Original subtitles

I want to negotiate a deal with you.

Can these things

be made?

I need them the day after tomorrow.

Do you think I'm omnipotent?

Signal arrows, fire thunderstone, and sleeve daggers.

You think these things

can be conjured up just like that?

You and Yuan Xiaoliu can make it in time.

I'll pay extra. Double.

Triple.

I can't afford any more.

Discussing money between friends makes things awkward.

You know what I want the most.

Alright, I promise you.

Li Lejun won't be chosen for a political marriage.

Deal.

Are these the places you and Yizhi

want to travel to in the future?

Yes, these are all places I want to visit.

Master Yuan told me

there are special ores

in some of these places.

It sounds very interesting.

I want to take a look.

Here, here,

and here.

There are bandits at the border. Be careful.

If it's convenient for you,

you can tell me the route you are going to take.

There is a geomancer in the army,

who can draw a detailed map

to avoid any omissions.

Xiao Wuyi,

having you as a friend

is a true treasure.

Then when the time comes,

can I also use your name

to stay in the Beifu Army Camp?

In your dreams.

You are not a military family member.

Don't even think about taking advantage of me.

[Key to the Phoenix Heart]

[Episode 11]

Wuyi.

Congratulations.

You had a great victory today.

How is Da?

He was injured by an arrow,

but his life is not in danger.

He made contributions in this battle.

His Majesty has agreed to transfer him to the Imperial Guard.

He will be back by my side soon.

That's good.

When did you start planning

the matter of Heximu?

Before returning to Jiankang.

That's our Wuyi,

never missing a single detail.

Now, the Eagle King

has also been forced by you

to sit down and have a good talk.

Wuyi.

If I want to contend with you,

do I have the qualifications?

The Eagle King bet the three prefectures,

and I bet the name of Beifu.

What are you fighting for?

What is the bet?

I don't know.

Perhaps after a fight,

I will understand.

I saw everything in the martial arts arena today.

You like Xie Jiayu?

Yes.

You are shameless.

Before I knew she was the one you love,

I had fallen in love with Xie Jiayu at first sight.

But you are my best friend.

And now you know.

So I have done nothing now.

She is still waiting to leave with you.

You're the one who doesn't want to leave.

So what if I am?

I'm betting Xie Jiayu

on this arrow.

Xie Jiayu is a person.

She has feelings

and a life of her own.

She shouldn't sacrifice for anyone

or be controlled by anyone.

Yizhi,

you told me this yourself.

Whether to stay or leave

is up to you.

Whether Xie Jiayu stays or leaves

is up to her as well.

Ziqi.

I remember you've liked sour food since you were little.

These sour plum cakes are made

from fresh seasonal plums.

Try some.

How is it?

When I was in the army,

I missed your cooking.

Next,

what are your plans?

Now that the three prefectures are settled,

my peace talks with Northern Qin are still ongoing—

Who asked about the peace talks?

I'm asking about your marriage.

My proposal for reform

touches the interests of noble families.

The Empress Dowager hasn't declared her stance,

but she'll definitely have misgivings about the marriage

between the He and Xiao families.

When the time is right,

I will end this marriage

and give He Yuanji her freedom,

-so that she and Yao can— -Wuyi.

What I mean is,

life is a long journey.

Walking hand in hand

beats going alone.

I really don't want you

to be truly alone.

When you fell off your horse and fell into a coma that day,

Jiayu came to me

and told me to be fairer to you.

Although she doesn't know the whole story,

she can still see your difficulties.

I can see she's a good girl,

and she cares for you.

Xie Jiayu is pure and kind-hearted,

but she already has someone she likes.

So what?

Even if she's a kite in someone else's hands,

if you like her,

what's the harm in fighting for her?

Besides, you now hold the string.

In terms of status, you lose to no one.

Are you telling me to snatch her?

You're a grown man.

What's the harm in fighting for her?

But I promised Princess Yunzhao

to give Xie Jiayu the freedom to choose.

You've met Princess Yunzhao?

For the path I must take,

I've already dragged the Xiao family down.

I don't want to implicate anyone else.

Darling!

I caught a big fish!

Your son is useless.

He didn't even catch half a fish.

Your father is really

naughty by nature.

Come on.

Let me refill your cup.

Okay.

I'll fill mine too.

Yuezhou, one of the three prefectures awarded in this competition,

is where my husband died in battle.

Ruisheng, I've heard you say this

3 times already.

I'm just happy.

If his spirit in heaven

knew that Yuezhou had returned to Ye,

he would be thrilled.

Then Ruisheng, was your husband

handsome?

Of course.

Otherwise, why would I have chosen him?

He couldn't even afford the betrothal gifts then.

Is your man handsome?

Right, is he handsome?

I understand.

If you think about it that way,

Xiao Wuyi is quite pitiful.

He is so good at fighting.

But he’s been married 3 times.

And no one wants him.

-Coming. -Let me tell you.

-He has a bad temper. -Let's go, Ziqi. Let's play in the water.

-In fact, he is a good man. -Let's go, Ruisheng.

It's just that his temper is too bad.

Xie Jiayu,

what did you just say about me?

Ruisheng, I... I'll also go...

go...

play in the water.

Good. Very good.

I've never seen such a good person.

What is this?

This is Li Lejun's new Four Pillars of Destiny Chart.

Whether from the perspective of Northern Qin

or Southern Ye's calendar and astrology,

hers and the Eagle King's are a sign of great misfortune.

Put this in the royal genealogy.

I hope it can help her.

Okay, thanks.

I've only been married once.

I don't need your pity.

I

do have a bad temper.

No.

These are

my ideas for upgrading the Beifu weapons.

Some are already perfected,

and some still need work.

On the day of the Double Ninth Ceremony,

I promised the Beifu soldiers

to upgrade their weapons.

I will never break my promise.

Well...

most of the designs are whimsical.

But the talent is there.

Why don't you come with me to Beifu?

Designing weapons

is different from constructing mechanisms.

It requires examining the local terrain,

weather, and tactics.

Stop.

I want to leave Xiao Wuyi,

not be sold to him.

Besides, you just want to trick me into the Directorate of Military Equipment,

so you can slack off yourself, right?

You.

You are just like your mother.

You keep saying you want to roam the martial arts world

and wander to the ends of the earth.

Then let me ask you, where is the martial arts world?

And where are the ends of the earth?

-Martial arts world... -Look,

you can't answer, can you?

You just want to travel and play.

Let me tell you.

At this time of year,

Heading south, there are rainstorms and floods.

Heading north, there are sandstorms.

Heading west, there are high mountains and steep hills.

Most importantly,

bandit rebellions occur from time to time.

Still, I shouldn't be scared

before I even go, right?

That's true.

Why don't you take me as your master?

I'll take you to see

the desert roses

and yellow phosphorus mines you like.

Most importantly,

as your master, I

will pass on everything I've learned

in my life to you,

making your mechanism designs

benefit the people's livelihood in the future.

Then...

can I bring a family member?

I won't ask who this person is first.

Is he willing?

As a dignified man,

doesn't he have his own ambitions?

He...

Picking a wife?

Thanks.

That Xie girl is so quick to catch on.

After some persuasion from me,

she's already tempted

by the idea of becoming my disciple.

Also,

what amazing luck you have.

To have the heavens

send you such a treasure.

Do you look familiar?

Caltrop fireball.

Xie tinkered with this herself

after reading ancient books.

It perfectly matches

my previous design ideas.

Such talent

indeed shouldn't be buried

in the romance of the inner quarters.

You've really found a treasure.

[Divorce Agreement]

You like Xie Jiayu?

Yes.

Whether Xie Jiayu stays or leaves

is up to her as well.

[Palace of Eternal Peace]

Her Majesty has selected some princesses for you, Your Highness.

This is the legitimate daughter of Lord Liu, Vice Censor-in-Chief.

She is 15.

She is well-versed in poetry and books,

and is best at playing the guqin.

This one is the niece of Lord Zhao, Director of the Secretariat.

She has practiced martial arts since childhood.

She has a valiant temperament,

truly a heroine among women.

Lejun.

Come.

Do you think Yaoyao prefers moon white

or azure?

Let's wait for her to choose for herself.

Brother.

She usually likes to study those tools.

But the palace has many rules,

and it's not safe.

I'm afraid it will be hard for her to enjoy herself.

She also likes to listen to storybooks.

We can keep some entertainers

to make her happy.

As for the Imperial Cuisine Department,

I also sent someone to adjust

the menus according to her taste.

Hurry and help me think

if there's anything else I've missed.

Brother,

does Yaoyao know

that you don't plan to leave Jiankang

but still want to bring her into the palace?

As long as I can be with her,

what difference does it make whether we leave Jiankang or not?

How could there be no difference?

Yaoyao yearns for freedom,

but you want her to live in the deep palace for a long time.

Don't you understand?

Yaoyao can give up the name of Xie Jiayu

to travel the world with you.

But she won't give up the name of Xie Jiayu

to enter the palace with you.

Besides, there are these women.

These are all stopgap measures.

Yaoyao will surely understand.

[Prince Jing'an's Mansion]

Over the past few days, one after another,

prominent families have sent portraits to the Eastern Palace.

It seems they intend to propose marriage.

It looks like Prince Qi is determined not to leave.

Lady Xie is still in the dark.

These past few days, she's been busy preparing

parting gifts for everyone in the mansion.

For the Heir's Consort,

it's a paperweight.

For Madam Ruisheng,

it's a brand-new set of acupuncture needles.

For the Prince and the Princess,

it's a suit of armor and a bladed hairpin.

A single slash severs the throat.

The fastest way to slaughter a chicken.

For Ziqi, it's a stack of

classic books she hasn't even finished reading herself.

That's it?

Yan Yue and I got a pair of new shoes each.

Calm down.

Your Highness.

The Eagle King suddenly went back on his word.

He wants to add terms to the peace talks.

If you interrupt my medical practice again,

you will have to find someone else.

He still hasn't given up.

What are his conditions?

What is it?

Leave us.

Yes.

Brother,

what happened?

Lejun, did you meet the Eagle King once?

Yes.

Why didn't you tell me earlier?

I thought he would make things difficult in public,

but he didn't mention it later.

I thought the poisoning matter

couldn't be brought out into the open.

Her Majesty and the Eagle King

probably wouldn't do anything to me.

So I was relieved.

Why? Is the Eagle King

blackmailing you with this?

The Eagle King intends to treat you as a princess

for a political marriage with Northern Qin,

to show the sincerity of the peace talks between the two countries.

What?

Political marriage?

Brother.

Don't worry, I will protect you.

I will never let you marry into Northern Qin.

[Ziji Palace]

This is the legitimate daughter of Minister Cao, Commandant of Justice.

She knows 6 languages

and can assist you with foreign affairs, Your Highness.

This is the younger sister of the Left Palace Guard General.

She is excellent at brewing tea.

Upon tasting it, I find it surpasses the Nanzhao Xueya tea by quite a margin.

It seems

it's hard for you to find a good match today.

He Tian, take everyone away.

Yes.

Take them all away.

-Yes. -Yes.

Sorry to trouble you, Your Majesty.

It's nothing.

Although I couldn't find a good match for you today,

there is another excellent marriage arrangement.

The day before yesterday,

the Eagle King sent an envoy to the palace,

who said the Eagle King admires Princess Pingning's virtues,

is willing to offer the 1,000-li grassland in Monan as a betrothal gift,

and use the etiquette for a royal princess

to ask for the hand of your sister, Li Lejun.

I think this is an excellent marriage arrangement,

so I accepted the marriage document and betrothal gifts.

Please take a look.

Recently, Northern Qin and our Ye

are about to sign a peace treaty.

Our people at Northern Border

will no longer suffer from war.

If we can have a political marriage with Northern Qin,

wouldn't it be a blessing for our people

and for Ye?

Your Majesty, peace talks do not mean begging for peace.

If we just keep yielding,

it will only make Northern Qin more arrogant.

Today, he dares to ask for my sister.

Tomorrow, he will dare to ask for Jiankang.

Please reconsider, Your Majesty.

Reconsider?

If I reconsider,

Princess Pingning will have left the palace!

Bring her in!

Bring her in.

Today, I want to see

who dares to take Li Lejun away

and ruin the peace talks.

Lejun!

Lejun!

Brother.

Princess Pingning left the palace secretly,

ruining the peace talks

and disregarding the safety of Ye.

Beat her!

Lejun!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

I was the one who didn't want Lejun to enter a political marriage.

I was the one who sent someone to take her out of the palace.

The one who should be beaten

should be me, Your Majesty!

No,

that's not true.

Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with my brother.

I didn't want to marry the Eagle King,

so I ran away secretly.

If you want to punish someone, punish me alone.

Don't involve my brother.

Lejun.

Brother.

I know

that you love me

and want to take the blame for me.

But you really knew nothing about this.

Your Majesty, I did all this alone.

Please punish me.

Good.

What a deep bond between brother and sister.

Then I will grant your wish.

Prince Qi failed in his duty of supervision

and will receive 30 strokes of the cane.

Princess Pingning will take the punishment on behalf of her brother.

Mercy, Your Majesty!

Mercy, Your Majesty!

You can't do this, Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

You can't do this, Your Majesty!

-Lejun. -Pass my order.

Princess Pingning, Li Lejun,

with the rites of a princess,

shall marry the Eagle King of Northern Qin.

She is the pillar of our diplomatic relations

and the core of the peace treaty.

Let the people of Jiankang decorate with flowers and lanterns,

sweep the streets,

and celebrate the grand ceremony of her royal carriage's departure,

to manifest the virtue of eternal peace between the North and South.

-Yes. -Yes.

Your Highness, are you here for the political marriage?

Your Highness, I beg you to spare my sister.

Your Highness.

Look at who these people are first.

These two are spies sent by you.

For a bite of food and a sip of water,

they live like beasts of burden.

If your Southern Ye and our Northern Qin form a political marriage,

these people

might live more like human beings.

So, Your Highness,

between Princess Pingning and the beasts of burden,

who would you choose?

And who would Xiao Wuyi choose?

But why does it have to be Lejun?

The political marriage

was not in the terms of the peace talks in the first place.

I lost the competition,

and I am very unhappy.

That day, the Empress Dowager of your Southern Ye

prepared poison arrows,

which was truly disgraceful.

But your sister is quite interesting.

She broke the arrow.

Even though she was in deep trouble,

she still wanted to save others.

Shouldn't such a stubborn flower

bloom in the north wind,

should it?

You...

What are you doing?

You're in the capital of Ye.

Who can prove they are from Southern Ye?

Negotiations require bargaining chips.

In Northern Qin,

we respect heroes like Xiao Wuyi

who have waded through mountains of swords and seas of blood.

If he twists the truth out of thin air,

who would dare to disagree in your Southern Ye court?

So, Prince Qi,

what do you have?

You are just an empty shell of a Regent,

unfit to negotiate with me.

I will not let my sister marry you.

The day I became Regent,

who was the one who chose me?

Was it His Majesty

or you, Master?

It was me.

Your Highness, can you tell me today

if I made the wrong choice?

What I learned in the past

was all about the way of a gentleman

and the principles of living.

From now on,

please teach me the way of a ruler

and the art of an emperor.

Have you really thought it through,

not to leave with Jiayu?

As long as I can save Lejun.

This path is destined to only go forward,

with no turning back.

What is sincerity worth anyway?

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.

I want to have power.

I don't want to be empty-handed anymore,

threatened by others,

and at their mercy.

You and I both know well what Xiao Wuyi

aims to achieve with his reform of Beifu.

The peace talks are temporary.

You're just taking advantage of the fact

that Northern Qin is currently in political chaos

to gain some breathing room, aren't you?

If Xiao Wuyi really succeeds in the reform

and centralizes military power,

it will weaken the power of your noble families

and pose a threat to our Northern Qin.

So, reasonably speaking,

we should cooperate.

You want me to commit treason?

Your Highness, having tea is fine,

but your appetite is too big.

And you can't give me what I want.

What do you want?

The truth about

the treason case involving the An and Lu families

of Ye 25 years ago.

I can't help you with that.

I was just a child back then.

Let the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin come talk to me.

She's in the Capital.

Is she?

Where else would she be?

I can give you another greeting gift

to show my sincerity in cooperation.

Xiao Wuyi.

Whether the peace talks succeed or not,

Li Lejun cannot marry.

The peace talks must succeed.

I'm not asking you.

I'm just telling you what I'm going to do.

I know what the peace talks mean to you.

But Lejun is more important to me

than anyone else.

Your Highness, you should tell Prince Qi

that you're already figuring out a way.

The rift has already formed.

There's no need to say more.

[Xiyue Restaurant]

How is the investigation of the Northern Qin delegation going?

As you ordered, Your Highness,

I sent people to keep a close eye on Honglu Temple.

I also bought the night soil collector off.

Judging from the medicine dregs,

someone in the delegation must be seriously ill,

and it's an elderly woman.

Her status is quite high.

Northwestern tiger bone.

Liaoshan ginseng.

South Sea agarwood.

Quite precious.

This woman must have an extraordinary identity.

High status,

yet not on the delegation's list.

Either the person's identity is inconvenient to reveal,

or their purpose is.

Is this the great merit you mentioned?

There's more.

I had people watch for several days

before finally catching up with these two

Northern Qin people who went to the clinic to buy medicine.

Here comes the interesting part.

Guess what?

These two Northern Qin people

-look familiar— -Spare me your storytelling.

Get to the point.

These two were once at Xiyue Restaurant,

listening for several days

to the storybooks of Crown Prince Wenxi.

They also sent people to inquire

about Crown Prince Wenxi and the Phoenix Heart Token.

Great.

If the mountain won't come to me,

I will go to the mountain.

I'll use the Phoenix Heart Token to draw them out.

Have Honglu Temple reorganize the peace talk proposals.

Apart from the three prefectures,

see if there is any room for negotiation.

The Eagle King just wants to prove a point.

The Eagle King has always wanted the smelting technique for refined iron,

even offering 800 fine horses in exchange.

This is non-negotiable.

Spit it out.

Spit what out?

Words to scold me.

Haven't you heard the news?

I did have a lot to say to scold you.

But you look so weighed down with troubles.

Never mind.

What did Mao say?

He won't let Li Lejun enter a political marriage, no matter what,

at any cost.

Mao and Lejun only have each other.

It's only right for him to do so.

But to you, Xiao Wuyi,

ensuring the peace talks go smoothly

and buying time for the Beifu reform

are the most important things.

Yes.

Though,

you know what Lejun will face.

All right.

That's it?

I thought you would argue with me,

calling me a liar, cold-blooded,

and worse than a beast.

Xiao Wuyi,

in your heart,

am I that unreasonable?

Have you ever been reasonable with me?

You have already changed Lejun's birth records.

You've done all you can.

The instigator today is the Eagle King.

You only made your choice.

You are not to blame.

What's with that look?

Nothing.

I don't know either.

Probably because

it's the first time I've heard someone say that,

so it feels fresh.

However,

I will still stop this.

If Lejun were a pampered princess

supported by the people,

then she would shoulder the responsibility of the world now,

and I'd have nothing to say.

But she is not.

Qizhou fell.

Mao and Lejun fled all the way

to Jiankang.

Did His Majesty and Her Majesty

ever care for them for a single day?

They only have the status of the royal family in name,

but live worse than ordinary people.

To support the family,

Lejun has been copying books for others

and doing needlework since childhood.

She was already weak.

If my mother hadn't known some medical skills

and hadn't found out Lejun had an old illness,

she would have barely survived.

This is not the ending a good person should have.

How do you plan to stop it?

Don't worry.

My method

has nothing to do with your empire.

Being your friend

is quite lucky.

You forgot.

You are also my friend.

♪ A dying memory glimmers low ♪

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

I'm here to save you!

♪ Time itself comes to a sudden halt ♪

♪ So desolate ♪

♪ I traded obsession for this loss ♪

Someone like you

♪ If I could lay my heart bare and cross ♪

is born to be on the battlefield,

to make everyone fear you.

♪ Would you once more have pity on me ♪

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

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

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

♪ I fear you might have forgotten me ♪

If you trust me,

♪ I fear no doom of endless karmic pain ♪

let me be your eyes.

♪ Only that you drift far from my side ♪

♪ Apart from you, the world is an endless night ♪

♪ Even if my beating heart wears thin and fades ♪

♪ I'd choose this fate till death's final line ♪

You forgot.

You are also my friend.

♪ I only hope the mortal lands ♪

♪ Can grant our wishes ♪

It's quite hard to let go.

♪ Through endless night, let heaven and earth fall apart ♪

♪ I'd bid farewell to every worldly part ♪

♪ Just to gaze upon you one last time ♪

Have you done what I told you?

As you instructed, My Lady,

the item has been delivered to the Eagle King.

Good.

If anyone asks later,

just say I went to the South Street Bookstore

to buy books for Yuanji.

You don't know anything else.

-Especially don't let Xiao Wuyi know. -Morning.

What are you doing?

Where are you going?

First to the South Street Bookstore

to buy books for Yuanji,

then to Renhe Hall

to fetch the newly arrived cassia seeds for Ruisheng.

After that, to Xinghua Restaurant

to buy mint cakes for Ziqi.

What about you? Where are you going?

To the palace

to continue discussing the peace talks with Northern Qin.

After you.

Your business is more important.

I won't bother you.

[Xiyue Restaurant]

-Great! -Great!

During the storytelling just now,

you said you had seen the Phoenix Heart Token.

Of course.

Come with me.

[Honglu Temple]

Xiao Wuyi's little beauty.

What a rare guest.

You sent someone to deliver refined iron to me.

What's the meaning of this?

Where did this come from?

I smelted it.

First, forged at a high temperature

to remove all impurities,

then quenched in green liquor.

I know

you want the smelting technique for refined iron.

Are you really going to give me the refined iron?

Not exactly.

I just used this refined iron as bait

to lure you to meet me.

Are you playing me?

I wouldn't dare.

Princess Pingning is my close friend.

So it's about this.

I didn't expect Princess Pingning's life

to be quite valuable.

You want to marry Pingning

just to vent your anger

and regain dignity.

If you are interested in the smelting technique for refined iron,

then I'll make a deal with you.

No,

a business.

I'm all ears.

Your Majesty.

[Shao Yang, the Empress Dowager of the Northern Qin]

I've heard so much about you.

I thought I caught someone's slip-up,

but I didn't expect

that it was I who made a mistake.

Your Highness, if you hadn't

eliminated Northern Qin's spy strongholds,

these two fools

wouldn't have been discovered so easily.

Being a spy

still needs experience.

Why did you come here, Your Majesty?

Is it also for the Phoenix Heart Token?

If I say

I got tired of the Capital

and came to Southern Ye to enjoy the scenery,

will you believe me?

I won't.

Then that's the only excuse I have.

Speak.

Your Highness, why did you want to see me?

Are you trying to tell me

where the Phoenix Heart Token is?

I hope you can stop the Eagle King

from marrying Princess Pingning.

A political marriage between Northern Qin and Ye is a long-term strategy.

You have been in the military for years.

Don't you understand

that peace benefits both?

You must know better than I do

that the emperor of Northern Qin and the Eagle King

are only sovereign and subject on the surface.

The Eagle King has heavily armed himself,

and you support the emperor.

That's why the Northern Qin court is stable.

But if you pass away

and the Eagle King forms a marriage alliance with Ye,

marrying the sister of the current Regent,

Prince Qi,

once he has Jiankang's help,

the balance will be broken.

In that case,

how can you guarantee

the Eagle King's troops

will still be Northern Qin's sword?

You make a valid point.

But even if my son and I have disagreements with the Eagle King,

it's not for an outsider to manipulate.

Such an obvious attempt to sow discord—

are you being too impatient?

Just a suggestion.

Your Majesty.

Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.

Then I will also tell you something.

Your Secondary Consort, Xie Jiayu,

for the political marriage,

is secretly meeting the Eagle King at Honglu Temple right now.

I heard

she also prepared a big gift for the Eagle King.

Please wait, Your Highness.

I have shown my sincerity.

I hope you can carefully consider the political marriage

and make a good deal with me.

I'll await your good news.

I won't see you out.

No need to see me out. Go back.

Excuse me.

Still acting?

Since when has the South Street Bookstore been open in Honglu Temple?

Well, I was just...