Original subtitles

They fought south of the city, and died north of the wall.

[Yongzhou]

Left out in the wild, unburied, for the crows to peck and gnaw.

Tell the crows for me: eat well, feast your fill.

Left in the wild, surely unburied— how could rotten flesh escape your beak?

Well, Xiao Wuyi...

After all these years of war,

you still haven't earned a good reputation.

[Yang Yi's Mansion, Armory Director]

[Li Mao, Prince of Qi, styled Yizhi]

This family

seems to have been gone for a long time.

Da.

Everyone is gone.

How am I supposed to look into this?

[Da, guard to the Prince of Qi]

I need to tell Wuyi about all this.

[Key to the Phoenix Heart]

[Episode 3]

Yizhi!

Wuyi.

Wuyi.

What are you doing here?

I was waiting for you.

Xiao Wuyi!

How did you know I was coming back to the capital today?

In your letter, you said you were coming back by water.

Counting the days, it had to be today,

so I came here to wait for you.

I heard the battle at Jiuzhang Plain was especially brutal.

How are you?

Let me have a look at you.

I'm fine.

You've been traveling day and night this whole way.

You must be starving.

I brought your favorite taro pastries.

Hurry and try some.

You really know me.

I've been sick of dry rations this entire journey.

I've been saving my appetite for getting back to Jiankang.

Watch your manners.

Look at you, eating like a starving ghost.

How are you supposed to be the elegant Prince Qi from the rumors?

That's a bad habit from back when we were on the run.

If you eat too slowly,

your food gets snatched and you starve.

I still haven't managed to shake it.

Yizhi,

thank you for helping with the matter in Yongzhou.

Wuyi,

is something wrong?

I waited here for you today

because I want you to stay out of the capital for now.

Something is about to happen in the capital.

Don't tell me it's Prince Changsha again.

No.

It's me.

What did you do?

I'm taking a secondary consort.

Again?

Isn't that a good thing?

I'll be your best man.

This marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager.

The whole city is bound to be watching.

And Prince Changsha has been planning for this for a long time.

There's no way he'll willingly let me marry this lady.

When the time comes,

chaos is bound to break out in the capital,

and bloodshed will be inevitable.

It will be safest for you to return

only after everything has settled.

Now I'm curious.

Just which family's daughter

has both you and Prince Changsha fighting to marry her?

The daughter of Grand Tutor Xie—

Xie Jiayu.

Prince Qi is back!

It's been more than half a year. You finally made it back.

Master has really missed you.

Come on, let's go drink now that you're back.

Alright, alright.

Master.

You should all head back first.

Head back first.

Master, I heard—

I already know.

I remember you once told me

that during the unrest in Qizhou,

you ran into danger on your way back to the capital.

It was Young Master Xiao who saved you and escorted you

and the Princess of Pingning County safely back to the capital.

You've known each other since then?

Yes.

Have you been in contact recently?

It is a friendship of gentlemen.

So in your eyes,

Young Master Xiao is actually a gentleman?

When we were young, he once told me

that, for the sake of protecting the realm,

he wanted

to become the greatest general under heaven.

But after returning to the capital,

he killed court officials and intimidated the entire court.

Do you still think

he's the same young man you once knew?

"How shall it be said that you have no clothes?

I will share my long robes with you."

It is his name,

and also his aspiration.

Yes.

Perhaps when Xiao Sheng chose the name "Wuyi"—"No Clothes" — for himself,

he truly meant those words.

But power...

Power changes people.

Perhaps he is no longer

the person you once knew.

I'll go see him myself.

I'll tell him that I like Yao Yao,

and ask him to call off the marriage.

The Empress Dowager herself arranged this marriage.

How could it possibly be withdrawn?

Then I'll go beg the Empress Dowager.

Jiankang Palace is not somewhere you can simply barge into.

I know.

Master,

before I returned this time,

I prepared a betrothal gift for Yao Yao.

Please help me pass it on to her.

I've already made up my mind.

No matter how difficult it is,

even if it means going into Jiankang Palace,

I'm willing to try.

For Yao Yao,

I'd do anything.

[Grand Tutor's Mansion]

Mao brought this for you.

It's black iridescent ore.

In her last letter, Yao Yao mentioned

that Yongzhou produces a rare kind of black iridescent ore

that can forge the toughest black iron.

Since I'm already there,

I'll look for some on her behalf.

It'll make an auspicious gift when I ask for her hand in marriage.

I only mentioned it once,

and Mao went out of his way to find it for me.

Yao Yao,

Mao has entered the palace.

He wants to ask the Empress Dowager

to revoke the imperial marriage decree.

I knew it.

Mao would never give up.

You want me to revoke the imperial marriage decree?

I humbly ask that Your Majesty grant us your blessing.

Young men are naturally drawn to beauty.

I understand that.

But

the decree has already been issued.

I beg Your Majesty for mercy.

In this life, I ask for nothing else

but Lady Xie alone.

You ask for nothing else?

Your Majesty once promised

that if I could find a miraculous doctor for His Majesty,

you would grant me another fiefdom.

After enduring countless hardships,

I finally succeeded.

But now, I can forgo

the land, the title, and the wealth.

I ask only that Your Majesty take pity on my sincere feelings.

You can give up

your land,

your title,

and your wealth?

It seems

I've played the part of a gentle and virtuous woman

for so long that some fools have actually started to believe it.

My son sits upon the throne,

yet even he struggles just to survive,

living like a puppet.

And what are you?

What is your sincerity worth?

How dare you come here and bargain with me?

Everything you have now

was bestowed upon you by His Majesty and me.

If I decide not to give it,

then you shall have nothing.

He Tian!

Your servant awaits.

Prince Qi trespassed into the inner palace

and spoke insolently to the Empress Dowager.

Punish him with the rod!

Da.

It's nothing. What happened?

Lejun?

Fainted?

Lejun.

Princess.

As soon as Lejun passed out,

her maids came straight to the Grand Tutor's residence to fetch me.

What happened to her?

Don't tell me her old illness has flared up again?

She'll be fine.

She's fine?

What,

Your Highness doesn't believe me?

I wouldn't dare.

Your Highness is highly skilled in medicine,

and it was you who cured Lejun's chronic illness before.

However,

if she is truly fine,

then why did she suddenly faint?

She merely ate some wild fruit by mistake.

She'll recover naturally in a few days.

However...

something about this is strange.

To fall unconscious

from eating that fruit,

one would have to eat at least an entire basketful.

The fruit is sour and bitter—

difficult to swallow.

Why would Lejun eat so much of it?

Go check whether the medicine is ready yet.

Yes.

I'll go check on the medicine as well.

Yao Yao.

Mao.

My mother wouldn't let me leave the residence,

and I wanted to see you.

Lejun said she had a way—

I didn't expect this to be what she meant.

Are you alright?

Mao, you're finally back.

I thought

I was really going to end up marrying someone else.

The Empress Dowager

still refuses to withdraw the decree.

Then I won't marry him either.

You're going to defy the imperial decree?

Mao,

I dare to defy the decree.

Do you dare?

Why wouldn't I dare?

Father always says I know nothing about court politics.

Maybe he's right.

But I do know

he has no intention of siding with Prince Jingan.

And besides, the Empress Dowager only ordered me to marry Xiao Wuyi.

She never said I had to spend my life in loving harmony with him.

So as long as I complete the ceremony on the wedding night

and run away afterward,

it won't count

as defying the decree.

I plan to go to Northern Qin,

change my name,

and start over.

Alright.

Yao Yao,

no matter how powerful the Emperor and the Empress Dowager are,

there's no way they can reach into Northern Qin to arrest anyone.

It's just that

the road ahead will be fraught with danger—

you must think this through carefully.

To be honest,

I am a little afraid.

The world outside

is full of killing,

deceit, and betrayal.

But I can't let fear condemn me

to spending the rest of my life

trapped in Jingan Mansion.

Yao Yao,

no matter how disastrous this may become,

if you want to go through with it,

I'll be with you every step of the way.

What about Lejun?

What will happen to her?

Of course she's coming with us.

Don't worry—

she likes you

far more than she likes me, her own brother.

Besides,

back when we were fleeing for our lives,

we already promised that we'd face life and death together.

Wait here a moment.

What's this?

This...

can be our token of promise.

I didn't expect things would still be

so lively and carefree at Wuyi's place with the wedding so close at hand.

Is this for your cousin?

Don't touch it.

Mao, coming by this late at night...

you must have something important to say.

I assume you've already guessed it.

Lady Xie is the woman I love.

Is that all?

She loves me too.

A gifted man and a beautiful woman—

you are indeed well matched.

I hope you will call off this engagement.

And if I refuse?

You pressured the Empress Dowager into issuing the marriage decree

for no reason other than to disrupt Prince Changsha's plans.

But Xie Jiayu is a person.

She has feelings

and a life of her own.

She shouldn't have to

become an innocent sacrifice to your schemes.

Mao,

there are no innocent people in this world.

The other day, Master asked me

whether, in my eyes,

Xiao Wuyi was still a gentleman.

Of course I'm not.

Nor do I want to be.

In an age of chaos,

gentlemen either fade into obscurity

or die with their ambitions buried in the dust.

I will be

the one who holds the blade.

Xiao Wuyi...

are you still the same young man

who once saved me from danger?

This alliance cannot be called off.

The wedding must proceed as scheduled.

Fine.

On the wedding day,

Xie Jiayu and I will leave together.

Where could you possibly go?

To the ends of the earth.

Anywhere.

Then you shouldn't have told me.

I'm telling you because I still consider you a friend.

If you want to stop me,

then just do it.

You're just as naïve as she is.

Mao actually managed to bring this back.

With this,

we won't get lost when we run away on the wedding day.

Mother...

you already

knew all along, didn't you?

Mother,

thank you.

Mother...

What are you bowing for out of nowhere?

I know

that the last time

I had Lejun eat those wild berries to get you to come,

you had already noticed

I was hiding among the maids.

You just chose not to expose me.

Later, you even went along with it

and took me to Prince Qi's residence.

And these past few days, there's no way you wouldn't

have noticed everything I've been secretly preparing in the residence.

You simply turned a blind eye

because you intended to let me leave.

Mother,

I have failed you.

I've always upset you ever since I was young,

and now I'm forcing you to make such a difficult choice.

You're wrong.

The daughter I want

is not some puppet who only knows how to obey me,

but a young woman

who truly knows what she wants

and what she ought to do.

You've been through quite a bit by now.

You should understand that the world outside and the Grand Tutor's residence

are two entirely different worlds.

Now that you know how cruel the outside world can be,

you still intend to leave?

I do.

Then go.

But remember this:

make absolutely sure you're fully prepared.

Mother, don't worry.

Lejun and Mao will both be with me.

Mao said

he'll take care of everything.

No.

What I mean is

that you yourself must also be fully prepared.

Remember this:

no matter when,

the one you can truly rely on

is never your parents,

your husband,

or your children.

It is yourself.

Over here, over here! Hurry up.

Make sure you wipe it properly.

Alright!

Xiao Wuyi did indeed risk returning to the capital.

There are at most 100 household guards inside Jingan Mansion,

and everything outside the city remains normal as well.

The Beifu Army is still stationed at the border.

As for the border garrison— he wouldn't dare make any rash move.

A bride-stealing?

It's nothing more than an attempt

to stop me from securing the support of the noble clans.

The Beifu Army suffered heavy losses at Jiuzhang Plain.

We must not wait for the border forces to regroup before we act.

[Prince Qi's Mansion]

Father.

Mother.

♪ A dying memory glimmers low ♪

Father.

♪ You appear, but I can't hold you so ♪

I prepared a gift for you.

♪ Time itself comes to a sudden halt ♪

♪ So desolate ♪

It's for massaging your shoulders.

Look,

♪ I traded obsession for this loss ♪

Just like this.

♪ If I could lay my heart bare and cross ♪

♪ Would you once more have pity on me ♪

♪ If the heavens should change and fate tear me apart ♪

I understand

♪ Yet still cannot undo one beat of my heart's art ♪

this is your way of showing filial devotion.

♪ I've traveled so far— the day I find you again ♪

♪ I fear you might have forgotten me ♪

My dear Yao Yao...

you look so beautiful today.

Father,

if I am no longer by your side in the future,

you must take good care of yourself.

Silly child,

why are you crying?

I am not crying either.

We'll see each other again someday,

won't we?

It's my fault

for letting you be burdened by the Xie family.

If you hadn't been my daughter,

your life

would have been far freer.

Please don't say that, Father.

Being born your daughter

has made me very happy.

Mother.

The auspicious hour has arrived.

Young Master Xiao,

it's been a long time.

When have I ever met you?

Fine.

It doesn't matter if you don't remember me.

After tonight,

I'll make sure you remember me deeply,

for the rest of your life.

I look forward to it.

Alright, alright.

Don't say things like that in public.

Off you go now—

don't miss the auspicious hour.

Xiao Wuyi,

a daughter of the Xie family is not so easily won.

You—get down here.

It's not straight.

Xiao Wuyi, let go of me!

Xiao Wuyi,

let go of me!

Xiao Wuyi, let go of me!

Xiao Wuyi,

let go!

Lord Li, Madam Li.

-Congratulations. -Congratulations.

Mr. Zhang, please come in.

Xiao Wuyi, let go of me!

You jerk! You villain!

Put me down!

Xiao Wuyi, let go of me!

Let go of me! Put me down!

Xiao Wuyi,

put me down!

Xiao Wuyi, put me down.

Xiao Wuyi, you...

Yan Yue.

-Yes. -Take her to the bridal chamber.

Don't give her any food

or water.

Xiao Wuyi, just you wait.

Tonight, I'll make you regret this for the rest of your life.

Is this meant to be a show of force against the Xie family?

More than that.

The one being humiliated is Grand Tutor Xie himself.

Take good care of my secondary consort.

I don't want to hear a single sound from her tonight.

Yes.

Your Highness, the wedding rites haven't been completed yet.

Since you're all here,

drink with me tonight until we're completely drunk and no one leaves sober.

None of you are leaving.

Wuyi,

tonight is the wedding bestowed by the Empress Dowager.

-Let's go. -Don't—

Come on, let's drink!

Your Highness,

most of the court officials invited to the wedding banquet have already arrived.

The remaining senior ministers are also on their way.

Proceed according to plan.

My life and death, my honor and disgrace— all depend on tonight.

Yes.

My Lady,

Xiao Wuyi is going too far.

He actually had you carried all the way back to the mansion—

and on top of that…

on your wedding night,

he's drinking and making merry with dancing girls.

It doesn't matter.

In any case, the one who will be utterly humiliated tonight is him.

One at the door,

and two outside the window.

Even the numbers line up exactly with the map.

Heaven is helping me!

Are you all ready?

A top-grade sleeping draught.

Is anyone outside?

My Lady is in trouble—

someone help!

Hurry! Come in, come in!

Let's go.

How come there isn't a single soul

in this entire Jingan Mansion?

Ugh… it stinks.

No, no—

this is the outhouse.

The main gate is to the east...

The kitchen's over there.

Hurry, move!

Don't block the entrance—

we're serving food!

Douzi, take the slop out!

Alright!

Let's go.

What are you all doing here?

Let's go.

How was it?

Did we seem real enough?

He was pretending too?

He wasn't. You still need someone real in the mix, don't you?

Your Highness, they've already left.

Which route?

As expected, the bride chose the back kitchen path.

She just took several wrong turns along the way.

This is the hairpin she dropped.

Even with a map, she can't find her way.

She is so stupid.

It's bad—

the bride has escaped!

What did you say?

In my mansion, from the guards to the gardeners,

groundskeepers, and stablehands—

every one of them knows martial arts.

The moment she steps out of the courtyard gate,

she will be detected.

If you plan to escape,

you would need my help.

This is the map of Jingan Mansion.

Xie Jiayu will need it if she tries to escape the wedding.

But this wedding must proceed as scheduled.

because this is the day I have chosen for Prince Changsha

to force the abdication.

All guards of Jingan Mansion, heed my order.

-Yes! -Yes!

Search the entire city for Xie Jiayu!

Yes, Your Highness.

-Split up and search. -Make way.

-Move! -Make way!

What's going on?

Lady Xie has fled the wedding.

Xiao Wuyi has ordered his guards to search the entire city.

This Lady Xie

is always full of surprises.

Your Highness, Jingan Mansion is now lightly guarded.

Should we strike immediately?

A heaven-sent opportunity.

Issue the order inside and outside the capital—

begin the uprising at once.

Yes.

Attack!

Take Mother and leave, quickly!

Yao, be careful!

Who are you?

How dare you act so recklessly in Jingan Mansion!

Yuanji!

Today,

I shall cleanse His Majesty's side of traitors

and seize the rebels.

Among all the ministers in this courtyard,

which one is a rebel?

Xiao Wuyi.

He brought troops back to the capital without imperial decree,

slaughtered court officials,

and harbors treasonous ambitions.

His crimes deserve death.

Tonight,

who among you dare stand as his accomplice?

It seems

the only rebel here is Xiao Wuyi himself.

Your Highness, we've just received word—

the palace gates have been breached.

Surround Jingan Mansion.

With Xiao Wuyi's family

and these court officials

here,

he won't be able to escape.

The rest of you follow me into the palace

to meet the Empress Dowager.

Yes.

Hurry! Move!

Search thoroughly—

leave no alley unchecked.

Yes.

Search!

Your Highness,

Xie Jiayu's trail has been found at Wuling Gate.

Guard the city gate.

I want her dead,

not alive.

Yes.

Oh, Xiao Wuyi...

You're certainly ruthless—

but your eyesight isn't all that great.

My Lady, it's just that you're blessed by the True Deity.

Even the heavens can't stand by

and have chosen to help you.

Let's go quickly,

or Mao will be getting anxious.

Let's go.

Master?

His Majesty is gravely ill

and has summoned Prince Qi to enter the palace at once and attend upon him.

I can't go to the palace.

I need to find Yao Yao.

Guards, escort Prince Qi to the palace.

Lejun!

Brother!

Your Highness.

Are all our men assembled?

Tonight, we suddenly lost all contact

with forces outside the capital.

Several units have been sent out, but none have reported back.

Lost contact?

We won't wait any longer!

Victory or defeat, honor or disgrace— it all comes down to tonight.

Enter the palace now. Kill the Emperor and Empress Dowager!

Yes!

-Kill! -Kill!

Your Highness,

His Majesty is not in the main hall.

Not there?

That sickly man can't even get out of bed—

where could he possibly go?

Find him!

Yes.

[Xuanzheng Hall]

Tell me—

where have you hidden that sickly emperor?

My son is the true Son of Heaven.

He is protected by the True Deity.

You think you can find him so easily?

Don't think I'm unaware.

Had you not forged the imperial edict

and poisoned the late emperor,

your son would never have become emperor.

But Heaven sees all.

Ever since he ascended the throne,

he's been bedridden with illness.

This is his retribution.

How insolent!

Utter nonsense!

My son is the true Son of Heaven!

Then let's see tonight

who truly holds Heaven's Mandate.

Guards—

Why didn't you attend my wedding tonight?

Xiao Wuyi, didn't you go find Xie...

It doesn't matter.

Tonight, my 20,000 troops have already taken control of the capital.

Those who follow me will prosper; those who oppose me will perish.

Kill Xiao Wuyi!

What are you afraid of?

Whoever kills Xiao Wuyi shall be granted a fief of ten thousand households!

You mean those forces outside the capital?

I've already wiped them out.

What do you mean?

Kneel!

-Spare us, Your Highness! -Please spare us!

Where are they?

Where are the others?

-Please spare us, Your Highness! -Please spare us!

No… I won't lose.

I absolutely will not lose.

I still have Jingan Mansion,

all those ministers,

and your entire family. If you dare—

His Highness has given the order—

kill!

Yes.

Who dares take another step forward?

I am the Princess of Jingan Mansion,

the Empress Dowager's own niece.

Let's see who dares lay a hand on me today!

Did you think I didn't know

you would move against Jingan Mansion?

How dare a useless drunkard from pleasure-filled Jiankang City like you

play war games with me?

[Xiao Ju, Prince Jing'an]

Father.

Are you alright?

I'm fine.

Your Highness.

My Lady.

Lady Rui, have you not been in the mansion these past few days?

Due to urgent military matters,

Wuyi asked her to guide me outside the capital.

Yao.

It's alright.

All of you, listen well!

Prince Changsha has attempted a palace coup.

The Beifu Army has marched thousands of miles to suppress the rebellion.

At this very moment,

my son Xiao Wuyi has already captured Prince Changsha alive within the palace.

Surrender immediately!

or you will all be slain without mercy.

The Beifu Army is back…

Is this truly suppressing a rebellion… or starting one?

I can't accept this!

I'm unwilling to keep being trampled

under the feet of that useless emperor.

Do you regret it?

Regret?

I have never felt so alive and satisfied.

Xiao Wuyi, do you think killing me

will avenge the Beifu Army who died in vain?

Don't think you're any different from me—

don't you also want to kill that useless emperor

and take his place in this Xianyang Hall?

Aunt…

Your Majesty…

Xiao Wuyi will kill you both sooner or later.

Perhaps even tonight.

How foolish and self-deceived.

You don't even know who is the piece

and who is the player on this board.

I originally believed Prince Changsha

had secretly colluded with Wonderful Master,

bribing the Armory Director in my army

to purchase a batch of defective repeating crossbows.

But it turned out Wonderful Master

didn't even know you.

The real mastermind behind the purchase

is the Empress Dowager.

The one who most wants to see me and Prince Changsha destroy each other…

is also the Empress Dowager.

Young Master Xiao, you are indeed perceptive.

The official in charge of military supplies, Treasurer Wei,

is an ally of Prince Changsha.

As long as you handed him the design plans,

he would complete the rest of the scheme with Prince Changsha,

and eliminate both me and the Beifu Army.

Just like tonight—

Your Majesty neither mobilized troops nor prepared defenses,

betting that even though I knew this palace entry was a trap,

I would still refuse to let Prince Changsha succeed.

So tonight,

Your Majesty's target

is not only Prince Changsha…

but me as well.

What a perfect invitation into a trap.

I always thought

you were nothing more than a useless old woman.

I didn't expect this.

Fine—

I lose this round

without complaint.

Since you already knew tonight was a trap,

why did you still come?

Because I did not want

Jiankang to run red with blood tonight.

But

I must demand justice for the 30,000 fallen soldiers

of the Beifu Army.

Brave indeed.

I can spare your life.

If you are willing to surrender your military command,

I will grant you immunity.

And if I refuse?

Empress Dowager,

I submitted the roster of our fallen soldiers

half a month ago.

I wonder if you have read it?

Not yet.

Shi Yuchun,

46 years old—

stabbed over 100 times, yet died without kneeling.

Xie Han, a veteran of the Beifu Army.

He spent his entire life at war,

and could have laid down his armor and returned home—

but his homeland had already fallen to Northern Qin.

He said he has nowhere else to go

and wishes to spend the rest of his life in the army.

This time,

he truly did die—

his body trampled into a pulp beneath enemy hooves.

Zhang Ji, my most trusted deputy.

He personally set fire to the vine-armored grain depot

and perished together with the enemy.

Does Your Majesty know any of this?

Do you, sitting here in Jiankang, even care?

That is why I will not surrender my command—

because apart from me,

no one else cares about their lives.

Xiao Wuyi,

the Beifu Army entered the capital without an imperial decree.

Are you trying to rebel?

But you will end up returning to Jiankang without the Emperor's decree.

What about mobilizing troops?

Prince Changsha seeks rebellion—

what about you?

Your Majesty,

all I want is peace across the realm.

Is Your Majesty willing to grant that?

Have you ever heard the war drums

of the Beifu Army?

One hundred thousand Beifu troops

are just outside the city now.