Original subtitles

♪So this is what love is♪

♪I want to transform into a butterfly and pretend to meet you by accident♪

♪Gentle yet playful♪

♪You are as sweet as honey and as beautiful as springtime blooms♪

♪Yes♪

♪I have secretly fallen in love♪

♪My eyes are filled with longing. I can't help but care deeply about you♪

♪In this lifetime, I'll practice hard♪

♪To master your enchanting worldly charm♪

♪You are like a love story, a poem, a dream, and a stunning view♪

♪The unparalleled and everlasting love in this world, all that touches my heart♪

♪Your dress brushes past the copper bell♪

♪Laughing foolishly, feeling fortunate to have met you♪

♪Cherry blossoms fall into my heart♪

♪You are like a mood, sometimes happy, sometimes mad, and sometimes sunny♪

♪I'm the happiest when I think of you and I want to pick the stars for you♪

♪I'll be gentle with you for the rest of my life♪

♪You make me want to be close to you♪

♪Let's travel together to the ends of the earth♪

♪There's a girl, playful and unique♪

♪A smile of hers can make the whole street bloom♪

♪How could the world ever let down a pair like us, unmatched in the world?♪

♪The world is no longer fun. I don't want to explore it without you♪

♪There's a girl, mesmerized by the spring breeze♪

♪Like falling petals meeting flowing water, hoping for eternity♪

♪I shall confess my love for you♪

♪There is someone♪

♪I really like♪

♪You are like a love story, a poem, a dream, and a stunning view♪

♪The unparalleled and everlasting love in this world, all that touches my heart♪

♪Your dress brushes past the copper bell♪

♪Laughing foolishly, feeling fortunate to have met you♪

♪Cherry blossoms fall into my heart♪

♪You are like a mood, sometimes happy, sometimes mad, and sometimes sunny♪

♪I'm the happiest when I think of you and I want to pick the stars for you♪

♪I'll be gentle with you for the rest of my life♪

♪You make me want to be close to you♪

♪Let's travel together to the ends of the earth♪

[Practice Daughter]

[Adapted from An Yimo's original novel, The Charming Thief Princess]

[Episode 20]

Please...

Find another Crown Princess.

As long as it's not me.

Anyone is fine.

The Crown Princess

is not a title that you can just

give away when you want to.

You were publicly announced to be the Crown Princess...

♪It's your mesmerizing glance♪

If you regret it now...

♪Freezing the gentle breeze of the mundane world♪

You'll be considered disobeying an imperial decree.

♪Your gentle call awakens me from my unfinished dreams♪

Even if it means I'll be decapitated...

♪It's hard to convey my love for you when fighting for the homeland♪

I can't be with you.

♪Our destined encounter♪

♪I am meant to accompany you on this journey♪

The rain is too heavy.

Let us just go back.

♪Wishing for a bit more♪

♪So love feels even more real♪

From today on...

♪You and I, each completing the other, year after year♪

We don't have anything to do with each other anymore...

♪Accompany me to explore the world♪

There will be nothing between us anymore.

♪We walk together on bustling streets♪

♪My heart leans towards your warm embrace♪

♪We're both kites reclaimed from the edge of the sky♪

Okay...

♪If it's an unfathomable fate, let me do it again♪

Okay.

If you change your mind now...

♪We're both misunderstood, yet we accept it willingly♪

I can pretend

you've never said what you just said...

♪Step forth boldly and join me without asking where we're heading♪

Stop.

If you insist on leaving,

even if we get married...

♪Wishing for a bit more♪

I will no longer love you

or see you again.

♪You and I, each completing the other, year after year♪

That would be for the best.

♪Accompany me to explore the world♪

♪We walk together on bustling streets♪

♪My heart leans towards your warm embrace♪

♪We're both kites reclaimed from the edge of the sky♪

♪If it's an unfathomable fate, let me do it again♪

♪We're both misunderstood, yet we accept it willingly♪

♪Step forth boldly and join me without asking where we're heading♪

Using marriage to counteract bad luck.

Is the emperor critically ill?

Does that mean the Crown Prince will ascend the throne soon?

About the assassination at the execution ground,

do you think he has found out it was us who did it?

Do you think he's like you?

Idiot.

What to do, Sir?

Do something about it.

We did what you told us to do.

You...

What are you waiting for?

Send this loser back.

Yes.

Why are you so mean?

If you try to pass through the gate without permission again,

we'll have to arrest you according to the palace rules.

I got it.

Sorry for the trouble.

Please watch your lady.

We may leave then.

Who do you think you are?

So mean.

Leaving in the morning without saying goodbye,

you were trying to escape from the palace on your own.

If I tell you,

will you allow me to leave?

You made such a big decision

without even talking to me.

Do you think you can solve the problem

by escaping from the palace?

Then what can I do in the palace?

Waiting to be the Crown Princess?

No matter what, you shouldn't act recklessly.

Shan.

Father.

Father?

My father.

Shan.

You've made a great contribution

to the Mei Family.

The Empress just summoned me

to discuss your wedding.

She also permitted me

to visit you in your room.

Is she your maid?

No manners at all.

I heard from your mother.

If you fail to take care of her,

I'll find another one to replace you.

No need.

About the marriage,

could you reject it?

My dear daughter,

have you lost your mind?

No, think about it.

If I were the Crown Princess,

it'd be more impossible for me to leave the palace.

If you want to see me in the future,

it'll be even harder.

Don't say that again.

People all beg for it.

Yet you want to reject it.

What are you thinking?

Are Mrs. Mei and you in good health?

It's getting cold.

Take care of yourselves.

We're all good.

Right, Shan,

I brought you your favorite toy

from childhood

to help you relax.

It seems my father still cares about me.

A slingshot?

How can I play this in the palace?

If I hit any imperial concubine in their heads,

I'm going to lose my head.

That's right.

I think you've got it wrong.

It's something that her brother likes.

Are you here

just to deliver these things?

In fact,

I'm here because I worry about you.

Once you become the Crown Princess

and move to the palace,

there will be no one to look out for you here.

I...

All the more reason for me to go back home.

We can look out for each other then.

Don't say that again.

Shan.

You have two older brothers.

If your brothers can find jobs

in the Imperial Court...

I thought father had changed.

But he hasn't changed at all.

Finally,

he got to the point.

Now that you've seen your daughter.

If there's nothing else,

please leave.

You...

What's that attitude?

So disrespectful.

Is she... Is she your maid?

Why does she sound exactly like you?

- I'm furious. - Just go.

- Just go. - Find another maid to replace her.

Go.

- Find another maid to replace her. - This is a girl's room.

You shouldn't stay too long.

Ungrateful kid.

Leave.

No wonder your mother and father are a couple.

Those two have a lot in common.

Are you okay?

I'm used to it.

Even though they are my parents,

they never care about me,

their daughter.

For such a home,

such parents,

and their reputation, I turned down the man

who treats me sincerely

over and over again.

It's okay.

You still have me.

Young Lady,

are you in there?

Young Lady?

What are you waiting for?

Bring the stuff in now.

Be careful.

She's neither beautiful nor talented.

His Highness will get tired of her in several days.

Even Huang Yuanyuan

is a much better choice.

Right.

I think so, too.

It annoys me.

I'll go back.

- Bring them in. - Since the Empress made it official...

Hurry up.

Everyone in the palace will try to flatter you.

Bear with it.

You may leave.

Young Lady, greetings.

Don't call me that.

What do you have to say?

The first time you came to the Guixiu Pavilion,

I was as blind as a bat

and annoyed you.

Young Lady, please spare my life.

So I can

continue serving you.

You can get up.

I knew

that you were a forgiving person.

When I saw you for the first time,

I knew

you must be someone highly cultured, reasonable,

- and talented... - Eunuch Song,

you may stop it.

Just tell me

if there's a way I can leave the palace.

Leave?

Young Lady, don't make fun of me.

The Crown Prince is waiting for the wedding.

You can't leave the palace.

I'm afraid you can't even get off...

It'll be hard for you to do so.

On the contrary, I must congratulate you, Young Lady.

You don't need to leave the palace again.

Get out.

Leave.

Get out.

I'll take my leave then.

What?

The Crown Prince will marry the Grand Chancellor's daughter?

Yes.

I heard the Household Department had prepared everything.

Guard Xingshi.

Guard Xingshi.

You've been coming to the Guixiu Pavilion

very often lately.

Yeah.

The wedding is coming.

His Highness is concerned for the Crown Princess's safety,

so he sent me on a special patrol.

Always the wedding.

I got it.

- Boring. - It's vulgar.

Come on. Let's watch this.

The palace is in a hurry to counteract bad luck.

The wedding which was scheduled in three months

is now to be held in half a month.

The palace will be heavily guarded.

You'll draw all the attention.

It'll be hard to get out of the palace.

What to do then?

Can your people help?

They're all outside the palace.

But don't worry, Princess.

I'll escort you out of the palace safely.

After we leave the palace,

we'll talk about what to do next.

Are you coming with us?

I've thought about it.

If Miss Mei doesn't want to leave secretly,

I'll go to the Grand Chancellor's Residence personally

to explain who you are to your parents.

Then,

Princess can say goodbye to them

in broad daylight.

I...

I'll go with you.

Really?

You really want to leave with us?

You... You two.

Anyway,

there's nothing left to be nostalgic about here.

As for the Mei Family,

if it wasn't for the wedding,

I'm afraid they'd have forgotten

they had a daughter.

Don't worry.

I will never let you feel upset again.

Sir,

please give this letter to the Crown Prince.

Bai Ye.

Be careful.

You sneak up on me like this every time.

You got me again.

Your Highness.

I've brewed a nice pot of tea waiting for you.

Thank you, Your Highness.

If you want anything here

or need anything,

just tell Nanbei.

It's getting cold.

Take care of yourself.

Thank you, Your Highness.

I've never seen you

look like this.

Did anything happen?

Nothing.

You wanted to see me today

not just to drink some tea, did you?

Just tell me if there's anything.

You should have guessed

what I'm trying to say.

Your Highness,

you can't make her your wife.

Absurd!

What I'm doing now

is all for you, Your Highness.

First, my mother disagrees.

Then the ministers.

And now you're also trying to stop me.

Can't I decide who my wife will be?

Your Highness.

Why do you stop me

from marrying Douzi?

I can't tell you.

Well, answer me then.

Do you like Douzi?

I do.

I have my reason.

Your reason is you don't know

whether to treat me as a friend

or a rival in love, isn't it?

I will ask you one last time.

Douzi refuses to marry me.

Why?

Yes.

I do have a crush on Douzi.

But stopping you from being together

is not for that reason.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Leave me alone.

Yes.

I told you to...

Your Highness,

it's Xi sent by Her Majesty

to deliver your wedding clothes.

Her Majesty wants you to try them on.

If they don't fit,

the Household Department will fix them.

I see.

Put them there.

Douzi changed her attitude towards me.

Bai Ye also tried to stop me from marrying her.

Why?

What secrets do they have?

It seems...

I'll have to ask him.

Dongxi.

Your Highness,

he is here.

I'm sure you know

what I want to ask.

About the assassination in the Tianji Mansion,

did Bai Ye hide anything from me?

I've said everything I had to say.

Your Highness, no matter how you want to punish me, just go ahead.

If I remember correctly,

you came to the Tianji Mansion ten years ago.

You were young and talented.

So they always put you in important positions.

But you end up in here now.

Do you think it's worth it?

The leading guard of the Tianji Mansion

has been thrown into prison.

Have you ever thought about your parents out there?

They've always been proud of you.

I have sent someone out of the palace

to deliver money to your parents

along with some warm quilts.

I also gave your best wishes to them.

They are doing okay.

So you don't need to worry.

Thank you, Your Highness.

If you tell me the truth,

I will resume your post immediately.

Mr. Bai has been gracious to me.

I can't break my promise to him.

I can't tell you.

You think you're protecting him.

But this is a serious matter.

If you insist on hiding the truth,

I'll have to put Bai Ye into jail too.

No.

Your Highness, don't involve Mr. Bai in this.

If you don't tell the truth,

you'll only hurt him.

What's more important than your lives?

You need to think this through.

I'll tell you.

Mr. Bai has been hiding something from you.

The maid we were going to kill that day

was...

The Princess of Shengdong.

But Mr. Bai hid the truth

to protect you.

Bai Ye tried to kill Mei Yushan

because she was the Princess of Shengdong.

But Mei Yushan is the Grand Chancellor's daughter.

Could it be...

Douzi?

How can I be the one who destroys my country?

Grand Tutor,

do you also think

that I'll lead Jixi to its destruction one day?

Then I won't

fall in love with the Princess of Shengdong.

I won't even fall in love with anyone.

The prophecy will be broken then.

I'll control thousands of troops in the future.

I can even decide a person's

or even a nation's fate.

But I can't decide who I love or hate?

Do you think if I tell you,

you'll let me go?

You'll just cut my head off.

Even if it means I'll be decapitated,

I can't be with you.

If you leave today,

even if we get married,

I will no longer love you

or see you again.

That would be for the best.

If she is the Princess of Shengdong who will destroy my country,

why would she say things like that?

Did she finally decide not to hurt me

or...

Did she just find out who she was?

Even though she doesn't mean to hurt me,

now that her identity is revealed,

what should she do?

What should I do?

Sorry to bother you.

By the orders of the Crown Prince,

we need to invite Miss Mei to the Eastern Palace.

Miss Mei, please.

Strange.

His Highness would not be so impolite.

Seriously?

His Highness couldn't just wait a few more days?

This class hasn't been over yet.

He just took his wife away.

Yao has gone too much.

He doesn't care about our feelings.

- Exactly. - Right.

Summoned by the Crown Prince in public,

now she's got something to show off.

I don't think it's that simple.

The guards didn't look like they came to invite her.

I hope nothing is wrong.

It's...

Guard Xingshi,

has Douzi really been taken to the Eastern Palace?

She is locked up in the guest room.

Dongxi is guarding the door.

I can't get in, either.

What should we do?

The most important thing now is to get you out of the palace.

As for the Princess,

I'll find another way.

No.

I can't leave her alone in the palace.

The Crown Prince must have known something.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have done this to Douzi.

Let me get you out of here first.

I'm not leaving.

You have to go.

Let me save one when I can.

Rest assured.

I will escort the Princess

out of the palace safely.

Open the door.

Nangong Yao.

Nangong Yao,

come to see me.

You lock me up just because I don't want to be the Crown Princess.

What kind of person are you?

Not letting me out of here, right?

Don't you regret it!

I'll smash everything here to pieces.

This must be an antique.

It's certainly not cheap.

This... This at least

helped me before.

I'll not destroy it.

Don't blame me.

Is there nothing cheap here?

No.

I've already said it.

Now it'd be very embarrassing not to make some noise.

Miss Mei.

Princess.

I've escorted Mei Yushan out of the palace.

Don't worry.

I will get you out of here.

Mei Daidai is out of the palace?

Your Highness.

Hasn't she eaten yet?

She cursed the whole day

without eating anything.

Braised meatballs in brown sauce.

She's very important to me.

You must keep her safe.

So I can focus on getting the Princess out.

What about Douzi?

How to save her?

Secretly gather all the former subordinates of Shengdong.

Even if it is against the whole Jixi,

I will get the Princess out of there.

- Save the Princess with our lives. - Save the Princess with our lives.

Have you found out anything regarding what I asked you about?

I just heard

that the guards of the Eastern Palace

took Miss Mei from the Chongwen Academy.

As for the reason,

I don't know.

Has the Crown Prince been in the Eastern Palace lately?

He went to the prison once.

The prison?

He was there to interrogate Lingxiao.

Douzi's identity may have been revealed.

The Crown Prince always cares more about the bigger picture.

Isn't Douzi in danger then?

I must go to the Eastern Palace at once.

Don't worry, Mr. Bai. Let me ask His Highness first.

I can't believe I slept through the night.

Is that coward still afraid to meet me?

Wake up, coward.

It's already the daytime.

[Eastern Palace] I wonder if you dare see me today.

She had a good sleep last night.

But you have a strain around the shoulder.

I am very worried.

It's no big deal.

By the way,

add one more dish.

Braised meatballs in brown sauce.

Since when do you like that, Your Highness?

It's too greasy, isn't it?

I will get on it.

Your Highness, Mr. Bai asks to see you.

Let him in.

[Xingqing Hall]

You're here to plead for her?

So you do...

Know all about it.

If I didn't look into it,

how long would you keep it from me?

Now Douzi

is the Grand Chancellor's daughter.

Your Highness,

for the sake of Grand Chancellor Mei,

please spare her life.

Except for you,

who else knows about their switching bodies?

Besides Mei Yushan,

I guess now Xingshi knows about it, too.

Xingshi?

Yes.

He didn't tell anyone.

I think it was to protect Mei Yushan.

No wonder he risked himself to protect Mei Yushan.

Your Highness,

I came in such a hurry today

because I...

Because you worry I'll kill her?

Douzi has also just found out

that she is the Princess of Shengdong.

She came to the palace

to get the pearl to switch back their bodies,

not to harm you, Your Highness.

But my mother wouldn't think so.

Nor would the ministers.

Your Highness...

What are you going to do with her?

Your Highness.

The wedding has not taken place yet.

It's not too late to find another Crown Princess.

As long as it's not Douzi,

anyone else would be fine.

How dare you!

Your Highness.

Do you really want to kill her?

I...

I would never hurt her.

Then why did you lock her up?

Now the whole palace is talking about it.

They're all wondering

what happened in the Eastern Palace.

Walls have ears.

If Douzi's true identity gets out,

the whole Jixi

will try to get her killed.

Then even if you don't kill her,

she will still die.

She never meant to hurt me.

She has no bad intentions...

And she has protected me several times.

Do you think I'll put her in danger?

Thus...

You keep her in the Eastern Palace...

To keep her safe?

It seems, Your Highness...

You're deeply in love with Douzi.

I've worried too much.

Even so,

Douzi can't stay in the Eastern Palace.

You may not think about yourself.

But shouldn't you think about the whole country?

I haven't thought about that.

Whatever happens,

there will be a solution.

Your Highness,

the wedding is coming.

To avoid trouble,

I ask you to make your decision soon.

So what do you think...

I should do?

You know

there is danger in front of you.

Why don't stop when you can?

I want to protect you

and protect Douzi.

So I beg of you

to allow me to take Douzi away.

As long as you never see each other again,

the prophecy of the country's destruction can be broken.

Is that your brilliant solution, Bai Ye?

Your Highness,

do you have a better solution?

You...

Don't you dare take her outside the palace!

Between the love of you and Douzi

and the well-being of the whole Jixi,

- Which one is more important... - Enough!

I'm tired. You may leave.

Your Highness.

Nanbei.

Your Highness.

See him out.

Mr. Bai, please.

Your Highness...

may I see her again?

♪It's your mesmerizing glance♪

♪Freezing the gentle breeze of the mundane world♪

♪Your gentle call awakens me from my unfinished dreams♪

♪It's hard to convey my love for you when fighting for the homeland♪

♪Our destined encounter♪

♪I am meant to accompany you on this journey♪

♪Wishing for a bit more♪

♪So love feels even more real♪

♪You and I, each completing the other, year after year♪

♪Accompany me to explore the world♪

♪We walk together on bustling streets♪

♪My heart leans towards your warm embrace♪

♪We're both kites reclaimed from the edge of the sky♪

♪If it's an unfathomable fate, let me do it again♪

♪We're both misunderstood, yet we accept it willingly♪

♪Step forth boldly and join me without asking where we're heading♪