Original subtitles

♪By the riverside♪

♪I sow a seed of karma♪

♪Forlorn fates intertwine♪

♪Written in the stars♪

♪Should your passion smolder out♪

♪Will you give up on your ideal world?♪

♪Our past can only be entrusted to memories♪

♪I'm mooning over you♪

♪Amidst loneliness♪

♪Berthed in sleepless nights♪

♪You're my desire♪

♪That teems underneath♪

♪I'm drowned in your beautiful eyes♪

♪I'm mooning over you♪

♪Next to the Three-life Stone♪

♪I cross the Bridge of Forgetfulness♪

♪Gazing at moonlit nights♪

♪The moon appears brighter because of you♪

♪Leaning against the tower, it returns my gaze♪

♪Gazing at moonlit nights♪

♪The moon appears brighter because of you♪

♪Leaning against the tower, it returns my gaze♪

[The Legend of Anle] [Adapted from a novel by Xing Ling]

[Episode 13]

You have been serving me since you were a child.

I know you are mature and reliable,

but she holds much significance.

If she makes a mistake

and affects our overall plan,

I'd have no choice but to kill her.

I have always taken your orders to heart.

Her demeanor today

almost resembles Miss Di's.

Then, do you know

that she laid a wrong weiqi piece today?

I have been tutoring her every day,

and she has been practicing diligently,

but her talent

does not match up to Miss Di's.

Fair enough.

If she's not a good weiqi player,

make sure she avoids playing weiqi in front of other people.

Yes, sir.

Always remember this.

She is one of my pawns,

and a very important one at that.

I will not let anyone disrupt my plans.

I will remember that.

[Crown Prince's Residence]

(Ziyuan.)

(If I were to keep you safe,)

(should I conceal my yearning for you)

(so that you do not fall into unexpected pitfalls?)

(Everyone says that I'm losing my nerve because we used to be so close,)

(but they don't know how much goes through my mind)

(just to meet you once.)

♪The endless night awaits the break of day♪

♪Blurring myriad obsessions along the way♪

You've been waiting for ten years.

Now, I return you Di Ziyuan just in time.

Do you like it?

Are you disappointed?

♪You can't discern♪

♪Shattering illusions of desolation and dismay♪

♪Carrying the weight of the world, come what may♪

[Yuanshui Pavilion]

How I envy Di Ziyuan.

She has a Crown Prince who's been waiting for her for ten years,

and Mingxi, who's so gentle

and dotes on her so much.

But

I am her,

and she is me.

Whatever she has, I will have them.

Whatever she doesn't have,

I will have them.

You're drunk.

Mu Qing.

Drink some too.

This is my first time drinking.

I didn't know that wine

was so tasty.

Stop drinking.

Mu Qing.

I've tasted the sweet things in life,

and I don't want the bitter stuff anymore.

I want to be Di Ziyuan for real,

the Crown Princess of Jing,

and the woman

that people

envy the most.

[Lingxiang Pleasure House]

For now, Di Cheng'en is still behaving herself.

Over the past few days,

she has been staying at Yuanshui Pavilion,

devoid of any contact from outsiders,

and copying Buddhist sutras every day.

I did not have such a hobby as a child.

Still, she has stayed in a temple for ten years,

so she had no choice.

Any news from the palace?

None.

Both Han Ye and Anning have not visited her.

Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager is supporting Gu Wanying in the Crown Princess selection.

While they contend with each other,

the palace is surprisingly calm.

Looks like

Han Zhongyuan is about

to take action.

That's right.

Han Zhongyuan may loathe Di Ziyuan,

but he'd hate to see Gu Yunnian's daughter

become the Crown Princess.

He will search for other candidates to his liking.

[Yuchen Hall]

Left Chancellor, you mean

we should invite the Northern Qin to join the Crown Princess selection too?

Your Majesty.

The Northern Qin and the Jing State are neighboring nations.

There has been constant unrest.

Ever since the Di family...

Ever since the Di family colluded with the Northern Qin enemies

and had its nine generations exterminated,

both nations have since reached a truce

and restored peace to the borders.

However...

However what?

As far as I know,

the Northern Qin

has been suffering from a drought since two years ago,

and the borders' unrest has escalated.

If inviting them to join the Crown Princess selection

can improve our diplomatic relations

and prevent unrest,

it would prove beneficial

to our state and the people.

Go on.

Princess Mo Shuang from Northern Qin

is eligible for marriage,

and she has grown into a fine young lady.

She is a good match for the Crown Prince.

Very well.

Then, invite the Princess of Northern Qin to join the Crown Princess selection.

Having more candidates in the Crown Princess selection

would divert people's attention from you,

which keeps you safer.

As long as the fake Di Ziyuan is around,

anyone would see me

as Ren Anle the pirate,

who lusts over the Crown Prince's looks, power,

and the position of Crown Princess.

Who would expect that I'm the real Di Ziyuan?

Ziyuan.

Ziyuan.

The name Di Ziyuan

now sounds so unfamiliar to me,

Mingxi.

But this name reminds me

of the days we spent in Jingnan as a child.

Ziyuan.

Do you still remember

the Flowers of Longing in Jingnan?

My father planted those for my mother.

They looked like a sky of stars in the garden back then.

But ever since we moved to the capital,

I've never seen them again.

My revenge concerns the innocence of 80,000 men.

We are walking on thin ice.

We do not know if we will succeed,

nor do we know how our lives would end up.

As for the Flowers of Longing,

I do not know when I will see them again.

Mingxi, I need to go back now.

Sure.

(Ziyuan.)

(When you were little, you asked me)

(if I was working for the Di family or you.)

(My heart)

(has never changed.)

[Crown Prince's Residence]

What are you thinking?

Your Highness, why are you talking to yourself?

There's no one else here.

Ever since Ziyuan returned to the capital,

the only person who has visited her

is her former bodyguard, Luo Mingxi.

Humiliated, she had to change her name before she could return,

and now she's all alone

in the capital.

Then, why haven't you

visited her yet?

The gap between us has grown too wide.

If you want your family to reconcile with hers,

then it's best if you marry the girl

from Dai Mountain.

That's why the Crown Princess

can only be Di Ziyuan.

[Yuanshui Pavilion]

Has the Empress Dowager

called me into the palace?

No matter how many Buddhist sutras you copy,

you will not gain the Empress Dowager's favor.

I am neither the daughter of the powerful Marquis Zhongyi

nor the noble Princess of Northern Qin.

As the daughter of a sinner,

other than presenting

some handwritten Buddhist sutras,

what else could I do?

Have you revised

Di Ziyuan's past today?

I've been memorizing it for ten years.

Everything's imprinted on my mind.

Even Luo Mingxi, her closest friend,

didn't suspect me, did he?

The people in the palace are unfathomable.

Do not let your guard down.

Mu Qing.

I know you want the best for me.

I'll revise her life story after I finish copying this.

Now, the Crown Prince insists on marrying no one else but me.

His confidante, Luo Mingxi,

is also showering me with affection.

As long as I win the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's favor,

the position of Crown Princess

will be mine.

Stop coveting things that do not belong to you.

What about my decade-long imprisonment in Dai Mountain

and the humiliation I'm facing now?

Do they belong to me?

Miss Di.

The Empress Dowager has sent someone here.

You managed to execute

a cunning strategy this round.

Well played.

Still, my skills are not enough

to defeat you, Official Luo.

This is why I have lost.

If only Di Cheng'en

had half of your talents,

I wouldn't be so worried now.

Perhaps her inadequate skill in weiqi

is not due to her lack of talent.

I heard from Qianyue Pavilion

that she has been sending her handwritten Buddhist sutras

to the Empress Dowager.

It looks like

she's desiring more than freedom.

Mu Qing.

The Empress Dowager sent someone to inform me

that the Empress Dowager praised my calligraphy,

and she wants me to write the plaque for the newly built prison.

She has finally acknowledged me.

Do you know that the prison

was rebuilt from the Residence of Marquis Jing'an?

The Residence of Marquis Jing'an had been abandoned for years,

so they're making good use of it, aren't they?

You are now Di Ziyuan.

The Residence of Marquis Jing'an is your former residence.

When I want to be the Crown Princess,

I'm not Di Ziyuan.

When they want someone to write the plaque,

I'm her.

Mu Qing.

The Crown Prince has not visited me,

and the Empress Dowager is making my life miserable because of my identity.

If I offend both of them in this dispute,

I would be sent back to Dai Mountain,

and then

I'd never get to leave there anymore.

Excuse me.

Make way.

General.

What is it?

People from the Northern Qin are here.

The Princess of Northern Qin is joining the Crown Princess selection.

They've probably sent some emissaries in advance.

The Jing State and the Northern Qin may have called a truce,

but our relations are far from cordial, and they're joining the selection?

News of the Northern Qin seems to reach your ears quickly.

I was stationed at the borders with you,

and under your influence,

I have developed an interest in their affairs.

Is that so?

That's right.

You're over-exaggerating.

The people from Northern Qin are cunning.

Keep your guard up.

[Ministry of Justice]

I heard she's ill,

and you still refuse

to visit her.

You do have a heart of stone.

Do you think she's really ill?

They built a prison right on her former residence, and they want her to write the prison's plaque.

This is utter humiliation.

It's worse

than telling her to change her name.

That's why the ministers have petitioned to object,

and they've dropped the matter for now.

But if Ziyuan didn't insist

on sending her handwritten sutras to the Empress Dowager,

she wouldn't have attracted such trouble.

Still, I am not qualified to comment on this.

Back then,

had I not presented the sword of the Di family to His Majesty,

I wouldn't be here,

sitting and chatting with you,

right?

This incident has reaffirmed my belief

that her will has remained the same despite her decade-long suffering.

She changed her name just to avoid trouble.

She would never forget what happened to her family.

I seem to detect several connotations in your statement.

Do you also think

that my family sided with yours just to avoid trouble,

and not because we were truly loyal

to the current emperor?

Both of us are outsiders.

We cannot hold a candle

to what she has experienced.

I guess that's why you're scared of meeting her.

Actually, the royal family showed her enough mercy

when you asked her life to be spared.

So, there's no need for you

to honor that promise

of making her Crown Princess.

Luo Mingxi.

Are you instigating me?

I have always stayed loyal to Ziyuan.

However, now that she's returned to the capital,

I need to be prudent

so that she becomes the Crown Princess.

How will you do so?

The palace will hold a banquet for the Crown Princess selection.

Before that, if she can keep a low profile,

everything will proceed smoothly.

How will you ensure that?

Yes.

She has suffered for so long.

But if I act on impulse,

everyone would target her.

Even the hidden guards you sent

couldn't stop the Empress Dowager's people.

I guess my hidden guards

have always been underwhelming.

You mean Ren Anle?

How do you know?

How do I know?

The Northern Qin is joining the selection, but you seem uninterested,

and you refuse to meet Ziyuan.

What you care about,

and what tugs at your heartstrings,

is her, isn't it?

Oh, Luo Mingxi.

Worldly relationships

matter the least when selecting a Crown Princess.

I'm not saying I'm in love with her.

You don't have to explain to me.

I just need to remind you

that the Crown Princess selection

will impact the nation's future.

Everyone wants to join this game,

each with their own motives.

Think about it.

If your multiple concerns

stop you from visiting her,

she wouldn't be at risk,

or it's possible

that someone would drown her quietly.

The human mind is the most unpredictable.

Give it more thought.

[Ministry of Justice]

It's sunny out here.

Luo Mingxi.

You don't have to show me to the door.

It's Official Luo.

Still, Your Highness,

you are as attentive as ever.

The capital is in its hottest season at this time of the year,

and looks like we have another dry year

coming ahead.

But in Jingnan,

this is also when the Flowers of Longing are in full bloom.

Jingnan has never had heavy snow,

unlike the capital.

Still, after staying here for so many years,

you and I should have gotten used to it.

Dress warmly.

Thank you for your concern.

What are you doing?

A wind is blowing.

Looks like the whirlwind in the capital

is coming sooner than I thought.

Your Highness, you should go back soon.

A storm is impending.

This way.

Take the umbrella.

Remember to return it.

Your Highness.

I think it's raining soon. Let me hitch a ride.

Your Highness, Miss Di has finally arrived

and so has

the Princess of Northern Qin.

What a happy occasion.

Ren Anle.

Stop talking nonsense.

I have not met Ziyuan yet.

Are you trying to prove

your innocence and determination to me?

I shall take note of it.

You...

The Princess of Northern Qin is joining the selection too.

I know that the marriage of the Crown Prince

is a national affair as much as it is personal,

but I feel so perplexed now.

It's pouring.

You claimed to be perplexed,

but you still leaned towards me without hesitation.

Wipe yourself dry.

I just don't want you to catch a cold,

or else no one would be working at the Court of Judicial Review.

I chose to work there

to relieve you, Your Highness.

Since you're perplexed,

allow me, your problem solver, to help you.

How about this?

I heard that when the Princess of Northern Qin arrives,

His Majesty will hold a grand feast

to start the Crown Princess selection.

To help you adapt,

let's rehearse at Lingxiang Pleasure House tomorrow.

What do you think?

Ridiculous.

After all, during the banquet,

I won't be the only girl in your eyes.

[Jingxin Hall]

Another year has passed.

If not for this portrait,

I'd have almost forgotten your visage.

When you left 13 years ago,

the weather was as horrible as it is now.

At that time, I waited miserably here,

only to hear the announcement of your death.

Now,

even the surviving daughter of the Di family has returned.

Do you expect me to treat her with kindness?

For that Di woman,

you've always been partial to them,

yet you've never spared a thought for me.

Speaking of which,

has Di Cheng'en been up to anything

out of the ordinary?

She may have gotten away from writing the plaque,

but she seems to be sending

her handwritten sutras more often.

I'm going to see

whether she's a tigress or a cat.

[Yuanshui Pavilion]

(What is this?)

(Did someone sneak into my room?)

Miss Di.

What is it?

Miss Di.

The Empress Dowager has sent word

for you to visit her.

The Empress Dowager is finally willing to meet me?

She must be satisfied with my sutras.

The royal gates

are finally opening for me.

[Residence of the Princess]

Grandmother will surely embarrass Ziyuan,

and Ziyuan has always been a proud girl.

Where is Miss Di?

The Empress Dowager just summoned her to the palace.

[Jingxin Hall]

I was praying to Buddha

and forgot you're still kneeling here.

My apologies.

You may rise.

Your Majesty, it is my honor

that you would want to see me.

I would not have complained even if I had to kneel longer.

I summoned you here today.

Do you know what day it is?

Today...

Today is the death anniversary of the Founding Emperor.

All these years, I've been

copying Buddhist sutras in Dai Mountain.

First of all, it's to pray for you.

Second, it's to pray for the Founding Emperor

and for the nation's prolonged prosperity.

Is that so?

Yes.

Hand it over.

Show me.

[Sutra of Merit]

My family had committed treason,

and we deserve to be exterminated.

I am grateful that His Majesty

spared my life.

Is that what you really think?

Yes.

After what the Di family has done,

I can only hope to atone

for some of their sins for the rest of my life.

You are a sensible girl.

Looks like the environment in Dai Mountain,

compared to that of Jingnan,

is more conducive for education.

(Ziyuan.)

(This isn't you.)

(You would never do and say things like that.)

General.

You've been standing guard here the whole day?

What happened?

Why do you look dazed?

I saw her groveling at the Empress Dowager's feet.

She shouldn't have returned.

She doesn't know what she's facing.

General, do not worry.

The Empress Dowager is the leader of the Imperial Harem, after all.

-She would... -No.

Lengbei, you don't know the Empress Dowager.

You don't know what she has done.

I grew up under her care,

yet I refuse to see her now.

I dare not do so either.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

It's just that I've been kneeling for quite some time

outside the Empress Dowager's chamber.

Go back to your room first.

Why did you enter the palace without my permission?

The Empress Dowager summoned me urgently,

but I couldn't find you,

and I didn't want to keep her waiting.

You could have stayed hidden and feigned illness until I return

so we could plan forward.

But she's the Empress Dowager,

the most powerful woman in the capital.

The Empress Dowager can give you riches

or make you die without a trace

inside the palace.

Even if I get hurt,

you'd be there to protect me, right?

Despite having 80,000 soldiers,

the Di family couldn't escape from the Emperor's wrath.

I am a lone soldier.

I cannot protect you.

Mu Qing.

Mu Qing.

When I entered the capital,

I noticed that all the other guards had this on their swords,

so I thought

you deserve

what other people have.

You slept late every night

just to weave this?

I was alone and miserable

until I went to Dai Mountain and met you.

You're my only family.

You took care of me when I was sick.

When I wanted to retrieve my kite snagged on the tree's branches,

you carried me on your back.

Even when I menstruated for the first time,

you consoled me

when I was scared.

I don't know how big or dangerous the capital is,

but in my little world,

you are my hero who can do anything.

Mu Qing.

I can always rely on you,

right?

[Lingxiang Pleasure House]

I knew Gu Yunnian wouldn't give up.

The Empress Dowager kept humiliating Di Cheng'en.

Looks like he's behind it as well.

However, it's a fact that Gu Wanying

is not the most popular candidate now.

That's because

he has already lost his advantage

in the Crown Princess selection.

So what if he could get the Empress Dowager's support?

When it comes to national interests,

Han Zhongyuan is bound to be cautious.

If the Princess of Northern Qin isn't joining,

you might have been his favorite candidate.

Still, Han Zhongyuan chose to watch from afar

while everyone fights for power.

In the end, it's the Crown Prince who finds himself in an awkward position.

That's why I invited him to the pleasure house tomorrow

to test him.

Here.

You should familiarize yourself

with the ministers' recent activities.

The Crown Princess selection

is brewing a storm in the capital.

Their activities,

including that of the Grand Chancellor of the Left,

are actually insignificant.

[Left Chancellor recommends new candidate] But they might motivate Di Cheng'en

to take risks.

[Yuanshui Pavilion] (The Empress Dowager seems upset at me,)

(and the Crown Prince still hasn't visited me.)

(I cannot wait any longer.)

(I need to initiate action.)

(Today, I shall go out for a bit.)

Mu Qing.

How much do I resemble her now?

Your looks resemble hers,

but not your demeanor.

No one in this world stays the same.

I heard that Princess Anning used to be girlish

when she was little,

and she's now a spirited general.

I was imprisoned in Dai Mountain for ten years.

Do they actually expect

to see

the same, proud Di Ziyuan?

No matter what,

once you step out of this room, I'll not be the one you will face.

Be careful.

Mu Qing.

I know

I will never

find anyone else

who treats me better than you do.

At the Residence of Marquis Jing'an, crabapples bloom during spring.

The Crown Prince loves them.

[Caiwei Pavilion]

Your Highness.

Miss Di has returned,

so why are you still collecting her family's belongings?

Grandmother gave her a lecture yesterday.

I cannot sit by and do nothing.

I need to speak up for her.

So, are you going to give her

your present directly?

Your Highness.

The calligraphy of the former head of the Di family

has been bought by another lady.

A lady?

Is it Anle again?

Pardon my interruption,

but this item holds much significance to me.

I wonder if you would be kind enough to sell it to me.

This scroll holds special meaning to me as well.

It was written by my grandaunt.

If you like it, Your Highness,

I, Cheng'en, shall part with it.

No need.

Ziyuan.

This item is meant for you.

Ziyuan.

The crabapple flower on your hair is beautiful.

It looks the same as it was back in your former residence.

Your Highness.

His Majesty has renamed me Cheng'en.

Do not call me Ziyuan anymore.

Fair enough.

I shall call you Cheng'en from now on.

Your Highness,

is she

the girl you've been missing for ten years,

Miss Di?

This is Wen Shuo.

You have never met.

I have heard much about you, Mr. Wen.

You do look the same

as what they say about you.

Your Highness.

Why don't you chat here

while I wait outside?

Sure.

If Jinyan were still alive,

he would be of the same age as Mr. Wen.

You entrusted Jinyan to me,

yet I failed to protect him.

Alas, such is Jinyan's fate.

I could not see him grow up.

It is not your fault, Your Highness.

But, Han Ye,

now that I'm the sole surviving member of the Di family,

do you think

I can still be your Crown Princess?

Your Highness?

Now that we've met after a long parting,

can you

send me back home?

Of course.

Farewell, Your Highness.

Your Highness.

You're finally out.

Anle and the others

must be waiting for you at Lingxiang Pleasure House.

Let's head there now.

Your Highness.

I am grateful enough

to meet you today.

If you have other matters to tend to,

I shall not disturb you.

It's fine.

Wen Shuo.

Send someone to apologize to them.

Tell them that I am busy, and I cannot join them.

Sure.

[Lingxiang Pleasure House]

My brother has never been late.

What is he doing at Caiwei Pavilion anyway?

I guess there's some liquor here

that he doesn't dare to drink

and someone he doesn't want to see.

Official Ren.

His Highness is not coming tonight.

Why not?

His Highness met Miss Di at Caiwei Pavilion earlier,

so he's sending her back to her residence.

I was right.

The person that the Crown Prince wants to meet

is in Caiwei Pavilion.

The next time I see him,

I guess it'd be

during his wedding with Miss Di.

Anle.

I have always believed that you are the best match for my brother.

As for Ziyuan,

don't mind her.

Don't worry.

Since I can offer 30,000 navy forces

in exchange for the position of Crown Princess,

I won't give up so easily.

I'm getting a little tired.

We'll drink

next time.

Sure.

[Crown Prince's Residence]

Your Highness.

Was the lady we saw

really Di Ziyuan, whom you often mention?

Why do I think that she's not as you described?

Her eyes

do look like the Ziyuan I remember.

Still, her personality

feels like a stranger to me.

Compared to Anle,

you could say she's not

to your liking, right?

Ridiculous.

Wen Shuo.

Do you remember anything from when you were young?

When I was young?

I caught a bad cold when I was little

and almost died.

After that,

I can't really remember my life before five years old.

I only remembered that I met you...

It's fine if you don't remember.

The past is not important.

If the past is not important,

why can't you let go of Miss Di and move on?

♪If I bet my all on it desperately♪

♪I know my heart will be uneasy♪

♪I give up on my light and hide it under a bushel♪

♪You're the moon in my heart♪

♪I can't dream to own you♪

♪But I'm willing to forsake my life for you♪

♪I'd go the distance for you♪

♪May the light stay with you♪

♪Romance aside♪

♪I fight for your destiny alongside you♪

♪You're my dream from the bygone youth♪

♪Arriving at the end of my life♪

♪I bear no regrets. But when we reunite in our next life♪

♪Will you still remember me?♪

♪I've concealed my yearning for you♪

♪And guarded your smile♪

♪Please don't leave me in oblivion when we part ways♪

♪I'd go the distance for you♪

♪May the light stay with you♪

♪Romance aside♪

♪I fight for your destiny alongside you♪

♪You're my dream from the bygone youth♪

♪Arriving at the end of my life♪

♪I bear no regrets. But when we reunite in our next life♪

♪Will you still remember me?♪