Original subtitles

=The Road to Splendor=

(Adapted from China Literature author Zhizhi's novel of the same name)

=Episode 16=

This bamboo scroll

is a farewell letter I restored,

written by a young soldier to his mother.

"The beacon fires of the border have not yet died down.

My father and brother have all fallen on the battlefield.

I fear I too

will follow them.

Mother, do not grieve.

My spirit

will forever guard this land.

It will become the winds along the border,

year after year,

by your side."

Their experiences,

and even their lives,

will be buried by time.

But future generations will remember them

through these words.

Future generations

seeing us today

is the same as

us today

seeing the ancients.

That is the meaning

of writing and recording.

The value of written words...

If that's the case...

doesn't depend on who writes them...

even I can't claim to be a true lover of books.

Young Master.

It's late.

The Book of Songs speaks of virtue in a gentle maiden.

The Songs of Chu express deep feelings through fragrant plants.

Even Ananda in the Surangama Sutra

could not escape the snare of the maiden Matangi.

It seems the snare of love is deep,

inescapable for sage or mortal alike.

But tell me,

why would a man

be drawn to a woman?

Perhaps

because she is beautiful?

Are there not plenty of beautiful women in this world?

Then

is it her gentle nature?

Which maid in the household isn't gentle?

Because she is well-read?

All the noble ladies I have known

have been well-versed in the classics.

But none of these

can truly be called love.

Could it be

that she once saved you?

If it were only to show gratitude,

a thousand pieces of gold would suffice.

It is because she is

one of a kind.

When calamity struck Huaying,

she should have withered.

Once,

I loved the narcissus,

not the magnolia.

But now, the magnolia has wandered to the Gobi,

and grows more like a poplar.

The fiercer the wind,

the stronger it stands.

And the narcissus?

It got its wish and entered the greenhouse,

yet grows more like a reed,

lost among the masses.

Tell me.

Did I choose wrong?

(Zhao Residence)

Please inform the Ninth Young Lady

that regarding the old matters in Huaying,

today

I have come to give her an explanation.

Back then, I was arrogant and proud.

I wronged you.

All these years,

whenever I think of it,

my conscience has troubled me.

Is it not too late, Mr. Yu,

to be saying this now?

Indeed, it is too late.

But I came today

precisely to put the past

to rest.

I have already signed a written confession for you.

It clears your name.

Are you so confident

that even with that confession,

I cannot bring you down?

If you insist on doing this,

I have nothing to say.

It's just that

more than empty fame,

what I truly value

is not making an enemy of you.

(Declarant)

(Yu Jingxiu)

(intended to break the engagement with Fu Tingyun)

(and framed her for infidelity.)

(Yu Jingxiu, Secret Letter) (He gave Zuo a wicked scheme,)

(stating)

(if her brother Zuo Junjie)

(Written Confession) (falsely accused Fu of lost virtue)

(and forced the engagement to end,)

(he'd secure her brother a future in office.)

(Lest there be no proof later,)

(Declarant: Yu Jingxiu) (this confession is thus made.)

(Yu Jingxiu)

Is this over just like that?

Miss Xie.

This dress

must have been paid for by that Yu.

Last time you bandaged his wound,

yours got torn.

Look at the pattern and style.

He bought an exact match.

And he left this too.

(The eastern chamber's swing sways high in the wind.)

(Summer's end, yet joy still feels too brief.)

(The east chamber)

A pedantic scholar's trick.

Young Master.

The Ninth Young Lady

sent the things back.

(Zhao Residence)

Young Master.

Mr. Yu.

My young lady said

she will not see you again.

Please go back.

What if I insist on opening this door?

Mr. Zhao, you're back.

(She was born a lady of a noble house.)

(Now she wears rough clothes and eats plain food.)

(Why)

(would you let a jewel like her be buried in the dust?)

You're back.

Suppose...

Just suppose.

If Fan and Zuo Junjie

hadn't interfered back in Huaying,

with his talent and virtue,

and you in the prime of your youth,

might you have been drawn to each other?

Would you have been a perfect match?

Why would you think that?

He signed the written confession.

That counts as seeing the error of his ways.

I don't think he feels guilty at all.

Then what trick do you think he's playing?

Probably

retreating in order to advance.

Who knows what he'll do next?

In any case,

we need to stay on guard.

Look.

That's the Big Dipper.

See how those seven stars together

really do look like a ladle.

The ancients called it

Xuanji Yuheng.

When the handle points east,

spring has come.

When the handle points west,

autumn arrives.

Tonight's breeze

feels nice.

Very cool.

♪I turn away, afraid goodbye will fill my eyes with tears♪

♪Etched deep within my heart, yet buried without a word♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

(Advisory Hall) My Lords,

Ganlin Town

has a tradition of the Yellow River Lantern Formation.

As the season approaches,

we should use this grand event

to boost the morale of both soldiers and civilians.

By custom,

the winner of the lantern formation

may ascend the city wall

to light the lanterns and offer prayers.

Now that the women's hall is thriving,

we might bend the rules

and select

a virtuous and talented woman.

Young Lord Yu, you've seen a lot.

May I ask

what you would suggest?

In my view,

Ms. Xie would be most suitable.

However,

this lantern festival

requires a considerable sum.

I fear it may be beyond our means.

I...

Commander Wang.

It's only a lantern festival.

How much could it possibly cost?

Indeed, Commander Wang.

Sharing joy with the people

is also good governance.

Don't you agree?

I take my leave.

I take my leave.

Commander Wang, please stay.

If I may be so bold,

the match between a scholar and a lady

has always been beloved by the people.

So this time, we must ensure Ms. Xie

and the winner of the lantern formation

ascend the stage together.

This will surely give Ganlin Town

a story for the ages.

I heard you proposed to Commander Wang

that a market be set up during the Lantern Festival,

with booth rentals

covering the costs.

If you pull this off,

year after year,

this tradition can carry on.

Gradually,

Ganlin Town will become a commercial hub.

That would be real political merit

for Commander Wang,

and for you as well.

Who says you can only fight fire with fire in the military?

Mr. Zhao,

with that flexibility,

you're sure to build a bright future.

When the time comes,

I will ascend the tower to cheer you on.

Do you

know what ascending the tower entails?

I do.

I hear

they'll have me hold the staff and light the lantern.

Then...

Do you want to go?

They say this year,

as a special exception for me,

it's meant to encourage women's education.

How could I refuse?

Mr. Zhao,

aren't you going to stop her?

Yu Jingxiu is determined to win.

If he lights the lantern with her

in front of everyone,

then...

He's determined to win.

Does that mean he will?

(Chiyu Post Station)

Young Master, I don't recall you putting this much effort in,

even back in the imperial exams.

The imperial exams, of course, I had to fight for.

But this lantern formation,

I cannot fall behind in that either.

Mr. Zhao.

Go. Hurry up!

Let's go.

What are you thinking about?

In our future,

will we be married?

Some couples in this world

share a bed but not a heart,

yet play the part in public.

Some treat each other with respect,

yet remain worlds apart.

Some weather the storms together,

yet still lose to time.

Some have run their course,

yet are bound together all the same.

Tingyun.

I want to ask you something.

When we're married someday...

♪Let this fleeting world carry me through a life adrift♪

what kind of couple do you hope we'll be?

♪With wit and strategy, I enter this game without regret♪

♪Though each move is forced upon me♪

♪May it buy the world one moment's peace from the storm♪

♪I crave no clarity from outside my soul♪

♪I crave no clarity♪

♪from outside my soul♪

Ladies and gentlemen, please.

This year's Yellow River Lantern Formation

is set according to the Eight Trigrams,

with a gate for each direction.

Enter through the Life Gate,

exit through the Rest Gate.

If you mistakenly step into the Death Gate,

the formation will shift.

Whoever emerges first

will be the victor.

Whether you can break it

depends on your skill.

With such a grand spectacle,

Young Lord Yu,

would you care to enter

and show us what you've got?

Young Lord Yu is a civil official from the capital.

He is of high status.

Down there are all our soldiers.

They are rough and reckless.

If anything goes wrong,

I cannot bear the responsibility.

Commander Wang,

this formation is based on the Eight Trigrams.

Though I am a civil official,

I have studied the Book of Changes since childhood.

I am no stranger to the Eight Trigrams formation.

Since you're so inclined,

I will not stand in your way.

Something is definitely off.

Something is wrong.

Look at him.

He doesn't even need to check directions.

He walks through these crossroads

like he's strolling in his own backyard.

Could it be

he secretly studied the formation

and knows all the tricks?

(Go into the formation)

(to set up some traps)

(And place some of our own men inside.)

(No matter what,)

(make sure)

(Young Master Yu)

(emerges first.)

That's not fair.

Having a powerful father

means he can ignore the rules?

He must be beaten.

This can't go on.

The Rest Gate is hard to find.

Do you know where the Death Gate is?

Success is uncertain,

but I've had plenty of

experience with failure.

Let's go.

I thought he had some skill.

But now it seems

he's nothing special.

(We hope you will go easy on us)

(Lantern Formation) (in the performance review.)

Mr. Zhao.

(Death) Death Gate.

(Death)

(Death)

Too easy!

Is it that your garrison

has been slacking off?

Is this all you've got?

Nonsense!

I deliberately went easy on you.

And now you're putting on airs?

Fine.

Bring it on!

Change the formation!

Mr. Zhao.

Yu Jingxiu is truly stumped.

(When the handle points east,)

(spring has come.)

(When the handle points west,)

(autumn arrives.)

I've got an idea.

Sanniang.

Go and find out

what's really going on.

Alright.

(I don't know much about formations,)

(but I do know a bit about reading the stars.)

(This central pole)

(is the heart of the formation.)

(According to the ancient design of the Yellow River Formation,)

(it must symbolize the North Star.)

(At the Autumnal Equinox,)

(the handle points west.)

(So my left is west, and my right is east.)

(So this formation hides deadly traps.)

(The Nine Stars of the Big Dipper.)

(Seven visible, two hidden.)

(The central pole marks the core.)

(Alkaid points to the Rest Gate.)

(And those two hidden stars)

(are the true way out.)

(The left assistant star aligns with the Wei constellation.)

(The right assistant aligns with the Xu constellation.)

(Where their paths cross)

(is the Rest Gate.)

Miss Xie.

Miss Xie, I...

There's something

I've been thinking about,

and I feel I should tell you.

Today, the one who wins the lantern formation

will be the one to ascend the tower

and light the lantern with you.

So their proposal to have me light the lantern

was never about promoting the women's hall.

It was to please Yu Jingxiu.

Does Mr. Zhao know about this?

Mr. Zhao said

he will definitely win.

He told you to wait for him.

Is that Mr. Zhao?

It's Mr. Zhao.

It really is Mr. Zhao.

I announce

the winner is Zhao Ling.

Good!

Good!

Mr. Zhao.

Mr. Zhao.

Good!

How are you feeling?

Are you hurt anywhere?

Are you alright?

I'm just glad you're okay.

Good!

Good!

A match made in heaven.

If only I could

have a man like Mr. Zhao,

how wonderful that would be.

Only Ms. Xie

deserves such a fine man.

A perfect union!

A perfect union!

Good!

Miss Xie.

Good!

Good!

Good!

Good!

What if

you hadn't broken the formation,

and Yu Jingxiu had reached the end before you?

If I had lit the lantern with him

and enjoyed the view together,

would that have been a tale to tell?

Do you care about me?

I didn't tell you

because I didn't want to spoil your mood.

For the sake of my whim,

did you just go ahead

and do everything all by yourself?

If you had been badly hurt

while breaking the formation,

do you think I wouldn't feel guilty?

If Yu Jingxiu had used every trick

and won the formation,

and rumors about us started to spread,

do you think I wouldn't be humiliated?

I'm sorry.

I'm the one who should be sorry.

You asked me before what kind of couple I wanted us to be.

Just now,

I figured it out.

I didn't make myself clear.

I want to pledge my life to you,

not just to find a suitable partner

to walk the road to splendor together.

I also want to find someone I truly love,

to quietly watch our days bloom.

You've carried my ideals and my dignity.

Yet you have never

asked anything of me.

Mr. Zhao,

I don't just want someone

to run a household with.

I want to cherish you

and love you.

Zhao Ling,

are we in love with each other?

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

(Mr. Zhao, will you marry me?)

(What if)

(we got married here in Ganlin Town?)

Close your eyes.

♪I turn away, afraid no one will ever come home to me again♪

♪If we can build our future together, no storm can chill my heart♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

Did I ever tell you to harm Zhao Ling?

It's my fault.

I should not have acted on my own.

Since it's already done,

then why

not make it permanent?

Please enlighten me, Young Lord Yu.

If I want to have her,

what good is it to just wound Zhao Ling?

You need Zhao Ling dead.

Sun Desheng.

Yes.

For capturing six warhorses,

you'll be made a banner commander.

Thank you, Commander.

And finally,

the post of garrison commander

has been reviewed by the Ministry of War

and will still be held by Mo Yi.

Thank you, Commander.

How many times must I say this?

We are not forgetting your merits.

But the court

has its own considerations.

Wait a few more days,

and the rewards will come.

Commander,

you only come once every five or six years.

You want us to wait?

Are we supposed to wait five or six years?

You may be low-ranking, but your temper is anything but.

You new recruits

are all quite capable, aren't you?

If you're so capable,

why are you in such a hurry?

You're not like Lu Dahu.

Not destined for an early grave.

Oh, right.

He did have one

major merit that was never recorded.

So eager for promotion?

Then follow his lead.

Go earn yourself a big merit and show us.

Enough.

Do you want to hit me?

That deputy battalion commander post is gone?

All the merits our brothers fought for

with our lives,

now they go to someone else.

It's infuriating.

We owe this all to Commander Wang's wisdom and integrity.

(Mo Residence)

Brothers,

drink up.

There's plenty of wine.

Cheers!

- Commander Wang. - (Congratulations, General Mo.)

Congratulations!

Everyone,

today,

my husband has been restored to his post.

So all you brothers,

eat and drink to your hearts' content.

There's plenty of wine and mutton.

Great!

Look at that.

General Mo is finally holding his head high.

But what about the Zhao family?

Mr. Zhao was stripped of his military merits.

Miss Xie must be feeling bad inside.

It's always the same.

Some celebrate while others grieve.

Otherwise, look at Miss Xie.

She, of all people,

knows how to read the room.

Today,

why didn't she show up?

Ninth Young Lady.

Please sit.

Please be brief, Lord Yu.

I have another banquet to attend shortly.

Company Commander Zhao has been wronged.

I wish to help.

You need not be on guard, Ninth Young Lady.

Back then, for my own selfish gain,

I ruined your reputation,

and thus altered your fate.

Now, looking back,

I am filled with regret.

I only wish

to make amends.

No need.

Losing the match with the Yu family

was a misfortune back then,

but now I see it as a blessing.

I have decided to marry Mr. Zhao once we return to the capital.

From now on,

I hope you and I will go our separate ways.

Do not disturb me again.

Why are you so cold, Ninth Young Lady?

In all my life,

I have never bowed to anyone.

Never bent my knee.

All I ask is

that you turn and look at me.

Hear me out.

Why are you always so unmoved?

How could Zhao Ling ever understand your talent?

I only want to be your kindred spirit.

Is it too much to ask

that someone understand me?

I was framed.

My reputation was ruined.

I was nearly poisoned

to death in Biyun Nunnery.

You destroyed my future,

yet you think a simple apology

would earn my forgiveness?

And then I would see you again

as an honorable and virtuous man?

Lord Yu,

why does forgiveness come so cheap for you?

Is it because you come from a noble family,

born to stand above the rest?

They say a prodigal's return is worth more than gold.

But if a beggar or a bandit were to turn over a new leaf,

would it be worth just as much?

So it's not that I'm unforgiving,

clinging to one person's past wrongs.

It is you, Lord Yu,

who has never understood the heart of the matter.

You were born into privilege.

So what you consider precious,

your affection, your dignity,

you offer them to me as a kindness.

But I do not find

those things precious at all.

Why are you hiding in here?

Come on.

Your colleagues are all here.

Quite a few brothers are already drunk.

I don't deserve

this reinstatement.

I've let Zhao down,

and Miss Xie, too.

And you?

You're out there throwing a big party.

How can I show my face?

You want to be true to your brothers?

Then what about your family?

Three children at home,

three mouths

to feed,

all depending on your pay.

Fine.

If you've got the spine,

go ahead

and tell Commander Wang

to take back your merits,

start all over from scratch.

Let's see then

where you'll find the provisions

to feed these children.

Why do you always go on

about merits and pay?

Have I ever shortchanged you on food or clothing?

Without that pay, without those merits,

what then?

Would our family starve?

Our eldest

is a girl.

Her prospects

all depend on your rank.

The second one

has just started his schooling.

Who knows if he's cut out for the books?

The third...

The third...

Why are you crying?

Here, wipe your face.

Stop crying.

Stop crying.

Wipe your face.

Come.

So stinky!

Get out there now.

If you don't finish that wine

and get it right today,

you'll see if I don't come after you.

Alright.

Stop crying. Here, come on.

Are you going or not?

If you stop crying, I'll go.

Fine.

I'll drink.

Drinking is forbidden in the army.

I got this for you.

I know you're not feeling good inside.

Have a drink.

Don't tell Zhao Ling.

Who do you think I am?

Lu Dahu was a bully.

He was never a good man.

But the military merits under his name

are valuable.

Thirty-six heads.

Most soldiers serve their whole lives

and never earn that many.

He's dead.

His military registration is void.

But those merits would just go to waste.

But what if we transferred those merits

to your brothers' names?

You are a banner commander under Commander Zhao.

As long as you claim them,

those merits belong to your brothers.

Commander Zhao could leap to the fifth rank

and return to the capital in glory.

And you'd get promoted right along with him.

Nonsense.

That's fraud.

Plenty of people in the army have done this already.

Once Commander Zhao is transferred back to the capital,

no one will ever

come looking into this business in Ganlin Town.

Get lost.

Commander Zhao.

(Noodles)

Banner Commander Yang.

Go on about your business.

How wonderful.

My son

is a proper sixth-rank official now.

Monthly grain supplies,

yearly pay and provisions,

steady and honorable.

It's a pity, though,

I

cannot see

you in your military uniform.

Mother.

Feel it.

Can you feel it?

I can.

When

I meet

your father

in the afterlife,

I'll be able

to hold my head up high.

Darling,

Yucheng

is a general now.

See how well I've raised him.

Mother.

Mother.

I

will work hard

and earn more military merits.

I'll make sure

you have good food at every meal.

When the time comes, just like Mr. Zhao,

I'll get you

a three-courtyard house.

When you earn more merits,

it'll be time for you

to buy me a grave plot.

What are you saying?

You'll live a long, happy life.

Dig in.

Here.

I have come

to apologize.

That day, I offended you

because Lu Dahu

stole our military merits.

I was filled with resentment,

and that's why I talked back.

I hope

you will not hold it against me.

Is what you say true?

Of course.

Those thirty-six Wangur heads

were earned by the brothers

with their very lives.

Lu Dahu

used his rank to crush us.

He took those merits by force.

The soldiers

were all too afraid to speak up.

Now that Lu Dahu is dead,

I beg you to look into this.

I hope

you will return those merits

to the brothers.

I

bow in gratitude.

Mr. Zhao.

What are you doing here?

Yucheng.

Why did you falsify the records?

Why did you claim Lu Dahu's merits

under the brothers' names?

Yucheng, why did you do this?

(Next Episode)

(Official Document) Commander Zhao has been arrested.

Someone reported him

for killing civilians and claiming military credit.

That is a crime

punishable by death.

(Yu Jingxiu!)

(To go after me,)

(you disregard the external threat.)

(The Wangur attack on the pass is a matter of national security.)

(Aren't you afraid of delaying critical military actions?)

But a major battle is imminent.

If Ganlin falls,

it will descend into chaos instantly.

Come back to the capital with me.

(Shameless.)

♪The past brushes by like a falling leaf♪

♪So light, yet my steps still pause for you♪

♪Through every rise and fall, our memories remain without regret♪

♪Carved into the rings of time♪

♪How I wish I could stay a little longer, but I can't♪

♪I turn away, afraid goodbye will fill my eyes with tears♪

♪Etched deep within my heart, yet buried without a word♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

♪For one fleeting moment, I found you in the crowd♪

♪Without a word, you lit up half my life♪

♪In silence, a love too deep for words♪

♪Kept close within my heart♪

♪From now on, no one else is worth waiting for♪

♪I turn away, afraid no one will ever come home to me again♪

♪If we can build our future together, no storm can chill my heart♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪