1
00:00:14,016 --> 00:00:15,560
The fish soup just came off the stove.

2
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:16,736
Young Master, give it a try.

3
00:00:17,392 --> 00:00:19,280
The Crown Princess
knows it's your favorite,

4
00:00:19,296 --> 00:00:21,120
so she specially
had this dish prepared for you.

5
00:00:21,136 --> 00:00:22,288
Thank you, Xihe.

6
00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:41,110
Why is it so fishy?

7
00:00:42,070 --> 00:00:43,150
It isn't fishy.

8
00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:44,880
I tasted it just now.

9
00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:46,710
It was fresh and delicious.

10
00:01:01,390 --> 00:01:02,350
You may all leave.

11
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:06,950
Go bring Mo Yu.

12
00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,040
There's no need to examine me.

13
00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,310
It's probably just the rainy weather
upsetting my stomach.

14
00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:31,200
It's nothing serious.

15
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:33,400
Tell the truth.

16
00:01:34,430 --> 00:01:35,680
It's a pregnancy pulse.

17
00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:40,230
How could that be...

18
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:42,280
Absolutely not.

19
00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:44,950
You may all leave.

20
00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:58,430
Since when?

21
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:04,350
Not long ago, at the restaurant.

22
00:02:05,230 --> 00:02:06,280
We both got drunk.

23
00:02:06,544 --> 00:02:08,000
Do you have feelings for Cui Jinbai?

24
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:08,430
No.

25
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:11,840
It was just an accident.

26
00:02:22,190 --> 00:02:23,150
You were right.

27
00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:30,710
I don't know when I
fell in love with him.

28
00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:33,470
Then do you plan to tell Cui Jinbai?

29
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:41,590
We were never meant to be together.

30
00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:45,630
So, Xihe,

31
00:02:46,784 --> 00:02:48,640
not only must I keep this from him,

32
00:02:49,616 --> 00:02:52,080
but you must also pretend
you never learned about this.

33
00:02:52,512 --> 00:02:54,208
I don't want to drag you into this.

34
00:02:57,910 --> 00:02:59,150
A child takes

35
00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:00,960
ten full months to carry.

36
00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:03,280
From now on, every single day,

37
00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:06,470
you'll live in constant fear.

38
00:03:07,150 --> 00:03:08,360
No one can guarantee

39
00:03:08,430 --> 00:03:10,150
that both you and the baby will be safe.

40
00:03:12,030 --> 00:03:12,750
I know.

41
00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:16,910
I'll return to Shunan
and secretly give birth there.

42
00:03:23,470 --> 00:03:24,080
That works.

43
00:03:25,030 --> 00:03:26,190
Then let Shen Shijiu

44
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,256
stay in the imperial capital
in your place.

45
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:30,000
If anything happens,

46
00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:32,630
I'll handle it.

47
00:04:55,380 --> 00:04:56,120
=Blossoms of Power=

48
00:04:56,130 --> 00:04:58,990
(Adapted from the novel, After My
Bloom, All Flowers Wither by Jin Huang)

49
00:04:59,060 --> 00:05:02,020
=Episode 26=

50
00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:04,120
Mo Yuan.

51
00:05:04,630 --> 00:05:05,950
Escort Young Master Bu back.

52
00:05:06,448 --> 00:05:07,664
Yes, Your Highness.

53
00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:29,510
What's wrong with Young Master Bu?

54
00:05:29,830 --> 00:05:31,040
He looks so down.

55
00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:34,240
It's nothing.

56
00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:56,560
At court today,

57
00:05:56,750 --> 00:05:59,430
Cui Jinbai seemed distracted as well.

58
00:05:59,504 --> 00:06:00,600
His mind kept wandering.

59
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:03,680
He's usually diligent

60
00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:04,680
and decisive.

61
00:06:05,168 --> 00:06:06,870
He rarely loses his composure like this.

62
00:06:08,070 --> 00:06:09,190
So I suspect

63
00:06:09,376 --> 00:06:11,216
something significant must have happened

64
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:12,630
between him and Young Master Bu.

65
00:06:15,296 --> 00:06:16,800
Then what does Your Highness think

66
00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:18,310
could have happened?

67
00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,120
Could it be

68
00:06:22,390 --> 00:06:23,630
that Young Master Bu

69
00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:25,630
is with child

70
00:06:25,630 --> 00:06:26,960
and has nowhere else to turn?

71
00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:36,630
Don't worry, my lady.

72
00:06:36,950 --> 00:06:37,830
Your friend

73
00:06:38,390 --> 00:06:39,480
is my friend, too.

74
00:07:11,310 --> 00:07:12,360
I never expected

75
00:07:13,270 --> 00:07:14,480
you'd ask me to come.

76
00:07:16,128 --> 00:07:17,270
You still wanted to see me?

77
00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:22,680
What did you want to tell me?

78
00:07:30,430 --> 00:07:31,510
I've decided to marry.

79
00:07:32,832 --> 00:07:35,200
The Empress Dowager intends
to arrange a marriage for me.

80
00:07:35,310 --> 00:07:37,800
I'll find a lady who won't expose
my identity and marry her.

81
00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:40,750
Stone Cui,

82
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:44,430
I truly have feelings for you.

83
00:07:48,630 --> 00:07:49,720
But in this lifetime,

84
00:07:51,616 --> 00:07:54,128
I can only be the Young Master
to the Marquis of Shunan.

85
00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,310
I'm telling you how I feel

86
00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:08,270
because I want you to know my decision.

87
00:08:08,870 --> 00:08:09,750
From now on,

88
00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:12,800
don't waste any more time on me.

89
00:08:19,616 --> 00:08:21,328
Let's end this once and for all.

90
00:08:21,776 --> 00:08:23,600
It will be the best outcome
for both of us.

91
00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:35,440
Now that I know how you feel,

92
00:08:38,270 --> 00:08:40,030
if I can't spend my life with you,

93
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:42,320
I'd rather grow old alone

94
00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:45,630
than be with someone else.

95
00:08:47,870 --> 00:08:48,360
Very well.

96
00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:49,670
As you wish.

97
00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:55,360
This cup of tea

98
00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,240
is to sever all ties between us.

99
00:09:21,180 --> 00:09:23,890
♪Time is like a river flowing backward♪

100
00:09:23,890 --> 00:09:26,520
♪The story is sketched anew♪

101
00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,160
♪The moonlight
is sewn together by the dusk♪

102
00:09:31,610 --> 00:09:34,380
♪The tide engulfs the lines on my palm♪

103
00:09:34,380 --> 00:09:37,110
♪Pushing me to converge with you♪

104
00:09:37,110 --> 00:09:41,590
♪Sifting for joy in a sea of sorrow♪

105
00:09:42,230 --> 00:09:44,870
♪I step onto this winding path♪

106
00:09:44,870 --> 00:09:47,210
♪What was swept away?♪

107
00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,570
♪Joy and sorrow show no emotion♪

108
00:09:52,610 --> 00:09:55,180
♪The clouds twist into a vortex♪

109
00:09:55,180 --> 00:09:57,930
♪Reaching out to touch you♪

110
00:09:57,930 --> 00:10:02,710
♪Only to find it's just a bubble♪

111
00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:09,560
♪I can only stay there forever♪

112
00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:14,860
♪In the coming years, I'll always
remember that year, my graceful lover♪

113
00:10:15,010 --> 00:10:17,480
♪Love hangs on the crest of the waves♪

114
00:10:17,730 --> 00:10:22,160
♪Waiting for regret to swallow me up♪

115
00:10:41,270 --> 00:10:42,870
You need to get more rest now.

116
00:10:43,750 --> 00:10:45,080
You're with child.

117
00:10:45,390 --> 00:10:46,000
Sit down.

118
00:10:47,270 --> 00:10:48,480
I'm fine.

119
00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:57,560
I told you
there was no need to see me off,

120
00:10:57,570 --> 00:10:59,280
yet you insisted on
coming out of the city.

121
00:10:59,910 --> 00:11:01,550
I blended all these incenses for you.

122
00:11:05,790 --> 00:11:08,320
Some repel snakes and insects,
others keep wild beasts away.

123
00:11:08,790 --> 00:11:09,750
And these

124
00:11:09,750 --> 00:11:11,510
are medicinal powders for emergencies,

125
00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:12,870
just in case.

126
00:11:19,630 --> 00:11:20,630
Xihe,

127
00:11:24,550 --> 00:11:25,630
there's something

128
00:11:26,384 --> 00:11:27,910
I've kept to myself all this time.

129
00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:30,390
Today,

130
00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:32,960
I want a straight answer.

131
00:11:33,150 --> 00:11:34,320
Go ahead and ask.

132
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:36,910
Hesitating doesn't suit you.

133
00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:41,630
Back then,

134
00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:43,790
you had Shen Shijiu imitate me

135
00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:46,360
because one day

136
00:11:47,296 --> 00:11:49,840
you intended for him
to take my place, didn't you?

137
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,240
I did consider it.

138
00:11:54,390 --> 00:11:55,480
As long as I died,

139
00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,630
Shen Shijiu could take my token
and pass himself off as me,

140
00:11:58,704 --> 00:12:00,736
becoming the Young Master
to the Marquis of Shunan.

141
00:12:00,740 --> 00:12:02,590
Then you would have control
of the Shunan army.

142
00:12:04,790 --> 00:12:06,030
Becoming a mother

143
00:12:07,030 --> 00:12:08,270
really has made you wiser.

144
00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:12,360
Court politics

145
00:12:12,432 --> 00:12:14,320
are all about fighting
over military power.

146
00:12:14,496 --> 00:12:15,600
That's how it should seem.

147
00:12:15,910 --> 00:12:17,630
Then why didn't you do it?

148
00:12:19,630 --> 00:12:20,960
Because you're my closest friend.

149
00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,870
I want the Duke of Wei's Manor
to stand as firm as a fortress,

150
00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:31,030
but not

151
00:12:31,030 --> 00:12:32,910
at the cost of my closest friend's life.

152
00:12:40,910 --> 00:12:42,030
Since I was nine,

153
00:12:42,032 --> 00:12:44,272
when I came to
the imperial capital as a hostage,

154
00:12:44,790 --> 00:12:46,600
I've been surrounded by enemies,

155
00:12:47,270 --> 00:12:49,120
alone and constantly on guard.

156
00:12:49,910 --> 00:12:51,790
I never dared hope or expect

157
00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:54,120
to have a true friend.

158
00:12:56,670 --> 00:12:57,510
Xihe,

159
00:12:58,208 --> 00:12:59,856
for the friendship you've given me,

160
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:01,712
all I can offer is my deepest gratitude.

161
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:03,120
I'll never forget it.

162
00:13:08,790 --> 00:13:09,360
By the way...

163
00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:13,750
Open it.

164
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:41,390
It's beautiful.

165
00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:42,910
Xihe,

166
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:45,480
would you give it to me?

167
00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:46,960
No.

168
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:49,120
If I gave it to you,

169
00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:50,840
you'd be tempted to sneak it on.

170
00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:53,000
One careless mistake

171
00:13:53,072 --> 00:13:55,520
would be a capital offense
for deceiving the Emperor.

172
00:14:09,270 --> 00:14:10,270
I was thinking

173
00:14:10,630 --> 00:14:11,550
that on your journey,

174
00:14:12,112 --> 00:14:14,832
you might run into someone who
recognizes you in your male disguise.

175
00:14:15,150 --> 00:14:17,270
You'll be safer
traveling in ladies' clothing.

176
00:14:20,510 --> 00:14:22,270
You've always thought
of everything for me.

177
00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:27,550
When we first formed our alliance,

178
00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:29,240
you promised me 3,000 elite soldiers.

179
00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:31,840
And now those 3,000 elite soldiers

180
00:14:32,630 --> 00:14:33,910
have been exchanged for a dress.

181
00:14:34,910 --> 00:14:35,910
Looking at it that way,

182
00:14:35,952 --> 00:14:37,030
I'd say I came out ahead.

183
00:14:43,750 --> 00:14:45,240
After your child is born,

184
00:14:45,296 --> 00:14:47,968
don't think you can simply settle
for a life in the household.

185
00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:50,150
What do you mean?

186
00:14:51,150 --> 00:14:52,510
I know what you aspire to.

187
00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:54,150
One day,

188
00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:56,510
I'll see you clad in armor and raise

189
00:14:57,630 --> 00:14:59,790
the crimson banner as a lady,

190
00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:02,080
becoming the first
female military marquis

191
00:15:02,144 --> 00:15:04,448
to ride into battle in the past
300 years of this dynasty.

192
00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:05,910
I'll have the court historians

193
00:15:06,390 --> 00:15:07,910
rewrite the pages of history for you

194
00:15:08,032 --> 00:15:10,200
and engrave your name
upon the general's seal.

195
00:15:26,630 --> 00:15:27,480
Take care of yourself.

196
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,230
Your Highness summoned me
to the palace so late at night.

197
00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:47,504
Has something urgent happened?

198
00:15:47,750 --> 00:15:48,600
Jinbai,

199
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:51,750
there's something I must tell you.

200
00:15:52,688 --> 00:15:54,480
Young Master Bu is on her way to Shunan

201
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:56,080
via Minzhou.

202
00:15:56,544 --> 00:15:59,550
Shen Shijiu has remained at the Marquis
of Shunan's Residence in her place.

203
00:16:10,448 --> 00:16:11,910
This is a pass to leave the city.

204
00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:13,630
The imperial capital or Shunan,

205
00:16:14,390 --> 00:16:15,550
I'll let you choose.

206
00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:23,984
My lord, something important
has come up.

207
00:16:24,992 --> 00:16:26,790
Although I saw it
with my own eyes last time,

208
00:16:26,870 --> 00:16:28,080
that Bu Shulin was a man,

209
00:16:28,510 --> 00:16:30,120
I still felt something was off.

210
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,200
So I had people
keep watch on the servants

211
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,510
going in and out
of the Marquis of Shunan's Residence.

212
00:16:34,510 --> 00:16:36,080
Did you discover something, my lady?

213
00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:42,150
Atractylodes,

214
00:16:42,750 --> 00:16:43,550
peony,

215
00:16:44,510 --> 00:16:45,390
and scutellaria.

216
00:16:45,790 --> 00:16:46,600
What they were buying

217
00:16:47,024 --> 00:16:48,928
was a prescription
to protect a pregnancy.

218
00:16:50,630 --> 00:16:52,840
Bu Shulin really is a lady.

219
00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:54,910
At the birthday banquet,

220
00:16:55,870 --> 00:16:57,120
she used a stand-in.

221
00:16:59,080 --> 00:16:59,670
Your Highness,

222
00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:01,990
we've learned that Bu Shulin
suddenly left the city

223
00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:03,240
and headed toward Minzhou.

224
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,440
Now everything makes sense.

225
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:10,920
The answer lies in this prescription.

226
00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,110
She's carrying a child,

227
00:17:14,976 --> 00:17:17,792
which is why she couldn't remain
in the imperial capital any longer.

228
00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:19,830
Dispatch our most elite men

229
00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:21,790
at once to capture Bu Shulin.

230
00:17:21,936 --> 00:17:23,232
Yes, Your Highness.

231
00:17:25,540 --> 00:17:30,340
(Yanbo Pier)

232
00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:00,960
Miss,

233
00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:02,400
our boat will arrive in two hours.

234
00:18:27,180 --> 00:18:30,620
(Yanbo Pier)

235
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:51,350
I'm sorry I'm late.

236
00:21:04,110 --> 00:21:04,720
Does it hurt?

237
00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:07,030
Not really.

238
00:21:07,590 --> 00:21:08,880
They're only superficial wounds.

239
00:21:33,790 --> 00:21:35,790
I know I'm quite beautiful,

240
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,688
but surely I'm not worth
staring at for this long.

241
00:21:42,350 --> 00:21:43,550
That's enough.

242
00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,070
All the countless times I imagined

243
00:21:50,576 --> 00:21:52,560
this moment couldn't
compare to even a fraction

244
00:21:53,790 --> 00:21:54,680
of seeing you today.

245
00:21:58,176 --> 00:22:00,096
Now that the bandits
have been eliminated,

246
00:22:00,784 --> 00:22:02,720
I'll set off as soon
as the boat arrives.

247
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,400
Once I enter Shunan,

248
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,510
someone will be there to meet me.

249
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:09,750
Vice Minister Cui,

250
00:22:11,790 --> 00:22:12,590
you should go back.

251
00:22:13,830 --> 00:22:14,310
I can't.

252
00:22:15,310 --> 00:22:16,160
I'm going with you.

253
00:22:16,256 --> 00:22:18,830
As one of the Emperor's
closest officials, your promising future

254
00:22:19,790 --> 00:22:20,830
will be gone

255
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:23,070
from this day on.

256
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:24,416
Do you have no regrets?

257
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:27,400
I know in my heart

258
00:22:27,744 --> 00:22:29,936
that you're more important
than any of that.

259
00:22:33,830 --> 00:22:35,160
I'll always remember

260
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:36,680
your feelings for me.

261
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,350
But the price you're paying
is simply too great.

262
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,070
You should go back.

263
00:22:45,728 --> 00:22:47,070
Just pretend you never saw me.

264
00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:49,960
The road to Shunan

265
00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:52,416
is one I want to walk alone.

266
00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:57,110
Even if you refuse to marry me,

267
00:22:59,072 --> 00:23:01,632
I'll stay by the side of the person
who means the most to me

268
00:23:02,790 --> 00:23:03,680
and never leave.

269
00:23:10,790 --> 00:23:11,880
My heart

270
00:23:13,590 --> 00:23:14,480
will never waver.

271
00:23:20,270 --> 00:23:21,830
I spend money recklessly,

272
00:23:22,590 --> 00:23:24,350
drink, gamble, and fool around all day.

273
00:23:24,624 --> 00:23:26,704
I've long been used
to living without restraint.

274
00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:28,310
I've never been the settling-down type.

275
00:23:28,510 --> 00:23:29,920
Do whatever you want.

276
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:30,880
- If you're happy...
- I don't even know

277
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,200
how to be a proper young lady,

278
00:23:32,528 --> 00:23:34,110
let alone a virtuous wife and mother.

279
00:23:34,110 --> 00:23:35,790
I can take care of the household
and raise our children.

280
00:23:35,790 --> 00:23:37,200
I command thousands of soldiers.

281
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:38,550
Once I'm away on campaign,

282
00:23:38,896 --> 00:23:40,640
I may not return home
for months at a time.

283
00:23:40,650 --> 00:23:41,680
You'll be left home alone.

284
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:42,240
I'll go with you...

285
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:42,920
Cui Jinbai,

286
00:23:45,790 --> 00:23:46,830
have you ever thought

287
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,310
that even if we become husband and wife,

288
00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:54,000
before the world, I can only be a man?

289
00:24:02,790 --> 00:24:03,790
With me,

290
00:24:06,830 --> 00:24:08,310
you can always be yourself.

291
00:24:13,270 --> 00:24:14,000
Bu Shulin,

292
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:16,310
I'm in love with you.

293
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:19,920
Let me go with you.

294
00:24:21,350 --> 00:24:22,000
Will you?

295
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:57,240
You're lying on our baby.

296
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,070
Since you're such a learned scholar,

297
00:25:12,310 --> 00:25:13,310
why don't you

298
00:25:14,830 --> 00:25:16,400
give our child a name?

299
00:25:21,820 --> 00:25:25,420
(East Palace)

300
00:25:28,350 --> 00:25:30,480
I've completely
rooted out Changmin's forces.

301
00:25:32,030 --> 00:25:32,960
There'll be no one left

302
00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:34,480
to threaten their lives.

303
00:25:36,272 --> 00:25:38,976
Cui Jinbai went to Minzhou under
the pretext of investigating a case.

304
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:39,880
He'll probably

305
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:41,400
be gone for about six months.

306
00:25:41,664 --> 00:25:43,744
He'll stay with Bu Shulin
until the baby is born.

307
00:25:44,110 --> 00:25:46,510
Cui Jinbai has been the officer
you've groomed for years.

308
00:25:47,350 --> 00:25:48,510
Given enough time,

309
00:25:48,576 --> 00:25:50,752
he was destined
to rise to the highest office.

310
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,830
Can you really bear
to let him retire to the countryside?

311
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:55,880
The old me

312
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,240
certainly couldn't.

313
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:01,880
But for some reason,

314
00:26:02,750 --> 00:26:03,510
this time,

315
00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:07,248
I'd rather help them
find their happiness.

316
00:26:13,830 --> 00:26:16,310
I've gone to such great lengths for you.

317
00:26:17,790 --> 00:26:19,030
Won't you reward me?

318
00:26:30,030 --> 00:26:31,590
I remember my promise.

319
00:26:32,750 --> 00:26:34,070
Everything I've done

320
00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:35,960
has been of my own free will.

321
00:26:36,368 --> 00:26:38,070
Even if my feelings are never returned,

322
00:26:38,590 --> 00:26:39,680
I won't resent you.

323
00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:43,160
I'll just be quietly

324
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:45,350
sad for a little while.

325
00:26:48,030 --> 00:26:49,400
There you go again.

326
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:53,310
You've worked hard.

327
00:26:54,310 --> 00:26:56,790
Thank you for protecting Lin

328
00:26:56,896 --> 00:26:58,550
and bringing these two lovers together.

329
00:27:06,368 --> 00:27:07,680
Whatever Youyou wishes for

330
00:27:08,350 --> 00:27:09,510
is all I could ever ask.

331
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:14,110
You're smiling more and more these days.

332
00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:16,720
What could be more precious than that?

333
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:20,720
For as long as I live,

334
00:27:21,936 --> 00:27:23,216
I'm always at your service.

335
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:37,720
Bu Shulin's affair

336
00:27:37,824 --> 00:27:39,030
was supposed to be foolproof.

337
00:27:39,888 --> 00:27:41,680
Prince Ning has proven utterly useless.

338
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:43,960
Please don't blame me.

339
00:27:44,224 --> 00:27:46,370
Prince Ning has completely
alienated the East Palace.

340
00:27:46,550 --> 00:27:47,590
He's a spent force now.

341
00:27:48,030 --> 00:27:49,790
But I'm willing
to give everything for you.

342
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:51,264
I'll do whatever you ask.

343
00:28:01,376 --> 00:28:03,296
This is the poison
from the foreign merchant?

344
00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:09,240
I know what to do.

345
00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:26,590
What are you doing here?

346
00:28:26,656 --> 00:28:28,200
Someone from the palace came to inquire

347
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:30,510
why Second Prince
hasn't attended court for days

348
00:28:30,510 --> 00:28:31,830
or gone to the Censorate.

349
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:33,310
Has something happened?

350
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,550
You aren't receiving visitors.

351
00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:37,232
So I took the liberty
of deciding for you.

352
00:28:37,310 --> 00:28:38,750
I told them you were ill

353
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:40,480
and needed a few days' rest.

354
00:28:41,270 --> 00:28:41,960
Very well.

355
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:43,920
I understand.

356
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:47,480
It's only noon.

357
00:28:47,750 --> 00:28:50,160
Yet you are already
drinking and making merry.

358
00:28:50,550 --> 00:28:51,880
This is beneath your dignity.

359
00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:54,680
Please dismiss the foreign dancer.

360
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:56,440
Once you've sobered up,

361
00:28:57,030 --> 00:28:58,680
we can discuss this at length.

362
00:28:59,270 --> 00:29:00,790
Discuss this at length?

363
00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,270
What future do I have left?

364
00:29:09,550 --> 00:29:11,110
No wonder you're no match for them.

365
00:29:25,550 --> 00:29:26,750
What did you say?

366
00:29:29,350 --> 00:29:30,240
I said,

367
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:33,070
victory and defeat
are the fortunes of war.

368
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:35,830
After a single defeat,

369
00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:37,750
you've become nothing but a beaten cur,

370
00:29:37,808 --> 00:29:39,648
drifting through your days
in a drunken haze.

371
00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,310
Had I known Prince Ning
was so weak and incompetent,

372
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:44,830
so unfit for great things,

373
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:46,680
I never should have married you.

374
00:29:49,270 --> 00:29:51,110
Your ability
doesn't match your ambition.

375
00:29:51,216 --> 00:29:52,736
It will only bring disaster upon you.

376
00:29:53,270 --> 00:29:54,200
Have you lost your mind?

377
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:56,960
How dare you insult His Highness
with such insolence!

378
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,720
If you want to become a lowly courtesan
passed from man to man,

379
00:30:06,110 --> 00:30:07,680
then go ahead and say one more word.

380
00:30:09,070 --> 00:30:10,110
I'll kill you!

381
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:16,240
Have you had enough?

382
00:30:19,510 --> 00:30:20,920
Consumed by jealousy and spite.

383
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:22,480
Your words are utterly disgraceful.

384
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:24,440
Have you no regard for royal dignity?

385
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:43,310
Lin returned safely to Shunan.

386
00:30:44,208 --> 00:30:45,880
Prince Ning's elite force has been lost.

387
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:47,590
Every plan he laid

388
00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:49,270
ended in complete defeat.

389
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:51,350
At any rate,

390
00:30:51,790 --> 00:30:52,960
we can't count on him anymore.

391
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:55,310
That's why Gu Qingshu

392
00:30:55,830 --> 00:30:57,510
decided to get out
while she still could.

393
00:31:00,736 --> 00:31:02,528
Even a vicious tiger
won't kill its own cubs.

394
00:31:03,270 --> 00:31:05,880
Few men could bring themselves

395
00:31:06,550 --> 00:31:08,000
to harm the child in their womb.

396
00:31:24,350 --> 00:31:25,400
You're here.

397
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:44,160
Your Highness.

398
00:31:44,790 --> 00:31:46,000
Too much liquor is bad for you.

399
00:31:47,030 --> 00:31:48,070
This is the hangover soup

400
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:50,240
I prepared for you myself.

401
00:31:51,590 --> 00:31:54,030
That day, I was blinded by anger.

402
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:56,240
I never imagined

403
00:31:57,550 --> 00:31:59,030
it would kill our child.

404
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,270
You abandoned this child long ago.

405
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:16,960
And me.

406
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:20,510
Why would you say such a thing?

407
00:32:20,848 --> 00:32:22,680
As husband and wife,
we are of one heart.

408
00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,270
You mean more to me than anyone else.

409
00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:33,960
I believe you.

410
00:32:48,270 --> 00:32:51,160
No one has ever truly cared about me.

411
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,000
Everyone says

412
00:32:53,070 --> 00:32:55,000
I was never meant to be Emperor.

413
00:32:55,830 --> 00:32:58,030
I've worked harder than anyone else.

414
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:00,960
So why has everything

415
00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:03,960
turned against me?

416
00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:18,270
I couldn't even

417
00:33:22,350 --> 00:33:23,720
protect our child.

418
00:33:49,550 --> 00:33:50,680
Qingshu.

419
00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:53,640
Qingshu.

420
00:34:04,590 --> 00:34:06,400
You're ruthless.

421
00:34:08,230 --> 00:34:10,190
That encounter at Ningchun Garden,

422
00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:12,360
and Hu Yingrao's death,

423
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,030
were both your doing, weren't they?

424
00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:19,110
Your Highness.

425
00:34:26,150 --> 00:34:27,440
All my life,

426
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:31,590
what I've hated most
is being looked down on

427
00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:33,880
and abandoned.

428
00:34:35,190 --> 00:34:36,480
I thought

429
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:38,840
I'd hate you to the core.

430
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:42,590
But your ruthlessness,

431
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,320
your determination to stop at nothing,

432
00:34:47,664 --> 00:34:49,670
has left me with no choice
but to admire you.

433
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:53,510
What right do I have to hate you?

434
00:34:56,630 --> 00:34:58,480
I even hope

435
00:35:00,110 --> 00:35:02,150
you'll carry on in my place.

436
00:35:43,710 --> 00:35:44,710
Once I'm dead,

437
00:35:46,110 --> 00:35:48,400
you'll be able to give
the one behind you

438
00:35:49,230 --> 00:35:50,360
an answer.

439
00:35:51,110 --> 00:35:52,840
I've cared about my dignity all my life.

440
00:35:53,190 --> 00:35:55,360
Since I can't fulfill my own ambitions,

441
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:56,550
I'd rather

442
00:35:59,230 --> 00:36:00,840
help my wife fulfill hers.

443
00:36:28,630 --> 00:36:29,840
The law

444
00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,400
is upheld alike
by the Son of Heaven and all his people.

445
00:36:36,496 --> 00:36:38,656
(Imperial Code Commentary)
From the Three Excellencies

446
00:36:38,656 --> 00:36:39,630
and Nine Ministers above

447
00:36:39,630 --> 00:36:42,480
to the common people below,

448
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:43,880
all must

449
00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:46,800
stand in awe of the law.

450
00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:57,190
Only by governing
with both virtue and punishment

451
00:36:58,110 --> 00:36:59,960
can order prevail.

452
00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:02,030
Only when rites and law are in harmony

453
00:37:03,110 --> 00:37:05,280
can lasting peace endure.

454
00:37:53,008 --> 00:37:54,832
Your Highness, what are you doing here?

455
00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:56,140
You wouldn't let me come with you,

456
00:37:56,150 --> 00:37:57,990
yet you had Changqing
protect you all the way.

457
00:37:58,030 --> 00:37:58,800
I just...

458
00:38:01,670 --> 00:38:02,630
Prince Xin!

459
00:38:03,150 --> 00:38:05,320
Some people are always so stubborn,

460
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:06,510
so distracted.

461
00:38:06,590 --> 00:38:07,800
I have plenty of time.

462
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:08,760
But you, Crown Prince,

463
00:38:09,110 --> 00:38:10,230
your days are numbered.

464
00:38:14,750 --> 00:38:17,690
♪I've hidden so many words♪

465
00:38:18,310 --> 00:38:21,110
♪Too reluctant to tell you♪

466
00:38:21,980 --> 00:38:28,950
♪So never uncover♪

467
00:38:29,140 --> 00:38:31,500
♪The sand that slips away
with one grasp♪

468
00:38:32,630 --> 00:38:35,360
♪The flower that withers
after one bloom♪

469
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:41,660
♪Silently buried deep inside my heart♪

470
00:38:43,420 --> 00:38:46,240
♪Every answer I gave♪

471
00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,890
♪Was both bittersweet and absurd♪

472
00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:54,050
♪Hiding my tear-filled eyes
when I hurt you♪

473
00:38:54,310 --> 00:38:57,620
♪How hard it truly was?♪

474
00:39:00,590 --> 00:39:04,030
♪The wounds that healed
with just a little comfort♪

475
00:39:05,020 --> 00:39:07,350
♪The lies made whole
with a single embrace♪

476
00:39:08,620 --> 00:39:14,380
♪Pretending to be brave
as if I'd never been hurt♪

477
00:39:15,790 --> 00:39:18,920
♪It's a shame I never could♪

478
00:39:19,370 --> 00:39:22,380
♪Give you a moon in return♪

479
00:39:22,490 --> 00:39:29,130
♪With the same open heart you loved me♪

480
00:39:29,130 --> 00:39:32,800
♪I've crossed the wasteland of memories♪

481
00:39:33,670 --> 00:39:36,430
♪Never knowing I was lost♪

482
00:39:36,870 --> 00:39:40,000
♪Why don't you take me away?♪

483
00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:46,390
♪Lead me out of this endless game
of hide-and-seek♪

484
00:39:47,790 --> 00:39:51,340
♪You'll never♪

485
00:39:51,620 --> 00:40:01,090
♪Know how much I long to, long to♪

486
00:40:27,260 --> 00:40:30,740
(No animals were harmed
in the making of this film)