Original subtitles

Subtitles and Timing brought to you by the Bloody Romantics @viki.com

♫ In this elaborately written letter, ♫

♫ all the words of love are filled with you.♫

♫ The flowers within ten miles blossom elegantly for you. ♫

♫ I perform the zither, as if you are standing behind me. ♫

♫ The rain falls while I foolishly wait for you. ♫

♫ Use these deep, shallow, near, and far distances ♫

♫ to add a touch of poetry to our regrets and entanglements. ♫

♫ This bitter, sweet, dream-like, and fantasy-like origin of our intertwined fates ♫

♫ is so that we can pleasantly drink this alcohol under the threat of swords and knives. ♫

♫ Use this lifetime, these moments of encounters ♫

♫ to trade for just one short instant when you can be with me. ♫

♫ These words, sentences, sentiments, and intentions contain hopes ♫

♫ that you and I can listen to the rain as we stand under the eave. ♫

[Bloody Romance]

I promise, but I have one condition.

I want to stay behind to accompany him.

Leave.

I have kept my promise now.

I have made the greatest concession.

I hope that you will not disappoint me.

Is is considered as taking me as the credit for your achievement?

Can Gong Zi still wield your life energy?

I can. But I may not regain consciousness after that.

Do you trust me?

This is at the same time your stupidest and your most valuable quality.

If I didn't trust you, then why did I let you make the decision on my behalf?

Leave him here. You can go.

You said just now. I want to stay to accompany him.

You are already with him for a long time.

You will only see his death if you continue to stay with him.

I promised Master Mei that

I will protect Gong Zi completely and thoroughly

The promises that you have to keep are more than those you made to her.

Come, take him away.

Stop.

We want to capture them alive.

-I'll go chase them. -Wait.

I will go after them here. You will go after the people from the Guihua City.

Since they did not keep to the rules,

we don't have to behave like men of honor. When you have caught up with them,

- kill all of them. - I understand.

Your Majesty. The Grand Tutor is certainly being bold in mobilizing the Imperial Guards privately.

But taking this opportunity to destroy Prince Ning in one fell swoop

would mean that all future troubles would forever be eliminated, wouldn't it?

Prince Ning does not have any power to command the Army.

Those female killers under him specialize in assassinations. They are

unable to command the soldiers to rebel.

The Grand Tutor has become independent and dominant now.

As it is, I (lit My Lonesome Self) have few means of restricting him.

If Prince Ning is gone too,

isn't it giving him the opportunity to exploit further?

Your Majesty is wise.

In addition, based just on my hand written orders alone,

the Imperial Guards may not believe that girl.

If Prince Ning can be saved, it will of course be a great joy.

If he can't be saved,

that is the will of Heaven, and also a human disaster.

I (lit My Lonesome Self) will definitely punish the Grand Tutor for his crimes.

Why are all of you here?

We were guarding the Bi'an Chamber with our lives, but we were unsuccessful.

In the end, Chang An was engaged in a dialogue with the other side.

Gong Zi was used in exchange for our safety.

We have obtained the Emperor's hand written orders.

There is hope for the Guihua City. Come with me to the city.

Let's go.

Since you will not let up in your chase, let us settle our score once and for all.

You? You dare to come back?

You've got a lot of guts.

I have brought back the Emperor's hand written orders from the palace.

You are to recall the troops post haste. Withdraw from the Guihua City immediately.

Show me the written orders.

Just that one word?

Yes.

You're just writing any word on your hand

and passing that off as the Emperor's written order.

You've got guts.

Take them down.

- Commander sir. Can you answer these two questions of mine? - Speak.

Whose orders are you following to attack Guihua City?

By order of the Grand Tutor, which is also the Emperor's order.

Very well. Then where is your written order?

The Grand Tutor is executing the Emperor's order given orally.

We only have the Grand Tutor's secret message.

That means there is not even one word in writting.

In all fairness, who is the one engaging in a scare campaign (lit mislead the public with rumors)?

You enchantress. How dare you doubt the Emperor's order.

Emperor's order. The Emperor's order is on my hand.

It is written on my hand by the Emperor himself, a stroke by a stroke.

Who dares to act rashly and doubt the Emperor's order?

Come out now.

Do not forget whose Imperial Guards you are. To oppose the imperial degree and non-compliance is a crime

you can't afford to bear.

Why are you being so serious? Commander sir, think of it this way.

If the hand written order is a fake, the Guihua City will be unable to escape being punished for its crime too.

Prince Ning will also not get away with it. The Emperor will likewise mete out the punishment to him too.

And the Imperial Guards are just being misled.

It's just a case of oversight. But if the hand written order is real..

Should Prince Ning dies, all of you will have to be buried alive with him.

Your humble minister obeys the order to retreat.

I will take care of the situation here after. Go and look for Chang An and Gong Zi quickly.

Okay

The Guihua City is totally destroyed. Why do you still want to be so stubborn.

Everyone has something that he needs to do himself.

What I want to do now is to keep my promise.

Protect Gong Zi.

There no use talking so much. Come on.

Ruan Niang. Don't talk nonsense with him anymore. Leave it to me.

Wait a moment, Commander Li. Retreat ten steps with the troops.

Back off.

Back off!

All the archers

aim your arrows at Prince Ning. Take the mark from my hand signal.

The moment my hand moves, shoot at Prince Ning till he becomes a pile of arrows.

Can you do it?

We can.

You can let all the people of the Guihua City off.

Why can't you let him off too?

He sent someone to kill Lan Luo.

Cut off one of the Grand Tutor's arms.

The Grand Tutor wants him to pay for the life with a life.

Since you insist on killing him, then go ahead and kill me first.

Xie Huan

You are the owner of the Imperial Order Without Words.

The Royal Highness of the Great Tang. We have bled so much and given our death oath to pursue you.

You're now betraying me because of that one woman,

betraying who you are.

If a man does not have honor, he is unable to establish himself in life.

Whether I'm Chang An, Xie Huan, or whom you call Your Highness,

I must do what I've promised.

He must die today.

You are already poisoned by my dart. You can't bear it much longer.

Give it up. Between the two of us,

there is no need for us to be at the situation we are in today.

If I promise you that I'll leave, follow you and be Your Highness,

can you let him go?

Your original intention was to make use of the Grand Tutor's power.

I will kill Cha Luo for you.

Get the Imperial Order Without Words. Leave with you.

You don't need to answer to him anymore.

Okay. Leave Prince Ning here.

The Imperial Order Without Words and you in exchange for his life. You must do as you have promised.

It's a deal.

You have already lied to me once just now. This is for in the event of.

Commander Li, take Prince Ning away.

Yes. Men, come.

Retreat.

Chang An!

Wan Mei

You are a coward who ingratiate yourself to your enemy. I have misjudged you.

Wan Mei, it's not what you think.

I made a pact with Ruan Niang. As long as I complete a certain task, it will be used to exchange for Gong Zi.

I will prove it.

You can go, but leave him here.

Although the Guihua City has been hit, but its people must surely be around here now.

I bring him along with us just for our self-preservation.

Once I get the thing I want, I'll release him.

Who'd believe you?

This is the Emperor's hand written order. You are to recall your army post haste.

Withdraw from the Guihua City immediately.

Reporting.

The hand written order of the Emperor is real. The Emperor orders us to withdraw from the Guihua City immediately.

Yes.

The Imperial Order Without Words is really empty with a single word.

Who is that?

Chang An?

Why are you here?

Chang An has promised that he will take no account of life and death, and protect Gong Zi's safety.

I will prove it.

You're here.

Miss Yue Ying

Gong Zi, he . . . how's he doing?

He is resting. You have something for us.

I was just worried, so I came over to see how he's doing.

Since Gong Zi is fine,

then I'll just go back.

Yue Ying, is that Wan Mei?

-Yes. -Let her come in.

Yes

Gong Zi

How is the situation outside now?

Everything in the city is scattered few and far between. But with repairs and improvements, it will be able to recover.

Much thanks to you for obtaining the hand written order in time,

my life was kept, and I can see the morning sun rising in the eastern sky again, and the faint shadows of the bamboo.

It is Gong Zi who is a good man whom the Heaven will protect.

I have a question.

Will you answer it?

Gong Zi, please speak.

Last night, you risked going to the palace. Was it because of me

or because of Guihua City?

Before going forth, Wen Mei was really worried about Gong Zi's safety.

But after I came back,

seeing how the Guihua City was devastated, I begin to understand

actually Wan Mei has no other place to go to.

Although the are many things in the Guihua City that are unbearable,

it is still half my home.

Therefore, instead of saying I did it because of Gong Zi's safety,

or the survival of the Guihua City,

why not say that I did it for myself?

As long as Gong Zi is around, Guihua City will continue to exist.

I will be able to continue being alive in these troubled times.

Wan Mei also has a question.

Will you give me a reply?

Speak.

Did Chang An protect Gong Zi with due diligence last night?

During that time when I was unconscious.

The situation was unclear.

I only remembered that Chang An was beside me before I lost consciousness.

He was dutiful and conscientious.

But when I awoke, I was in the hands of the Imperial Guards. This is also the truth.

Why are you kneeling down?

Wan Mei asks for forgiveness on behalf of Chang An.

He promised before that he will protect Gong Zi's safety with his life.

But this morning, he gave Gong Zi into the hands of the Imperial Guards.

Since you insist on killing him,

then you have to kill me first.

Leave Prince Ning here with us.

The Imperial Order Without Words and you in exchange for his life. You must do as you have promised.

Gong Zi

Are you meaning to tell me that he betrayed me because he wanted to save his own life?

I'm not sure.

Although I witnessed this myself, I still have doubts in my heart.

Wan Mei is kneeling becuase she hopes that Gong Zi will not probe into it.

For the reason that you saved the Guihua City, I will not probe into this matter.

However, because you have doubts in your heart,

why don't you ask him personally once and for all? Wouldn't that be clearer?

Forget it.

It's your own choice.

I will not forcibly make you do it against your wish.

In any case, even if Chang An really betrayed me,

you do not need to put the blame on him.

After all, everyone wants to live, even if disgraced, instead of die (lit humble ant cling on to its life).

There is no promise made that is more important than keeping one's life.

Thank you, Gong Zi.

What is this?

The Imperial Order Without Words left behind by the Empress Wu.

Wordless Decree?

I always thought it was just a rumor.

A great part of the rumors in this world is real.

It's just that most people do not have a chance to authenticate them.

The methods used by the Princess Tai Ping were very extreme. Perhaps the Empress Wu was hesitant

whether she should pass the authority and power to command the whole world to her.

So she had this imperial order without words made, and sealed it in black iron.

The Princess is to look for signs from the Heaven.

Will the all-powerful and all-able Empress Wu also look to the Heaven for signs?

Princess Tai Ping is after all the daughter of the Empress Wu.

Sometimes, no matter how resolved a person is,

she can still be possibly controlled by emotions.

There will also be times when she is undecided.

Is it like the way Gong Zi is towards Wan Mei?

Has Cha Luo returned?

She just returned to the city.

Very well.

I have been to the Tingzhu Courtyard to plead for mercy on your behalf.

Sorry to have troubled you.

Do you want to know what Gong Zi said?

He said he doesn't hold you responsible.

He said that everyone wants to live, even if disgraced, instead of die (lit humble ant cling on to its life).

He also said that any promise made will not be more important than keeping one's life.

Do you have anything to explain?

None.

Okay.

The swaying of the swing gives me a headache everyday.

Please dismantle it. My heart will not be troubled when I don't see it.

And this tree..

I have my own grief that I'm unable to bring up.

Please believe me.

It's because I believe in you

that time after time

I allow myself to be coerced into a hopeless situation.

Until now, when I finally understand that

the problem between you and I

is because I gave all of myself to you,

but you have always concealed the truth from me,

and refused to hand yourself over to me.

Wan Mei

Truly .. my conscience is clear.

If truly your conscience is clear,

then why not dig out your heart

and let me have look at it.

As long as you're willing,

I'll do it.

You don't understand what I really want!

Chang An. I want to be with you in life and in death.

I want to fight in wars beside you.

I want to be the only one you see.

Do you understand?

You are really the only one in my eyes.

But there are things that are beyond my control that I have to do.

Right. So we can't be together ultimately.

No matter when it is, I choose to believe in you.

Believe in you without any reservations whatsoever

But you have never wanted to share your secrets with me.

Wan Mei

Do you know that what hurts me most is

the fact that of all the promises you made to me,

you have not even kept one of them.

Do you know that all these..

.. all these really made me so sad..

.. hurt me so much.

Forget it. Let's just end it here.

From this day on, I am your master.

What I say is my command and you must listen.

Do as I said. Destroy this swing and cut down that tree.

Do not let me say it a second time.

City Master. Wan Mei has returned with the Imerial Order.

The Imperial Guards have withdrawn.

That's good.

Let's go back.

Should we send someone to scout it out before we decide?

What do you mean?

By a fluke of luck, the power and prestige of Gong Zi and Wan Mei were increased when the Imperial Guards surrounded the city this time round.

I'm afraid that when we return, Gong Zi will probe into your crime of fleeing before the battle.

So what if he does probe?

Is my, Cha Luo's, foundation to be shaken so easily?

It's okay if the City Master wants to return now.

But if Gong Zi starts to probe,

I will say that I wanted to do it my way and coerced the City Master into leaving.

When that time comes, I hope that you will not refute it.

- But . . . - I'm your shadow.

The reason I live is to protect you.

City Master

-Liu Guang -You're back.

Right now, in the city . . .

Acting on the order of the City Master of Guihua City, Yue Ying

indicts the traitor Cha Luo of abandoning and escaping the city.

What a joke. There isn't a second master to this city.

I, the City Master Cha Luo, is here.

On which city master's order are you acting on?

When the Guihua City was in a crisis,

you abandoned the city and escaped.

How are you fit to be the city master? I advise you to accept the punishment to your crime without making any fuss.

Perhaps then will there be a chance for you to keep your life.

Just based on you, an incompetent Supreme Assassin?

Chance, Yue Ying will only give once.

Come if you dare!

Torture Chamber Master.

Here.

Torture Chamber Master. You are in charge of meting out criminal punishment in the Guihua City.

May I ask, if the City Master abandons and disregards the lives of all the people in that critical moment during a crisis,

and flees before the battle, what crime should she be charged with?

I did no such thing.

If not for the fact that I had gone and come back again,

how would it be possible for Wan Mei and Yue Ying to break the siege,

and obtained the Emperor's hand written order to withdraw the troops?

So it looks like the City Master is aware that you have indeed gone away and then returned again.

What Gong Zi said is correct. But this has nothing to do with the City Master.

When Xing Feng saw that the situation was not good then, I decided to act on my own

and forcibly took the City Master away.

But the City Master's heart is with the Guihua City.

She rebuked Xing Feng because of this, turned back immediately.

Oh, is that so?

So from what you're saying, this has nothing to do with your master.

It was my wrongdoing, mine alone.

Chamber Master, then what should your punishment be?

Punished with death for fleeing before the battle.

Don't push us too far ( lit bully intolerably).

Reporting to Gong Zi. Although the Torture Chamber Master has done wrong,

but he returned here with the City Master,

and assisted Yue Ying and Wan Mei to break the siege. This is also merit on his part.

His criminal deed should be offset by his merit. By this reason, he should be dealt with leniency.

Dealt with leniency.

Torture Chamber Master. How does one deal leniently with criminal wrong doing?

Flogged one hundred times publicly as a warning to the others (lit warn against following bad examples).

That is well. Looks like the Torture Chamber Master has every intention to reflect on your own shortcomings.

Tomorrow at noon time, we will meet at the Bi'an Chamber.

Wan Mei

You rendered meritorious service in protecting the city this time round. You will be in charge of meting out the flogging punishment.

At the same time, this is to let the others know that there is a difference between loyalty and treachery, the good and the evil will receive their due payment.

Xing Feng is my shadow. Only my whip can be used to touch his blood.

Miss Wan Mei. May I trouble you to do it.

Gong Zi. Xing Feng has already learnt his lesson. Please spare him ( lit let the rider go).

Gong Zi, Chamber Master is loyal to Guihua City.

Please spare him.

Let's go.

I'm fine.

Xing Feng is unable to adapt to current circumstances ( lit shows no understanding of the times), is arrogant and does not regard his master.

First he bullied and deceived his master, then he was arrogant and forgot his position. How is he to be pitied?

Subtitles and Timing brought to you by the Bloody Romantics @viki.com

♫ I've never acted with proud indulgence. ♫

♫ See how the fallen flowers look so ignorant. ♫

♫ Your words “I will wait” prompt the racing of my heart. ♫

♫ I will wait for the wind and rain to brew this fragrant wine into a gentle drift. ♫

♫ I've never inexplicably fallen into disgrace. ♫

♫ I sigh that time is an elegant swan goose in flight. ♫

♫ I will use my lifetime of pain and loneliness ♫

♫ to welcome the simultaneous ring from the zithers into the night. ♫

♫ Who worsens the ache in my heart? ♫

♫ My heart's warmth will make these autumn leaves concentrated. ♫

♫ When will you grow drunk in the autumn wind with me, ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫

♫ The zither music evokes feelings of desolation and cheerlessness. ♫

♫ Of a lifetime, the moon is always high, the dew is always heavy. ♫

♫ Alone, I foolishly sit among the blue ocean waters, ♫

♫ while the conifer plants grow in exuberance. ♫

♫ Who worsens the ache in my heart? ♫

♫ My heart's warmth will make these autumn leaves concentrated. ♫

♫ When will you grow drunk in the autumn wind with me, ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫

♫ Who worsens the ache in my heart? ♫

♫ My heart's warmth will make these autumn leaves concentrated. ♫

♫ When will you grow drunk in the autumn wind with me, ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫