Original subtitles

This letter

is the distress letter Consort Virtue wrote to Wei Yan years ago.

Wei Yan, for his own selfish desires,

returned to the Capital without orders.

He abandoned the soldiers of Jinzhou at the front line,

and ultimately

caused a catastrophe.

[Yan, I hope this letter finds you well. Disaster has struck, and I seek your help.]

[Beijue has invaded our Great Yin. My father led the troops]

[to protect the peace of our court. But it was all the schemes of traitors.]

[They conspired and slandered, and that foolish ruler easily believed them.]

A thief crying "thief".

Wei Yan,

you are the biggest traitor in the Battle of Jinzhou!

This is Qi Rongyin's letter.

It's been 17 years.

You must have forgotten.

Let me read it for you.

Yan.

-May this letter remind you of me. -Shut up!

Wei Changyu, if you want a fight, let's fight.

Don't insult the innocence of the deceased.

Prime Minister Wei, it seems there are still people you care about.

Seventeen years ago,

my mother hid this letter

inside the candy box you gave her.

All these years,

you've done too much evil.

That's why you felt so guilty

and didn't dare touch the candy box at all.

Prime Minister Wei, dare I ask you,

in the past 17 years,

have you ever repented to my father?

Have you ever pitied

the thousands of dead soldiers?

Have you ever mourned

your sister who was forced to commit suicide?

A fake letter,

a pair of fake Tiger Tally,

and you want to smear me?

Haven't you silenced enough people

because of this letter?

If Consort Virtue knew in the afterlife

-the things you've done... -Shut up!

Don't mention her.

It's not hard to prove if the Tiger Tally

is real.

The Tiger Tally is a treasure of the state,

archived in the Ministry of War.

Although the archives were burned,

the person who made the Tiger Tally back then,

Grand Tutor Tao, is still alive.

Prime Minister Wei, you just need to ask him.

Grand Tutor Tao has arrived.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Grand Tutor Tao is one of the few witnesses from that time.

We must preserve the Royal Family's dignity.

As such, please determine if this

military tally is genuine or not.

Yes, Your Majesty.

[Talisman of Military Field]

Your Majesty,

I personally supervised the making of this tally back then.

There is a mark on it.

This is the real item.

Prime Minister Wei,

what else do you have to say?

You will be Empress soon.

Wei Yan!

You are ambitious, cruel,

and have deceived your ruler.

Your crimes deserve death!

Imperial Guard!

Here.

Take him down.

Yes.

Wei Yan, you...

Kid of the Qi family,

do you have the guts?

Yigui, you cannot make more mistakes.

Report!

Your Majesty, bad news.

[Diligent and Virtuous]

The rebel Sui Yuanhuai

has sent his army to breach the Great Yin Gate.

What?

How did they get in?

The day has finally come.

He certainly knows how to pick a day.

The grievance between us, uncle and nephew,

must be settled.

But before that,

I must quell this rebellion first.

Let's go.

[Pursuit of Jade]

[Episode 39]

Everyone,

kill them!

[Great Yin Gate]

Welcome the rightful owner back to the palace.

Welcome the rightful owner back to the palace.

Welcome the rightful owner back to the palace.

Welcome the rightful owner back to the palace.

Welcome the rightful owner back to the palace.

After 17 years,

I have finally reclaimed my rightful place.

Your Highness regaining the throne

is clearly the will of Heaven.

It is your destiny.

It is your destiny.

Qianqian.

Well?

I have kept

my promise to you.

You madman.

Do you really think I want to be your Empress?

Keep dreaming.

You will agree.

Brother Sheng.

You've sat on this throne for over a decade.

Was it comfortable?

Brother.

I...

I have been waiting for you for a long time.

The Imperial Seal is here.

It's all yours.

Please don't kill me, Brother.

Brother, don't kill me.

To think Great Yin has a pushover like you as the emperor...

How can you live up to the torture I've suffered all these years?

Take him away.

Await my judgment.

Yes.

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Is he really going to be the Emperor?

Report! Unusual movements spotted at Xuan Gate.

Reinforcements may be arriving from outside the palace.

Not good.

It's a trap.

Li Xing colluded with the rebel Sui Yuanhuai to commit treason.

Such traitors

must all be arrested.

Old Wretch Wei.

Do not think

that with just these few men,

you can stop His Highness's Fifth Barracks.

Is this not enough?

Just these few men?

Besides, it's not yet certain whose side

Marquis of Wu'an is on.

Marquis of Wu'an, since you've come to join the fun,

why not cooperate with me?

I have already detained that puppet emperor.

Why not serve me?

After all, I am the true blood of Crown Prince Chengde.

Qi Min.

You secretly colluded with Beijue

and intended to use this chance to threaten Great Yin.

Did you really think I was unaware?

Ever since you claimed to be the heir of Crown Prince Chengde,

you have forgotten the former Eastern Palace's

bravery in swearing death rather than surrendering to Beijue.

How could I, Xie Zheng,

ever submit to you?

What?

You dare to collude with Beijue in secret

and hand over Great Yin's territory to barbarians?

There is no turning back now.

Grand Tutor Li, it is too late for regrets.

You...

What Prime Minister Wei has done is far worse than what I have done.

The fall of Jinzhou,

the slaughter of its citizens,

and the cession of the 12 commanderies of Liaodong to the barbarians

were all caused by Wei Yan

in his desire to seize control of Great Yin.

I am merely completing the game

that he left unfinished years ago.

You...

Prime Minister Wei.

Seventeen years ago,

you bathed the palace in blood.

Did you think that no one would know

about your illicit affairs in the palace that way?

You're just a bastard posing as royalty.

How dare you spout nonsense and fabricate facts?

You know better than anyone

who is spouting the nonsense here.

Seize him.

All the traitors and rebels present today

shall be executed without mercy.

Look, Prime Minister Wei.

Your wife and son are here.

I assure you,

if your men dare to step forward,

their heads will roll.

I did not expect you to be so cold-blooded.

Then let Madam Wei

and the Young Master

go to hell first.

Kill them!

Kill!

Kill!

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

I will make you Great Generals, alright?

Alright?

One more word and you're dead, you dog of an Emperor!

It's time to end this.

Prime Minister.

This is between us, uncle and nephew.

Stay out of it. Stand down.

♪ The world is vast ♪

♪ The storm is rising ♪

♪ Day and night ♪

♪ We strive to save the world ♪

Your swordsmanship has improved quite a bit.

♪ All people ♪

I will use my father's swordsmanship

to seek justice for my and Changyu's parents,

♪ Are part of the past ♪

the former Eastern Palace, and the soldiers who died tragically

in Jinzhou.

Very well.

♪ What's the date today? ♪

Come on.

♪ How lamentable ♪

♪ The world is vast ♪

Give up.

You will never get

♪ The storm is rising ♪

what doesn't belong to you.

Look, this empire belongs to me.

♪ Day and night ♪

It was mine from the start!

♪ We strive to save the world ♪

Do you like it?

Do you?

I don't want any of it.

♪ All people ♪

Being an emperor is hard.

♪ Are part of the past ♪

♪ What's the date today? ♪

I don't want to be an emperor anymore.

♪ How lamentable ♪

I won't do it anymore.

You really are mad!

I am not mad.

I chose to live because of you.

For me?

Fine.

If I die, you'll stop being mad.

I will not allow you to die.

Qi Min!

Let go of Qianqian.

Changyu.

Don't worry about me.

I can't escape.

Let go of her!

Or I'll kill you.

Changyu.

Just let go.

My matter with him shouldn't drag you down.

I wanted imperial power.

And I wanted you.

But in the end,

I have nothing.

Let go!

You'll kill her!

He won't let go.

He will never learn to let go.

♪ I just don't want to ♪

♪ Keep weighing every word ♪

♪ And hiding in time in silence ♪

♪ It's not that I don't believe in karma ♪

♪ That I'm being stubborn ♪

You're selfish,

♪ Some endings have long been ♪

cruel,

and unpredictable.

♪ Weathered through a thousand years ♪

But all of this is your disguise.

♪ Traced by those who come after ♪

You're just hiding your fear.

♪ Compared to fading away in sorrow ♪

♪ I'd rather fight ♪

You are a pitiful person.

Is my love so worthless

♪ Life's bitterness ♪

that you can just trample on it?

♪ Comes from love ♪

That isn't love.

It's possession. It's control!

♪ Love, yet so hard to hold ♪

I don't want anything.

♪ Like holding a torch in the wilderness ♪

I just want to leave you forever.

♪ Time sings a mournful song ♪

♪ Gathered little yet parted often ♪

For you,

♪ Just as tears fall into the long river ♪

I'm willing to learn it once.

♪ I must dive into the starry stream ♪

♪ Don't mind me ♪

♪ Everything has happened ♪

♪ A thousand years from now no one's blood will remain warm ♪

♪ Let them laugh and mock ♪

♪ As long as you remember me ♪

♪ Forget about ♪

♪ Leaving a name in history ♪

♪ I only want to leave a mark in your life ♪

♪ I will let go ♪

♪ After taking this one last gamble ♪

♪ Forget about ♪

♪ The carved stones or constellations ♪

♪ I'll cast all karma behind me ♪

♪ Beacon fires stir the lords ♪

♪ Unstoppable, ruthless fate ♪

Xuan!

Xuan!

This arrow

is to repay you for saving my mother.

Xuan!

My father

is not a bastard like you.

Xuan!

[Xie]

The Jizhou and Xie Armies have arrived.

The palace is secure.

Soldiers who followed Qi and Wei in rebellion,

listen to me.

Those who lay down their arms and surrender

will be spared.

Those who resist

will be charged with treason,

and their entire families executed.

Prime Minister,

you have been utterly defeated.

Do you still intend to struggle?

Jiuheng.

You really didn't disappoint me.

Prime Minister!

Let's retreat.

We'll get you out of here.

No need.

A defeat

is a defeat.

When I chose this path of no return 17 years ago,

today's outcome

was already destined.

Take him away.

Let's go, Prime Minister.

It's over.

All of this

is finally over.

It's over.

♪ In gold-thread dress, with moth or willow ornaments ♪

Our lives will be better from now on.

If there is a next life,

I'll pick you up instead.

♪ Giggling, she melts into the throng with trails of scents ♪

♪ But in the crowd once and again I look for her in vain ♪

♪ But in the crowd once and again I look for her in vain ♪

♪ When all at once I turn my head ♪

♪ I find her there ♪

♪ Where lantern light is dimly shed ♪

[Three days later]

My Lord,

Madam Wei is here.

Madam,

please.

Aunt.

Zheng.

Aunt.

What are you doing? Please get up.

Zheng,

I want to beg you

to spare the Prime Minister's life.

Sit down first.

Aunt,

he didn't even care about the lives of you and your son.

Why plead for him?

Besides, the law will not permit it.

The Prime Minister is not irredeemable.

If not for him,

Xuan and I

would have died long ago.

What do you mean?

Xuan's father

was the Prime Minister's subordinate.

We pledged our lives to each other in secret.

But he died in battle.

My family

wanted to drown me in a pig cage.

It was the Prime Minister who saved me.

He said

Xuan's father was his former subordinate.

He had no plans to marry in this life,

but his family was pressuring him.

Meanwhile, my unborn child and I

had nowhere else to turn to.

He said it was a win-win solution.

To us,

he is our saviour.

Zheng.

I beg you, for the sake of Xuan

taking an arrow for you,

please spare the Prime Minister's life.

Aunt.

Did he remain unmarried

for Consort Virtue, Lady Qi?

The Prime Minister is a shrewd man.

I do not know of his intentions.

Zheng.

If the law truly cannot tolerate him,

I beg you, for the sake of your bond as uncle and nephew,

please leave his body intact.

The Flower-Crowned General has arrived.

[Qionghua]

Changyu.

How are you?

How is your injury?

I'm fine.

[Qionghua]

Come here.

Mother Consort.

Your Highness.

Mother Consort.

Wei Yan has been captured.

My brother has gone dumb.

The world has shifted.

What's the point of you

still hiding the truth?

The world has indeed shifted.

It has already shifted

17 years ago.

When Consort Virtue first entered the palace,

she was a very aloof person.

She never vied for His Majesty's favor.

[Late Emperor, Qi Yi]

Then, she was found to be pregnant.

The month of pregnancy determined by the royal physician

did not match the records of the Department of State Affairs.

Did Consort Virtue really have an affair with Wei Yan?

Qi Rongyin was 3 months pregnant.

Counting back the days,

she must have conceived it around the Mid-Autumn Festival.

At the Mid-Autumn banquet that year,

Wei Yan got drunk at the palace banquet.

He lost his propriety after drinking

and defiled a palace maid.

Unfortunately, the Late Emperor and his officials caught him

in the act on their way to admire the moon.

She was just a lowly palace maid,

so the Late Emperor could not make a scene right there.

He simply bestowed that maid upon Wei Yan.

The royal family is heartless.

After Consort Virtue was found to be pregnant,

she was interrogated every night.

Until the night of the Laba Festival,

when Qingyuan Palace suddenly caught fire...

Lord Wei? You-

The Imperial Guard on patrol

rushed to put out the fire,

[Qingyuan Palace]

only to discover that Wei Yan

had entered the Capital without a decree

and appeared in the Forbidden Palace.

Scram!

Zhao Xun once confessed

that the palace fire was set by Crown Princess Chengde.

Is there a hidden story behind this?

Have you ever seen water thrown into a fire

make the flames leap even higher?

I have.

That fire reeked of tung oil.

The palace city was besieged.

[Qingyuan Palace]

The sounds of fighting shook the heavens.

Just like the day before yesterday.

Later, the attending royal physician committed suicide.

He left a suicide note saying

that Consort Virtue was never pregnant at all.

So,

the one who set the fire was Crown Princess Chengde,

but the one who burned Consort Virtue to death

was the Late Emperor.

Thank you, Your Highness,

for telling me about the past.

Jiuheng, are you here to see your uncle off?

It's me. I've come to finish

that unfinished game of chess with you.

The brat's father, General Xie, died tragically in Jinzhou.

Regarding what happened back then,

he is determined to get an answer.

It was clearly the Late Emperor's setup.

Why are you bearing the infamy for a lifetime instead?

What are you hoping to gain?

I believe

this chess formation is most familiar to you.

Have you made up your mind?

If not,

let me take another nap.

Yan.

You're cheating.

You promised to use only 30% of your skill.

But clearly,

you're going all out to corner me.

I really am only using 30%.

Then just admit that

I'm bad at chess

and can't beat you.

I'm done.

Fine. I'll make a different move.

Let me think about

how to lose gracefully with 30% skill.

It's not hard to lose.

Let me help you, Brother.

Sister, stop messing around.

Brother, you blockhead.

Win again, and you'll scare Sister-in-law away.

Wan'er said you were playing chess here.

I thought I'd join in the fun.

No need for ceremony.

Sit. Please sit.

If a piece becomes isolated and helpless,

you must quickly find a way to revitalize it.

Chess is like life.

One must sacrifice to gain.

Chess is like life.

One must sacrifice to gain.

Grand Tutor,

those were your words.

At this point,

stop speaking in riddles.

I never believed

that you planned the Jinzhou Massacre.

But why did you return to the Capital so abruptly back then?

What exactly happened?

Do you remember the osmanthus wine banquet

at the Eastern Palace on New Year's Eve 18 years ago?

Grand Tutor,

you were there too.

That night,

I was young and arrogant,

and my words sowed the seeds of disaster.

[The 25th year of Taikang]

Today is New Year's Eve.

I invited you all here

to taste the Eastern Palace's homemade osmanthus wine.

Fine wine in winter,

[Crown Prince Chengde, Qi Yuan]

paired with roasted venison,

isn't it delightful?

[Libationer of the Imperial Academy, Li Xing] [Minister of the Two Ministries, Tao Yi]

Thank you.

This osmanthus wine

is incredibly fragrant.

[General Wei Yan] [General Protector Xie Linshan]

It is truly a fine brew.

Here, Your Highness.

Let me toast you again.

General Xie.

Did you get permission today

to drink to your heart's content?

I advise you to drink less.

Save some for the rest of us

to have a taste, won't you?

General Wei is right.

Linshan, you have a high tolerance.

If you don't restrain yourself,

there will be none left for us.

You...

Grand Tutor,

it's just osmanthus wine.

As long as you all like it,

there is plenty.

Good.

-Let’s drink. -We'll have our share.

-Come on. -Come on.

Fine wine, good food,

loyal subjects, a wise ruler,

and the company of close friends.

These are the greatest joys in life.

Qilin, my friend.

This might be the last time

we stay up for New Year's Eve together.

[General Discipline Inspector, He Jingyuan]

I am about to leave the Capital

for Jinzhou.

[Huaihua General Wei Qilin]

He,

the Northwest Frontier is desolate.

Jinzhou, Chongzhou, and Jizhou are especially barren.

You must take care of yourself on this trip.

A good man should establish himself.

It is better than being in the Capital,

bowing and scraping to the powerful.

What a pity.

I won't be there for my nephew's birth.

Niece.

You prefer daughters?

He, you're more well-read than I am.

Give your niece a name.

Why don't you let your Lord name her?

General Wei's rank is too high.

I fear the child can't bear such weight.

Grand Libationer,

my Jiuheng is quite smart.

When can he go to your Imperial Academy

to study?

Xie Zheng is still a child.

You are his uncle.

His own father isn't even anxious.

Who says I'm not anxious?

You have no idea.

That little rascal is a terror.

He causes trouble all day long.

I'm not kidding.

I want to send him to the Imperial Academy right now

so you can discipline him properly.

Changyu.

Changyu?

Yes.

Wei Changyu.

"Chang," as in "Long may I stay by your side,"

and "yu," as in "Where jade steps bloom with springtide."

What do you think?

That is a fine name.

Later, I'll bring your niece to greet you.

Good wine.

-Next year, General will lead troops to guard Jinzhou. -Good wine.

If the General does not object,

I wish to go with you...

And face the national crisis together.

Your Highness's safety

concerns the stability of the court and the state.

We cannot be rash.

Indeed.

A noble son must not sit under a leaky roof.

Please reconsider, Your Highness.

There is something you do not know.

There were floods in the south this summer.

I went to provide disaster relief.

But the Jia family obstructed me at every turn.

The victims suffered unspeakably.

My father was furious.

But he did not pursue

the faults of the Sixteenth Prince and the Jia family.

Instead, he blamed me

for ineffective relief efforts.

Over these years,

Father has been especially harsh on me,

while being more than lenient towards the Jia family

and the Sixteenth Prince.

I am lost.

Perhaps,

only by staying away from the court

and achieving merit at the border

can I find

my ultimate path.

These family trifles...

I have made a fool of myself

in front of you all.

Your Highness, you possess both benevolence and virtue.

You are wise and brave.

You are the only choice to succeed to the throne.

I just don't understand

why His Majesty is so biased.

If the Emperor lacks virtue,

then simply have him abdicate.