Original subtitles

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

You two, I suggest you surrender.

This is Yanzhou.

How can a Liangya man be in charge?

Soldiers, you might not know,

but your governor

was killed in Panyi by the Lord of Liangya.

Liangya is hiding this

to divide Yanzhou later.

Really?

My brother is dead?

Qiao Yue is dead.

So, the prefect is the governor now.

Are you sure

you want to fight him now?

Don't listen to him.

Seize these two immediately.

The Lord of Liangya is offering a great reward!

The Wei army will soon crush Panyi.

The Lord of Liangya can barely protect himself, let alone you.

Think carefully.

Will you listen to a Liangya man

or your prefect?

What should we do now?

Yeah.

Exactly.

What should we do?

What now?

Soldiers.

My brother

has been foolish for too long,

which led Yanzhou to this state.

If you don't betray me,

I won't

let your trust down.

- Is the governor really dead? - I heard the same.

Even if he isn't, I support the prefect.

The people believe him.

- I support the prefect. - Me too.

Are you planning to rebel?

Seize that Liangya man.

Pass on my order.

Yanzhou will no longer cooperate with Liangya.

Order Liancheng to mobilize all troops

and retake Panyi.

Yes.

Prepare the finest coffin

for General Wei Liang.

Yes.

THE GOVERNOR OF YANZHOU HAS DEFECTED PLANNING TO RETAKE PANYI

What can Qiao Ping do?

It's like an ant shaking a tree.

My lord, you'll surely win.

However,

we can't act rashly.

We have Daqiao.

Without Bi Zhi,

Yanzhou is not a threat.

Besides,

I have a special gift

for Wei Shao.

YUJUN CITY, WEI STATE

My lady,

Yujun lacks troops as expected.

Give me half a month, and we can break through the gates.

You really are a fierce general.

Try your best to attack with the Zhongzhou army.

Deputy Liu Xiao and 5,000 elite troops

will be under my command

to conserve our strength.

Yujun's troops were outnumbered, but each one fought bravely.

This battle was thrilling.

Their bravery didn't matter.

They still lost.

General, you don't know.

The real thrill is here.

TRAPPED IN YONGNING

Wei Shao was trapped in Yongning City for days with reduced forces.

Two days ago, he broke out,

leading his leftover troops

to Panyi.

Wei Shao actually gave up Yujun for Panyi?

Guess what would happen

if Lady Qiao knew where Wei Shao had gone when Yujun was under attack?

His Lordship didn't abandon us.

He did what a lord should do.

Zhonglin has his mission.

Yujun is counting on us now.

But Yujun's not the only place that's trapped.

They're seriously outnumbered in Panyi. It's extremely dangerous.

If I can buy His Lordship some time and hold back some troops,

he will be able to take Panyi, and peace will return.

But Yujun already lacks troops.

It might not hold out much longer.

Well…

My lady.

How's the battle going?

General Wei Xiao, General Qiao Ci, and I

are guarding three city gates,

but Xue Tai's forces are strong,

and there's no capable commander in the city.

I fear we won't be able to hold out for long.

What should we do?

Who says there's no capable commander in the city?

I've held back from attacking Wei State out of respect for your ties with Wei!

As for the rest, don't bring it up again.

Young Master,

this way, please.

We have sworn to follow you, so we'll only obey your orders.

We'll only obey your orders.

We're ready to go to battle with you.

Grandmother,

I'm back.

Shiyuan.

Shiyuan!

Shiyuan.

Shiyuan is back.

Lady Xu of the Wei clan,

today, Wei and Bianzhou have formed an alliance

over the canal project.

Now, with Yujun under siege,

I hope you can provide troops for me to fight outside the city

and defend Yujun together.

Good.

Good!

I will give you troops.

Shiyuan,

you truly are the blood of the Wei clan.

WEI MANSION

Who are they?

They are soldiers from Bianzhou who came with me to help Yujun.

They belong to Chen Pang?

Yes.

In the rush to help Yujun, I neglected this.

If you care about their identities,

I will send them back.

Shiyuan.

Bianzhou and Wei have old grudges,

but that's personal between Chen Pang and me.

Today, all of you followed Shiyuan here,

risking your lives to support Yujun.

You are the saviors of Wei.

Please accept my gratitude.

We chose to follow Mr. Wei,

so we'll do our utmost to live up to your trust.

Please rise, everyone.

Grandmother,

I'm going.

Be careful.

WEI MANSION

Let's hope they can return safely,

and that lasting peace may come.

When His Lordship triumphs,

the grand scene you spoke of will surely come true.

PANYI CITY, YANZHOU

QIAO

QIAO

PANYI

Do we

have to fight today?

You treat me like family,

but I have to fight against you

because my wife

is held hostage.

Bi Zhi!

Wei Shao.

My lord, ignore our relationship.

Attack.

Bi Zhi,

what are you waiting for?

Strike!

Bi Zhi, no!

Bi Zhi is a fitting name.

He's like a filthy animal.

Look.

Doesn't he look like a beast, mindlessly controlled by others?

Bi Zhi, if you don't hurt Wei Shao,

I'll hurt your wife instead.

How can you do this to him?

We can only do this to him because of you.

Let go!

YUJUN CITY, WEI

Kill them!

General Xue is dead!

Run!

General Xue is dead!

Run!

Retreat!

Retreat!

YUJUN

That green-eyed beast really is fierce.

My lord, if Bi Zhi continues to serve you,

I believe the realm will eventually be yours.

Fierce or not, he's just a wild animal.

Yes.

Bi Zhi,

if you don't disable his limbs,

I'll break your wife's.

Bi Zhi!

Stop being their puppet!

Don't mind me!

Bi Zhi is brave.

If the world is divided, he'll surely have a place.

Sadly…

Sadly, he's foolish enough

to be tied down by a woman.

Don't talk like that about him.

Fool!

If you don't do it, I'll push her down!

Do it!

I'll push her down!

Bi Zhi!

Bi Zhi, stop fighting!

No one ever said we must always do what's right, Manman.

I would give my life for you because you're my dearest cousin.

But I can't let Bi Zhi die for you.

I can't use love as a chain to bind him into fighting for my clan.

Not even for you.

I will never regret it.

I can't use love to force him

and make him die

for my family

or even me.

The one person I want to protect has always been you.

I will never regret it.

Bi Zhi!

You're the one I love,

not a beast to be controlled.

Darling,

if you ever think back on today,

just remember,

I had no regrets.

Don't jump!

Fan…

Fan…

Fan…

Fan…

Fan, wake up.

I don't want to be some commander.

Fan,

don't die.

Please don't die.

If you die,

what should Li and I do?

As long as you come back,

I'll do anything.

Fan!

Fan!

Fan!

Liu Yan,

I will make you pay in blood!

I thought you could hold on longer,

but it seems you're useless after all.

So what if you two join forces?

I have tens of thousands of troops here.

That's more than enough to handle you.

Xue Tai is dead. Liangya is defeated.

Everyone, run for your lives!

Retreat!

Run!

- Retreat! - Run!

Hurry, move faster!

- She's coming back! - Yes!

Hurry. There's also this.

Pack this up.

You want to betray me too?

We outnumber her.

No need to fear her.

Xue Tai is dead.

No one can protect her now.

Let's go and kill her.

What are you doing?

How dare you?!

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

She's really disfigured!

She's disfigured!

Your face…

Your face is ruined!

She's really disfigured!

You've all seen it.

Don't expect to live.

None of you can survive.

Be careful!

Don't kill me.

Lady Yulou.

Lady Yulou…

Why?

You've seen

my face.

I'm here to escort you away.

No need.

No need.

If Liu Yan knew I looked like this now…

He already knows.

Lady Yulou,

everything you eat, wear,

and use in Liangya

was arranged by the Lord of Liangya.

How long

could you have kept it a secret?

His Lordship said

that if we lost this battle,

I should escort you to a safe place.

He's arranged an escape for you.

You…

Impossible.

You say no one ever cared about you, but Brother loved you.

Impossible.

He cherished you.

Even as he lay dying, he asked me to look after you.

Chen Xiang

treated you well.

He built you that pavilion

and indulged your schemes for Wushan.

Impossible.

Liu Yan's love for me can't be real.

But you ignored all their kindness.

Instead of blaming so-called "unfairness,"

why not ask yourself why you never saw the love and care around you?

It's over.

Fate has abandoned me,

making me miss again and again.

Luckily, I didn't fail your trust.

We've won

this battle.

We've won?

Well done.

May His Lordship win.

Kill them!

Kill them!

Hold the flank!

Don't let them climb up.

Yes.

My lord, Bi Zhi and Wei Shao have gone mad.

This place isn't safe.

You should retreat to the rear.

What?

Do you think my army is weaker than Wei Shao's?

No.

We outnumber Wei Shao's forces by several to one.

Even facing him head-on,

I'm not afraid.

Of course you're not afraid.

But you needn't get hurt over this.

If you hadn't sent 5,000 guards

and General Liu Xiao to protect Her Ladyship,

I wouldn't be this worried.

You don't want me to favor her?

Pampered women grow arrogant.

- Please listen to my advice as your uncle… - Shut up!

I swore to her that I'd kill Wei Shao in this battle.

Foolish.

The one who conquers the world

cannot be controlled by a woman.

- Guards! - Yes!

Take His Lordship away.

Move aside!

I told you

that my uncle is dead.

If you can't accept that,

then go die.

If I kill Wei Shao,

the realm will be mine.

I'll be the ruler of the Central Plains.

The soldiers of Wei are fierce.

Wei Shao,

even if you kill me,

Wei will still drown in floods.

You can't win against me.

You can't win!

My lady,

I have broken my promise.

When all states prosper,

the world will have peace.

The water from the Yang River is accessible

thanks to the Yongning Canal,

which runs over 700 li,

chasing the sun across the sky.

The mighty stag leaves north and goes south

straight to Yujun.

The mountains and rivers stretch across the world,

nurturing all living things.

It's misty, yet there's no smoke.

With the sun and moon reflecting in it,

the spiritual energy from all directions

gathers in the Central Plains,

turning swords and blades to dust.

The canal links nine states.

It starts at Panyi,

goes through Xindu,

and stops at Rongjun,

improving the traffic conditions,

encouraging peace, and driving away the spiteful.

The next year after the completion,

Wei Shao, Lord of Wei,

and Liu Yan, Lord of Liangya,

fought here.

Scattered scars

were lost in the long river.

Good.

Master Zhenshi,

this poetic exposition is a masterpiece.

But the 700 li

was from Panyi to Xindu.

Now that it reaches Rongjun,

it's probably over 2,000 li,

not to mention the full length to other states.

My lord, if you're not satisfied,

shall I write another exposition detailing the battle at Panyi that day?

No need.

These two lines are enough.

Your exposition is so excellent

that deserves to be carved on stone tablets.

But many things

shouldn't be depicted in detail.

No matter how fierce the war was,

people tend to remember the beautiful memories

and those they truly liked.

How wise and insightful.

Your words make sense.

Tomorrow, we'll offer the deer as a gift

to honor Wei as the leader.

My lord,

please don't refuse.

We'll honor Wei as the leader.

All right.

I won't fail your trust.

I will lead the people and create lasting peace.

THE ODE TO YONGNING CANAL

YUJUN

I heard Chen Pang failed to bring Mr. Wei back to his family before he died.

It's a pity he died of asthma.

That was mercy for him.

Shiyuan is now the Lord of Bianzhou.

Don't mention these things again.

Yes.

Grandmother.

Shiyuan.

Congratulations on the succession.

May Bianzhou and Wei remain forever friendly

and share eternal peace.

YUJUN

KANGJUN, YANZHOU

Fan,

I will take good care of Li.

Don't worry.

We will remember Fan

and those who have passed.

Since you left,

I've never gotten lucky when drawing straws.

Today, we brought good wine

to come and see you.

Cheers.

GRAVE OF WEI LIANG

Xiaotao came too.

This is the orchid you brought back.

I water it

and give it sun

every day.

It's growing well now.

You're the kind of man

who can't keep promises.

See?

In the end, I'm the one bringing the orchid to propose to you.

Whether you're alive or dead,

I still want to marry you.

GRAVE OF WEI LIANG

To us four,

these miniature weapons represent who we are.

We weren't born on the same day,

and I guess we won't die on the same day either.

But one day,

even if all four of us are gone,

burying these miniature weapons together

will mean we'll always be brothers.

Seeing it

will be like seeing me.

Is this a sign

to stop fighting?

How did you manage to say that in such a circumstance?

Sir.

- Has His Lordship been found? - He's not at the office.

Sir.

He's not the training ground.

Sir.

Lady Xu also said she hadn't seen His Lordship.

The deer offering ritual is about to start.

Without His Lordship, how can the ritual be completed?

Go fetch Lady Xu.

Only she can accept the deer on behalf of His Lordship.

- Hurry. - Yes.

Don't cry.

Stop crying.

Don't cry.

The ritual has started.

Mr. Gongsun couldn't find you

and brought Grandmother there.

- Why are you here? - Well.

Feifei has been crying nonstop.

I couldn't go.

All right, there, there.

Good girl.

Come on.

Go to your mother.

Don't cry.

You're amazing.

Grandfather once compared living life to conquering the world.

He said both required equal strength.

Now, I think those words can be understood another way.

Whether it's living life or conquering the world,

both sides working together is the way to make things last.

Luckily, my husband and I still understand and are devoted to each other

even after weathering many storms.

He's willing to become my prisoner,

and I'm willing to be his.

WEI MANSION

A few years later, the Yongning Canal was completed.

Now, the waterways are connected, benefiting all sides.

The world is no longer filled with strife and hatred.

The people are at peace.

I've finally had my lifelong wish come true

by traveling with my wife to see the world.

Our thanks to our companions on this journey.

Everyone, in the years to come, may all your wishes come true.

THE END