Original subtitles

[Fated Hearts]

[Episode 14]

Is she an enemy?

She was.

And now?

Whoever she is now is none of your business.

Fine.

[In Memory of Late Mother Qingyu]

If your mother were still alive,

seeing you so troubled by love,

she would probably laugh at you.

Troubled by love?

Before I avenge my mother,

[In Memory of Late Mother Qingyu]

I have no time to think about such things.

Why did you come to Yujing

this time?

How long will you stay?

Is it for the wedding?

I'm not interested

in joining the fun.

I'm here to see a patient.

I'll leave after that.

[Wutong Mansion]

Make sure to send Lord Ling

back to Zhengnian Hall.

Yes.

With me here,

he's unlikely to die.

Your Highness.

Xia Jingshi took Xiao Weiran away?

How did you know?

[Wutong Mansion]

I locked him up in the patrol unit

precisely to make it easier for them to rescue him.

If I'd kept him in my residence,

do you think Prime Minister Zhuang and his people

would've dared make a move?

But Xia Jingshi

didn't go to get him himself.

He went through the envoys of the two nations.

At the Ministry of Rites,

they promised Xia Jingshi

that they would help him bring Miss Yixiao back.

Xia Jingshi probably thought

it wouldn't work out,

so he gave the opportunity

to Xiao Weiran.

Which means

Xia Jingshi has already tacitly acknowledged

that Miss Yixiao

isn't your prisoner,

but stayed voluntarily.

Xiao Weiran switched sides.

He saw the play couldn't go on,

so he just dropped the act.

If you're right,

Xiao Weiran

probably won't return to Yujing.

Xia Jingshi will naturally reassign him elsewhere.

If he stays in Susha,

he would be under our close surveillance.

Where is she?

Lu Ke?

Didn't you send him

to chase Xun Xiang?

Oh, you mean Miss Yixiao.

She's still at Zhengnian Hall.

I helped her save Ning Fei,

and she thinks one thank‑you

is enough to brush me off?

Exactly.

If it weren't for

your sake,

Lord Ling

wouldn't care about that Ning Fei.

Miss Yixiao should at least offer

to treat you to a meal.

So rude.

Go tell the kitchen to prepare some good dishes

and a few jars of fine wine.

Call her over.

And invite Miss Ling

and those kids too.

Your Highness,

you helped her,

and now you're inviting her to dinner?

Inviting her to dinner?

Don't I need to eat?

Don't you need to eat?

I've already eaten, Your Highness.

Yixiao?

She's not here.

She sent Ning Fei off

and left just after dusk.

Where did she go?

She didn't say.

I thought she went back

to the First Prince's residence.

I knew you'd come.

With your personality,

you'd have to get to the bottom of it no matter what.

Aren't you going to tell me the truth?

On the cliff,

were you that eager

to see me dead?

I never once thought of

killing you.

But since I was working with him,

I couldn't let you stand in my way.

Meng Junran,

when will the military funds

you promised arrive?

Yesterday, 100,000 taels of silver

were already sent off under the escort

of the Rongtong Escort Agency.

They'll soon reach Pingling City.

I've fulfilled my promise to you.

But what about you?

Didn't you say that with our plan,

we would definitely win the Battle of Pingling?

You don't need to tell me.

I know it was that female commander of yours

who ruined our plan with a single arrow.

Since that's the case,

Prince of Zhennan, why don't you execute her

to uphold military law?

What?

You can't bear to do it?

One must pay the price for their mistakes.

How Yixiao should be punished

is an internal matter for the Zhennan Army.

It's none of your concern.

Who is that

masked man?

If you hadn't

relentlessly tried to kill him that day,

would we

be in this mess today?

Yixiao!

Yixiao!

Yixiao!

Stop!

Your Highness,

don't try to stop me.

That person from Susha definitely has ill intentions.

He'll pass here

on his way back to Susha.

Let me kill him.

Yixiao. Yixiao, calm down!

Your Highness, you don't want me to kill him?

Does that mean you want me dead?

What are you talking about?

You know I wouldn't kill you.

Why are you forcing me?

Don't be deceived by that person.

We're running out of time.

Just let me kill him.

No one deceived me.

This is all my own choice.

Your own choice?

Yixiao,

it's all right.

I know.

I know that you don't understand me now.

You will understand in the future.

Everything I've done

is for our future.

Give me the bow now

and come back with me.

Okay?

Give me the bow!

Whatever your reasons,

you cannot sacrifice

the people of Zhennan Pass!

War always costs lives!

I'm ordering you now

to come back with me!

Soldiers spill blood

and die on the battlefield

so the common people

can live in peace

and avoid slaughter!

But for your own selfish reasons,

you want to sacrifice the lives

of 300,000 civilians at Zhennan Pass!

How could you be so cruel,

so heartless?

I am cruel?

Let me tell you,

if I had the slightest bit of

soft-heartedness,

I, Xia Jingshi,

wouldn't have lived to see this day.

Yixiao,

I'm begging you.

Just pretend nothing happened.

Pretend you don't know anything.

Go back with me!

I won't go back!

Your Highness,

I'm sorry I cannot obey your orders today.

If you insist on this path,

I'll kill him even if it costs me my life!

Yixiao,

I knew this path

would be full of obstacles,

but I never imagined

you'd become one of them.

I also never imagined

you could be so ruthless.

Fine.

So you really want to do this,

right?

Didn't you just say

everything you had done

is for our future?

Then right now,

I'll act on behalf of my future self

and stop you.

Will you let me?

I have never begged you for anything.

Today,

I'm begging you.

No.

Yixiao!

Put down the bow!

Don't force me!

♪ The rain drifts endlessly ♪

♪ The old dream burns the heart ♪

♪ Dreams sink into ruin ♪

♪ Missing the warmth of your palm ♪

♪ Awaiting dusk ♪

♪ Shadows take root in the mountain pass ♪

♪ In just a moment, tears stained ♪

♪ Amid the bustling sound of wind and rain ♪

♪ Who laughs at me, heart cold as the desert? ♪

♪ Dreams turn through a lifetime ♪

♪ Who sighs for me, enduring separations? ♪

♪ Love is a trial, harsh and cold ♪

♪ Who crushes the lingering pain for me? ♪

♪ Clouds vanish, rain ceases, seek me ♪

♪ The world is vast and far ♪

♪ Time is unbearable to endure ♪

At the Battle of Pingling,

your plan

was to use the lives of hundreds of thousands

of civilians in the city as bait,

wasn't it?

Once Feng Suige had breached Zhennan Pass,

he would not only have died,

but would also have been branded with the stigma of a city massacre.

Of course he must die.

Only his death

can throw Susha into utter chaos.

Only with his death

will I one day

be free from fighting on two fronts.

Yixiao,

you must understand that

he is our real enemy.

Are the civilians in that city

your enemies too?

Yes.

So many people can be sacrificed.

I, Fu Yixiao,

just a mere officer of the Zhennan Army—

what does it matter if I die?

I never intended

to kill you.

If that day

I had truly wanted to kill you,

how would that arrow have ended up

in your shoulder?

Well then,

thank you for not killing me.

Xia Jingshi,

I'm asking you one last time—

who is

the masked man?

Yixiao,

can you

come back to me?

I'm asking who that person is!

Answer me!

I don't expect you to understand me.

I only want to tell you

that I used to think

everything I wanted

was the most important,

but after losing you, I realized

you were what mattered most.

I never truly wanted

to kill you.

Give me another chance.

You still refuse to tell me.

I know.

It was all my fault before.

Whatever happened before,

it was all my fault.

I did everything wrong.

I know that whatever I say now

is useless.

All I ask

is for you to come back to me.

As long as you come back to me,

I'll do anything you ask.

I can give up everything.

We can be like before.

Let's start over.

Let's be together again,

okay?

You look ridiculous now.

No matter what you say,

there's no going back.

When you shot that arrow,

the old Fu Yixiao

was dead.

You killed her yourself.

You once saved me,

but you also killed me yourself.

From now on,

our debts are settled.

We owe each other nothing.

Next time we meet,

we'll be enemies.

Ning Fei is dead.

Tell Xiao Weiran about it.

Think of it as closure.

I was careless.

I never imagined

you'd choose this moment

to meet Xia Jingshi.

When did you get here?

Looks like

I can't escape

your grasp after all.

What did he do to you?

Did you two fight?

I'm fine.

Answer me.

What happened to you?

I'm really fine.

Don't worry.

I'll tell you

what I need to tell you.

I'm doing this for your own good.

Do you know what would have happened

if the Imperial Guards

had caught you just now?

♪ Take down the setting sun as my heart ♪

♪ Fold the heaven and earth to make my wings ♪

♪ If fate shows no mercy ♪

You know what?

♪ Then don't blame my recklessness ♪

I've made up my mind.

Even if it means breaking off the marriage alliance,

♪ I thought this life would drift like a solitary sail ♪

I'll rush in to save you.

♪ Yet I chanced upon you in the smoke-filled alleyway ♪

[Wutong Mansion]

Did you have a nightmare?

You're all sweaty.

I'll light the candles for you.

No.

No need.

With the light,

all the monsters and demons

will vanish.

♪ Lost in the wilderness ♪

♪ I've been looking for you ♪

♪ Even if devastation fills my eyes ♪

♪ The shadows continue to sway ♪

♪ The phoenix going against light ♪

♪ Has been looking for a thousand miles ♪

♪ As years pass, dust stirs, stirring deep longing ♪

♪ All I ask is to be together forever ♪

Why are you here?

I was worried you'd have nightmares.

Aren't you going to ask me

what I dreamed about?

I can guess.

Those dreams aren't scary at all.

I couldn't see colors in them,

so I knew they were just dreams.

I remember...

I had just left

Xia Jingshi's.

You were probably just too tired.

You fell asleep

as soon as you left Xia Jingshi's.

I fell asleep?

Yes.

You really can sleep anywhere.

You actually fell asleep on the street.

It really scared them at the time.

But I told them not to worry.

You must

have been exhausted.

Exactly. Too tired.

It's not dawn yet.

Go back to sleep.

I'll keep watch at the door.

You can rest easy.

I'll keep

these candles burning.

There's no need.

I'm fine now.

You should go rest too.

Feng Suige,

thank you.

Who told you to provoke her?

Those are just common methods

to treat hysteria.

She has a head injury

and a blood clot in her brain.

Any stimulus

or emotional outburst

could cause her clot

to burst like a flood.

She's having nightmares

because she was

overstimulated.

If you want her

to live peacefully,

stay away from all the chaos.

[Wutong Mansion]

Where are you taking me?

What?

You think I would harm you?

What are you up to?

Whatever it is,

it can't be anything bad.

If you don't tell me,

I won't go.

[Wutong Mansion]

The wind picked up last night,

and today the sky's full of dark clouds.

I'm worried it might rain

and ruin the herb fields,

so I want to check on them.

It's a long journey.

I just want someone to talk to.

The dignified First Prince of Susha

actually has the leisure

to farm?

What a coincidence.

I'd like to see it.

What are your plans now?

Plans?

Since you left Xia Jingshi,

you're no longer a female general of Jinxiu.

And if I were to

make you my concubine,

it would seem far too frivolous.

Have you ever thought about

joining me?

Joining you?

What's in it for me?

What's in it for you?

You'll officially work for me.

Whatever happens from now on,

I'll protect you

and keep you safe.

I know

you're trying to find out

what exactly Xia Jingshi

told me.

You can be straightforward.

There's no need to beat around the bush.

That day in the tent,

the one meeting with Xia Jingshi

was a masked man.

Xia Jingshi called him Meng Junran.

No matter how I pressed him,

Xia Jingshi refused to reveal his identity.

In the Battle of Pingling,

their plan

was to lure you into the city,

use hundreds of thousands of civilians as shields,

and wipe out your Feng Battalion.

Use civilians as shields?

If you had broken through Zhennan Pass

and entered Pingling City,

would you have slaughtered the civilians?

Of course not.

What if among the civilians

there were hidden crossbowmen

out to kill you?

When you can't tell the enemy

from the civilians,

what would you do?

I have to kill them all.

In that case,

you'd become the true culprit behind the massacre

of hundreds of thousands in Pingling City.

Even if you managed to survive

and return to Susha,

your reputation would be ruined.

Everyone would see you

as a bloodthirsty killer.

What a clever scheme.

It seems that

if not for that arrow you shot at me that day,

I'd have died

without a proper burial.

I guess it was a blessing in disguise.

By the way,

thank you for the gold-threaded soft armor you gave me—

it saved my life.

But why didn't you use it yourself?

With my martial skills, I didn't need to wear it.

I know what you're about to say.

That I'm so arrogant,

yet I still ended up defeated by you.

I wasn't thinking that at all.

You said it.

A blessing in disguise, right?

Whose home is this?

Mine.

It's quite similar

to my home in Zhennan Pass.

Looks like

you're not fond of living in a grand mansion either.

That's my mother's hairpin.

You mean

the former empress of Susha?

This is my mother's private residence.

When she was young,

she often led troops in battles.

Every time she returned from war

and didn't want to go back to the palace,

she would come here

and stay for a while

to escape all those constraints.

I never imagined the former empress of Susha

was such a free-spirited woman.

My mother always yearned

for a life of freedom and ease.

If it hadn't been for my father,

she would never have trapped herself

within the palace walls.

So...

you once lived here too?

When I was little,

I often stayed here with my mother.

There were no palace rules here—

just freedom and joy.

She would spend her days with us

planting herbs

and tending flowers here.

Sometimes when my father came,

he'd take me and Xiyang

to the stream to catch fish.

Hug it.

Aside from

the four of us,

no one knew

what this place used to be.

Now, there's you.

♪ Love is a trial, harsh and cold ♪

♪ Who crushes the lingering pain for me? ♪

♪ Clouds vanish, rain ceases, seek me ♪

♪ The world is vast and far ♪

♪ Time is unbearable to endure ♪

♪ Lost in the wilderness ♪

♪ I've been looking for you ♪

♪ Even if devastation fills my eyes ♪

♪ The shadows continue to sway ♪

♪ The phoenix going against light ♪

♪ Has been looking for a thousand miles ♪

♪ As years pass, dust stirs, stirring deep longing ♪

♪ All I ask is to be together forever ♪

Who's trying to catch you?

Why do they want to kill you?

You already know the answers

to these two questions.

According to our previous agreement,

our cooperation

ends here.

I said before

that if you want to leave,

I won't force you to stay.

You brought me here

just to tell me this?

Yes.

But not exactly.

Then what is it?

Stop beating around the bush.

Just say it.

Whatever

Xia Jingshi's plan is,

it only targets Susha

and me.

It has nothing to do with you.

If you're willing,

I can find you

a place with beautiful scenery to live in.

You can take those children with you too.

So you don't want me to help you find

that masked man?

Even without you,

I can find him on my own.

Feng Suige,

you seem

rather unfamiliar today.

Your sudden concern for me

makes me a bit scared.

What are you up to?

What purpose can I have?

Whatever your purpose,

you clearly don't have good intentions.

Feng Suige,

since the day

you arrested me,

I've wanted to tell you

that even though you hold every advantage

and seem certain to win,

you will never

beat me.

Why?

Because I always know

what you're thinking.

There's quite a big fish here.

♪ Take down the setting sun as my heart ♪

♪ Fold the heaven and earth to make my wings ♪

♪ If fate shows no mercy ♪

♪ Then don't blame my recklessness ♪

♪ I thought this life would drift like a solitary sail ♪

♪ Yet I chanced upon you in the smoke-filled alleyway ♪

♪ Like a fleeting flower falling into ♪

She's having nightmares

because she was

overstimulated.

♪ My eyes ♪

If you want her

to live peacefully,

stay away from all the chaos.

♪ Once I was like a frost-edged sword ♪

♪ Sweeping across the battlefield in gleaming light ♪

♪ Never thought who'd lay me to rest ♪

♪ Once unstoppable and sharp ♪

♪ Now my heart's tied to you ♪

♪ Thinking of you day and night ♪

Your Highness.

We found Xun Xiang.

Lu Ke is watching him.

I see.

When she wakes,

escort her back to the residence.

Be extremely careful.

Yes.

When you planned to kill,

did you ever think about your daughter?

Do you plan to surrender,

or should I have your whole family arrested

to keep you company?

Get in!

Your Highness,

the Xun family is distantly related to the Empress.

Aren't we being

a bit too conspicuous?

Fu Yixiao is under my protection.

I want everyone in Yujing City

to know about this.

Whoever dares to harm her,

I will kill them.

Your Majesty, I came

to report something important.

Recently, someone actually

attempted to assassinate a member of my household.

We've caught the culprit.

He's outside the hall.

Are the Ministry of Justice

and the Court of Judicial Review both closed?

If someone tries to assassinate you,

just go to them.

What do you mean by bringing the assassin

into the palace?

It's because this person has a special identity.

I have no authority to handle him.

I request Your Majesty's judgment.

Lu Ke.

Kneel!

Your Majesty, spare me!

Your Majesty, spare me!

Is this the child from the Xun family?

Yes.

Your Majesty, you remember

the Empress's relatives

very well.

Are you saying

that this person's assassination attempt at your residence

is connected to the Empress?

Your Majesty, you are wise.

The truth and justice

rest entirely on your judgment.

I'm afraid the Empress already knows

that I brought Xun Xiang

into the palace.

As for how deeply

she is involved,

Your Majesty,

please wait and see.

You seem quite confident.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

First Prince,

you brought someone covered in blood

before His Majesty.

If it startled His Majesty,

what punishment would befit you?

His Majesty is a warrior emperor

who has expanded our territories

and achieved unparalleled merit.

He will not be startled so easily.

Empress,

why are you here?

I heard today that

the First Prince entered the palace unexpectedly

and feared he might displease you again.

His Majesty didn't sleep well last night

and woke up dizzy this morning.

First Prince,

please speak to His Majesty patiently.

Don't upset him.

Your Majesty,

I truly admire

your concern for His Majesty.

However,

you may not know,

but General Xun

has already confessed everything.

I don't understand

what First Prince is saying.

But if I weren't here today,

some matters

might have been impossible to clarify.

Our Zhuang family and the Xun family are only distant relatives,

with very little connection.

I don't know

how Xun Xiang offended

the First Prince today.

But no matter what the Xun family has done,

I am unaware.

How this matter should be handled

is for Your Majesty to decide.

Although I'm not welcomed in Yujing,

everything should follow the principle

of fair rewards and punishments.

Otherwise, how can I continue

living here?

First Prince,

when has His Majesty ever let you

suffer any injustice?

-Isn't this... -Empress.

This is not the harem.

I'll talk to you

when I get back.

You may leave now.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I know you suspect the Empress

of involvement,

but you have no solid evidence.

Didn't he say nothing at all?

Does it matter

whether he did or not?

I am truly innocent...

Xiyang is about to be married.

This is the biggest matter right now.

You have been close to her since childhood.

Before her wedding,

you cannot let the Jinxiu people

see our royal family as divided.

Your Majesty, since you said you will not pursue it,

then we will not.

But in the future,

if I act against anyone around the Empress,

I ask that you treat it the same way.

How dare you!

She is your mother after all!

She has never been my mother.

For the sake of a mere Jinxiu prisoner of war,

you're deliberately

opposing me today.

No matter how lawless you are,

there are limits.

After all, Susha

is still ruled by me.

Of course you're the ruler.

Wasn't it also you back then

who tacitly allowed them

to murder my mother?

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Please don't be angry.

-Your health is more important. -Your Highness.

Your Highness, kneel, please.

I'm begging you,

please kneel now!

I issued a strict order long ago

forbidding anyone

from mentioning the late Empress.

How dare you defy my decree?

Why forbid it?

Could it be that you feel guilty?

What did you say?

Do you really want me to repeat it?

Convey my imperial order:

The First Prince has committed great insubordination

and defied his elders.

He is to return to his residence and reflect on his conduct.

Before Xiyang's wedding, the ancestral offering ceremony

will be performed instead by the Second Prince, Chengyang.

Your Highness!

I shall take my leave as well.

Let's go.