Original subtitles

(Episode 7)

Your Highness.

Prince Shu He's right-hand meridians are completely severed.

He shall no longer disturb your peace with his zither.

Guards.

Reward him with 10 taels of gold.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Swap the gold for copper coins,

pack them in a sack, and bind it to his body.

Then cast him into the middle of the river.

If you survive and seize it,

three generations' wealth shall be yours.

Your Highness.

Your Highness, spare me.

Your Highness! Your Highness, have mercy!

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

You are but a useless blade.

You are but a useless blade.

Go somewhere quiet and kill yourself.

Take a good look at my face.

You have my permission.

You can think of my face before you die.

You can think of my face before you die.

Huo Ying.

The poison has not been cured.

Where are you going?

Your body is spent, like an arrow at its last flight.

If you still will not rest,

the only thing waiting for you will be death.

So what?

Huo Ying.

Who are you degrading yourself for?

The crown prince will not care whether you live or die.

Since the Shadow Guards no longer have a master,

I will end my life.

You are a human being,

not an object.

I am illiterate.

I know nothing about the world.

As long as I bear a sword,

where the crown prince orders me to cut,

there will I cut.

Now that the poison runs deep,

I cannot even hold my sword.

In the end, I am worth nothing.

There is nothing left for me in this world.

Shen Song.

Rather than keep me barely alive,

give me a swift release.

Say that again.

Put me out of my misery.

I have treated you so many times,

yet all you seek is death.

I have done numerous evil deeds.

My hands are stained with blood.

The heart-piercing agony when the poison flares...

Such is my retribution.

Do not pity me.

All right.

Good.

It is my fault for degrading myself.

It is my fault for playing the good man.

You said you have no parents.

So I sent people to look for them.

I came here today...

because I wanted to tell you...

that I have found clues to your parentage.

But now,

I pity your parents.

They just found out about your whereabouts.

And next comes the news of your death.

My...

family.

My family.

Regulate your breathing.

Where is my family?

They are now in the Ji North Kingdom.

You cannot reunite with them,

but all is well.

Huo Ying.

The crown prince saved your life.

You repaid his kindness for 17 years.

I have saved you countless times.

Even a hundred years of repayment would still fall short.

Huo Ying.

I will not let you die.

I already have someone in my heart.

I do not wish to deceive you.

But my life...

belongs to you from now on.

Get some rest.

Are you pretending to be asleep?

What is this?

Now you are shy?

Your Highness.

There is news from the palace.

The Emperor of South Hui has agreed to cede three prefectures...

and open border markets for trade.

To show such cowardice...

is truly unexpected.

I am slow-witted.

You mean to talk about the marriage alliance?

Xiao Shu He devotes himself to poetry and books,

and his nature is weak.

If the marriage alliance succeeds,

let alone the land of the three prefectures,

but even the fate of the entire South Hui Kingdom...

will be at its end.

This way,

we may accomplish more with less.

Why give up on Xiao Shu He?

You are just in time.

Let us have breakfast.

Your Highness.

What is the matter?

The abbot of Hanshan Temple sent a monk to deliver a message.

He said, at Hanshan Temple,

there is an old acquaintance of Your Highness's retainer.

He invites Your Highness...

and Young Master Duan over for a meeting.

Hanshan Temple?

Yes.

They found Huai Yi.

To be born human is rare,

and to hear the Dharma is rarer.

You have lived in the temple since you were young.

Thus, it shows your affinity with the Buddha's teaching.

Today, you shave away your hair,

cutting off three thousand strands of affliction.

This body is devoted to...

the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

May you soon see the light of your own nature...

and continue the wisdom-life of the Buddha.

I have no root of wisdom.

It is just that when I was young,

my family was massacred,

and I was separated from my brother.

I no longer have any attachments.

The pain of losing my family...

led me to perceive the truth of emptiness.

From now on,

I will regard everything the world treats me with...

as a courtesy.

I have no desire.

I seek nothing.

Amitabha.

The abbot of White Cloud Temple...

told me to look for someone here.

May I know...

who you are looking for?

My long-lost brother.

May I know your name?

Duan Zi Ang.

How can you prove it?

When my brother was young, he never called me "elder brother."

He only called me "big brother."

At the hollow of his right hand...

lies the scar of a snake's bite that he took for me.

Big Brother.

You standing in front of me...

really feels like a dream.

I have been looking for you all these years.

How did you find me?

I...

I got help from a benefactor.

When you see him later,

you must thank him properly.

Of course.

I was fostered here since I was young.

I had planned to take tonsure today.

But the abbot said...

I am not yet free of worldly entanglements.

I can go with you.

Good.

We will never be apart again.

All right.

Pack your things first.

All right.

Was it Huai Yi?

Shu He, it really is Huai Yi.

After he packs his bags,

he will go back with us.

Great.

Now you can finally reunite with your brother.

Soon, we may also be free...

to roam the four corners of the land.

I will not let you down.

Let us go back and think of a way...

to be free as soon as possible.

All right.

Go to the carriage first.

When he finishes packing,

we will leave together.

- Very well. - All right.

Urgent summons.

Return at once to the liaison spot.

Your Highness, Prime Minister Gu is here.

Your Highness.

His Majesty ordered the Imperial Guards...

to search the Sixth Prince's Manor.

I did not have a chance to make a move.

I could not find any clues.

What about the retainer from Ji North Kingdom?

He has disappeared.

Why did Zi Ang not get in the carriage?

He said he had an urgent matter.

Did he say what it was about?

He seemed to be in a hurry, so I did not ask.

Huai Yi, do you still remember?

I went to the Duan Manor to play when I was little.

When we were little,

my brother often brought his friends over.

It is fine if you do not remember.

You were too young then.

But no matter what,

thanks to Young Master Shu He's help,

I was able to reunite with my brother.

Think nothing of it.

I am just happy that I was able to resolve...

the knot in his heart.

Soon, we will be able to live...

the life that our hearts desire.

My brother wants to wander the world with you.

Indeed.

It is our shared wish.

Congratulations, Your Highness,

for reuniting the two Duan brothers.

This is the abbot of White Cloud Temple.

Have a good rest.

I will go and speak with the abbot.

Thanks to you,

Zi Ang was able to find his brother...

in Hanshan Temple.

Now that they have reunited,

I see Zi Ang's face...

has regained some color.

The account book.

I shall leave it in your care, Abbot.

Good, good.

The rekindling of brotherly ties...

by Your Highness...

is an act of great merit.

But I sense some melancholy...

in Your Highness's expression.

I am just afraid...

that he is going to cast aside certain things.

That is the source...

of human suffering.

Your Highness...

has also fallen into greed.

Do not covet what others...

can give you.

Seek only...

what you can give.

Only by letting go...

can one be liberated.

Thank you for your teachings, Abbot.

May I ask...

how you find Huai Yi?

That day, the crown prince of Ji North Kingdom...

came to pray before the Buddha.

He saw the painting.

By chance, the servant provided a clue.

Thus, we found Duan Huai Yi at Hanshan Temple.

How did a servant of the Ji North Kingdom...

recognize that painting?

I do not know either.

It is getting late.

You should go back, Abbot.

Huo Ying.

What are you doing?

I am guilty.

This has nothing to do with you.

I know the crown prince is behind this cruel act.

No need to blame yourself.

I...

I have another matter to report.

Tell me.

Do you still remember this sword?

Of course.

It was supposed to be my coming-of-age gift.

When Your Highness gave me this sword,

I once said...

I would be loyal...

and protect Your Highness all my life.

I...

I have broken my promise.

All these years,

the crown prince has been controlling me with Blood Dove.

He forced me to reveal...

Your Highness's movements every month.

How long has it been?

Over five years.

Before that, Your Highness neglected state affairs.

So the crown prince asked nothing of me.

It is just...

It is just that the crown prince did not expect...

I would join the court one day.

Yes.

The Blood Dove's poison is vicious.

One of its components has long been lost.

I did not expect the crown prince to have it.

During the marriage alliance a few days ago,

the crown prince gave me a waist token...

and asked me to put it in your study.

Now that I think about it,

it should be a token of the Red Shadow Guards.

The crown prince is so affected by his desire for power.

I have done too many harmful things to Your Highness.

I can no longer seek forgiveness.

You had no choice.

I do not blame you.

Besides, you had a chance to escape.

But you chose to come here and apologize,

revealing everything...

so I could understand the whole picture.

I will not blame you.

Thank you, Your Highness.

I am just worried that...

in striving for the great vision of the South Hui Kingdom,

Shu Qian may be consumed by obsession...

and ultimately bring ruin upon himself.

Why did you dodge?

Spare me, Your Highness.

I am...

afraid.

Do you think my swordsmanship is so poor...

that I could cut off your hand?

You do not believe me.

You are afraid of this and that.

Do you not believe that I, the Crown Prince of South Hui,

can achieve great things?

The crown prince's swordsmanship...

is the best in the world.

Others do not believe it.

That is due to...

their narrow vision.

Forgive my shortcomings, Grand Tutor.

You may leave.

The plan has yet to succeed.

Do not take out your anger on the servants.

The tale of Fan Jiang and Zhang Da assassinating Zhang Fei.

I have been teaching you since you were little.

I wish these lowlifes had the guts to do so.

Now, the South Hui Kingdom...

is almost annexed to the Ji North Kingdom.

Yet none of the civil or military officials shows concern.

Today, I observed...

the officials in court.

All of them think...

that the two states are on the path to a harmonious relationship.

If I disagree,

I am afraid next time,

I will not be able to attend the imperial court.

After all this effort,

can Father still not...

take a firm stand against the Ji North Kingdom?

In the South Hui Kingdom,

the call for peace...

has already become the general trend.

Now,

we can only change our strategy.

And what advice do you have, Grand Tutor?

Your Highness.

I have found out...

the whereabouts of the Crown Prince of Ji North.

If the Crown Prince of Ji North...

is assassinated in South Hui Kingdom,

do Your Highness think...

the Ji North Kingdom...

will still be willing to make peace?

If relations between the two states turn hostile,

Your Highness and the war factions...

can regain power.

Assassinate the Crown Prince of Ji North?

Grand Tutor, do you not think...

this plan is too dangerous?

The Emperor has grown foolish and dull.

The South Hui Kingdom...

needs its crown prince.

I am here today to tell you this.

I no longer wish to pledge loyalty to the Red Shadow Guards.

I can bear any price,

as long as Sixth Prince Shu He remains unharmed.

It seems like...

you have prepared the poisoned wine.

No.

Your skills cannot harm me at all.

The marriage alliance has already failed.

Why are you still staying in South Hui?

Marriage alliance?

To the South Hui Kingdom,

it is a desperate act,

like drinking poison to quench thirst.

It is not important at all.

War between the North and South is inevitable.

I am here...

to see you.

Just to see me?

Each Chief of the Red Shadow Guards...

must be the Emperor's own brother.

So, after I become Emperor,

it is only right that you take the seat...

as Chief of the Red Shadow Guards.

Right.

General Duan is a righteous man.

He treats you like family.

No wonder you never suspected anything.

I am a descendant of the imperial family of Ji North.

A bloodline split in two. One in the open, one kept in shadow.

Brother.

He is my son too.

From the moment he was born,

he did not have a choice.

That is the very reason.

Otherwise, why do you think...

there is no crow tattoo on your back?

Come back to Ji North with me.

We can definitely achieve something great together...

and benefit the people.

I know.

You just reunited with your long-lost brother.

Although he is from the South Hui Kingdom,

you two are very close.

As long as he is willing to follow you,

I will not hold it against him.

I cannot go.

It seems like...

there is someone you cannot let go of...

in the South Hui Kingdom.

It matters not.

I can wait for you.

Sooner or later, you will realize...

that what you are doing now...

is just a waste of time.

Your identity...

has already destined you to part from him.

You are a talented person.

And I want to be a wise ruler in the future.

That taste of yearning to make one's mark...

I know it all too well.

You and I share the same blood.

That is why I know...

you will come back sooner or later.

Wait!

My mother.

What did she look like?

The late Emperor was cruel.

He did not leave a single portrait.

But after Lady Yan was granted death,

a poem spread in the palace.

It is said that the late Emperor wrote it to mourn her.

Do you still remember it?

Your Highness,

we have figured out...

the whereabouts of the Crown Prince of Ji North.

We have set up a trap in a place...

easy to attack but hard to defend.

We now await your command.

Good.

Do not let a word of this get out.

Yes, Your Highness.

Find all the herbs in this letter.

Your Highness.

Among them,

the herb coldgrass...

only grows in the far north,

and the last time it was seen...

was already 10 years ago.

No matter what it takes,

find all the herbs for this formula.

Yes, Your Highness.

(Mountain)

What happened?

Why are you sighing?

You used to have excellent handwriting.

It breaks my heart to see you like this.

Save your sighs for your poor handwriting.

I now write with my other hand,

but I am still better than a certain someone.

What is the matter?

Well...

Nothing.

On my way back,

I heard a poem.

I did not understand a few parts.

It is rare for you to be in the mood for poetry.

Tell me.

Her brows borrow from distant hills, three shades of dark green.

Her temples steal from the clouds of Mount Wu,

a wisp of gray.

Her smooth, fair hands once softened into dew.

While lingering musk still clings to her pillow.

Reluctantly, I cast this baneful beauty...

back to the rivers and seas.

The fate of the realm outweighs...

the mound of your bones.

I have heard this poem before.

How do you know?

I have been collecting poems since I was young.

I remember this as a poem of mourning,

written by the Emperor of Ji North...

after he ordered a maidservant to her death.

I was very interested, so I asked someone about it.

Then what do you think?

This may be a poem of mourning,

but it is extremely arrogant.

"Her brows borrow from distant hills..."

and "her temples steal from the clouds of Mount Wu..."

seem to say,

the woman has a face...

that does not belong to her.

The usage of "baneful beauty" shirks responsibility...

and blames the woman for his misrule.

Do you know more about this maidservant?

No.

I do not know much about the matters in Ji North.

Zi Ang.

What is wrong with you?

Nothing.

I just feel that a woman...

wasted her feelings.

It breaks my heart.

I know you are kind,

but I did not know...

you have such a delicate side.

It seems I have not known you well enough.

Then I hope we may be together to the end of time.

Maybe one day,

I will know you fully.

Come with me.