Original subtitles

Your Highness, we've arrived.

[Duke of Wei's Manor]

- Welcome home, - Welcome home,

- Commandery Princess Zhao Ning. - Commandery Princess Zhao Ning.

I... greet Your Highness.

Please rise, Uncle Qing.

- Your Highness. - It's been many years since we last met,

and you're still as healthy and strong as ever.

I've always been worried about the Duke, the Heir, and Your Highness

so far away in the northwest.

Greetings, Xi He.

[Shen Ying Ruo, the Duke of Wei's second daughter]

Rise.

This way, Your Highness.

[Duke of Wei's Manor]

[Episode 3]

Jing was careless.

Someone exposed him.

Shen Xi He is bound to suspect me. [Lady Xiao, the Duke of Wei's Concubine]

What should I do?

She didn't die.

What can she possibly do to you?

Don't panic.

[Fragrant Snow and Auspicious Clouds]

Your Highness, you've had a long journey.

Why not return to your room and rest?

Mo Yu, throw Lady Xiao out.

How dare you!

Madam!

How dare you lay a hand on me!

Believe it or not, I'll have your hand cut off!

Shen Xi He, have you lost your mind?

How dare you treat me like this!

The eastern courtyard is reserved for the lady of the house.

If you knew your place,

you wouldn't be humiliating yourself today.

Uncle Qing, throw these servants and maids out as well.

Yes.

Men! Throw them all out.

Let go of me!

Let go!

Please calm your anger, Xi He.

Please leave Mother some...

Who is your mother?

Please spare Lady Xiao's dignity.

I'll persuade her to move out today.

Don't beg her.

Shen Xi He, you have no respect for your elders

and no regard for rank!

My elders?

I am Commandery Princess Zhao Ning, personally invested by His Majesty.

You are nothing more than my father's concubine.

You didn't even bow before me, yet I let it pass.

And you dare lecture me about rank?

I am Prince Kang's sister.

The Marquis of Xuanping is my maternal grandfather.

Ying Ruo was also invested as a County Princess by His Majesty.

What gives you the right to look down on us?

Back then, my father was summoned

to the imperial capital to be rewarded by His Majesty.

You bribed a palace attendant

to drug the liquor bestowed by His Majesty

and got into his bed.

My father refused to take you as his concubine,

so you had Prince Kang's Manor secretly spread the rumor

that he would take you as his equal wife.

The news reached the northwest.

My mother was so distressed that she went into labor at eight months.

She died after giving birth to me.

My father was devastated.

He swore never to remarry.

If you hadn't been carrying his child,

you wouldn't even have been worthy of becoming his concubine.

You...

Xi He, please calm your anger.

Why are you kneeling to her?

Shen Xi He,

you humiliated me today.

Do you think you'll have an easy life in the imperial capital from now on?

You've made an enemy of me today.

Prince Kang's Manor will make you repay this a thousandfold!

An enemy?

Not just today.

Ling Long, the maid, works for you.

Ling... Ling Long?

I... I don't know who you're talking about.

She was the vile servant who pushed me into the river

under orders from you and Prince Kang's Manor.

How dare you falsely accuse me!

If I had died,

your daughter would've become the Duke of Wei's only daughter.

Then you could've risen in status through your daughter.

It was your only chance to shed your status as a concubine.

You and Prince Kang's Manor have always been plotting to get rid of me.

But you're not worthy of being my enemy.

You wretch!

Wretch!

You looked so innocent and fragile when you were little.

It was all an act!

You're incredibly scheming.

You're even more venomous than a viper.

As long as Prince Kang's Manor still stands,

I'll make sure you die a miserable death.

Enough!

Take her away. Drive her out!

Throw her out.

- Take them all away. - Move!

Xi He, please spare Lady Xiao this once.

Did you know about Ling Long?

What do you mean?

It seems you really knew nothing.

Think carefully.

Are you a Shen, or a Xiao?

Your Highness, by dealing with Lady Xiao like this,

I'm afraid you'll only make enemies.

Have you ever seen wolves keep company with dogs,

or tigers walk with foxes?

They're beneath me.

There's no point wasting time on them.

- Let's go. - Go.

[Duke of Wei's Manor]

She was really thrown out.

Have you heard?

All these years, everyone thought she was the Duke's wife.

- Turns out she was only a concubine. - Goodness.

She was really thrown out.

How humiliating.

How can anyone be so bold?

Lady Xiao is still a favored concubine.

How could they throw her out of the manor like this?

I rather admire Commandery Princess's spirit of settling every score

and refusing to be taken advantage of.

What?

Compared with those meek and long-suffering young ladies,

the Commandery Princess is rare for her strength and courage.

This is clearly ruthless and merciless.

How did it become strength and courage to you?

Speaking of which,

the Commandery Princess will soon meet the princes.

Who do you think she'll give the Rouge Ledger to?

She will surely give it to me.

[Chenning Hall]

Your Majesty.

By all rights, [Xiao Jue Chong, Emperor Youning]

the Crown Prince should come to the palace to pay his respects.

Yet Your Majesty is personally visiting the Eastern Palace.

Hua Yong has been frail since childhood.

This journey back to the palace must have been exhausting.

I...

truly don't want him to be too tired.

I'll go prepare at once for the visit to the Eastern Palace.

His Majesty has arrived.

Father.

My Hua Yong has returned.

I already exempted you from these formalities, didn't I?

Come.

Hua Yong, now that you're back in the palace,

if anything happens, send someone to inform me at once.

Father,

ever since Mother passed away,

you issued a decree never to appoint another Empress in this lifetime.

I understand that you did it

so no one could shake my position as Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

You also made all the princes' names

avoid "Hua" and change to "Chang",

so they would not conflict with mine.

My daily provisions are also arranged to match Father's.

But I sometimes truly do not understand.

Why would someone as frail as I am

receive such generous care and protection from Father?

Hua Yong.

I...

I still remember

you with your hair in two buns.

So innocent and carefree.

You were exceptionally gifted from a young age.

Whatever you learned,

you never forgot it and mastered it with ease.

You were hailed as an unparalleled prodigy.

You are my most beloved son.

Hua Yong, don't overthink it.

Just focus on recovering.

Only then can I entrust the realm to you.

Thank you, Father.

[Auspicious Radiance]

Tian Yuan, what really happened back then?

Your Highness,

when the case was thoroughly investigated,

after Steward Zhao of the Palace Food Bureau confessed,

she suddenly died in prison.

The case became unsolved, with no evidence left behind.

This poison was made from more than a dozen exotic toxins.

It wouldn't kill at once,

but would make its victim suffer excruciating pain day after day.

I must find out who this person really is,

and why they poisoned me.

They're so close to Father,

yet hidden within the court.

It must be someone of great power to have stayed hidden for so long.

If I don't uncover this person,

they'll remain a grave threat to Father and the realm.

They must be eliminated.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager.

May Your Majesty be blessed with good health.

May Grand Empress Dowager be blessed with good health.

No need for formalities, Commandery Princess Zhao Ning.

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty, [Grand Empress Dowager Meng]

and Grand Empress Dowager. [Grand Empress Dowager Meng]

Your father has sent you to the imperial capital.

I will take good care of you.

From today onward, your food, clothing, and daily provisions

shall follow the rank of a princess.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

[Consort Liang]

[Noble Consort Rong]

Prince Yu has arrived.

I wish Father and Grandmother good health and a long life.

May you enjoy eight thousand springs,

and eight thousand autumns.

Chang Yu, you're always late.

Take a seat.

Your Highness has traveled all the way from the northwest.

You must be exhausted.

Allow me to offer you a toast.

Thank you, Prince Yu.

Your Highness,

the imperial capital has many delightful places.

If Your Highness has the time,

allow me to be your guide.

May I show Your Highness around the capital?

I wouldn't dare trouble Prince Yu.

It would be my honor.

Your Majesty, look.

Chang Yu and the Commandery Princess seem to have hit it off.

They have just met, and they're already getting along.

I've long heard Commandery Princess Zhao Ning is a peerless beauty.

Now that I've seen her, I indeed can't take my eyes off her.

She's a delight to behold.

Your Majesty, just look.

They're all speaking with hidden motives.

They all want Zhao Ning as their daughter-in-law.

I have a request.

I ask Your Majesty to grant it.

Speak freely.

The husband I marry must be the one I love.

So you intend to choose your own husband?

I wish to marry a man who knows and cherishes me,

so we may share a happy marriage.

If husband and wife are at odds,

the household will know no peace.

At worst, it will drive a wedge between the two families.

The Shen family has been honored

with a marriage into the imperial family.

Such a matter must be considered with great care.

My only wish is to marry for love.

I ask Your Majesty to grant my request.

Zhao Ning, let me ask you this.

What if the man you love doesn't love you back?

What would you do?

I would respect the prince's wishes.

Zhao Ning, after saying that,

aren't you afraid you'll become the laughingstock of the entire palace?

Grand Empress Dowager,

to care about what others say and think, is to imprison myself.

That's not who I am.

I seek mutual love.

The princes should have the same wish.

I'm certain I'll find the right man.

Father,

the Commandery Princess has vision, courage, and magnanimity.

She truly proves women are no less than men.

I'd like to ask Father to grant the Commandery Princess's request.

I grant it.

Once you've chosen the right husband from among the princes,

I will arrange the marriage.

The whole realm will know of it.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Your remarks in the hall just now truly impressed me.

You flatter me, Your Highness.

Since you wish to choose your own husband,

how much do you know about my brothers?

I've only just arrived in the imperial capital.

I don't know much about them.

In that case, let me tell you a little about them.

- What do you say? - I'd be glad to hear.

There are currently five princes of marriageable age.

My second brother is Xiao Chang Min.

His wife, Lady Yu, passed away a few years ago.

He has never remarried.

The Yu family still treats him like a son-in-law.

The two families remain close.

My fifth brother is Xiao Chang Qing,

and my ninth brother is Xiao Chang Ying.

Their mother is Noble Consort Rong.

Their uncle, the Duke of Ying, guards Anlan.

He commands a hundred thousand cavalry.

My sixth brother is Xiao Chang Yu, a man of immortal grace.

His mother, Consort Liang, is unmatched in the inner palace.

Ye Qi, Commander-in-Chief of Hexi, is Consort Liang's cousin.

These princes are backed either by powerful families

or wield military power.

That means too many people rely on them.

Entrusting the Rouge Ledger to any of them wouldn't be prudent.

Your Highness is truly fortunate.

Whoever you marry will make a wonderful match.

Why don't you introduce yourself, Your Highness?

I'm different.

I've been away from court for years.

I'm all alone.

I'm just a frail, overlooked, idle Crown Prince.

Your Highness holds the position of Crown Prince.

You enjoy His Majesty's favor.

You're far too modest.

Thank you for your kind words.

Do you still remember our agreement?

Let's meet at the Eastern Palace another day.

I'll be there.

Why didn't Prince Lie send a calling card?

Answer me.

Where is the Rouge Ledger now?

Prince Lie, you needn't ask.

I'll give it to the right person.

Who is it?

Which prince has won your favor?

That's none of your concern.

May I ask, Prince Lie,

if the Rouge Ledger contains members of Noble Consort Rong's family,

could you truly set personal feelings aside and uphold justice?

Just answer me.

Which prince has won your favor?

Is it Chang Yu?

See the guest out.

Wait.

This was your favorite

when you came to the imperial capital with your father as a child.

Give it a try.

[Tao Zhuan Xian, Shen Xi He's Maternal Grandfather, Censor]

[Tao Yuan, Shen Xi He's Uncle]

[Madam Zhang, Shen Xi He's Aunt]

Isn't it good?

You drove Lady Xiao out of the manor?

She's now back at Prince Kang's Manor.

If she gives you any more trouble, you must tell me.

Aren't you afraid of offending Prince Kang's Manor?

Afraid?

Afraid of what?

Ever since Lady Xiao caused my daughter to die,

I'm afraid of nothing.

All these years, I've stood against Prince Kang.

I've never forgotten to seek justice for my daughter.

They may have forgotten my sister's life,

but the Tao family never has.

Thank you, Grandfather and Uncle.

I've grown up.

The blood debt owed by Prince Kang's Manor,

I should be the one to make them pay.

Xi He, you've only just arrived in the imperial capital.

Countless eyes are on you.

You mustn't act rashly.

As long as my father and brother remain in the northwest,

no matter how unhappy they are,

they'll have to endure it.

Don't forget, you still have the Tao family behind you.

That's right.

Your Highness, Prince Yu requests an audience.

Xi He, are you acquainted with Prince Yu?

I only met him once at today's banquet.

Then... why would he come all the way here?

I don't know either.

Please invite Prince Yu inside.

Yes.

- Greetings, Prince Yu. - Greetings, Prince Yu.

You may all rise.

Your Highness as well.

Your Highness has traveled a long way.

I'm afraid you may not have brought everything you need.

I'd like to offer a small token of my regard.

I didn't expect Master Tao to be here as well.

I hope Master Tao doesn't mind.

Of course not.

Prince Yu presents Commandery Princess Zhao Ning

with a glazed incense burner set with milk-nail pattern.

One box of the finest incense. [Imperial Apothecary]

This is an access token to the Imperial Apothecary.

From now on, whatever incense Your Highness requires,

just have your servants fetch it.

Thank you, Prince Yu.

Prince Yu also presents Commandery Princess Zhao Ning

with ten bolts of Mingxia Brocade.

This Mingxia Brocade

was offered as a tribute by the Nvman Kingdom.

Its radiant luster and rich fragrance are truly exceptional.

I had it specially prepared for Your Highness in advance.

Prince Yu also presents Commandery Princess Zhao Ning

with ten pomegranate lip rouges,

ten boxes of rose face powder,

and a string of northern pearls for Your Highness's toilette.

Prince Yu is so generous.

How could I ever repay you?

Your Highness needn't be so polite.

These things are just a small token of my regard.

Thank you, Prince Yu.

It's getting late today.

Perhaps we should meet another day.

You are quite right, Your Highness.

Master Tao and Your Highness have just reunited after so long.

Then... I won't disturb you.

I'll take my leave.

I heard His Majesty intends to choose a husband for you.

Prince Yu was so attentive today.

Does he intend to marry you?

I've only just arrived in the imperial capital.

I don't know much about the princes yet.

I cannot decide.

The sons of the imperial family are all far from simple.

Choosing a husband must be done with great care.

[Prince Xin's Manor]

Chang Qing,

your wife has been gone for three years.

Why do this to yourself?

What it feels like to love someone,

you didn't understand before.

But soon you will.

You want to get close to Commandery Princess Zhao Ning,

yet you don't dare.

You want to show her kindness, yet you don't know how.

The day she saved me,

I remembered her.

When she stole the Rouge Ledger, I was angry,

but I never truly blamed her.

When I went to see her today, it confirmed what I had suspected.

The Commandery Princess took the Rouge Ledger

to give it to someone who would uphold justice.

Chang Qing, you needn't pave the way for me.

What the Commandery Princess is doing is also what I wish to do.

You've truly fallen for her.

I will help you.

I don't need your help.

The one you love is hard to come by.

Don't follow in my footsteps.

I don't want to see you become who you are now.

My brother was once my greatest pride.

He was the man I admired most.

He was full of ambition, always in complete command.

Yet now, his eyes are filled with the weariness of life.

He appears to have found peace and contentment.

But in truth, he has simply grown tired of living.

I once wondered,

[The Late Lady Gu] why I could never warm Qing Zhi's heart.

I felt wronged, lost, and tormented.

It wasn't until she passed away...

that I finally understood.

Everything I gave...

was nothing more than unrequited love.

What right did I have...

to expect her to return my feelings?

Chang Qing,

let her go.

I can't.

Chang Ying,

I'm telling you this...

because I hope you'll discover

what Commandery Princess Zhao Ning truly wants.

Don't let it slip away, and don't make the wrong choice.

I hope you'll find...

the happiness I never had.

Your Highness, the Commandery Princess has arrived.

You're here.

I thought you weren't coming.

Your Highness.

No need for formalities.

The wind is strong out here.

Let's talk inside.

Please.

The Crown Prince truly has a gentle disposition.

He carries the grace and refinement of a royal prince,

yet none of the arrogance so often found among those born to the throne.

Your Highness, what's wrong?

I'm not afraid of bad people.

I'm especially good at fighting evil with evil.

But when it comes to good people,

I never quite know what to do.

Commandery Princess, this way, please.

Every flower and plant in Your Highness's residence

is a rare and precious treasure.

You even diverted hot spring water here.

The flowers bloom in splendid beauty through every season without fading.

You clearly know your flowers.

When did you develop such refined tastes?

You're too kind, Your Highness.

I've loved flowers and plants ever since I was a child.

What a coincidence.

I've loved growing flowers and tending plants since childhood as well.

From now on, you are always welcome at the East Palace

to admire the beauty of flowers

and appreciate the charm of nature together.

Commandery Princess,

do you know how this garden came to be?

I've put so much into it.

Commandery Princess, please.

The tea glows with a bright apricot hue,

and its fragrance is light and refreshing.

Preparing tea, burning incense,

arranging flowers, and displaying paintings.

Tea is what I do best.

Your Highness,

this tea is Wuyang tea personally grown by Crown Prince.

Your Highness grows tea yourself?

When I was young,

I fell gravely ill.

I could neither excel in academics nor martial arts like my brothers.

My father pitied me,

so he entrusted state affairs to them

and allowed me to focus on recovering.

Naturally, I came to appreciate these seemingly useless pursuits.

Your Highness, the knowledge and skills one acquires

are meant to serve the realm.

You need not belittle yourself.

If Heaven has denied me something,

then I'll cherish what I have before me.

Enjoy today's happiness while it lasts.

I have something I'd like to present to Your Highness.

What is it?

[Rouge Ledger]

This ledger records the crimes of corrupt officials.

Its contents are truly shocking.

Where did you obtain it?

By a fortunate turn of fate.

I'm entrusting it to Your Highness

because I believe that once you have the Rouge Ledger,

you will sweep away corruption with decisive resolve.

With a heart as impartial as a scale and justice as steadfast as a mountain.

However deeply rooted the corrupt officials and greedy eunuchs may be,

you will show them no mercy and uproot them completely.

We've only met twice, yet you trust me so completely?

For me, one meeting is enough.

Besides, I trust my own judgment.

And I trust in Your Highness's integrity even more.

You are the first to place hope in me, a Crown Prince in name only.

I will do everything in my power

to live up to the faith you have placed in me.

The Commandery Princess has returned to the Duke of Wei's Manor.

Your Highness expected this all along

because you saw that she trusted your character.

She was only putting on an act.

The real reason

is that she knows every other prince has powerful forces behind

and would inevitably protect their own allies.

Only someone like me, who left the palace at a young age,

has no maternal family to rely on, and stands apart from every faction,

can remain impartial, without selfish motives,

and bring every corrupt official named in this ledger to justice.

Along the way,

I kept wondering how someone could be so cold and rational.

But today, I truly admire her unwavering devotion to the greater good.

Your Highness,

Prince Yu followed the Commandery Princess to the Duke of Wei's Manor

with a cart full of gifts.

The Commandery Princess accepted every single one.

If he wants to give them, let him.

Since Chang Yu offered them willingly,

accepting them is simply showing him courtesy.

Exactly. In short,

whatever the Commandery Princess does is right.

I know exactly what my brothers are thinking.

Whoever marries Shen Xi He will gain control of the northwestern army.

Their intentions are far from honorable.

How could I let them have their way?

As for Chang Yu,

it's time someone put him in his place.

[Sixian Hall]

After you, Chang Yu.

The tea carries a subtle fragrance.

I never expected Your Highness to be so skilled in the art of tea.

Tea is said to cure all ailments.

With my health, I can hardly do without it.

The imperial capital is home to many renowned physicians.

I'm sure the day will come

when Your Highness makes a full recovery.

Thank you for your kind words, Chang Yu.

Speaking of the imperial capital,

it truly is full of remarkable talents.

Today, I met a musician

who plays the vertical konghou exquisitely.

I still remember that your mother

was especially fond of the vertical konghou.

So I invited you here today to enjoy the performance together.

This musician's skill on the vertical konghou,

though taught by you, falls far short of yours.

Why does Your Highness say I taught this musician?

What I have most is time.

When it comes to the vertical konghou, I know a thing or two myself.

The techniques at your fingertips are exactly the same.

This musician is the qin instructor to Music Office dancer Bian Xian Yi.

Bian Xian Yi's dancing is unrivaled in the imperial capital.

She is only 18,

yet no matter how many princes and noble heirs seek her hand,

[Bian Xian Yi, Dancer from Music Office] she refuses them all.

Meanwhile, you have yet to take a principal wife,

and have twice declined Father's arrangements for your marriage.

Could it be the two of you made a promise to each other?

Why would Your Highness make such baseless assumptions?

If you wanted to take Bian Xian Yi as a concubine,

it would be easy.

Yet you chose not to.

Could it be because you feared she would suffer?

As a prince, you look beyond social rank.

I truly admire that about you, Chang Yu.

What exactly are you trying to imply?

I recently heard a story.

A man first marries a noble lady as his principal wife.

If she dies young,

or loses her life in some tragic accident,

he can then marry the woman he truly loves as his second wife,

instead of making her a concubine.

What a fanciful tale.

Even if my principal wife were to pass away,

a woman from the Music Office could never become my second wife.

You must have already thought that through.

If you married Shen Xi He and secured the northwestern army,

with such a pillar of the nation behind you,

Father might very well approve.

That's nothing but groundless speculation. None of it is true.

Besides, my feelings for the Commandery Princess are sincere.

She is the only one I love.

Please don't question my sincerity.

I'll take my leave.

Then why are you wearing Bian Xian Yi's token of love?

The embroidered pattern on that sachet is an entwining lotus,

the very same design as the forehead adornment Bian Xian Yi wears.

You set me up?

So you've been gathering leverage against me all along?

Chang Yu,

I've spent years away from the palace recovering.

My brothers have never been close to me.

The lonelier I felt, the more I cherished the bond between us.

I've always wanted what's best for you.

Is that truly how you see me?

It saddens me deeply.

Go on.

Keep acting.

I may have wronged my wife, but I have never betrayed Xian Yi.

Nor have I betrayed the woman I truly love.

What's wrong with that?

I'm the one who's gravely ill.

Yet it seems your condition is even worse.

Such a thing, devoid of all humanity, must never be done.

Then I simply won't admit to any of it.

What can you possibly do to me?

You think there's nothing I can do?

Tea is best enjoyed for its flavor.

A play is best enjoyed from beginning to end.

Your Highness!

Your Highness. Your Highness!

Your Highness! Your Highness!

Your Highness, what's wrong?

Your Highness!

Prince Yu, what have you done?

You've angered him so badly that he coughed up blood!

Someone!

Prince Yu has made the Crown Prince cough up blood!

- He's coughing up blood! - Your Highness!

- Summon the Imperial Physician! - Your Highness!

The Crown Prince has coughed up blood!

- Quick, summon the Imperial Physician! - Your Highness, wake up!

- Your Highness! - His Highness has coughed up blood!

Your Highness!

Princes, if any of you admire Commandery Princess Zhao Ning,

today is the perfect opportunity to declare your feelings.

This Incense Record is the finest of its kind.

I hope you will accept it.

If I should win your favor,

I swear to spend my life with only one wife.

And... I, too, wish to ask for your hand in marriage.