Original subtitles

[A Dream Within A Dream]

[Episode 27]

Why are you staring at me?

What are you scheming now?

I've been thinking.

Song Yimeng,

I like you.

What did you say?

I said I like you.

So,

I want your forgiveness,

and then marry you.

You...

You...

You must be out of your mind!

In your dreams.

Why don't you fly to the moon while you're at it?

Just let me finish what I have to say.

At first,

I was indeed wary of you.

I even...

I even thought about killing you.

But after spending time with you,

everything has changed.

What change are you talking about?

Let me remind you,

you didn't kill me

because you couldn't.

Yes,

I might not be able to kill you,

but...

But because of that time at the Lantern Festival,

I fell for you.

Since then,

I never thought about killing you again.

I've been anxious and uneasy

while deceiving you these days.

But there are things

that confuse me.

Why is it that when I'm Nan Heng,

you avoid me,

you're cautious,

you ingratiate yourself,

and act insincere,

but when I put on Li Shiliu's mask,

you treat me with sincerity

and honesty?

No matter which version of me,

I'm sincere with you.

But why does the real Song Yimeng

only appear before Li Shiliu?

So?

Is this your excuse for deceiving me?

I did deceive you.

But that's because I was afraid.

I was afraid that once the lie was exposed,

I would never see the real you again.

And...

And I was selfish,

because I cherished the feeling of being trusted by you.

I didn't want to wake up from this dream.

But...

you eventually wake up from dreams.

Lies

will also

be exposed eventually.

That's right.

So now I want to honestly tell you

that the real Nan Heng

isn't the God of Death others speak of,

nor is he a carefree hero of the martial arts world.

He's just

a cowardly,

selfish man.

Would you accept

this version of me as your husband?

His Highness,

where are you?

I hope you're not in any danger.

Please stay safe, Your Highness.

Mr. Fugui!

There's a body in there!

Sir.

It's in there.

This...

Miss Song's cloak?

Mr. Fugui.

Mr. Fugui.

I found signs of struggle

at the edge of the cliff.

Let's go.

I'm sorry.

I can't accept your proposal.

What are you really worried about?

Nan Heng,

let me ask you something.

When you left the cold palace

and went to the border,

what was going through your mind?

I just didn't want to die in the cold palace.

I wanted to fight for my survival.

That's right.

You succeeded.

You earned military merits

and gradually

built your own power base.

But when you returned to the capital,

you suddenly realized

that your years of fighting at the border

had become completely worthless.

No matter how many achievements you earned,

the position of crown prince

would only belong to Nan Rui.

And your fate?

To return to the depths of the palace

and never be free again.

So at that moment,

what were you thinking?

If you had ever experienced trying with all your might

to reach the peak

but never being able to get there,

then you should understand

that enjoying the view from the bottom

isn't so bad after all.

You're trying to say

that no matter how hard one tries,

some things can't be changed.

But I don't believe that.

Why should my fate be in someone else's hands?

I will obtain

what I want through my own efforts.

But the day you get what you want

will be the day

tragedy befalls the Song family.

When I was little,

there was a terrible fire.

My parents

left this world forever

because they saved me.

So

I will never allow such a tragedy

happen again.

What do you mean your parents left?

Isn't Mr. Song perfectly fine?

I don't understand what you're saying.

It's nothing.

You wouldn't understand.

Nan Heng,

there will

never be a happy ending for us.

Since there can't be a happy ending,

it's better

if we never begin at all.

So

this is your reason for rejecting me?

But Song Yimeng,

have you even tried?

Nothing has even begun,

so why say it's doomed to fail?

If I'm the problem, I can change.

I can promise you

to show you my true self from now on,

and I'll look after the Song family too.

But why are you using

a made-up excuse

to reject me?

Your Highness doesn't need to understand.

This world

is just one giant storybook.

And I

am just an ordinary person.

I only want

to protect my family,

to keep them alive and well.

The only thing I can control

is my own heart.

So, Your Highness,

the Song Yimeng standing before you

will never

and cannot fall in love with you.

Then let me ask you.

If you're so afraid of death

and pain,

why did you risk everything to save me last night?

Song Yimeng,

can you really

control your heart?

General.

[Song Residence]

You actually snuck out

without telling me last night?

They tried killing you and you fell off a cliff.

All of this

happened in one short night.

Mr. Song.

I...

Miss Song Yiting,

last night the two of us

were pursued by nearly 100 assassins.

We had nowhere to retreat

and were forced to the edge of a cliff.

In the end, we barely managed to survive

by choosing to jump off the cliff.

Look,

I even suffered a knife wound.

You were still in the capital

and people dared to be so brazen.

Shut up.

They even dared to hurt the Seventh Prince.

Thankfully the Seventh Prince arrived in time,

otherwise Yimeng

might have already...

It wasn't that serious.

Father,

wasn't serious.

How can you say it wasn't serious when all this happened?

Mr. Song is right.

Those assassins

were all highly skilled fighters

with ruthless techniques.

Even I,

a veteran of many battles, nearly died,

let alone her.

Nan Heng.

are you done?

Stop exaggerating everything.

What do you mean?

Father,

don't listen to him.

It wasn't nearly as bad as he claims.

If it were really that serious,

how would I still be alive to return?

Think about it.

Even so,

it must have been extremely dangerous.

Otherwise, with how skilled the Seventh Prince is,

how could he get hurt?

Yiting makes a good point.

Well...

You are not allowed to go south anymore.

Stay put in the capital.

Father, don't believe everything you hear.

Mr. Song, your thinking is prudent,

but since these villains failed this time,

they will surely seek another opportunity to strike.

I just wonder

what method they'll use.

Strangulation,

an ambush,

or perhaps poison?

Enough!

Yimeng.

To be safe,

from today on,

you must stay in the Song Residence

and not leave at all.

Father,

this is unnecessary.

Father is right.

We cannot take this lightly.

Just staying indoors isn't enough.

Think about it, Mr. Song.

If they could bribe your stable hand,

then it's possible

they have spies within your household.

Quick,

guards!

Add more guards to the residence

and watch Laiyi House around the clock.

Yes, sir.

Yimeng,

starting today,

you must stay in your room

and not take a single step outside.

Father,

how can I not leave my room?

It's really not that serious.

Don't listen to him.

This is truly unnecessary.

Your Highness,

please find the real culprit quickly

so our household can return to peace.

Of course.

I'll do my best.

However, Miss Song Yiting

and Mr. Song,

you both need to be

careful when going out from now on too.

Yes, of course.

Is this his house

or mine?

Why do you all believe him?

Be a good girl.

Making a big show,

blowing things out of proportion.

I know you're up to no good.

Song Yimeng.

Stop following me.

You're going the wrong way.

I...

Don't think I don't know

what you were trying to do

by saying those things to my family.

You may have trapped me for now,

but you can't trap me forever.

Isn't everything I've done for your own good?

Your enemy hasn't revealed themselves yet.

We absolutely can't let our guard down.

Enemy?

What enemy are you talking about?

That was just an iconic scene

from the script that had to happen.

Besides,

apart from you, what enemies

can I possibly have?

Move.

Your Highness!

Song Yimeng.

Your Highness,

something terrible has happened!

Something terrible!

What happened?

Where on earth has the General gone?

Indeed,

something this serious has happened to the Chancellor,

yet the General isn't even at his residence.

What do you...

General.

General.

General,

you're finally back.

General,

regarding the Chancellor's matter,

we need you to make a decision.

Yan Yi.

What is

the Ministry of Justice's judgment?

General,

Chancellor Gao's body was

immediately taken to the capital prefecture's office by Mr. Chu last night.

Early this morning,

Mr. Chu went to the palace to report to His Majesty.

During this time, the Ministry of Justice had no chance

to intervene in this matter.

Yao Qian,

didn't I order you to keep constant watch

on the Qianyu Army's movements?

Why did you let Chu Guihong get ahead of us?

Your Highness.

I mean,

General.

I followed your orders diligently,

working conscientiously

and with utmost care.

Get to the point.

However,

what was unexpected was that

last night, General Chu and Rong Hua

suddenly went to bid farewell to Chancellor Gao.

As they were parting ways,

something unexpected happened,

and several people lost their lives.

He told you to get to the point. Are you deaf?

By the time I heard the news,

we had already lost our advantage,

and the case had fallen into the capital prefect's hands.

I made the quick decision

to return and report to you.

But Your High—

General's whereabouts were unknown at that time.

As they say,

losing the commander during battle is disastrous.

That's enough.

Go now

and find the Gao family.

Tell them to go to the capital prefecture's office

as next of kin

to claim Chancellor Gao's body.

Yes, sir.

General,

Chu Guihong's behavior in this matter is quite suspicious.

He bid farewell to the Chancellor,

then requested an audience with His Majesty.

I fear he may be plotting something

that could harm you.

General,

why don't we

strike first

and use the Chancellor's death

to deal a heavy blow to Chu Guihong?

Yes, General.

Since General Chu met with the Chancellor last night,

we could use this opportunity

to accuse him of failing to save a life,

deliberately allowing those villains

to assassinate a high-level official

right under the Emperor's nose.

If we can use this to charge the Qianyu Army

with negligence in their duties,

then the Chancellor's death

actually works in our favor.

That makes sense.

Exactly.

General,

Chancellor Gao's death is irreversible.

Please accept our condolences.

But right now, maintaining

the political balance that Chancellor Gao worked so hard to establish

is of paramount importance.

No matter what,

you still have us.

Yes,

-Yes. -Yes.

Enough.

I'll make my own judgment on this matter.

You may all leave now.

Yes.

-Yes. -Yes.

How quickly loyalties change.

When Chancellor Gao was alive,

these people were falling over themselves

to follow his every command.

And now?

He's passed away less than 24 hours ago,

and they've completely changed their tune.

A matter of life and death

shouldn't be used as a pawn in power struggles.

This is all too common.

In power struggles,

how much sincerity can you expect?

By the way,

what's the progress on investigating those men in black?

And who set up those traps in the cave?

Any leads?

Well, we're still investigating about

those men in black,

but those weapons and rope traps in the cave

were placed there on your orders.

I ordered it?

What do you mean I ordered it?

I just found out myself.

Two years ago,

when Waning River Crescent was at risk of being exposed,

you used Li Shiliu's identity

to order Yunlong and Shanhu

to move the weapons hidden in the hall.

They didn't know your real identity then.

Yunlong

found that cave in Huyang Forest

and stored everything there.

And Shanhu

copied the Xuanjia Army's techniques

to set up those rope traps

to throw off suspicion.

They planned that if it were ever discovered,

they would pin it on you.

Why pin it on me?

Well, you're known as the God of Death.

I...

So just because I'm the God of Death, I deserve this?

Enough.

Stop investigating the men in black too.

Right now,

go immediately to the capital prefecture's office

and pressure Chu Guihong

to release Shangguan He and the others.

Yes.

Won't let me investigate the assassins.

All he cares about is Shangguan the Useless.

Such favoritism.

Are you saying

Heng killed Gao Changyin?

Yes.

I suspect that

the Seventh Prince had a conflict

with Chancellor Gao over the Jiangnan case

and feared that someday,

Chancellor Gao would expose his misconduct

during the Pingrong Battle

to the world,

so he simply silenced him permanently.

I humbly request Your Majesty

to reinvestigate the Pingrong Battle.

This is a matter of great importance.

Gao Changyin's dying words alone

are not sufficient evidence.

To reopen and review the entire Pingrong incident

requires concrete proof.

For now,

you should first investigate

who killed Gao Changyin.

If it was indeed Heng's doing,

I will make my own judgment.

I will thoroughly investigate

both cases to the end.

Once I find compelling evidence about the Pingrong Battle,

I will vindicate my father

and the Qianyu Army.

At that time,

Your Majesty can take this opportunity

to completely eliminate

Nan Heng's influence in court.

Ten!

Fifteen!

Ten!

Fifteen!

Ten, ten!

Fifteen!

Twenty!

That doesn't count!

Let's start over.

Again! Let's go!

Ten!

Twenty!

-Twenty! -Nothing!

Nothing!

Open!

I won again!

I won again!

General.

Keep playing.

I'm tired. Come.

The prison release has been arranged.

[Capital Prefecture's Office received an imperial edict today.]

Shangguan Baihe and the others

can be freed at any time.

Take them back to Waning River Crescent,

and use this opportunity

to investigate the organization

[Capital Prefecture's Office received an imperial edict today.]

and check every Nightwalker's background.

What is the purpose

of this, General?

Nan Heng orchestrated the Pingrong Battle conspiracy,

but all records in the Qianyu Army

of my request for reinforcements that day

were completely destroyed.

This must be

because his men who infiltrated the Qianyu Army

tampered with the evidence,

and then pretended to have died in battle

to escape.

General, are you suggesting

that these fugitives

might be hiding within the Waning River Crescent?

If they're not hiding among

these mysterious Nightwalkers,

where else would they be?

Someone's coming, brothers!

Isn't this Mr. Chu?

Why have you come to see us personally?

Nan Heng traded 60 lashes

to save the Waning River Crescent.

You're free to go now.

This way, please.

You should

take my advice to heart.

If you trust him,

you'll suffer.

The last death row meal

didn't quite satisfy you.

Whenever you're ready to come over to our side,

I'll prepare the finest food and wine to welcome you.

And then,

I'll invite you

to enjoy a few more pig trotters.

I'll pass on that death row meal.

I'm tired of pig trotters anyway.

However,

if you ever wish to put aside our grievances

and value peace,

the doors of Waning River Crescent will always be open to you.

When that time comes,

I'll slaughter a fine pig

and treat you well.

[Capital Prefecture's Office]

[Capital Prefecture's Office]

Let's go.

Come here.

Wait, wait, wait.

If you still suspect I'm guilty,

you can take me back to jail for more questioning.

Interrogate me again!

Are you crazy?

You scared me.

Don't give up!

Don't make me

say it a third time.

Come here!

Everyone stand properly.

We're starting with you.

Name?

Duan Shanhu.

Age?

Twenty.

Where are you from?

Pianzhou.

[Unmatched Grace]

You'd better cooperate.

Square lips,

no mustache,

large ears with hanging lobes,

prominent brow bone,

left eyebrow tail slightly higher than the right

by half an inch.

Are you done yet?

Our hall

only has this many people.

You're registering everyone

and asking about our backgrounds.

Did you bring us back just to check our household registration?

Releasing prisoners

[Unmatched Grace]

requires caution.

Plus,

you're all under Nan Heng.

Who knows if

you'll get up to no good again in the future!

Hey!

Move aside.

What's this?

Your method

is outdated.

This

Excel sheet

was taught by Mrs. Li.

Use it.

Ten taels...

Of gold.

What did you say?

Mrs. Li said

this is called intellectual property.

Don't want to buy it?

Then forget it.

Remember,

you swindled me out of 10 taels of gold.

Ouch!

How can I apply medicine

when you keep moving around?

What kind of medicine is this?

Are you trying to kill me or heal me?

Smart of you to notice.

This is high-quality wound medicine

mixed with high-quality liquor

and high-quality salt.

Perfect

for a lowlife like you.

How did I become a lowlife?

Vulgar,

despicable,

low—

Alright, I get it.

However,

Miss Song Yiting,

I'm happy you came to pick me up from jail.

But since we're a man and a woman,

you don't need to be so enthusiastic.

For a man like Mr. Shangguan with no sense of responsibility

who goes back on his word,

I need to keep a close eye on you.

Later,

come with me to meet my parents.

Meet your parents?

The incident at Zijin Pavilion that ruined my reputation

was caused by you.

You and Nan Heng

need to give me an explanation.

Everyone in the Song family

wants to hear you explain in person.

After all this,

were you really

just toying with me,

or do you actually

intend to marry me?

Marry?

So you suspect Chancellor Gao is behind the attempt to kill Song Yimeng?

But didn't Chancellor Gao die last night?

Could he still be alive?

You're just now figuring this out?

Fair point.

In the entire capital,

the only person willing to go to such lengths

to kill Song Yimeng

would be Chancellor Gao.

Now because of the Jiangnan case,

he was convinced that Song Yimeng made you fall in love

and lose interest in the crown prince title,

so he wanted to eliminate her quickly.

So,

if he simultaneously targeted Song Yimeng last night

while staging his own death,

then everything

would make sense.

So Chancellor Gao's power

is far greater than we imagined.

He not only manages a group of assassins,

but even within the Xuanjia Army,

he has planted people

to help him fake his death and escape.

We must investigate this.

At the very least, we need to find out

how many more hidden forces

Gao Changyin has at his disposal.

If we let this situation develop unchecked,

I fear that one day,

it might be possible for him to

overthrow the emperor.

Regarding the Xuanjia Army,

I've already sent Fugui to investigate.

But to find Chancellor Gao,

we'll need to employ the Nightwalkers.

But with his people in the Xuanjia Army,

we might alert him to our actions.

How about this?

I'll have Yunlong and Shanhu investigate.

What about you?

Me?

Th-This task isn't really suitable for me.

You know my health isn't good.

I'd fall over in a light breeze.

I'd likely just hold you back

during the investigation.

If I cause any delay,

that would ruin your grand plan.

You have a point.

Indeed.

So,

I'm assigning you to do something else.

[Grace & Elegance]

You've only met the Seventh Prince

and now you want to discuss our marriage at my home?

What,

is the Seventh Prince

your father or something?

We're all cultured people here.

Such talk is improper.

Marriage is a serious matter

that shouldn't be rushed.

Let's set that aside for now.

However, the Zijin Pavilion incident

was indeed my fault.

I should personally visit

and explain to your parents.

I see it's getting late.

Why don't we

go now?

Did His Highness

send you to my home

with some task?

Don't tell me

he sent you to spy on Yimeng?

Truly the capital's most talented lady.

Everyone says Miss Song Yiting is brilliantly clever.

Nothing escapes

those beautiful eyes of yours.

So,

would you be willing to help me

with this small favor?

Tell me,

what did His Highness threaten you with?

Cleaning the huge

Waning River Crescent by myself,

or else I'd have to run errands.

Not many options.

Loves cleanliness,

is refined,

and is lazy too.

I never thought you were this type of person.

You've misunderstood me.

Fine,

I can bring you to the Song family.

I'll add in a guest room with windows on both sides.

That's too generous.

And two maids,

fashionable clothes, and seasonal dishes

whenever you'd like.

Really?

I'll double your salary

and every month,

you get three days off.

Wait.

With such generous compensation,

what do I have to do in return?

When I call for you,

be at my beck and call.

At your beck and call?

Would you consider taking on my job as well?

I...

I think I'll pass.

What are you worried about?

The Seventh Prince is extremely powerful.

If he discovers I'm taking on another side job,

then I'll...

As long as you don't tell him,

he'll never know.

That's true.

What else do I need to do?

You only need to sell your skills,

not your body.

Deal.

[Joy]

My Lady,

I've got the information.

What did you find out?

Last night,

besides the matter between you and the Seventh Prince,

something major happened in the capital.

Chancellor Gao died.

The Seventh Prince must've rushed out

because of this matter.

Chancellor Gao died?

How could Gao Changyin be dead?

In the original script,

he was supposed to survive to the end

as the main villain who shared power with Nan Heng.

Now he's dead just like that?

Who told you this?

Is the information reliable?

It's absolutely true.

Hu Da, who works for Master, told me.

He said Master rushed to the Ministry of Justice,

and his expression changed completely when he came out.

[Good Virtues]

Father,

Father.

Did Chancellor Gao really die?

Yimeng,

if the Seventh Prince comes looking for you these days,

you must not see him.

Why?

Although the capital prefecture's office and the Xuanjia Army

are suppressing the news,

there are many rumors

circulating in the capital,

saying the Seventh Prince killed Chancellor Gao.

That's absurd.

Nan Heng was with me all last night.

How could he have had time to kill anyone?

The cause of Chancellor Gao's death

was petroleum and thunder bombs.

The prison cart transporting Chancellor Gao

was coated with petroleum

and detonated by bombs on the way.

More than a dozen people

were instantly turned into charred corpses.

Petroleum...

Why does that sound so familiar?

This is...

A battle report.

[Report from the Northern Garrison Command to the Ministry of War]

During last year's border battle,

Heyuan once arranged to battle His Highness outside Youcheng.

In that battle,

His Highness won a great victory,

and what he used to burn

the enemy's granary was precisely petroleum.

That's impossible.

Nan Heng isn't that kind of person.

He absolutely couldn't have killed Gao Changyin.

Yimeng.

Now that Chancellor Gao is dead,

the various factions at court

will certainly make a big issue of it.

If it's proven in the end

that the Seventh Prince killed Chancellor Gao,

I'm afraid Great Jing will face upheaval.

Mrs. Li's strike was

precise and deadly,

killing with one blow.

Did you notice anything suspicious?

The bones show multiple fractures

that have been reset,

and the muscles are strong.

This person

must be a deliberately trained assassin.

What is it now?

I recognize this mark.

General,

here's all the information on the Nightwalkers.

We haven't found anyone connected

to the Qianyu Army.

Their backgrounds might be fabricated.

Take some men

and investigate their hometowns again.

Yes, sir.

Guihong.

Look what I've brought you.

This belonged to my mother when...

Your Highness.

How did this happen?

Come here.

What a shame.

What are you looking at?

It's the same.

It's the same fabric.

So what?

Guihong,

it's just an ordinary piece of fabric.

Why are you so worked up about it?

This was the fabric of the Qianyu Army's

winter uniform when we were at the border.

Its owner

might be an old friend of the Qianyu Army.

Aren't you overthinking this?

In recent years,

there's been a lot of trade between the capital and the border.

Similar clothing

can be purchased in the capital too.

This is fabric for military uniforms.

The border is cold

and during war,

clothes often get damaged.

Father specifically chose a local coarse hemp

to make winter uniforms for the Qianyu Army.

Are you saying

these clothes

can't be bought with money?

Your Highness,

where did you buy

that basket of red tangerines?

Trespassing the Kou Gang's territory,

you two must be tired of living.

Who exactly are you people?

Businessmen.

We have a big job right now.

Are you interested?

I've never been one to turn down money.

May I ask what kind

of business you gentlemen have in mind?

Murder.

We need to speak with your boss.

If you want to meet our boss,

this level of sincerity

isn't quite enough.

How about this much sincerity?

I believe you can all tell

that these are things circulated among the nobility.

If you're smart,

stop wasting time

and make the introduction now.

Tonight at midnight,

I'll bring my boss

to meet you at Jiangsong Forest.

Take a look!

Come take a look!

Fresh vegetables!

Freshly picked!

Come, come!

Step right up!

They're very fresh.

They're just harvested.

See how fresh they are.

They're still moist with dew.

Why would you come to such a place to buy red tangerines?

Well, every winter,

Mother loved these Dongting red tangerines.

Since they're not common in the capital,

I had people search around for them.

But I don't see anyone selling red tangerines.

Jixiang said he bought them at the South City market.

I don't really know.

Guihong,

see?

How much are these red tangerines?

Try one.

[The 4th day of the Pingrong Battle]

Lu Yi.

[Lu Yi, Scout of the Six Camps of Qianyu Army]

Four hundred li southeast of here

is Youcheng, where the Xuanjia Army is stationed.

You must deliver this letter,

understand?

But Junior General,

if Seventh Prince were willing to send troops,

he would have done so already.

Why would things be like this now?

Consider this letter

as my last attempt.

Where are you going, Guihong?

Wait for me!

You're clearly still alive.

Why haven't you come to see me?