Original subtitles

CANGYUE TOWER

Who are you?

Strange.

Yan Fengshan shouldn't be here this early.

I'm a cripple.

Who do you think I am?

I, Gu Yu, request to see the regional commanders

of Long'an, Beiting, Fanyang, and Zhenxi.

Yan Fengshan abducted me to win you over.

But as you can see now,

the Huben Army could not even hold a cripple like me.

That alone proves Yan Fengshan's strength is spent.

I came unarmed to see you.

I do not fear death.

I only fear becoming the shame of Chang'an.

Before you all,

I will speak plainly.

I have handed the command of the Baiwenhu Army to His Majesty.

If you refuse to surrender your military seals,

that is rebellion.

You may kill me right here.

But whether I live or die today,

my troops

will march with His Majesty to quell the rebellion.

The Tiemo people hate His Majesty and me

because when we join hands on the battlefield,

we are not only strong but also ruthless.

Yan Fengshan had the Baiwenhu Army ambushed.

Pangtou,

Qi,

Wei,

and Shan were all killed.

So, in return, I left him a mountain of corpses in Hidden Soldier Alley.

If you choose treason,

I will make sure you watch with your own eyes

as every grown man in your households is killed,

every woman exiled,

and every part of your garrisons reduced to wasteland.

I, Gu Yu,

always…

keep my word.

CANGYUE TOWER

For now, at least, the imperial court has avoided disaster.

Next, everything rests on whether Huai'an's trap

can have Yan Fengshan killed.

Mother, it's all set.

Once I'm done, put this one in too.

I searched everywhere for you. I thought something had happened.

Those who should be dead are still alive. I won't die yet.

How did it go?

Just as you ordered,

the Imperial Guards have shut nine of the twelve gates.

Only the three western gates remain open.

They also pushed the inspection posts five li outward.

The forged travel pass has surfaced.

After passing inspection, he entered through Yanping Gate.

How about the deployment?

Six full battalions are in place.

Xiao Wuyang has set out as well, carrying that sword of his.

The rain

sounds different from usual.

Huai'an, you must've been too tired.

Maybe.

I've waited too long for this moment.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Five li outside the city, the one carrying the travel pass you forged

was dressed in white, wearing a bamboo hat with black gauze hanging from it.

It was confirmed. That man was Yan Fengshan.

Our men kept a close watch on him.

There were seven people with him,

all keeping a careful distance.

Once he enters the city, the signal flag goes up,

and we will strike on the spot.

But he is Yan Fengshan. Will he really come?

He is Yan Fengshan.

Will he come?

FLATBREAD, SESAME SOUP

BARLEY PORRIDGE, NOODLE SOUP

MEAT PIES, PEPPER SOUP, FRIED BREAD

Your Majesty, General Gu, Mr. Xie Huai'an, it's done.

Have you confirmed it was Yan Fengshan?

We are examining the body.

We found this on the horse.

LI'S TAVERN

Let me.

Give it to me.

She shed many tears.

General.

ROSTER OF TROOP ROTATIONS

LUO SHENG, ZHU SANCAI, YUCHI ZHONG

ZHANG BINGCHEN, XIAO ANFU, GAO CHANGFENG

Huai'an.

This is the list of everyone involved in this operation.

It is time to face it.

Five li outside the city,

the man who passed inspection was Yan Fengshan.

But somewhere along the way, Bai Wan was switched in.

That means we had long been exposed,

and the men outside the city

had long been infiltrated by Huben members.

The three signal officers on the towers

knew it wasn't Yan Fengshan,

yet they raised the flags anyway,

because they, too, were Huben members.

It is not hard to identify these people,

but the key still lies in Hidden Soldier Alley.

General, Hidden Soldier Alley is empty.

Does it have another exit?

Residents of an entire ward, thousands of people, have vanished.

There must be another way out.

It no longer matters.

What matters is that Yan Fengshan has returned.

And with all the Huben guards from Hidden Soldier Alley,

if he rallies them,

who do you think he would want to strike at the most?

I should return to the palace.

Xiao Wuyang?

The greatest enemy of our lives has appeared.

You may stay grieving,

but I am going to the palace to support His Majesty.

If I die, I owe you one life for Hidden Soldier Alley.

I will repay it in the next life.

With Yan Fengshan back,

I am prepared to lose Chang'an,

but I have never prepared for Chang'an to lose Gu Yu.

You cannot die.

Then I hope that when we meet again,

I will see a Xie Huai'an who has stood back up.

You will.

- Baiwenhu soldiers, hear my command! - Yes!

Follow me to the palace!

Protect His Majesty!

At most two hours from now, the city will fall into chaos.

You should leave.

I never told her the whole truth.

I owed her too much.

At the very least,

I should see her off as family.

Don't worry.

I know every skill the Huben guards use.

They cannot kill me.

What happened to her

matters deeply to me.

It matters to us too.

Huai'an, don't worry.

I will keep him safe.

I will not let him fall into Yan Fengshan's hands.

Go do what you must.

Thank you.

Now go.

Use it for protection.

Huai'an, your white hair draws too much attention.

When you go out, wear a bamboo hat to cover it.

Huai'an, you will come find us, right?

Do not face Yan Fengshan alone.

When the time comes to kill him,

take us with you.

I have not finished this road yet.

Of course I'll need you both.

There was a scholar named Han Ziling.

He asked me to give you this letter.

He said he had long admired you.

If anything happens to me,

please give this to him.

Remember:

do not fail the hopes of the scholars of this realm.

Live.

I will.

Now go.

Why did you return to Chang'an?

It was my fault.

It was my fault.

It was my fault.

Humans belong to heaven and earth.

Our souls come from the clouds,

our bodies return to the earth.

Heaven and Earth leave traces upon a person,

and those traces can guide one back

to where they once walked.

Mother, I did something bad!

Miss.

Oh, dear.

I'm so sorry, truly sorry.

- Look at what you did. - It's all right.

He didn't do it on purpose. I simply happened to pass by.

Miss, I'm really sorry.

Why don't you come in and change into something clean?

We have new clothes, all clean.

They should fit you well.

It's fine.

I insist. It was my son's fault.

With your clothes dirty, you must be uncomfortable.

- Come on. - Thank you.

We don't have much food to offer.

Please make do.

I've been living on cold, plain food along the way.

A bowl of hot noodles is more than wonderful.

What is he doing at the door?

He is waiting for his father.

His father works as a ferryman in Nanwei Trough,

30 or 40 li from here.

It's not easy for him to come back,

but whenever he can find someone to take his place,

even if it means walking a whole day and night,

he'll come home to visit.

Some spend their whole lives walking, only to reach home.

You too, miss?

I've lived in Chang'an for years. Now I miss home.

Your father and mother must be longing for you too.

To be missed by family is a blessing.

I think I've heard that…

My husband once said he had a ferryman companion.

The man said he fled to Nanwei Trough with his little sister.

Then his sister was taken in by a family,

and he stayed behind,

working as a ferryman while watching over her.

He kept watch for seven whole years.

I don't know what disaster struck their family.

His sister was right beside him, yet they couldn't reunite.

How bitter that must have been.

That man also told my husband

that having someone to worry about was a kind of blessing,

just like you said.

Is that ferryman still in Nanwei Trough?

No.

My husband said something happened, and he left.

Let me light a lamp for my husband,

so he knows my son and I are thinking of him.

Sir.

Miss, are you here to offer incense or seeking a divination?

I came to ask for a naming slip.

Has a child been born at home?

Congratulations.

Is it a boy or a girl?

Please, have a seat.

It's not for a child. It's for myself.

No one asks for a naming slip at your age.

My family suffered a disaster when I was little.

I was separated from a family member for many years.

Recently, I found him again.

This naming slip is to reclaim my true name

and restore my ties with him.

To spend half a lifetime adrift and still find your family again

is no easy thing.

Fate parts people but also brings them back together.

So, for this naming slip, I will write…

Do you still remember your name after all these years?

My family name is Liu.

I've carried this amulet for as long as I can remember.

I never understood the meaning,

but now I finally do.

My given name is written on it.

A single character: Li.

Then for the blessing, I will write,

"May you find home again and know lasting peace."

How does that sound?

Thank you, sir.

LIU LI: MAY YOU FIND HOME AGAIN AND KNOW LASTING PEACE.

LIU LI

BAI WAN

LIU LI

Liu Li,

so you

came back to reunite with me?

- Take care. - Goodbye.

CHEN ZHIYING OF THE HUBEN ARMY

Can you promise that?

Of course I can.

Then will you write to me to tell me you're safe?

Wherever you go, write to me every year,

so I know you're safe.

She's your sister, yet you let her join another family.

You've been a ferryman here for seven years, three li from her home,

just to protect her from afar.

How long can you keep this up?

I don't know.

I only hope she never remembers her past.

That night, I hid behind the wall

and saw someone feeding you soup.

You were surrounded by people

who cared for you.

At that moment, I decided to leave you with that family.

I thought that if I was careful enough,

you would live a safe life.

Liu Li,

I was wrong.

When the time comes, I will reunite with you, Father, and Mother.

The four of us

will be together again.

INCENSE

Is it a funeral?

The whole city is under martial law, with killings everywhere.

Even the city gates have changed hands several times.

And you…

You have to go through this on the very day

the court is thrown into chaos.

Everyone suffers.

Everyone suffers!

Sir, please come in.

Do you need a memorial tablet made?

Who is it for? What should it say?

It is…

for my late sister, Liu Li.

LATE SISTER LIU LI

General Fengshan.

YAN FENGSHAN

In this courtyard,

I can almost see the traces of my old friends.

When you have time, ask around at the brokerages.

If it can be bought, buy this place.

It is a fine courtyard indeed.

Even convenient for cooking.

I will go to the brokers tomorrow.

General…

The Liu family's child is buried here.

From this day on,

no one is allowed to set foot on this patch of land.

Understood.

General, we have taken the Imperial City.

But the 400 men we first sent to assassinate Xiao Wuyang were all lost.

We found no trace of him.

What about Gu Yu?

Gu Yu led two 100-man Baiwenhu units and tried to enter the Imperial City.

We surrounded them.

His men fought desperately to break him out.

By the time they reached Yongchang Ward,

all the Baiwenhu soldiers had fallen, and Gu Yu disappeared.

Lock down the area surrounding the Imperial City,

west to Guangde Ward, east to Xuanyang Ward,

and south to the outer streets of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Both of them are injured.

If they want to hide, it can only be within this area.

Find them.

Understood.

All 12 gates of Chang'an are now under Huben guards' control.

Xiao Wuyang stationed the Wuyang Army 30 li outside the city,

but the armies

of the four regional commanders marched early on your order

and have now arrived near Chang'an.

Their forces outnumber the Wuyang Army three to one

and have kept them in check.

Then that leaves only the north.

Send a messenger to Tiemo

and have them hold back the main Baiwenhu forces.

As long as they don't march south,

Chang'an is ours.

I will go.

Zhiying will handle it.

Wang Pu, you carry a criminal record.

Now, where is White Hair?

He hasn't been found.

LATE SISTER LIU LI

White Hair!

Do you yield?

I will return.

And when I do, I will kill you.