Original subtitles

♪The spring breeze outside the window moves the stream♪

♪Who is disturbed by the williow catkins?♪

♪You're there when I look back, toying with my heart♪

♪Everything has become an ornament♪

♪A pair of lovebirds are flying under the roof in the drizzling rain♪

♪Whose secrets have drifted to the chamber?♪

♪The night when the moon shines, I'll have a drink with you♪

♪Let's keep each other company for the rest of our lifes♪

♪The mountain and water carry me through my lifetime relationship♪

♪Oh, wind and rain, you're as romantic as spring♪

♪Like the star and the moon, I wish you all well♪

♪Don't think about him, I'm right by your side♪

♪Oh, my dream keeps changing because of you♪

♪I'm still waiting for you to look at me♪

♪It's hard to let go once one falls in love♪

♪My life is not wasted while being with you♪

=Choice Husband=

=Episode 20=

As Pei Yanzhen predicted,

they faked their death.

But when they were buried,

we had checked on them.

I heard there's a secret medicine in the Western Regions

that can stop one from breathing.

I guess this is the thing.

It looks like Shen Miao is

hiding something.

Miao,

you haven't eaten or drunk for three days.

Have some food.

Where did you take Lvying?

Try the fish congee I made.

It's fragrant and soft.

It took me two hours to make it.

Pei Yanzhen,

what are you trying to do?

Miao,

you promised that you'll never leave me.

You promised me that.

I was just spitballing and you really bought it.

You're too naive, Your Highness.

I just took a trip to the capital.

What exactly has happened between us?

Just give Lvying back to me.

Or else,

I'll perish with you.

It seems like you're certain

that people from the Shen family have escaped.

Today, my subordinates came to report

that the coffins at the Shen's cemetery were forced open.

The bodies of your aunt and Shen Zai were missing.

A lot of valuable stuff disappeared as well.

You've thought too much.

Not everyone

in this world is as scheming as you.

But everyone in this world is

eyeing the fortune of the Shen family.

The tomb raiders are everywhere.

So I'm sure this is the doing of the tomb raiders.

What has it got to do with me?

I've heard of tomb raiding.

But I didn't know they'd steal the bodies too.

What's so surprising about it?

Didn't you also keep my body

for three days?

Miao,

it's a big world.

Unless Father-in-law can vanish into thin air,

otherwise,

I'll certainly find them out

as long as I want.

Are you threatening me?

I'll get you another bowl of fish congee.

I've already got someone on my mind.

As long as I can watch her from afar,

that'd be enough.

Shut up.

Is this the young lady of the Shen family?

She's so cute and smart.

I can tell that she's a beauty.

Right.

When she turns sixteen,

I'm sure there'll be

many young men asking to marry her.

I agree.

She's still a kid.

Everything is not known yet.

Please take a seat over there.

Dad,

everyone compliments me.

Don't ever call me Hairless Girl again.

Look, you have sparse hair

that can't even be braided.

It can only be made into a small bun.

You're definitely

Hairless Girl.

Everyone says this.

Don't you underestimate me.

It's not that you're beautiful.

Obviously, they only think that the fortune of

the Shen family and your grandpa, the Lu family, is beautiful.

Miao, remember this.

As one of the Shen family,

don't ever think of competing with the money.

To the people, money always comes

before the Shen family.

Got it?

Good girl.

Let's go.

I've always remembered this.

How could I totally forgot about this

just because Pei Yanzhen rejected the proposal in front of everyone?

That I even dared to compare myself with the money.

Well, now.

I invited the bad guy over

and lost all money the Shen family owned.

Miao,

come and eat something.

I'm hungry.

Eat with me.

After the meal,

I'll take you to Lvying.

You mean

Mother has been sent to the mausoleum?

And Pei Yanzhen

is actually my...

His Majesty didn't tell you this

because he didn't want to get you into this mess.

Your Highness,

my martial brother isn't what you think he is.

Besides, Shen Miao is alive and well now.

Just stop...

What do you mean

by the person I think he is?

He evicted

my mother.

But the entire family of

Pei Yanzhen's biological mother was killed.

Now, even his foster parents

were killed by Empress Dowager.

I...

Fine.

Let me ask you this.

Did the Shen family

have something to do with his family vendetta?

Did they kill his family?

No matter what,

I swear

to be at daggers drawn with Pei Yanzhen.

Zhan Yue,

if you take his side,

from now on,

let's not meet again.

Very well.

Lvying.

Miss, are you alright?

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

Miaomiao,

did Pei Yanzhen make things hard for you?

What happened?

Did he threaten you by torturing you?

I'll go to him now.

Third Master,

let bygones be bygones.

Anyway,

you've helped me this time.

I'll be sure to find a way to get you out of here.

What are you going to do?

Are you going to curry favor with Pei Yanzhen?

No way.

I don't agree.

No matter what,

it should be me to protect you.

Miaomiao,

what exactly is going on?

Is there any misunderstanding between us?

If yes,

it must be Pei Yanzhen

who deliberately sows discord among us.

The sun and moon can prove my love for you.

Then, you tell me.

How did Pei Yanzhen make himself the Regent?

In fact, just like you,

I was deceived.

Did Pei Yanzhen

incite you to marry me?

No matter how our relationship started,

at this moment,

I mean every word I say

and every move I make.

You haven't slept for three days.

Go take a break.

No.

There are some memorials I need to read.

Pei Yanzhen,

now that you've got your revenge,

it's time for you to stop this.

You're asking me

to let go of Shen Miao?

The Shen family faked their death,

but it's true that you've used her.

There's a huge

misunderstanding between you.

Miao.

Come with me.

I've got something to tell you.

Will you let me hug you for a while?

Miao.

You have no idea what has happened to me lately.

The imperial court is tumultuous.

My parents were forced to kill themselves.

Even you want to leave now.

If I could end this furor sooner,

maybe everything would be different.

Miao,

don't ever leave me again, okay?

Okay.

If I promise you,

when are you going to let Song Xiyuan go?

Do you succumb to me

just to intercede for Song Xiyuan?

If you don't let him go,

- I'll... - What will you do?

I'm just a commoner.

How would I dare

and how else can I do?

Are you going to talk to me like this?

What else can I do?

You said that Shen family might be annihilated yourself.

I thought

there might be some kind of mistake.

It's like what you said.

You use the sword with your left hand

and write with your right hand.

You indeed excel in literature and martial arts.

No wonder you never used your left hand

to hold my hand.

Might be annihilated?

Might be annihilated!

Pei Yanzhen,

that's so cruel of you.

Listen to me, Miao.

I can't believe you want to kill me

with the hairpin I gave you.

I should've killed you earlier.

It's the only way

to keep my family away from bad luck.

It's the only way

to take away my wrath.

I can only take Xiao away after killing you.

So you faked your death

just to get away from me

and find a chance to take revenge on me.

So what if it's true?

After what you did to the Shen family

and me,

shouldn't I kill you?

Shen Miao!

You don't have to remind me

that my surname is Shen.

If not,

why would you marry me

and feed me the contraceptive medicine?

If I wasn't from the Shen family,

why would you eagerly instruct the Song family to ask for my hand?

It's just you feared that someone would obtain my family's fortune.

Yet, you pretended to be at daggers drawn with them.

If I wasn't from the Shen family,

why would you send Xiao to Pei's Residence

on the eve of your trip to the capital?

It was to protect your son from getting hurt,

when the Shen family was encircled and vanquished.

If I wasn't from the Shen family,

why would you put your life at stake

to reject the proposal?

It was to cheat my dad out of his seal

to help you with the regime change.

Your Highness,

were you excited

when you knew that I fell for you?

The name "Pei Yanzhen" holds

the meaning of concealing the truth.

I, Shen Miao, am really pathetic and ludicrous.

I've lost my body, fortune and family

for nothing.

Even now, I still don't know about your real name.

I'm such a joke,

that it's unprecedented.

It's extremely ridiculous.

So you think

that I incited Song Xiyuan to ask for your hand?

I rejected the proposal

just to obtain the Shen family's seal?

Now that you've wielded wide powers,

why bother pretending?

Didn't you marry me

for the fortune of the Shen family?

And for the Lu family's fortune?

The whereabout of the Lu family's fortune is unknown.

You pull this charade

just to make me talk.

Am I right?

It doesn't matter anymore.

All I wish now is that you could let me go.

For the sake that the great fortune

of the Shen family is within your reach.

And for the sake

that I've served you and your subordinate,

Song Xiyuan

for the past three years.

Shut up!

Shen Miao,

I don't care what you think.

You've promised that you won't leave me.

You must practice

what you preach.

(Without my command,)

(Miss Shen is not allowed to leave here.)

(Noted.)

(Shen's Residence)

Move!

Be gentle.

Move!

Are you alright, Young Master?

This is an order from His Highness.

Official Song, please leave Shen's Residence

and don't ever come back.

Young Master,

what should we do next?

Let's go back to the capital.

Pei Yanzhen holds great power now.

If we want to save Miaomiao from him,

we'll have to make a well-thought-out plan.

Young Master,

are you sure you can defeat him?

I'm serious

this time.

I've let Lvying in.

I didn't tell her that it was your order.

Can't you two just talk nicely?

So what if I do?

Whatever I say now,

she won't believe it.

Dad.

Mom.

(Miao.)

(You must stay safe.)

Come take a look.

Sir,

did you return from the South?

I'd like to ask you something.

The South?

We can't go there anymore.

Now the national affairs are at Regent's command.

He commanded to conduct strict investigations at the checkpoints.

No one does business there anymore.

Regent?

He's the former Minister of Revenue,

Official Pei Yanzhen.

I'll get going.

Please rise.

I take refuge in the ancestral hall,

and ignore the public affairs.

Xiyuan, what do you need

to see me about?

I'm not here

for the public affairs.

I'm just wondering if you're keeping

a carp or a golden dragon in the pond.

You must be joking.

This is just a small garden.

There's no golden dragon.

A dragon should be staying at an abyss.

It lays dormant temporarily

for the future.

Unfortunately,

the only golden dragon in the world

seems to have taken a long break

that its claws and scales have been worn blunt.

Nonsense!

With Regent around,

how dare you say that.

I just want you to know

that whenever it is,

I won't show my loyalty to anybody else

besides Your Majesty.

I'm tired.

You should go back.

Young Master,

how was it?

His Majesty didn't agree.

What to do, then?

Tie Niu,

look at the people behind me.

Don't they look familiar?

Young Master,

are you joking?

This is my first time at the palace.

You're joking.

Didn't you see them wearing

the same military uniform as Pei Yanzhen's men?

We're toast.

Young Master,

you're saying

that the entire palace has been under Pei Yanzhen's control?

It seems like I've underestimated him.

He's able to go this far.

I think it's just his choice

whether to take the throne.

Doesn't it mean we're in great trouble now?

We're screwed.

How could I have a silly subordinate like you?

It doesn't mean

this will last forever.

Pei Yanzhen is not in the capital.

Someone in court must've been restless.

It's a perfect time to make connections.

Come, Young Master.

Miss.

Miss.

How could you have the mood

to play with the bird at a time like this?

If it wasn't for it,

I'm afraid I would've died long ago.

Also,

besides playing with the bird,

what else can I do?

Miss Shen,

His Highness asked me to bring the bird over.

Official Zhan,

this is the only fun Miss has got.

This is His Highness's order.

I dare not disobey it.

Miss.

Never mind.

Guard Zhan,

the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.

Last year at this time,

there were many people gathering at Shen's Residence,

viewing the moon, enjoying mooncakes

and eating osmanthus cakes.

Everything is different now.

But I need to find sustenance in something.

Can you please buy me some osmanthus cakes?

Pei Yanzhen, the scholar,

is handsome and knowledgeable.

He's a decent gentleman.

Do you really think

this silly bird is a trap that Song Xiyuan set?

Whether it's true or not,

I don't want it to stay by Miao's side.

I'll go get Shen Miao some pastries.

Pei

is so mean.

He'll be back soon?

But he's not back yet.

Fried Cabbage with Vinegar.

Pei Yanzhen,

are you captured by Empress Dowager?

Mother,

can you stop disturbing me?

How can you talk to your mother like this?

Great-uncle said

one should concentrate,

be sincere, be patient

and clear the mind while studying.

Let me see what you're reading.

- Come on. - No.

Let me see.

Or I'll tickle you.

If you don't let me see,

I'll tickle you.

Let me take a look.

Do you know all these words?

(Peace and Prosperity)

Miss, here are the osmanthus cakes.

Miss.

What did Master Song say?

Song Xiyuan said

he has contacted

the officials in the capital who are against Pei Yanzhen.

He asked us to find a way to go to the capital.

Then, he'll take the chance to get us out.

It looks like Master Song

is true to you, Miss.

There are good guys in the world.

Then, do you think

he does it for my sake

or for the sake of the Lu family's fortune?

Do you know where the Lu family hid their money?

If we get the money,

would we be able to bring Regent down?

The Lu family's fortune is

just a rumor.

But,

we can use this method

to go to the capital.

It takes forever to pick it like this.

After so long,

it's all I've got.

I got an idea.

Lvying.

Lvying.

Lv...

Pei Yanzhen,

come here.

Perfect timing.

I'd like to make osmanthus cakes today.

Help me pick some osmanthus flowers, will you?

You're so virtuous.

What can I do to repay you?

Just let me enjoy the food alone.

Just don't eat it.

It's considered a payback.

Will you help me?

Sure.

♪For whom am I waiting this relationship for?♪

♪The tangling love becomes the river under the sky♪

♪The years are long. The night is short. The clear spring wine is warm♪

♪The passing of time goes on and on♪

This will be sufficient.

Quickly get down here.

Well,

Lvying took the ladder away.

She went to pick the flowers from another tree.

Well, you can catch me from down there.

I'll jump off the roof.

I only agreed to catch the flowers for you.

I didn't say I'd catch you.

Pei Yanzhen!

Then, am I allowed to try the cake?

Lvying!

Lv...

Pei Yanzhen,

you don't have compassion for the lady.

Didn't you refuse

to help me?

They are

different.

If you catch me,

I'll make osmanthus cakes for you every year.

Miao.

Be careful!

What are you doing here?

Miao,

I'd like to eat the osmanthus cakes you make.

You said

that if I caught you,

you'd make osmanthus cakes for me every year.

But the next year,

we got divorced hastily.

Now that I've caught you,

where is my osmanthus cake?

I did make you osmanthus cakes.

Did you forget it?

Pei Yanzhen,

I even specially made you...

Miss Shen,

I'm promoted to Minister of Revenue.

I'll leave Lingzhou and go to the capital with His Majesty

tomorrow to take office.

♪Grant me a life where we grow old together♪

♪Who sends the love letter while leaning at the railing♪

♪At the river of lovesickness?♪

♪Grant me happiness for the rest of my life together with you♪

It was the osmanthus cake you made?

Did you not know what it was?

I never opened it.

Because I was afraid if I opened it,

I wouldn't have the heart

to leave you and our kid behind

and go to the capital.

That time, you said

you didn't want to implicate us,

so you heartlessly rejected us

and left us alone.

But now, you always claim

that you keep me here

and separate me from my kid

for my own good.

Pei Yanzhen,

I can't figure out

if you're telling me

the truth.

Miao,

the two things you mentioned

are true.

The moon is almost full.

Yanzhen,

I'm just an ordinary lady.

All I wish is a simple sheer of happiness.

From now on,

let's stop harboring suspicion,

and forget about the power

and the fortune,

okay?

I'll overlook the past.

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Let's be happy together.

I'll pick the osmanthus flowers

to make pastries for you every year.

Okay?

What's done is done.

I've gone so far.

I can't just give up as I want.

The entire world belongs to the Emperor.

Only with the power,

I can protect you and Xiao.

You can't have it both ways.

The moon waxes only to wane. What goes up must come down.

Your Highness, you're too ambitious

and greedy.

It's not that I'm greedy.

But this is the fact.

Miao,

just stay by my side

and have faith in me.

Unfortunately,

even if you keep me here for my entire life,

you still won't be able to get the fortune of the Shen and Lu family.

The two families' fortune is no longer in my hands.

They're not with any of the Shen family either.

I've already given it to somebody else.

(You still think that I do this for the Lu family's fortune?)

Is it Song Xiyuan again?

Does it matter?

Just get some rest.

I'll come and visit you again.

I'm too greedy.

It's just a few pieces of osmanthus cakes.

It's no match for the great fortune of the two families.

Let alone the entire nation.

Regent invents new policies.

He stops the mutiny, allows people to raise voices, combats corruption,

promotes agricultural development, reduces taxes, expands the imperial exam,

and rectifies the officials' styles of work.

We'll do as he commands.

But now, the national treasury is empty.

If we reduce the taxes,

we won't be able to support the soldiers who are posted at the border gate

and it'll make things hard for the scholar and military officials.

Your Majesty,

prohibit referrals, expand the imperial exam and recruit talents

might be able to prevent the officials from forming a conspiracy.

But it'll also cause the problem of having redundant officials.

Do not make rash decisions.

Liu,

you're the Minister of Personnel.

Do not talk nonsense.

Your Majesty,

this is not nonsense.

Please reconsider it.

Regent has made up his mind.

Do not cause trouble again.

Are you trying

to make Regent mad?

That's enough.

I'm tired.

Let's call it a day.

If there's anything else,

just let Regent make the decision.

- Goodbye, Your Majesty. - Goodbye, Your Majesty.

As Regent insists

on reducing taxes and rectifying the styles of work,

we won't have the money, the guts and the time

to listen to music, enjoy dances and drink wine here anymore.

Official Lu, are you afraid of being annihilated?

But isn't it too late to say this now?

When you supported Official Pei back then,

did you ever think that this would happen?

Official Song,

you're the only one

who can confront him now.

Do you have a plan?

Tie Niu.

All of you may leave.

Since the Regent is unkind,

we could just go against him.

Giving the power back to His Majesty

is the right thing to do.

But the military troop is under Pei Yanzhen's command.

How are we supposed to do that?

Eliminate his bodyguards,

lower his guard,

and lure him into the trap.

It'll make things a lot easier for us.

But there's no way he'd do it without a struggle.

I have my way.

He's here.

Miss!

How is your foot?

Miao,

your arm has just recovered.

How could you be so careless?

I'm fine.

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today.

But there's no one

at Shen's Residence,

and I'm all alone here.

So I was a little spaced out.

You have me.

I'm here with you.

Miao,

what would you like to eat?

Or what would you like to watch?

I'll have it arranged right away.

I can do that too.

Just that

I'd like to go out and buy something.

Do you allow me to do that?

What do you need?

I'll ask someone to buy it for you.

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today.

I'd like to make some osmanthus cakes as it's the tradition

of the Shen family.

But making osmanthus cakes

is quite an art. There are many things to pay attention to.

I'm afraid the servants won't know what I need.

But you just sprained your ankle.

I'm alright.

Look.

It's doing well.

I'll ask Zhan Yue to go with you.

He can protect you.

Okay?

As you wish.

Miao,

the osmanthus cakes for tonight,

can I have them too?

I'll see you here

tonight.

♪There are many devoted lovers in the mortal world♪

♪It's hard to understand love♪

♪If I have another chance, I won't be late again♪

♪All I wish is for you to be well♪

♪Don't ask me if this is worth it♪

♪However, love is♪

♪Turning into lovesickness when it deepens into your heart♪

♪Even life and death can't frighten me♪

♪I've been through the good times and bad times♪

♪But the person I've been waiting for is not aware of it♪

♪There's an unfinished story between you and me♪

♪How am I supposed to continue my life?♪

♪The moon rises and sets, a day has passed♪

♪I just want to protect you until old ages♪

♪And make a vow about you♪

♪I'm willing to be obsessed with you♪

♪I wish we could be together in our next lifes♪