Original subtitles

(Chinese New Year's Eve, 19th Year of Youning)

(Gu Residence)

(In the 19th Year of Youning,)

(the Gu and Fan families had been locked in a bitter feud for years.)

(At last, the outcome was decided.)

(The Gu family fell,)

(and their entire clan was executed.)

(Prince Xin, Xiao Changqing, personally oversaw the execution.)

(Xiao Changqing, Fifth Prince, Prince Xin) (Thus securing the imperial decree)

(Gu Qingzhi, Prince Xin's Consort) (to preserve my title as Prince Xin's Consort.)

(Eldest Daughter of the Gu Family) (I became the only survivor.)

(But how)

(could I go on living alone in this world?)

(This cup of poisoned liquor)

(is the ending I prepared for myself,)

(and my final move.)

(The Fan family poisoned Prince Xin's Consort,)

(and cannot escape punishment.)

(I offered my life as bait)

(to make the Fan family pay for the Gu family's deaths.)

Qingqing.

Qingqing!

Send for the Imperial Physician!

Qingqing!

(Where am I?)

(What is this place?)

(Is it a dream,)

(or an illusion?)

(Shen Xihe, Commandery Princess Zhaoning)

(I never expected)

(that after only three days,)

(I would no longer see the northwestern landscape.)

Are you homesick, Your Highness?

Ling Long.

I really don't want to go to the imperial capital.

I want to spend my whole life

in the northwest,

by my father and brothers' side.

Don't say that, Your Highness.

The Duke commands 100,000 frontier cavalry in the northwest.

His military achievements are illustrious.

His Majesty bestowed upon you

a title of Commandery Princess Zhaoning with a fief of 3,000 households.

This summons to the palace for Empress Dowager's birthday banquet

is to arrange your marriage.

I've heard the princes who are of marriageable age

are all both accomplished

and exceptionally handsome.

You little rascal.

I've spoiled you far too much. You've become quite unruly.

You should head back first.

I'll stay a little longer.

Yes, Your Highness.

=Blossoms of Power=

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

=Episode 1=

Fatty!

Give us back the Immortal Vine!

Yours?

These hills for miles around belong to us.

Since the Immortal Vine grows here,

it belongs to us.

- That's right! - Yes!

The Immortal Vine grows on a sheer cliff.

You couldn't get it yourself,

(Tian Yuan, Attendant to Crown Prince) so we picked it first.

Now you're jealous and stole it from us.

So what are you going to do about it?

Not to mention you can't take on all of us by yourself.

Just look at your master.

He's so frail.

So you great heroes think you can bully me

because I look weak?

We're bullying you sickly weakling!

Brothers!

- Here! - Yes!

Get him!

A little exercise will do me good.

Once we return to the imperial capital,

I won't have many chances to have this much fun again.

(Xiao Huayong, Crown Prince, Seventh Prince)

Where is he?

Up there!

Get him down!

There he is!

Oh, no!

The Immortal Vine fell into the water!

(Commandery Princess Zhaoning?)

Help me...

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Keep the Immortal Vine for me.

It saved your life.

And I'll come back for it someday.

Your Highness.

Your Highness. Please wake up, Your Highness.

Her Highness is awake.

Your Highness's pulse is steady.

She's out of danger now.

Your Highness...

(Commandery princess?)

(Who are they?)

(Why are they calling me "Your Highness"?)

Bring me a mirror.

Your Highness.

This is all my fault.

I failed to take proper care of you.

Your Highness.

This is my younger daughter, Zhen Zhu.

Once she's grown,

she will serve Your Highness.

Zhen Zhu?

(Zhen Zhu, Personal Maid to the Commandery Princess)

(Mo Yu, Personal Maid to the Commandery Princess)

Your Highness.

This is Mo Yu.

She has practiced martial arts since childhood and knows about medicine.

From now on, she will serve as your personal guard.

Mo Yu?

I'm here, Your Highness.

Where is this place?

Your Highness,

this is the Lingxiang County Post Station.

Why am I here?

You came to the imperial capital

to attend the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday banquet

and be matched in marriage with a prince.

Fortunately, you're safe.

Otherwise, the Duke of Wei's Manor

would have no way to answer to the court.

The Duke of Wei's Manor?

Is Gu Zhao still the Grand Chancellor?

Back then, the Gu and Fan families

became embroiled in a political struggle.

The Gu family was wiped out.

But later, the Fan family also met the same fate

for plotting to murder Prince Xin's Consort.

(Prince Xin finally understood)

(the true purpose of that cup of poisoned liquor.)

Who else came with us?

Mo Yuan.

Also, Huang Zhongsi, the fifth-rank

palace attendant sent by His Majesty to escort Your Highness.

And Ling Long.

After Your Highness fell into the water,

Ling Long jumped in to save you.

She still hasn't been found.

What a loyal maid.

She's the one who pushed me into the water.

Anyone who didn't know the truth

would think she risked her life to save me.

Report it to the authorities.

Capture the runaway maid.

Alive if possible.

Dead is acceptable, too.

- Yes, Your Highness. - Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness,

it's time for your medicine.

Your Highness,

Physician Xie said

this medicine can suppress the strange poison in your body,

but it also harms your liver and spleen.

Although the Immortal Vine can't completely cure the poison,

it can strengthen your vital organs.

You risked your life to pick it.

Why did you give it away so easily?

left for others to pluck.

Your Highness,

Huang Zhongsi has caused trouble again.

What happened?

That eunuch abducted a respectable young lady.

(Huang Zhongsi,) Greetings,

(Palace Attendant to the Emperor) Your Highness.

If Your Highness had any orders,

you only had to send for me.

I shouldn't have troubled Your Highness.

I deserve punishment.

Mo Yu.

It's all right.

Come here.

Zhen Zhu.

Give this sachet to Huang Zhongsi.

Yes, Your Highness.

You were ordered to escort me to the imperial capital,

yet you've committed such a vile act at the post station.

You violated an innocent young lady.

What punishment do you deserve?

That young lady is a local embroiderer.

She ruined my official robe.

I lost my temper

and slapped her a few times.

She just kept crying and making a scene.

Noisy.

(Mo Yuan, Personal Attendant to the Commandery Princess)

I serve His Majesty.

Even if I were at fault,

I would answer to His Majesty myself.

Your Highness has no right to punish me at will.

Otherwise,

you would be disrespecting the imperial authority.

Your Highness.

I...

I am guilty.

I am guilty.

But...

I don't deserve to die.

Don't worry.

This fall won't kill you.

Today,

you'll get a taste

of what it feels like to be forced.

Will you jump,

or should I have someone help you?

Huang... Huang Zhongsi...

He... He was eaten by a wild beast!

The sachet Your Highness gave Huang Zhongsi...

The Beast Luring Incense.

How did Huang Zhongsi die?

Your... Your Highness,

the eunuch... The eunuch

was escorting Your Highness back

when he fell from his horse into a ravine.

He was then killed by a wild beast.

Very good.

You're a smart one.

Take him away.

- Thank you, Your Highness. - Yes.

- Thank you, Your Highness. - Thank you, Your Highness.

Your Highness,

once they're back in the imperial capital, they'll spread rumors.

The more widely they spread, the better.

What does that mean?

Instead of guarding against them in secret,

I'd rather let them know I'm not someone to be trifled with.

That way, they won't dare act rashly.

When someone wants to make you their enemy,

you can't hide forever.

Fear only makes you easy to bully.

Mo Yu.

The former Commandery Princess was innocent and pure.

She was like a delicate peach blossom untouched by wind and sand.

But ever since she fell into the water,

she has become like a flower queen above all others.

If she didn't look exactly the same,

I'd really think she was someone else.

They say Commandery Princess Zhaoning is gentle and quiet,

frail as a willow in the breeze.

Yet she dared kill His Majesty's attendant.

How bold of her.

More than bold.

She is ruthless.

Why did you save her with the Immortal Vine?

At the time,

if I had not given it to her,

she would have died.

You should find a way

to get the Immortal Vine back as soon as possible.

I already have a plan.

Tagara Incense.

Whose voice

will you take on this time?

Your Highness,

Hua Fuhai, son of Jiangnan's richest man, requests an audience.

He says he wants the Immortal Vine back.

Hua Fuhai?

I am Hua Fuhai.

I have come today

to ask Your Highness to return

the Immortal Vine.

(That scent is Tagara Incense.)

(I never expected this man to be a merchant,)

(yet use such deep and noble incense.)

You say the Immortal Vine is yours?

That is right.

The Immortal Vine is rarely seen in a century.

It was stolen by accident.

After searching everywhere,

I learned it was in Your Highness' possession.

To be honest,

I accidentally fell into the river that day.

A righteous man

gave me the Immortal Vine to save my life.

I cannot hand over my benefactor's possession

to you based on your word alone.

The Immortal Vine is a rare treasure.

Each plant has a different form.

This one is emerald green throughout

and shaped like a lover's knot.

Have I described it incorrectly?

How about this?

I will set up an unfinished chess game.

If you can solve it,

you win.

Then I will return the Immortal Vine to you.

What do you say?

One move decides the outcome.

Very well.

Young Master Hua, please solve it.

Your Highness has arranged such an ingenious puzzle.

Does it have a name?

It is called Moon Palace,

meaning something hazy and hard to discern.

A fine name.

The puzzle is solved.

Wait.

Young Master Hua, why not look at the pieces again?

Now,

have you lost?

Interesting.

How did Your Highness turn the white pieces black?

There is a kind of scented powder

that can color things for a while.

Black can be white,

and white can be black.

Your Highness, this is clearly deception.

Hardly an honorable victory.

All is fair in war.

In this world, it is not only a chess piece

whose black and white are hard to tell apart.

Is that not true?

Well said.

Chess is like a battle.

In the end, all that matters is victory.

I was careless and underestimated you.

I have learned my lesson today. I accept my loss.

For passing messages,

I still have some means.

They are several times faster than horses.

I am willing to serve Your Highness.

Thank you, Young Master Hua.

Your Highness,

I think you deliberately left

the Immortal Vine with the Commandery Princess,

so you would have a reason to see her again.

Am I right?

Too much talk.

Do not forget.

We came all this way

to wait for Prince Lie.

(Xiao Changying, Prince Lie, Ninth Prince)

Your Highness.

Prince Lie possesses the Rouge Ledger.

As expected, he's being hunted by every faction.

The Rouge Ledger

records which officials

committed what crimes,

when and where.

If it falls into someone else's hands,

whether for self-preservation, to gain favor,

or as leverage,

it could shake the court.

If Your Highness obtains the Rouge Ledger,

you'll surely find the clue to the poisoner.

But Prince Lie is risking his life to protect it.

Along the way,

all his men have been killed.

He's all alone now,

with no chance of winning.

We'll seize the chance to save Changying

and learn where the Rouge Ledger is.

(Prince Lie?)

(Prince Xin's younger brother, Xiao Changying.)

(Why is he here?)

Without my order,

no one is to make a move.

Yes, Your Highness.

Let's go.

(Ying)

Your Highness, that's Prince Lie.

If we knowingly leave a prince to be hunted down,

it'll be a crime that dooms our entire clan.

Save him.

Your Highness.

It looks like Prince Lie

will be rescued by Commandery Princess.

No "looks like."

I have eyes.

Then,

I'll bring him back later?

Commandery Princess Zhaoning's marriage alliance

is a matter of great importance.

We must not make a big move.

Tian Yuan.

We leave at once.

Follow Prince Lie's trail

and search for clues.

Yes, Your Highness.

You finally decided to help me.

I failed to recognize Your Highness.

Fortunately, Your Highness is still alive.

Still alive?

Were you waiting for me to die first?

I've long heard

that Prince Lie's martial arts are unmatched.

If I hadn't thrown that jade pendant,

would you have stood by and done nothing?

Please forgive me, Your Highness.

I didn't know the full story.

I couldn't interfere lightly.

After all,

the pursuers aren't always villains.

They may have had no choice.

Nor is the one being hunted

necessarily innocent.

Perhaps he brought it upon himself.

I've never met a lady like you.

What a

beautiful face...

but a venomous heart...

Your Highness.

Prince Lie isn't wearing any clothes.

At a time like this,

you're still worried about propriety?

This is Mandrake Incense.

It will temporarily put him to sleep.

Let's begin.

Your Highness. His Highness seems to be waking up.

The Mandrake Incense won't last much longer.

We have to hurry.

Hold down his legs.

Keep going.

Why is Prince Lie holding so hard?

Why are you looking at me like that?

You arranged for me to cross paths with Prince Lie.

I had no intention of saving him.

Yet you kept urging me to do it.

What do you mean?

Father had long wanted Prince Lie as his son-in-law, hadn't he?

Speak.

Prince Lie and Prince Xin are full brothers.

Ever since Prince Xin cut ties with the Gu family,

he has earned great favor

and become one of the most prominent princes.

If Your Highness marries Prince Lie,

you'll never again be drawn into

the schemes of the inner palace.

Under Prince Xin's protection,

you'll live a life of peace.

This was the Duke's careful plan.

Father truly meant well.

But do you know where you went wrong?

I...

You were wrong to think you knew what was best for me.

What I need is someone obedient and sensible,

someone I can trust with my life,

not a servant who thinks she's helping by acting on her own.

Now that I've left the northwest,

I'm no longer the little girl who needed Father and my brothers

to make every decision for me.

I'm about to enter the imperial capital.

I can no longer

remain naive and sentimental.

My affairs, are for no one

but me to decide.

Your Highness,

I know I was wrong.

Please punish me, Your Highness.

The imperial capital

is full of tangled schemes

and hidden dangers.

You and I must stand together

if we're to accomplish anything.

Your Highness,

from this day on,

I will never disobey you or neglect my duty.

Your Highness.

I found a rare Jade Frost Flower on Prince Lie's horse.

It doesn't grow

along Prince Lie's usual route.

Just as Your Highness predicted,

we found a patch of Jade Frost Flower.

And this patch of soil

was clearly dug up

and covered over again.

And then?

Then...

we were one step too late.

Who was it

that beat us to it?

Commandery Princess Zhaoning.

Just as Your Highness expected.

I headed southwest

and found the Jade Frost Flower.

I also found this.

(This is a Jade Frost Flower.)

The former Vice Minister of Personnel

had a favored concubine

named Yan Zhi.

She persuaded the Vice Minister

to sell official posts.

But Lady Yan Zhi had another scheme.

More than a decade ago,

she recruited beautiful ladies.

(The Rouge Ledger) They were married off as concubines into powerful households.

They quietly influenced their husbands and corrupted the court.

This Rouge Ledger

records the crimes of court officials.

This scent

isn't Prince Lie's fragrance.

It's Jati Blossom Incense.

Rich and refined,

it's a premium Buddhist incense.

Her again?

She beat you to it again.

That little fox with two faces

is becoming more and more intriguing.

No matter which prince

His Majesty chooses for Your Highness,

if you present this to him,

it will be a tremendous help.

He'll surely be grateful to Your Highness.

Except for the Crown Prince.

Why?

The Crown Prince has been frail since childhood.

He was poisoned at the age of nine.

At fifteen, he left the capital for Luotian Temple to recover.

He has no influence at court.

He's a Crown Prince in name only.

All the princes are waiting for the Crown Prince to die

so they can compete for the throne.

Your Highness, I still think

you should quickly take

the Rouge Ledger back from her.

The Rouge Ledger will be mine sooner or later.

Let's first see how my brothers make their moves.

A short life

(and mutual support.)

(Second. Fifth. Sixth. Ninth. Crown Prince)

Everyone!

This round, bet on

which prince Commandery Princess Zhaoning will marry.

The Second Prince, Prince Ning,

devotes himself to law and has a fine reputation.

I bet on the Second Prince.

(Xiao Changmin, Second Prince, Prince Ning)

But the Sixth Prince, Prince Yu, is handsome and striking,

with an exotic charm.

I think the commandery princess

will be charmed by Daxing's most handsome man.

(Xiao Changyu, Sixth Prince, Prince Yu)

The Fifth Prince, Prince Xin, kept mourning

(Place of His Late Wife, Lady Gu) for his late wife for three years.

His Majesty feels sorry for his son,

so he will naturally consider him first.

That makes sense.

Our Ninth Prince, Prince Lie,

is a young general, brave and battle-hardened.

The commandery princess is the daughter of the Northwest General.

They would be a perfect match.

I bet on the Second Prince.

I bet on the Sixth Prince.

I bet on the Fifth Prince.

The Sixth Prince.

Bet on the Sixth Prince.

The Ninth Prince.

Why is he betting on the Crown Prince?

You made me owe you my life.

Now you're putting on an act of playing hard to get?

I am Cui Jinbai, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Greetings, Your Highness.

If someone impersonates a court official,

what crime should that be?

This incense is poisonous.

You're faking it.

♪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♪