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[The Promise of Chang'an]

[Episode 46]

I would like to see

who within the court still dares to use the emperor

to settle their own grudges with the regent.

But Qiyuan has gotten older.

He is starting to have his own opinions about the court.

Chengxu always treats him as a child

and takes too much of a hold over the nation's matters.

Going on, it will be hard for him to let go.

His Majesty and the regent's conflicts,

even if no outsiders were fanning the flames,

it would still be hard for them to reconcile.

Mingyu, you must make a decision.

Chengxu has taken over governmental affairs for many years.

The interests of the court

are aligned with his.

To get Chengxu to give up a large part of the power

would not be easy.

Are there no other ways

to test?

A way...

There is one.

Based on ancient traditions,

after Qiyuan's big wedding,

he will become a true man.

We will be able to tell the nation that our emperor

is ready to become the sole ruler.

That is a good plan, and it will let Qiyuan

slowly regain his power in a very efficient way.

But if Chengxu is willing to slowly let go of the power,

it would naturally be good.

What if he's not willing?

That won't happen.

Sister Qi, do you remember that when Qiyuan ascended,

the promise that Chengxu made?

I believe that he will not break it.

Then I will let you handle all of this.

When the former emperor was still alive,

he also arranged a marriage.

The candidate is predetermined.

They seem to be quite compatible.

- Wedding? - That is the plan.

We will slowly begin preparations,

so you should make preparations in your heart as well.

The important part is that after your wedding ceremony, you will be able to rule alone.

You must be so happy, right?

Mother Queen, who do you plan

on having me marry?

You met her when you were younger.

She even came to the palace to play for a while.

Mother, are you referring to?

His Majesty remembers.

No wonder. Xi Qi Situ family's little princess

was always a very beautiful girl,

and the two of you are compatible. Isn't this the fate of the Heavens?

Situ Zhen?

Mother, is this Ninth Uncle's idea?

What does this have to do with your Ninth Uncle?

This marriage with Xi Qi was set up by your father before he died.

What is it? You're not willing to have Situ Zhen be your Empress?

I remember Situ Zhen. Ever since childhood, she was hard tempered.

Now that she has gotten older, I fear that she has gotten even harder to interact with. I don't want this kind of Empress.

Children are all unruly. When they get older, things change.

What if I am unlucky enough to have been correct?

Mother Queen, if she takes care of the palace and harem, things will get messy.

That would add to your problems, Mother Queen.

How about you let me pick one? A beautiful, intelligent, and virtuous one?

You can pick whatever else you want,

but you cannot pick your own Empress.

No one can go back on the late Emperor's word.

However, the wedding matters do not need to be planned so hurriedly.

Your Sixth Royal Uncle has already went to Xi Qi to talk of this matter.

In a few days, after we bring Situ Zhen over here,

you can interact for a while, and things will be well.

Things will not be awkward.

If I think it is,

I'm sure you would choose to do what you please anyway.

Why didn't you ask me first?

Why am I always the last to know?

Who exactly is getting married?

Isn't this the way it should be?

You said you wanted to be the sole ruler, so I tried to comply.

But you must know that you carry the serenity of Great Sheng on your shoulders.

The Ninth Royal Uncle always used those words to suppress me. You are saying it, too.

- If I do not marry Situ Zhen, then Great Sheng will not be serene? - Yes.

The marriage has already been settled.

If we break such a contract without proper reason,

we will face unforeseen consequences. Xi Qi would become a mess.

All along, I was always just a tool without feelings.

As the emperor,

you must think of matters from the point of view of the greater good!

Sometimes, you must sacrifice some things

to gain the things that are more important.

For the greater good?

Mother Queen, have you ever thought that

I'm also human. Can you not even give me the slightest of respects?

I can't even choose my own bride?

Even if I become the sole ruler after the wedding, I would still just be the prop of the court.

I don't mind not being the emperor.

Qiyuan!

Why would His Majesty's reaction be like this?

Mingyu, do not be angry with His Majesty.

He's got the temperament of a little child and just said those things out of anger.

Little child?

On the one hand, he insists that he has gotten older and more responsible,

but on the other, he throws his temper around as he pleases.

If he wants to show his authority and rule alone,

then this is the consequence he must pay.

The marriage of the emperor is not his choice to make.

Do not be nervous yet.

With His Majesty's temperament, he is not the type to accept things given to him harshly.

Tomorrow, I will coax him.

He'll understand.

I originally thought that I only had to waste effort

persuading Chengxu about Qiyuan's marriage matters.

Who knew.

"If the orchids bloomed in the spring sun," (T/N: Reciting a poem)

"flourishing at the end of the winter,"

"Beauty in the clouds"

"Separated indefinitely by the road to Heaven."

Beauty.

Take it.

How is it?

In the clouds...

Your Majesty, I am being too nosy,

but have you still been reminiscing over

Princess Ruoxuan of the Dong family?

Xiao Linzi, you're the one who knows me well.

In your opinion, hasn't Ruoxuan always been creative,

intelligent, and cute?

The truth is that I was never able to forget about her.

Now, fate has allowed us to meet again.

How could I let go?

From what I see, Your Majesty and Ruoxuan were destined by the Heavens to be together.

Your Majesty, how about we directly tell her your status

- and allow her into the palace first? - No!

If she knew of my status, how would she treat me with her sincere heart?

Besides, every time we meet, she would have to bow and talk formally.

I just want to interact with her like normal people.

Besides, if I used the status of emperor to force her, how would she dare disobey?

This is called bullying.

Wait until after I receive her sincere words. It would not be too late to tell her then.

It's just that Mother Queen always wants me to marry that Situ Zhen.

Situ Zhen has been arrogant ever since her childhood and spoke rudely to me.

I am annoyed with her from the bottom of my heart.

Your Majesty, then could you first get married and take over ruling

and then figure out the specifics later?

This way, Princess Ruoxuan can at least be a Consort.

How could that work? I cannot make Ruoxuan suffer.

If we really cannot, then we should clearly tell the Empress Dowager.

That would be even worse! Situ Zhen is in some sort of alliance.

She can control situations, and she has military and governmental power.

Mother Queen will surely not let me decide the wedding matters.

If we tell her about this right now, it would be like turning Ruoxuan into a target.

I do not want anyone to hurt her.

That would be hard.

If this is the situation, what must we do?

I do not know either.

You said that you could not find a plan at the moment, but we have time to come up with one slowly.

Besides, there is a lot of time before the wedding. We can still think.

Hopefully.

"The moonlight glistens in the darkness."

"A long sigh draws out the love."

"Who could say that I have no worries? Missing her drives me crazy."

- Are you feeling unwell? - I am fine.

If you are not well, do not endure it. Find an imperial physician to take a look.

I really am fine. My body is built like a bear's.

Just trust me.

"Beauty in the clouds"?

I never expected this little emperor to be so sentimental.

When he heard that news of a beautiful woman, he hurriedly came up with excuses to leave the palace to look for her.

He is more devoted to searching for this beautiful woman than to being a good emperor.

If he was willing to use this effort

to gain his right to become the sole ruler of the nation,

that at least would not be wasting the efforts I put into teaching him these past ten years.

Sadly, I overestimated him.

Isn't that right? After His Majesty ascended, Your Highness

taught him personally and used your whole heart to teach him. Yet His Majesty

took your efforts for granted.

If His Majesty did not accept your kindness, that would be tolerable,

but he easily allowed himself to be provoked by outsiders to become suspicious of you.

If he continues with this impulsive, paranoid persona,

then how will he be able to rule alone?

When the time comes, the court will spiral into chaos. For Great Sheng's peace, Your Highness's

hard work for the past ten years would have been wasted on the next generation, would it not?

Back then,

I suppressed all of my own unwillingness

and only wanted to help him. I never would have expected this situation.

Chengxu. Today, I came specifically to apologize to you.

I will replace tea with wine and admit my wrongs to you.

I have already disciplined Qiyuan harshly and punished the Prince of Su.

This will never happen again.

Yan Hai followed me loyally for so many years.

Did you know

that year when we went to battle,

he was the one who dug me out of the pile of dead bodies?

When I almost could not hold on any longer,

he whispered your name into my ear the whole time.

If it were not for him, I would not have survived.

I know. I know all of this.

This matter with Yan Hai happened because Qiyuan was muddle-headed.

He already knows that he was wrong.

Does he?

If he knew he was wrong,

why would he not come here personally to apologize with gifts?

Do you think I will ever trust him again?

Yan Hai was innocent.

He was just a tool for him to vent his anger.

The person he actually wants to murder is me!

The wrath in his eyes, the hate he holds for me, do you think I am blind to it?

He just misunderstood what happened between us.

What happened between us? What right does he have

to evaluate our relationship?

Back then,

for what reason,

who was the one who broke our relationship

and caused the present situation to have happened?

In my heart,

I have always thought

to cultivate Qiyuan into

someone with the power to carry the entire court alone.

I also hoped

that there would be a day

in which our emperor and the lands

would no longer need you or I.

But in the end,

there were all delusions of mine.

Lies I told myself.

He never saw me as a father.

In his eyes,

between the two of us, our past

was shameful.

He only has hate for me. He only wants to escape from me.

I know, but I

sometimes think that in these ten years,

what exactly did I do wrong

to end up with this result? Why?

Chengxu. I will surely keep teaching him.

Give him a little more time.

One day, he will realize who is true to him

and who is not. He will know how much you suffered.

Mingyu. Those are just your own wishes.

He never tried to experience my pain.

No matter what I did,

he always believes that I am humiliating you and him.

Besides, now you have started to

distance yourself from me over him.

The Sixth Royal Brother is about to arrive at Xi Qi, right?

Yes.

On His Majesty's wedding day, if I give him the imperial jade seal and stamp

to him,

will he still let me keep my life? My title as regent?

Could I still live?

Tell him

that I won the land with my capabilities,

and the only way he can take it from me is if he used his own.

Official Li, Official Ling.

In these years, you have been loyal to His Majesty.

I am very thankful.

I do not dare to be praised so highly.

The former emperor was good to me,

so I have the duty to advise His Majesty well.

His Majesty's wedding is coming up, and after that he will start to rule alone.

I do not know where the regent is at

with giving up the jade seal and stamp.

I have asked him multiple times, but the regent continues to delay it.

He said that the wedding still is to be determined,

so things need to wait until after the wedding.

It looks like

he is not planning on giving them up.

If I may speak. The jade seal and stamp have always been handled by the regent.

Even after the marriage of His Majesty, he still cannot hastily become ruler just one day later.

If he were to take have the jade seal and stamp in his position,

the governmental affairs fall into chaos.

If bad things happen, then I fear that in the end...

Official Li, did you hear some bad rumors?

It is true that I did.

The Wolf and Eagle Battalions are rallying up the other battalions

to gain people in favor of letting the regent continue his rule.

There have also been many people speaking up within the court.

They seem... They seem to want to back the regent.

Then from what you two see, is his intention?

This...

Whether or not this was the regent's original intention, I cannot say for sure,

I just know that the regent did not

try to stop this from happening within the court.

In fact, it seems like in the darkness,

there are people who are trying to spread this matter in a way that makes the regent look favorable.

It seems like whether or not we can stabilize the regent,

whether or not we can smoothly hand all of the power to His Majesty,

and whether or not our Great Sheng will spiral into chaos depends on what we do next.

- I understand. - I will take my leave.

I never would have thought that the regent really had objections.

I keep thinking that this is not the extent of the situation.

Within this, is it possible that there are misunderstandings?

Could it be that bystanders are causing a ruckus

- and that's why— - With Chengxu's personality,

there is no way that he will allow others to control him.

If he does not stop it, that means that he has already accepted it.

I will invite the Prince of Zheng out.

Even if we cannot stop this,

we still must clearly figure out what the situation is right now.

No matter whether or not he actually plans to go through with the last step,

I still must kill this possibility.

Your Highness.

Please tell the Empress Dowager to rest assured.

While I am still here, I will not let him continue messing around like this.

These words of yours really make me

breathe a small sigh of relief.

If we can persuade the regent to swear in front of the public

that he is loyal to His Majesty,

then it will make people feel much more at ease.

Trust me.

I will make him

always remember his promise.

I think he would not be cruel enough to

say the word "no"

in front of me, his Second Brother.

Then thank you for all of your hard work, Prince of Zheng.

[Prince of Zheng, Xiao Chengli's invitation]

Second Brother suddenly asked to meet me.

Was it because he heard some rumors in the court?

He Shaoyong. What reason do you think?

I heard that the Prince of Zheng's health has been suffering lately.

Yet he still has the ability to follow the court matters.

The Prince of Zheng is not normal. I would advise Your Highness to be careful.

How about you just reject it?

I do not have a good reason to reject the Second Brother's invitation.

No matter what he wants, I can just proceed with caution.

The regent has arrived.

Ninth Brother. You have arrived.

Second Brother, this sure was unexpected.

How come the small meeting we agreed upon became a large banquet?

We are all family.

When we have the time, we all gather together.

Of course, it is as lively as a banquet.

All of you may leave first. I have some things to discuss with the regent.

Yes.

Second Brother, if you have anything you must say, go ahead and tell me directly.

We are brothers of the same family,

so I will be straightforward with my words.

Now, His Majesty's wedding is coming soon.

Why are you unwilling to give up the jade seal and stamp?

Is it because you do not want to let go of the governmental control?

I am the regent.

Every day that His Majesty is not the sole ruler,

I must keep the jade seal and stamp in my possession,

but after His Majesty's wedding, I will naturally

choose a good time to give the jade seal and stamp

both to him.

Yet I heard people that you, as the regent, wanted the throne.

That is not true.

You speak the truth?

Second Brother has been watching this whole time. How could I dare?

You do not dare now, of course,

but you are holding the power in your hands and not willing to let it go.

When His Majesty can no longer tolerate it, you will find an excuse

to say that you rebelled because you were forced to. Isn't that right?

Second Brother.

It's a pity

that my two sons died on the battlefield but...

But they wasted their lives to save a traitorous criminal.

They gave up their lives for nothing.

Second Brother. Qida and Qishuo's deaths

have continued to hurt me.

- Qishuo! - In the future,

- I will do everything I can to repay that. - Repay it? Ninth Brother.

Did you know why they were willing to sacrifice their own lives to save yours?

Because you are the general. You're Great Sheng's regent!

You carry the entire Great Sheng's safety and stability on you!

They wanted Great Sheng to be safe and stable.

If Great Sheng's lands become divided into four parts,

then how could you repay them?

Ninth Brother. I need you to remember these words.

Your life

was not exchanged for my two sons.

They were exchanged for Great Sheng's safety

and prosperity.

All along,

I have never forgotten these words.

These words mean nothing.

I need you to swear to the Heavens

that you will not decide rebel in order to steal the throne.

Rebel and steal the throne?

Were Great Sheng's lands

- not singlehandedly win by me? - What?

You! You be quiet!

Great Sheng's lands were won by the ancestors before us.

How many princes and soldiers had to sacrifice their lives to earn this land?

You dare to say that all of this work was done by you alone?

You dare to say that Great Sheng was singlehandedly won by you?

You are absolutely shameless and unfilial!

Unfilial!

Ninth Brother.

Right now, I just need you to promise one thing.

I need a reason to swear to the Heavens.

If I promise for no reason

that I will not take the throne,

then wouldn't I be admitting that I want to rebel?

Admitting that I have a treasonous heart? What kind of logic is that?

I already said that I had no such heart.

Second Brother do you not trust me?

Ninth Brother.

That means that you are saying

in the future, you will not have plans to steal the throne?

Yes or no?

Yes.

Good.

You said it yourself.

Everyone, come in.

Now, there are rumors spreading outside.

Rumors that the regent plans to become emperor himself,

but I just discussed with the regent that such a thing is not real!

If the regent truly wants to become emperor,

then when he won the capital, he could have became emperor then.

Now, the capital's ruler has already been confirmed long ago. The regent knows this.

He earlier personally told me

that he would never have a treasonous heart!

He will not now, and in the future, he would not either!

Perhaps some people,

for their own selfishness, would stain the regent

with a bad reputation.

Once you hear these rumors,

you all must disperse them for the regent.

You must defend the regent, got it?

Yes.

Good.

Bring over the wine.

Ninth Brother. Here.

For our Great Sheng's lands,

for our ancestors.

A toast to you.

Ancestors above.

Ancestors above.

Ancestors above.

I, Xiao Chengxu

swear to protect my emperor

without harboring ulterior motives.

The bell rang.

The ceremony has ended.

Everything is over.

Brother! Brother! Brother!

Brother!

If I am proven to have broken this oath,

If you are conspiring with the enemy to betray the country, not only will I find this intolerable,

but the entire lineage of Xiao will also find this intolerable!

I will accept the punishment of the Heavens.

Not only am I pointing this at you, but I will also murder you with it!

I will die painfully.

Good.

Ninth Brother.

Good.

Ninth Brother, quickly. Quickly, rise.

Ninth Brother, I am so overjoyed.

In the future, I will be at ease.

You

are the good son of the ancestors.

The good brother of the former emperor.

The good uncle of the present emperor.

I am very overjoyed.

Come. Bring the pen.

Ninth Brother. You just swore an oath to the Heavens,

but you said this to the people who are currently alive.

I do not have much time left.

I want... I want to take your written oath

to meet the ancestors.

Then they will not be disappointed.

Second Brother.

Why must you force my hand so bitterly?

The former emperor, His Majesty,

they are all connected to you by blood.

They are your family.

Then what am I, Xiao Chengxu,

to you?

I am just the outsider that you,

at any given moment,

guard against, suspect,

and fight against.

Now, I have already given my oath.

As for this written oath,

I will not write it.

I would ask Second Brother to leave this last scruple of dignity for me.

Father! Father!

Father! Prince of Zheng!

Mingyu.

Mingyu. The Prince of Zheng already made the regent swear in front of a crowd

that he would not have a treacherous heart and take over the throne.

I just knew

that the Prince of Zheng would be able to persuade him.

There's something else.

The Prince of Zheng, he... The Prince of Zheng has passed on.

He did not get a written oath from His Highness.

That is enough.

The things that the Prince of Zheng has done for us.

It is enough.

How could the situation have turned out like this?

Brother, and you! How could you have promised to swear the oath?

The Second Brother forced my hand before he died.

What choice did I have?

Who knew that in front of the princes, he would ensnare me into his trap?

Who cares about that? Second Brother passed on.

Good thing you did not write a written document!

Without the written oath, they cannot prove anything you said.

In the end, I made an oath in front of our ancestors.

How could I pretend it did not happen?

Look. Back then, when Qiyuan ascended, did you not swear an oath then as well?

You said that if anyone tried to make you revolt against the nation,

you would treat them as a traitor and dispose of him immediately!

If every time you pledged an oath, it had to be upheld,

then how many times did I speak out of line

and try to convince you to revolt against the nation?

Then you can come punish me severely. Come.

If you break your oath once, you've broken it, so what is the difference in breaking it twice?

Since you have already broken your oath, what are you afraid of?

We should go big.

Are you really going to take the jade seal and stamp

and return them?

Fine.

Then all of us should wipe ourselves clean

and wait for the little emperor to kill us all after he becomes sole ruler.

Prince of Yu, please do not be so agitated.

Give the regent some time to consider his options.

It is just a pity.

What pity?

Sadly, we planned for so long

but we were too slow for Empress Dowager Xianzhen.

She stole the upper hand.

Do you mean...?

[The Promise of Chang'an]

Timing and subtitles brought to you by Impossible Promises @ Viki.com

"Falling Fate" - Singer: Li Yugang

♫ Who is swaying at dusk on the riverbank by the gently fluttering willows? ♫

♫ That beauty dances between the clouds and the rippling moonglade ♫

♫ Dancing lightly like the startled birds and your graceful face is like delicate blooms ♫

♫ Longing in the wind, with glistening eyes looking toward the ripples ♫

♫ I could not take my eyes off such a sight to behold ♫

♫ It seems brief, my adoration for you has been for years ♫

♫ You come or go as you please, my soul is being led by dreams of you ♫

♫ These are foolish and infuriating times, I still wish we could be together forever ♫

♫ Destiny leads you into my life to make me whole ♫

♫ My love for you is like an ink-mark that never dries ♫

♫ As the snow scatters in the wind, as the clouds shield the moon ♫

♫ As I have to be drunk to sleep through the night ♫

♫ Like you, the paper I write on is full of melancholy ♫

♫ Destiny leads you into my life, times of great changes separate us ♫

♫ My tears fall and fill the curtained carriage along the way ♫

♫ This homeward journey, this boundless life ♫

♫ It is fleeting, and filled with joys and sorrows ♫