Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Fighting for love]

[Episode 27]

Your Majesty.

His Highness is back.

Grandfather.

Grandfather.

What's wrong?

Okay.

Grandfather.

What happened to your hand?

Okay.

What’s wrong?

[The birth date of the eldest son of Marquis Dingnan's Mansion, Shang Yizhi, is listed below]

Look.

Father.

Are you anxious?

I'm not in a hurry to get married.

A grown girl can’t stay.

Prime Minister, I'm sure you've given a lot of thought to

Zerou's choice of husband.

But Young Marquis is often in the army.

The couple will be away from each other a lot.

It's not good.

But look at Zerou's demeanor,

she's already very satisfied.

How could I not know her feelings?

But I only have Zerou to look after.

I hope you can understand my feelings as a mother.

This will affect Zerou's life.

I don't want her to regret it in the future.

Madam, remember.

This matter not only concerns her life,

but also the Prime Minister's Mansion.

There must be no mistakes.

Yes, I understand.

What are you...

Mother, what brings you here?

This is the red wedding dress I prepared for Mai.

Today,

I exchanged Bazi with Zeruo for you.

Mother,

why did you exchange Bazi with her?

Today, I officially

asked to marry Lin Zerou, the daughter of Prime Minister Lin, on your behalf.

Prime Minister Lin is very satisfied with you.

I don’t agree to this.

I only love Mai.

Mother.

I will only marry her.

I know.

But Mai has a blood feud with our family.

She’ll hate you more once she knows the truth.

I will keep it from her.

She will never know.

That's easier said than done.

She is so smart.

She might find out the truth in other ways.

You can hide it from her for a while, but can you hide it for the rest of your life?

Besides,

are the lives of Mother

and everyone in the mansion

not worth your love for her?

Mother,

I only love Mai.

If I have to get married,

I can only marry her.

I know.

Think about it.

Think it through.

What should we do?

Your Highness.

There's something

I need you to do.

Don't worry, General Mai.

I'll keep an eye out for you, General Mai.

Thank you.

Let me tell you.

I punched someone at Li's Tavern yesterday.

He had a couple of broken fingers

and a big scar on his face.

He insisted on bragging about being part of the Xuanwu Army.

I've never heard of such an army.

That's crazy talk.

Can you even enter a tavern?

I'm not talking crazy, that's all...

Brother.

I want to ask you about someone.

Give me some money if you have money.

Ask about someone? I don't know.

Speak.

I heard you mention the Xuanwu Army.

Did he have a scar on his face?

Yes.

It's a long one.

Where is he now?

He said he's living in Zhao Family Village outside the city.

Zhao Family Village?

Thank you.

Here.

Let's get out of here.

Let's get out of here.

Let's go.

Hurry up.

Who are you?

Where are you three going?

We don't know you.

[List of the Fallen]

You know this, don't you?

[List of the Fallen]

Liu Qi,

Fang Daniu,

and Qi Sanhai

died in a fire several years ago.

They died serving their duties, and the court has been taking care of the three families.

[List of the Fallen]

Look at this portrait.

Does it look familiar?

[Liu Qi]

Although the Ministry of War can't find any information about the Xuanwu Army,

[Fang Daniu]

[Qi Sanhai]

there's some good stuff.

Why don't I invite your families over

and let them see

[Fang Daniu]

[Liu Qi]

their deceased loved ones?

What's going on?

The Xuanwu Army isn't in the military register

and isn't under the authority of the Ministry of War.

Naturally, you won't hear or find out anything about it.

Why did you fake your own deaths?

Back then,

His Grace picked us from the Xuanwu Army.

It's not the first time we've done this,

and the higher-ups won't explain it to us.

His Grace's only order

was to kill them all.

His Grace.

Which marquis was this?

Marquis Dingnan.

Shang Wei.

Marquis Dingnan.

Mai.

Mai.

Look, this is the red wedding dress

I promised you.

Mai.

Marry me.

What's wrong?

I caught Liu Qi today.

He said he never set up a stall in the market.

I knew someone was up to something.

The person who doesn't want me to find out the truth

and who's causing trouble is you,

right?

Let me explain.

You knew everything

but you watched me join the army,

look for Chen Qi

and go back to Shengdu to investigate the case

but you didn't say anything.

The reason why I kept it from you

is because I'm afraid of losing you.

Also,

I also...

I don't want to see you again.

Get out.

Get out.

Get out!

Mother.

Did you tell Mai about Uncle Qi?

It was only a matter of time

before Mai found him.

But if you didn't tell her,

I could have hidden it from her forever.

Do you think it's that easy?

You really haven't experienced

what it's like to worry all the time.

Your father and I worried about you

all your life.

No one understands this feeling better than me.

It's like having a million knives hanging in front of you

and you don't know which one's gonna fall one day.

If you marry Mai,

she’ll be the one holding the knife.

So everything you did

was to separate us?

I did it to save you.

Your father killed her father.

Now you insist on marrying her.

Do you want to die in front of her?

I don't believe it.

I don't believe it.

My father couldn't have assassinated her father.

There must be another reason for this.

Mother.

From what I know about my father,

there's no way he'd kill innocent people.

Why did that happen?

I'm begging you, okay?

I'm begging you, please?

Tell me!

What's the point of telling you?

Do you want to kill the king?

So you know

you shouldn't blame Shang Yizhi for this.

I just want to know

why his father killed my father.

Your Highness.

I haven't figured out why,

on the day Yu was kidnapped,

Your Highness asked me to report to Father later.

If on that day,

I had been quicker to report to Father,

would Your Highness

not have died?

I hate that those scourges

are still talking about Yu's parentage

after Your Highness died.

I don't have a better solution.

When I see you again,

I hope Your Highness won't blame me.

Your Majesty,

it's time to take your medicine.

Where is Yu?

His Highness is asleep.

Your Majesty.

Take your medicine on time and get well soon

so that you can protect the kingdom for your grandson.

Why are you panicking?

Sir.

Something happened.

The Crown princess...

The Crown princess has passed away.

What?

Prime Minister.

The Crown princess passed away last night.

I have to go to the palace.

You should get ready too.

I think the decree will be issued soon.

Everyone from the third-rank and above must go to the palace to observe the wake.

Yes, I'll get ready.

What else can I do for you?

The Crown prince passed away

and now the Crown princess has gone with him too.

The Crown Prince's Mansion is in chaos.

Marshal Shang was so close to the Crown prince too.

If he gets into trouble,

Zerou would be implicated too.

Don't worry.

Marquis Shang has military power.

No matter who ascends the throne, they'll need to win him over.

But now,

the competition for being queen is getting stronger.

It's inevitable that there will be a day when she loses her usefulness and gets discarded.

Zerou has a pure heart.

How can we protect her?

But don't forget the word "stability"

has long since ceased to exist for this family.

In the midst of turbulent waves, if you don't advance, you'll retreat.

Since Zerou was born here,

her marriage

is not only about her life,

it's also about the future of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Yes.

I understand.

I'm going to the palace.

You should get ready too.

Yes.

Marshal Shang.

Marshal Shang.

General Tang.

Have you seen Mai recently?

I'm on my way to see her, too.

Can you take me to see her?

From what I know about Mai,

she must be in a bad mood now.

She just wants to be alone.

Fine.

Could you please

give her a message for me?

Tell her

she can come see me when she figures it out.

I have something to tell her face to face.

Okay.

I'll see her now

and talk to her.

Thank you, General.

I finally found you after looking for so long.

Come on, let's play.

I'm not in the mood.

What does playing have to do with your mood?

Hurry up.

Go!

Take the sword.

Your Majesty.

You are suffering from exhaustion

and your meridians are blocked due to a stroke.

I'll use silver needles on your body once in the morning and once in the evening.

This method is hard on you

but it works the fastest.

I'll try to reduce the discomfort.

Do it.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Has His Majesty made any arrangements

for the Crown princess' funeral?

His Majesty wants Princess Shenghua to preside.

His Majesty is thoughtful.

Does Prince Qi Yu know?

In this situation,

His Majesty would never allow his grandson to show his face.

There's no one in charge in the Crown Prince's Mansion.

Princess Shenghua is coming in to take charge of the Crown princess's funeral.

Prime Minister Lin, please take care of her.

This is what I should do.

Your Majesty,

the acupuncture is done.

You still need to take your medicine on time

and have a light diet.

Don't get angry.

I'll take my leave.

Yu.

Grandfather.

I’m here.

Grandfather! Grandfather!

That was a good fight.

Before I came to you,

Shang Yizhi came to me.

What did he say to you?

What could he possibly have to say to me?

He's looking for you.

But I know you haven't made up your mind

so I stopped him.

Thank you, Big Brother.

For what?

I'm your Big Brother.

Your business is my business.

This place is nice.

It's quiet and comfortable.

If you are not in a good mood these days,

I can come here with you every day.

As for that man,

if he really wants to come to you,

let him find you himself.

What is this matter

that has to be done in front of me?

Your Majesty.

Take a seat.

Go ahead.

Speak.

This matter can only be decided by Your Majesty.

The Crown prince has been dead for several days.

The country is in turmoil, and all the ministers are in fear,

but not a single letter has been sent from the palace,

leaving the Prince Kang to oversee the country.

Recently, the Crown princess left with the Crown prince.

There must be something strange going on.

Your Majesty, please investigate the Crown prince's death.

The Crown prince died of illness.

His Majesty lost his son

and had conferred the Crown prince the title of Emperor Shengxiao.

What secrets could there be?

That's not what I heard.

Your Majesty,

I heard that the Crown prince didn't die of illness in the Crown Prince's Mansion.

He went to Prince Kang's mansion

and died of illness here.

How dare you!

The Crown prince was wronged.

The Crown Prince's Mansion too.

If this goes on, the country will be ruined.

I ask Your Majesty

to imprison Prince Kang and investigate this matter thoroughly.

Zeng Imperial Censor.

Don't slander me.

The Crown prince is my brother.

The Crown prince death

has also caused me great pain.

His Highness is in great pain?

I noticed that His Highness has been in and out of the palace lately.

He's overjoyed

and he bosses his subjects around

as if he were the Crown prince himself.

Your Highness.

Are you crying sadly

in your beautiful dreams?

Take him down.

Take him down!

Your Majesty,

It's a shame that I've lost my honor before you.

The court must not fall into the hands of a villain,

Your Majesty.

I'm deeply grateful to Your Majesty.

Today, I shamelessly tell you that

injustice was done to the Crown prince, Your Majesty.

Please investigate this thoroughly, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

Imperial physician!

Hurry, summon the imperial physician!

What should we do?

[Practice what you preach]

[Memorial tablet of Crown princess Wen]

Investigate.

Investigate him carefully.

Find out who is behind this Lord Zeng.

According to the spy,

a day ago, Lord Zeng

had sent his wife and children

out of Shengdu in a hurry.

No one knows their whereabouts.

It seems that Lord Zeng has long been determined.

So who's he been seeing for the last two days?

Lord Zeng is just a minor official.

Our people

didn't pay attention to him before this.

So what you're saying is,

I'm going to have to swallow this?

Which one of you

messed with our Prince Kang?

You heard everything?

Yes, I did.

Of course I did.

I heard it,

along with everyone

with a name in Shengdu.

The late Crown prince's injustices have not been righted,

and Zeng Imperial Censor died in front of the court.

This show in the morning

is as good as the grand finale of the opera.

Are you here to piss me off?

I dare not.

Your Highness.

I went out in the morning

and I bumped into Princess Shenghua

walking through the city with a big honor guard.

I heard she's going to the Crown Prince's Mansion to pay her respects to the Crown princess.

Judging from the size of the guard,

she clearly wants to show that she cares about the Crown Prince's Mansion.

I came to inform you as soon as I saw that.

She didn't go earlier or later

but chose to go now.

What is she trying to do?

Your Highness.

Our priority

is to find the person behind Lord Zeng.

Princess Shenghua is not our enemy.

I know what to do.

Look at you.

You were so happy when you just came back.

How come

you look so haggard now

all because of love?

Mother, you worry too much.

Do you know

how many people

sacrificed their lives

for this love of yours?

I understand.

Since young,

how many people have gone to great lengths

to protect me?

It's hard for me

to express my gratitude with words.

But now,

I've found the one.

Shouldn't I be blessed by my mother?

Being part of the royal family,

our fate

isn't in our own hands

and doesn't just affect ourselves.

Then I'll just hide my identity.

Being an ordinary man

is also a kind of happiness, no?

Do you think you still have a chance to be a normal man?

As long as you are alive,

there will always be a pair of eyes

on you, waiting to kill you,

no matter how many times the dynasty changes.

Mother.

We've been through the turbulent times.

Just be careful in the future.

If you keep retreating,

there'll be nowhere left to retreat to.

Qi Huan.

Do you want your throne back?

[Huan]

Mother, why do you say that?

I

[Huan]

never thought about it.

You know

when I established the Zhenbei Army,

I did it to protect myself.

If I take the throne back now,

there will be more bloodshed.

I don't like fighting in the first place.

If that's the case,

isn't that against my intentions?

I know

you are generous and benevolent.

But do you think

you can protect yourself if you don't fight?

How did the Crown Prince's Mansion get emptied?

You know

what kind of person Prince Kang is.

If he becomes the heir one day,

our Marquis Dingnan's Mansion

will certainly experience a bloodbath.

Mother, you worry too much.

Prince Kang doesn't even have military power.

I am now the Grand Marshal of the Zhenbei Army.

He wouldn't dare to hurt us.

Even your father couldn't protect Marquis Dingnan's Mansion.

What can you do?

What is this?

This is the prescription

that I went to the palace to get for your father.

Your father died because of this.

Your father was remarkable back then.

My brother got suspicious

and used me to kill him.

That way,

he could deal with you without any fear.

Now,

it's not just Marquis Dingnan's Mansion that needs you

but the people of the world.

His Majesty is addicted to power.

He has no regard for the rise and fall of the court,

and the lives of the people.

And Prince Kang is just like my brother.

Do you think he can be a wise emperor?

The court, the civil and military officials

and the people

are all longing for a wise ruler like you

to lead them to prosperity.

Don't worry.

I've prepared everything for you.

Prime Minister Lin is an important official in the court.

He is willing to serve a wise ruler like you.

Now, the military power and ministers

are ready for you.

All you have to do is go with the flow.

Prime Minister Lin.

That's why Mother

insisted on me marrying Lin Zerou.

But my heart already belongs to someone else.

Mother.

My thoughts are too messy today.

Let's

discuss this later.

Please think about

what is more important,

love or the plan for the world.

But if I

can't even protect the one I love,

how can I protect the people?

I'll take my leave.

[Huan]

Mai.

I’m sorry.

I shouldn't have kept it from you.

When did you start hiding it from me?

When Crown prince mentioned Uncle Qi,

I suddenly remembered that

that person might have been from my father's camp.

I knew it was you who was causing trouble.

You made me search for him like a fool.

I'm sorry.

I did that

because I was blinded by love.

That's why I did it.

I know the truth now.

It was Qi Jing.

He ordered my father

to kill your whole family.

Actually,

Princess Shenghua is not my birth mother.

My birth mother

is one of the late Crown prince's attendants.

And the late Crown prince Qi Xian

was my biological father.

I just learned from my mother that

that both my father and foster father were killed by Qi Jing.

Qi Jing is not only your father's murderer,

but also mine.

Mai.

Our destinies

are completely tied together.

I promise you.

I will always be with you.

Let's avenge them together,

okay?

Your Highness has been embroidering for a long time.

Take a break and have some tea.

The only son is getting married.

The more I embroider, the more love it shows.

Has Bing set off?

Your Highness,

he is on his way.

Did he bring everything?

Don't worry, Your Highness.

Zhang Bingren is the best matchmaker in the city.

He has checked all the gifts to be prepared.

It can't go wrong.

Okay.

Where is the Young Marquis?

Young Marquis is wandering around the market.

With whom?

With General Mai.

Fine.

I'm embroidering the real mandarin ducks.

I'll leave the one on the side to rest for a while.

[Gift list]

One gold coral necklace.

Three large gold hairpins with pearls.

Three small gold hairpins.

Three pairs of gold earrings.

[Land deed]

Two gold bracelets.

20 otter skins.

20 white fox skins.

20 Least weasel skins.

100 pieces of silk.

[Geng tie]

[Officiant Zhang Gengju hereby lists the birth date of the eldest son of Marquis Shang, Shang Yizhi, below]

[Geng tie]

So

these two families are well-matched?

To be honest Your Grace,

I’ve been a matchmaker in Shengdu City all my life.

I don't know how many newlyweds I've married.

To be so compatible, this is a match made in heaven.

[Letter of betrothal]

Madam, this is the letter of betrothal.

Please have a look.

Your Grace,

is there anything wrong with the betrothal letter?

These things are nothing more than gifts.

A little more or a little less won't make a difference.

But I only have one daughter.

Although it's her fortune

to marry into Marquis Dingnan's Mansion,

she has been spoiled since she was young.

I’m afraid she’ll be mistreated

when she's at Marquis Dingnan's Mansion.

As her mother, I can't protect her either.

I won't take that lightly.

His Highness will also treat Her Grace

like his own daughter.

And His Highness has made arrangements.

After Her Grace enter the house, she doesn't need to do her morning and evening prayers.

She only needs to accompany His Highness

on the first and fifteenth of each month

to pay her respects.

It's rare that His Highness is so kind.

I'm grateful.

On the wedding day,

I'd like to invite you to have a glass of wine.

Thank you, Your Grace.

Thank you very much.

I'll take my leave.

See you.

In three days,

we'll do it when Doctor Du's horse groomer is buying pancakes.

That's right.

Why are you hesitating?

Do you think the three days of preparation

is not enough?

I'm thinking,

even use Doctor Du

to enter Hehuan Hall,

we still have to get past the Longyin Guards.

There's always some risk.

Come in.

Your Grace.

General Mai.

Madam wants to see you.

Let's go.

But Madam only asked General Mai.