Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000
MkvDrama.net
2
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,560
♪Trapped in this tiny world♪
3
00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,440
♪I'm crushed into dust♪
4
00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:23,000
♪I meddle around without any mercy♪
5
00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,160
♪I'm my own pawn♪
6
00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:30,360
♪I sigh at my fate♪
7
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:35,360
♪Numerous people are under my control♪
8
00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,880
♪All the sand is washed away♪
9
00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,880
♪An old dream fades♪
10
00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,560
♪A bumpy path lies ahead♪
11
00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,880
♪Traps within traps, I never make mistakes♪
12
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,000
♪I take a risk at every step♪
13
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:07,400
♪Even in disputes, I break through with my life♪
14
00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,280
♪Schemes within schemes, I prison myself♪
15
00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,600
♪Each link swaps bluff and truth♪
16
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,480
♪The world is my Weiqi game board♪
17
00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:22,120
♪Everything's just fleeting♪
18
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:28,320
♪The play begins♪
19
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,520
♪No return is expected♪
20
00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:37,880
♪The flame is gone, whether we win or lose♪
21
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,360
♪The wind never ceases. I hold the reins♪
22
00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:41,480
[Ashes To Crown]
23
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,680
[Adapted from Xixing's novel, Empress of the State of Chu]
24
00:01:46,470 --> 00:01:49,000
[Episode 24]
25
00:01:49,340 --> 00:01:51,780
[One Month Earlier]
26
00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:07,700
Stay still.
27
00:02:08,980 --> 00:02:10,540
The wound is just starting to scab.
28
00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:15,940
Take it easy.
29
00:02:20,540 --> 00:02:21,380
I am alive?
30
00:02:21,700 --> 00:02:22,420
Yes.
31
00:02:22,660 --> 00:02:23,420
Even the Underworld
32
00:02:23,740 --> 00:02:25,540
wouldn't dare claim a soul with such a baleful aura.
33
00:02:26,500 --> 00:02:27,380
It's a blessing
34
00:02:28,340 --> 00:02:29,860
to be alive.
35
00:02:30,620 --> 00:02:31,220
Here,
36
00:02:31,980 --> 00:02:32,860
have some water.
37
00:02:40,700 --> 00:02:41,820
Careful.
38
00:02:43,100 --> 00:02:45,220
The wound missed
39
00:02:45,660 --> 00:02:47,140
your heart by a hair.
40
00:02:50,420 --> 00:02:51,340
What about the Northern Desert King?
41
00:02:51,700 --> 00:02:52,700
Nothing left to bury.
42
00:02:53,260 --> 00:02:54,620
With the internal strife over there,
43
00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:56,300
they will not be able to bother us for a while.
44
00:03:01,940 --> 00:03:02,660
Do not move.
45
00:03:02,660 --> 00:03:04,220
Why are you so stubborn?
46
00:03:04,220 --> 00:03:04,620
Lie back down.
47
00:03:05,540 --> 00:03:06,340
I must go back.
48
00:03:07,020 --> 00:03:07,820
I know
49
00:03:08,300 --> 00:03:09,860
you are longing to see Zhao.
50
00:03:10,220 --> 00:03:11,540
But surviving comes first,
51
00:03:11,540 --> 00:03:12,300
alright?
52
00:03:13,180 --> 00:03:14,620
The Capital is in turmoil,
53
00:03:14,940 --> 00:03:15,660
but rest assured.
54
00:03:16,380 --> 00:03:17,300
I will find someone
55
00:03:17,380 --> 00:03:18,580
to let her know you are alive.
56
00:03:19,220 --> 00:03:20,580
Besides, if you go there now,
57
00:03:20,860 --> 00:03:22,540
how would you protect her?
58
00:03:27,220 --> 00:03:28,140
Zhao,
59
00:03:29,620 --> 00:03:30,380
wait for me.
60
00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:38,820
[One Day Earlier]
61
00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:41,220
Jiu.
62
00:03:43,700 --> 00:03:44,940
The moon is full again.
63
00:04:01,180 --> 00:04:05,300
♪Broken walls and withered branches, trapped in the mire♪
64
00:04:05,860 --> 00:04:08,700
♪Yet still striving to reach for the sky♪
65
00:04:08,700 --> 00:04:11,860
♪My pride is torn down and my body is sacrificed♪
66
00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:18,700
♪Through biting winds and frost I go♪
67
00:04:19,180 --> 00:04:21,500
♪I light a lamp, my lone abode♪
68
00:04:22,180 --> 00:04:23,580
♪Half my life adrift♪
69
00:04:23,820 --> 00:04:27,700
♪This lonely shadow finds no haven to moor♪
70
00:04:30,100 --> 00:04:30,900
♪The spark smolders in the crack♪
71
00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:31,700
Jiu.
72
00:04:32,380 --> 00:04:34,180
♪And roars in the blaze♪
73
00:04:34,180 --> 00:04:37,260
♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪
74
00:04:37,940 --> 00:04:40,180
♪Fate imprisons me♪
75
00:04:40,180 --> 00:04:44,900
♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪
76
00:04:45,140 --> 00:04:49,460
♪Even if hope is faint, I remain proud♪
77
00:04:49,460 --> 00:04:53,540
♪A mayfly will cross the ocean, however long it takes♪
78
00:04:53,540 --> 00:04:56,140
♪However it ends up, I'll go my own way♪
79
00:04:56,140 --> 00:04:57,060
It really is you.
80
00:04:58,940 --> 00:05:00,700
♪With no fear of the distance♪
81
00:05:00,700 --> 00:05:04,700
♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪
82
00:05:05,220 --> 00:05:05,980
It's me.
83
00:05:05,980 --> 00:05:08,860
♪With sword in hand, I'll pierce the dawn♪
84
00:05:09,460 --> 00:05:13,980
♪Let these scars all over me become♪
85
00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:18,260
♪My new pride♪
86
00:05:31,340 --> 00:05:32,580
Your Highness, you shouldn't go.
87
00:05:37,820 --> 00:05:39,740
Xie Yanfang has been plotting for so long,
88
00:05:41,020 --> 00:05:43,020
all for this trap at the hunting grounds.
89
00:05:44,780 --> 00:05:45,820
If I don't walk into it,
90
00:05:46,980 --> 00:05:48,020
how can he reveal his true colors?
91
00:05:48,980 --> 00:05:50,580
What if he truly intends to kill you?
92
00:05:58,780 --> 00:05:59,580
Then I'll bet
93
00:06:03,260 --> 00:06:04,180
on who can outlast
94
00:06:06,020 --> 00:06:07,180
the other.
95
00:06:12,740 --> 00:06:13,540
Yanlai?
96
00:06:16,020 --> 00:06:17,220
You're alive.
97
00:06:20,620 --> 00:06:23,060
Xie Yanfang.
98
00:06:24,420 --> 00:06:25,700
Frontier Troops, heed my command.
99
00:06:28,860 --> 00:06:29,340
This is
100
00:06:30,460 --> 00:06:31,900
the Token to mobilize the frontier troops.
101
00:06:32,340 --> 00:06:33,700
Seize the rebel,
102
00:06:34,780 --> 00:06:35,700
Xie Yanlai, at once.
103
00:06:52,580 --> 00:06:54,300
You have survived a brush with death.
104
00:06:55,940 --> 00:06:57,980
How gratifying.
105
00:06:59,660 --> 00:07:00,700
It's a pity, though,
106
00:07:02,620 --> 00:07:04,460
that someone will die.
107
00:07:07,340 --> 00:07:08,140
Do not harm her!
108
00:07:09,700 --> 00:07:10,380
What,
109
00:07:13,060 --> 00:07:14,460
does your heart ache for her?
110
00:07:16,260 --> 00:07:17,820
Then go die in her stead,
111
00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:19,860
using this poisoned dagger Her Highness prepared
112
00:07:19,860 --> 00:07:21,660
for the two of us.
113
00:07:21,660 --> 00:07:22,580
Don't listen to him.
114
00:07:23,260 --> 00:07:24,300
Frontier Troops, heed my command.
115
00:07:24,740 --> 00:07:25,360
Execute...
116
00:07:25,380 --> 00:07:26,540
Your Highness, have you forgotten
117
00:07:27,700 --> 00:07:29,780
the Frontier Troops answer only to this token?
118
00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:32,140
You told me that yourself.
119
00:07:37,100 --> 00:07:37,780
Yanlai.
120
00:07:39,620 --> 00:07:40,180
Do it!
121
00:07:40,220 --> 00:07:40,820
Stop!
122
00:07:44,780 --> 00:07:45,460
Don't.
123
00:07:55,860 --> 00:07:56,500
Don't.
124
00:07:56,900 --> 00:07:58,340
The dagger is poisoned.
125
00:07:58,860 --> 00:07:59,460
Indeed,
126
00:08:00,300 --> 00:08:02,380
the Golden Finch Venom has no cure.
127
00:08:03,460 --> 00:08:05,100
Think carefully
128
00:08:06,620 --> 00:08:09,340
whether her life is worth yours.
129
00:08:10,060 --> 00:08:10,660
No.
130
00:08:11,300 --> 00:08:12,620
Jiu, don't.
131
00:08:13,420 --> 00:08:13,980
Jiu.
132
00:08:14,180 --> 00:08:14,980
Will you keep
133
00:08:17,300 --> 00:08:18,660
your word?
134
00:08:19,580 --> 00:08:21,060
- Certainly. - Jiu.
135
00:08:21,780 --> 00:08:22,940
Don't.
136
00:08:24,060 --> 00:08:25,420
The dagger is poisoned.
137
00:08:25,820 --> 00:08:26,380
Don't.
138
00:08:41,620 --> 00:08:42,260
That will do.
139
00:08:51,380 --> 00:08:52,260
Let them leave.
140
00:09:01,180 --> 00:09:01,820
Mr. Xie,
141
00:09:02,140 --> 00:09:03,300
why let them go?
142
00:09:03,660 --> 00:09:04,980
I want to see
143
00:09:07,260 --> 00:09:09,020
how a cornered beast
144
00:09:09,860 --> 00:09:11,940
breaks out of its cage.
145
00:09:14,900 --> 00:09:17,020
Mr. Xie, please take this first.
146
00:09:32,900 --> 00:09:33,460
Jiu.
147
00:09:34,140 --> 00:09:34,700
Jiu.
148
00:09:35,180 --> 00:09:35,740
Jiu.
149
00:09:36,100 --> 00:09:36,620
Jiu.
150
00:09:37,780 --> 00:09:38,300
Jiu.
151
00:09:38,660 --> 00:09:39,260
Jiu.
152
00:09:39,940 --> 00:09:40,500
Jiu.
153
00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:48,780
I'm sorry.
154
00:09:50,380 --> 00:09:51,340
I feel utterly useless
155
00:09:52,980 --> 00:09:54,780
for failing to kill Xie Yanfang for you.
156
00:09:56,420 --> 00:09:57,340
Don't worry about me.
157
00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:00,900
Go.
158
00:10:02,860 --> 00:10:03,460
Go.
159
00:10:03,460 --> 00:10:04,420
Jiu, don't fall asleep.
160
00:10:04,620 --> 00:10:05,980
I don't need you to kill him for me.
161
00:10:06,260 --> 00:10:06,820
Jiu.
162
00:10:07,460 --> 00:10:08,820
We were of the same blood.
163
00:10:10,380 --> 00:10:11,860
Yanlai, I must trouble you
164
00:10:13,740 --> 00:10:15,940
to join me on the road to the afterlife.
165
00:10:17,380 --> 00:10:18,100
Chu Zhao,
166
00:10:19,260 --> 00:10:20,620
can we have
167
00:10:21,380 --> 00:10:23,140
a proper talk now?
168
00:10:24,020 --> 00:10:25,900
Do you truly wish
169
00:10:26,380 --> 00:10:28,580
to watch him die in such agony?
170
00:10:29,980 --> 00:10:31,940
I know the Golden Finch Venom.
171
00:10:32,900 --> 00:10:33,820
As it takes effect,
172
00:10:34,620 --> 00:10:37,100
it feels like fire burning through one's internal organs
173
00:10:38,020 --> 00:10:39,700
before one coughs up blood and dies.
174
00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:42,380
His face will contort,
175
00:10:43,740 --> 00:10:45,340
his body will wither,
176
00:10:45,860 --> 00:10:47,300
and he will die slowly
177
00:10:47,740 --> 00:10:49,560
in agony.
178
00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:50,520
Zhao, don't believe him.
179
00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:51,120
Chu Zhao.
180
00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:54,860
Do you want to save him?
181
00:10:55,020 --> 00:10:55,700
Zhao.
182
00:10:58,620 --> 00:10:59,580
Don't listen to him.
183
00:11:00,500 --> 00:11:02,540
He came for you, and he is dying for you.
184
00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:05,300
Do you really not want to save him?
185
00:11:07,620 --> 00:11:09,660
You should.
186
00:11:13,980 --> 00:11:16,340
This is the Nanjiang Millennium Snow Lingzhi.
187
00:11:16,980 --> 00:11:17,940
It can keep him alive.
188
00:11:18,860 --> 00:11:20,020
As long as I live,
189
00:11:22,540 --> 00:11:24,180
so shall he.
190
00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:27,900
Zhao.
191
00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:28,820
Zhao.
192
00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:30,060
How ironic.
193
00:11:30,740 --> 00:11:32,340
You intended to kill me,
194
00:11:34,020 --> 00:11:34,900
yet you've ended up
195
00:11:34,900 --> 00:11:36,780
killing your most beloved.
196
00:11:38,020 --> 00:11:38,620
Zhao.
197
00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:40,660
Zhao.
198
00:11:43,020 --> 00:11:44,780
Don't listen to him.
199
00:11:45,140 --> 00:11:46,140
I'm not afraid of death.
200
00:11:47,620 --> 00:11:48,540
Don't agree to his terms.
201
00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:50,260
I beg you.
202
00:12:10,860 --> 00:12:11,460
Zhao.
203
00:12:17,660 --> 00:12:18,740
Are you still
204
00:12:20,620 --> 00:12:22,380
thinking of killing me?
205
00:12:25,260 --> 00:12:26,700
Then think carefully.
206
00:12:28,620 --> 00:12:29,580
If I die,
207
00:12:30,620 --> 00:12:32,460
Yanlai dies with me.
208
00:12:33,260 --> 00:12:34,260
Will you kill me,
209
00:12:35,060 --> 00:12:37,140
or save your beloved?
210
00:12:39,780 --> 00:12:41,060
Just promise
211
00:12:41,540 --> 00:12:42,980
to return to court
212
00:12:44,540 --> 00:12:46,260
and serve as a puppet for the Xie Clan,
213
00:12:47,940 --> 00:12:49,940
and I shall sustain his life.
214
00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:53,500
I can hand Yu
215
00:12:54,340 --> 00:12:56,540
and the State of Chu to you.
216
00:13:01,660 --> 00:13:02,260
Zhao.
217
00:13:04,260 --> 00:13:05,500
Do you remember...
218
00:13:07,180 --> 00:13:08,300
your promise...
219
00:13:10,220 --> 00:13:11,580
to grant me a wish?
220
00:13:14,060 --> 00:13:15,060
I want you
221
00:13:16,900 --> 00:13:18,220
to refuse his terms.
222
00:13:19,580 --> 00:13:20,860
From now on, whatever wish you hold,
223
00:13:21,260 --> 00:13:22,500
you may ask it of me.
224
00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:24,820
Come fire or high water,
225
00:13:25,500 --> 00:13:26,700
I will see it fulfilled.
226
00:13:28,340 --> 00:13:29,140
I honor my promises
227
00:13:29,460 --> 00:13:31,700
and never renege.
228
00:14:03,020 --> 00:14:04,380
Forgive me, Jiu.
229
00:14:05,660 --> 00:14:06,540
I had to
230
00:14:07,860 --> 00:14:09,380
break my word now.
231
00:14:27,940 --> 00:14:28,540
Jiu.
232
00:14:29,500 --> 00:14:30,140
Jiu.
233
00:14:55,020 --> 00:14:56,020
In court,
234
00:14:56,020 --> 00:14:57,780
you follow my lead from here on.
235
00:14:58,740 --> 00:15:01,100
Only then can Yanlai's life be guaranteed.
236
00:15:06,380 --> 00:15:08,820
Frontier troop stipends shall be reduced by thirty percent,
237
00:15:09,460 --> 00:15:11,180
and the funds shall be redirected to the southern grain transport.
238
00:15:12,660 --> 00:15:14,700
Frontier troop stipends shall be reduced by thirty percent,
239
00:15:15,100 --> 00:15:16,860
and the funds shall be redirected to the southern grain transport.
240
00:15:17,460 --> 00:15:19,220
Xie Xuan from the Xie Clan...
241
00:15:20,300 --> 00:15:21,860
Xie Xuan from the Xie Clan...
242
00:15:22,420 --> 00:15:24,460
is promoted to Senior Counselor of the Grand Commandant's Office...
243
00:15:24,940 --> 00:15:26,860
is promoted to Senior Counselor of the Grand Commandant's Office...
244
00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:28,980
effective immediately.
245
00:15:29,780 --> 00:15:30,780
effective immediately.
246
00:15:31,780 --> 00:15:34,460
This year's autumn tax shall be raised by twenty percent
247
00:15:34,780 --> 00:15:35,940
to fill the state treasury.
248
00:15:36,620 --> 00:15:38,740
This year's autumn tax shall be raised by twenty percent
249
00:15:39,540 --> 00:15:40,740
to fill the state treasury.
250
00:15:41,140 --> 00:15:41,700
Your Highness,
251
00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:43,900
the frontier is bracing for war.
252
00:15:44,220 --> 00:15:45,300
Cutting military pay at such a time
253
00:15:45,620 --> 00:15:46,740
may not be wise.
254
00:15:49,860 --> 00:15:52,740
The Northern Desert has withdrawn. The frontier stands secure.
255
00:15:53,460 --> 00:15:54,980
No need for surplus military expenditure.
256
00:15:57,980 --> 00:16:00,780
The Northern Desert has withdrawn. The frontier stands secure.
257
00:16:02,060 --> 00:16:03,780
No need for surplus military expenditure.
258
00:16:06,380 --> 00:16:07,420
I believe
259
00:16:07,620 --> 00:16:09,740
Her Highness has a valid point.
260
00:16:10,780 --> 00:16:12,940
- Seconded. - Seconded.
261
00:16:14,260 --> 00:16:15,500
Then it is settled.
262
00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:17,500
What does Your Majesty think?
263
00:16:19,060 --> 00:16:20,660
The Grand Princess has considered everything.
264
00:16:21,460 --> 00:16:22,460
I am reassured.
265
00:16:47,060 --> 00:16:48,700
Your Majesty is still growing.
266
00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:50,140
Do eat more.
267
00:16:53,060 --> 00:16:54,340
I dreamed of Uncle Yanlai yesterday.
268
00:16:54,580 --> 00:16:55,300
One does not speak while eating.
269
00:16:57,300 --> 00:16:58,340
He was teaching me...
270
00:16:58,340 --> 00:16:58,900
Your Majesty.
271
00:17:01,260 --> 00:17:01,980
If anyone deserves your consideration,
272
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:03,580
it is Uncle Yanfang.
273
00:17:04,220 --> 00:17:05,740
It is his supervision of the canal transport
274
00:17:06,540 --> 00:17:08,900
that keeps the grain from Jiangnan flowing.
275
00:17:09,460 --> 00:17:10,460
Without the Xie Family,
276
00:17:11,100 --> 00:17:13,140
How can this kingdom be held securely?
277
00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:15,300
Is Uncle Yanlai still alive?
278
00:17:24,740 --> 00:17:26,020
I will not let him die.
279
00:17:29,420 --> 00:17:30,260
The soup has grown cold.
280
00:17:31,020 --> 00:17:32,140
Fetch a hot one.
281
00:17:47,220 --> 00:17:48,060
She's handled
282
00:17:48,700 --> 00:17:49,860
all matters you entrusted
283
00:17:49,900 --> 00:17:50,580
during this morning's court session.
284
00:17:51,220 --> 00:17:52,740
She has an excellent memory.
285
00:17:54,620 --> 00:17:55,740
At tomorrow's court,
286
00:17:56,540 --> 00:17:58,620
propose a thirty-percent increase in commercial taxes,
287
00:17:59,340 --> 00:18:01,060
citing the reasons stated above.
288
00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:04,380
Has the medicine been delivered to Cangmu Stronghold?
289
00:18:04,660 --> 00:18:05,500
They have collected
290
00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:06,340
it.
291
00:18:07,620 --> 00:18:09,100
I gave Chu Zhao my word.
292
00:18:09,860 --> 00:18:11,300
As long as I draw breath,
293
00:18:13,140 --> 00:18:14,900
Yanlai shall not die.
294
00:18:18,540 --> 00:18:20,780
I cannot break faith with her.
295
00:18:35,460 --> 00:18:36,100
Your Highness,
296
00:18:37,620 --> 00:18:38,420
Mr. Xie
297
00:18:38,580 --> 00:18:39,820
vomited blood again this morning.
298
00:18:40,540 --> 00:18:41,420
The Imperial Physician fears
299
00:18:42,460 --> 00:18:44,340
he may not survive the winter.
300
00:18:46,020 --> 00:18:48,180
How many days remain
301
00:18:49,700 --> 00:18:50,740
until His Majesty's twelfth birthday?
302
00:18:51,340 --> 00:18:52,140
Your Highness.
303
00:18:53,020 --> 00:18:54,660
Twenty-five days.
304
00:18:58,740 --> 00:19:00,140
Twenty-five days.
305
00:19:11,500 --> 00:19:12,420
It seems
306
00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:16,780
I cannot pull through after all.
307
00:19:16,980 --> 00:19:18,100
Mr. Xie, please do not say
308
00:19:18,100 --> 00:19:18,900
such ominous things.
309
00:19:21,140 --> 00:19:23,180
Why fear death?
310
00:19:25,940 --> 00:19:27,740
Yu is about to take the reins himself,
311
00:19:29,740 --> 00:19:30,820
and he carries
312
00:19:32,300 --> 00:19:34,740
the blood of the Xie Family.
313
00:19:34,820 --> 00:19:36,340
Yet should anything happen to you,
314
00:19:36,380 --> 00:19:37,660
and Her Highness seizes this chance to consolidate power...
315
00:19:40,340 --> 00:19:42,260
I sacrificed so many lives
316
00:19:43,300 --> 00:19:44,740
to forge an emperor
317
00:19:44,740 --> 00:19:46,180
from the Xie Family.
318
00:19:47,380 --> 00:19:49,460
I will not let that effort go to waste.
319
00:19:50,540 --> 00:19:51,220
No one can resist
320
00:19:51,220 --> 00:19:53,340
the allure of power,
321
00:19:54,900 --> 00:19:56,380
especially
322
00:19:57,540 --> 00:19:58,940
a young emperor.
323
00:19:59,980 --> 00:20:02,420
A true emperor
324
00:20:03,540 --> 00:20:04,540
will never endure
325
00:20:04,540 --> 00:20:06,140
being a puppet for a lifetime.
326
00:20:07,300 --> 00:20:09,340
Once Yu assumes direct rule,
327
00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:12,540
he will never tolerate
328
00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:14,660
Chu Zhao's manipulation.
329
00:20:16,660 --> 00:20:17,780
When the time comes,
330
00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:20,660
we shall give him one final push.
331
00:20:23,060 --> 00:20:25,140
I have an agreement with Yu.
332
00:20:27,100 --> 00:20:28,220
The very first decree
333
00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:29,820
he issues upon assuming direct rule
334
00:20:32,260 --> 00:20:35,020
shall be the annihilation of the Chu Clan.
335
00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:42,260
Your Majesty,
336
00:20:43,980 --> 00:20:44,780
the military treatise...
337
00:20:46,740 --> 00:20:48,260
I have no desire to learn such things today.
338
00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:53,900
Uncle Yanfang said
339
00:20:54,900 --> 00:20:57,780
that reading people is like reading the stars.
340
00:21:01,220 --> 00:21:02,180
Your Majesty,
341
00:21:03,340 --> 00:21:05,500
the art of reading the stars is for the imperial astronomers.
342
00:21:09,460 --> 00:21:10,340
Grand Princess,
343
00:21:10,820 --> 00:21:11,780
I am the ruler,
344
00:21:12,540 --> 00:21:13,700
and you are my subject.
345
00:21:16,660 --> 00:21:18,340
Your Majesty will soon assume direct rule
346
00:21:18,780 --> 00:21:20,260
and must weigh all matters carefully.
347
00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:21,860
This is for your good.
348
00:21:23,260 --> 00:21:24,300
For my good?
349
00:21:24,980 --> 00:21:26,580
Search your heart.
350
00:21:27,340 --> 00:21:29,300
Do you truly hope for me to rule,
351
00:21:29,740 --> 00:21:30,540
or
352
00:21:31,580 --> 00:21:32,860
are you desperate for me
353
00:21:32,900 --> 00:21:33,900
to remain a puppet emperor
354
00:21:34,260 --> 00:21:36,380
so you may keep the reins of power?
355
00:21:37,540 --> 00:21:38,140
Your Majesty,
356
00:21:38,820 --> 00:21:39,500
I have never...
357
00:21:39,500 --> 00:21:40,260
Never?
358
00:21:40,940 --> 00:21:42,820
Why do you act with such high-handedness
359
00:21:43,340 --> 00:21:44,900
whenever I face critical affairs of state?
360
00:21:45,260 --> 00:21:47,220
Why do you obstruct me at every turn
361
00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:48,900
whenever I propose a different course?
362
00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:50,740
Chu Zhao,
363
00:21:51,260 --> 00:21:52,740
is the taste of absolute power
364
00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:54,260
so sweet
365
00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:55,700
that
366
00:21:56,980 --> 00:21:59,140
you never intended to let go?
367
00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:07,260
Is that truly how Your Majesty sees me?
368
00:22:07,460 --> 00:22:08,020
Enough.
369
00:22:09,260 --> 00:22:10,700
Save your excuses.
370
00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:12,100
Guards,
371
00:22:12,580 --> 00:22:14,580
escort the Grand Princess back to her palace
372
00:22:15,540 --> 00:22:17,140
and confine her there to reflect on her transgressions.
373
00:22:25,460 --> 00:22:26,100
Your Majesty,
374
00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:29,780
please forgive my presumption.
375
00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:43,540
Just as Young Master Yanfang expected.
376
00:23:11,500 --> 00:23:12,900
Kneel.
377
00:23:14,460 --> 00:23:17,780
We congratulate Your Majesty on assuming direct rule.
378
00:23:21,420 --> 00:23:22,420
Ministers,
379
00:23:22,780 --> 00:23:23,860
rise.
380
00:23:24,340 --> 00:23:25,820
- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Thank you, Your Majesty.
381
00:23:27,020 --> 00:23:27,860
My elder sister
382
00:23:28,100 --> 00:23:30,700
entered Taiji Hall bearing the decree of supervising the court
383
00:23:31,260 --> 00:23:32,980
and governed in my stead.
384
00:23:33,260 --> 00:23:35,140
Now that the land is at peace
385
00:23:35,580 --> 00:23:36,820
and I have assumed my rule,
386
00:23:37,220 --> 00:23:39,100
she has earned her rest.
387
00:24:03,340 --> 00:24:04,500
I, Chu Zhao,
388
00:24:05,020 --> 00:24:06,980
congratulate Your Majesty on assuming direct rule.
389
00:24:28,260 --> 00:24:30,420
I have an edict to announce.
390
00:24:32,500 --> 00:24:33,700
Why would His Majesty deliver it
391
00:24:33,740 --> 00:24:35,140
in person?
392
00:24:35,940 --> 00:24:37,540
It is the first decree
393
00:24:37,540 --> 00:24:38,780
of His Majesty's direct rule.
394
00:24:39,020 --> 00:24:40,380
It is of great significance.
395
00:24:41,500 --> 00:24:44,540
Upon receiving this divine charge to govern the state,
396
00:24:44,820 --> 00:24:45,940
I remain ever diligent,
397
00:24:46,100 --> 00:24:48,060
my thoughts centered solely on the state and its people.
398
00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:50,220
Chu Ling and Chu Zhao
399
00:24:59,780 --> 00:25:00,900
have demonstrated steadfast loyalty,
400
00:25:01,180 --> 00:25:02,740
ever mindful of the greater good of the state.
401
00:25:03,140 --> 00:25:04,980
The frontier is the shield of the state,
402
00:25:05,220 --> 00:25:06,300
upon which the state's security depends.
403
00:25:06,700 --> 00:25:08,780
Chu Ling, the Guard General,
404
00:25:09,340 --> 00:25:10,900
having stood guard at the frontier for decades,
405
00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:13,660
repelled invaders and secured the state with extraordinary feats.
406
00:25:14,060 --> 00:25:15,260
Chu Zhao, the Grand Princess,
407
00:25:15,620 --> 00:25:18,100
left the palace to campaign in her father's stead.
408
00:25:18,260 --> 00:25:20,700
Peerless in valor, united in purpose with her father,
409
00:25:20,820 --> 00:25:22,620
she expanded and defended the state. Their monumental achievements stand
410
00:25:23,020 --> 00:25:25,300
as a glorious example for all subjects of the state to follow.
411
00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:32,180
Yet Xie Yanfang, head of the Xie Clan,
412
00:25:32,740 --> 00:25:33,900
steeped in generations of imperial favor
413
00:25:34,180 --> 00:25:35,300
and raised to one of the Three Excellencies,
414
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:37,460
was bound by duty to serve with utter devotion
415
00:25:37,740 --> 00:25:38,660
and uphold the order of the realm.
416
00:25:39,100 --> 00:25:41,140
Instead, harboring treacherous intent
417
00:25:41,380 --> 00:25:42,500
and behaving with monstrous depravity,
418
00:25:42,820 --> 00:25:44,540
he colluded with the Northern Desert bandits
419
00:25:44,780 --> 00:25:45,820
to invite catastrophe,
420
00:25:46,260 --> 00:25:48,180
[Kill Zhong Changrong at Xinggu Pass]
leaving the frontier ravaged by war
421
00:25:48,420 --> 00:25:49,980
and the populace displaced.
422
00:25:50,260 --> 00:25:52,620
By forming internal factions to purge the loyal,
423
00:25:52,820 --> 00:25:54,380
he sought to usurp power
424
00:25:54,580 --> 00:25:55,820
and deceive the throne,
425
00:25:56,100 --> 00:25:58,140
his crimes too numerous to recount.
426
00:25:58,620 --> 00:25:59,660
Most abhorrent
427
00:25:59,940 --> 00:26:00,980
remains the tragedy at Wei Village,
428
00:26:01,460 --> 00:26:03,140
where for personal gain,
429
00:26:03,540 --> 00:26:06,020
he emboldened foreign enemies to engage in arson and slaughter,
430
00:26:06,260 --> 00:26:07,700
sending the entire village
431
00:26:07,820 --> 00:26:08,900
to an unjust death.
432
00:26:09,100 --> 00:26:11,060
Such atrocities
433
00:26:11,180 --> 00:26:12,940
are beyond human reason,
434
00:26:13,180 --> 00:26:14,420
an abomination to all existence.
435
00:26:14,980 --> 00:26:16,020
The laws of this land are unyielding,
436
00:26:16,300 --> 00:26:17,860
and they will not stand for such wicked defiance.
437
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:19,780
Though I ascended the throne in my youth,
438
00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:21,620
I bear the legacy of my ancestors
439
00:26:21,980 --> 00:26:23,420
and the trust of the people.
440
00:26:23,660 --> 00:26:25,140
I shall act with uncompromising resolve
441
00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:26,700
to purge all treachery and corruption.
442
00:26:27,100 --> 00:26:29,660
All titles and ranks of the Xie Clan are hereby stripped.
443
00:26:30,100 --> 00:26:31,860
Their lands, estates, silver, and valuables
444
00:26:31,980 --> 00:26:33,060
shall be confiscated.
445
00:26:33,460 --> 00:26:34,660
All adult males of the Xie Clan
446
00:26:34,780 --> 00:26:36,140
shall be beheaded forthwith.
447
00:26:36,340 --> 00:26:37,460
The women and children
448
00:26:37,500 --> 00:26:38,780
shall be exiled to the far frontier as slaves.
449
00:26:39,140 --> 00:26:41,220
Any pupils, former subordinates, or accomplices involved in his crimes
450
00:26:41,420 --> 00:26:42,580
must surrender within ten days.
451
00:26:42,860 --> 00:26:45,220
Those captured after the deadline shall face punishment threefold.
452
00:26:45,500 --> 00:26:47,820
This decree is proclaimed across the state.
453
00:26:48,060 --> 00:26:49,420
Whoever colludes with the enemy, betrays the state,
454
00:26:49,700 --> 00:26:51,060
or harms the people
455
00:26:51,140 --> 00:26:52,180
shall be executed
456
00:26:52,420 --> 00:26:53,460
with their entire clan,
457
00:26:53,620 --> 00:26:54,700
to uphold the laws of the state
458
00:26:54,940 --> 00:26:55,980
and serve as a warning to all.
459
00:26:56,340 --> 00:26:57,900
May my ministers and I together
460
00:26:58,180 --> 00:27:00,500
purge this corruption and restore a prosperous age.
461
00:27:01,460 --> 00:27:02,780
Your Majesty, please reconsider.
462
00:27:03,180 --> 00:27:05,500
Mr. Xie is your own in-law.
463
00:27:05,900 --> 00:27:06,900
Censor, mind your words.
464
00:27:07,300 --> 00:27:08,100
I am a Xiao,
465
00:27:08,580 --> 00:27:09,380
not a Xie.
466
00:27:10,100 --> 00:27:12,660
The state belongs to the Xiao Family.
467
00:27:13,180 --> 00:27:14,500
I bring down the Xie Family
468
00:27:14,980 --> 00:27:16,420
to save all the people.
469
00:27:17,620 --> 00:27:18,380
Issue the decree.
470
00:27:18,740 --> 00:27:20,060
Kowtow!
471
00:27:37,020 --> 00:27:37,540
Mr. Xie,
472
00:27:37,820 --> 00:27:38,380
His Majesty
473
00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:40,260
has decreed that your clan be purged.
474
00:27:52,220 --> 00:27:53,260
What did you say?
475
00:27:53,940 --> 00:27:54,980
This is the imperial edict
476
00:27:55,260 --> 00:27:56,580
His Majesty announced during this morning's court session.
477
00:27:57,060 --> 00:27:58,620
He proclaimed that Chu Ling and Chu Zhao's monumental achievements
478
00:27:58,820 --> 00:27:59,660
shall be honored by the state,
479
00:28:00,220 --> 00:28:00,820
while you are guilty
480
00:28:01,740 --> 00:28:02,780
of heinous crimes,
481
00:28:03,140 --> 00:28:04,300
and your entire clan
482
00:28:05,020 --> 00:28:05,980
is to be utterly eradicated.
483
00:28:27,020 --> 00:28:28,140
Absurd.
484
00:28:30,740 --> 00:28:32,740
Profoundly absurd.
485
00:28:35,260 --> 00:28:36,340
How dare he?
486
00:28:41,100 --> 00:28:42,260
Mr. Xie, we must leave at once.
487
00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:43,980
The Imperial Guard will reach Gaoyang shortly.
488
00:28:48,220 --> 00:28:48,980
Leave?
489
00:28:51,740 --> 00:28:52,980
Where to?
490
00:28:54,140 --> 00:28:55,780
Flee to the frontier
491
00:28:59,700 --> 00:29:01,580
or live in obscurity?
492
00:29:03,020 --> 00:29:04,860
How could I suffer
493
00:29:07,660 --> 00:29:10,220
such humiliation?
494
00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:11,300
Mr. Xie,
495
00:29:12,140 --> 00:29:13,140
while there is life, there is hope.
496
00:29:13,380 --> 00:29:14,300
We leave now
497
00:29:14,500 --> 00:29:15,380
and figure out
498
00:29:15,540 --> 00:29:16,620
the rest later.
499
00:29:46,140 --> 00:29:50,420
[Xie Residence]
♪Xie Yanfang betrayed the state♪
500
00:29:50,980 --> 00:29:55,420
♪And opened the door to the Northern Desert's blade♪
501
00:30:05,780 --> 00:30:06,380
Zhao,
502
00:30:07,260 --> 00:30:08,100
it is over.
503
00:30:13,420 --> 00:30:14,300
Not yet.
504
00:30:54,020 --> 00:30:54,900
Your Highness,
505
00:30:56,580 --> 00:30:58,260
it took you long enough.
506
00:31:22,020 --> 00:31:22,860
Look.
507
00:31:24,260 --> 00:31:25,740
Yanlai has finally gotten
508
00:31:26,660 --> 00:31:28,140
exactly what he wanted.
509
00:31:32,420 --> 00:31:34,340
I remember him arriving at the Xie household
510
00:31:35,660 --> 00:31:37,380
at eight years old.
511
00:31:38,300 --> 00:31:39,740
He was so timid
512
00:31:40,740 --> 00:31:42,300
and fearful of everything.
513
00:31:42,820 --> 00:31:44,740
I held his hand
514
00:31:45,500 --> 00:31:47,020
and taught him to read
515
00:31:47,580 --> 00:31:48,820
[Xie Yanlai]
and write.
516
00:31:49,740 --> 00:31:51,380
The very first character he learned to write
517
00:31:53,460 --> 00:31:55,580
was Xie, as in our family name.
518
00:31:56,860 --> 00:31:58,020
I told him
519
00:31:59,780 --> 00:32:01,180
never to forget
520
00:32:02,220 --> 00:32:03,740
his last name.
521
00:32:06,540 --> 00:32:07,580
Yet
522
00:32:08,540 --> 00:32:10,700
the clan elders, disdaining his lowly origins,
523
00:32:11,940 --> 00:32:14,260
refused to grant him the surname.
524
00:32:15,380 --> 00:32:17,420
So, I sent him to the Wei village to handle that business,
525
00:32:18,540 --> 00:32:20,060
promising that if he succeeded,
526
00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:22,660
I would persuade the elders
527
00:32:23,660 --> 00:32:25,420
to add him to the genealogy.
528
00:32:27,660 --> 00:32:28,820
Back then...
529
00:32:30,060 --> 00:32:31,260
he was over the moon.
530
00:32:33,100 --> 00:32:34,260
He never knew
531
00:32:35,340 --> 00:32:37,460
that I was the one who took Xiang...
532
00:32:39,780 --> 00:32:41,940
making him the lone scapegoat
533
00:32:42,540 --> 00:32:44,260
for the massacre at the Wei Village.
534
00:32:45,380 --> 00:32:46,540
And while he was investigating
535
00:32:46,580 --> 00:32:48,220
the Xie Family's medicinal storage,
536
00:32:48,940 --> 00:32:50,340
I had Du Qi
537
00:32:51,700 --> 00:32:53,100
kill the boy.
538
00:32:55,740 --> 00:32:57,020
He was just a child.
539
00:32:58,420 --> 00:32:59,580
What did he ever do to deserve that?
540
00:32:59,700 --> 00:33:01,180
His only mistake
541
00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:04,140
was that, after five years of captivity,
542
00:33:04,780 --> 00:33:07,220
he still wanted to testify for Yanlai.
543
00:33:25,900 --> 00:33:27,140
The irony of it all...
544
00:33:29,300 --> 00:33:30,460
is that the life-saving pill
545
00:33:31,260 --> 00:33:33,780
is useless without the second pill.
546
00:33:34,220 --> 00:33:35,820
My intention
547
00:33:36,420 --> 00:33:38,420
was that if Yanlai truly took it...
548
00:33:39,980 --> 00:33:41,540
I could save him
549
00:33:42,300 --> 00:33:44,660
when the poison set in,
550
00:33:44,900 --> 00:33:46,060
and he would be indebted to me
551
00:33:46,060 --> 00:33:47,700
for life.
552
00:33:51,300 --> 00:33:52,620
It comes back to me now.
553
00:33:54,540 --> 00:33:56,020
By a twist of fate,
554
00:33:56,900 --> 00:33:59,540
that is how your father met his end.
555
00:34:02,740 --> 00:34:05,180
Not entirely bad news, I suppose.
556
00:34:16,420 --> 00:34:17,460
Chu Zhao,
557
00:34:18,860 --> 00:34:21,020
you may bring down the Xie Family,
558
00:34:21,500 --> 00:34:23,980
but you cannot save Xie Yanlai.
559
00:34:25,020 --> 00:34:27,140
The Golden Finch Venom has no cure.
560
00:34:28,060 --> 00:34:29,660
He will die,
561
00:34:30,860 --> 00:34:34,660
and even before I do.
562
00:34:59,700 --> 00:35:00,860
Yanfang,
563
00:35:01,900 --> 00:35:03,220
despite all your calculating,
564
00:35:03,820 --> 00:35:06,020
you are still one move behind.
565
00:35:26,620 --> 00:35:27,860
Yanlai?
566
00:35:29,020 --> 00:35:30,260
Impossible.
567
00:35:33,260 --> 00:35:35,260
How are you still alive?
568
00:35:36,380 --> 00:35:37,420
Because all of this
569
00:35:39,460 --> 00:35:41,580
was a trap laid carefully for you.
570
00:35:42,900 --> 00:35:44,900
This dagger is forged with two sides,
571
00:35:46,380 --> 00:35:47,780
distinguished by gold and silver.
572
00:35:49,100 --> 00:35:50,100
I will coat the gold side
573
00:35:50,900 --> 00:35:52,700
with Golden Finch Venom in advance.
574
00:35:53,860 --> 00:35:55,300
We are going to stage a death scene
575
00:35:55,340 --> 00:35:56,340
right before his eyes.
576
00:35:57,940 --> 00:35:59,700
You will strike yourself with the silver, non-poisonous blade.
577
00:35:59,980 --> 00:36:00,660
The wound, however,
578
00:36:01,900 --> 00:36:03,220
must look absolutely real.
579
00:36:04,500 --> 00:36:05,780
Only a lie built upon a grain of truth
580
00:36:05,980 --> 00:36:07,260
can deceive them all.
581
00:36:08,180 --> 00:36:10,020
I will play the part of a hostage, forced back to the court
582
00:36:11,060 --> 00:36:12,860
to serve as his puppet, day after day.
583
00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:18,300
♪Numerous people are under my control♪
584
00:36:20,300 --> 00:36:21,660
I could kill Xie Yanfang,
585
00:36:22,540 --> 00:36:23,340
even at the cost of my own life.
586
00:36:23,780 --> 00:36:24,180
No.
587
00:36:24,780 --> 00:36:25,900
There will always be
588
00:36:26,340 --> 00:36:27,740
another Xie Yanfang.
589
00:36:28,700 --> 00:36:29,940
We must leverage the Xie Family's influence
590
00:36:30,020 --> 00:36:30,980
to keep the court in check,
591
00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:32,900
until Yu takes the reins.
592
00:36:33,940 --> 00:36:34,740
Yes, Your Highness.
593
00:36:37,940 --> 00:36:39,100
From that moment on,
594
00:36:39,660 --> 00:36:41,460
everything you saw was a lie.
595
00:36:42,620 --> 00:36:44,580
I knew you were after the Frontier Troops Token,
596
00:36:45,180 --> 00:36:46,660
so I instructed Zhong
597
00:36:46,860 --> 00:36:47,860
to feign submission.
598
00:36:49,340 --> 00:36:50,420
What I failed to account for
599
00:36:51,380 --> 00:36:52,460
was how far you would sink,
600
00:36:52,460 --> 00:36:53,580
raising your blades against the Longwei Army.
601
00:36:54,220 --> 00:36:55,700
This is the medicine Xie Yanfang sent.
602
00:36:56,420 --> 00:36:57,500
Using the cover of my convalescence
603
00:36:57,500 --> 00:36:58,260
at Cangmu Stronghold,
604
00:36:58,780 --> 00:37:00,420
I've been quietly gathering evidence of the Xie Family's crimes.
605
00:37:01,220 --> 00:37:02,020
Yet you were so intoxicated
606
00:37:02,020 --> 00:37:03,500
by the thrill of pulling every string
607
00:37:03,980 --> 00:37:04,900
that you let your guard down entirely.
608
00:37:04,980 --> 00:37:06,740
The officials you have promoted
609
00:37:07,220 --> 00:37:08,380
also allowed me to compile a complete list
610
00:37:08,380 --> 00:37:09,740
of the Xie Family's faction
611
00:37:09,820 --> 00:37:10,660
within the court.
612
00:37:11,060 --> 00:37:11,860
Jiu and I
613
00:37:12,780 --> 00:37:13,420
have always been working
614
00:37:13,420 --> 00:37:14,780
behind your back,
615
00:37:15,260 --> 00:37:16,020
tirelessly molding Yu
616
00:37:16,020 --> 00:37:17,500
into a capable ruler.
617
00:37:18,260 --> 00:37:19,180
Yunzhong Prefecture
618
00:37:19,660 --> 00:37:21,060
is the frontier stronghold of the Capital,
619
00:37:21,420 --> 00:37:22,220
easy to defend and hard to breach.
620
00:37:22,620 --> 00:37:24,020
But should the Northern Desert resolve its internal strife,
621
00:37:24,020 --> 00:37:24,860
return with force,
622
00:37:25,260 --> 00:37:26,940
and bring the surrounding minor states into the fold,
623
00:37:27,340 --> 00:37:29,540
a flanking assault could spell trouble.
624
00:37:29,660 --> 00:37:31,020
May I then send envoys
625
00:37:31,180 --> 00:37:32,780
to build ties with neighboring states and avoid war?
626
00:37:33,020 --> 00:37:34,500
A wise thought, Your Majesty.
627
00:37:35,660 --> 00:37:36,780
Military strength and diplomacy
628
00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:38,020
are both essential
629
00:37:38,060 --> 00:37:39,420
to the art of governance.
630
00:37:39,820 --> 00:37:42,300
Bear in mind that the greatest victory is to avoid war.
631
00:37:42,540 --> 00:37:43,260
Peace
632
00:37:43,900 --> 00:37:45,620
is what endures.
633
00:37:46,700 --> 00:37:47,740
Hold the sword as you would a fist.
634
00:37:48,420 --> 00:37:50,580
Loosen your grip even once, and all is lost.
635
00:37:52,220 --> 00:37:53,700
Zhao, I understand.
636
00:37:55,580 --> 00:37:57,100
Ruling is like a game of strategy.
637
00:37:57,420 --> 00:37:58,740
It matters not who moves first,
638
00:37:59,180 --> 00:38:01,980
only who has the last laugh.
639
00:38:03,660 --> 00:38:05,740
♪Schemes within schemes, I prison myself♪
640
00:38:05,740 --> 00:38:07,180
Much like what you are doing now.
641
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,640
♪The world is my Weiqi game board♪
642
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,700
♪Everything's just fleeting♪
643
00:38:15,700 --> 00:38:16,500
Yanfang,
644
00:38:16,980 --> 00:38:19,060
you always said the noble families were deeply entangled.
645
00:38:20,580 --> 00:38:22,260
So we learned from you,
646
00:38:22,780 --> 00:38:25,820
traced each root to its source,
647
00:38:26,460 --> 00:38:27,340
and
648
00:38:27,980 --> 00:38:29,260
pulled them all out.
649
00:38:36,540 --> 00:38:37,220
Yanlai,
650
00:38:38,540 --> 00:38:39,620
since you are alive,
651
00:38:40,300 --> 00:38:41,820
why not come home?
652
00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:44,500
After I pass away,
653
00:38:44,780 --> 00:38:46,660
the immense power of the Xie Family
654
00:38:46,660 --> 00:38:47,620
and the position of clan head
655
00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:49,260
will all be yours.
656
00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:52,980
Why make such a choice?
657
00:38:54,580 --> 00:38:56,780
What exactly are you trying to do?
658
00:38:58,260 --> 00:38:59,180
No one reads hearts well
659
00:38:59,220 --> 00:39:00,420
as you do.
660
00:39:02,180 --> 00:39:03,260
How can you not know
661
00:39:04,260 --> 00:39:05,500
that what I want
662
00:39:06,900 --> 00:39:07,660
is to take
663
00:39:07,660 --> 00:39:10,300
the Xie Family's century-old legacy with me to the grave?
664
00:39:24,220 --> 00:39:25,100
The clan elders
665
00:39:25,100 --> 00:39:26,580
must regret not killing me
666
00:39:27,820 --> 00:39:29,580
when they could,
667
00:39:30,460 --> 00:39:31,820
only for me, too low-born
668
00:39:31,820 --> 00:39:33,020
to enter the genealogy
669
00:39:35,820 --> 00:39:37,100
to end the Xie's bloodline for good.
670
00:39:38,220 --> 00:39:39,060
Yanlai.
671
00:39:40,940 --> 00:39:43,340
Seeing you like this, so deranged,
672
00:39:44,860 --> 00:39:46,860
I almost see myself.
673
00:39:50,860 --> 00:39:51,580
Indeed.
674
00:39:52,900 --> 00:39:55,140
I am the baby wolf you spent years shaping.
675
00:39:57,820 --> 00:39:58,540
Remember,
676
00:39:59,500 --> 00:40:00,660
my brother?
677
00:40:03,820 --> 00:40:04,940
We've won
678
00:40:06,700 --> 00:40:08,260
this game after all.
679
00:40:09,380 --> 00:40:10,220
Good.
680
00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:13,700
Splendid.
681
00:40:22,740 --> 00:40:23,580
Yanfang,
682
00:40:24,140 --> 00:40:25,260
do you know
683
00:40:25,900 --> 00:40:26,780
why you lost this game?
684
00:40:29,700 --> 00:40:30,980
For all your plotting,
685
00:40:30,980 --> 00:40:32,100
you forgot one thing.
686
00:40:33,740 --> 00:40:35,380
The most brilliant schemes
687
00:40:36,620 --> 00:40:38,020
are the ones that ensnare their maker.
688
00:40:39,340 --> 00:40:40,700
Xie Yanfang, you were so confident
689
00:40:41,100 --> 00:40:41,900
that you never doubted
690
00:40:41,900 --> 00:40:42,900
you were the one
691
00:40:42,900 --> 00:40:43,740
moving the pieces.
692
00:40:43,980 --> 00:40:45,740
Little did you know
693
00:40:45,740 --> 00:40:47,100
the very web you wove
694
00:40:47,820 --> 00:40:49,380
would be the one to close around you.
695
00:40:50,660 --> 00:40:51,540
Surprising, isn't it?
696
00:40:53,180 --> 00:40:53,940
The piece
697
00:40:55,020 --> 00:40:56,900
you thought to command at will
698
00:40:58,100 --> 00:40:58,780
has made you
699
00:40:59,780 --> 00:41:01,820
a discarded pawn of fate.
700
00:41:18,380 --> 00:41:18,980
Mr. Xie,
701
00:41:19,740 --> 00:41:21,060
Her Highness is but a woman.
702
00:41:21,660 --> 00:41:22,540
What does she have
703
00:41:22,940 --> 00:41:23,980
that makes you treat her
704
00:41:23,980 --> 00:41:24,860
so differently?
705
00:41:26,260 --> 00:41:26,900
She is...
706
00:41:29,300 --> 00:41:29,940
different.
707
00:41:31,780 --> 00:41:32,500
Chu Zhao.
708
00:41:51,260 --> 00:41:52,820
A move made is a move set.
709
00:41:54,060 --> 00:41:54,820
I lost.
710
00:41:56,420 --> 00:41:57,260
And I own it.
711
00:42:30,820 --> 00:42:32,220
I see no difference
712
00:42:32,900 --> 00:42:34,420
between people.
713
00:42:35,340 --> 00:42:36,740
But once a difference appears,
714
00:42:37,500 --> 00:42:39,100
the heart tilts.
715
00:42:39,980 --> 00:42:41,460
And a tilted heart
716
00:42:42,540 --> 00:42:45,340
becomes a prison.
717
00:42:50,620 --> 00:42:51,700
From this day onward,
718
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:55,260
taxes across all prefectures shall be reduced by thirty percent.
719
00:42:55,940 --> 00:42:57,740
- Your Majesty is wise. - Your Majesty is wise.
720
00:42:58,180 --> 00:42:58,700
Furthermore,
721
00:42:59,300 --> 00:43:00,900
the laws of the State of Chu shall be revised.
722
00:43:01,700 --> 00:43:03,540
Anyone found colluding with foreign powers
723
00:43:04,140 --> 00:43:05,060
shall be held collectively responsible,
724
00:43:05,660 --> 00:43:06,820
and their entire clan shall be exterminated.
725
00:43:54,660 --> 00:43:58,460
♪Day after day, across these ancient hills♪
726
00:43:58,460 --> 00:44:02,260
♪Again and again, the old city cold and still♪
727
00:44:02,260 --> 00:44:05,020
♪Through dust and battle, I look back♪
728
00:44:05,020 --> 00:44:08,260
♪And find you waiting at journey's end♪
729
00:44:09,820 --> 00:44:13,700
♪Night after night, the hours drift on♪
730
00:44:13,700 --> 00:44:17,420
♪Year after year, our reunions end too soon♪
731
00:44:17,420 --> 00:44:22,140
♪Love so deep, yet fate so thin, why must it be so hard?♪
732
00:44:24,260 --> 00:44:28,180
♪Through joy and sorrow, we have shared it all♪
733
00:44:28,180 --> 00:44:31,980
♪Bound by a knowing no words can name♪
734
00:44:31,980 --> 00:44:35,420
♪Two lonely souls, huddling together for warmth♪
735
00:44:36,460 --> 00:44:38,580
No luck with the hares, so you're after me now?
736
00:44:38,860 --> 00:44:40,380
You're just easier to catch.
737
00:44:41,020 --> 00:44:42,300
Every creature on these grasslands
738
00:44:42,460 --> 00:44:43,460
is cunning.
739
00:44:43,460 --> 00:44:46,820
♪I sigh at the whims of merciless fate♪
740
00:44:46,820 --> 00:44:47,780
I just had
741
00:44:49,180 --> 00:44:50,260
a nightmare.
742
00:44:51,940 --> 00:44:53,980
So even you have fears, General Xie?
743
00:44:55,300 --> 00:44:56,860
In the dream, death tore us apart.
744
00:45:00,300 --> 00:45:01,660
Don't say that.
745
00:45:02,620 --> 00:45:04,220
We still have many years ahead of us.
746
00:45:05,780 --> 00:45:06,380
Agreed.
747
00:45:08,740 --> 00:45:09,740
Then we shall guard
748
00:45:09,740 --> 00:45:10,780
Yunzhong Prefecture side by side,
749
00:45:11,780 --> 00:45:12,660
day after day,
750
00:45:13,980 --> 00:45:14,940
year after year,
751
00:45:15,820 --> 00:45:16,700
to the very end.
752
00:45:19,500 --> 00:45:20,380
I intend
753
00:45:21,460 --> 00:45:22,940
to expand the place
754
00:45:23,620 --> 00:45:24,380
where I used to live.
755
00:45:25,860 --> 00:45:27,500
Why the rush to renovate?
756
00:45:28,180 --> 00:45:29,020
There is every reason.
757
00:45:41,100 --> 00:45:42,380
I want to marry you.
758
00:45:42,820 --> 00:45:45,060
♪Light shatters into silhouettes♪
759
00:45:45,060 --> 00:45:45,940
Let's build a home together.
760
00:45:47,620 --> 00:45:48,260
What do you say?
761
00:45:48,380 --> 00:45:53,660
♪A lingering mark on my palm♪
762
00:45:54,420 --> 00:45:59,660
♪Hooves thunder through the ashes of war♪
763
00:45:59,660 --> 00:46:05,100
♪Riding the wild wind straight into the dawn♪
764
00:46:07,100 --> 00:46:09,540
♪A vivid life♪
765
00:46:09,820 --> 00:46:12,100
♪Bathed in tears♪
766
00:46:12,940 --> 00:46:15,940
♪Surging toward the dawn♪
767
00:46:16,780 --> 00:46:21,380
♪Let it burn until there's nothing left♪
768
00:46:21,860 --> 00:46:24,380
♪We crown our pain like glory♪
769
00:46:25,160 --> 00:46:26,840
In the eleventh month of the thirteenth year
770
00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:27,760
of Xingping,
771
00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:30,280
the Grand Princess withdrew into seclusion on account of illness.
772
00:46:31,080 --> 00:46:34,480
The Yunzhong frontier troops established the Princess's encampment.
773
00:46:34,580 --> 00:46:36,380
♪I'd spend the rest of my life with you♪
774
00:46:36,380 --> 00:46:39,260
♪Even if longing turns to ash♪
775
00:46:39,260 --> 00:46:41,380
♪I'd still feel no fear♪
776
00:46:46,380 --> 00:46:51,500
♪You are the hope I sowed in bleakest dark♪
777
00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:57,660
♪Where a sharp blade rises from the dust♪
778
00:46:59,220 --> 00:47:01,380
♪A vivid life♪
779
00:47:01,980 --> 00:47:04,100
♪Bathed in tears♪
780
00:47:04,820 --> 00:47:07,300
♪Surging toward the dawn♪
781
00:47:08,820 --> 00:47:13,420
♪Let it burn until there's nothing left♪
782
00:47:13,940 --> 00:47:16,500
♪We crown our pain like glory♪
783
00:47:16,780 --> 00:47:19,540
♪Give that long-held wish a chance♪
784
00:47:20,580 --> 00:47:25,140
♪Let's run straight into the ruins♪
785
00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:28,540
♪I'd spend the rest of my life with you♪
786
00:47:28,540 --> 00:47:31,500
♪Even if longing turns to ash♪
787
00:47:31,500 --> 00:47:33,300
♪Into a timeless monument♪
788
00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:41,920
♪Broken walls and withered branches, trapped in the mire♪
789
00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:44,680
♪Yet still striving to reach for the sky♪
790
00:47:44,720 --> 00:47:48,760
♪My pride is torn down and my body is sacrificed♪
791
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:53,120
♪The spark smolders in the crack♪
792
00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:55,160
♪And roars in the blaze♪
793
00:47:55,240 --> 00:47:58,480
♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪
794
00:47:58,640 --> 00:48:00,880
♪Fate imprisons me♪
795
00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:05,840
♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪
796
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:10,040
♪Even if hope is faint, I remain proud♪
797
00:48:10,040 --> 00:48:14,320
♪A mayfly will cross the ocean, however long it takes♪
798
00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:19,760
♪However it ends up, I'll go my own way♪
799
00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:21,720
♪With no fear of the distance♪
800
00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:25,440
♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪
801
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:29,880
♪With sword in hand, I'll pierce the dawn♪
802
00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:35,240
♪Let these scars all over me become♪
803
00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:38,840
♪My new pride♪
804
00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:56,520
♪Peril is everywhere in the palace♪
805
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:59,040
♪Yet I smile to nobody but you♪
806
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:01,400
♪Amidst the chaos♪
807
00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:05,680
♪I'll always be with you♪
808
00:49:07,120 --> 00:49:09,240
♪The spark smolders in the crack♪
809
00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:11,280
♪And roars in the blaze♪
810
00:49:11,360 --> 00:49:14,600
♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪
811
00:49:14,760 --> 00:49:17,000
♪Fate imprisons me♪
812
00:49:17,160 --> 00:49:21,960
♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪
813
00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:26,160
♪Even if hope is faint, I remain proud♪
814
00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:30,440
♪A mayfly will cross the ocean, however long it takes♪
815
00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:35,880
♪However it ends up, I'll go my own way♪
816
00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:37,840
♪With no fear of the distance♪
817
00:49:37,840 --> 00:49:41,560
♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪
818
00:49:41,560 --> 00:49:46,000
♪With sword in hand, I'll pierce the dawn♪
819
00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:51,360
♪Let these scars all over me become♪
820
00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:54,960
♪My new pride♪
821
00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:55,960
MkvDrama.net
54972
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.
Afrikaans
Akan
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bemba
Bengali
Bihari
Bosnian
Breton
Bulgarian
Cambodian
Catalan
Cebuano
Cherokee
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Faroese
Finnish
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Guarani
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Kazakh
Kinyarwanda
Kirundi
Kongo
Korean
Krio (Sierra Leone)
Kurdish
Kyrgyz
Laothian
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luganda
Luo
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Maltese
Maori
Mauritian Creole
Moldavian
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Montenegrin
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese (Brazil)
Portuguese (Portugal)
Quechua
Romanian
Romansh
Russian
Samoan
Scots Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Setswana
Seychellois Creole
Shona
Sindhi
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Thai
Tigrinya
Tonga
Turkish
Turkmen
Ukrainian
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Wolof