Original subtitles

Sub by VIU & Ripped by skysoultan ♔ Follow @skysoultan on Instagram ♔

(The Long Ballad)

(This is a work of fiction.)

(Episode 1)

("The Long Ballad")

Li Chang Ge.

There's nowhere else for you to go.

Turn around right now.

Return with us to seek your punishment.

Chang'an is so lively.

It's a lot more fun than the grasslands.

What you see might not necessarily be true.

The prosperity before you...

might not last long.

How much is it?

Three coins, sir.

Get out of the way!

Move!

Watch out!

Are you blind?

Are you such bullies just because you're officials?

You're so bold.

Do you have a death wish?

Don't act rashly.

Come on.

Are all the people from Crown Prince's Manor...

such bullies?

I'm a military officer in Crown Prince's Manor.

Princess...

Your Highness, I...

I failed to recognize you.

Please spare my life.

Get lost right now.

Yes.

Come on.

Are you all right?

You've got some nerves.

How dare you hit someone from Crown Prince's Manor?

But the military officer was rude to you first.

I won't punish you this time.

Next time,

you won't be that lucky.

If that young man didn't show up,

I'd surely beat those military officers...

to a pulp!

Don't forget why we came to Chang'an.

Don't risk a serious matter because of trivial ones.

Yes.

(East Palace)

(A virtuous family accumulates events worth celebrating)

Mother.

Cheng Ge.

Mother.

Why did you lose so much hair?

Are you not feeling well lately?

I am fine.

I'm just getting old.

Everyone grows old.

My mother doesn't grow old.

My mother will never age.

She will never get sick.

She'll always be this way.

She's a fairy from heaven.

What a sweet talker.

Did you...

sneak out again today?

I did sneak out of the palace.

But don't worry, Mother.

I didn't cause any trouble.

Chang Ge.

I have something to tell you.

What is it, Mother?

Why are you so serious?

Chang Ge.

You usually create troubles.

I've never disciplined you.

But you have to promise me this time.

Stay in here tomorrow.

Don't go out no matter who asks you to.

Why?

I heard...

that envoys from the Ashina Tribe...

suddenly came uninvited.

They're now in Chang'an.

The people in the grasslands are coming?

Why are they coming to Chang'an?

Even though they call themselves envoys,

once they arrived, they requested...

to have a friendly Cuju match.

Everyone knows that it's just an excuse.

They want to compete with us in Cuju?

That will be a good show.

Chang Ge.

When your grandfather first rose in rebellion,

he made...

an inter-marriage agreement with the Ashina Tribe.

Even though it was just a contingency plan back then,

there's a war going on in Wu City right now.

And every woman in the palace...

is of marrying age.

I'm worried...

that they'll bring that up this time.

Mother.

That happened ages ago.

They might not even remember it themselves.

You're worrying too much.

Chang Ge.

You're still young.

It's better for you...

not to know certain things.

I'm not hoping for much.

I just want you to be safe and sound...

and live in Chang'an City...

in peace with nothing to worry about.

Madam, aren't you looking for His Highness?

His Highness has returned.

Mother, you're looking for Father?

Since His Highness just came back,

he should be busy.

I'll go to find him later.

Chang Ge.

Go back to your room and stay there.

Don't make your father...

unhappy again.

Mrs. San.

Hasn't Mother...

always been unwilling to see Father?

Why does she want to see him now?

It seems like Shi Min is really trying to ride roughshod over me.

Jian Cheng, we really can't tolerate him anymore.

We have to deal with him soon.

Let's talk in the study.

- Chang He. - Yes.

Have someone keep an eye on Hongyi Palace.

If Prince of Qin does anything,

report it to me immediately.

Yes, sir.

Jian Cheng, we can't wait anymore.

Shi Min...

Jin.

Why are you here?

Don't you like coming to my place?

Your Highness.

I heard...

that Ashina Tribe's envoys...

suddenly came to Chang'an.

Tomorrow, if they mention the inter-marriage with us...

Father agreed to it before.

How can I make a decision regarding that matter?

Don't worry...

about imperial court matters.

Yes.

These are snacks I made for you.

Is that the only reason why you came here?

I didn't come here...

for anything else.

Fine.

In that case,

don't come here much from now on.

Yes.

(Hongyi Palace)

Le Yan.

You're such a coward.

You still get scared until now.

If I'm not by your side,

what will you do?

Chang Ge.

You're getting worse.

Come on. I'll take you...

to see your ideal man.

Who says I have an ideal man?

I heard that Wei Shu Yu...

is playing Cuju today.

Don't you want to see him?

Shu Yu...

Why should I go to watch him?

Since Shu Yu...

saved you from the river a few years ago,

you always blush when you see him.

Le Yan.

Le Yan.

Are you all right?

Do you think I'm blind?

Right.

Here. This is for you.

It's so ugly.

What's this?

My hands got pricked...

in order to make that,

and you're even complaining that it's ugly.

- Forget it then. - It is ugly,

but I like it.

Let me see.

Where did you prick yourself?

I'm fine.

Let's go. Otherwise, the game will be over.

By the way, I have something for you.

I got this safety talisman...

from the temple.

One is for you.

The other one...

The other one...

is for Shu Yu.

You personally got it from the temple.

- Give it to him yourself. - I...

Here, put this on too.

What's that for?

In order to prevent others from recognizing you,

I have to protect you.

What about you?

I'm not afraid of anyone.

Come on.

Please. I'm begging you.

Please don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

I never betrayed Prince of Qin.

I never leaked any news.

Please.

Please don't kill me. Spare me.

Please don't kill me.

Don't kill me.

Please.

No, don't kill me.

I never betrayed Prince of Qin.

I never betrayed Prince of Qin.

Please spare my life.

Don't kill me!

No.

Come on.

Le Yan.

Hao Du is not a good person.

Stay away from him from now on.

Don't go near him.

I heard from Shu Yu before...

that he's very cold-hearted.

Let's not worry about this matter first.

Let's cheer for Shu Yu first.

Come on.

- Amazing! - Great!

- Amazing! - Great!

- Amazing! - Great!

Great!

Impressive!

Magnificent!

Great!

Come on.

- It's a big venue, isn't it? - Impressive!

- Great! - Amazing!

Outstanding!

Great!

Thank you.

Charge!

- Run! - What happened?

The safety talisman.

The safety talisman is gone.

I must have dropped it on the way here earlier.

Here. Give this to him.

No, that's for you.

We see each other every day.

You can go to the temple next time and get 100 of them for me.

Take it.

But aside from this time,

when will you be able to see him again?

- Great! - Great!

- My goodness. - Jeez.

Look.

- My goodness. - My goodness.

That's too bad.

Ashina Tribe's warriors...

- got 16 points. - Great!

Great.

Chang Ge.

The situation now...

doesn't seem favorable to us.

We can't lose this game.

If we lose, our soldier's morale...

will definitely be affected.

(Fourth Quarter)

Amazing!

Great!

Yes!

- Nice. - Wonderful.

Outstanding.

Tang, 14 points.

Ashina Tribe, 16 points.

- Nice! - Great!

Ya Luo!

Hang in there.

- Chang Ge. - He's hurt.

Slow down.

Crown Prince.

Don't underestimate...

this dagger.

This dagger can cut copper, iron,

gold, and jade.

It kills silently.

Do you want to try it yourself, Crown Prince?

You have a good sense of humor.

I think the Cuju game...

is like two armies facing each other.

They're competing in courage, strength,

and weapons.

I think that Tang's players...

are already on the decline.

The outcome has already been determined.

There's nothing to see anymore.

We don't know who will win yet.

You're speaking so arrogantly.

Aren't you afraid...

of being humiliated later?

It's the principle of karma.

You...

You...

My second brother...

has always been arrogant.

He speaks indiscreetly.

Envoy.

Please don't bother to argue with him.

This dagger is so sharp.

Why don't we make it a price...

to be awarded to the warriors?

I've long heard that Prince of Qin is sentimental and righteous.

After seeing him today,

he's just has a sharp tongue.

But Crown Prince, you see the big picture.

Emperor of Tang and Crown Prince...

are intending to fix things.

Back then, Emperor of Tang...

promised inter-marriage with the Ashina Tribe.

Why don't we take...

this opportunity to settle this matter?

What?

Which prince's daughter...

is that lady from?

Sir.

You're badly injured.

You need time to recuperate.

You can't do this, sir.

Today's game concerns Tang Dynasty's reputation.

How can I flee the battle?

In that case, I'm afraid...

that this won't heal properly and cause future problems.

Sir.

Physician, I've always been healthy and strong since I was little.

I'm fine.

Shu Yu.

Why are you here?

Does it hurt a lot?

Your Highness.

It's nothing serious. Don't worry.

Look, I'm all better now.

This is a safety talisman.

It's for you.

If I had given it to you sooner,

you wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Thank you.

Where's my Cuju uniform?

Yes.

How can we continue playing now?

Yes.

I didn't expect that someone else...

would dare to play and get defeated badly.

It doesn't matter who comes here,

kill him!

Don't mind them.

When that time comes, the two of you...

I just want...

to win.

- Yes! - Yes!

Echelon formation.

Interesting.

- Great! - Great!

Splendid!

- Amazing! - Spectacular!

- Nice kick! - That was amazing!

- Wonderful! - Magnificent!

- Marvelous! - Great!

- Nice! - Impressive!

Yes!

- Splendid! - Yes!

- Great! - Amazing!

- Wonderful! - Nice kick!

- Marvelous! - Great!

Amazing!

- Great! - Impressive!

- Spectacular! - Yes!

- Marvelous! - Great!

- Magnificent! - Wonderful!

Tang, 17 points.

Ashina Tribe, 17 points.

That's a nice outfit.

Yes, it took me a while to find it.

Don't be afraid.

- Great! - Yes!

- Amazing! - Great!

- Impressive! - Yes!

Nice!

We won!

- Wonderful! - Spectacular!

Splendid!

The game has ended.

Tang, 18 points.

Ashina Tribe, 17 points.

Tang wins!

- We won! - Yes!

We won!

He is...

Of course it's Chang Ge.

Except for her,

who else can trick...

those grassland people?

Your Highness.

As per Prince of Qin's order,

I should take you home right away.

How did Father find out?

Father...

I'm only following orders.

Le Yan, Prince of Qin must want you to go home due to important matters.

Go home first.

I'll inform Chang Ge.

I...

Don't be afraid. You're a princess.

- That was great. - Nice one. Impressive!

Since Tang won,

this dagger...

belongs to you.

Give this dagger...

to that boy later.

- Yes. - Great!

Good job.

Envoy, please wait.

You mentioned about fixing things earlier.

We need to discuss that further.

That lady on the stage just now...

is definitely a precious daughter...

of the imperial family.

Envoy.

Can you go to the East Palace...

so that we can discuss this matter further?

I didn't expect that you'd have such sincere intentions.

I'll oblige then.

- Not bad. - You too.

Great.

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Thank you for just now.

The Cuju balls are very heavy.

If it really hit that kid,

the consequences were unimaginable.

Don't act this way.

There's an old saying,

"It was a glorious defeat."

Don't you understand the Han language?

I do.

He's so petty.

The boy who won the game.

- Me? - Yes, come here.

- What's the matter? - Crown Prince has ordered.

Ashina Tribe is giving this precious dagger to...

You're still wearing a mask now.

This is highly improper.

Report your name.

Greetings, Prince Sun.

Why did you have the interest...

to personally play Cuju today?

I want to see what they can do.

What do you think?

If they were on the battlefield,

they would have all been wiped out.

However, that guy who joined later...

was quite clever.

I wonder who he is.

He's from the East Palace.

His rank should be above the eighth level.

You know everything indeed.

When I mentioned the inter-marriage today,

Li Jian Cheng fell for it indeed.

However, regarding this matter,

we must inform Great Khan beforehand.

There's no need.

Since they're so eager for reconciliation,

it seems like Tang's military power is lacking indeed.

Great Khan doesn't need to worry.

Originally, the envoy team...

will be leaving Chang'an tomorrow.

Should we change our itinerary?

No.

Leave the city as scheduled.

"Leave the city as scheduled"?

(In good times and in bad)

Uncle Shi Min.

That hurts, Uncle Shi Min. Let go.

Troublemaker.

You're still not contented about showing off today.

Why did you come here again?

Uncle Shi Min, I came today to give you a gift.

A gift?

Show it to me.

You just won this.

How can you bear to give it to me?

Since I was 7 or 8,

I've been riding horses and practicing the sword with you.

You taught me martial arts...

and military tactics.

That was why I was able to play today...

and win in Cuju.

I'll never be able to find a way to return the favor.

Since I won this dagger myself,

I must give it to you.

You're all grown up now.

Today, you drew parallels from inferences...

and applied military tactics in arranging the players' formation.

Good job.

It's a good dagger indeed.

It's all because of these clothes.

If it wasn't for these clothes,

I would have defeated you, Uncle Shi Min.

No.

That oversight just now...

was a bait.

You were too eager to win,

so you fell into the trap.

But you are stronger than me.

If I didn't take the opportunity to do a quick attack,

how would I win?

The stronger the attack, the weaker the defense.

If you're not as strong as others,

you can only conceal your strength and bide your time,

until you become strong...

and can attack instead of defending.

That would make me feel so aggrieved.

That's the price the weak have to pay.

Even if it's hard, you must endure it...

and work hard to become stronger.

It's rounded up.

Regardless if it's a person or a nation,

it's the same.

Chang Ge.

You must remember that.

All right. I'll remember that, Uncle Shi Min.

All right. Go home first.

I have other things to do.

All right. I'll visit you again another day.

Chang Ge.

Send my regards...

to your mother.

Sure.

(Du Ru Hui)

Your Highness.

Forgive me for being late.

In the past few days,

so many people have been following me.

Chang Ge.

Greetings, Father.

That kid on the court today...

was you, right?

I didn't mean to barge into the court.

But the situation was disadvantageous to us.

So...

I had to do it.

Sub by VIU & Ripped by skysoultan ♔ Follow @skysoultan on Instagram ♔

(The Long Ballad)