Original subtitles

[A Dream Within A Dream]

[Episode 28]

You're clearly still alive,

why didn't you come find me?

Say something.

Speak up!

Speak up.

Speak up!

Guihong! Guihong!

Stop!

Guihong!

Don't hit him!

Wait.

W-Who exactly is he?

The Scout of Qianyu Army Sixth Battalion.

Lu Yi.

No, no, stop!

Wait, wait, let me think.

Let me remember.

You're

the scout who delivered

that distress message.

You're alive?

Two armies crossed blades

and all your comrades died,

yet you alone survived.

Lu Yi,

you deserted.

You abandoned everyone

and ran away!

Junior General!

I didn't!

I didn't!

Twenty thousand lives,

do you know how they all died?

[The 6th day of Pingrong Battle]

General.

Junior General.

Any news from the Xuanjia Army?

It's been two days and nights,

and even Lu Yi

has disappeared without a trace.

The Xuanjia Army

probably won't come anymore.

You said the Xuanjia Army would come to our rescue,

and told us to wait.

We've waited for two days,

and what have we got?

Say something!

Nan Heng is the one

who selfishly

refused to help us.

Is this the Junior General's fault?

If he hadn’t pinned his hopes on that God of Death,

we could have tried other tactics long ago!

We wouldn’t have been besieged like this!

Enough!

The battle is imminent,

yet you're speaking such defeatist words.

If reinforcements come,

we'll fight together against our enemy.

If reinforcements don't come,

what would stop us Qianyu Army

from fighting to the very last man?

Father,

I've made my decision.

Tonight I'll lead men into the enemy's camp

to assassinate Fang Shiming.

If we succeed,

the Heyuan forces will surely fall into chaos.

The Qianyu Army

can then seize this opportunity

to turn the tide of battle in one stroke.

Good!

Kill them!

Twenty thousand Qianyu soldiers

died bearing the shame of defeat,

and their injustice has yet to be cleared to this day.

All this happened

because Nan Heng didn't send troops to help

during the Pingrong Battle.

Lu Yi,

tell me,

that letter I passed to you,

did you deliver it or not?

Was it Nan Heng

who caused my father's death?

You're suddenly mute now?

Say something!

Junior General,

I've failed you

and the Old General.

All of this

was forced upon me by Nan Heng.

He received the letter.

He received the letter.

I knew it,

he should have sent troops.

Why didn't you speak up earlier?

Where were you when the Ministry of War was investigating?

Where were you when the Qianyu Army

was facing disaster?

It's useless.

Nan Heng's power is overwhelming.

It's not that I didn't want to speak up,

I simply couldn't.

That day,

when I traveled a hundred li at night to reach Youcheng,

he had already planned everything.

He deliberately wanted those 20,000 troops dead.

Only this way

could he alone

claim all the battle honours.

What happened after that?

Since you made it to the capital,

you must've had countless chances to find me.

Where did this courtyard come from?

And how did you get this business?

He bought you off,

didn't he?

Junior General,

I'm useless.

Nan Heng took away my wife and children.

I... I truly had no choice.

I deserve to die.

I'm not human.

Just kill me.

He...

Don't! Don't!

How could the Qianyu Army

have such a servile coward like you!

Guihong!

Let me kill him!

Calm down!

Let me kill him!

Listen to me, listen.

Spare his life.

If what he says is true,

you should keep him alive

to testify against Nan Heng.

If the Junior General could trust me once more,

give me eight hours.

Let me make arrangements for my family,

and I'll testify against Nan Heng.

I'll be waiting for you, General,

at the Jiangsong Forest outside the city,

at midnight today.

[Qianyu Mansion]

These are all the files

from the Qianyu Army regarding the Pingrong Battle.

Now we have a witness too.

Once we get Lu Yi's testimony,

we can convict Nan Heng.

Guihong,

although I'm a bit slow-witted,

I've been thinking about this.

Don't you find Lu Yi's appearance

rather sudden?

Should we investigate him further?

We should at least find out

where he's been staying

since returning from Pingrong,

right?

And who he's met with?

What if

he did not telling the truth today?

The Qianyu Army never lies.

Your Highness doesn't know what I went through in that battle,

nor could you possibly understand what

my actions now truly mean.

Guihong,

I understand.

Clearing the Qianyu Army's name

means more to you than anything.

Your Highness need not involve yourself in this matter.

Once I've cleared the name

of my father and the Qianyu heroes,

and eliminated Nan Heng and his faction,

Your Highness can look forward to securing the throne.

But that doesn't mean we should...

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

General.

It's almost midnight.

Guihong.

I'm coming too!

Wait for me!

Don't walk so fast!

[Jiangsong Forest]

We've been

waiting for 15 minutes now.

Why is there no sign of anyone?

Wait.

Do you think

he changed his mind?

Wait.

Wait, wait for me!

Who's that person?

Something's wrong.

Retreat.

What are you all doing here?

G-Guihong.

A dead body!

Be careful.

Why did you kill Lu Yi?

Boss,

I've told you many times,

we don't know any Lu Jia or Lu Yi,

we were just passing by.

He was already dead when we passed by.

Even if you're blind,

your ears are working, aren't they?

I'll ask you one last time.

Did Nan Heng order you two

to kill him to silence him?

Enough with this nonsense.

What do others have to do with this?

If you want to fight,

do it now,

Quit acting like a big shot.

Cut the crap.

General,

these two are close friends with Nan Heng,

yet they're still acting clueless.

I think, like Shangguan He,

they'll be unwilling to testify for us.

We might as well kill them.

No,

we need them alive as witnesses.

Behind the Pingrong Battle

are the lives of people from three cities

and 20,000 Qianyu Army soldiers.

This time,

I won't let Nan Heng off easily

like I did with the Jiangnan case.

I spit on you!

So you want us to give false testimony?

Keep dreaming.

Those 20,000 dead Qianyu soldiers

had the worst luck having a treacherous person like you

as their general.

What are you doing?

People who disrespect the Qianyu Army,

die.

Let him go!

Use these on them

one by one, properly.

At the Three Bureaus' Joint Interrogation,

I will make them confess everything

in front of Nan Heng.

Guihong.

Guihong.

What if Yunlong and Shanhu aren't lying?

What if they really didn't kill him?

Who killed Lu Yi doesn't matter.

What matters is that I need witnesses

to convince Your Majesty

that Nan Heng killed the messenger that day,

planting the seed of doubt.

This way,

only will Your Majesty believe

that all the crimes of the Pingrong Battle

were planned by Nan Heng.

So...

The reason you tortured them

is to force them to incriminate Heng?

The Jiangnan case from three years ago

was reopened by Shangguan He.

Now I have Yunlong and Shanhu in my custody.

Using the same method,

reopening the Pingrong case

is certainly possible.

Guihong,

you've changed.

You weren't like this before.

You would never torture people for confessions.

Before, I wasn't betrayed by everyone,

nor did Nan Heng cause the death of my father and brothers-in-arms.

No, but even so,

you can't become like Nan Heng.

Make them stop for a while.

Your Highness has always been someone

who only knows how to hide behind me,

who talks but doesn't dare to act.

What right do you have to lecture me?

I...

I've prepared all the documents related to the Pingrong Battle

and I'll request a Three Bureaus' Joint Interrogation tomorrow.

Guihong.

Guihong.

Now that Chancellor Gao is dead,

Lu Yi is dead,

the letter of appeal is also missing,

all witnesses and evidence are gone.

Besides, the Ministry of Justice is filled with Nan Heng's people.

Even if you reopen the case,

what different outcome could you possibly get?

That's where I need Your Highness's help.

What do you need me to do?

Your Highness only needs to truthfully

tell everything you heard and saw

during the meeting with Lu Yi.

His Majesty trusts Your Highness the most.

If you speak up,

it's as good as having Lu Yi's testimony.

Along with Yunlong and Shanhu

as witnesses to Nan Heng's murder,

it's enough to make him pay for the tragedy at Pingrong.

What's wrong?

Your Highness is unwilling?

Everything the Qianyu Army and I did,

whether on the battlefield

or at the capital prefecture's office,

all of those efforts

were to pave the way for Your Highness.

I never expected that when the time has come,

you would be so cowardly.

Guihong,

that's not quite right.

Your fighting on the battlefield

was for the stability of Great Jing.

Your service at the capital prefecture's office

was for the safety of the people.

How can you say

it was all for me?

Your Highness is different from before too.

You're starting to lecture me

with your righteous talks.

No.

Don't you hate Nan Heng the most?

Why is it that when it's time to fight him,

you became a coward.

No, I just think,

if you use Nan Heng's methods against him,

can such a victory,

really be called winning?

When you sit on the throne in the future,

you'll understand that how you win doesn't matter.

At the Three Bureaus' Joint Interrogation,

I'll take the lead against Nan Heng.

Your Highness may remain as you are,

hidden behind me,

a clean and pure little prince.

It's just that

you're the only witness who has met Lu Yi,

my only hope to overturn this case.

If you refuse to testify for me,

then from now on,

don't call me your cousin anymore.

I...

Gui...

Let's go.

Forgive me, Your Highness.

Forgive me, Your Highness.

This, this...

Quickly back off.

Yes.

My goodness.

Jixiang.

Don't you think Guihong has changed?

He's become

terrifying.

He wasn't like this before.

Since we were children,

he has never yelled at me so fiercely.

Most importantly,

he would never

punish someone without knowing all the facts.

Why on earth

has he become like this?

Forget it,

you wouldn't understand anyway.

You're all the same,

thinking I'm just a fool who understands nothing.

If even Guihong can't figure out this case,

how could I possibly understand it?

Your Highness.

You are His Highness,

not a fool.

Do whatever you want to do.

Jixiang.

Thank you.

You're right.

Who am I?

I am heaven's chosen one.

I know what to do now.

He is my cousin,

and I simply cannot watch him jump into the fire pit.

I must pull him back from the edge.

This is my duty

as heaven's chosen one.

Let's go.

What are you doing?

Hurry up,

it's your turn.

Miss Song Yiting,

I was too keen with my agreement earlier.

You're the remarkable woman who can

paint 73 drawings in just three days.

I'm just a useless person.

Playing chess for 12 hours straight,

I really can't take it.

Since you're aware that you're useless,

you should stop talking nonsense.

With your natural talent,

at your grown age,

your chess skills remain so poor.

That simply comes down to your laziness.

Since you've entered the Song Residence,

you should be strict with yourself.

Hurry up.

Yiting,

there's something I want to say...

Speak.

Not everyone truly has

perseverance and determination like yours.

I don't care whether others have it,

but you must.

I'm just a useless wanderer

with no ambition for power or position.

Why am I working so hard

to practice chess with you?

What’s the point?

It may seem meaningless now,

but what about when you get married?

When husband and wife play chess together,

if they aren't evenly matched,

where's the fun in that?

Wait, why are you still thinking about this?

I've always been alone,

marriage isn't...

Mr. Li,

don't speak so definitively.

Time reveals a person's true heart,

and feelings develop with companionship.

The moment you met me,

you've already lost.

Yinzhu,

bring my qin.

Yes.

There's even music?

[Wang Family Cheese]

It's quite fresh.

Yes,

take your time picking them.

Chancellor.

Come here.

Have some melon.

Reporting to Chancellor,

Lu Yi is dead.

Those two from Waning River Crescent

were also lured to the scene as planned.

Chu Guihong

has now taken the bait

and will surely investigate thoroughly.

However, Chancellor,

there's one thing I don't understand.

If you just wanted to use Chu Guihong

to eliminate His Highness,

why didn't you let me kill him

on the night we killed the Lady Song?

Heng rarely spoke as a child.

Every year, at the turn of spring to summer,

I would always find excuses

to bring him home from the palace

and serve him melons chilled in well water.

Back then, he asked me a question.

He said,

"Humans have parents, do plants have them too?

If they do, how can we eat them?"

They say a child's character is set by age three.

If Heng could feel such compassion

for a mere melon,

how could he ever rule as emperor?

Sit.

Yes.

That's when I understood.

If he were to shoulder the responsibility of ruling Great Jing

beyond scholarly and military skills,

the more important trait to have

is ruthlessness.

At the pinnacle of power,

one must be solitary.

Without everyone betraying and abandoning him,

how could he truly stand alone

and be the ruler of the realm?

Everything I've orchestrated

is for Heng,

for the High family,

and ultimately for the empire.

Even though I saved your life,

[Dream Edition Beanbag Chair] [Dream Edition Gua Sha Tool]

our relationship

is just casual friends at best.

Hiding from Yiting at my place,

don't you think that's a bit inappropriate?

Your sister is too draining.

Have you ever seen a chess match that lasts from dawn till dusk?

Have you seen hands blistered from playing qin?

No matter how hard Yiting pushes you,

it's for your own good.

She's motivating you.

Besides,

she's paying you,

providing food, a place to stay,

and education.

Think about your Chief, Nan Heng.

Following him,

you have to live rough,

never knowing if you'd survive another day.

Compare the two.

Just be grateful.

Grateful?

Your little sister tirelessly pursues art day and night.

And your Chief orchestrate political schemes

down to the second.

Your sister paints 80 masterpieces a day,

wearing her brush down to the nub.

Your chief reads 80 military manuals a night,

nearly going blind from it.

How could my Chief compare to your sister?

She’s the most relentless person in all of history.

How could my sister compare to your Chief?

He’s the most competitive person in Great Jing.

They're pretty much the same.

A pair of geniuses indeed.

We just want an easy life,

to enjoy some comfort.

Why is that so difficult?

Tell me about it.

If I had known,

I would have given up martial arts for academics

and become a top scholar,

rather than falling victim to your sister today.

Then leave.

You keep saying you don't want this,

yet you're still staying at the Song Residence.

Don't tell me

you're staying for my sister's salary.

Do you think that's possible?

Then what's the problem?

You follow Yiting around all day,

but refuse to admit you like her,

you're quite something.

My lady,

isn't this all for your sake?

What do you mean?

Look.

One assassination attempt has the entire Waning River Crescent community

out hunting for assassins.

Fugui searched through so many records that he's going bald.

The key is that

I,

a renowned hero of the jianghu,

unparalleled, charming and elegant,

have now been reduced

to a mere household guard because of you.

You mean,

Nan Heng sent you here?

What else?

Why is it that in your love story,

I'm always the one who suffers?

Look.

You and I,

we're both laid-back people,

with no grand ambitions.

Don't we just want a peaceful, comfortable life?

But if, in your whole life,

you never meet even one or two people

worth risking everything for,

and you just merely exist,

can you say you’ve truly lived?

But what if taking risks

endangers your family's lives?

If I don't leave soon,

what comes next

is a wedding day disaster with the three of us stabbing each other.

Let me ask you.

Can you truly

control what your heart wants?

Nonsense!

The records in the Ministry of War

were all recorded by the Director, Vice Minister

and myself

through multiple levels of confirmation.

How can they be changed simply as you wish?

What's recorded in those files

is merely Nan Heng's side of the story.

Now I want to correct it,

why can't I?

You mentioned a scout delivering a letter

to request help from the Xuanjia Army.

Apart from you and your confidants,

no one can testify to it.

Isn't that also one-sided?

As an official of Great Jing,

how can you use your position for personal vendettas?

Does being a Great Jing official

mean submitting to Nan Heng's tyranny?

You!

Sir, you have no ties to the Chu family.

If you're unwilling to help clear the name of my father

and the late Qianyu Army, so be it.

I only ask that

you hand over all the files to me.

I'll bear

all consequences myself.

Stop this madness!

Stop!

I said, stop!

You!

Stop!

[Good Virtues]

Chu Guihong,

my father told you to stop.

Didn't you hear him?

Yimeng!

Are you siding with Nan Heng again?

I'm not taking anyone's side.

I just don't want our Song family

be dragged into this mess between you and Nan Heng.

You claim not to take sides,

yet time and again you stand with him

against me.

Why is that?

Three months ago,

it was you who encouraged me to pull myself together.

It was Mr. Song who advised me to investigate the Waning River Crescent.

Weren't you both supporting me then?

Why...

Why now, when I only want to

reveal the truth about the Pingrong Battle,

to bring Nan Heng, who caused

the death of 20,000 men, to justice,

you wouldn't help me?

Why are you shouting?

Chu Guihong!

20,000 Qianyu soldiers died for their country.

What killed them might have been fate,

might have been war,

might even have been your own helplessness as their commander,

but why must it only be Nan Heng?

You're pushing all the blame

onto him alone

just because you want to escape responsibility,

not because of the truth you claim to seek.

Yimeng!

How can you say that?

What have I done wrong?

What have I done wrong?

Enough!

Yimeng,

stop arguing with him.

No one can wake someone who's pretending to sleep.

Even the gods can't help him.

General Chu!

The Song family has no intention of getting involved in this dispute.

The affairs of the Ministry of War

are certainly not for you to meddle with.

Please leave.

What does this mean?

It's Baili Wine.

I'm gifting this to you.

I, uh, have

something to ask you.

Sit.

Well,

about

Chancellor Gao's death,

was it you who did it?

See, you're always like this.

It's simply a "yes" or a "no."

Is it so hard to give me an answer?

Petroleum

and thunder bombs

are all common military items.

Trying to frame me

with such despicable methods.

Whether you and Chu Guihong

are investigators

or the ones framing me,

I have no patience left to waste words with you anymore.

What about Lu Yi?

Did you send someone to kill Lu Yi?

Who is Lu Yi?

The scout who Guihong sent

to deliver the request for reinforcements to you,

Lu Yi.

I've told you so many times,

I never received any request for reinforcements.

That was just an excuse Chu Guihong made up

to cover his own failure.

How is that possible?

Chancellor Gao told this to Guihong

with his dying breath.

How could that be false?

Wait, aren't you two on the same side?

What did Chancellor Gao tell Chu Guihong?

I never thought this day would come.

You actually visited us voluntarily.

It must be timely fate.

Remember when we first met in the palace,

how glorious you were, Jixiang.

Relying on His Majesty's favor toward the Eighteenth Prince,

you always had the upper hand over me.

What a pity,

no flower blooms forever.

You went to great lengths to deal with our Seventh Prince,

but in the end,

Waning River Crescent is still ours.

Regret it now?

I told you long ago,

choosing the right master is most crucial.

For old times' sake,

if you beg me now,

I might arrange for you

to serve in our ministry.

Are you talking to me?

I didn't say anything.

Using the conflict between Chu Guihong and I

to set up such a flawless,

scheme.

What a brilliant move.

You mean

someone is plotting against you?

You came to Waning River Crescent today just to ask these questions?

And if I answer,

you'd believe me?

I would.

Actually, I came here today

because I also need a favor from you.

Speak.

Um...

Well...

Could you

take the blame

for the Pingrong Battle?

I...

No, no, don't be quick to scold me.

I know this request is very disrespectful.

But Guihong is now obsessed

with bringing you down.

He's being led by the nose and manipulated

by the person behind the scenes,

I'm afraid if this continues,

something terrible will happen.

Whether he's obsessed or not,

what does it have to do with me?

How can you say it's not related?

Heng, listen.

If you just admit to this crime,

so Guihong can let go of this matter,

I will now...

I will immediately...

I will instantly give up the throne to you.

What do you say?

You really do care deeply for him.

Of course.

He's my only brother,

I have to protect him.

[Clear Waters, Graceful Woods]

Heng, Heng, listen.

I can make a written promise before Father,

and I'll never go back on my word.

No, no, no.

Heng, listen to me, listen.

Here's the thing.

Once you're on the throne,

you'll have control over everything.

Even if you did harm someone in the Pingrong Battle,

there won't be any consequences.

Do you even understand what you're saying?

I do, I do.

Look, Heng,

for the sake ur sharing the same father,

just this once.

Please?

I'm begging you, isn't that enough?

Didn't you say he's your only brother?

Nan Rui,

do you even understand the difference in

degrees of closeness between insiders and outsiders?

I...

I know I'm foolish,

but at this point,

even a fool should understand.

The throne is secondary,

brotherhood is primary.

I know I can't compete with you.

But losing the throne doesn't matter.

If I lose Guihong,

then I truly have nothing left.

The luckiest thing happened to Chu Guihong

is having such a foolish brother like you.

I...

The matter of succession

isn't something you and I can decide.

Furthermore,

I will never admit

to something I didn't do.

-I... -Fugui.

Escort the Eighteenth Prince.

Yes.

Eighteenth Prince,

this way please.

Father,

Is the Three Bureaus' Joint Interrogation

really such a big deal?

The Seventh Prince holds royal status.

The Pingrong Battle

is a major case involving the deaths of 20,000 soldiers.

The trial must be jointly handled by the Ministry of Justice,

the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate,

to be official.

Isn't the Minister of Justice Yan Yi

one of Nan Heng's people?

Not only that,

both the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review

are dominated by civil officials,

and Chancellor Gao has long controlled

the civil official factions at court.

I remember now,

that Yao Qian from the Censorate

is also Nan Heng's people.

Now that Chancellor Gao is dead,

all these forces

have fallen into the Seventh Prince's hands.

That's why

Chu Guihong chose to delve into the war records.

In that case,

Father,

if these three departments investigate Nan Heng,

he...

Should be fine, right?

You're still thinking too simply.

All government offices face south,

and in their halls

hang signs of the sun and moon,

symbolizing justice for all.

But for justice to shine forth,

it depends on whether the sun and moon above

provide any light at all.

What the Seventh Prince faces now

is precisely dark clouds blocking the sun

and the moon sinking below the horizon.