Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Unchained Love]

[Episode 20]

Something's not right.

It's definitely not right.

Let me change my angle.

I'm not talking about that.

Tongyun.

Go find out for me.

Why do you want me to go?

Aren't you close to Cao Chun'ang?

Besides, you're beautiful, intelligent,

and courageous.

Who else can do this?

Fine. Wait for me.

Tongyun.

No.

What do you want?

Tell me.

What’s wrong with Chief Xiao?

What medicine is he taking?

Chief Xiao-

A tonic for the spleen and stomach.

Look at me.

Answer my question.

If he doesn’t take the medicine,

will the consequences be serious?

He might die?

Then why isn't he taking the medicine?

Is it really because of my mistress?

Oh no. This is bad.

Cao Chun'ang!

You mean

Chief Xiao is terminally ill,

and doesn’t have much time to live?

He doesn't want me to worry,

so he's keeping it from me?

Yes.

I- I went through so much trouble

to make him mine.

Why is he dying?

No.

I have to ask him.

Where are you going, Mistress?

Wait.

If I ask him like this,

he won't admit it.

We have to find a way

to steal the medicine.

Wait.

Is this it?

How did you do it?

I...

I'm beautiful and intelligent.

I took it from Cao Chun'ang

while talking to him

just now.

To think he's the Chief of the Zhaoding Bureau's

right hand man.

He's no match for me.

Tongyun,

you are really a treasure.

This medicine is yours?

Why are you taking this

at such a young age?

Is it that serious?

Then...

How long more can we live?

Well, it doesn't have an effect

on longevity.

Sir, can you not sigh

while you're talking?

I just want to know

what this medicine does.

Aren't you taking the medicine?

Don't you know?

I just want to confirm

whether it's doing

what I want it to do.

You two are young.

You'd better kick this habit

as soon as possible.

This medicine suppresses

beard growth.

It softens a man's appearance.

Look at you two.

It's made you look like girls.

[Hall of Prosperity and Harmony]

Eunuchs can grow beards?

Tongyun,

don't you think that

Chief Xiao seems to

have something

Cao Chun'ang doesn't?

What?

I don't know.

I just think

he's a little different

from other eunuchs.

Godfather,

Qilang is back.

He said that the Shu army

has moved the metalworkers.

Godfather,

[Mengyun Pavilion]

I've failed you.

It’s not your fault.

Yuwen Liangshi is quite bold.

He actually dared deploy troops without permission.

He is clearly

treating the Shu Army as his personal property.

Since he is so reckless,

we don't have to play nice anymore.

The General of the Shu Army,

Zhao Lanzhou, will be our way in.

You want to assassinate Zhao Lanzhou?

I won't dirty my own hands

with this kind of rotten character.

Let them fight among themselves.

Isn't that cleaner?

Fight among themselves?

Zhao Lanzhou obeys the Prince of Nanyuan.

How can we make them fight each other?

[Mengyun Pavilion]

Yuwen Liangshi inherited his position

on the basis of his birth.

I've heard Zhao Lanzhou

is rather unhappy about it.

Qilang.

Send a message

to Zhao Lanzhou.

Tell them that Young Master Liancheng

couldn't bear the torture

and confessed that

he was behind the poisoning.

Got it.

Cao Chun'ang.

Go visit the Prince of Nanyuan for me.

Yes.

Visit?

Your Highness.

The Zhaoding Guards

have been watching us closely.

This isn't a good time

for you to meet with General Zhao.

Hiding won't solve the problem either.

Since we failed to kill Xiao Duo,

it has backfired on us.

I need to

discuss this with Zhao Lanzhou.

[Prince of Nanyuan's Residence]

There's no need to announce.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Eunuch Cao.

You-

His Highness has been a great host

to the Zhaoding Bureau.

The Chief has asked me to prepare gifts

to thank you for your kindness.

Send them in.

You-

Your Highness.

Chief Xiao

is always saying that

he wishes

he could have met you earlier.

It's just that

he has been busy with official affairs lately.

If not, he would definitely dispense with the formalities

to drink with you all through the night.

But don't worry about it.

Be patient.

When the Chief has settled his affairs,

he’ll be here.

He's looking forward to this.

Go on with the music! Go on with the dancing!

Put that thing over there.

Do it properly.

Your Highness.

General Zhao...

What General Zhao?

Don't you see that Xiao Duo has sent his men here

to surveil us?

We can't contact

Zhao Lanzhou.

[Mingding Tower]

What is His Highness up to?

He asked me to meet him

a few days ago.

I've been here for days,

but he hasn't showed up.

[General of the Shu Army, Zhao Lanzhou]

General, I heard that

men from the Zhaoding Bureau are at the Prince's residence.

They're making merry and drinking every night.

Why is His Highness

consorting with the eunuchs?

Didn't he say that they are troublesome,

and wanted to get rid of them?

What is he up to?

I also found out that

Young Master Liancheng of Mingding Tower confessed

you were the mastermind

behind Xiao Duo's assassination.

Bastard!

Nonsense!

Well, that entertainer

works for Yuwen Liangshi. What?

That's not right.

Yuwen Liangshi failed to kill Xiao Duo,

and now he wants to deny his involvement in the matter.

He's trying to win Xiao Duo over,

and put the blame on me.

Here are the dishes.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

General, Mingding Tower

is Yuwen Liangshi's territory.

Who would dare carry out an assassination here?

Isn't he trying to silence me?

Yuwen Liangshi,

you betrayed me first.

Don't blame me for what I'm about to do.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Aren't you drunk?

Where are you going?

To the toilet.

It's been so long.

Xiao Duo still hasn’t shown up.

Do all of you from the Zhaoding Bureau

plan on treating my residence

like your own home?

You're not planning on leaving?

I have to sneak out of my house

as if I were a thief!

Okay.

I'm leaving!

Yuwen, you bastard!

I'm going to kill you!

Zhao Lanzhou.

You deployed the garrison without permission.

Are you crazy?

You're merely a young master who doesn't know the ways of the army.

You get to order me around,

only because you were born into the right family.

I've worked for you for so many years.

Now, you want my life.

I won't let you off!

Idiot!

You fell into their trap!

Don't move!

Don't move!

[Blessings and Prosperity]

[Order]

No wonder you didn't show up.

Turns out it was a set up.

Zhao Lanzhou deployed the garrison in secret,

and attempted to assassinate a nobleman.

Escort him to the capital for interrogation.

Now that I have come to this,

I will drag you down with me.

Xiao Duo,

the one who poisoned you

is him.

He was afraid you would find out

he traded salt

to fund the illicit purchase of weapons for the Shu Army.

Zhao Lanzhou.

General Zhao.

You can't say that.

Do you have any evidence?

I did all these

on his behalf.

I kept the military supply ledgers

as evidence.

There are also a few

iron workers who can stand witness.

They are all at my residence.

Go to General Zhao's residence to search for the witnesses.

Yes.

Your Highness, you're planning a rebellion.

That is a capital offense.

Effective immediately,

I will take over command of the Shu Army, on behalf of the court.

I'm sorry, Your Highness.

You will have to be placed under house arrest,

while waiting for the capital's sentencing.

Take him away.

Go.

Go.

Go.

[Blessings and Prosperity]

Godfather.

We have all the witnesses and evidence.

Qilang is awaiting your instruction.

Do you know

the direction of the wind tonight?

It's the southwest wind,

blowing in the direction of the capital.

That day, Duo died in the capital.

That day, I died too.

The only one left

was a half-false Xiao Duo.

Tonight,

I have avenged them.

Chief Xiao.

Well played.

You've finally succeeded.

Are you here to

humiliate me on purpose?

Your Highness, you are deeply in debt to me.

We'll have to settle them all, slowly.

I took away your military power

because you touched my people

and offended me.

Now, I'm here

regarding the other debt you owe me.

On the seventh day of the sixth lunar month, six years ago,

Your Highness killed a young man

in Ruyi Alley in the capital.

Do you remember?

Do you think

my crimes are not serious enough?

Is that why you're pinning this

spurious crime on me as well?

Your Highness, you're rich and powerful.

It's much too easy for you to take a life.

Of course you can't remember this.

Do you remember now?

What is this?

Chief Xiao,

do you really think this belongs to me?

There are clearly

traces of perfume on this silk pendant.

It must have been tied to a perfume sachet.

If I come into contact with perfume,

rashes will grow all over my body.

We do not burn incense in my residence,

and neither do we carry perfume sachets.

It can't possibly be mine.

Do you think I'll believe you?

This is a secret of our residence.

Outsiders do not know of it.

Chief Xiao, if you don’t believe me,

you can ask the old servants.

They'll tell you.

They all know it.

Six years ago, you went to the capital

to meet with the late Emperor.

You were in the capital.

The night he was murdered,

yours was the only carriage

to enter Ruyi Alley.

I remember now.

When I went to the capital six years ago,

I did go to Ruyi Alley for tea.

But at that time,

I was very tired.

Every day before dusk,

I would return to the stage station.

I didn't go out at night.

The stage stations keep records of comings and goings.

Impossible.

That night, I saw the emblem on the carriage

with my own eyes.

It was your carriage.

Xiao Duo.

Murong Gaogong gave the order

to kill me.

If you do this privately,

you'll be in contempt of his authority.

You won't meet a good end!

Whether you were the murderer or not,

you sold salt and forged weapons.

Your crimes

are unforgivable.

Wait patiently for the imperial edict.

You'll be executed then.

[Mengyun Pavilion]

♫ In the late autumn, the swifts wane in secret ♫

♫ Lingering among the flowers and turning sallow ♫

♫ Are you also ♫

♫ Wallowing in sorrow ♫

♫ The moon crescents ♫

♫ The twists and turns of my previous life ♫

♫ I can't let go ♫

♫ The push and pull of this life ♫

You're not...

I told you I am an imposter.

♫ Shouldn't have began ♫

I said my brother was a eunuch,

I didn't say I am one too.

♫ Why am I ♫

♫ Tired of the moonlight ♫

♫ I take sunset ♫

♫ As a kind of crime ♫

♫ I'm still awake, I'm still pretending ♫

[Four Seasons]

♫ This song of moonlight ♫

♫ Will be harmonized ♫

♫ The candle is out ♫

Zhuoying,

♫ How can I cover my tears ♫

I want to marry you.

♫ It's my fault for being too harsh ♫

But I know our future

will not be an easy one.

I'm afraid I'll put you in danger.

When will you come back?

With you waiting for me at home,

I'll come back as soon as I can.

The Prince of Nanyuan has been captured,

why isn't he back yet?

What's wrong?

What are you looking at?

What's there to see?

Have you swept the floor?

Have you cleaned the table?

Have you washed the dishes?

Don't you have better things to do?

Get back to work.

Come with me.

The silk pendant doesn't belong to the Prince of Nanyuan?

The time of the murder doesn't match either.

Does that mean...

He's not the murderer?

It's been six years.

I've tried my best,

living life like I'm walking on thin ice,

not relaxing even for e single day.

Just as I thought I could finally

avenge Duo,

and that everything would be over...

I didn't expect

I was wrong from the beginning.

Duo entered the palace because of me.

It was very cold that winter.

He was in poor health,

so I let him rest

while I went to search high and low for a job.

I was too hungry,

so I stole a bun

from a store

and was chased for over a kilometer.

When I got back,

Duo was already gone.

I didn't hear from him

for a month.

I went out to ask around every day.

But no matter what I did,

I couldn't find him.

One day, he came back suddenly,

and gave me half a tael.

He asked me to keep it well.

He was tricked into entering the palace,

and was castrated.

I beat him up.

Crying as I did...

He was crying too.

I asked him

why he went with someone so casually.

He said

that person promised him money.

All he thought was

he could bring me

a roast chicken when he came back.

I often think,

if I hadn't

stolen that bun back then,

would Duo not have entered the palace?

Would he not have died?

This...

This isn't your fault.

This is my fault.

I hate myself.

I hate that when he was

tricked into entering the palace,

I wasn't with him.

When he got attacked,

I wasn't with him either.

Until today,

I don't even know who was the person

who killed him.

I did him wrong.

Look at these flowers.

Aren't they beautiful?

Unfortunately, the blooming season is too short.

Can you think of a way

to make it remain in bloom

forever?

You can't do it, right?

I told you long ago,

there are many things

that people wish for

but can't get.

You're just a mortal,

not a Buddha.

If everything

were under your control,

that's just arrogance.

Flowers bloom and wither.

Spring goes and will come again.

This is how nature works.

The flowers will bloom again too.

The truth you want

will come to light one day.

Don't always make things difficult for yourself.

My heart aches.

If you really

can't forgive yourself for it,

then at least share the burden with me.

We can get through this together.

No matter when it is,

or what happens,

I will always be by your side.

Let's get married.

How could you say

something so important so casually?

You're unwilling?

Let's do it today then.

Let's get married now.

Everything is as per normal. Nothing happened.

You may leave.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

We're already in Jinguan City.

Do you want to take a rest?

No need. How is the investigation going?

According to the report,

the Prince of Nanyuan wanted to poison Chief Xiao.

But somehow,

it was Her Highness who got poisoned.

The Prince of Nanyuan is indeed bold

and disrespects royal power.

But I didn’t expect that Chief Xiao

would hide it from us.

I'm going to the Prince of Nanyuan's residence.

Yes. To Prince of Nanyuan's residence.

Floral Goddess,

I, Bu Yinlou and...

Should I call you Xiao Cheng

or Xiao Duo?

After living with Xiao Duo's name

for so many years,

I can't tell

who I am anymore.

That's alright.

No matter who you are,

you will always be my Fangjiang.

Let me do it again.

Floral Goddess,

I, Zhuoying, and Fangjiang,

are getting married today.

We will stay together forever and never betray each other.

Floral Goddess,

Zhuoying and Fangjiang

shall be wed as husband and wife from today on.

We will stay together forever and never betray each other.

First bow, to the heaven and earth.

Second bow...

Second bow, to our parents.

Bow to each other.

I married you

without a betrothal gift.

I'm so sorry.

Keep this.

It's a token for you.

Keep it well.

Don't let others see you.

If we accidentally get separated,

you can use this

to command the Zhaoding Bureau.

Don't worry,

I will keep it well.

I won't let anyone else have it.

We will be husband and wife from now on.

I will give my heart to you.

No matter what happens in the future,

you can't leave me behind.

Otherwise, I'll go crazy.

All these years,

it's been hard on you,

having to hide

such a big secret in your heart.

From now on,

I will always be with you.

I will do what you want to do

and find the person you want to find together with you.

You can't just say it.

You have to give me something concrete.

Then...

I'll

leave a seal

with a stamp?

[Prince of Nanyuan's Residence]

Open the door!

[Blessings and Prosperity]

Who are you?

[Waiting for the Right Time]

Open the door!

His Majesty is here.

Summoning the Prince of Nanyuan to see His Majesty.

Prince of Nanyuan, please.

Your Majesty, Prince of Nanyuan is here.

"Clear the world and bring order to the eight lands."

This was written by Sima Yi

to compare himself to the Emperor Gaozu of Han.

Seems like the Prince of Nanyuan

also has such ambitions.

I haven't seen Your Majesty for years.

Seeing Your Majesty today,

it seems like a lot has changed.

You have changed a lot too.

You amassed wealth illicitly, forged weapons privately,

and plotted a rebellion.

All these are

major crimes that will get your entire family executed.

Your Majesty, for the sake

of the country,

you can't kill me.

Why?

I have three questions.

Your Majesty, firstly,

who is the person

who did everything they could

to prove my crimes?

Your Majesty, second.

Your Majesty is kind-hearted,

you have never had the thought of killing me,

yet lately, you began seeing me as a grave threat.

Who had been

instigating it all?

Your Majesty, third,

if I die,

who would

the Great Ye end up belonging to?

How dare you!

How dare you say such bold things

in front of His Majesty?

Your questions are pointing to Chief Xiao.

You're trying to sow discord to save your own life.

How arrogant you are.

I'm just telling the truth.

If Your Majesty

really doesn't realize

Chief Xiao's hidden ambition,

why would you come to my residence personally

without Chief Xiao?

Your Majesty has realized that

Chief Xiao wants to get rid of me

more than you do.

Do you know why?

If I die,

there will no longer be anything in his way.

The Great Ye

will fall under his control.

[Retiring after completing one's mission]

Pass my order.

Confiscate the Prince of Nanyuan's property.

Confine the Prince of Nanyuan in his residence,

in perpetuity

Yes.

[Spring All Across the Land]

Your Majesty.

You knew the Prince of Nanyuan

was deliberately sowing discord between you and Chief Xiao

to protect himself.

Why did you spare him?

The military power of West Shu has been taken back.

Yuwen Liangshi

is no longer a threat to me.

So what if I spare his life?

Besides, he's right.

If he dies,

Xiao Duo will become proud that he has succeeded.

If we don't stop him,

he will become

the person with the real power.

By then, his power

will be above mine.

Your Majesty.

Head Xiao is just a eunuch.

Your Majesty is the Emperor.

Why do you care

about what the Prince of Nanyuan said?

Do you know that after I took power,

I realised my every step

has been controlled by Xiao Duo?

The power to review memorials,

and the proposals sent to me

by the Secretary of the Six Offices of Scrutiny,

are all first handled by Xiao Duo.

So I can only see

what Xiao Duo

wants me to see.

Even if he leaves the capital,

can I only

look up to him?

Your Majesty,

aren't you afraid that saving the Price of Nanyuan

will cause disasters?

I am keeping

Yuwen Liangshi's life

to knock some sense into Xiao Duo.

I want him to know

no matter how arrogant one is,

their lives are fully

under my control.

I just want him to behave himself.

Your Majesty, with all due respect,

without Chief Xiao,

there's no one around you that you can use.

I think Chief Xiao

knows this too,

that's why he's

getting more and more proud.

Yes.

Do you have any good ideas then?

Your Majesty,

you need to train your own people.

It’s hard to tame Chief Xiao.

What Your Majesty needs

is someone who truly obeys you,

and is loyal to you.

How about

I have Yu Zun return?

Good, good!

Send someone immediately,

summon Yu Zhun to meet me in West Shu.

I'll do it now.

Let's go visit Yinlou first.

After what happened,

she must be scared.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

His Majesty has gone too far.

Your Highness,

do you really have

no complaints?

Isn't it great

that I escaped a death sentence?

I'll retire

and wait for punishment.

Xiao Duo

is really

a good opponent.

If only he was not an enemy,

I would really want to

have a drink with him.

Unfortunately, I lost.

He's the next one

Murong Gaogong

will get rid of.

When Xiao Duo

gets weakened,

I will rise again.

The friend I tried so hard

to hide in the capital.

They'd better hide well!

When the time comes,

help me give a good push

to Murong Gaogong!

Sirs,

my young master is really

the cousin of Her Highness.

He left in a hurry,

but there are some things

he didn't get to pass to Her Highness.

These are all the belongings

of Her Highness in the past.

Please let me in.

Young Master and Her Highness

are really pretty close.

He just came to your residence a few days ago

to visit Her Highness too.

Let me in.

Who is your young master?

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Your servant Xiao Duo

pays his greetings to Your Majesty.

Consort Dowager Duan, get up.

Yes.

I've punished Prince of Nanyuan,

seized his property and confined him in his residence

in perpetuity.

As for the death penalty, I have let him off.

What do you think, Chief Xiao?

Your Majesty,

The Prince of Nanyuan broke the law.

He is guilty of treason and is unforgivable.

Fair.

Chief Xiao is fair and strict.

I'm sure you would

hold yourself to the same standard.

Consort Dowager Duan was poisoned,

and Xiao Duo failed to protect her.

Guards, cane him.

-Your Majesty. -I accept my punishment.