Original subtitles

- Congratulations, Your Highness! - Congratulations, Your Highness!

- Congratulations, Your Highness! - Congratulations, Your Highness!

=Blossoms of Power=

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

=Episode 21=

(East Palace)

The auspicious hour has arrived!

Two hearts bound as one with embroidered silk,

pearl and gem united, enduring as sun and moon.

Gold-adorned saddle, jade path leading to the throne,

may each step bring peace through the years.

First scattering, fine grain for a bountiful harvest.

Second scattering, beans and grains for a lasting fortune and longevity.

Third scattering, rice and millet fill a thousand halls.

May your household always know abundance.

May your bond last forever,

like twin blossoms on one stem.

May you know peace in every season.

First bow,

honor your parents' love and blessings.

May your union bring them joy.

Second bow,

may your hearts stay forever in harmony.

Share the ceremonial liquor.

To the Crown Princess, of the Shen clan,

graceful in virtue and noble in character.

Today, you are invested as Crown Princess.

The ceremony is complete. Let the banquet begin!

- Congratulations, Crown Prince. - Congratulations, Crown Prince.

- Congratulations, Crown Princess. - Congratulations, Crown Princess.

Your Highness.

His Highness had all of this prepared for you.

He'll be dining with the guests,

and he was worried you'd get hungry.

He said you may eat whatever you like

and ask for anything you need.

I'll take off this headdress first.

But...

You mustn't, Your Highness!

A bride's headdress

can only be removed by her husband.

Why are you back?

Weren't you joining the banquet?

I knew you'd find it heavy

and you'd be uncomfortable.

Much better.

I'll come back early.

(East Palace)

You may all leave.

I thought

you wouldn't be back until late tonight.

But here you are,

not even four hours later.

All rules are relaxed on a wedding day.

Faced with their frail Crown Prince,

the ministers could only raise their cups and say,

"Just drink what you can, Your Highness."

I simply pretended I was too weak to stay.

Who would dare stop me?

Your Highness, please behave yourself.

On our wedding night, with my beautiful bride,

perhaps you could teach me

how to behave.

Let go of me!

Put me down!

We had an agreement.

One condition of this marriage was that we wouldn't cross the line.

Don't be afraid.

I remember.

I'm taking you somewhere.

Where does this secret passage lead?

You'll know when we get there.

Come, Youyou.

Xihe,

follow me.

Father.

Brother.

Youyou.

Father.

Youyou.

My precious girl.

My little girl is all grown up.

Now she's to become someone's wife.

Father, Brother,

you left northwest without permission.

If the court finds out, you could be in serious trouble.

Don't worry.

I've taken care of everything.

I knew you wanted your father and brother here to see you off,

but you put the greater good first

and never mentioned it to me.

I only wanted

to make that wish come true.

Your Highness,

you have my deepest gratitude.

We're family now.

There's no need to thank me.

To be a son-in-law of our family,

if you didn't have this much courage and responsibility,

I wouldn't feel safe entrusting my sister to you.

You're right, Brother.

Father.

Please accept my bow.

Father-in-law.

Please accept my bow as well.

There are formalities between ruler and subject.

Your Highness,

you mustn't bow to me like this.

Father-in-law,

here, we aren't ruler and subject.

We're family.

Now that I've married Youyou,

her father

is naturally my father.

And her brother

is my brother.

Father.

The first bow

is for giving me life and raising me.

The second bow

is for all the care and guidance you've given me.

The third bow

is to bid you farewell.

I might be someone's wife now,

but I'll remember

your teachings.

You've found a worthy husband,

and it's an honor for our family.

May you build a happy home together

and grow old side by side.

Your Highness,

I entrust my precious daughter...

My Youyou

to you.

So please,

respect her,

love her,

and protect her...

For the rest of your lives.

Thank you for placing your trust in me.

You have entrusted me with your beloved daughter,

and I'll treasure her always.

Xihe and I

will stand by each other for life.

Our love will endure.

Good.

Good.

Good.

Come.

I never would've guessed

you knew how to grill meat.

When I traveled in years past,

I often had to make do with what I could find.

Grilling was the easiest option.

The skin is crisp and golden,

and the meat is tender and juicy.

It's cooked perfectly.

Have some more.

I really can't eat another bite.

Your Highness!

Those are my chopsticks.

We're married now.

There's no need to fuss over that.

How could you...

Don't you have any sense of propriety?

You're the Crown Prince.

When I'm with you,

I'm just your husband.

Your Highness.

I'm really happy today.

Thank you for arranging everything

so I could see my father and brother.

Youyou, if you're happy,

I'm even happier.

Father, Brother, please take care.

Though today,

I'm grateful to you,

I still ask that you

keep our agreement in mind at all times.

Sharing a bed,

but not a pillow...

I feel sorry for myself.

Would you care to explain

where I was just lying?

I don't know how

you ended up in my arms either.

We were clearly far apart last night.

I know.

You must've been too tired,

and sleeping on only half the bed wasn't comfortable.

Perhaps we should sleep in separate beds from now on.

No, no.

That's not necessary.

This bed is plenty big enough.

I promise, no matter how tired I am,

I won't cross the line again.

Here, Du Huo.

Du Huo.

Your Highness!

Get the medicine chest.

Yes, Your Highness.

Let me see.

Use this powder.

It's only a scratch.

Don't worry about it.

It could fester if we don't treat it now.

No need.

No need.

I'll do it.

Does it hurt badly?

Bring the cleansing balm.

Yes.

That medicine is much gentler.

It won't sting, even on an open wound.

It really doesn't hurt anymore.

Tian Yuan,

help me figure this out.

What did I do wrong just now?

Why did His Highness glare at me?

As trusted attendants,

sometimes we shouldn't be too capable.

Too capable?

Take what just happened.

When Her Highness asked if you had medicine,

you should've said,

"No."

Then Her Highness

would have had more reason to fuss over His Highness.

How do you not understand that?

Your Highness.

May I have a word?

Please, don't be so formal.

Go ahead, Grandfather.

I'm deeply honored by your regard,

but I wouldn't presume to call myself your grandfather.

Still, there is one thing

I hope you'll forgive me for saying.

Please don't be so formal, Grandfather.

Xihe and I are husband and wife.

It's only right that I honor you as my elder.

Your Highness, you and Xihe are newlyweds,

but you should still exercise some restraint.

Yes. I'll remember your advice, Grandfather.

I'll take my leave now.

(Hanzhang Hall)

Qing.

Is today's meal

to your liking?

It's rare that I get to dine

with you and Changying.

Of course I have a good appetite.

To be honest,

ever since Shen Xihe married to the Crown Prince,

I've been

worried sick.

Now that I can see you're alright,

as your mother,

I can finally put my mind at ease.

The wedding is over.

The past is behind us now.

If I still made you worry,

I'd be an unfilial son.

Mother,

a toast to you.

Changying.

You look like you've finally let go of the past.

Even Mother believes that.

But I don't think

that's true.

Then tell me,

what am I really thinking?

You haven't let go.

Neither have I.

But Xihe and the Crown Prince are married now.

We should wish her well

and hope everything goes smoothly for her.

I'm going to keep Mother company.

Changqing,

I'll give you some time alone.

(Even if you've gained the upper hand,)

(your time is running out.)

(Xiao Huayong,)

(I'll be waiting for the day you breathe your last.)

- Greetings, Father, Grandmother. - Greetings, Father, Grandmother.

Rise.

At last, I've heard Zhaoning

call me "Father."

It truly warms my heart.

These gifts are from

your grandmother and me.

We hope you

will enjoy a lifetime of happiness and blessings.

- Thank you, Father and Grandmother. - Thank you, Father and Grandmother.

Rise.

Seeing how devoted you are to each other today

puts my mind at ease.

When Huayong lived outside the palace,

the East Palace was so cold and empty.

Now that Zhaoning has moved in,

and in time,

we'll find you a few consorts

so you can give me some great-grandchildren.

Then the East Palace will truly be lively.

I don't want any consorts.

Nonsense.

How can a Crown Prince have no consorts?

Even before you married Zhaoning,

you had no consorts at all.

That's unusual enough as it is.

Besides,

Zhaoning is new to the palace.

She may feel some unease.

Having sisters by her side would be a comfort.

Plus, it's also for the sake of continuing the royal line.

This is a matter of state importance.

I've made a vow

to be with Xihe and no one else for the rest of my life.

Zhaoning,

what do you think of this?

I have no objections to this matter.

I will follow the wishes of His Highness and the elders.

I'd like to take a walk in the imperial garden.

Then I'll return to the palace first.

Your Highness. About what Empress Dowager said just now,

Crown Princess was only pretending to be gracious

so no one would call her jealous.

She must be against it deep down.

Please don't take her words to heart.

Don't bother finding her excuse.

She truly doesn't care.

How dare you!

Who are you?

Please forgive me, Your Highness.

I accidentally fell

and caused you offense.

Your Highness,

could you

help me up?

Your Highness!

- Someone, come quickly! - Your Highness!

His Highness has fainted!

(East Palace)

Your Highness.

That lady is the Vice Minister of War's second daughter.

She's always been known for her beauty. What she did today

was clearly meant to secure a place as your consort.

But after you fainted,

His Majesty was furious,

and the Vice Minister of War was reprimanded.

The Empress Dowager even declared

that she was a lady of loose morals.

From now on, any lady

who dares make a move on you

will think twice.

Do you have no heart?

I haven't done anything to you.

Ladies are throwing themselves at your husband,

and you don't care at all?

It's only natural for you to take consorts.

I'll accept it calmly.

I won't get jealous.

So to you,

I don't really matter.

Of course, you matter.

But you're

a master at making something out of nothing.

What's this?

You won't let me get close to you,

so I can only draw you

to ease my longing.

Perfect.

Once you take a consort,

you won't be so lonely anymore,

and you won't need drawings to satisfy yourself.

Your Highness.

Haven't you noticed

Crown Princess has been acting strangely lately?

I have.

But I don't know why.

Could it be because the Empress Dowager

wanted you to take a consort,

and then other ladies tried to seduce you?

But I turned them all down.

Once a lady falls in love,

she stops being reasonable.

This must be what they call jealousy.

The Crown Princess is jealous?

I wouldn't dare dream of it.

Greetings, Prince Lie.

What are you doing here, Young Lady Qingshu?

I came here specifically to wait for you.

For me?

Is something the matter?

I've heard

of your exploits on the battlefield.

You fought bravely and struck fear into the enemy.

I've admired you for a long time.

May I ask

whether I might have the honor

of joining you for tea?

I'm flattered, Young Lady Qingshu,

but I don't feel the same way.

I have matters to attend to at home.

Please excuse me.

Young Lady,

what are we going to do?

At this point,

there's only one option left.

His Majesty and the Empress Dowager want Prince Ning to remarry,

and they have Hu Yingrao in mind.

No wonder you've been visiting the Hu residence so often lately

and getting so close to Young Lady Hu.

And today, you even...

The Empress Dowager asked the noble ladies to perform at this banquet

as a discreet way

for the princes to choose prospective brides.

(Xiao Wenxi, Princess of Ruyang)

It's so hot.

(That smells like verbena.)

Qingshu.

Take a look at my face.

It's so itchy.

You've broken out in red spots.

Red spots?

How did this happen all of a sudden?

I'm about to perform.

Come with me. I'll help you fix it.

I have a way.

Watch out!

Young Lady Hu!

Assassin!

Your Majesty.

I failed in my duty.

I thought

the Crown Princess was exceptionally capable.

That's why I entrusted this blessing ceremony to her.

Yet such a suspicious incident has occurred.

Your Majesty, please mete out strict punishment.

♪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♪

(No animals were harmed in the making of this film)