Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Unchained Love]

[Episode 23]

[Shangqiong Palace]

Your Majesty.

Don't be angry with Her Highness.

Who said I'm angry?

Does a cruel woman

deserve my anger?

Yes, you're the Emperor.

You don't have to get angry

at an ignorant girl.

You've been restless,

day and night,

but it isn't because of Her Highness.

Shush!

Do you think Deer's Reed Residence

is equipped with iceboxes and iced desserts?

Do you think she's angry

that I sent her there?

Tell me,

should I visit her?

Your Majesty, it's her fault

that she angered you.

No matter how wronged she feels,

she deserves it.

How can someone like you

humble yourself

by giving in to a concubine?

If people find out,

it'll be embarrassing.

You

should pay more attention

to affairs of the court.

That makes sense.

That makes sense.

But I've still decided

to go to Deer's Reed Residence and send her some

food and clothing for the summer.

Go and make the preparations.

Your Majesty-

I'll go in disguise.

I'll be looking from the outside, I won't go in.

No one will find out.

I'll go get it done now.

Wait.

Go to my private treasury and pick carefully.

Go now.

Yes.

That's it. Go now.

After wasting all these poison,

Rong'an should be coming in person soon.

I have a feeling

that it'll be today.

Chief, I just received word

that His Majesty sent Her Highness

out of the palace,

to Deer's Reed Residence.

His Majesty hasn't

visited her in a long time.

I think Her Highness

must have lost favor.

You all return to the Zhaoding Bureau first.

Godfather, you aren't reporting back to the palace?

Are you going to

Deer's Reed Residence?

I must see her.

Cherries for sale!

Big and red cherries.

Have a look.

Cherries.

Hurry up.

Hurry up, everyone.

Consort Duan

is such an enigma.

She was sent to this isolated place

right after being conferred the title of Consort.

His Majesty didn't visit her for a long time.

I thought she had lost favour,

but it turns out

His Majesty does have her on his mind.

Every single one of these rewards

is a rare treasure.

I've seen her from a distance,

she's not a great beauty.

You have no idea.

She's a crafty one.

I've heard that

Consort Duan

is extremely good in bed.

She has plenty of tricks

to capture His Majesty's heart and soul.

Why isn't she coming yet?

If she doesn't come,

I'm a dog.

Has someone from the Imperial City come?

Your Highness.

Show them in, quickly.

Your Highness, how did you know?

His Majesty has bestowed many rewards on us.

Eunuch Sun is right outside,

waiting for your reply.

I'll ask him to come in.

What is he doing here?

Ask Eunuch Sun to go back.

Also,

ask him to take all those things back.

Are those really the things I need?

Yes.

I wonder

what Xiao Duo is doing now.

West Shu is so far away,

when can he return to the capital?

Forget it.

Why should he come back?

He won't want to see me

ever again.

I didn't get off the carriage

to leave with him.

There are so many people around,

are you really going in?

There's no one out there

with the ability

to detect my presence if I don't want them to.

Look.

His Majesty is here,

and he's brought so many rewards.

Losing favor is out of the question.

Qilang was talking nonsense.

She's clearly deeply favored by His Majesty.

Godfather,

I don't think you can go in today.

Let's go back.

If His Majesty

finds out about any of this,

she will die.

We'll return to the Zhaoding Bureau.

Zhaoding Bureau?

Godfather.

You must report to the palace.

Your Majesty, I'm here to report back.

Come here.

Your Majesty,

I didn't manage to see Consort Duan.

She wouldn't even see you?

Yes, she made me to wait outside.

She also asked

to have all these rewards returned.

What she said was,

"Are those really the things I need?"

Fine.

If she wants to stay in that

far-flung place,

let her have her fill!

Let's return.

Yes.

Back to the palace.

[Deer's Reed Residence]

What is it?

Your Majesty, I just received news.

Chief Xiao has purged the bandits, and traveled day and night

to make his way back.

He has arrived in the capital today.

Why didn't he come to report back to me?

Where is he now?

Zhaoding Bureau.

This Xiao Duo

is getting more and more arrogant,

and without respect for me.

Your Majesty.

Lord Bu

seeks an audience with you.

He's outside the palace,

and has been waiting for quite a while.

No. I'll see him during court tomorrow.

I've told him that.

But Lord Bu said

it's a serious matter,

that other officials dare not report.

Only he dares disturb Your Majesty with it.

Fine. Summon him in.

Yes.

Summoning Lord Bu.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Please rise.

What brings you here?

Rumors are rife amongst the common people.

They're all calling Xiao Duo

is the "True Emperor."

This rumor

has been spreading for over a month.

Everyone knows in the streets and alleys

know of it.

Some are even panegyrizing his meritorious deeds.

I think the rumor

was spread by Xiao Duo himself.

This man is much too ambitious,

Your Majesty must not condone him.

The officials are all afraid of Xiao Duo,

so no one dares speak of the rumor.

Why are you the only one

who dares to report it to me?

Xiao Duo is powerful,

but I believe

only Your Majesty is the true ruler of the Great Ye,

and the true owner of this Imperial City.

I will stop at nothing

to serve Your Majesty.

Even if it costs me my life,

I am not afraid.

You are a righteous and loyal man.

As for that Xiao Duo,

he is a sharp blade

in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy.

He hangs over the ministers' heads,

but he hangs over mine too.

Lord Bu,

are you willing to

sheath this sharp blade for the sake of the Great Ye?

I will give it my all

for Your Majesty.

Good.

It is inappropriate for the Zhaoding Bureau

to wield as much power as it does.

Conversely, the Court of Judicial Review

has become a leisurely office.

It is improper for things to go on like this.

I hereby invest Bu Yulu

as the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review,

effective immediately,

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty,

Lord Bu has been sent out of the palace.

The order of investiture

has been issued to the Six Ministries.

But with all due respect,

everyone in the court knows

Lord Bu is rather ineffectual,

and he isn't an able official.

Why does Your Majesty want to use him?

I don't want an able official,

but an obedient dog

to carve up Xiao Duo’s power.

Rulers and their kingdoms fall

when great ministers are too formidable,

and officials are too powerful.

To me, Xiao Duo is precisely

too formidable

and too powerful.

He has rendered me

a useless accessory.

Perhaps, not too long later,

I and my kingdom will fall.

I was wrong

about the reason

Yinlou refuses to accept me.

In her eyes,

I'm just an Emperor in name.

In reality, I am not as powerful as Xiao Duo.

How could she fall for me

and rely on me with peace of mind?

That is why in the future,

I will command

this throne thoroughly.

Your Majesty, this is the way you should be.

Ask Yu Zun to go to the Zhaoding Bureau,

and summon Xiao Duo to meet with me.

Yes.

[Zhaoding Bureau]

Godfather.

You're going to be late

for your audience with His Majesty.

You can't delay it any longer.

Send one of our able men to bring this to her.

You're still thinking about

giving her cherries at this juncture?

Chief.

Chief.

We have trouble.

While we were away from the capital,

rumors started spreading among the people,

calling you the "True Emperor."

The "True Emperor"?

This crime is enough

to have me executed many times over.

It seems that someone in the capital

is trying to stir up trouble.

Yes.

Look,

you can't even save yourself now.

You need to stop

wasting your energy on others.

Go to the palace now.

After what happened,

you have to at least

try explaining yourself to His Majesty.

Chief.

Someone from the palace is here.

Chief Xiao, your reputation precedes you.

I haven’t had time to report to you.

This is Yu Zun,

the new Commander-general of the Imperial Army.

What brings you here today,

Commander Yu?

I am here to pass His Majesty's order

to summon Chief Xiao to the palace.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Rise.

[Hall of Imperial Supremacy]

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Thank you for welcoming me back in person,

Your Majesty.

I heard you arrived early in the morning.

Why didn't you report back to the palace?

Your Majesty,

I was in a hurry to come back

to report back to you.

I traveled hastily,

and disheveled myself.

I dared not offend you with my appearance,

so I went back to the Zhaoding Bureau

to wash up.

As such, I delayed returning to the palace.

Please punish me.

Chief Xiao is a pillar of our country.

You pacified the Prince of Nanyuan's rebellion,

and exterminated the bandits.

Your service has been greatly meritorious,

why would I punish you?

The Great Ye needs you.

Recently, the commoners

have given you a sobriquet,

"True Emperor."

It seems rather well-deserved.

I am Your Majesty's loyal servant.

This rumor must have been

spread by someone with an ulterior motive.

Please allow me to

conduct a thorough investigation

into the source of this rumor,

and return peace of mind to you.

There's no need to investigate.

You're the one I trust the most,

why would I believe such slanderous words?

It's just that the Zhaoding Bureau is too prominent,

and attracts unwanted attention.

This is all because

of your powers of reviewing memorials.

I think

you had better surrender that duty.

However,

you're still in charge of the Zhaoding Bureau,

and you must continue

to supervise the actions of the court officials

on my behalf.

I am at your command.

You must be tired from this trip.

I can’t bear

to trouble you all the time.

How about this?

Take a rest.

From now on,

the Court of Judicial Review

will take over the Zhaoding Bureau's cases.

They will share your burden.

Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.

The position of Chief Minister

has been vacant for a long time.

May I ask who will be filling it?

I can ensure the handover goes smoothly

if I had an idea.

This person actually has a connection

with Chief Xiao.

He is Consort Duan's father,

Lord Bu Yulu.

There's something

I almost forgot.

Ever since Empress Rong'an

moved from Fengyi Palace to Changqing Palace,

she has been dissatisfied with the servants around her.

The Empress Dowager is also

constantly nagging at me.

Since you're idle,

go and serve her.

You don’t have to come back to Shangqiong Palace with me.

Anyway, you can go now, since you have nothing to do.

Sister-in-law is waiting.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Farewell, Your Majesty.

Godfather.

The Zhaoding Bureau and the Great Ye have a symbotic relationship.

Now, complications have arisen.

What does this all mean?

Why would His Majesty suddenly

promote an incompetent man like Bu Yulu?

His Majesty is suspicious of me,

but he needs me.

It doesn't matter

if Bu Yulu is incompetent.

He just wants someone obedient

to carve up my power.

It happened all of a sudden,

so I was caught off guard.

This half-baked Emperor

is finally getting the hang of things.

How can you be calm?

His Majesty

has transferred you to Changqing Palace.

He's not only demoting you,

but humiliating you.

It's merely a dirty trick.

If you really think I'll roll over,

that'll be too naive.

It's interesting to see

that he's willing to humble himself

and join hands with Rong'an.

What is he after?

You can go back first.

Your servant, Xiao Duo, is back.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Duo.

Come here.

I'll stay right here,

it's the same.

You don't even want to

patronize me anymore?

How disappointing.

You've misunderstood.

If you opened me up,

you would find that I'm cold-blooded.

I disappoint many people,

you're not the only one.

Ah Duo, I know

His Majesty took away your power.

If you're unhappy,

I will help you

return to your original position.

You only have to return to my side.

I'm afraid Your Majesty is very ill.

It's time to get an imperial physician.

The one who is in trouble

is not me,

but you.

What?

You lost your power,

and even begged for your old dog back.

Xiao Duo,

why don't you understand

my heart?

Back then,

I was neglected by the late Emperor

and bullied by Noble Consort Shao.

I even wanted to die.

I remember

you came to Fengyi Palace then

to serve incense for me.

That was the first time I saw you.

You said a lot to me,

and reminded me that humanity exists

in the Imperial City.

Have you forgotten?

We were in the same boat.

Duo.

It's cold in the palace.

Let's keep each other warm, shall we?

Your Highness, are you mistaken?

When I first joined the Zhaoding Bureau,

you forced me to work for you

and help you win favor.

You forced me

to deal with not only the late Emperor,

but also you, and the previous Chief.

If I made a single misstep, I would have died horribly.

It would be generous

not to call us enemies.

How could we be friends?

No.

It's not like that.

It's not like that. You're lying to me.

It's all because of Bu Yinlou.

She forced you to be heartless to me.

Since you don't like

my service,

I'll take my leave now.

Xiao Duo.

Duo.

Xiao Duo.

Duo.

What's so good about that woman?

No matter how well you treat her,

she will only treat you as a stepping stone

into His Majesty's bed.

She is his woman.

If she really cared about you,

she would have sacrificed her life

and given up riches for you.

But she didn't.

In her eyes,

you're only a tool,

to be abandoned when the time comes.

She is now

Murong Gaogong's woman.

She has nothing

to do with you anymore.

Duo.

[Imperial City, Deer's Reed Residence]

It's him.

He's back.

Why did he give me cherries?

He hasn't given up yet?

I must be overthinking this.

He's so narrow-minded,

there's no need to provoke him.

Maybe

someone from the palace sent it.

Father.

I've known since you were little that

although you're a woman,

you would achieve great things.

As expected,

my Yinlou

is now a mistress of the palace.

His Majesty issued a ban.

It mustn't have been easy

for Father to get in here.

His Majesty is merciful.

He made me the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Although my rank has decreased,

I now hold

a position with real power.

It's the same,

being a minister and a concubine.

We need to know

who the real master of the Imperial City is.

You must be obedient.

What do you mean?

Do I have to say it out loud?

Be more thoughtful when you're in His Majesty's bed,

and use some feminine tricks.

If you make him happy,

you wouldn't be trapped

in a place like this anymore.

I like this place.

Silly girl.

You're too unambitious.

I know when you went to West Shu,

you got involved with that

useless nephew of your mother's.

That's exactly why

His Majesty is unhappy with you.

Do you think

you can do whatever you want,

because Xiao Duo is backing you?

He's just a servant.

Let me tell you.

Xiao Duo is back.

His good days

are behind him now.

Do you know His Majesty promoted me

just so I can check his power?

Now, he has

surrended his powers of reviewing memorials

and his power is weakened.

His Majesty has sent him to Changqing Palace

to serve Empress Rong'an.

He'll fall from power soon.

Once I get something on him,

I will take him down.

Xiao Duo has completely lost

His Majesty's trust.

So you must never

see him again.

Otherwise,

if His Majesty thinks

you're colluding with him,

you will implicate our family.

I understand.

I know

my Yinlou is intelligent.

I trust you.

Okay.

I'm leaving.

Goodbye, Father.

Go back now.

Zhuoying.

It's that bastard.

He's really back.

Zhuoying, I'm really back.

♫ Wind sweeps through the bottom of my heart ♫

Bu Yinlou, you must get a grip.

Don't let him get hurt because of you.

♫ Blowing ripples into our past ♫

♫ Sighing and lamenting ♫

♫ We can't escape parting ♫

You shouldn't be here.

I know.

♫ How can ripples form in a mirror ♫

But I couldn't stand it anymore,

and I didn't want to.

You're not willing to run away with me?

♫ The wind cannot dispel my loneliness ♫

I didn't get off the carriage

♫ But the sorrows and joys of this world ♫

at Yanguo Mountain that day.

Didn't you understand then?

I don't want to become fugitives with you.

Let's end it here.

♫ Look upon desolation and recklessness ♫

You must be saying this

because you're worried

♫ Not knowing when I can return ♫

His Majesty will harm me, right?

You-

I should thank you.

♫ How can we be calculating in this ephemeral world ♫

I was originally

just a Lady in Xiecui Garden.

Thanks to your protection,

I lived to this day,

and become a Consort.

♫ The wind has risen in the smoke and rain ♫

Why would you say that?

You don't want to enter the Inner Court.

♫ Even if the road ahead is rough ♫

I lied to you.

♫ The wind has risen, it's hard to continue ♫

I don't believe you.

We've been through so much together.

You could possibly have faked

your care for me.

♫ I'll pledge my life to you ♫

Those were just tricks to win you over.

Have you forgotten

how cautious I was with you

in the past?

I was scared of upsetting you,

and losing my life.

If I didn't try my best

to protect myself,

how could I have

gotten you

at my beck and call?

I knew you didn't like women.

But as a human,

how could you be free from

emotions and desires?

I seduced you on purpose.

I deliberately played tricks on you,

all the while pretending to be naive.

Do you know why

His Majesty came to West Shu?

That's because I asked my cousin

to send a letter to the capital,

using the Prince of Nanyuan's channels.

You lured him there on purpose?

Yes.

Because I wanted to get rid of you.

I wanted to return to the palace.

You knew I was scheming,

but you still allowed me to lead you on,

like a fool.

You've schemed and calculated for so long.

What exactly are you after?

Since I was young,

my life has been decided by others.

I entered the palace because they wanted me to.

I died because they made me a tribute lady.

I don't want to live like that anymore.

I don't want to die quietly,

like my mother did.

I want to become the Empress.

I want to climb to the top of the ladder.

I don't want others

to manipulate me ever again.

What about me?

What am I to you?

Didn't you like me,

not even a little bit?

I did.

But compared to what I really want,

my feelings for you

aren't worth a mention.

I see.

Let me help you.

You can use me

like you did before.

I'll continue to help you

to get what you want.

Xiao Duo,

are you going to lose your dignity

for a woman?

I don't want dignity.

If you want power, I'll fight for it for you.

I'll kill all those who get in your way.

You can make me do anything you want.

Treat me however you like,

I don't care.

I only want you.

Xiao Duo,

you can't even protect yourself now.

Don't drag me down with you.

Stop pestering me.

I know your secret,

so don't piss me off.

Are you threatening me?

You're threatening me

with the secret I told you in good faith?

Yes.

I am threatening you.

Didn't you say

you can do

anything I want you to do?

Listen carefully.

I want you to get lost.

Wait.

Actually, I hate sweet food.

♫ The palace is as it was yesterday ♫

It's cloying.

♫ Whose soul has it trapped ♫

♫ Fate is unpredictable ♫

♫ No one can escape ♫

♫ Like bubbles, like fireworks ♫

♫ Fate has too many twists and turns ♫

♫ You are ♫

♫ The persistence of my lifetime ♫

♫ Don't hide ♫

♫ My love for you is never cowardly ♫

♫ This is ♫

♫ The promise of my lifetime ♫

♫ Let this ♫

♫ Fire burn away the entanglements of the past ♫

♫ For the rest of my life ♫

♫ I'll stay with you ♫

I learned those

seductive dances

so I could

make you fall for me,

and not deny your feelings any longer.

I did it on purpose

that time my legitimate mother forced me to get married.

I already knew

my mother was dead,

but I played along

to beat them at their own game.

It's because you

have too much self-control.

If I didn't force your hand,

when would you have

opened your heart to me?

When would you have fallen for me?

That time we encountered the Prince of Nanyuan's assassins,

when I got shot and fell into the river,

you risked your life to save me.

I did that on purpose too.

You married me—

It was all to win your heart.

At first, I thought

you were a eunuch.

It was fine to get involved with you.

But it turns out you're a fake.

It's no longer worth it

to be involved with you.

Godfather,

did you secretly

go to Deer's Reed Residence?

If you're really that worried about Godmother,

I'll send more men

to scope out the situation.

Godfather!

Godfather, stop!

Godfather! Stop!

Godfather!

From now on, no one is to

keep watch over her.

She has nothing to do with me anymore!

♫ The long night is as it was yesterday ♫

♫ The night breeze scattered into a song ♫

♫ I'm under the moon ♫

♫ What am I sighing about? ♫

Godfather,

♫ Laughing at the moon for its solitude ♫

what's going on?

♫ Laughing at the story for being too tumultuous ♫

♫ What is love ♫

I could have given her anything

♫ I still don't understand it ♫

that she wanted.

♫ The palace is as it was yesterday ♫

Dignity,

♫ Whose soul has it trapped ♫

shame,

I could give them all up.

♫ Fate is unpredictable ♫

♫ No one can escape ♫

But she fooled me,

♫ Like bubbles, like fireworks ♫

trampled on me,

♫ Fate has too many twists and turns ♫

♫ You are ♫

and threatened me.

♫ The persistence of my lifetime ♫

♫ I won't hide ♫

In her eyes,

♫ My love for you is not cowardly ♫

I'm worth nothing.

♫ This is ♫

♫ The promise of my lifetime ♫

♫ Let this ♫

♫ Fire burn away the entanglements of the past ♫

♫ For the rest of my life ♫

♫ I'll be by your side ♫

Don't worry, Your Highness.

Suhuai sent a message.

She saw Consort Dowager Duan

saying many hurtful things

before kicking him out.

Chief Xiao is arrogant

and vengeful.

He won't let her off

now that she has hurt his dignity.

You can rest assured now, Your Highness.

As long Bu Yinlou is still alive,

I cannot rest assured.

I drugged her

so many times,

but nothing happened to her at all.

Looks like

we'll have to step up our game.

Your Highness,

you're the only one who can enter Deer's Reed Residence

without being summoned.

It's fine

to mess around with Consort Duan.

But if we kill her,

you will be the first person

His Majesty suspects.

Then we'll lure her outside and kill her.

[Xiao's Residence]

This time,

they've gone too far,

we mustn't take it lying down.

Chief.

Chief, are you listening?

Go on.

Lord Bu has gone too far.

Several of our

important cases

were taken away by the Court of Judicial Review.

He wants to make use of His Majesty

to climb up the ladder.

But he shouldn't

trample on you like this.

Why are you pulling at me?

Chief?

Now that they have Lord Bu backing them,

all those high-ranking officials

we offended in the past

are giving us a hard time.

Should we do something about Lord Bu?

What should we do?

The Chief has ordered us

to stand down.

That ragtag group

are of no threat to us.

Don't you have

anything else to report?

No.

Think again.

I see.

You want to ask about

our investigation into the murderer?

Yes.

We have no leads.

Should I send some men

to scout around in West Shu again?

There's no need.

His Majesty has his guard up against me right now.

It'll be hard for us

to get to Yuwen Liangshi.

I was blindsided then.

Thinking back,

the carriage that night

definitely belonged to the Prince of Nanyuan.

Even if Yuwen Liangshi was not the murderer,

he must be involved with the murderer.

Investigate the comings and goings

of all those in the capital with ties to him

on the day of the murder.

Got it.

No wonder you have been

looking at these records for hours.

Chief,

it turns out

you're holding your records

the wrong way around.

Chief She,

you do have a mouth,

but you don't have to use it to speak.

Regardless of whether I have a mouth, or use it to speak,

Chief is holding his records upside down.

Is anything wrong?

If you have any questions,

just ask.

I'll tell you everything I know.

Any news from Deer's Reed Residence?