Original subtitles

(The Shadow Sovereign)

(Episode 18)

Li Chong, the former Crown Prince, was put to death for plotting rebellion.

The Crown Prince is the backbone of the nation.

Li Qin, the Seventh Prince,

is compassionate, dutiful, and clever.

He is fully capable of inheriting the throne.

He is hereby named Crown Prince.

He will take charge of the Eastern Palace

and oversee all affairs of the Eastern Palace.

He will participate in government affairs,

all important military and state matters, court...

I have a petition to submit.

We all submit our petition together.

Minister Zheng, what are you trying to do?

His Majesty's appointment of the Crown Prince should not be interrupted.

Your Highness, please judge wisely.

Naming the Crown Prince is vital.

We would never dare to stand in the way.

But right now, everyone, from court to commoners, is anxious

because Shen Xiao, a civil official, acted without imperial orders

and privately transferred command without the token.

He deployed Shence troops into the palace without approval.

This is suspected treason. He deserves the death penalty.

If Shen Xiao is spared, the law loses its authority.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

He did protect the king loyally.

When I rule the nation as Crown Prince,

I promise to handle it myself.

Your Highness, please think it over.

Merit and mistakes are separate.

Today he moved Shence Camp troops without permission to protect the king,

what if he is unhappy tomorrow and deploys troops without permission

to march right into Zichen Hall?

If this arrogance and abuse of power isn't curbed,

what will happen to the law and authority of the kingdom?

We only wish to serve a wise ruler.

We hope Your Highness puts the kingdom above all else.

Don't let small things ruin the greater good

and discourage your loyal ministers.

Otherwise, the Crown Prince

can also be replaced with other talented members of the royal family.

Are you saying

that the noble families will back another royal member as Crown Prince

if Shen Xiao isn't killed?

If Shen Xiao hadn't acted so quickly,

the ones standing here might be traitors instead.

Are you really loyal to the court,

or are you plotting something else?

Your Highness, please uphold justice

to secure the foundation of the kingdom.

Your Highness, please uphold justice

to secure the foundation of the kingdom.

I, Shen Xiao,

admit my guilt.

I deployed troops without imperial orders.

I am guilty of a crime punishable by death.

Your Highness, please put the kingdom first

and send me to prison

for execution on a later date.

They really can't stand you.

(Prison of the Ministry of Justice)

I regret it now.

I shouldn't have dragged you into this.

Cui Jin Zhi was right.

I'm the one who ruined you.

I plotted against you and used you.

I made you their biggest threat.

I truly regret it.

Unless I want to,

no one can use me.

Honestly, I knew this day would come.

Even if I had to do it a thousand times,

I'd still make the same choice.

Luckily, everything I set out to do is already done.

I have no regrets and complaints.

But...

There's still one wish I haven't fulfilled at the end.

You have to make it happen for me.

Go on.

Well, at this point,

you really should give me a proper title.

Prince Consort Commander sounds pretty good.

Seriously? You're thinking about that at a time like this?

The Prince Consort title is yours.

- But you'll only be Prince Consort for three days. - That's all I need.

As long as you promise me,

I'll have no regrets in this life.

Unless you don't want to.

I do.

I do.

Tradition says marriage needs matchmakers and formal gifts.

But right now, we have none of that.

All we have is our hearts,

this hairpin,

and Heaven and Earth as our witness.

Will you put it on for me?

Actually,

I have an idea.

You...

I have a plan. But we'll have to take a gamble.

Our breakthrough is the Crown Princess.

When the deposed Crown Prince rebelled,

Le Sheng once saved the Crown Princess.

I even asked Le Sheng about it.

Le Sheng said

he had a connection with the Crown Princess.

When he was very young,

the Crown Princess was the only one in the royal family

who ever showed him kindness.

The wise ones of ancient times

often had unusual traits.

You don't seem like a jinx to me.

You seem more like a fallen immortal,

touched by frost and beauty.

This jade pendant is for you.

May it bring you peace and good fortune.

The Crown Princess is from a noble family, but she's also smart.

She knows how to weigh the pros and cons, and make the best decision.

Your Highness invited us to a banquet at the Zheng estate today.

It shows you care about the bigger picture.

I'm truly comforted by that.

A stable kingdom

always relies on rules and order.

Since you invited us,

why hasn't the banquet started yet?

What's the rush?

Not everyone has arrived yet.

Not everyone is here yet?

You...

You're a condemned criminal.

How dare you ruin our banquet?

Duke Ning, that's out of line.

He's our honored guest.

There should be order between ranks

and a clear line between nobles and commoners.

Your Highnesses, are you trying to humiliate

every noble family in the land and us?

It seems like you don't need our support or guidance, Seventh Prince.

This banquet isn't worth attending.

Everyone, let's go.

No need to stay. Let's leave.

Let's leave.

- This... - All of you...

Seventh Prince, what is the meaning of this?

You are detaining important court officials and noble elders.

Do you realize what crime this is?

Duke Ning.

The noble families have held power for years.

Isn't it time to step back?

You all want me dead

to purge the humble families

and monopolize power in court.

But His Majesty has already secretly ordered the Shence Camp.

If anything happens in the palace,

whether it's the Seventh Prince, Princess Zhao Yang, or me, Shen Xiao,

any of us can command the Shence Camp to protect His Majesty.

After my time in prison,

I've seen just how arrogant the noble families are.

They'll do anything to cut off the humble families' future.

Today, I want you all to know this.

An attempt to kill Shen Xiao

and destroy the hope of every humble family

is impossible.

I invited you all here today

to discuss a way forward.

It's a path for the noble families

and also the path forward for the Ye Dynasty.

I plan to establish the Affairs Hall.

From now on,

all important military and state matters

must be decided by the Affairs Hall before being carried out.

Seats will be set inside the hall.

The ruler sits at the head.

Below that, there'll be three seats for the noble families

and three seats for the humble families.

Absurd.

How can a bunch of peasants and poor scholars

be worthy enough to sit and discuss politics

on equal footing with us?

That's right.

We want equal footing.

You...

You can choose

to sit honorably in the new court or...

I'd rather see my family, the Cui family's

century-old pride shatter than survive in shame.

My family, the Lu family,

has countless clans all tied together in Longxi and Jiangnan.

Can you kill them all?

If you have the guts, kill us all right here.

(Cui Family Record)

The Cui family really has deep roots that have flourished

for a hundred years.

You...

What are you planning to do with our family records?

No! Don't burn it.

Stop...

Stop...

Stop!

Stop!

Don't burn it!

Life is precious.

By burning this record,

I suppose your ancestors watching from above

won't blame their descendants for being unfilial

and breaking the family legacy.

Stop! Please don't do it!

That's our ancestral roots. You can't burn them.

Why not?

You noble families are loaded.

You monopolize resources everywhere but refuse to share with the people.

You leave the masses in misery

with no chance to catch a break.

You seize public land for yourselves

and turn commoners into slaves.

Dynasties may change,

but noble families never fall.

You're nothing but fat rats.

If you don't agree with the new system,

I'll burn each family record in order,

so your so-called noble bloodline and tradition of poetry and virtue

will go up in flames

and turn to ashes tonight.

Gentlemen,

have you thought it through?

Uncles and elders.

When the Yellow River flooded,

Seventh Prince went to the affected places to help the victims

and won the people's hearts.

The people are the foundation.

They can support a ruler, but they can also overthrow him.

You must understand where the people's hearts lie.

Seventh Prince offers all of you a way out.

It'll protect your family name

and shelter your descendants.

I, Zheng Shu, agree to this system and support the new emperor

on behalf of the Zheng family.

The entire Cui family

will follow the new system.

We are willing to follow the new system.

The noble families fall,

and the humble families rise.

But don't forget.

Today's humble families will become the new nobles.

The shift in power

is just the old tree falling and new wood growing.

It's a repeating cycle.

Class shifts are just the way of the world.

Your mistake is thinking your status lasts forever.

You fear new power

and block the path for talent.

That's why the court is stagnant now.

If the humble families block progress someday,

someone else will rise up and overthrow them.

(Everything has been decided.)

(I finally did something right.)

(For the rest of my life, I'll live walking the Buddha's path)

(to atone for my sins)

(and seek true peace.)

Why are you here?

I didn't summon you.

Father, I'm here to tell you

that humble and noble families now share power.

The nobles' monopoly

is finally over.

I've fulfilled your wish

and brought it to an end.

Back then, my mother

also coughed,

as you do now.

In the end,

she hanged herself in the Cold Palace with a white silk.

You're my father,

but not a good emperor

and even less a good father.

All these years,

I've wished for your death every day.

But now, I don't feel that way.

Because you're not worth anyone lifting a finger.

You've already suffered the harshest punishment.

Betrayed by all

and abandoned by your family.

(Year 31 of Bingqian Era, Emperor Bingqian passes away)

(Seventh Prince, Li Qin, inherits the throne)

(and changes the era title to Qichang)

Long live the emperor.

By Heaven's mandate and the emperor's decree,

I inherit a grand legacy and am blessed by Heaven.

Princess Zhao Yang, Li Shu, is known for her loyalty and filial piety.

She has served the kingdom well.

Now, by special decree,

she is promoted to Grand Princess of the Realm.

She receives the salary of two princes

and is granted a fief for 8,000 households.

End of decree.

I thank Your Majesty's grace.

(Everything has finally settled.)

(Just like Sister said,)

(she has stayed away from court politics ever since.)

(In the first year of Qichang,)

(the new emperor pushed for land reforms to curb the powerful)

(and opened up official paths for humble families.)

(Within a few years, new scholars began to rise)

(and finally stood alongside noble families in court.)

(They were equals and rivals.)

(Grand Princess Li Shu and Chancellor Shen Xiao)

(opened schools across the provinces.)

(Everyone could attend and learn)

(regardless of background or gender.)

Didn't Your Highness ask me to come and count money?

Why won't you let me in through the front door?

Aren't you obsessed with climbing over walls?

Besides, you're the Chancellor.

Aren't you afraid people will gossip if you visit my residence frequently?

Everyone in court knows I'm Your Highness's male companion.

What's there to hide?

It's still broad daylight.

Why did you show up at my place at this hour?

Today is Qiqiao Festival.

There's a lantern festival in the West Market.

Would Your Highness like to go together?

Who wants to go with you?

Don't bother me, I'm watching sword dancing.

Your Highness is obsessed with sword dancing.

What's so great about these?

I'll give you a real show today.

Censor Shen, you've been eavesdropping for so long.

I doubt you just happened to walk by.

Could it be

that you can't stop thinking about me?

From now on, just use this

to get in and out of my residence.

Who said you could take your clothes off?

- Aren't we sharing a bed? - It doesn't mean you should undress.

Put your clothes back on. Get in bed. Go to sleep.

What if I'm not content just being a male companion?

Did you not hear what I said?

Just do what you're supposed to and don't bring trouble on yourself.

Like I don't have enough trouble already.

Let him go.

Shen Xiao.

Heaven or hell,

I'll be with you no matter what.

Her Highness really has a refined taste.

(May everyone live the kind of life they desire, Que Nu)

Your Highness, you promised

to make me the Prince Consort Commander.

A prince consort has to follow all the rules.

You won't get to be free and have fun

like a male companion.

Let's see how you do.