Original subtitles

[Episode 6]

My grandfather would also let his disciples

learn about current political affairs.

Really?

And how exactly did they teach?

When Grandfather and the masters

were annotating the "Gazetteer of Rivers and Canals,"

they often mentioned that in the fifth year of Xide,

Your Majesty reformed the transport network system.

I heard that after the reform,

30,000 fewer trackers were conscripted,

and taxes were reduced by 40 percent.

The masters all said

Your Majesty is a capable ruler.

They admire you greatly.

Can such things be heard even up in the mountains?

Your Majesty's merits are even praised

by the mountain guards.

In the third year of Xide, you held exams to talented commoners,

giving them a chance to serve in the court.

In the fifth year, you opened canals to control floods.

In early autumn, you allowed taxes to be paid in silver.

Master Gu even wrote "On Lightening the Tax Burden" in your praise.

Now that the world is at peace,

my grandfather said

it is all thanks to Your Majesty.

Princess Ding.

Yes.

Your grandfather is honest and steady,

a man of few words.

Only in matters of state does his brilliance truly show.

Yet you are quite eloquent.

Quite unlike him.

Allow me to explain, Your Majesty.

My grandfather is a pillar of the state.

I am but an insignificant woman.

All I seek is an ordinary life,

living in peace and stability.

Praising your virtues today

is not out of flattery.

It is because of your benevolent rule

that commoners live in peace,

that the farming continue,

and that we enjoy this era of prosperity.

I sincerely admire you, Your Majesty,

for you bringing peace to the realm.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

The grapes in Your Majesty's palace are truly delicious.

Your Majesty.

I heard

that Prince Li has composed a new piece.

Why don't we invite Prince Li to play a piece for us?

Very well.

My new composition is not yet finished.

I fear...

it'd offend Your Majesty's refined ears.

Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

I am willing to play

an old piece

for Your Majesty's enjoyment.

Which piece?

"Green Plum Melody."

[Young Mo Jing Li]

[Li Mountain Academy] [Master Yu]

"Green Plum Melody."

The tremolo in the fourth section

should sound like pearls falling on a jade plate.

What kind of sound was that?

Like a toad jumping into a pond.

Your Highness.

Does it hurt?

Such a passion and spirit.

Prince Li seems to have poured your heart into the music.

My skills are simply lacking.

My skills are lacking.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

Rhyming requires a harmony of spirit.

But if one uses the Bianzhi scale

to force a melody,

it will only result in a tragic song.

I have heard enough music for today.

You may all be dismissed.

We take our leave.

I wonder if that pastry shop in the West Market

is closed yet.

If it's still open on the way home,

I'll have Qing Yu buy some.

So after all that walking,

that's what's on your mind?

What else would I be thinking about?

Your Highness, does your hand still hurt?

I'll apply medicine for you when we return.

Your Highness.

Stop.

Ye Li,

you must be very proud of yourself, aren't you?

No longer stuck on that mountain,

you've become the Princess Ding.

Even the Empress Dowager favors you now.

She spoke with you for so long.

Her Majesty is benevolent.

Her Majesty is indeed benevolent,

but don't you forget the sins you've committed.

By rights, I should address you as Sister.

It's proper etiquette.

It's the family rules.

But you don't deserve it at all.

Li Mountain Academy was unruly back then.

They defied the Empress Dowager.

The entire Ye family almost faced disaster.

If Grandfather hadn't acted decisively,

cutting ties with Li Mountain

and kneeling through a snowy night to plead at Anshang Gate,

the Ye family wouldn't have been saved.

It was the family's collective effort,

along with women like my mother,

who managed the household affairs,

that led to the present prosperity of the Ye family.

That is how you got to where you are.

In a prestigious family,

we share the glory

and we share the ruin.

But are you even slightly grateful?

My mother protected your dowry.

My uncles worked hard to manage your businesses.

Yet now you're wearing a royal robe,

putting on airs as a princess,

seizing property,

and spouting nonsense to the Empress Dowager.

Do you intend to ruin

the Ye family's reputation like your mother did?

Do you deserve the name Ye?

Do you deserve to be my sister?

Whose property did I seize?

The Ye family's, of course.

By your logic,

the grand dowry you took to Prince Li's Mansion

now belongs to the prince's household.

Can the foreign dancers in the mansion

spend it as they please?

You... How dare you insult my mother!

And there is one more important thing.

W-What?

You shouldn't be calling me sister anyway.

Prince Ding and Prince Li are close kin.

You should be calling me Aunt.

- You... - Princess Li.

Prince Li is about to leave the palace.

Where is His Highness?

Ye Li.

Don't get too ahead of yourself.

Have you seen enough

of this spectacle, Your Highness?

How can you tell I'm just spectating?

I am your princess, after all.

Yet when someone bullied me,

you didn't even defend me once.

It's not that I didn't want to.

But you have so many ties to those present.

These tangled threads

are quite complex and ever-changing.

I wanted to help,

but my hands were tied.

Do you really want to help?

Of course.

You really are quite suspicious.

Since that's the case,

I'll make the accusations a reality.

Prince Li is injured.

Aren't you going to see him?

What does that have to do with me?

Why should I see him?

Let's go.

Princess Ding, please wait.

You left something behind at Anqing Palace.

Would you mind returning for it?

The headmaster and masters were writing books.

And what about the disciples?

What did they do every day?

Read and write.

Farm and hunt.

When they had some leisure time,

they simmered liquor with green plums

and brewed tea with spring water.

Every early spring during tea picking,

Grandfather wrote a "Roasting Song".

"The roasting cage turns thrice to jade hue.

Envy not the palace, but the pine smoke."

The way you put it,

"Envy not the palace, but the pine smoke."

Really?

Do they truly intend

to stay in Li Mountain like hermits forever?

There are scholars of Zhongnan Mountain

who live in seclusion and never enter society.

I suppose for the masters,

it is the same.

If one can live freely on the mountain,

it is a kind of fortune.

I have practiced Master Liu's Qingshan Calligraphy

for 20 years, yet I still lack its essence.

Do you know

which line in his "Ode to Self-Cultivation"

is the most important?

"The way of sincerity can reach the heights of creation."

You are a smart child.

You should know what I mean.

Yes.

I understand.

My grandfather once taught me

to be sincere and faithful to the end.

In all my words and actions,

I would not dare to deviate from that.

So, there is something

not instructed by the masters or Grandfather,

but that I truly want to say to Your Majesty.

I am very satisfied with this marriage.

Thank you for the decree,

which allowed me to leave the mountain.

I like life down here very much.

Then what about your mother?

Is she satisfied with this marriage?

Your Majesty,

my mother...

has already passed away.

What did you say?

Yes.

She fell gravely ill on the way to Li Mountain.

Before we even reached the foot of the mountain,

she passed away.

Then what about your mother?

Is she satisfied with this marriage?

Your Majesty,

my mother...

has already passed away.

She fell gravely ill on the way to Li Mountain.

She passed away before we even reached the foot of the mountain.

Your Highness, are you resting?

Your Highness.

Your hand is injured.

Let me apply some medicine for you.

No matter how much you love music,

you shouldn't neglect your health like this.

Especially when it comes to composing.

It's not something that can be done all at once.

Your Highness, do not be impatient.

Do you think

I am troubled by the composition?

If not that, then what?

Your Highness, think about it.

If your hand is injured, you won't be able to play the zither.

If you can't play it, you can't compose new music.

Did your father

only have you and your sister?

Just the two of us daughters,

but I also have a younger brother.

He is my biological brother

and he's exceptionally smart.

By the age of five, he'd read the "Analects" and "Mencius."

Even our family tutors praised him as a rare child prodigy.

Then did you and your sister

grow up together?

I grew up with my brother.

Ye Li lived with us before she was 13.

Though we were close in age,

she often visited Li Mountain with her mother.

So we weren't very close.

Then do you remember

anything from your childhood with your sister?

It was a long time ago.

Just some ordinary things.

There's not much I remember.

Oh, wait.

I do remember one thing.

One year, we stayed in Hangzhou for a few months.

Hangzhou was so hot then.

We decided to charter a boat together

to pick lotus roots on the lake.

There were huge red carps in the water.

About this big.

Ye Li and I both rushed to see it.

But the boat was rocking so violently

that I accidentally

bumped into her.

And she actually... fell right into the lake.

She looked so pathetic,

floating on the water like a duck.

She wouldn't let it go,

insisting that I apologize to her.

But why should I have apologized?

In the end, guess what?

That fool actually swam to the opposite shore

and got out on her own.

After she got back, she caught a cold

and sneezed for days.

Oh, right. There was another time.

It was a rainy day just like today.

She suddenly grabbed me

and ran outside.

We kept running in the rain.

At that moment, for some reason,

she suddenly burst out laughing.

Laughing so happily.

But I got seriously ill after I got back.

She's a real lunatic.

It's raining so hard today.

Your Highness.

Where did you get that shovel?

From the storeroom.

Is there a saw?

There should be.

You want a saw, Your Highness?

Leave one in the courtyard.

Yes.

Your Highness.

Princess Ding went to the backyard.

Your Highness.

Where is Her Highness going so late at night?

She's even carrying tools.

Have the secret guards follow her.

Everything's ready.

Let's move.

Looks like everyone's asleep.

My Lady,

is this really okay?

Before I left the mountain,

Senior Brother He entrusted this to me.

Keep watch here.

Your Highness.

It's so late.

Why did Her Highness come to this shabby yard?

Your Highness,

Her Highness is trying to...

steal a tree?

Who's there?

Grandfather, wake up!

- Who is it? - Oh no, Your Highness, this...

Quick, get up and check it out!

Your Highness?

Get in.

Who's there?

- A tree thief! - Grandfather, hurry! Stop right there!

Grandfather, let's go!

Ye Li.

Speak up.

What were you trying to do?

Can we talk inside?

So you know it's embarrassing now.

A dignified princess, instead of sleeping at home at night,

sneaked into someone's yard to steal a tree.

I didn't steal a tree.

You still dare to argue?

Then what were you doing?

I just cut down a tree.

There are so many trees in the manor.

Why didn't you cut those down?

Why cut that tree?

Explain.

Because I have a senior brother,

surnamed He.

He's an expert in the I Ching.

He failed the official selections

twice in a row.

So he cast a divination for himself

and concluded the ginkgo tree in front of his house

was blocking his career luck.

That's why he failed.

But Master Zhu said

it was clearly because he lacked talent.

He was always slacking off,

yet he blamed it on a tree.

Master Zhu forbade him from thinking that way.

But you see,

the more my senior was forbidden,

the more often he dwelt on it.

Eventually, it became an obsession.

He repeatedly urged me

that if I ever left the mountain,

I must remember to cut that tree for him.

Back then, when he tried to cut it,

he had barely swung the axe

before his father beat him half to death.

Then you should be grateful

that you ran fast enough.

That's because I run every day.

So please don't be mad anymore.

Don't let it happen again.

Why do you run every day?

Your habits

are truly unlike anyone else's.

To stay healthy.

One needs to stay active.

I also hope I can run a bit faster.

Run faster?

Li, come back!

Li!

Li.

Go over there.

Li!

- Li! You can't leave! - Help.

- Never compromise with them! - Help!

- Li! - Let go of me!

Li, I don't want to hurt you. But you cannot leave the mountain.

Master Helai will have a way. Let's go!

- Let go! - Move!

Anyway,

I promise there won't be a next time.

Where did you go?

I told you to keep watch,

but I ended up being cornered.

His Highness even caught up

and you were nowhere to be seen.

I was going to call out to you.

It's just... when I saw His Highness coming,

I got scared and didn't make a sound.

You're such a coward.

I won't be next time.

Strum, strum, strum.

Playing that zither again so early.

It's just a piece of wood,

yet he treasures it every day.

Nanny,

he hasn't looked me in the eye for days.

He doesn't care for me, his legal wife.

What should I do?

I know a tamer from the Western Regions.

He can summon phoenixes with music.

It is a magnificent spectacle.

I will go find him

and have him teach you the art.

His Highness has a refined taste in music.

Seeing your sincere efforts to learn,

he will be moved.

Alright.

Stop peeking out of the corner of your eye.

If you want to look, do it openly.

Your Highness.

When you stole that tree yesterday,

did His Highness scold you afterward?

How did you know?

I overheard it as I was leaving.

No.

I didn't steal a tree, and he didn't scold me.

You heard wrong.

Your Highness.

There is a message from the gate. An old man wishes to see you.

I am He Jin.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Please, have a seat.

I am the father of He Ming Hui.

My son is studying at Li Mountain Academy.

Technically, he is your senior brother.

Uncle.

I have come today

because I have something to ask.

Last night, a tree at my home was cut down for no reason.

I wonder...

if it was done under Your Highness' instructions.

I am not here to hold anyone accountable.

I just wanted to ask about the situation.

For the past eight years,

there has been no word from my son.

After that tree was cut down,

I couldn't help but wonder

whether he has returned.

But after making some inquiries,

I learned Li Mountain is still sealed off.

Only you have come down the mountain.

So I thought,

could it be that Ming Hui

asked you to cut it down?

He did ask me to cut it down.

I was afraid you wouldn't agree,

so I took it upon myself to do it.

Please forgive me, Uncle.

It's no matter, no matter at all.

Please sit.

So, how is he doing on the mountain?

Has he suffered much in his daily life?

Rest assured, Uncle.

The academy has cultivated its own fields.

We grow melons, vegetables, and chives.

There are also wild fruits in the woods.

We never have to worry about food.

Oh, by the way, Senior Brother He even learned to make sesame pies.

He can eat three of them in one sitting.

That boy...

He loved sesame pies since he was a child.

Pardon my manners.

How is he getting along with the masters?

So many years have passed.

His scholarship must have improved significantly by now.

He is clever and he's willing to put in the work.

He is often praised by the masters.

That's good to hear.

Ming Hui has always been smart

and eager to improve.

But he's just so stubborn.

Back then, I wanted him to marry early,

but he refused no matter what.

So he packed his bags and went to Li Mountain.

He wouldn't even come home.

It's been eight years since he left.

He's thirty-two now,

yet he's still unmarried and has no children.

It's enough to worry me to death.

Oh well.

To each his own.

As long as he knows he's doing the right thing.

Many people

go their whole lives without knowing what's right.

May I ask when Your Highness will return to Li Mountain?

I'm afraid not in the near future.

I see...

I have a letter for my son here.

Would it be convenient for you to deliver it to Ming Hui?

Of course.

I exchange letters with the masters from time to time.

I'll help you deliver it to him.

Truly?

That is wonderful.

Then I shall trouble Your Highness with this matter.

Take care, Uncle.

[To Ming Hui]

[Prince Li's Mansion]

The princess has been waiting a long time.

Come in.

Smooth out the feathers a bit more.

- Is this okay? - No, a little smoother.

- Nanny. - Hurry up.

So this is the "phoenix" you were talking about?

It's clearly just a peacock.

Will His Highness really like this?

You must be joking, Your Highness.

There are no real phoenixes in this world.

This peacock is already exquisitely beautiful.

Look at its magnificent tail.

It complements your elegance perfectly.

Your Highness,

this "Flying Peacock"

is highly intelligent.

If you follow the melody I taught you

and play the xiao,

it will spread its wings and fly.

The piece is called "Summoning the Sacred Bird."

Your Highness, look.

It's so beautiful.

If you can master it,

it will surely bring a smile to His Highness's face.

Quick, teach me the piece.

Yes.

Your Highness, please look.

On this xiao,

there are seven holes in total.

When you play it,

finger placement is crucial.

Your Highness,

please press this hole with your thumb.

Correct.

Next,

use your index and ring fingers

to cover the fourth and second holes simultaneously.

Yes.

Just like that.

Now, take a deep breath first

and try to blow.

Why does it sound so awful?

Are you making a fool of me?

I wouldn't dare.

Perhaps it's because your fingering and breath weren't coordinated.

Mastering music requires steady progress.

Please don't be impatient.

When you play it, pay close attention to your breath control.

I want to play it now

and make these peacocks fly.

Come here.

Li, how have you been?

Where have you been, Senior Brother?

You look so travel-worn.

Even more disheveled than a fugitive.

Me?

I took a trip thirty miles outside the city.

I went to inspect a batch

of pottery figurines from Datong Prefecture.

- And? - Not good.

The quality was even worse

than the painted pottery from last time.

Sorry you made the trip for nothing.

It wasn't for nothing.

On my way back,

right at the city gate,

I witnessed something quite strange.

What was it?

Didn't that Western merchant caravan

bring a pair of blue peacocks a while ago?

Their performance was very popular.

But today,

before the show was even half over,

a Prince Li's carriage arrived.

They took both the merchants and the peacocks.

Word is that Prince Li's household

specifically hired that famous tamer

to teach them animal taming.

This... could it be Princess Li?

Ye Ying

never has any persistence.

It would probably be easier

for that tamer to learn how to fly instead.

Today's accounts.

I've watched the shop for you all day.

I'm going home now.

Thanks for your hard work.

No transaction. No...

What's the point of recording this?

Oh, right, Your Highness.

I just remembered I haven't bought snacks.

Go ahead then.

The carriage is right over there.

Please head back to the mansion first.

Mo Wu You, stop!

Stop right there!

Mo Wu You, stop right there!

- Stop! - Mo Wu You!

- Stop the carriage! - Don't run!

- Stop! - Stop!

Your Highness!

Are you all right?

Just you wait!

Mo Wu You, stop right there!

- Trying to run? - Run then!

How dare you!

Hit him!

Be careful.

Slow down!

Your Highness. Watch out!

Surround it!

Alright.

No fighting!

Run!

Go away!

Wu You!

Stop fighting, Wu You!

Go home, now!

If they don't fly,

I'll make you all fly!

Your Highness. I'll go prepare dinner for you.

If someone's flying, I'll fly first.

You...

Nanny! I'll fly with you. Wait for me!

I'm flying too.

Your Highness, I-I really don't know how to fly.

These kids...

They are so young,

but they hit so hard.

Why were they hitting you?

Did you tell them

you're the heir of Prince Ding?

It's none of your business.

Who are they?

Classmates, okay?

Keeping everything to yourself

doesn't mean you're tough.

Nor does it mean you've solved anything.

Mo Wu You.

You're still a child.

When you faced a crowd of people punching you,

you did not flinch.

That's courage.

But being willing to tell your family

about all your troubles

is also a form of courage.

You know why they hit me?

I can guess.

But those who want to cause trouble

will always find an excuse.

Because they themselves are the trouble.

As kids, they cause trouble and get beaten.

When they grow up, they end up in jail.

But don't let them hold you back

and don't let them stain you.

Because it's not worth it at all.

Nanny.

Tell me, why can't I make the peacocks fly?

Your Highness,

nothing can be achieved overnight.

Let's not be impatient.

Let's eat first, shall we?

I'm not eating.

I must master this.

Your Highness.

A Ding.

What are you so happy about?

Your Highness. You don't know yet, do you?

His Highness has been appointed to office.

He'll soon take office at Jingzhao Prefecture.

Your Highness.

Where did you go?

Why are you back so late?

I went to check on the shops.

There's a lot of mud on your shoes.

What is it?

Is the road from the manor to Shende House

that hard to walk?

I went to help Wu You fight.

On my way back,

I saw a group of kids bullying him.

I couldn't pull them apart, so I jumped in to help him.

You shouldn't be suspicious of me.

You should have asked me

who bullied him,

so you could stand up for him.

It's normal for kids to fight.

A group of kids fighting another group is normal.

But Wu You was being beaten by a crowd.

That is not normal.

His father is gone.

As his uncle,

it's your duty to protect him.

He is the heir.

Yet he goes in and out of the manor

without even a page to accompany him.

No one even knows when he returns injured.

Is that right?

I understand.

[On the Next Episode]

I really...

I really want to see him one last time.

Even if it's only in a dream...

The greetings

from 27 wronged souls of the Wang family

have been received.

At this rate,

you're going to get mouth ulcers easily.

Let me treat your leg.

That...

can wait until later.

Where did Houzi go?