Original subtitles

[Shadow Love]

[Episode 31]

Happy birthday, Father.

May you live a long life, full of happiness and health.

Great!

Wonderful!

-Thank you, Father. -Thank you, Father.

Brother-in-Law!

Yes, you.

What are you waiting for?

Give your birthday wishes.

Three were prepared.

One is for you.

I'm afraid that

mere words can't express my sincere wishes,

so I've specially prepared a gift

for the Grand General.

Thank you.

Bravo! Bravo!

Father!

Father!

Jin'an,

protect my father!

B-Brother-in-Law...

Father!

Shuang.

Arrest Jin'an!

Empress Dowager Qin's secret letter

must've reached the Taijin Palace.

Escort the master away.

Master, you need to leave first.

Our comrades are waiting outside the city.

I'll cover your retreat.

Why?

Why do you want to kill my father?

We'd agreed to leave Yunjing

together that day.

But you used the birthday visit as an excuse to keep me here.

So you planned

to kill my father

right from the beginning.

I really do love you.

But there are things I have to do.

Then let me ask you.

Everything between us—

our promises

and our love—

do they all mean nothing now?

Our meeting,

our love,

our vow to live and die together,

our secret engagement—

they're all real.

But my dearest kin was

killed by Li Wei himself.

That is also true.

My father...

My father would never kill the innocent.

Who are you, really?

Vengeance has its target,

and debts their debtors.

Blood for blood;

I must make Li Wei pay for what he did.

Although I know it's unlikely,

I still want to ask you this:

Shuang,

will you come with me?

Go with you?

Do you expect that someday

we'll be united as husband and wife...

to turn our swords against my father?

From now on...

♪ A long, lonely road ♪

we don't owe each other anything.

♪ Dust and smoke drift endlessly ♪

♪ Heart's light flickers ♪

♪ A lingering glimpse like fleeting shade ♪

We're done.

♪ Love, pure and innocent ♪

♪ Cannot cover the darkness of cold nights ♪

Leave.

♪ I lift a fragment of memory ♪

♪ Lighting the winding paths of the past ♪

♪ In the shadows ♪

♪ A lone figure—where does it dwell? ♪

♪ Always ♪

♪ Even drifting, follow you to and fro ♪

♪ I longingly caress your image ♪

♪ My heart remains steadfast ♪

♪ Always near, never leaving ♪

♪ Watching the fate of the mortal world ♪

♪ Sinking, indulging, again and again ♪

♪ Sweet as honey, willingly so ♪

♪ Gathered blossoms ripple on the mirror's face ♪

♪ Wandering in search ♪

♪ Love seeps into the marrow, melting ♪

♪ Never ceasing ♪

♪ Beyond joy or grief ♪

♪ It flows to you ♪

♪ Our memories of the past ♪

♪ My heart remains steadfast ♪

♪ We meet as distantly as rainbow and cloud ♪

♪ Though the world ♪

♪ Is in chaos and strife ♪

♪ My heart remains unchanged ♪

♪ Lost in fleeting memories ♪

♪ Wandering in search ♪

♪ Vows scattered in the air, yet still remembered ♪

♪ Where love begins ♪

♪ Where eyes can reach ♪

♪ It's all for you ♪

Where is Jin'an?

You actually set a criminal free?

Guards!

Arrest Li Shuang!

The rest of you, search for him!

Bring him to me,

dead or alive.

Yes sir!

Hand over Jin'an

and I'll spare your lives today.

If we were afraid of death,

we wouldn't have ambushed Taijin's Grand General in his residence.

Since you persist in your idiocy,

you all deserve to die.

Attack!

Wang,

leave with Wei.

Escort Prince Annan

back to the city.

Cut the crap.

If we leave, we leave together.

I won't leave you here to die.

Our lives are

devoted to protecting Prince Annan.

If he can't return safely,

our comrades will have died in vain.

Remember:

you must get out alive!

Let's be comrades again in the next life.

After them!

Don't let them escape!

[Prince Annan,]

[Taijin forces have ambushed the valley.]

[What should we do?]

[Then I'll have to cross the valley]

[and head straight for Lucheng.]

Prince Annan.

You're awake.

Take it easy.

You're injured.

You should just rest well.

Don't worry, Prince Annan.

This place is

within Yao State territory.

This inn,

inside and out,

is staffed by our own men.

You may focus on recuperating.

How's the battle in Lucheng?

Where's my brother?

Prince Annan?

Prince Annan.

Are you okay?

The Battle of Lucheng ended a year ago.

Our army was defeated.

Moreover,

His Majesty was

assassinated long ago.

What the hell are you saying?

Prince Annan,

don't you remember anything?

This past year,

you've been in Taijin—

A year ago,

when His Majesty suddenly left the palace,

you sensed something was off

and rushed to the rescue.

But then for some unknown reason,

the court suddenly announced

that you were dead.

We had our doubts,

so we'd been secretly investigating

until recently,

when we tracked your whereabouts

in Taijin territory.

But unexpectedly,

on our way back to court,

we were hunted by Taijin people.

We failed to protect you properly.

Please forgive us,

Prince Annan!

My brother is dead?

One year...

Why can't I remember anything from this past year?

Prince Annan.

Now, you're severely injured and weak,

and mentally exhausted.

Please just rest well.

In a few days,

you'll surely recover.

Please lie down.

Here.

That day, Consort Qin took my brother out.

She killed him!

It is definitely fishy that Empress Dowager Qin suddenly

took His Majesty out of the palace.

And everyone present that day said

the one who assassinated His Majesty

was the Grand General of Taijin,

Li Wei.

Li Wei?

Empress Dowager... Qin?

Wang Meng.

This past year...

who reigns in Yao State?

After the late emperor

passed away,

the Qin clan announced

that you'd died of sudden illness.

They then placed the young prince

on the throne as Emperor.

She was honored as Empress Dowager

and took full control of the court.

Your former subordinates

were charged with fabricated crimes

and severely demoted.

Some were killed,

and others exiled.

Anyone in court who raised doubts

was punished the same way.

Those...

Those loyal ministers and generals who dared to speak up

have mostly been eliminated by her.

In this court,

someone wants us dead.

Yet we are

still alive.

In that case,

let's send them a grand gift.

Let's return to court.

Yes, Prince Annan.

Yes, Prince Annan!

Our state has voluntarily ceded

our Qingchuan and Helan cities,

signifying our utmost sincerity.

How can Taijin

be so unreasonable and demanding?

My dear ministers,

do you have any other brilliant strategies?

Ceding territory for peace was already a disgrace to our Yao State.

The audacity of Taijin to be so arrogant.

Our only option now is

to tear up the peace agreement

to restore the people's faith.

Does Your Majesty

mean

you're abandoning those soldiers?

They've become prisoners of war,

which means they should've long become martyrs.

Clinging to life

only brings shame to our nation

and disgrace to our wise ruler.

The late emperor loved his people like his own.

When Prince Annan was around,

he never committed the sin

of disregarding the captives' lives.

Your Majesty's strategy

seems to be using the Taijin Emperor to wipe out

Prince Annan's former subordinates.

During the Battle of Lucheng,

Duan Aodeng, as the commander,

abandoned the battlefield without authorization,

resulting in our army's devastating defeat.

To preserve the imperial family's reputation,

I refrained from displaying his corpse as punishment for his crimes.

Even if his subordinates

survive to return,

they can't escape the death penalty.

So, Your Majesty,

do you intend to punish me as well?

It's been a year since we last met.

Do you all

not recognize me anymore?

It's Prince Annan!

It's Prince Annan!

It's him!

It's Prince Annan!

Prince Annan has returned!

He's back!

It really is him.

Prince Annan,

you're still alive!

A year ago,

I was harmed by traitors

and severely wounded,

barely escaping death.

To avoid complications,

it was announced that I'd died from illness.

Now that I've recovered,

I naturally must

return to serve the court.

Prince Annan's safe return

is truly a blessing for Yao State.

We ministers

welcome Prince Annan

back to court!

We ministers welcome Prince Annan back to court!

Yu!

We ministers...

Your Majesty!

This isn't proper!

You've escaped death.

Even after being away for a year,

you still command everyone's loyalty.

With your assistance,

the late emperor's and my son

would surely pacify the realm

and be free of worries.

[In loving memory of Emperor Wencheng of Yao State]

Somebody.

Here, Your Majesty.

Convey my decree:

Today we rejoice at the safe return of the Second Prince.

From this day forward,

he shall be reinstated

as Prince Annan.

As you command, Your Majesty.

No need for this pretense.

You don't have to assert your authority over me.

The court's people address me as Prince Annan

because I fought in bloody battles

and killed enemies bravely,

which led to

Yao State's prosperity...

and territorial expansion today.

Even if you don't restore my title,

I remain an unshakeable member of Yao's imperial family,

the one and only Prince Annan of Yao.

If you hadn't taken my brother out of the palace that day,

there's no way Li Wei would've succeeded.

I should kill you right now

to appease my brother's spirit.

But alas...

The political situation in Yao has just stabilized.

Shaking things up now would be unwise.

Besides, Yu is

my brother's flesh and blood.

Having lost his father at such a young age,

that poor child can't lose his mother too.

From now on,

as long as you behave yourself,

I will

spare your life for a couple more days.

Otherwise...

you have to die.

Sit.

I was the one who let Jin'an go.

He wounded my father,

but that is our personal feud.

I won't allow Your Majesty to...

falsely accuse him of killing Prince Li

and execute him unjustly.

Swarmed with state affairs,

Your Majesty should not waste your time with me.

General Li, you're truly forthright.

If Jin'an were

half as honest as you,

he wouldn't have left Taijin alive.

Do you know

whom you actually set free?

He is the younger brother of Yao State's former ruler,

Prince Annan, Duan Aodeng!

Your Majesty rules this land

and holds power over life and death.

Even if you want Jin'an dead,

you shouldn't resort to making up such an absurd story.

I used to think you were

exceptionally intelligent,

but faced with matters of the heart,

you're equally useless.

Why do you think

he tried to assassinate the Grand General?

Because Yao State's former ruler, Duan Aoze,

died by your father's sword.

[But my dearest kin was]

[killed by Li Wei himself.]

[My father would never kill the innocent.]

[Vengeance has its target,]

[and debts their debtors.]

Blood for blood;

I must make Li Wei pay for what he did.

What?

Have you finally understood

the grave disaster you've caused?

Back then,

so many soldiers sacrificed their lives

just for this fragile peace we have today.

You've let the enemy return to his homebase.

Would he possibly stop here?

This is the result

of your lack of resoluteness.

I haven't thrown you into the dungeon;

just house arrest.

I'm giving you a chance

to redeem yourself.

Time is running out.

Take good care of your health.

Soon, you'll lead troops into battle

to attack the Yao State.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

In the several clashes with Yao State,

we barely won.

Our casualties were devastating,

and the people suffered.

We finally have some peace and prosperity,

and Yao State is seeking peace.

Why not take this opportunity

to put an end to this war?

General Li, have you lost your mind?

You care about the people;

I do too.

The former emperor was incompetent,

and Prince Li was cruel.

Only I can

preserve the lasting peace for the people of Taijin.

Duan Aodeng is a ferocious warrior.

Even your father couldn't defeat him at his strongest.

The Battle of Lucheng

crippled the Yao State.

The Black Armored Army

has almost been completely disbanded.

If we don't strike while they're vulnerable,

when they have

regained their strength

and rebuilt their forces,

it'll truly be a disaster for Taijin.

As your general...

I'll not fail Your Majesty's trust.

I'll attack Yao State

and annihilate...

Prince Annan.

[Do you know]

[whom you actually set free?]

He is the younger brother of Yao State's former ruler,

Prince Annan,

Duan Aodeng.

Do you know

who our enemy is?

He is the man in black who helped us defeat the Yao Army,

Jin'an,

who is also Prince Annan of Yao State,

Duan Aodeng.

You can't forget his past kindness.

But personal gratitude

can't outweigh national vengeance!

Capture and execute him.

Show no mercy!

Understood?

Understood!

Understood?

Understood!

Move out!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Kill!

Your Majesties,

[Chongzheng Hall]

we've received

news from the border.

Taijin has mobilized its army.

Within 5 days,

they will

reach Qingchuan City.

The situation is critical.

Your Majesties,

a decision to fight or to negotiate must be made.

What does everyone think?

Your Majesties,

Taijin is coming in full force

this time.

Our army has been severely weakened

after suffering heavy casualties

in the battles at Lucheng.

I believe we should

reopen peace negotiations

to avoid more bloodshed.

That is too naive.

Previous peace talks have failed.

Bringing it up again

would not only damage Yao's dignity,

but it's also

unlikely that Taijin would agree.

Instead...

Please order an evacuation

to leave Qingchuan empty, Your Majesty.

Then,

our people will be safe,

while Taijin will get the city

and withdraw their troops.

It's the best of both worlds.

Prince Annan, why are you laughing?

Surrendering before fighting?

Isn't that ludicrous?

Since they've started this war,

how could they be content with such a small gesture of weakness?

This battle

must be fought.

You make it sound so easy, Prince Annan.

If we hadn't lost the Battle of Lucheng,

we wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

What was lost on the battlefield

must be reclaimed on the battlefield.

Your Majesty,

I request to personally lead the army

and vow to drive Taijin forces

back beyond our borders.

I wish to

follow Prince Annan into battle.

I second the motion.

I wish to join Prince Annan!

I wish to join as well.

I wish to

follow Prince Annan into battle as well.

Me too!

This is a grave matter.

If anything goes wrong,

could you bear the consequences?

I hereby make a military pledge:

If we lose this battle,

I'll offer my head.

Your Highness is

truly a valiant warrior.

Then, as you've proposed,

I appoint you General of the Cavalry

to lead troops against the enemy.

As you command,

Your Majesty.

Prince Annan.

Is that woman

the female general from Taijin,

Li Shuang?

Yes, Prince Annan,

that is correct.

However, her father is

the General of Cavalry of Taijin,

Li Wei.

The Li family owes Yao a blood debt.

It's time they repay it today.

[Jin'an.]

I'm Prince Annan of Yao State,

Duan Aodeng.

When you're in the depths of hell,

don't forget my name.

Have you really forgotten everything?

Forget?

National and familial grudges

can never be forgotten.

If that's the case,

everything from the past,

be it love or hatred,

ends here.

Prepare to die!

As the lauded female general,

is this all you've got?

The battle flag still stands;

victory is not yet decided!

[Oh no!]

[It's an ambush!]

Luo Teng,

retreat!

Retreat!

General!

General!

Ji Ran!

General!

Let's go!

Go!

General!

General!

Prince Annan.

The Taijin Army has fled.

Why don't we pursue them

to capture them all at once?

We have her.

It's enough.