Original subtitles

Look at the pinwheel drums!

(Premium Medicinal Herbs)

What's wrong with the child?

What's wrong with the child?

Quick, take a look!

He suddenly collapsed while he was walking.

Whose child is this?

Poor thing.

(Baicao Herb House)

Thank you all for saving me.

If the opportunity ever arises,

I'll surely repay your kindness one day.

It was nothing.

There's no need to repay us.

Zhen Zhu.

Leave him some money.

I'm not a beggar.

I don't want charity.

My father

was once a military commander.

He died in battle two years ago.

My mother was heartbroken

and followed him in death.

After that,

I was sent to Gudu Garden.

The wages I earn carrying cargo at the docks are enough

to support myself.

What's Gudu Garden?

It's a place that takes in the orphaned children of fallen soldiers.

=Blossoms of Power=

(Adapted from the novel, After My Bloom, All Flowers Wither by Jin Huang)

=Episode 7=

(Gudu Garden)

Liang, let me help.

Pack that a little tighter.

Well done.

You'll make a fine soldier someday.

Bring two more.

Come on.

Lay it a little thicker here.

Don't let the storm leave the children out in the cold.

All right.

Spread it out evenly.

All right.

Yes, over here.

Got it.

Pull.

I'll get that for you.

Tie it down securely.

There.

Go get some rest.

Come here.

Let me take a look.

Careful.

Slowly.

Your Highness,

please let me do it.

These children are badly injured.

Your status is too noble.

No need for you to do this yourself.

Have you forgotten why these children

became orphans?

If their fathers hadn't fought so bravely,

defending our nation and laying down their lives,

they could have lived carefree lives.

What right do I have to shrink from this?

I spoke out of turn.

I'm willing to accept punishment.

Report back for twenty strokes.

Yes, Your Highness.

Come.

Let me put some ointment on it.

No. I don't want to.

It hurts.

You're a brave young man.

A real man doesn't cry over blood.

What's a little pain?

Hold still.

I don't want to!

Putting on ointment hurts.

That's why I brought candied fruit.

The bravest child gets three pieces.

The ones who aren't as brave only get one.

So,

are you the bravest child?

I'm the bravest.

Come on.

Go play.

Thank you for your help today.

Think nothing of it.

I still owe you

my thanks for the Anxi Defense Map.

However,

I have another favor to ask today.

Please, go ahead.

This child is exceptionally gifted.

Though still young, he's proud and unyielding.

He refuses to be bent by poverty.

He's a born soldier.

I'd like to ask you

to take him to the army camp for training.

If you think so highly of him,

he must be exceptional.

Very well.

I'll take him in.

A soldier without a strategy

is nothing more than a brute.

Besides teaching him martial arts,

please also teach him to read and write

and study military strategy.

I won't let you down.

Since you've been blessed with talent,

make the most of it.

Study hard and master every skill you can.

When you grow up,

become a soldier like your father,

standing tall with unwavering resolve.

Yes.

Rest assured, Your Highness.

I'll study hard.

Go pack your things.

It's getting late.

I should be going now.

Your Highness.

There's something I'd like to ask.

Please, go ahead.

Gudu Garden, which shelters fallen soldiers' orphans,

has always been funded by the military.

Today,

I saw with my own eyes how neglected and run-down this place has become.

It made me wonder...

If even the meager funds for Gudu Garden

have been embezzled to this extent,

What about military supplies, which cost hundreds or thousands of times more?

Could they have also been embezzled?

You have been thinking about this too?

A few coins in a corrupt official's pocket

could mean several lives lost in battle.

But this is only my suspicion.

So I'd like to ask your brother

to secretly investigate the military supplies in northwest.

I'll also conduct

a thorough inspection of my own camps.

It's a worthy cause.

I'll write to my brother as soon as I return.

I won't let you down.

Thank you.

Your Highness,

don't you think

the heavenly maidens in temple murals

must look

just like the Commandery Princess?

To most people,

the children of Gudu Garden

are as insignificant as ants,

deserving contempt more than pity.

The Commandery Princess is not only kind,

but also sees talent beyond status.

She has never looked down on those of humble birth.

I truly admire her.

The Noble Consort always says she wants to find Your Highness

the finest noble lady in the imperial capital.

But if you ask me,

only the Commandery Princess is worthy of Your Highness.

I'm the one who must become worthy of her.

Vice Minister Cui said

he thoroughly investigated Ye Qi.

(Auspicious Radiance) He found the Hexi Army

under Ye Qi's command

had top-quality weapons

and warhorses,

on par with the Imperial Guard.

With an army this strong,

it's no wonder he wants to replace the Duke of Wei.

But as Commander-in-Chief of Hexi,

where did he get so much money?

More than ten years ago,

Ye Qi rescued a minor official

in charge of the local horse administration in Anxi.

The man was exceptionally capable and rose through the ranks.

With Ye Qi's backing,

he rose from a horse administration official

to Minister of Revenue.

Minister of Revenue...

Dong Biquan?

If Ye Qi amassed that much wealth,

he most likely embezzled military funds.

Dong Biquan

would naturally turn a blind eye.

Your Highness,

I've long heard

that officials in local horse administration

often lend horses to foreign merchants in secret

to transport tribute goods.

It seems

Dong Biquan

must have had plenty of dealings with them.

If we're investigating the poison,

that's another lead to follow.

The autumn grain shipment is due soon.

If we're going after Dong Biquan,

let's send this year's grain

to the right place.

Prince Lie asked my brother

to investigate the military supplies and payroll.

He wrote back

that only half of this year's military funds

ever reached northwest.

I wonder how things are in Shunan.

The same as every year.

The military budget has been skimmed.

The grain and cloth

are always inferior substitutes.

Why not report it to the court?

Everyone knows what's going on.

It's the same every year.

Losses in transit,

and poor-quality supplies.

They have no shortage of excuses.

If you accept them, they'll deny everything afterward.

But if you insist on checking everything before accepting it,

they'll drag it out until you give up.

And if you make too much of it,

they might even

turn the blame on you.

Now that the realm is at peace,

the damage from embezzled military funds

isn't obvious.

But if disaster or war breaks out,

and the treasury runs dry,

it will become the root of chaos.

In truth, every military camp wants to investigate.

But the Ministry of Revenue is airtight.

There's simply no way in.

Then...

let's start with Gudu Garden.

Gudu Garden?

Gudu Garden is also funded by the military budget.

And it's the least noticeable

and most overlooked branch.

Prince Lie and I both believe

it's full of loopholes,

making it the easiest place to uncover evidence.

A fine idea.

However,

since when did you and Prince Lie

start working together?

Prince Lie may seem hot-tempered,

but he's an honorable man at heart.

We're not close.

We just happened

to work on the same case.

You're closest to the Crown Prince.

You see that he's frail and want to find a backup.

You're playing both sides.

Never mind playing both sides.

What if I were to explore a few more options?

That's what I like about you.

Any other young lady,

if she had such thoughts,

would keep them to herself.

But you're different.

You don't hide a thing. You're completely open about it.

Why haven't you changed your Spring Snow Fragrance?

My mother passed away young.

It was

her favorite fragrance.

I know you keep wearing it to remember her.

But your mother

would never want you to expose yourself because of her

and bring death upon yourself.

I have an idea.

I can use Spring Snow Fragrance as the base note

to create a fragrance for men.

That way,

you can wear it openly from now on.

Thank you, Xihe.

Don't thank me.

Just send me those 3000 elite troops sooner.

Your Highness,

the Commandery Princess's people

have started looking into Gudu Garden.

Gudu Garden?

Dong Biquan

keeps the Ministry of Revenue under tight control.

No matter how thorough my arrangements,

there are always things I can't account for.

An overlooked place like Gudu Garden

is the perfect place to follow the trail.

Wait.

Quietly let Dong Biquan know

that Gudu Garden is being investigated.

Only when cornered

will he take desperate measures.

Go.

Yes, Your Highness.

First someone hijacked the military supplies,

and now they're investigating Gudu Garden.

They're leaving me no way out!

Minister Dong,

the grain shipment was already short

when it left our hands.

If they launch a full investigation,

His Majesty will surely find out.

If we fail to recover it, we'll be blamed for negligence.

But if they do recover it,

it'll be even worse.

All the embezzlement

will come to light.

For now,

we have to pay for it ourselves

and replace the stolen grain.

Keep people from talking.

Replace it?

We...

can buy grain cheaply from elsewhere

and make up part of the shortage first.

That'll keep the army from unrest.

Once we're through this,

we'll make a long-term plan.

Tian Yuan.

Go find a grain merchant for Dong Biquan.

Let him buy enough low-priced grain

to cover the shortage.

Once the deal is done,

go to the prison and find two inmates.

Understood.

The Commandery Princess has been relentlessly investigating Gudu Garden.

Dong Biquan had a guilty conscience.

That gave him the final push.

Speeding up his downfall.

Once again, I've seen firsthand

that your strategies are every bit the equal of the Commandery Princess's.

As if fate itself,

we're destined to walk the same path.

Your Highness,

why make it sound so complicated?

Just say it.

You think everything about her is wonderful.

(Taiji Hall)

Your Majesty,

five days ago,

two convicted prisoners escaped from the prison outside the capital.

In the end,

they were captured at an abandoned estate

outside the capital.

Not only that,

but several hundred dan of grain were also found there.

The grain sacks

bore the markings of tax grain.

Who owns that estate?

Our investigation found

it belongs to Dong Biquan, Minister of Revenue.

Your Majesty,

I do own an estate outside the capital,

but I've been tied up with official duties all these years

and have no time to look after it.

So I simply let it fall into disrepair.

I believe

someone may have thought it was abandoned,

occupied it without permission,

and used it for criminal activities.

That is entirely possible.

Your Majesty,

there are countless estates outside the capital.

Why did those two convicts

just happen to flee to mine,

and expose a stash of tax grain there?

I believe

someone deliberately framed me.

I beg Your Majesty to see the truth.

Vice Minister Cui.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Do you have any evidence

proving the tax grain is connected to Minister Dong?

Your Majesty,

a grain merchant from Jiangnan

has submitted evidence that Minister Dong intended to sell him grain.

Every piece of evidence is conclusive.

And the amount of grain

matches exactly what was found at Minister Dong's estate.

I'm innocent!

I... I truly am innocent!

I wasn't trying to sell grain.

I was trying to buy it.

Why were you buying grain?

Your Majesty,

after the autumn grain shipment was seized,

I...

I feared... feared Your Majesty would be worried.

So I thought

I'd first purchase part of the autumn grain,

allocate it to the military,

and keep morale steady.

The autumn grain was seized. This is no small matter.

Yet Minister Dong tried to cover it up on his own.

May I ask,

where did the money come from?

Your Majesty,

if the Ministry of Revenue has embezzled public funds,

it will spread panic throughout the court

and even among the common people.

This is a crime that threatens the very foundation of the realm.

I request

a full investigation of the Ministry of Revenue.

- Your Majesty, authorize - Your Majesty, authorize

- a full investigation - a full investigation

- into the Ministry of Revenue. - into the Ministry of Revenue.

Granted.

What brings the Crown Prince here?

The Ministry of Revenue's corruption,

the empty treasury,

and Ye Qi's rise to power

were all brought about by you, Minister Dong.

Your Highness,

you actually knew about my connection to Ye Qi.

You planned all of this from the very beginning.

After the autumn grain was seized,

I thought replacing the missing grain

would be enough to cover it up.

Instead, you turned it into irrefutable evidence.

Whether it was embezzling the autumn grain

or siphoning off military supplies,

both are capital crimes.

I underestimated you.

Minister Dong,

what's the point of dwelling on that now?

Your crimes are beyond forgiveness.

But if you answer my question...

I can spare the rest of your household.

What does Your Highness wish to know?

There is a rare poison from the Western Regions.

It is made from more than a dozen poisons from Persia and the Uyghurs.

It is exceedingly rare.

Its effects can only be suppressed temporarily.

It can never be fully cured.

When you oversaw horse affairs at the Court of Imperial Stables,

did you ever hear of such a poison?

I once knew

a foreign merchant who dealt in banned drugs.

He mentioned a rare poison from the Western Regions.

It sounded very much like what Your Highness described.

What is his name?

What does he look like?

Which market did he frequent? Which trade route did he travel?

Tell me everything you remember.

Leave nothing out.

Can Your Highness truly spare my wife and children?

Believe me,

and there may still be hope.

If not, your entire household will still face execution.

There's no rush.

Think it over carefully, Minister Dong.

(Duke of Wei's Manor)

I heard His Majesty praised Crown Prince's benevolence today.

Indeed.

Benevolent to the very end.

That doesn't sound

like your true opinion, Your Highness.

Why not?

Toward his officials,

he argued that the families should not be punished for their crimes

and spared their wives and children.

A display of mercy and compassion.

(Fucui Pavilion)

Toward the military,

he donated the East Palace's own wealth to replenish military provisions,

steadying morale and putting the greater good first.

Toward His Majesty,

he proposed that military supplies be distributed on schedule,

showing the responsibility expected of the heir apparent.

From top to bottom, inside and out,

no one has a bad word to say about him.

Nor can anyone find reason to doubt him.

What I cannot tell is

whether all of this

comes from genuine benevolence,

or from a masterfully laid scheme.

Your Highness,

could the Crown Prince

really be that calculating?

Aren't we living proof?

Even now, we still can't see through him.

Xihe.

Have you heard?

His Majesty has ordered

that military grain supplies be fully replenished.

I have.

It's good news.

I told my father

about it.

He told me to pay my respects

to the soldiers of Shunan who fell in battle.

Would you like to come with me?

To pay tribute to the fallen soldiers?

That's right.

Didn't the Duke of Wei

also ask you to honor the fallen soldiers of northwest?

Of course he did.

In that case,

let's go together.

All right.

(Loyal Souls Shine Forever)

Your Highness.

Greetings, Prince Lie.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Are you here to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers as well?

Yes.

My father always told me

to come here every Qingming and Ghost Festival to pay tribute to them.

It's the same for Commandery Princess.

The Duke and the Marquis love their country as they do their own family

and cherish their soldiers like their own sons.

I have nothing but admiration.

Why is

this tomb empty?

The soldiers fought bravely on the battlefield.

Many of them could not even have their remains

brought home for burial.

All that could be laid to rest

were broken arrows and jade pendants.

They were heroes who defended our country,

and brothers who fought beside me through life and death.

Even if all that remains is a single keepsake

or a letter from home,

I will bring it back and give them a proper burial,

so future generations will remember them.

Well said, Your Highness.

Now that Dong Biquan has fallen,

the funds withheld from Gudu Garden have finally been restored.

We owe it all to you.

On behalf

of the fallen soldiers and the orphans they left behind,

I offer my deepest thanks.

Your hand is injured.

It's only a scratch.

It's nothing.

Mo Yu,

bring me the medicine kit.

All done.

Thank you.

He's truly a remarkable young man.

Among all the princes,

Prince Lie is a rare military talent.

It's rare to hear you speak so highly of someone.

Xihe, you may not know this.

Prince Lie's maternal family, the Rong family,

comes from a family of generals.

His maternal grandfather, General Rong,

fell in battle.

Of his four sons,

two died in battle.

A family of heroes.

The Crown Prince is in frail health.

If he were to die young,

everyone knows

Prince Xin is more than capable.

Otherwise,

His Majesty would never have let the Rong family and Prince Lie

hold military command for so many years.

I just saw that Xihe seems to admire

Prince Lie quite a bit.

You're from northwest.

Could it be that you prefer more masculine men?

Do not presume to know another's heart.

Simply wait and see.

Please.

Crown Prince always keeps his plans well hidden.

He rarely summons all of us together.

Is there something urgent today?

These past few days,

Commandery Princess Zhaoning and Changying have grown quite close.

And Zhaoning...

It's hard for any man not to fall for her.

Your Highness,

how about

arranging an unmatched beauty for Prince Lie?

You mean...

using a honey trap?

I don't like using women to achieve my goals.

In this world,

life is already unfair enough for women.

I'd rather

make use of men.

A handsome man trap?

Me?

Your martial arts are exceptional.

Changying admires martial prowess.

Prince Lie is well-versed in every style of martial arts.

After no more than five exchanges,

he would figure out where I came from.

I'm afraid...

I could never escape his notice.

I'd like to help ease Your Highness's burden as well.

It's just that Bu Shulin follows me around every single day.

Wherever I go, he goes.

If I start meeting with Prince Lie,

he'll definitely come and make trouble.

Why are the three of you looking at me like that?

Your Highness,

the three of us are all in agreement.

This time,

you'll have to handle it yourself.

(Moyang Martial Hall)

You.

Don't move.

Turn around.

Who are you?

You're just a sickly invalid.

Hand over everything valuable you've got.

Don't make me do it myself.

It's the imperial capital, right beneath His Majesty's rule,

and you're robbing me in broad daylight?

Quit dragging this out.

(Crown Prince?)

Hand it over.

Is that all?

That's really everything.

Just so you won't report me,

I'll send you on your way!

Thank you for coming to my aid in time.

If you hadn't arrived when you did,

I would've been powerless to resist.

There's no need to thank me.

I'll have someone escort you back to the East Palace.

I'll take my leave.

Changying.

Will you keep me company

and have a drink with me

to calm my nerves?

Huayong,

it's so late.

Why did you come out alone?

I was feeling stifled, so I came out for some air. Come.

With this frail body of mine,

I can only drown my sorrows in liquor.

Unlike you, Changying,

a young general galloping across the battlefield.

How exhilarating that must be.

Yet here I am in the imperial capital,

unable to reclaim our lost lands for Daxing

or expand its borders.

What kind of young general does that make me?

Huayong,

do you truly

intend to marry Commandery Princess Zhaoning?

To seek the hand of a lady in marriage

is no trivial matter.

We both seek the hand of Commandery Princess Zhaoning.

Then let us compete honorably,

open and aboveboard,

each relying on his own merits.

It need not damage the bond between us as brothers.

A true man

should wield integrity as his sword.

Even if one of us loses in love,

we can still share a drink beneath the rosy skies

until we're both drunk on the evening glow.

Well said.

Huayong,

allow me to toast you.

Come.

Changying,

will you accompany me tomorrow

on a hunting trip?

Changying,

let's see which of us comes out on top.

Come, Changying.

Come.

Huayong.

There's an ancestral hall nearby.

Why don't we take shelter there?

All right.

Let's go.

(Loyalty Strong as Gold and Stone)

"I would give my life to save my country,

and face death as though returning home."

This inscription

(Meng Fei) was written by General Meng himself.

Its structure is upright,

with powerful rhythm and flow.

Only one who is truly loyal to his sovereign and country

could write such calligraphy.

I can almost picture

his brush dancing across the page.

You're a young hero yourself.

No wonder you understand how he felt.

Huayong,

you're giving me far too much credit.

How could I

possibly compare myself to the Martial Saint?

Why not?

Before you were even fifteen,

you could draw a 150 kg bow

and wield an eight-stone crossbow.

The whole realm was astonished.

At seventeen, you entered the battlefield

and captured or slew enemy generals time and again.

Before you even turned twenty,

you had already become your grandfather's

most trusted general.

In the campaign against Wenyu,

you won thirteen major victories

and earned a legendary name on the battlefield.

I didn't expect you to remember so much.

Far more than that.

Your heroic deeds have long spread throughout the imperial capital.

Your grandfather

was especially proud of you.

My grandfather devoted his life to war.

I remember

the last time he marched into battle,

he was already sixty-four years old.

He fought to defend our borders for four full years.

When he lay dying,

he was still filled with grief and fury.

With his last ounce of strength, he cried out,

"Kill the enemy!

Kill the enemy!"

To honor your grandfather,

Father bestowed these words upon his epitaph,

"Heroic and Upright."

He truly deserved

those three words throughout his life.

Changying,

you now command the Anlan Army.

If you also marry Commandery Princess Zhaoning,

more than half of Great Xing's military power

will fall into your hands.

At court, those noble families with their own agendas

will surely unite against you.

Under such immense pressure,

Father, to protect you,

will certainly strip you of your military command

and bring you back to the imperial capital to serve as a court official.

If that happens,

you'll never again have the chance

to fulfill your grandfather's final wish.

You're right.

Everything you've said,

I had never considered before.

Thank you for your guidance.

The young should aspire to soar like great swans.

They should ride swift steeds across the open plains.

You and I,

shall stand side by side

and fulfill our ambitions together.

Your Highness!

Who

tried to harm Zhaoning?

If she doesn't receive better treatment,

I'm afraid she'll spend the rest of her life confined to this sickbed.

Your Highness,

are you truly going in person?

The extreme cold will worsen the poison inside your body.

The danger will be immense.

♪How can you be this wonderful?♪

♪I've hidden so many words♪

♪Too reluctant to tell you♪

♪So never uncover♪

♪The sand that slips away with one grasp♪

♪The flower that withers after one bloom♪

♪Silently buried deep inside my heart♪

♪Every answer I gave♪

♪Was both bittersweet and absurd♪

♪Hiding my tear-filled eyes when I hurt you♪

♪How hard it truly was?♪

♪The wounds that healed with just a little comfort♪

♪The lies made whole with a single embrace♪

♪Pretending to be brave as if I'd never been hurt♪

♪It's a shame I never could♪

♪Give you a moon in return♪

♪With the same open heart you loved me♪

♪I've crossed the wasteland of memories♪

♪Never knowing I was lost♪

♪Why don't you take me away?♪

♪Lead me out of this endless game of hide-and-seek♪

♪You'll never♪

♪Know how much I long to, long to♪