Original subtitles

♪Bright moonlight, with lanterns still burning♪

♪Deep night's hue, your face softly blurring♪

♪In a fleeting thought, my heart's line is stirring♪

♪Fate entwines, a knot forever binding♪

♪This love's riddle, your heart cold as steel♪

♪Yet your bright smile, how it steals♪

♪Like the fireworks in the night sky♪

♪A brilliance that no words can yield♪

♪La~ la~♪

♪In this life, meeting you is fate's best hand♪

♪La~ la~♪

♪Our love story, I'll slowly pen♪

♪In this life, I wish for your words♪

♪From black hair to white, we'll brave time's trend♪

♪In this life, may our love forever blend♪

♪Let's make a pact with the changing seas♪

♪In this life, may our love stand like mountains♪

♪Through seasons' change, our whispers weave♪

♪In this life, may our love never fades away♪

♪Outshining all the world's glories, come what may♪

=Les Belles=

=Episode 2=

That young lady is a charming rider.

That's my horse!

Right, Young Master.

- How did she get it? - There!

- Go that way! - Let's go.

- Yes. - Yes.

Zhao Yuan, they seem to be trained soldiers.

I'll distract them.

You leave with the account book.

Stop! Don't move!

Why isn't it moving?

- Stop there! - Come on!

- Stop! - Yah!

Stop!

Stop!

Come on!

Go get horses to chase him!

Yes.

Let's go. Come on.

Has she got the horse?

It's been two hours, Miss.

Is that girl coming or not?

Wait a few more minutes.

How much longer must I wait?

Just a few more minutes. She's coming.

The heat is killing me!

Please!

You must arrive safe and sound.

Go!

Run!

Is this horse from the farmer's market?

Run!

Come on.

Go, go, go!

My Lady!

She's arrived, sir!

Let's go!

Is this the fairest of Shuozhou,

Miss Luo?

Or am I seeing things?

Yes, it's me.

Sir, let's...

- Stop! Over there! Seize her! - Stop!

They're right behind us!

- Stop there! - Let's go!

Stop!

-Hey...! - Where are you going?

I'm sorry, Miss Luo!

Everyone in town knows Young Master Fan

is marrying you today.

If I help you escape,

the Fan Family will kill me!

Here's your money.

Take care, ladies. Take care.

I don't want to die!

My Lady!

What should we do, Sister?

Find a place to hide.

Let's go.

Come on!

Stop!

Move!

Go away!

Over there! There! Let's go!

- My Lady... - Stop!

- Stop! - Let's go.

They can't go too far.

Search every corner.

- You guys go that way. - Yes.

- Let's go. - That way.

- Yes. - They've caught up!

We're outnumbered, Sister.

(Zhou Yangling) Come.

- Hua, Lingxi! - Let's go!

- Move! - Move!

- Stop... - Do you want to die?

- Any sign of her? - No.

You two go that way.

The rest of you follow me.

- Yes. - Yes.

Let's go.

- What's happening? - What are you doing?

What's going on?

Relax. They're gone.

How rude of me.

My apologies, Miss.

Let me go double-check.

Come out now. It's safe.

Come out.

I'm Zhou Zibo.

May I know your name, Miss?

You don't know me?

Should I?

I'm Luo Lingyu.

Thank you for your help.

I'll forever remember it.

Thanks, Mr. Zhou.

Thank you, sir!

Thank you, Mr. Zhou.

Did you go to the dock to take a boat?

We hired one,

but the boatman refused to take us and left.

Where did you mean to go by boat?

Yuezhou.

Really? I'm going there, too.

What are the odds?

Miss Luo,

they'll find you sooner or later.

It's best to leave this place soon.

I have an idea.

Would you like to have a try?

Where's she?

Over there! Don't let her get away!

- Go! - Stop right there!

- Let's go! - Stop!

- Go away! - Stop!

Stop!

Out of the way!

They've left. Let's go.

There you are...

Sir.

Go on board, ladies.

The law says if no blood's shed,

flog the attacker

40 times.

If there's blood, 60 times.

If the injured vomit blood, 80 times.

The chief offender who hits the hardest will

receive the harshest punishment.

The others will be punished less harshly.

Go ahead.

How are you going to hit me?

How hard will it be?

Who will go first?

- Uh... - I...

- Be careful, Hua. - Watch your step.

Step back, Hua!

Yellow! Yellow!

Forget it.

The boat has sailed.

Leave it there, Hua.

Forget it.

Find Miss Luo first.

Let's go.

(That person is waiting for the boat.)

- (I cannot take it) - Go that way.

(to Yuezhou.)

(This is a win-win situation.)

- We'll buy you a new one. - I want mine.

Mother gave it to me.

I want my Yellow!

Here you go.

- It's back. - Thanks, Sister.

Yellow is back. Are you happy now?

(Zhou)

Women in the world

are subject to arranged marriages.

I admire her courage to escape.

May you get what you want, too.

I'm holding you. Do you feel cold?

Wipe it.

How's that young man?

I wonder if he's safe.

The Fan Family was looking for you.

I think they wouldn't hurt him.

By the way,

he's so beautiful.

Men looking as pretty as women are blessed.

Mr. Zhou's indeed good-looking.

Sister, is your encounter

like what happened in romantic stories?

Miss Hua, the characters in those stories

aren't as poor and needy as us.

Let's focus on how to get basic necessities.

That's more important.

We don't even have a change of clothes.

Don't worry.

We'll be fine, Lingxi.

Give me the abacus.

Sure.

Here you go.

The wedding gown from the Lansong Shop

was bought at 30 taels of gold.

It can be pawned for money.

Who will buy a wedding gown from a pawn shop?

That's bad for marriage.

That's right.

The fairest woman of Shuozhou tried it on.

I'm being kind enough not to raise the price.

Look at you.

Sister,

you haven't added this case of jewelry.

Mother left these pieces to us.

We need them to look good when necessary.

We can't pawn them.

Right.

Luckily, we got back some money from that thief.

I wonder

what else he took from us.

Go!

Go!

Keep going!

Come on!

Stop!

Stop!

I thought you were slow!

Stop! There he is!

- Go! - Let's go!

(I've never wanted this marriage. Please let it go. Luo Lingyu)

(To Fan Qingchen)

Lingyu,

are you so eager to run away from me?

(Luo Lingyu)

The thief escaped.

The account book got lost.

The bride ran away.

Good job. Look what you did.

I'm so sorry!

Please punish me!

That thief sneaked in during chaos,

grabbed the account book quickly,

and ran away.

Few could pull that off.

It must've been premeditated.

I wonder what exactly they know.

Send a letter to Yuezhou immediately.

Yes, sir.

I'll check out that thief.

What's lost

must be recovered intact.

No error is allowed.

I'll bring him

or his body back.

You have my word, sir.

Scram!

Mr. and Mrs. Luo are still waiting in the front hall, sir.

Let's go.

Luo Lingyu was out of her mind and did this.

- Right. - She fooled us, too.

It's all our fault.

Well...

We'll return all the betrothal gifts.

Please forgive us, Young Master Fan.

I've given you the money.

There's no way I'll take it back.

Lingyu and I have married.

She'll forever be one of us.

Indeed.

But she ran away...

Then find her.

You raised her for years, Mr. Luo.

Do you know where she'll go?

- We... - She lost her parents.

My wife and I pitied her

- and adopted her. - Yes.

We treated her as our own for so long.

Who knows where that ingrate

will go?

I know!

She has a relative in Yuezhou.

I bet she'll go there.

Will Aunt Ying take us in?

I doubt it. After Uncle died in battle,

she went to live with her family in Yuezhou.

We've only exchanged a few letters.

I don't think we're too close.

Although

the great Lu Clan won't drive us out,

we'll have to find a way

to stay for as long as possible.

My Lady,

what are you going to do once we arrive?

Go on taking in a husband

to regain my inheritance.

You and Fan Qingchen got married earlier.

How can you marry someone else?

I never wanted to marry him.

That wedding was against my will.

I won't sacrifice the rest of my life for it.

Besides, we're going to Yuezhou.

I don't think

he'll come so far to find me.

If she's going to Yuezhou,

that'll be great.

Once I finish everything here,

I'll bring her back myself.

Well then, may you get her back soon.

Yes.

We'll take our leave.

Let's go. Go.

Lingyu,

you know what?

You are mine,

alive or dead.

You've been calculating for a while.

Are you hungry, Sister?

Is your stomach growling, Hua?

Sorry. Go to sleep and you won't feel it.

I'll get you something to eat tomorrow.

There's food on board.

Here you go, ladies.

- Thank you, sir! - Thank you, sir!

You're welcome.

Flat buns.

Mr. Zhou is living a frugal life.

This is satiating food.

I can't bite through it.

Hua,

just imagine

this is a bite of braised pork.

This is a bite of sauced beef.

Pork with preserved vegetables.

Yuck!

We aren't going to eat this all the way, are we?

I can try to get fish for you.

Great!

You used to catch big fish a lot.

This is easy.

Of course.

As delicate as you seem,

you're quite skilled.

I'm sure you'll get big fish tonight.

- Thank you. - Here.

There will be fish soup

for everyone.

- We can make it once we get fish. - Thanks.

Come here, big fish.

Here, fish, fish, fish.

- A bite! - There it is!

Be careful, My Lady.

- Careful! - Don't fall, Sister!

It must be a big one.

We can make braised fish and fish soup.

Great!

I'll help you.

- Pull it. - Sister.

Pull.

Be careful, Sister.

It's huge!

Try again.

Here it comes.

Here it is, Sister!

Sister...

That's...

a human, not a fish.

What are you doing, Sister?

Let him go.

You rescued my toy.

Why not help this man?

Given the arrow in him

and his black attire,

he must be hunted.

We can't take risks.

Sister, when Jingyang fell,

had someone helped our parents,

maybe our family wouldn't have been ruined.

My Lady.

Lingxi!

My Lady!

I'll help you, Sister.

The more we know,

the closer we are to danger.

Sister, he's wounded.

If the arrow stays in him,

he'll still die.

I'll ask the boatman to row ashore

and find a physician.

I'll go with you.

Sure.

Come on, Lingxi!

Did you pull out the arrow, Sister?

What if you made him die?

We barely know him.

We've done our best to get him on board.

If he ends up dead,

that's his fate.

(What a heartless girl.)

Lingxi, fetch the medicine chest.

Yes.

My Lady.

Sister, this is the last bottle

of the healing powder left by our parents.

When you had a big cut on your hand

and lost so much blood, you didn't use it.

Sister,

I was wrong about you.

You wanted to help him, didn't you?

If he died on board,

he'd ruin our good fortune.

You're always all bark and no bite.

What a jinx.

So good! Sister's soup is the best!

It smells so good, My Lady!

So much fish.

Lingxi, bring it to the boatman.

He's helped us a lot.

We should thank him.

Sure, My Lady.

I'll bring it to him later.

This is for him.

We'll share the rest.

There's no fish in that bowl at all.

Mr. Mask is extremely weak.

He needs to eat meat

to recover quickly.

You probably don't know

weak people like him

can only digest liquid such as soup.

Hua, once we get off,

do not bring up Mr. Mask ever again.

Why, Sister?

We're girls,

and we got a man on board.

If such news reached Yuezhou,

how could I take in a husband to regain our property?

Great success is ahead of us.

It can be ruined by an anonymous man.

Let's try the soup.

Great! I want fish!

Yes, My Lady.

Eat up.

- No... - Yun.

- Don't, Mother! - Your father is missing.

He might be alive or dead.

What's worse, he's guilty of treason.

The two of us

have lost all hope of living.

It's time to end everything, son.

Father would never be a traitor!

No!

You still have me, Mother!

- We'll be fine! - It's too hard to live on.

Don't!

- It's too hard to keep going. - No...

I give up.

♪It's hard to see through fate♪

♪I sit alone amid the down pour at night♪

♪The single string broke; half a bed's cold♪

♪A cup of wine can't drown my loneliness♪

Let go.

Finally, you're awake.

Use some more healing powder

and you'll be fine.

What did you see in your dream?

Your arms were flailing wildly.

Now that you're up,

have the soup yourself.

Sister,

there's no soup left.

I'll destroy that thief who stole my dowry!

Hadn't it been for him,

we would've had some of it left.

- Yes. - We would've lived much better

- (Wait.) - and had enough food.

(Dowry? Is she also a run-away bride?)

Luckily, I grabbed that wedding gown.

We can pawn it later.

Or things would be even worse.

Let me fold the gown.

Help! Catch the thief!

That's my horse!

(It's her!)

(She ruined my plan)

(and stole my horse.)

- What's wrong? - Lingxi.

I'll go check.

My Lady...

There isn't enough soup for everyone,

yet you spilled so much.

Thank you for saving my life.

I'm...

"Thank you." Is that all you've got?

That's it?

Will that put food on the table?

Trust me, Miss.

You saved my life.

I promise to pay you back.

If you're poor, just say it.

I've heard enough empty promises.

Listen, if you really want to thank me,

let's set a few ground rules.

I'm all ears.

First, never take off your mask.

Pretend we never met.

Don't tell anyone what happened on board.

Second, never enter the cabin.

You're a man. Stay away from us girls.

It's cold outside.

I'm still weak...

Hadn't we lent a hand,

you'd have been frozen to death in the water.

Besides, we've left you here for so long,

and you're getting better.

How come you...?

Third,

be quiet.

Follow my rules

to get the powder.

Or a small infection

can kill you.

Fine.

I'll follow them.

Don't spill the powder.

She of all people saved me.

Unbelievable!

Hua,

your sister said not to go outside.

(Zhou)

You look much better.

That's a relief.

Thanks for your help.

Once we arrive in Yuezhou,

I will thank you properly.

Have some food.

(Why is she suddenly being so nice?)

There's a long way ahead of you.

You'll need a lot of energy.

What do you mean?

Why not cut to the chase?

As I said before,

traveling with a man is inconvenient.

We don't want others to talk.

Yuezhou isn't too far away.

It's time for you to get off.

Get off?

Here?

Miss,

my wound hasn't healed.

- I... - Don't be too modest.

You were much stronger

and healthier than most people.

I gave you the best healing powder

to treat your wound.

It hasn't healed yet,

but it's fine.

Look,

the dock is only hundreds of meters away.

You weren't drowned after being shot.

I'm sure you can make it now.

What if...?

What if I didn't survive?

You're a risk-taker.

Are you afraid of risk?

If something did happen to you,

that'd be your doom.

Just pretend I never saved you.

(Listen to her.)

(Was she born to make me suffer?)

Fine.

May I know your name, Miss?

If we meet again,

I'll repay you for your kindness.

No need. I didn't help you to get paid.

Please keep in mind those rules.

If we meet again, pretend we're strangers.

Sir,

you may go.

What was that sound, My Lady?

That man jumped into the water.

Why would he do that?

I asked him to.

Yuezhou is right ahead.

We can't go ashore with a man and stranger

who was hunted by others.

You do have a point.

He's strong.

His wound healed fast.

I'm sure he can swim to the shore.

My Lady,

Miss Hua is still sleeping.

What should we tell her when she wakes up?

Tell her he left to attend to something.

Alright.

We'll dock soon, My Lady.

Let's freshen up.

Sure.

(Yuezhou) Sachets. Jewelry.

Miss, check out these sachets and jewelry.

Take a look. It's beautiful.

It's good.

That one looks nice, too.

(Prince Changyi)

Your Highness, scouts along the way

said Zhou's boat would arrive today.

Your Highness, the top of that boat

is red.

According to Master Zhou's letter,

that's Zhou's red-top boat!

Yuezhou is right ahead of us.

It's a city of goodies.

Hua, how do I look?

Oh...

I'm tired.

You said it'd only take half an incense stick of time.

But now, it's been one and a half.

I'm exhausted!

Hang in there, Hua.

Be steady. Don't sway

with the boat.

I'm almost done.

We'll visit a prominent family in Yuezhou.

I have to be loudly dressed.

If I showed up underdressed,

others would look down on us.

My Lady, I just took a glance at the dock.

It was huge and bustling!

What if... what if they see

Sister's unmatched look

and surge forward?

The more the people, the bigger the influence,

and the greater my fame in Yuezhou.

I'm going to tell everyone in town

the fairest of Shuozhou, Luo Lingyu, is here!

Then I can take in a husband for sure

and regain my inheritance.

Lingxi, fetch my veiled hat, please.

Yes, My Lady.

Sister, how come no one is looking at you?

The hat must've covered my entire face.

Lingxi.

Are you sure, My Lady?

Harder, Lingxi!

Keep fanning!

Sure.

That's too much! Easy now.

- Easy. - Alright.

Easy, easy.

Look. How beautiful!

Yes. So gorgeous!

That's a big crowd, My Lady.

So pretty!

Let's go. Come on.

Come on!

Go, go, go! Let's go!

Go!

- Hurry. - Let's go.

Come on!

There's enough.

My Lady, what's wrong with the locals?

There's enough.

What's going on, Sister?

- How many do you want? - One.

Excuse me, kind ladies.

I have enough. Don't worry.

Can you step aside, please?

I need to get on board.

(Yuezhou Ferry)

The people of Yuezhou are strange.

A one-of-a-kind beauty is right here.

How come they're turning a blind...?

These flowers are good.

- What a nice color. - Yes.

Let's keep going.

Sure. Let's go over there.

Although you're as dazzling as a peony,

those of Yuezhou

prefer elegant jasmine.

All women are beautiful and charming.

They're unique belles.

I'm not a peony

or jasmine.

I'm a flower of my own kind.

The real esthetes

appreciate all kinds of flowers.

- Look. That young man's loudly dressed. - Pendants.

- He looks sophisticated - Take a look.

and has good taste.

Greetings, Miss Zhou.

I'm Liu. Nice to meet you.

Zhou?

You're indeed what they say, Miss Zhou.

How ethereal,

pretty, and wise.

I'm flattered, Mr. Liu,

but I'm a Luo, not a Zhou.

My apologies,

but isn't this Zhou's boat from Wuzhou?

(Zhou)

I borrowed it.

I don't know whose boat it is.

Where's its owner?

That I don't know.

Sorry for troubling you.

Good day.

Sister, did he mistake you for someone else?

He must be looking for a beauty.

It's understandable that he made a mistake.

We'll become a household name

as we were in Shuozhou.

As for now,

let's go to the Lu Mansion.

Check out these flowers, sir.

Sister.

Take a look!

Look, Miss.

Fresh flowers picked this morning.

Take a look. Do you want some?

- No, no. - Miss,

these buns are our specialties.

No, thanks. Thank you.

(Have Your Fortune Told) Miss, you're in bad luck.

Would you like to hear my divination

- to guide you? - No, thanks.

(Yuezhou Ferry)

I don't need it. Thanks.

- No, thanks. - Sorry.

I really don't need it.

Thanks but no.

- Sachets and pendants. - Tasty haws on a stick.

One, please.

(Lu Mansion) Sure. Take a look.

It's been three days.

Why isn't Young Master back yet?

Did something happen to him?

Hey, you!

It was your fault.

Couldn't you keep him safe?

I should've gone

to Shuozhou with you.

Stop pacing back and forth.

Young Master!

- Young Master! - Sir!

Young Master...

Don't panic.

I'm fine.

How did it go?

Is the book safe?

Yes, Young Master.

Here it is.

Good job.

Did you find anything else?

I found traces

of saltpeter in Fan's warehouse.

Those people were cunning.

They had moved it somewhere else.

I just returned from Shuozhou.

I don't want them to be alerted.

The saltpeter must be reported immediately.

Go to Prince Changyi's Mansion

and tell everything to Aman.

Yes.

- Young Master! - You're wounded!

What happened? You look terrible!

Things didn't go well.

Quite a lot of them.

Alright. Enough.

I'll have them run you an herbal bath

to soothe your body.

I don't want to soak in the water ever again!

(Lu Mansion)

Sister,

are we getting off on the wrong foot like they say?

Relax.

This is only a little setback.

It's nothing.

We have to follow the protocol.

Lingxi, present the visiting letter.

(Luo's Eldest Daughter)

(Luo Lingyu From Jingyang) My Lady, I'm going.

(Lu Mansion)

♪Clouds dream of garments, flowers dream of grace♪

♪Love for power, beauty, but freedom takes the place♪

♪Pearls of the night or robes of gold♪

♪All I'd trade for a cup of wine, bold♪

♪With the strength to bind a chicken, none♪

♪Yet I can seize fate's throat, alone♪

♪Wanna be my rival, you say♪

♪Sorry, you're not there yet, today♪

♪Don't speak of forever♪

♪It's too much for me♪

♪Don't stand idle♪

♪Let love not be late♪

♪Step aside, step aside, make some space♪

♪I'll choose or reject, take my time, no haste♪

♪If you're just boring, I won't stay♪

♪Without you, I'll still live my way♪

♪Step aside, step aside, let me through♪

♪Take it slow, don't be tense, it's true♪

♪Love is love, hate is hate, no debate♪

♪Don't waste this life, make it great♪

♪Clouds dream of garments, flowers dream of grace♪

♪Love for power, beauty, but freedom takes the place♪

♪Pearls of the night or robes of gold♪

♪All I'd trade for a cup of wine, bold♪

♪With the strength to bind a chicken, none♪

♪Yet I can seize fate's throat, alone♪

♪Wanna be my rival, you say♪

♪Sorry, you're not there yet, today♪

♪Don't speak of forever♪

♪It's too much for me♪

♪Don't stand idle♪

♪Let love not be late♪

♪Step aside, step aside, make some space♪

♪I'll choose or reject, take my time, no haste♪

♪If you're just boring, I won't stay♪

♪Without you, I'll still live my way♪

♪Step aside, step aside, let me through♪

♪Take it slow, don't be tense, it's true♪

♪Love is love, hate is hate, no debate♪

♪Don't waste this life, make it great♪