries, with which she hopes to win the Emperor’s attention and later his affection. Not long after, Lady KIN-CHING, wife of Prince KUNG, comes to see KWAN, asking the Imperial Noble Consort to teach her how to play the matouqin, a musical instrument originated in Mongolia. Having overheard KWAN playing the matouqin, Emperor HONG HEI gets so annoyed that he rushes inside and gives her a terrible telling-off. The Emperor decides to send CHUEN to Yangzhou to investigate the dispute between the Manchurians and Han Chinese.… ...

Knowing that all the selected Han Chinese do have some relationship with CHAI, PO and CHUEN come to suspect that there may be someone behind the scenes plotting everything all along. Emperor HONG HEI is surprised when he knows that CHUEN is also secretly investigating the cheating incident. He then sends TAK to carry out a probe in order to find out why CHUEN is so concerned about the incident. CHAI reveals the investigation results to the Empress Dowager, and promises to keep everything secret. CHUEN goes to see the Emperor, asking him not to worry about the cheating rumors any more. The Emperor forces CHUEN to reveal the truth, but in vain. Emperor HONG HEI rescinds the order for sending CHUEN to the royal graveyard, and needs him to stay in Beijing instead. KOON-YAT urges PO to give up on his dream of becoming an Imperial Guard, but without success.… ...

PO believes that the monk, HIN YAN, is just a con man working for YING. But much to his surprise, YAN keeps explaining to him the Buddhist maxims in a friendly manner. CHUEN has finally managed to move the Empress Dowager and is allowed to stay with the Emperor. Knowing that PO is joining the orientation program for the Imperial Guard trainees, SHEK and his mates begin to stay extra vigilant. SHEK has arranged a special training session for the lads, during which HO and his mates suddenly attack PO, claiming that it is a secret order from SHEK. Manchurian YAN-CHAK stands by PO and offers to lend him a hand in fighting back. On the surface, poker-faced NGAI CHUN is on HO’s side but in reality he is making every attempt to defend PO. Unfairly partial to his cousin, SHEK means to tease PO and CHAK by making them wipe the military arms. For this reason, PO and CHAK have missed the banquet held by CHUEN.… ...

PO is alleged to be in league with CHUN. Although he ends up being released, a rigorous probe into his background is already underway. YING is shocked to see the seriously injured CHUN, initially introduced as the son of TONG’s friend, lying inside the firewood shed. TONG arrives with HIN SING to arrest CHUN, who however manages to hold YING hostage within seconds. YAN encounters PO and is surprised to find that he is actually CHEONG’s descendant. CHOI-KING has found the female temple keeper who helped with her delivery years ago but the woman makes a deliberate attempt to blackmail her. PO is so thankful to YAT and KING for raising him. To express his gratitude, he decides to resign from the post of Imperial Guard and concentrate on running the family business Sheung Moon House.… ...

CHUEN passes the names of the newly appointed Imperial Guards to the Emperor, and the Emperor would like to have a meeting with them in one go. KWAN and LUN go to choose their dress fabrics, during which LUN reveals that she does not seem to have experienced any sense of intimacy with CHUEN ever since their marriage. Lady WAI suffers from skin allergy after applying a small portion of perfume imported from the West. Knowing that the Emperor has made up with KWAN, Lady WAI decides to set her up by giving her the perfume. CHUEN passes a glass of fragrance oil to LUN, asking her to share it with CHING and the rest of her friends, which gives her quite a thrill. CHING who learns embroidery from KWAN asks the Imperial Noble Consort to draw her a sketch. During the process, LUN comes across a set of patterns which look a little familiar. LUN returns home and locates CHUEN’s matouqin, from which she manages to find some clues.… ...

PO is among the first batch of Han Chinese to be appointed as the Imperial Guards, so his friends decide to hold a celebration party for him at Sheung Moon House. Knowing that YING has reserved the whole restaurant for a private function, PO pours scorn on her and criticizes her pharmacy for milking money out of others. PO asks YAN to teach him kung-fu but YAN is going to charge him incredibly high tuition fees in return. PO gets picked on by SHEK on his first day of work, and is sent to the most remote Lantern Depository along with CHAK. PO gets to know YING better and is so surprised by her excellent cooking skills. From YING he also learns that TONG has started hanging out with bureaucrats and business tycoons since about ten years ago only for the sake of his pharmacy. Lady WAI is diagnosed as being pregnant, and is therefore spared the embarrassment of being rebuked by the Empress Dowager.… ...

CHU, along with the Banner officials, urges Emperor HONG HEI to convict MIN, which puzzles the Emperor quite a bit. The Emperor and TAK have arrived at the Lantern Depository, where they run into PO and CHAK and get to seek shelter from the snowstorm all together. The Emperor is so impressed with PO’s talent and holds him in high regard. CHUEN is appointed to investigate MIN’s case. PO catches SHEK stealing MIN’s jade ornament during the search. MIN protests his innocence and tells PO that he has been framed. CHAI is shocked to hear that the painting “A Pure Stream in a Filthy World” is lost and PO is believed to be the prime suspect. Stressed and distressed, PO decides to flee from the Palace in the middle of the night. Fearing that the truth will be revealed, SING is going to kill PO. CHUEN presents the painting “A Pure Stream in a Filthy World” to the Emperor, taking it as the strongest evidence against MIN.… ...

Knowing that MIN is charged with a serious offence, Lady WAI tries to intercede for him by cutting her hair in front of the Emperor. LUN means to put CHUEN to the test… After giving the Imperial Guards a lecture, CHUEN announces his decision to appoint SIN as Deputy Commander, and to promote PO to the position of Third-ranked Imperial Guard. PO befriends an aloof, dumb man who has impressed him in a big way. YING congratulates PO on his promotion, but reveals to him at the same time that her relationship with TONG is getting worse. YING realizes that there is something wrong with TONG. TONG is actually one of the helmsmen of the anti-Qing political organization, Sun Moon Society, and has been plotting to assassinate the Empress Dowager. SHUM TSUI-YUK and some other members of the Sun Moon Society sneak into the Palace as instructed by TONG.… ...

TONG reveals to YING that the Sun Moon Society is plotting to assassinate the Empress Dowager so as to knock the stuffing out of the Manchurians. SIN discovers a Sun Moon Society-related tattoo on the assassinator’s body, which makes CHUEN suspect that there may be something to do with the Empress Dowager’s upcoming visit to the Cloudy Monastery. CHEONG who passes by overhears PO quarrelling with YAN, and is shocked to learn that PO is actually his long-lost son. Blaming himself for causing TONG to suffer the torments during the questioning, PO goes to Pak Hei Hall with a pack of herbal medicine and offers a formal apology to TONG and YING. Knowing that the Emperor is still indecisive about whom to choose as the new Empress, CHUEN suggests he follow the Empress Dowager’s advice. Subsequent to her visit to the Cloudy Monastery, the Empress Dowager goes to have a sip of the famous “Cloudy Tea”, which is invented by CHEONG.… ...

YAN finds out the truth behind the poisoning plot and manages to prove CHEONG’s innocence. The Empress Dowager asks the Emperor to send her fifth grandson SHEUNG NING, who has been stationed in Mongolia for years, back to Beijing for a family reunion. SIN has soon cracked the case and located the mastermind who has planned the assassination of CHUEN and the Empress Dowager. SHEK and his teammates are all shocked by the investigation results while PO has serious doubts about SIN’s explanation. SIN reveals to CHUEN that CHAI has been secretly probing into CHEONG’s background, which the prince finds very strange. PO is glad to hear that CHUEN will be promoted to the rank of Cabinet Minister. Fearing that his true identity will be exposed sooner or later, CHEONG is going to leave the monastery but is stopped by YAN. CHAI is shocked to discover that CHEONG’s household registration records are all fake.… ...

PO is totally clueless as to why CHEONG has to commit suicide. Looking at his puzzled face, YAN decides to reveal to him CHEONG’s true identity. Lady WAI has a miscarriage, and the royal physician implies that this may have something to do with KWAN. With no way to prove her innocence, KWAN is left speechless. CHUEN offers to investigate the case, to which the Emperor agrees. Knowing that CHUEN is so concerned about the accusation against KWAN and desperate to prove her innocence, LUN is consumed with anger and jealousy. CHUEN cannot put up with LUN any more and gives her a terrible telling-off. Lady WAI is going to hang herself inside the hall where disgraced concubines are kept. In the confusion, Lady CHAN, who has been locked inside the hall for decades, has managed to escape.… ...

PO tries to calm Lady CHAN down and finally manages to save the girl in the nick of time. PO arranges a meeting between CHUEN and Lady CHAN, during which Lady CHAN suddenly gets her sanity back and reveals that the previous Emperor did promise to pass the throne to CHUEN while still alive. YING tells the Sun Moon Society about her encounter with Lady CHAN, and starts to become suspicious of PO. SHEK needs his team to keep a close watch over the Cloudy Monastery. For safety’s sake, YAN and CHEONG ask PO to leave Beijing temporarily. Knowing that PO and CHEONG must be related one way or another, SIN means to make the lad stay in Beijing. CHUEN does not understand why SHEK has to kill PO and CHEONG, so PO reveals a secret to him, which was kept for long by his late grandfather TING. PO is arrested by CHAI. Despite the long and severe questioning, PO refuses to disclose anything.… ...

NING has returned to Beijing earlier as arranged by CHUEN while Lady CHAN is also summoned to see the Empress Dowager. NING asks the Empress Dowager to allow Lady CHAN, his biological mother, to leave the Palace so that she can enjoy a peaceful life in her remaining days, but his request is rejected. Surprisingly, CHUEN tries to convince NING to follow the Empress Dowager’s instructions. Upon PO’s promotion to the post of First-ranked Imperial Guard, CHUEN orders him to locate the whereabouts of the long-lost Princess TUEN MAN, who was abandoned by Lady CHAN as a baby. YING is happy to see PO and his mates, from whom she gets some useful information. Immediately she passes on the news to TONG. KWAN will soon be crowned as the Empress, so LUN warns her to be vigilant about her identity and to keep her distance from CHUEN at all times.… ...

Lady CHAN loses her sanity again, so CHUEN and KWAN try to calm her down with some hand-shadow tricks. LUN who passes by quickly jumps to the conclusion that they are flirting with each other. PO asks his assistants to stalk TONG while he himself is going to probe into YING’s family history. PO reveals to YING that she may be the long-lost Princess TUEN MAN who was abandoned by Lady CHAN as a baby. YING regains her original status as the Princess and the Empress Dowager keeps reminding her to forget her past as a commoner. PO escorts YING back to Pak Hei Hall for a visit, during which TONG suggests YUK follow YING to the Palace as her handmaiden. YING shows PO the clay doll he gave her, in a bid to remind him about their friendship. PO, however, replies that everything has changed and that it is impossible to go back in time.… ...

The Emperor is still puzzled by LUNG’s case. Knowing that LUNG’s subordinate SAK LONG MUK is in league with the Empress Dowager, the Emperor urges TAK and PO to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. PO asks CHUEN if he is trying to suppress his opponents by sacrificing the good and faithful, and CHUEN does not deny it. The Empress Dowager summons PO for a word and invites him to join her camp. Lady CHAN has multiple injuries all over her body, which makes NING believe that she has been badly battered. The Emperor lets NING stay in Beijing, so that he, NING and CHUEN can further nurture their relationship. In addition to that, he decides to appoint NING as the new Commander-in-chief. Planning to assassinate the Emperor during KWAN’s coronation, TONG asks YING to smuggle a box of explosives into the Palace.… ...

PO finds YUK very suspicious and asks to search her, but to no avail. CHUEN is happy to see that KWAN still treasures the handkerchief he gave her. He swears to KWAN that he will recover the throne and win back her heart from the Emperor no matter what. YING summons PO for a word, during which she tries to drug him in the hope of saving him from the upcoming explosion. Her plan is however thwarted by YUK. CHUEN finds out why the incense burner has attracted a swarm of insects, and is facing the dilemma about whether to save PO. The Emperor pays tribute to the late Empress inside the Hall of Eternal Spring, during which PO suddenly realizes that something may have gone wrong. The Empress Dowager is relieved to see that the Emperor is left unharmed after the explosion. The Emperor is so worried about the seriously injured PO, and keeps recalling how the lad has rescued him from the burning hall.… ...

Knowing that PO is seriously hurt, YAN rushes into the Palace and finally manages to rescue him. The Empress Dowager has a private meeting with YAN, during which she tries to probe into his relationship with PO. PO is promoted to the post of First-ranked Imperial Guard Commander with the title “Imperial Guard Armed with the Golden Saber”. Immediately he goes back to Sheung Moon House for a celebration with his family. Fearing that YING is being used as a tool of others, PO warns her to beware of YUK, who he suspects is involved in the assassination of the Emperor. CHAK sees his colleagues looking after a woman, who is later found to be the temple keeper who has been guarding the secret of PO’s true identity. Following his meeting with YAN, PO decides to flee with YAT and KING. SHEK and his team arrive at Sheung Moon House, but are shocked to discover that YAT and KING have committed suicide with a lethal poison.… ...

Thrilled by KWAN’s pregnancy, the Emperor urges the royal physician to look after her in the best way possible. PO leaves the day-to-day running of Sheung Moon House to HEI but HEI asks him to resign and take up the reins of the family business. Knowing that CHUEN is meeting KWAN inside the Palace, LUN is even more convinced that they are having an affair. YUK manages to work out the secret password set by TONG and comes up with another assassination plan. CHAI and his teammates have come to arrest YING and YUK. In the nick of time, YUK seizes YING as a hostage in order to make an escape. Knowing that YING has been detained, NING goes to save her at once. PO stops SHEK and his teammates from torturing TONG, who however unexpectedly pleads guilty all of a sudden. TONG asks PO to reveal his long-kept secret after he and YING are executed, which leads PO to discover another plot of TONG.… ...

The Empress Dowager decides to execute TONG by slow slicing. To test YING’s loyalty, she needs the Princess to witness the execution. CHING comes to visit YING and LUN with a good assortment of desserts, and is happy to reveal her pregnancy to them. PO confides in YAN inside the monastery, during which he is advised to get out of the political arena as soon as possible. Upon receiving a secret message from a secret informant, the Emperor decides to adopt a different route for the canal construction project, causing a number of Manchurian government officials to suffer great financial loss. CHUEN therefore asks PO to steal a glance at the secret message. SHEK HAK tells CHUEN that he would like to stay in Beijing and entrust all his troops to the Prince after his retirement, which is however strongly opposed by the Empress Dowager. LUN pays KWAN a visit, during which KWAN suddenly suffers an acute attack of abdominal pain.… ...

PO believes that Lady WAI is killed by someone with powerful kung-fu skills. CHUEN reveals to HAK that he has purposely found a scapegoat for LUN so that she can stay out of the trouble and remain safe. He asks HAK not to return his military power to the Emperor, and manages to convince his father-in-law to entrust all the troops to him. Doubtful about PO’s investigation results, TAK decides to stalk him. Lady CHAN loses her sanity again, so YING and PO run up to her bedroom to have a look at once. Lady CHAN insists that CHUEN is the only heir to the throne and that she knows a shocking secret of the Empress Dowager, which surprises YING and PO in a big way. CHUEN goes to pester KWAN again. KWAN gives him a telling-off, warning him that what he has been doing will get LUN and PO-TAI into huge trouble. CHING who passes by catches them arguing. She is scared to death and goes to confide in YING at once.… ...

PO is wondering if he has become the prime suspect, but to his great surprise, the Emperor asks him to keep a close eye on TAK. PO and CHAK arrive at the town originally proposed as the canal terminus, and are shocked to discover that the municipal officials are all being controlled by a secret mastermind. YING, CHING and Lady CHAN get poisoned and fall unconscious after eating the desserts offered by the Empress Dowager. CHING is later found dead on the spot. PO reports to the Emperor on the investigation against TAK and CHU, following which the Emperor asks him to stalk CHUEN and KWAN. YING misses her days as a commoner, and PO promises to bring her out of the Palace after his mission is achieved. While PO is still investigating the death of CHING, SHEK drops dead suddenly. Despite PO’s suspicion of SIN, all the evidence is against CHAI.… ...

CHU thanks CHUEN for his help, and is relieved to see that TAK is only dismissed and does not have to face any further punishment. Feeling guilty for causing so many people to suffer, KWAN decides to kill herself. Before committing suicide, she dresses herself as a commoner and writes CHUEN a letter of goodbye. The Emperor is so distressed by KWAN’s injury that he is absent from the morning meeting and delegates all duties to CHUEN for handling. SIN is found to have killed SHEK, and is being hotly pursued by HO and his teammates. On behalf of the Empress Dowager, CHAI asks SIN to join their camp. The Empress Dowager is more than certain that CHUEN is plotting a revolt. From SIN she also learns about PO’s relationship with the late TING. To prevent the long-kept secret from surfacing, she decides to kill PO.… ...

PO manages to escape capture and flees with YING. SIN comes along and joins CHAI in attacking PO. Left with no way out, PO jumps off the cliff. Having found Emperor SHUN ZHI’s will inside the monastery, PO decides to return to the Palace to settle the long-running dispute. KWAN finally wakes up from unconsciousness but will remain paralyzed for the rest of her life. Despite strong opposition from all the ministers, the Emperor names KWAN as the new Empress and holds the coronation ceremony for her as planned. PO passes Emperor SHUN ZHI’s will to CHUEN, with which CHUEN confirms that it was the Empress Dowager who stirred up trouble and stood in the way of his succession to the throne. LUN pays KWAN a visit and confides in her. She reveals to KWAN all the evil deeds done by CHUEN, and apologizes profusely for causing her to suffer. LUN’s confession is overheard by the Empress Dowager who passes by.… ...

NING and his troops are all standing by along the major passages leading to the Palace while PO is denouncing the Empress Dowager in front of various ministers. CHUEN claims that he is the only official heir to the throne. CHAI brings Lady CHAN and the Empress Dowager to the Hall of Supreme Harmony as instructed. The Empress Dowager is shocked to learn that CHUEN has made such an obvious attempt to overthrow the government, and that CHAI has already betrayed her. She orders the Imperial Guards to arrest CHUEN, but all of them are busy fighting with the assassinators, who are actually the dismissed TAK and his subordinates. CHUEN asks PO to reveal in public how his family was persecuted by the Empress Dowager, after which he takes out Emperor SHUN ZHI’s will and read it out. The Emperor discloses TAK’s investigation results.… ...