Original subtitles

BASED ON THE NOVEL "THE PRISONER OF BEAUTY" BY PENGLAI KE

You're home early today.

WISE KASHYAPA WHO GOVERNS ETERNALLY

I am.

To congratulate you.

Why is that?

Do you know

who the Commander of the Boya Forces is?

Who is it?

Your brother-in-law.

Bi Zhi.

You must be joking, my lord.

My brother-in-law is just a groom.

You really didn't know?

Your brother-in-law is quite remarkable.

He not only defeated Xue Tai,

but did so more than once.

Really?

I can't believe he pulled that off.

That means Cousin Daqiao can finally live peacefully.

But then again, how peaceful can it really be?

He claimed Boya all on his own.

Different factions will go after him.

But he's just one man. He doesn't have much power.

My uncle,

wary of your reputation,

won't accept him easily.

Neither of them can go home now.

Typical Qiao. Always defiant.

Were you copying sutras just now?

Yes.

Do you like the armrest I gave you?

I do.

It's made from fresh southern bamboo.

It never feels sticky.

I treasure it a lot,

so I hardly dare use it.

It's all right.

It's not that rare, anyway.

This bamboo, though…

It's truly quite fine.

My lord.

You work so hard every day

and often suffer headaches.

I thought that perhaps your pillow wasn't comfortable,

so I made you a new one.

That pattern…

What's she trying to imply?

Did you embroider it?

No.

I asked Chunniang to sew it,

but I picked the fabric myself.

And this pattern…

I…

I just thought

the fabric was so soft

that it must be comfortable for sleeping on.

Thank you.

Why is he acting so odd today?

He insisted you read and write here.

Wait.

The fabric was embroidered with a Flourishing Descendants pattern.

Why didn't you tell me?

Flourishing Descendants?

You said it was just a soft fabric.

And that armrest's jade.

You didn't say that either.

My lord.

Rest assured, sir.

I've already asked her.

As for this matter,

no matter how bold the Qiao clan is,

they wouldn't dare raise a flag in Boya.

What did Lady Wei say?

You can rest assured.

Bi Zhi may have some skills

and he may have defeated Xue Tai several times,

but the Qiao clan won't accept him.

He's just looking for a foothold.

As long as there's no flag, Boya remains unclaimed.

And since he's fighting Xue Tai,

he poses no threat to us.

Just keep things as they are.

Only a few hundred men?

General,

those hunting in the woods were very agile.

They're no mere servants.

Wei Shao has intervened in Boya,

dressing his soldiers in plain clothes.

What's his intention?

Luckily, we didn't rush to attack.

He was once the Qiao family's groom,

and he is Qiao Yue's son-in-law now.

In truth, he's family to the Wei traitors.

Yanzhou has two such sons-in-law now,

and they're both carving out territory.

We won't engage.

Withdraw the troops.

- Yes. - Yes.

Xue Tai has withdrawn?

That's right.

He left just like that?

My friend,

we owe this to you.

General, you flatter me.

I didn't do much.

Even though Xue Tai has retreated,

we declared ourselves the commander here.

There will be trouble again.

So what should we do?

You drove off the bandits

and have won the people's trust.

Find a hilltop and raise a command flag.

It'll look like you're asking for the people's support.

If you do this,

more will follow you,

and fewer will cause trouble.

But what kind of flag?

I only know horses.

That's easy.

I've seen plenty of flags.

Bring a plain piece of cloth.

Xing.

Yes.

But what should we write on it?

We can't write "Zhi" (swine).

A command flag declares ownership.

If it bears the character "Wei,"

it means this place belongs to Wei.

If trouble arises later,

Wei will have to step in.

If it becomes Wei territory,

wouldn't that cause problems for the Lord of Wei?

Xue Tai is stationed at Xiaogang,

across the river from Boya and Panyi.

This trip is not for battle,

but to probe.

We can't let others think

that Wei plans to occupy Boya.

Dear, what if we write your surname, Qiao?

That's a good idea.

Xing, bring more liquor.

We must thank General Wei Qu.

Yes.

QIAO

Ma'am.

General Bi Zhi.

No need for that.

Take care, General.

Take care.

QIAO

You raised the flag for Qiao.

You handled such a big matter

and only brought back some wild game and sacks of rice?

It was my oversight.

You ordered me

to ensure that no one thought Wei was intervening.

But everything was ruined by hesitation.

Looks like all you do is hunt and drink.

After a few drinks, you've forgotten who you are.

My lord, Wei Qu can't be blamed for this.

Who would've thought Qiao was so bold?

They challenged you over Boya.

Yong.

Sir.

Sir.

- Speak. - My voice…

My lord,

if anyone's to blame, it's Bi Zhi.

All brawn, no brains.

He fought so hard for a piece of land,

only to fly his wife's surname on the flag.

Sounds like a kept man.

Who are you mocking?

My lord.

We didn't see it coming.

- It was a misunderstanding. - A misunderstanding?

How could things line up so perfectly?

No need for you to tell me. I know who's behind this.

My lord,

could it truly be as Advisor Gongsun said,

that this is Lady Wei's doing?

I underestimated her.

You all remember this.

Stay away from the Qiao clan or you'll turn into fools.

- Yes. - Yes.

Yes.

You may all rise.

I can give up Boya,

but I won't just hand it to Yanzhou.

It was a losing game,

yet she managed to turn it around.

XIAOGANG, BOYA

Send the order.

Attack Xiaogang immediately.

My lord,

Liangya's army guards Xiaogang.

That land belonged to Wei,

but 14 years ago, it was taken while we were weak.

Lady Qiao

gave me Panyi without fuss,

but secretly let Bi Zhi take Boya.

That gives Yanzhou a new gateway.

So keeping troops in Panyi is pointless.

To strike back,

we must open a new front.

Boya and Xiaogang face each other.

From there, we can monitor Bi Zhi closely.

You four,

gather the troops.

Set out for Xiaogang.

- Yes. - Yes.

Wei Qu,

this is your chance to redeem yourself.

Don't waste it.

Understood.

Any other orders?

From today on,

all correspondence from the Qiao clan

comes through me.

Got it.

I don't think any of us should get married.

Marriage just turns into mind games.

Don't count me in.

Only you could be outwitted by your own kin.

And His Lordship.

Enough.

My lady.

What's this?

You're home early today.

This is wild game from Boya.

And this rice too.

Come.

Specially prepared for you.

Cousin Daqiao sent these?

Yes.

You two share a deep bond,

looking out for each other.

It's truly moving.

But it's not even mealtime yet.

I can't eat these.

You made me shoes,

pillows,

and meals.

This meal is to thank you.

Dig in.

Try this.

The meat is good.

- My lord. - It's tasty.

I can't eat that much.

The kitchen made this just for you.

Eat more.

Eat.

He said not to associate with Qiao.

Does that include Xiaotao?

Probably.

Duang,

I heard General Wei Qu is back.

How is Miss Daqiao doing in Boya?

I'm talking to you here.

Duang.

Xiaotao,

can you leave me alone?

My lord said to stay away from you people.

He said we might turn dumb.

How does your dumbness have anything to do with us?

Duang, how is she?

Xiaotao,

I'm truly on official duty now.

We messed up in Boya,

and… and now we're making up for it.

His Lordship is sending troops to Xiaogang.

So please, stop bothering me.

Xiaogang?

I really can't eat more.

Just a bit more.

Look.

The rice is from Boya.

Have some more.

Did you come here for something?

Not really.

I just wanted to ask you,

what have you been busy with lately?

Needlework and copying sutras.

Besides that?

Studying "The Analects"

and "The Book of Songs."

How about, for example, letters to your cousin?

Just some daily reminders.

Daily reminders?

Does that include

raising the Qiao flag in Boya?

I only heard he'd defeated the bandits,

so I gave a few reminders.

Lady Qiao,

how cunning you are.

I don't understand what you're saying.

Really?

You pretended to care,

made me drop my guard,

and then used the box incident to make me feel guilty.

I couldn't have planned guilt.

You had to be wrong first for me to use it.

Exactly. You used that guilt.

Faked deep family affection.

Used the konghou to draw out my concern.

Right?

Missing my cousin was real.

But your love for music is fake, right?

After all these days, why does it still sound awful?

Besides, if you wanted Boya,

you could've just told me.

Why manipulate my men to send your letters?

Acting all high and mighty in front of Xue Tai?

No battle was fought, yet the Qiao flag flew over Boya.

My brother-in-law succeeded, huh?

Look at your smug face.

Look in a mirror.

Turns out, I was too naive.

You're a Wei wife in name,

but still a Qiao woman at heart.

He defeated Xue Tai and helped Wei get rid of a threat.

Raising the Qiao flag shouldn't be a big deal.

Qiao and Wei are one family.

You won't attack the Qiao clan, will you?

Or,

was the marriage between us

just for show?

Is that why you stationed troops in Panyi?

I can't out-talk you. You always win with your words.

Words are all I have here.

Your words drive me mad.

I'm done arguing.

However,

don't think that holding a key position

means you can act recklessly.

I'll always keep a knife at Qiao's throat.

My lady,

Wei Liang got all mad when he saw me.

He said His Lordship told him not to go near the Qiao clan,

or he'd turn dumb.

Can you believe how ridiculous he was?

But he's not entirely wrong.

Now they're so angry, they're sending out troops.

Where to?

Xiaogang.

Chunniang.

When will Zhang Pu return to Kangjun?

My lady.

He fell ill after coming to Yujun.

He likely hasn't recovered yet.

- Have him come see me. - Yes.

Sir, when you return to Yanzhou, could you take a detour to Boya

and deliver a message to my cousin?

I'm still sick.

Can't you just write a letter?

It's of great importance.

You must explain it in person.

Break it down for them.

I see.

Please tell me.

Wei Shao

is attacking Xiaogang today

to pin down Boya.

But in Yanzhou, there's a place called Liancheng

close to Xiaogang.

If you take the mountain path, it's a three-day trip.

Tell my cousin

to have her husband start mining there.

I've marked the exact spot on this map.

YANZHOU, PANYI, LIANGYA, WEI STATE, BIANZHOU

BOYA

Mining?

WEI

Wei Shao set his sights on Xiaogang

as it's easy to defend and hard to attack.

It could be used to pin down Boya.

But if we dig a secret tunnel here,

Yanzhou's troops could reach Xiaogang within half a day.

In that case, Xiaogang would be firmly in Yanzhou's grasp.

Lady Xu, Lady Wei is here.

Grandmother.

Did you see him off?

I did.

Have a seat.

Do you play Go?

Yes, but I'm not skilled.

It's an art to be learned.

Beginners often focus

on capturing more pieces,

trying to wipe out the opponent.

And they lose because of it.

To win,

you have to yield a little.

But knowing how much to yield

takes judgment.

If both sides press too hard,

it ends in a stalemate.

There may still be a winner,

but the board

looks ugly.

I will remember your words.

Do you think

I was talking about the game?

It was about marriage.

My lord and I are not enemies, but allies.

Still, maybe

I'm not good at Go.

I used to see him off to war.

Now you do.

That's a wife's duty.

I'm pleased.

But what I really hope

is that from now on,

Zhonglin will no longer go to war.

Do you know what that means?

I understand.

Back when your grandfather proposed the marriage,

he wrote me a letter

confessing his past wrongs.

I resented your grandfather.

His betrayal

cost me my husband,

my son,

and my grandson.

But the dead can't come back to life.

Even if I wipe out the Qiao clan,

would it ease our scars from the past

and the pain in our hearts

even a little?

But if

your marriage with Zhonglin

can resolve this hatred

and help him

let go of his obsessions…

so he no longer

spends his life in mourning,

what more…

could I ask for?

Grandmother,

I've let you down.

It's all right.

Everything takes time.

Let's take it slow.

TWO MONTHS LATER

GOVERNMENT OFFICE

His Lordship has returned!

His Lordship has returned!

His Lordship has returned!

His Lordship has returned!

His Lordship has returned!

His Lordship has returned!

GOVERNMENT OFFICE

My lord, we claimed a great victory at Xiaogang.

We sent Liu Yan of Liangya a strong warning.

It truly lifts everyone's spirits.

How many times must I tell you?

Never judge by appearances alone.

Stationing troops at Xiaogang isn't only about intimidating Liangya.

Besides reinforcing Xiaogang,

I have four more tasks for you.

Yes.

The first.

Increase patrols

along the Xiaogang-Liangya border.

You are wise and decisive.

Liangya has always eyed us covetously.

The second.

Keep a close watch on military movements between Yanzhou and Boya.

You're thorough and careful.

We must guard against an attack from Boya.

The third task.

Reinforce all frontier outposts.

Your foresight's unmatched.

We must watch every state's moves.

The fourth…

My lord,

what's the fourth thing?

Fourth.

Get my bedding back to the main chamber.

I'm going to battle Lady Qiao over every inch of ground.

How can you just barge in?

Do you have no respect?

This is His Lordship's and Her Ladyship's bedchamber.

No matter how often you used to come,

from now on, without being summoned,

no one may enter.

If we don't move all this in ourselves, will you do it?

Didn't you just say

that this is His Lordship's and Her Ladyship's bedchamber?

His Lordship is moving back in.

Excuse me.

Careful.

Don't crush Her Ladyship's quilt.

Get off.

Stop it. Those are Lady Wei's books.

Get off.

Stop it.

What are you doing?

Don't touch Her Ladyship's books.

Wait. She's just a woman,

but she reads too?

Her Ladyship could read at three and recite poems at five.

Of course she reads.

Fine, fine.

Put those useless books on the dressing table.

He won't use it anyway.

What?

You say it like he doesn't have a face.

The sword. I think it's best here.

It fits well right here.

You're leaving a sword here?

Does he practice it?

He's not just a swordsman.

He kills with ease.

Where should his clothes go?

This one, this one, and those ones are Her Ladyship's.

Well,

he can use that one.

So small?

Wait.

Why does she take up so much space?

Did she move all of Yanzhou in?

None of you four are married, right?

Anywhere, the woman's wardrobe is always bigger.

Really?

Makes sense.

With Xiaotao's temper, honestly, who'd marry her?

What is she to you?

Why worry about that?

Come on.

Don't forget, she's supposed to marry into our clan.

Well, that just means one of us.

Not it.

Me neither.

I'm not marrying her.

You…

Let's draw straws.

All right. Fine.

Didn't we agree to draw straws?

Where is everyone?

My lady, you should've seen them.

It was like they were dividing up territory.

They were arguing over every inch,

insisting on which part belonged to him, and which part to you.

But the two of you share a room.

How can it be split so neatly?

As the saying goes, the ruler is easy, but the servants are tough.

It's just like Grandmother said.

When someone pushes, another must yield.

I've raised the Qiao flag at Boya.

If he wants to push back elsewhere, so be it.

Let's organize his things.

As for his bedding…?

Just leave it for now.

All right.

What are you doing?

I saw you were sleeping uneasily.

I thought that maybe the candlelight was too bright,

so I wanted to put it out.

Don't.

Just wear more clothes

at night.

Don't try to seduce me.

I am the Lord of Wei.

I won't be swayed by beauty.

I had no such intent.

You speak in opposites.

If you say no, then you mean yes.

If you say so,

then so be it.

Sir, please sit.

My lord,

my cough hasn't healed yet,

so I dare not drink with you.

Then

just sit here and keep me company.

My lord.

There are many things

that can be shared with your closest companions.

There's no need to bear it all alone.

But I have no one to talk to.

No one understands.

It's all because he kills in dreams.

He made you lose sleep.

He even said you tried to seduce him.

How unfair.

He only said it to ease my worry.

You're always defending him.

He's all talk, that's all.

He's never hurt me.

Forget it. Go make some red bean soup.

My lord?

Why is it so dark in here?

My lord?

My…

They say the Lord of Wei kills in his sleep.

He never lets anyone near him while he sleeps.

My lord.

- Xiaozao… - Don't go.

Stay.

What's wrong?

Are you afraid of the dark?

It's okay.

It's all right.

I'm here for you.

It's all right.

Don't be afraid.

I'm right here.

As the saying goes,

"A wise person knows when to advance and when to retreat."

But this requires careful judgment.

A slight error and one crosses the line.

Bear insults

without flinching,

and see faults

without exposing.

My lady, you should know

the art of wise companionship better than I do.

You're talking about noble friendships.

But what about marriage?

It's the same for you and His Lordship.

I thought

he'd resent me over Boya,

but these past few days,

I've realized he doesn't,

and now I don't know how to face him.

His Lordship inherited his position young and grew up steeped in hatred.

If he's sometimes cold, it's only natural.

Please try to understand.

But I've served him in war for years.

I know him better than anyone.

Then, in your opinion,

what's his true nature?

Tough on the outside, soft on the inside.

Big-hearted.

Otherwise,

he wouldn't have allowed you to stay in Yujun.

If that's the case,

I've misjudged him.

Thank you for your advice.