Original subtitles

♪Confessing to the moon in the rustling wind back then♪

♪Like a boat being swallowed up among the cities♪

♪Watching the flowers fall in unease, worries and troubles fill my mind♪

♪Am I going to where I want♪

♪To stay or to leave, you decide♪

♪Nations are different♪

♪One without desire is one that is not alive♪

♪Looking at the sky side by side♪

♪We've gotten closer with time♪

♪One glance, the city of Chang'an is bare♪

♪Among the ridiculous people and things is me♪

=Dream of Chang'An=

=Episode 22=

The Right Minister

is eccentric

and cunning.

His words are not to be trusted.

But, his words did make sense.

Due to the fact that he was an old friend of my grandfather,

that's why he was able to urge Han Yue to act.

That's why he was able to urge the descendants of the Zheng Family

to initiate the chain

of events.

Because of that fact,

he complied to Qiu Ziliang in public but opposed him in private.

It's because he has an ulterior motive.

If, he's really our ally,

what do you plan to do?

What do you plan to do with her?

Learning is a never-ending process.

I plan to keep her by my side.

I'll prove her wrong with facts.

And I hope that she can change her ways.

That's fine.

You may leave with her then.

No.

I need to stay here

in order to prevent the same thing

from happening again.

No need for that.

Without you,

I wouldn't be hurt in the first place.

It was my negligence.

I'm willing to receive punishment.

It's getting late.

I need to go to court now.

For today's morning court,

you don't need to follow me.

I suggest you give up.

I will never change my mind.

I suggest you to kill me right away.

If not, you'll face the consequences.

General Han was only able

to survive the Morning Dew Rebellion

because His Majesty had saved him.

What?

His Majesty was the one who saved him

from the mass grave when he was barely alive.

His Majesty assigned Han Ding to send General Han to Baizhang Temple.

If you don't believe me,

you can confront Han Ding yourself.

That's impossible.

Back then, he was the one

who had massacred the Han Family.

Qiu Ziliang was extremely influential.

Back then, His Majesty

was only

a prince with no power or influence.

He could only follow his order.

That means he's weak.

There's no need to come up with excuses like these.

When we encounter such disputes,

some people choose to die as a hero

while some people will endure hardships and humiliations to achieve their goal.

If, everything you said was true,

if His Majesty was someone who resorted to any means

to get his hands on the throne,

why would the current Qiu Ziliang

detest and reject him?

Why would he force him to step down from the throne then?

He...

He just thinks that he's capable enough to escape from his grasp.

Anyway,

I will never forgive Qi Yan.

I know.

It's impossible for me to eliminate your hatred for him

with just my words.

After all,

you're just picking on someone who's weaker than you.

What did you say?

His Majesty is weak and not influential.

He's much easier to kill compared with Qiu Ziliang.

And, you were planning to die.

You're just using His Majesty as your scapegoat.

You think that your dead family members

will be appeased

once you killed His Majesty.

Nonsense.

Enough.

Since it has come to this,

I don't wish

to argue with you anymore.

When I was treating your wound,

I realised

that you were injured

before you attempted to assassinate His Majesty.

What exactly is going on?

When the nest is overturned, no egg stays unbroken.

That beast, Wang Lin,

he sent his men to surround Almond Forest.

I...

Sir,

we've slain 32 soldiers of the Zhenwu Army

inside Almond Forest.

Besides that, we managed to capture her as well.

She's the servant of Han Yue.

Her name is Ziyuan.

You guys may leave.

Yes, sir.

When that darned eunuch wasn't paying attention,

I stole his keys and escaped from him.

Just wait and see.

For the humiliations that I've suffered,

I will pay them back to you guys

tenfold.

Wang Lin was the one who had humiliated you.

But, you're actually

blaming His Majesty for this?

You're Qi Yan's lackey indeed.

I told you before.

I will prove you wrong.

Uncle,

regarding the favour I've asked of you,

please complete it as soon as possible.

Your Majesty,

were you referring to Yu'er?

Yes.

After Aunt Ninghe's death,

I'm afraid the situation in Lucong will change.

Please bring her away.

If all of us are leaving,

what about you?

This concerns my survival in the first place.

I

will stay here until the very last moment.

Lady Li.

Are you heading to your post?

Yes.

My father

went to find His Majesty today.

Do you know what they talked about?

Lady Li, please get straight to the point.

So, His Majesty's women

are actually facing off against each other.

Go and investigate

what exactly happened

between them.

All right.

They plan to send someone to Lucong

in order to meet up with the person left by Ninghe

and exchange information

so that they can acquire intel regarding Lucong's current military situation.

To find a suitable candidate,

firstly,

the person must be dependable.

Secondly,

the person must be skilled in martial arts

so that he or she may avoid Qiu Ziliang's assassination attempt.

Thirdly,

the person must be fearless of death.

You understand what I mean, right?

I'm sure you know who the person is.

Lady Li, thank you for pointing it out.

My lady,

is she Cheng Ruoyu?

I heard that Grand Empress Dowager

gave her the Peach Blossom Jade Bangle yesterday.

The peach trees are in full blossom.

Look at her.

Do you think she deserves such fortune?

Of course not.

Only our lady

is worthy enough to be His Majesty's woman.

Is that person the goddaughter of Duke Chu?

Yes, my lady.

His Majesty, Chen Yintai

couldn't wait for you to assign his post to him any longer.

Now,

he's trying to win the hearts of every faction.

The power that Shi Quanzhong

had left for Princess Ninghe

has lost its pillar of stability.

Some had already joined

Chen Yintai's faction.

Since we can use these people to our advantage,

I'm sure Qiu Ziliang can do the same.

I'm sure

they've come up with a plan.

That's why

they killed Princess Ninghe to vent out their frustration.

The killer

is ruthless and cunning indeed.

Back then, when I sent Princess Lucong

to Lucong for her marriage,

I once saw Chen Yintai before.

Although he's ugly,

I heard that he's a decisive man.

He's good at training soldiers as well.

Even if the princess were still alive,

our men in Lucong

might still not be able to control the situation.

So, this time,

we need to choose

the best candidate we have before sending them to Lucong.

Besides

contacting the Zhi Quanzhong's loyal retainers,

the most important thing is for us

to understand the situation in Lucong

and control the situation

so that Chen Yintai doesn't dare to act rashly.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty,

I'm willing to be your candidate.

Your Majesty, I hope I can share your burden.

Please send me to Lucong.

I've selected another candidate for this matter.

Your Majesty, whom do you plan to send?

You don't need to know.

Official Li,

have you selected a suitable candidate?

This...

If you don't have a suitable candidate,

what do you think about me?

Leave.

Official Li,

I hope you can persuade His Majesty

to send me there.

I will never allow it.

The candidate we will send to Lucong

will be decided by His Majesty.

Your Majesty, I will resume with my work.

Get up.

I have another arrangement for you.

Uncle will be heading back to his hermitage.

I'm worried for his safety.

You can let Madam Jade accompany him.

Uncle said he wanted you to accompany him.

The situation in Lucong is undetermined.

It's very dangerous.

And, Qiu Ziliang

is waiting for a chance to attack us.

I'm not afraid.

I know what to do.

Yu'er,

I know what to do as well.

Let me help you.

You're really loyal

to that darned emperor.

You want to head to Lucong personally?

You will follow me.

What did you say?

I told you to follow me to Lucong.

Why are you here?

I heard that Grand Empress Dowager

has rewarded you with the Peach Blossom Jade Bangle.

I'm here to take a look.

I've returned it to Grand Empress Dowager.

You became smarter.

You're right.

It's better for you to return it sooner

when it doesn't suit you.

It doesn't suit me?

Do you think it suits you then?

You mustn't forget this.

His Majesty has rejected you

time and time again.

What?

Are you jealous?

Wretched servant.

You're still keeping her alive?

Useless wretch who had betrayed your master,

I'll kill you with my own hands!

I think you should kill her.

She has deep hatred for us.

She's a recipe for disaster.

I'm different from you.

I don't kill people.

You don't kill people?

Tell me.

Why are you here

today?

I heard that you're heading to Lucong.

There are plenty of spies within the palace.

Do you think

you can keep this a secret

and head to Lucong without facing any trouble?

That's why

I've come up

with a solution.

Seems like

we're thinking of the same thing.

Stop the carriage.

Newcomer,

don't you even recognise the Chess Bearer?

Chess Bearer, you're welcome to exit the palace.

How do you plan to investigate Chen Yintai

once

you've reached Lucong?

I'll act accordingly.

What if they have a tight security

and you have no chance to do so?

That won't be the case.

Chen Yintai

always wanted His Majesty to assign him the post.

I'm sure he doesn't dare to neglect me

when I come from Heng'an City.

Why don't you give me some tips?

Why should I do so?

You should do so

in order to help out your future husband.

We're safe now.

You can get off the carriage

with your crazy lackey.

Don't do this.

Why don't you send me out of the city?

By the way,

you should prepare a great horse for me.

That way,

the people of the Chess of Generals Camp

won't chase after me.

Why don't you

tell me

to send you to Lucong directly?

That won't do.

If you send me out,

Qiu Ziliang will chase after me.

I won't be able to go out by then.

Farewell.

You're helping her to get to Lucong.

If Eunuch Qiu finds out...

I'm the hostage right now.

I didn't expect...

You didn't expect what?

I didn't expect you

to buy the people's hearts

before you become the empress.

You mean I tried to bribe Cheng Ruoyu?

You covered up for her and you even gave her a horse.

Isn't it obvious that you're trying to buy her heart?

What?

Are you trying to establish

your influence within the harem right now?

That's why

you must cover up for me.

Father,

Cheng Ruoyu used me as a hostage

and left the palace when I wasn't paying attention.

She even stole my horse.

If it weren't for the Left Advisor,

I would've been...

Ruoyu is bullying me because I don't know any martial arts.

She has humiliated me.

Please lend me 100 soldiers from your Shencai Army.

I must pursue her.

You should rest up for now.

Regarding that matter,

I will send someone else

to do the job.

Yes, Father.

When I was barely conscious,

I think I heard Cheng Ruoyu saying

to Ziyuan

that she was heading to Zhaoyi.

Isn't she heading to Lucong?

What can she do by herself

even if she was heading to Lucong?

She's heading to Zhaoyi.

She's going to see the nephew of Liu Congjian,

Liu Zhi.

She's right.

After our men had arrived at Zhaoyi,

we found out that Liu Congjian was dead

after our investigation.

And his nephew, Liu Zhi,

didn't announce the news in public.

He only sent His Majesty a secret letter,

requesting for the post of military commissioner.

I've ordered Gao Ping

to steal the secret letter.

So, how many local officials

are doing the same thing?

Father, please don't be angry.

Since

Liu Zhi doesn't appreciate

our kindness, just like his uncle,

we should kill him.

Right Advisor.

Yes, my lord.

Did you hear that?

Settle this quickly.

By the way,

capture Cheng Ruoyu

for me as well.

Yes, my lord.

Left Advisor,

do you know your mistake?

Yes, my lord.

You knew that the Chess Bearer doesn't know any martial arts.

You should've stayed beside her at all times.

Go out and receive your 10 lashes.

Yes, my lord.

Throughout our journey,

we saw ruined cities

and how the people are suffering.

The prefectures are in chaos,

and the foreign tribes are waiting for their chance to invade our nation.

So,

who should be blamed for this?

Didn't all of this happen

because of that useless emperor?

For the past 40 years, the Xing empire

had 6 emperors.

Even the emperor's throne isn't stable.

How could the people live in peace?

Only a long rule

can establish a peaceful society.

His Majesty has such a majestic ambition.

But,

why can't we

give him a chance to atone for his mistake?

Ziyuan,

you and I are clear

that the eunuch's faction is responsible for the chaos.

Only by getting rid of them

will we be able to prevent a tragedy like the Morning Dew Rebellion

from happening again.

General Han didn't understand that fact.

I hope you can reconsider your view

and understand the situation.

You must be the one the imperial court had sent here

to assign me the post.

That's right.

I'm here under His Majesty's order.

You've murdered the military commissioner, Shi Quanzong.

Now, the army of Lucong is in chaos.

The foreign tribes are waiting for their chance to invade our nation.

The people are suffering.

Today,

I'm here to get an explanation from you.

You want an explanation?

Ninghe is dead.

I've slain

Zhi Quanzhong's trusted followers as well.

Now, Lucong

is under my control completely.

Instead of waiting for the imperial court to give me a position,

I would rather establish my own nation.

What do you think?

Yu'er!

Yu'er!

Your Majesty.

Han Ding,

where is Yu'er currently at?

We received news from her six hours ago.

She has reached the border of Lucong.

So,

have she met Chen Yintai?

Your Majesty, don't worry.

Our men are protecting her

in secret.

What's the news?

Cheng Ruoyu has arrived at Lucong.

What about Qiu Ziliang?

Liu Zhi has a large number of soldiers on his hand.

The Shencai Army general who Eunuch Qiu had sent

was slain by him immediately.

The soldiers who were sent there in secret

were slain when they entered the Liu Residence.

Great.

I'm sure Qiu Ziliang will be enraged.

The more he's enraged with Liu Zhi's action,

the less attention he'll be able to pay

to the other areas.

So,

this trick of yours

is effective indeed.

Over here.

Stop right there.

Who are you guys?

I'm the Sword Bearer of the Violet Bureau,

Upper Rank Five female official, Cheng Ruoyu.

She's my attendant, Ziyuan.

We're here under His Majesty's order.

Please wait a moment.

Please remove your weapon.

What?

Look at the amount of people you have.

Don't tell me you're afraid of two girls?

Since ancient times,

only the emperor's subordinates need to remove their weapon

when they see the emperor.

Both of us are here under His Majesty's order.

We haven't even blamed you guys

for not greeting us although we're here under His Majesty's order.

Since you're here under His Majesty's order,

Naturally, I,

Chen Yintai,

must greet you, my lady.

But,

When a general is outside from the palace,

they may choose not to embrace a military order.

When you enter my tent,

you need to follow my rules.

Both of you,

please suit the convenience of the host.

Please.

- Come, let's drink. - Please.

- Bottoms up. - Bottoms up.

My ladies, please.

My lady,

regarding the day I receive my post,

have the imperial court set a date for it?

Our general

might not be able to wait any longer.

I'm unclear regarding the date

His Majesty will assign you the post.

But, both of us are here

to investigate

the death of Shi Quanzhong, the late military commissioner.

What did you say?

My lady,

the man is dead.

We should just forget about it.

I don't know

what else you two want to investigate.

Shi Quanzhong

was assigned the post of military commissioner

by the late emperor.

He died all of a sudden.

We at least need to give the soldiers

a proper explanation regarding his death.

My ladies,

I'm sure you two are exhausted.

Someone.

Yes, sir.

Bring them to their tent.

Yes, sir.

My ladies, please.

This is your tent.

My ladies, please rest early.

Why did you say

that we're here

to investigate Shi Quanzhong's death?

Aren't you afraid that...

Lucong is a huge place.

There are over 1,000 men

inside the military camp.

How are we going

to contact the person whom Princess Ninghe

had left behind?

Don't tell me you want us to ask them one by one?

If so, why don't we

just tell them

about our identities and stand first?

That way, the person we need to contact

will find us naturally.

Aren't you afraid

that Chen Yintai will kill us?

What? Are you afraid?

Of course I'm not.

Don't worry.

Chen Yintai doesn't dare to kill me,

just like how I don't dare to kill him.

Rest early.

Maybe we'll receive news by tonight.

My lady, please show mercy.

I'm not here to harm you.

You better tell me who you are.

If not, I'll summon the guards.

Don't shout.

It won't be beneficial to both of us

if Chen Yintai's men were to come.

Who wrote this letter?

Are you a subordinate of Princess Qinghe?

The names listed in the letter

are loyal followers of General Shi.

Most of them

aren't willing to support Chen Yintai.

The relay stations

10 li west from the camp

are waiting for your orders, my lady.

My ladies,

our general is requesting for your presence.

Two of you, follow me.

Who are you?

I'm Zuo Qianwei,

the secret bodyguard of Official Huang.

I've been assigned to stay here and relay information.

My lady, I'm here to protect you under his order.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

What should we do next?

Should we head to the relay stations?

Ziyuan,

bring him

to the relay stations

and meet up with Princess Ninghe's men.

Tell them not to act.

His Majesty has a way to deal with this.

What about you?

Someone assaulted the camp.

I must get to the bottom of this.

I'll meet up with you later.

Take care.

Is General Chen dead?

I saw his body for myself.

Official Zhang Jiang was the one who killed him.

With one swing,

his head rolled to the floor.

General Chen's reign

was short-lived.

My men from Lucong had reported back to me.

Three days ago,

Chen Yintai

had met up with His Majesty's envoy.

And I

knew nothing about it.

But Grandfather,

Qi Yan didn't send anyone to meet him.

Who said so?

He sent Cheng Ruoyu!

It's my fault.

I fell

for her trick.

You.

You told me

that she went to Zhaoyi.

And you,

you said Liu Congjian stationed his troops at Zhaoyi

and he was up to no good.

And you!

You said there was nothing to report about

during your surveillance.

I only received news regarding

the incident in Lucong after three days!

Ever since Han Yue murdered the Two Chariots,

Lucong

turned into a mess.

It's time for us to rectify our mistake.

It was my negligence.

I wasn't able to atone for my mistake in time.

Right Minister,

keep an eye on them in secret.

Wang Lin!

Yes, my lord.

Send troops to guard the city's gate.

If you see Cheng Ruoyu,

kill her immediately.

Yes, Grandfather.

All of you, get up.

Father,

these are the court officials who Li Deyun had visited

for the past period.

Have some water.

If you followed

Qiu Yanzhi's instruction

and killed Chen Yintai from the start,

we didn't need to go through all this trouble.

How could I do so?

Chen Yintai

was murdered by Zhang Jiang, General of the Standard.

That means the Lucong army wasn't satisfied with his command.

After his death,

I guess the others he had colluded with

will stop acting for now.

We need to hurry back.

We need to report this to them.

I almost forgot.

You're in a hurry to return

in order to claim credits from your darned emperor.

Do you really think

that the situation will be better

if Prince Guang ascended the throne?

At least Prince Guang is a good guy.

His Majesty isn't a villain.

The darned emperor acknowledged a eunuch as his father.

He had to bow down to him and lick his boots.

Prince Guang hasn't

licked Qiu Ziliang's boots at all.

But, he's living in seclusion.

He's escaping from the mess.

Not only did His Majesty not escape from this mess,

he's bearing every sin

and humiliation by himself.

After his ascension,

he was determined

to get rid of the eunuch's faction.

That's why Qiu Ziliang

tried to assassinate him

time and time again.

If you were right about the situation,

why didn't he follow his every command?

Damn it.

We would've arrived

three days earlier

if we didn't need to avoid the spy from the Generals of Chess Camp.

Today will be the end of our two-month deadline.

Will we be able to make it?

The gate has a tight security.

Entering the city will be an arduous task.

What should we do then?

The morning court has started.

Let's go.

Your Majesty,

the two-month deadline is up.

Official Li Deyun,

so, what should we do

about the incident in Lucong?

During the rebellion of Heshuo,

in order to settle the dispute,

we sent envoys to deliver the imperial edict.

But, by doing so,

we'll be implicated instead.

The current situation in Lucong

is still undetermined.

Even if Chen Yintai is requesting for a post,

we should

ignore him

and observe as the situation unfolds.

Observe as the situation unfolds?

Official Li Deyun,

you were given two months

to settle this dispute.

In the end, you're telling us to ignore the matter

and observe as the situation unfolds?

Is that all from you?

Your Majesty,

Official Li swore he would receive military punishment if he failed.

He said he would settle the dispute in Lucong

within two months.

But now,

time is up.

Your Majesty, please pursue responsibility.

Your Majesty, please pursue responsibility.

Your Majesty,

Official Li's plan is a long-term plan.

Although the situation in Lucong is still undetermined,

I assume Chen Yintai

has no countermeasures to it.

Lucong is quite far away.

I'm sure we'll receive news

after a few more days.

No.

He was given two months.

Now, the deadline is up.

We need to pursue responsibility immediately.

So what if we receive news

after a few days?

Isn't it disgraceful for him

not to keep his promise?

This is?

This is the secret path to the Chess of Generals Camp.

Are you out of your mind?

Don't tell me you want to let them arrest you?

We'll only be able to avoid

being spied on by Qiu Ziliang's men if we use this path.

Let's hurry.

Fine, we can use this path.

But, have you thought of a way

to escape from the Chess of Generals Camp?

Qiu Yanzhi.

We can ask Qiu Yanzhi to help us.

You do trust her.

We're out of time.

I don't have time to worry about this.

We need to make this bet.

Let's go.

(Yu'er,)

(even now, you haven't returned.)

(Did something happen to you?)

Come.

Let's go.

Who are you?

I'll stall them. Just go.

Your Majesty,

a promise is a promise.

Your Majesty, please issue an imperial edict

and strip Li Deyun of his post.

Your Majesty, please issue an imperial edict!

All of you may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

The chaos within the prefectures

is still ongoing.

Although it's the fault of my subject,

it's my responsibility as well.

I'm willing to issue an imperial edict to take the blame

on behalf of Official Li.

No.

Your Majesty, if you do this,

in the future, you'll be able

to take the blame for your incompetent subjects.

The law would be useless by then.

The law?

I'm the one who makes the law.

I am

the law.

♪Life is a dream, how long do happy times last♪

♪In the windy rain, where will my heart settle?♪

♪The sword can't break this karma♪

♪Look how blurry and lonely the world is♪

♪Fate can't do anything about the bleak bonds of this world♪

♪Still can't let go of this life as time goes by♪

♪Even the iron and golden dagger-axe cannot extinguish the fire in my heart♪

♪Remembering the past and letting time while away♪

♪The past is in front of you♪

♪Forgetting while piecing it together♪

♪Like when I sincerely put my hands together♪

♪I only wish that you can be saved♪

♪The past is in front of you♪

♪Forgetting while piecing it together♪

♪Like when I sincerely put my hands together♪

♪I only wish that you can be saved♪

♪I only wish that you can be saved♪