Original subtitles

Please come in.

Grand Tutor, this is who

you've been meaning to meet, the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin.

Your Majesty has finally shown your true face.

I have no choice.

Young Lord Xiao has seen right through me.

Any more concealment

would be meaningless.

Your Majesty feels unwell,

yet you are still personally hosting the peace talks.

It is never easy to be a mother.

My end is drawing near.

I have to settle certain matters myself before my passing.

This trip of mine is

partly

for an old acquantaince,

and partly

for you, Grand Tutor Xie.

Haven't you always been wondering

about the truth of the gruesome case where the An and Lu families

colluded with the enemy and allied with the Northern Qin's

Right King of Virtue

from the Mulian family to establish their own administration?

I had not yet entered the palace by then.

Some things are not easy to investigate.

That said, I am

willing to cooperate with you, Grand Tutor Xie.

Didn't Your Majesty just say

that your end is drawing near?

Do you think cooperation

is impossible when I am dead?

It is not true.

Only when I am dead

can the two of us cooperate

on some issues.

[Key to the Phoenix Heart]

[Episode 12]

[Prince Jing'an's Mansion]

Don't be so petty.

I know this workshop belongs to Yuan Xiaoliu.

I'm just borrowing it for a bit.

Frankly speaking,

this looks quite like the one at my home.

Don't all workshops look similar?

Wait, who told you

this was meant for Yuan Xiaoliu?

So this is not his workshop?

How could he charge me rent?

Explain this.

It's about a private job I took

at the Miraculous Craft shop.

The well in Honglu Temple was clogged,

so I went to clear it.

What about this?

This is for cracking sunflower seeds.

Look, just turn it like this,

and a load of seeds can be cracked.

This copper ball here contains fragrances.

Didn't you say the people of Northern Qin eat strong-smelling food,

and thus have noticeable body odors?

If they carry this around,

their odors can be covered,

and the pleasant scent in it will last for several months.

Did you still plan to blow up the Eagle King with fire thunderstones?

Definitely not.

I...

Who said I went see him?

That's a lie.

Keep lying then.

Didn't you go to meet the Eagle King

for Li Lejun today?

Tell me. What did you promise to give the Eagle King in exchange

for halting the political marriage?

Spill it.

Repeating crossbows?

Gunpowder?

Xie Jiayu,

tell me what this is.

Don't hit me in the face!

This is refined iron.

And this is your so-called solution?

Do you even know this will have you...

You're such a fool.

I didn't trade the iron casting technique to the Eagle King.

Please say something!

I really didn't betray Ye.

I know sometimes I can be a bit unreliable,

but I'd never cross the line, would I?

Fine. Believe what you want.

Alright?

The Eagle King agreed to set Lejun free

if I offered the iron casting technique.

Are you satisfied now?

What exactly are you mad about?

I already told you

I didn't sell out the iron casting technique.

I was merely selling devices of my own creation.

What do you mean by this?

Your Highness, have you ever heard about the Miraculous Craft?

No, never.

This Brilliant Manual on Farm Tools records

all the farm implements

designed and improved by the Miraculous Craft, namely me.

Please look at this foot-treadled water diversion tool.

By replacing the straight shaft with a curved one

and adding three fans,

it can be used to easily reclaim a hundred mu

of alkaline earth as farmland a day

even in the northern desert region.

And this dragon-bone water-lifting device

combines the wisdom of the chapter on waterways in the Record of Trades.

It saves much manpower.

With it, even an 80-year-old woman

can clear over 70 mu of wasteland.

Here's a bird-shaped bronze rain gauge.

The beak is filled with saltpeter,

while the tail is inlaid with a compass.

Blue smoke is guaranteed to appear

three days before an earthquake.

Sweet sorghum can be planted in the southern desert area,

and cold-region mulberry trees on Mount Yin,

with the help of iron-rimmed wooden ploughing wheels.

This page instructs on how to turn saline-alkali land into fertile fields.

Can Your Highness bear to watch the manual burned into ashes?

You!

You...

Don't worry. I've memorized all the content.

Although Northern Qin has occupied the Capital,

your people are good at nomadism, not farming.

Last year, 30,000 head cattle and sheep died from the cold.

The harvest in the fields were poor.

The national treasury had few grain reserves.

The people of Northern Qin

endured quite a bitter winter.

But now,

I can help you break the constraints.

As long as you call off the marriage to Li Lejun,

I'll gift you all the instruments

in the Brilliant Manual on Farm Tools.

What do you think?

Are all of these...

really your inventions?

Yes, I am exactly the Miraculous Craft.

I understand

that the superior quality

of Beifu Army's weaponry is based on the iron casting technique.

I simply used it a pretext

to lure the Eagle King into meeting me.

Xiao Wuyi, listen.

I swear,

if I had truly traded the smelting technique for refined iron

to the Eagle King,

fate would have it

that I get trafficked again when I leave Jiankang

-and... -Do you need a fix

on that mouth of yours?

Can't you stop saying unlucky things?

I was just trying

to express my loyalty to Ye.

You have no idea what I'm mad about.

Tell me then.

You shouldn't have shown your abilities

in front of the Eagle King.

Techniques are dead, but people are alive.

Have you ever considered

what will happen

if the Eagle King targets you?

Aren't you planning to explore the world?

When I get to the Northern Border,

I'll be too far away to help you.

Should there be slight negligence

or even just an opportunity,

he can capture you and take you to Northern Qin.

Then you won't have anyone to turn to.

You're not exactly the brave type.

When your life is in the palm of his hand,

will you ever refuse to do what he asks you?

Well, Mao's always there for me.

He can protect me too.

Indeed,

there is someone to protect you.

I shouldn't have worried about you.

The first thing you need is a lesson

on how to intimidate others.

In this regard,

Xiao Wuyi has set a good example for you.

Whether to stay or leave

is up to you.

Take good care of Lejun.

[Cui Mansion]

[Cui Xi, butler of the Cui Mansion]

Greetings, Your Highness.

Just bury this woman

who thought she was Princess Qi somewhere random.

I request a audience with Master Cui.

No need to enter the premises, Your Highness.

Master Cui will not

meet Your Highness.

Get out of my way.

Would you take a look at this, Your Highness?

Master Cui knew perfectly well

that Your Highness would surely pay a visit

for the political marriage arranged for Princess Pingning.

So, he insisted that I pass on a message to Your Highness,

hoping that you would put the national interests above all

and prioritize the greater good.

I must see Master Cui

for an urgent matter today.

Please do lend me a helping hand.

Your Highness, have some self-respect!

Do you even know this is the Cui Mansion?

Is Your Highness trying to

ruin the Cui family's good reputation by offering bribes?

I do address you as Your Highness,

but do you really think you're some precious Prince Qi?

Even Qizhou is long gone—

Princess Qi was no better than a stray dog, was she?

Mother!

[Young Li Lejun] [Young Li Mao]

Mother...

What did you say?

I said...

Answer me!

What did you just say?

Well, actually, I didn't...

I am the Regent now.

Step forward, I dare you!

Years ago, Empress Wenxi

was incomparably capable.

She single-handedly helped the nobles migrate to the south safely.

How come the nowadays Cui family

is filled with selfish and cowardly gits

terrified of death?

A dignified royal pincess

was given away to the rebels by the Cui family.

Stop!

It was a misunderstanding.

What's wrong with you?

This is Prince Qi, the current Regent.

[Chief Clerk Cui, master of the Cui family]

How dare you disrespect His Highness?

Have you completely forgotten

the etiquette observed by the Cui family?

-I… -Go away!

Yes.

Your Highness is paying

this visit for the political marriage arranged for Princess Pingning, right?

I know Your Highness can't bear to see the princess marry far away.

But this political marriage is a major matter of state.

The Cui family alone cannot interfere with it.

Do you mean the Cui family won't help me?

It's not that we refuse to help.

It's just that we're unable to render any help.

Your Highness,

letting Princess Pingning get married for political purposes

could actually be

a good thing for you.

Was Cangfeng Forge built for you?

Are you in charge now?

No...

Did anyone say you could lend it to Xie Jiayu?

You even charged her rent.

What now?

Kicking me to the curb after using me, huh?

Let me ask you. Who exerted his utmost effort

and racked his brains

to help you keep that girl around?

So you taught Xie Jiayu how to smelt for refined iron.

Did I tell you to do that?

She made it.

So soon?

How very gifted.

She's a rare genius.

Xiao Wuyi, listen.

You must do whatever it takes to...

This is not entirely my fault.

I simply gave her a rough idea.

Your Highness.

Prince Qi went to the Cui Mansion.

What is he doing there?

[Cui Mansion]

How did it go?

Did Chief Clerk Cui say yes?

Let's go home.

Master,

I'd like to take a walk alone.

Protect His Highness.

-Yes. -Yes.

Hurry, over there!

We'd better not be late.

This is truly a noble good deed.

Princess Pingning is marrying into Northern Qin to safeguard Ye.

The imperial court plans to build a monument for her.

I'll lead the fundraising!

I'm going with you!

- Let's go! - Let's go!

-Let's all go! -Count me in!

Hurry up!

-This is my share. -Come, guys!

And this is my share.

Count me in!

This is my share.

[Raising funds to repay the princess for protecting Ye]

This is my share!

Take it all. I'm offering this much.

And here is my share.

Count me in!

Smash this place.

We're also here to contribute.

No pushing, please!

This is my share.

I said, smash this place!

Go away!

No donation allowed!

Scram!

Grandma!

Grandma...

It was who ordered them to break up the crowd.

Yizhi,

you shouldn't do things like that.

Then what should I do?

You hit a man in the Cui Mansion?

Yes.

But I didn't feel pain at all.

It actually gave me a thrill.

I should have beaten him to death years ago.

When a man carries no weapon,

he can only fight with his bare hands.

That said, I'm also aware

there is only one way

to persuade the noble families.

Let's bond through marriage.

Lingyi of the Cui family

is a noble lady.

Having grown up as a bright child,

she is elegant in manners

and refined in both appearance and character.

I swear to resort to any means to unite

all the major noble families

to fight for a chance to get Your Highness and Princess Pingning

out of the current quagmire.

From this day onward, we the Cui family

pledge to stand together with Your Highness.

Were there dangers ahead,

we would not hesitate to aid Your Highness.

That day before the palace gate,

I misspoke in a moment of desperation.

I know you have your own difficulties.

But since I am the Regent now,

I shouldn't rely on you to help my own sister

out of trouble.

I will use my own strength

to protect those I want to protect.

I will also continue to promote reforms with you.

Then what about Xie Jiayu?

I'll leave the choice to her.

With Yaoyao's devotion to me,

I'm sure she will stick around.

But you just proposed to marry Ms. Cui.

So what?

Wuyi, when you asked for Yaoyao's hand in marriage,

didn't you already have a wife?

We both had to adopt expedients, right?

How could you compare your situation with mine?

Xie Jiayu and I used to be strangers.

What's the difference?

I asked to marry Ms. Cui

only to save Lejun, didn't I?

Yaoyao loves me.

She will surely understand me.

Li Yizhi,

you're even a worse bastard than I am.

You're right.

If being a good person

only turns me into a pawn,

I'd rather be a villain.

Someone said

she'd like to forge

an unparalleled sword for you.

It must be extraordinarily sharp

and can be used as a saber.

It also has to be a hundred times better

than the Eagle King's Longque Blade.

So, she asked me to teach her how to smelt for refined iron.

I just didn't know how to decline her request.

What took you so long to say it?

Where is Xie Jiayu?

Since the Young Lady's departure earlier today,

she has not returned to Wensheng Courtyard yet.

This is bad.

Are you literally crying

because I scolded you a bit?

You almost exposed my military secrets,

and I haven't held you accountable yet.

Did you... temper with my portrait of a noble lady?

You...

As the dignified general of Beifu

and the Heir of Prince Jing'an,

you appear to keep a distance from women,

but you're in fact stashing a portrait of a noble lady.

You have no scruples.

How is it any of your business?

I am condemning you for...

for your future darling.

If there really is such a girl,

let her do it herself.

Hold on.

Swords and blades are used by people.

Shouldn't the length and form

be designed based on

the user's height and arm length?

Look at this sloppy draft.

Did you even put your heart into it?

Why are you so demanding?

Is this how the Miraculous Craft does business?

You're receiving a gift.

Why so picky?

This is just how I am.

I only accept gifts that are to my liking.

If not, don't give any to me.

Reach out your arms.

I don't have a tape measure here.

♪ One glance from near stirs my heart ♪

♪ This fleeting moment ♪

♪ Tugs the threads woven by fate ♪

♪ Bound tight evermore ♪

♪ Sharing all the years together ♪

♪ Peace I find nowhere but by your side ♪

♪ Bear witness with our souls ♪

Your hairband surely has many uses.

♪ Fear no partings or wax and wane ♪

Yes.

It kills, too.

If you don't want to be taken by the Eagle King

to Northern Qin for hard labor,

then don't slack off anymore during your practice

of lightness skills with Yan Yue.

At least, they can help you escape when you get in danger.

Thanks to these skills,

you'll be able to go anywhere alone

in this vast world.

The visiting delegation

includes the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin.

She and the Eagle King are after different benefits.

It's easier to halt the political marriage through her.

But before the peace talks complete,

and the Eagle King leaves Jiankang,

you'd better stay away from him.

Did you hear me?

Yes, I heard you.

You're so nagging, just like my mother.

I want to see Mao.

No problem.

I'll tell him about it.

My Lady, isn't Mount Ya

the place that Prince Qi yearns

to go with you most?

Why is it crossed out?

Mao probably

won't go there with me.

My Lady, don't be upset.

I'll always be with you.

I think I'm feeling something other than sadness.

Do you remember that trip along the river with lanterns?

We wrote our wishes on small paper boats at that time.

I took a peek at Mao's.

He wrote

that he hoped Lejun and Yaoyao's wishes would come true.

Prince Qi has always been a nice gentleman

who cares deeply about you and Princess Pingning.

But he seems to never

really have anything he truly wants.

I decided to run away from marriage,

and he went with me.

Even though he has become the Regent,

he's ready to leave with me as long as I want to.

But it seems I've never figured out

what Mao truly wants for himself.

My Lady,

what do you want for yourself then?

Xiao Wuyi treats you really well.

You're not related to him or anything,

yet he especially built a workshop

for you in his own mansion.

It's midnight. Why did you

come here instead of sleeping?

I can't sleep.

Hearing the sounds here can soothe my mind.

This is a military secret.

You want to see it? Ask me to be your master first.

As if I care.

I can make that myself.

Those are blue fireworks.

Yuan Xiaoliu, I can't believe you know how to make blue fireworks.

I've never seen these before.

The books only say that seashells make red fireworks,

refined salt, yellow,

silver powder, white,

and azurite, green.

But blue fireworks...

Yuan Xiaoliu, you are amazing.

How come I never noticed it before?

Blue fireworks

were a plaything in my childhood.

It is also the first type of fireworks

I've ever made in my life.

How do I compare to you?

You're impressive.

But I just won't ask you to be my master.

What can you do about it?

Why not use the lightness skills I taught you?

Add two more sandbags to the training,

and practice for four more hours tomorrow.

Did you hear me?

Yes, I got it.

I won't be like this anymore.

Take this.

His Majesty is too soft,

and shouldn't have agreed

to grant Xiao Wuyi any time to reform Beifu.

I know you've never approved of these peace talks.

But if you hadn't underestimated the enemy

and lost a battle at Jiuzhang Plain,

these peace talks

would probably be avoided.

Given that the emperor is too young,

and you're holding much military power,

I demand you to promise me

that even after my passing,

you will still be of one mind with the emperor.

Yes, I promise.

He really is hiding in Jiankang.

Your Majesty.

Where were the fireworks set off?

Your Majesty,

the fireworks were set off in Prince Jing'an's Mansion.

Xiao Wuyi...

[Honglu Temple]

I thought Your Majesty

would never take my advice.

I will, provided that you agree

to find someone for me.

Who is it?

I saw a burst of blue fireworks last night.

That must be the work of an old acquaintance of mine.

Those fireworks...

were set off in Prince Jing'an's Mansion,

made by Mulian Ying...

the very last survivor of the Mulian clan.

I've spent 20 years looking for him.

Little did I expect him to be in your hands, Young Lord Xiao.

Mulian Ying...

[Prince Jing'an's Mansion]

How did you come up with the idea

of triggering the fuse with mercury?

And you fancy being my master.

Your fireworks suddenly exploded

and almost injured me.

Mercury is light in weight and stable in nature.

It won't kindle fire no matter how you shake it.

Besides, once the mechanism is activated...

Look.

How is it?

Ignited, isn't it?

What's with you?

Nothing.

Impressive.

You're way more talented than I am.

You will surely

become a legendary master one day.

I am so flattered.

You must take me as your master.

If necessary,

I can take you as my master.

Then, the two of us,

a duo of master and disciple,

will work together to make

an unparalleled caltrop fireball.

In my mind right now,

I'm already picturing us,

as master and disciple, leaving our mark in history.

Come on, why is this act again?

I helped you

simply to honor

my promise to Xiao Wuyi.

He told me the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin

saw the blue fireworks we set off that night

and liked them a lot.

So she asked Xiao Wuyi to give her some

to take back to Northern Qin.

How could I let such an important gift

for the peace talks easily explode?

You just mentioned the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin?

Do you know her?

Me?

How could I possibly know the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin?

I mean,

she holds such an exalted status.

What brings her to this place?

It's said that she's looking for a man named Mulian Ying.

Recently, Xiao Wuyi has also sent Qing Long and Yan Yue

to search for this man.

When this person is found,

the marriage arranged for Lejun can be called off.

Xiao Wuyi doesn't even know who Mulian Ying is.

How is he supposed to find him?

I heard that he was given a portrait of this man.

It is how the man looked as a teenager, though.

The draft for the caltrop fireball is beneath the stack.

Oh, thanks.

You were not fainted?

You really are the man,

Mulian Ying.

The Empress Dowager of Northern Qin has been looking for you.

So you used me, Xiao Wuyi.

You knew all along that Yuan Xiaoliu is Mulian Ying.

Xiao Wuyi,

when did you find out who I am?

On the day I saved you,

I knew you were from Northern Qin.

It just didn't cross my mind that you're Mulian Ying.

Over these years, the Northern Qin spies'

top priority in Jiankang

has always been finding Mulian Ying.

The Empress Dowager of Northern Qin is in Jiankang right now

as a member of the delegation.

Mulian Ying and I were once in love.

However, the palace lanterns burn long, casting light on the iron warrant.

The bounds of the inner court are like a moat to heaven.

Despite all those great ambitions he had,

the then emperor saw him as a potential hazard.

I thought I could at least keep him alive.

But unexpectedly,

I ended up causing the destruction of his entirely clan.

Being plagued by an old illness,

my life is coming to an end.

I hope you can find him for me,

so I can see him one last time before I pass,

and clear up all these old grievances.

What did you just say?

What did you mean by "her life is coming to an end"?

If you are that worried,

I will take you to see her directly.

How do you know if she's after Yuan Xiaoliu's life?

Xiao Wuyi,

are you doing this for yourself,

or for me?

I can not only help Li Lejun regain her freedom,

but also form an alliance

between Northern Qin and Southern Ye against the Eagle King's will,

thus preventing years of war.

What do you think, Young Lord Xiao?

Xiao Wuyi,

you promised me you'd help Lejun.

Now the Empress Dowager wants to see Yuan Xiaoliu.

This is our only chance.

No, I can't hand over Yuan Xiaoliu.

This is a risk I will not take.

I won't let her kill you,

nor will I let you kill her.

Over these years, you've been hiding your identity

and producing weapons in Beifu

to fight Northern Qin.

Isn't it because

you're still holding hatred in your heart?

Do you think she's asking to meet you

just to do some catching up with you?

Take him away.

Go back to your place.

I will figure something out.

Is everything up for negotiation

for your so-called greater good?

And after being weighed,

those who are hurt and sacrificed

will always be us, right?

The marriages arranged

for me, Lejun,

Sister Yuanji, and my mother,

are about schemes and manipulation.

Nobody cares about true love.

If given another chance,

you would still marry Ms. He

for military provisions,

ask the Empress Dowager to grant a marriage

so as to pressure Prince Changsha,

and still place Lejun

at the very end of all considerations.

This is what you're like,

Xiao Wuyi.

Not just you,

Mao has changed too.

He already started selecting concubines for himself.

He has decided to stay,

yet he hasn't told me.

I'm well aware of it,

but I'm still arguing

relentlessly with you about Lejun's marriage.

You must be laughing at me in your heart.

You are right.

If given another chance,

I would still make the same choices.

But I will never laugh at you.

I am sick and tired

of all that weighing.

I will not give up.

I will not let Lejun end up like me.

Princess Pingning shall enter the hall.

♪ If fate is fragile, what is right or wrong ♪

♪ We only live for what we can't let go ♪

♪ Love and hate fade like the shifting sand ♪

♪ What's right or wrong is better left unsaid ♪

♪ Every soul is bound by cause and fate ♪

♪ The past is gone, so let it slip away ♪

♪ The heart's a cage, but peace will break the chains ♪

♪ No need to speak, just leave it all to fate ♪

♪ The past is gone, so let it slip away ♪

♪ The heart's a cage, but peace will break the chains ♪

♪ No need to speak, just leave it all to fate ♪

I, Li Lejun, Princess Pingning, extend

my greetings to Your Majesty.

Long live

Your Majesties.

Your Highness?

Yuan Xiaoliu, come out!

Yuan Xiaoliu is not in this carriage.

He already boarded a ship and left.

Yuan Xiaoliu, I know you are inside, and that you're still

still thinking about the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin.

Her heart disease is incurable,

and her days are numbered.

If you leave now,

you might never get to see her again in the rest of your life.

Listen up. Tonight,

I've arranged a Northern Qin puppet show

in Xiyue Restaurant.

It is up to you whether to go or not.

You'd hate to have regrets for a lifetime, right?

Yuan Xiaoliu.

Mr. Yuan, do not act rashly.

It's His Highness's order

that you will be executed

on the spot if you defy the command.

All the 138 members of the Yuan clan

died because of that woman.

I severed ties with her long ago.

Now, hearing that she is about to die,

I only feel the pleasure of having my greatest revenge fulfilled.

I will never

see her again.

Qing Long,

let's go.

You really came.

If Xiao Wuyi finds out about this,

I will...

Don't worry.

I promise to save your life with mine today.

If the Empress Dowager of Northern Qin

truly attempts to hurt you,

I will shield you

and let you go first.

You have my word.

Xiao Wuyi will be furious then.

What did you say?

Nothing.

I mean,

are you really planning

to risk your life for the cancellation

of Li Lejun's marriage?

Isn't this

what friends do for each other?

Moved by your chivalry,

I've decided to stand or fall together with you tonight.

Today is your wedding day.

Prince Qi claimed to be sick and took leave from court.

Young Lord Xiao hasn't shown up either.

Could it be that the two of them

are dissatisfied with this marriage

and are working together to object it for you?

It doesn't matter now.

The auspicious hour has arrived.

His Highness the Eagle King

and Princess Pingning shall perform the bowing ceremony.

Eagle King, please bow.

Princess Pingning, please bow.

Princess Pingning, please bow.