Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Fighting for love]

[Episode 24]

According to the secret report,

another group of people in Yuzhou

were found to be watching Marquis Shang as well.

The spies have been investigating many times

and found that they were also from Shengdu.

It seems that the crown prince has some sense.

He knows what he should do.

Your Majesty,

those people aren't the crown prince's men,

but...

Prince Kang's.

My second son?

Yes.

My good son

is still restless.

I'm sick.

Your Majesty.

I caught a cold.

Suspend all the affairs in the palace

and leave the crown prince to handle the administrative affairs.

When Marquis Shang returns to the capital,

ask him to come and see me.

Do you understand?

Yes.

You may leave.

The crown prince.

Prince Kang.

My two good sons.

Your Highness.

You've been working all night.

Would you like some snacks?

Thank you, dear.

Father. Father.

[Grandson of the Emperor, Qi Yu]

I don't know how to play Cat's Cradle.

Teach me, please.

Let Xing play with you.

I happen to be busy right now.

Xing ignores me.

Father, play with me.

Yu.

What is this?

Cat's Cradle.

Cat's Cradle?

Excessive attention to playthings saps the will.

Yu has used up 20 pieces of paper to practice writing today.

This is just a relaxing moment before eating.

It's not as serious as you said.

Dear,

a loving mother often spoils her children.

Bear that in mind.

Yes.

I'll keep it in mind, Your Majesty.

Father.

I know I was wrong.

Mother only said that because she loves me.

Please don't be angry with her, okay?

Come here, Yu.

Yu.

It's not that I'm being unreasonable.

I've been growing up like this since I was young.

As members of the royal family,

we are different from ordinary people.

Besides, your royal grandfather

has high hopes for you.

If you are not upright and cautious,

in the future...

Father, I understand.

All right, you may leave.

I'll take my leave.

Come on. Let's go.

Second Cousin?

Cousin.

I've been waiting for you here for a long time.

Cousin,

I want to talk to you alone.

Come.

So many people are watching.

I'll just stand here.

Long time no see.

You seem to have changed completely.

It indeed makes a difference

whether you have military power or not.

When we were young,

we often played together.

We fought playfully.

Do you still remember, Cousin?

I do.

Second Cousin, you always bullied me at that time.

Well…

Why didn't I bully others?

It was because I just wanted to play with you.

I like to get straight to the point.

I'm here to make a deal

with you.

Well...

What deal can you make with me?

I know

you're the person my father has always been looking for.

Father has been sharpening his sword in Shengdu.

But don't worry.

I will still stand with you,

like when we were little.

As long as you can help me,

I'll keep you alive.

Let's enjoy a luxurious life together.

I don't quite understand

what you said.

It doesn't matter.

Think about it.

There are four or five days before you'd arrive at Shengdu.

There's enough time for you to think it over.

I hope you will give me a satisfactory reply

when we meet next time.

Your Highness,

I think you went the wrong way.

It's been a long time since I last left the palace. Pardon my mistake.

See you, Cousin.

He's trying to win you over.

Mr. Xu was indeed right.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Young Marquis sent a message back.

He will arrive in Shengdu

in three or four days.

Okay.

Your Highness,

you've been copying Buddhist scriptures for half a day.

Take a rest.

This is for General Shi.

I need to finish it as soon as possible.

Your Highness.

Let me make you a cup of tea.

Okay.

The situation of Shengdu is about to change.

Accompany me to Liuyun Temple tomorrow

to pray for Young Marquis.

Yes.

Your Highness.

Prince Kang left Shengdu in the name of hunting

but went to see Marquis Dingnan in secret.

His evil intention is obvious.

We have to guard against him.

Your Highness.

The Zhenbei Army

has expelled the Beimo Army, which outnumbered itself five times,

to the outside of the Pass.

The surrounding states are all shocked by this exploit.

We can't watch such an elite army

be bought over by Prince Kang.

Otherwise, Your Highness will be in danger.

How could I not know?

Why don't you give me an idea?

Your Highness and Marquis Dingnan are cousins.

It's reasonable

that you go to welcome him outside the city.

No.

As the crown prince,

Your Highness is being watched by countless eyes.

Some things can be done by Prince Kang,

but not Your Highness.

Actually, I think

Your Highness doesn't need to worry too much.

Why not?

Prince Kang thought he did it in secret,

but now Your Highness already knows.

His Majesty might have heard about it, too.

Prince Kang acted rashly.

The gains can't make up for his losses.

That makes sense.

You mean

I just need to take the quiet approach?

Your Highness is wise.

You must be calm at times like this.

The more actions you take, the more mistakes you'll make.

But if we do nothing,

what if Marquis Dingnan takes Prince Kang's side?

He won't.

Marquis Dingnan climbed to the position of

Grand Marshal of the Zhenbei Army from a good-for-nothing boy of noble birth.

If he were not smart,

he would never have done that.

Unless he has the ability to stand alone,

then as long as he wants a backer,

he will surely seek help from Your Royal Highness.

Really?

That's why

if Your Highness takes the initiative, you'll lose your advantage instead.

It's better that Your Highness just waits in Shengdu.

[Marquis Dingnan's Mansion]

Your Highness, look

who is back!

Your unfilial son is back.

Mother.

Get up.

How have you been, Mother?

You seem stronger.

Really?

You're still so immature.

Mu Bai,

thank you.

I didn't let you down

and brought Young Marquis back safely.

This must be General Mai.

My name's Mai Sui. Greetings, Your Highness.

I've heard so much about you, General Mai.

Now that I've met you, you're as handsome as they said.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Your Highness and Marshal Shang haven't seen each other for a long time.

I guess you must have a lot to catch up on.

I'll leave now.

What?

Do you know where you can go?

Mother.

She's exhausted from the long journey.

Please allow her to go have a rest.

Look.

I forgot the etiquette because I'm too happy.

Actually, the guest house has been ready.

Guishun,

take General Mai…

No need.

Just let her stay at my place.

Okay.

Go.

Please.

I'll take my leave.

You may all leave.

Yes.

Come on.

Sit down.

You've grown up.

I'm proud of you.

But I failed to protect Uncle Shi.

I heard.

It's not your fault.

It's because the one in the palace hasn't given up yet.

So this time you're back,

you must be more careful.

This time being back in Shengdu, I have a plan.

I want to ally with the crown prince.

Ally with the crown prince?

Although I didn't have much contact with him,

it's not hard to tell

he is actually a kind person.

And what he lacks most is military power.

If I help him,

he will turn the tables and ascend the throne.

Only when he becomes the emperor

can I have enough ability to protect you, Mother.

But now,

the Zhenbei Army is your biggest bargaining chip.

You have to be gentle

to Mai and other generals.

Don't let them betray you.

Mother, don't worry.

I'll keep that in mind.

Your Majesty,

Marquis Dingnan entered the city at 1 p.m.

and went back to his mansion directly.

Did he come back alone?

He came back to Shengdu together with Mai Sui,

General Yunhui.

That "Little God of War"?

Yes.

Your Majesty, when do you plan to summon them?

No hurry.

Let the crown prince and Prince Kang welcome them for me.

Ask someone to pay attention to them

and see which one of them acts differently.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Father is slightly ill.

Under His Majesty's orders, my brother and I

are giving you, Cousin and General Mai, this dinner for your arrival.

You two don't need to stand on ceremony.

Make yourselves at home.

Thank you, Cousin.

Thank you, Second Cousin.

His Majesty is not well.

I should visit him,

but I was afraid that I would disturb him.

Father just caught a cold.

There's nothing serious.

Don't worry, Cousin.

Come on.

Cousin, General Mai, I'd like to propose a toast

to celebrate your triumphant

and safe return to the capital.

Before, you even tried to kill her;

now you are

like a close family.

You've opened my eyes today.

Second Cousin,

I don't understand what you said.

Cousin, you are really

a broad-minded person.

Since you don't mind,

I won't be the villain here.

If someone wanted my life,

I wouldn't be able to be as generous as you.

If a mere cup of wine could make peace,

then my life would be too cheap.

Second Brother.

Look at me.

I've always been straightforward.

Brother, I guess you

won't mind my impulsive words, will you?

The ancient virtuous king Shun promoted eight sages

and asked them to preach the five virtues all over the country:

fathers being righteous, mothers loving, older brothers sociable…

Is it Yu who's outside?

Father.

Second Uncle.

This is Uncle Yizhi.

That's General Mai.

Uncle Yizhi.

General Mai.

Your Highness.

Yu,

recite what you just said

to me again.

Yes.

The ancient virtuous king Shun promoted eight sages

and asked them to preach the five virtues all over the country:

fathers being righteous, mothers loving, older brothers sociable…

elder brothers sociable…

Uncle,

I just learned this passage of Annals of the Five Emperors,

but I forgot it.

Can you teach me, Uncle?

Well...

Yu, don't make things difficult for me.

I'm not even as knowledgeable as you.

The ancient virtuous king Shun promoted eight sages

and asked them to preach the five virtues all over the country:

fathers being righteous, mothers loving,

elder brothers sociable, younger ones respectful, and children dutiful.

Within the empire, there was peace and, beyond it, submission.

In this sentence, the five virtues

are similar to what Mencius said:

"There should be affection between fathers and sons,

affiliation between monarchs and courtiers,

distinction between husbands and wives,

order between seniors and juniors,

and trust among friends."

If we can practice what the saints said,

our family will be harmonious,

and we have strength to spare to make the world better.

Yu,

don't forget it again.

Yes, Father.

Uncle, you should remember it, too,

so that your teacher won't punish you.

Yes.

Yu, you're right.

You must study hard, Yu.

Don't be as ignorant as me.

Yes, I'll keep that in mind.

You may leave.

I'll take my leave.

I feel dizzy

before drinking.

I apologize to you, Brother.

Cousin,

I'll treat you to wine another day.

We have plenty of time.

Go back and rest early.

Goodbye, Second Cousin.

Farewell, Prince Kang.

Why do you choose me?

Because Your Royal Highness

is the legitimate crown prince.

Besides, you have a kind heart.

You will certainly be a virtuous emperor.

Good.

Since you have such intention,

I won't let you down.

However, we're always feeling troubled and uneasy

after we came back this time.

If we can't return to Yuzhou safely,

everything I promised you today

will go up in smoke.

Let me think.

I have an idea.

General Mai, are you willing to take Yu as your disciple?

Well...

Father would do Yu a favor

if not do me one.

Thank you, Your Royal Highness.

Thank you, Your Royal Highness.

Cousin, General Mai, you don't have to be so polite.

We'll take our leave.

Please.

Are you all dead?

What's the use of you?

Your Highness, you must hold back.

Hold back. Hold back.

Father bullied me.

The crown prince bullied me.

Now, even Qi Yu, a little kid,

can humiliate me in public.

How long do I have to bear with it?

To achieve great things,

you should bear with the things unbearable for ordinary people.

Who is it?

Me.

Come in.

Is this place okay for you?

Of course.

This place is much more comfortable than the barracks.

Why are you still up?

I came here too early.

By the way,

I didn't do anything wrong to offend Princess Shenghua

when I met her today, did I?

Not at all.

I just felt that you always wanted to run away.

I know how you felt.

If you are not ready yet,

I can wait.

We can proceed to the next stop

whenever you are ready.

Thank you.

So,

should you wash first,

or should I?

Get lost.

He and the crown prince went to talk in the inside room?

Yes.

I've already sent someone to investigate.

Don't worry, Your Majesty.

I won't miss a word.

Uncle Shi,

I'm sorry.

Please rise, Generals.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I'm glad

that the Zhenbei Army had an enormous victory.

Both of you have done a great job.

What reward do you want?

Haven't Your Majesty already rewarded

all the people in the Zhenbei Army?

That's business.

It's for the outsiders to see.

Today, I want to reward you two in private.

I do have a request.

Go ahead.

Although General Shi surrendered,

he did it for the safety of the people inside the city.

So, after Your Majesty finds out the whole truth,

could we bury General Shi's body in whole?

Approved.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

This is

the famous Charming Yama in the Zhenbei Army, right?

I want to see you carefully.

You are decisive in the army.

I didn't expect you

to be so good-looking.

What reward do you want?

Your Majesty, you flatter me.

The victory of the Zhenbei Army

is all down to Your Majesty's prestige.

I dare not take the credit.

Father,

there's another piece of good news

that I haven't told you.

Yu admires General Mai very much.

He has become General Mai's disciple.

Really?

Yu has always been weak.

I've always wanted to

find him a martial arts master

to strengthen his body.

But Yu only admires General Mai.

I couldn't change his mind,

so I had to fulfill his wish.

It's good to strengthen his body.

General Mai.

You can discipline my grandson at will.

If he doesn't behave,

just teach him a lesson.

Yes, Your Majesty.

What reward do you want, General Mai?

Can I really ask for anything?

Anything.

I want some silver.

General Mai, have you made up your mind?

It's a rare reward from His Majesty.

Thank you for reminding me, Prince Kang.

I'm afraid Your Majesty will laugh at me.

I was poor when I was young.

I used to starve often.

That's why I'm short.

I'm so traumatized by being poor

that I just want more money.

When there is no war one day,

and I'm not needed,

I can retire with money and return to my hometown.

Return to your hometown?

Fine.

I'll reward you.

Here, reward him.

His Majesty rewarded General Mai with a silver bow.

General Mai, take it.

Thank you, Your Majesty!

Besides, I'll reward you with 2,000 taels of silver

and two country estates.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Yizhi.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Now the official business is over,

have a chat with your uncle.

Let's not be a monarch and a courtier.

I just don't understand.

How did you turn from a dandy in Shengdu

to someone like this?

Even your two cousins are no match for you.

You flatter me, Your Majesty.

Both of my cousins are the chosen ones.

They are the best of the best.

I can't compare with them.

Don't be modest.

I'm just curious.

You are so talented,

yet you've pretended to be ignorant for over 20 years.

Were you guarding against someone?

I dare not.

Your Majesty should know better than me

what kind of a person I am.

If I can be half as good as my father,

I would thank Heaven for it.

I knew it.

Forget it.

I'm just asking.

Don't mind.

It's getting late. Get out of the palace.

Don't make your mother worry.

My sister is not easy to deal with.

Your Majesty,

I suddenly remembered something else

to ask for your permission.

What is it?

I'd like Your Majesty to allow me to go to the Ministry of War

to check the name list of the Zhenbei Army.

Why?

The Zhenbei Army was established on the basis of the Qingyu Military Coalition.

The designation has just been decided.

We need to register and check the number of people as soon as possible

so that we can arrange for the distribution of pay and provisions.

Approved.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Do you think that Little God of War is useful?

Based on what I saw today,

General Mai doesn't seem as powerful as the rumor described.

Go on.

Yes.

I think

General Mai is actually a greedy man.

He's easy to be bought over but not easy to trust.

He pretended to be so,

and you believed him?

I'm not smart.

How can I compare to Your Majesty?

Enough.

Don't act innocent in front of me.

Your Majesty,

it's time to take the medicine.

Take the medicine.

Mai.

Why do you want to go to the Ministry of War to check the name list?

Do you still remember?

I told you

Chen Qi said

the people he brought to kill my parents

weren't from Beimo.

They were the Xuanwu Army disguised by our unit.

That's why I want to go to the Ministry of War

to check the deployment record back then.

I see. I'll go with you.

Greetings, Marquis Dingnan.

What brings you here, Marquis Dingnan?

Where is the minister?

Today is the birthday of Primary Assistant Minister Zuo's younger son.

The minister and our colleagues all went to the banquet.

So, you two are the only ones

here in the Ministry of War today?

Yes.

We're the only ones on duty here.

Your Grace, do you want me to get the minister?

No need.

It's a piece of cake.

You two are enough.

What can I do for you, Your Grace?

I want to check

the name list of the officers and soldiers of the Zhenbei Army.

You want to enter the archives room, Your Grace?

That's right. Lead the way.

Your Grace, please wait.

Please show me the written order.

What order?

If you want to check the archives, Your Grace,

you need to have Minister Du's handwritten order.

I am the Marshal of the Zhenbei Army.

I want to check the list of my own soldiers.

Why do I need an order?

No one

is allowed to enter the archives room without the order.

His Majesty has approved this matter.

Even if His Majesty comes in person,

I still have to follow the rules.

I...

Forget it.

Let's go get the order.

Mai.

How is it?

I got it.

Let's go.

Go.

[Approved] [Marquis Dingnan and his subordinates will enter the Ministry of War to check the name list, and all the people in the Ministry should cooperate]

It only consists of a few lines.

How much longer are you going to read them?

It's indeed the minister's handwritten order.

Let's go, then.

Your Grace, wait.

What now?

The archives room is a crucial place of the Ministry of War.

The minister's order is only one of the conditions.

You still need to register it in a few more books, Your Grace.

So many?

Yes.

Who went into the archives room to check which archives?

In which year and for what purpose?

When are the archives taken out and when are they taken back in?

Those should all be registered in detail.

Why do I feel you're making things difficult for us on purpose?

I dare not. You misunderstood.

I'm just doing my job impartially.

Let me do it.

Please don't miss anything, General Mai.

Thank you, General.

[Invitation to Princess Shenghua]

I don't know what day it is.

As if they'd made a deal,

they all came to invite me to admire the beauty of flowers.

I don't know which mansion to go to.

[Invitation to Princess Shenghua]

It's all thanks to Young Marquis.

His Highness is such a magnificent figure.

Those families with daughters at the age of marriage

have to make plans early.

Forget it.

Decline them for me.

Just say that I'm not free recently

and that I'll hold a banquet to invite them another day.

Yes.

Wait.

I do have a good place to go.

Come and see if this will work.

Yes.

Lord Zhang, please.

General Mai, Young Marquis.

I'm off duty now.

Please come again tomorrow.

What did you say?

You just told me to take it slow.

Now you ask me to come back tomorrow?

Can you wait a little longer?

We'll be ready very soon.

Sorry.

My mother is left at home alone.

It can't be delayed.

Stop pretending to be a filial son.

Fine.

In that case,

we'll come another day.

Sure.

Thank you, General.

Mai.

I feel like someone is fooling us.

You're right.

Otherwise, how dare a mere civil official in the Ministry of War

make things difficult for Marquis Dingnan?

Yeah.

Mai, listen.

I didn't see this coming.

We came directly to the Ministry of War from outside the city.

Only a few people near His Majesty

know about this.

Could it be...

Prince Kang?

Their whole family is watching our family.

He's just so snaky.

Can you arrange some spies

to keep an eye on them?

This way, we can also know

when something unusual happens.

Yes, there is someone.

We must get it even.

Enough.

Come with me to the Crown Prince's Mansion tomorrow.

The Crown Prince's Mansion?

Ask the crown prince for help.

The crown prince?

Let's go.

[Quiet]

[Quiet]

I couldn't believe Shang should have turned to the crown prince.

Can you still put up with it?

Then you needn't.

It's time.