Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Destined]

[Episode 37]

Why did you ask me that?

For me,

there are two most important things in my life.

One is the state of Da Xia,

and the other is you.

I must

entrust these two things

to the person I trust the most,

so that I can rest in peace.

Father!

Why am I not good enough?

Why can't I be the emperor?

Yu'er.

If you can be like Gu Jiusi,

I would surely...

Enough!

Shut up!

Stop pretending.

Gu Jiusi.

In your eyes,

there has only been others,

but not me.

You left me on my own

in Youzhou.

Father.

You can only see

your empire

and your officials.

You are so cold-blooded and ruthless

to your own son.

What kind of father are you?

Yu'er.

Yu'er, you...

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

How could you offend His Majesty like this?

How could you be so reckless?

His Majesty has been ill for a long time.

[Peace and Tranquil]

He can't take any more torment.

Your Majesty.

I'll summon the imperial physician immediately.

Your Majesty!

Call in the imperial physician!

Imperial physician!

Call in the imperial physician!

Father.

Father.

Father!

Father!

Don't go.

Don't leave me.

Father.

I'm scared.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Grand Tutor.

I'm an orphan now.

I made Father so angry that he died.

Your Majesty, stop talking nonsense.

The late emperor died of illness.

It had nothing to do with you, Your Majesty.

Before Father passed away,

his dying wish was to let Uncle Zhou be the next emperor,

not me.

That's not true.

The country

is already yours, Your Majesty.

The late emperor knew that

his time was coming,

hence he summoned Your Majesty to the palace to grant you his will.

As for the content of his will,

only Your Majesty know about it.

[I hereby order Zhou Gaolang to lead the Youzhou Army to pacify Nanzhao.]

Asking Uncle Zhou

to conquer Nanzhao?

Yes.

You want me

to pass on a false will of Father's?

Zhou Gaolang made great contributions, which is a threat to the emperor.

Only if he leaves Eastern Capital

can Your Majesty rest easy

on your throne.

But...

But what if Zhou Gaolang has doubts

and refuses to go?

He will believe it.

Why?

There has always been a rift

between Zhou Gaolang and His Majesty.

They were indeed inseparable before.

But later,

they were separated by the identity difference between emperor and official.

This will

simply serves to

establish the unclear

but undeniable mistrust

[I hereby order Zhou Gaolang to lead the Youzhou Army to pacify Nanzhao.]

between them.

If this will

confirms his guess,

he will think

he knew it long ago.

So he'll be convinced.

If he believes

this is Father's will,

he will definitely do it

even if he has to put his life on the line.

Your Majesty.

The late emperor has passed away.

My condolences, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

Brother Fan!

Good brother.

Good brother!

Good brother...

General Zhou.

The new emperor ordered me

to deliver the late emperor's will.

His Majesty just passed away.

The Crown Prince hasn't ascended the throne yet,

and you are already saying things like

the new emperor and the late emperor.

Aren't you a bit too impatient?

Zhou Gaolang, listen to the edict.

The mighty Grand General Pacifying the North,

Zhou Gaolang,

led troops to garrison the border.

He's been through tough battles.

He's loyal and brave,

and is of vital importance to the country.

The bandits in Nanzhao refused to surrender

and forcibly intruded the border.

The people are suffering.

I hereby order

Zhou Gaolang

to lead the Youzhou Army to the south,

serve the country

by pacifying Nanzhao,

and demonstrate the military prestige of Da Xia.

Respect this.

His Majesty wanted us to conquer the south instead of garrisoning the north?

That's right.

The Youzhou Army is mostly

composed of cavalry.

They were born and raised

in the north.

They are better at

horseback archery on open prairies.

Why did he want us to

conquer Nanzhao in the rugged mountains and humid rain forests

in the south

instead of

garrisoning the border in the north?

His Majesty's mind is unpredictable.

I don't dare to guess.

General Zhou.

Take the edict.

Right.

That's what he wanted.

My old brother

wanted me

to wipe out

the border

with my gnawed old bone

for the Crown Prince.

To realize my angry words

of dying on the battlefield.

In case

this old man, whose merits make the emperor uneasy,

becomes a threat

to the new emperor.

Old brother.

I'll listen to you.

I'll listen to you.

I,

Zhou Gaolang,

receive the edict.

Brother Ye.

Jiusi.

Yuru.

It's been three years.

I've been waiting for you here

for a while.

Yuru.

Although I've got the news beforehand,

seeing you

standing in front of me now,

it's still hard to believe.

I'm so happy.

Thank you

for taking care of my mother

and mother-in-law over the past three years.

Please accept my kowtow.

Don't say that.

Shi'an.

How is Eastern Capital?

His Majesty

passed away.

His Majesty's coffin has been sent to the mausoleum.

How could this be?

A few days ago,

His Majesty sent a message

through Baiyujing,

saying that despite his illness,

he was feeling okay.

How could he suddenly pass away?

Did any other event

happen in Eastern Capital?

There's indeed something weird.

The Crown Prince was summoned to the capital.

He brought a woman with him.

He even brought her

to the palace to see His Majesty.

Everyone thought

His Majesty would be furious.

However,

His Majesty approved this marriage.

It's Lady Xifeng.

How do you know?

She is the owner

of Lanxiao House in Yangzhou.

She works for Luo Zishang.

His Majesty ordered the Crown Prince to reflect on his mistakes in Youzhou

in order to isolate him

from those treacherous people.

I didn't expect that Luo Zishang

still managed to reach him.

I guess Luo Zishang

has been reinstated.

Yes.

When the Crown Prince ascends the throne,

he will definitely make his comeback

and become the most powerful official in the country.

Not only that.

the Crown Prince is weak in mind.

If he is constantly under Luo Zishang's control,

the entire Da Xia

will fall into his hands in the future.

By the way,

there's even worse news.

The day before yesterday,

General Zhou led the army

to conquer Nanzhao.

Leading the army to conquer Nanzhao?

Isn't that suicidal?

Let alone losing the battle,

even if he wins,

there'll still be a heavy price to pay.

Whose order was that?

It's said to be His Majesty's will.

I don't believe it.

I don't think

this was His Majesty's idea either.

The death knell hasn't stopped yet,

and the new emperor couldn't wait to send the army to conquer the south.

There must be something wrong.

But the imperial edict has been issued.

Even if we have doubts,

we have no evidence.

We need to find out

Luo Zishang's whole plan as soon as possible.

This way,

we can know

what his thoughts really are.

Mother.

Mother-in-law.

We're back.

Mother.

Mother, don't you recognize me?

I'm Yuru.

Sister.

Am I sick again?

I just got better,

but why do I see

Yuru is back again?

Mother.

Mother, you've really recovered.

I got the famous doctor

from Ningzhou for you.

I'm Yuru.

I'm not dead.

Mother, I'm home.

This is impossible.

I just convinced myself that

Yuru is gone.

Sister Su.

Your daughter

is really home.

Mother.

It's really Yuru.

Mother.

Yuru.

Mother.

Yuru.

Mother!

Yuru.

Mother!

Yuru, my child!

Mother!

-Mother!/N-Yuru!

Mother, I'm home.

Yuru.

Mother.

You're finally back.

I'm back.

I'm back, Mother.

Mother.

I'm home.

I'm home.

Has Zhou Gaolang set off?

Yes, he's already out of town.

Notify Zhao Can, Commissioner of Jingzhou, that

once Zhou Gaolang's army

starts fighting against Nanzhao's army,

cut off

the provisions for the front line right away.

No matter how brave

and formidable Zhou Gaolang's troop is,

without provisions,

he'll definitely lose.

This time,

I'll make sure he and his son

die in Nanzhao.

Yes.

You'll recover soon.

We just need to change the dressing for two more days.

Yun'er.

I just got the news.

Sister's still alive.

What are you talking about?

My sworn sister Liu Yuru.

She's still alive.

What nonsense are you talking about?

You don't believe me?

Here.

Look.

Yuru's letter.

[Yun'er, how have you been? I've made it back safely. I miss you a lot. By Yuru]

Sister Yuru.

[Yun'er, how have you been? I've made it back safely. I miss you a lot. By Yuru]

It's really written by Yuru.

Sister Yuru is still alive.

Sister Yuru is still alive!

She's still alive!

My Sister Yuru is still alive!

My Sister Yuru.

She's still alive.

Great.

She's still alive.

Look.

She wrote this herself.

She wrote this herself.

She wrote this herself.

Sister Yuru is still alive.

She's still alive.

She's alive.

She's still alive.

This is great! Shen Ming!

Shen Ming! This is great!

Great.

Great.

Great.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Dear officials.

Why don't you kneel?

Your Majesty.

The late emperor was benevolent and compassionate.

Considering the old officials are aged,

he ordered that

we don't have to kneel in court.

I am the emperor now.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Long live Your Majesty!

Long live Your Majesty!

Good. That's more like it.

You may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

All of you are well-educated.

You know clearly about

the difference between the emperor and officials,

and the nobility of the emperor.

In the future,

formalities can't be ignored in court.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Official Gu.

Yes, Your Majesty.

You did a good job resolving the problem of the Yellow River.

You resolved the water-related disasters of Xingyang

and built dams on the Yellow River.

This is a great merit.

The late emperor granted you the position of Grand Councilor of the Left.

Therefore, I'll let you be the top-level official

together with Grand Tutor Luo.

You'll be on an equal footing.

I want the late emperor to know that

I treasure the talented.

I will be a wise emperor

and be praised by the people.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

However,

the late emperor had always liked you.

Now that he has passed away,

I think

you must feel bad too.

I sympathize with you.

From now on,

come to court an hour early

and kneel in the hall

for 49 days.

What the late emperor couldn't see,

such as the clean imperial court

and the peaceful world,

I

want you, Gu Jiusi,

to see it all for Father.

It'll also serve to honor

the relationship of emperor and official between you two.

Yes,

Your Majesty.

It seems that

you didn't listen to my advice

and stay away from Da Xia.

Now,

it's my turn to advice you, Minister Jiang,

to keep a low profile.

Grand Tutor Luo, you are very favored now.

However, the Crown Prince has ascended the throne.

Will he still be under your control?

You must be joking, Minister Jiang.

You and I are both officials.

We are only performing our duties.

Speaking of which,

I have something

to tell you, Minister Jiang.

You're full of lies.

But your love for my mother

is true.

Right?

Actually, the surname of Luo

doesn't matter to me.

On the contrary,

it's the source of all my pain.

There's even

a huge secret.

In fact,

the fire that took place in the Luo family back then

was set by me.

Only when the world is in chaos,

and all the rules

are broken,

can I make a comeback.

It was true.

It is still true.

It'll also be true

in the future.

The lambs kneel to suckle,

and the crows feed their parents.

Even animals know to repay their parents' kindness.

This kid

got no kindness from his mother at all.

Is this God's way of punishing me?

Come on.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Uncle, what's bothering you?

Nothing.

Let's eat.

If there's something bothering him, he must have asked for it himself.

It's because he used to be a playboy

when he was young.

And he always says nonsense like

having a wife and children is like being in prison.

Having a wife and children is like being in prison?

What does that mean?

Is it from the scripture?

It says, for a man, being tied to his wife, children, and household

is even worse than being in prison.

Being in prison, there's a date of release.

However, his wife and children will never leave him.

It actually makes sense.

No matter

how suave a man is,

once he gets married and has children,

he's willing to be imprisoned by this.

What sense does it make?

It's exactly because

your uncle believes these nonsense

that he's still alone.

Otherwise, his child

should have been

as old as you two.

So what?

I have my nephew to take care of me.

Little Jiusi.

In the future,

you'll be in charge of my funeral.

By then,

you don't need to invite anyone.

Just bury me in peace.

Don't write anything on the tombstone.

Not even my name.

Got it?

By the way,

I have gifted Baiyujing

to niece-in-law.

I don't have

anything else.

There's a farm that has horses raised.

There are

many precious good horses there.

I'll leave them all to you.

Stop it.

We're finally reunited.

Why are you talking about this?

Nothing.

I was just saying.

Mother.

Let's eat.

What Uncle said last night

sounded like he's telling us about his will.

He must have something on his mind.

Uncle is very shrewd.

Even my mother

doesn't know what he's thinking.

If he doesn't want to tell us,

we won't be able to guess.

Greetings, Grand Councilor of the Left.

Your Ladyship.

Thank you

for taking the risk and meeting with us.

It's what I should do.

Let's make it short.

When His Majesty passed away,

was your master there?

Yes.

What happened to him?

Ever since His Majesty passed away,

Master has lost his mind.

He became incoherent.

The imperial physician said

it was caused by excessive sadness.

Little butterfly.

My little butterfly flew away.

It flew away!

Why does he keep talking about butterflies?

It's already deep autumn.

He shouldn't be able to see butterflies.

He's just talking nonsense.

A normal person

suddenly went crazy.

It doesn't make sense.

The imperial physician said

it's the insanity caused by sadness.

But I think

it seems to be the symptom

of overdosing on Cold-Food Powder

in a short time.

If he was really poisoned,

he must know something.

But now,

he can't tell us anything.

Little Butterfly.

My little butterfly flew away.

Greetings, Your Ladyship.

How is your master's illness?

Master...

He's still not well.

Thank you for your concern, Your Ladyship.

He served the late emperor for many years.

He made his contributions.

Take good care of him.

Yes.

Butterfly...

Manzi.

Didn't you say

your master said

something weird about me,

and you wanted to show me?

Why did you take me here?

What do you want to do?

I didn't lie.

There's someone

I'd like you to see, Your Ladyship.

As the Grand Councilor of the Left's wife, a titled madam,

if you want to see me,

just hand in a plaque.

You don't have to do this.

Lady Xifeng.

I'm here to get you out of the sea of flames.

I'm already

in the highest position

a woman can be in this world.

But you call it a sea of flames, Boss Liu.

This is not what you want.

It's against your original intention,

and it isn't of your own accord.

Isn't it a sea of flames?

Courtesans like me

are like willows, or duckweeds.

We can't ask for

something to rely on for our whole life.

But now,

who I'm relying on is the most distinguished man

in the world.

How do you know

this is not what I want, Boss Liu?

If you are really willing

to be imprisoned in the golden cage,

to be manipulated

and taken as entertainment,

you wouldn't have let Yun'er go,

or said those things to her.

Why do you let me go?

Show me what you've got.

Show me

how far a weak woman

can go fair and square

in this chaotic world.

Lady Xifeng.

I know

you are not

a heartless villain.

Not only that,

but you are also a smart person.

However, if you go down this path

any further,

there will be no turning back.

There is no such thing as turning back

in this world.

There is.

It depends on whether you want to take it or not.

We will never be on the same path.

Please leave.

Lady Xifeng.

I let Ye Yun go

simply because

her plan for Master

was like

an insignificant canary.

It wouldn't matter if I let her go.

I didn't mean to be kind.

But you are different.

You are the one my master cares about the most.

You and your husband

are the biggest variables in his plan.

Today,

I didn't detain you in secret

or hand you over to Master.

It's only because

this is not the right time.

It's only been a few days

since the Youzhou Army started fighting against Nanzhao,

and their provisions were cut off.

Brother Zhou asked us for help

through Baiyujing.

Zhao Can

wouldn't dare to confiscate military provisions

without permission from the Eastern Capital.

Although the new emperor is arrogant,

he's not sinister.

He's easy to see through.

Killing people with a borrowed sword bloodlessly.

It's most likely

to be Luo Zishang again.

He's willing to kill 300,000 soldiers

to eliminate his dissidents?

Therefore,

we can't let things happen

according to his plan.

Zhou Gaolang and the Youzhou Army

are like the rocks of Da Xia.

If they are defeated in the southwest,

there will be bloodshed

in our country again.

But the mountain roads are rugged and winding during the rainy season.

Even if we have provisions,

it'll be hard to deliver them.

We can use my horse gang.

There are 18 branches

of Shiyu Store in the southeast,

selling jewels and spices.

We've opened five trade routes

to Nanzhao over the years.

The horse gang is familiar with the mountain terrain.

They can definitely find the Youzhou Army

and send the provisions there.

But the military provisions for 300,000 soldiers

will be hard to raise in a short time

even if we gather nationwide efforts.

Miss Shiyu

has been doing business

and raising funds in Lingnan over the years.

It's not only for resolving the Yellow River problems,

but also for today.

But it's a significant matter.

I have to be there myself.

In such troubled times,

it's too dangerous

for you to go alone.

I'll go too.

We'll go together.

You are the Grand Councilor of the Left.

Not to mention His Majesty may not let you go,

Luo Zishang won't let you

leave the capital easily.

I have my way.

Official Gu.

Yes.

How is

the construction of my mausoleum going under your supervision?

Your Majesty.

The royal mausoleum is the top priority.

We can't afford any mistakes.

Minister of Works and I

discussed five times and reviewed eight times

to put together a 100-year construction plan.

We'll make sure it's built perfectly.

100 years?

Your Majesty, you just ascended the throne.

You're in your prime, and you're blessed with longevity.

There's no rush.

Fine.

I'm in no rush.

Then why haven't you started

the construction of Qifeng Pavilion

I want to build for my darling?

I know you love the Crown Princess, Your Majesty.

So the wood I chose

is the finest Phoebe sheareri.

It needs to be transported from the East Sea to Eastern Capital.

However,

the weather hasn't been good.

Recently, there has been a hurricane on the East Sea.

The ship fell over.

[Changgeng Palace]

Gu Jiusi

doesn't respect me at all.

Not only did he delay the task

I assigned to him,

when I asked him about it,

he even responded with sarcasm,

but his words were flawless.

I wanted to be mad, but I had no reason.

If the official doesn't fulfill his duties

and disrespects your prestige,

why do you have to keep him, Your Majesty?

Just dismiss him

and kick him out.

But

he's the Grand Councilor of the Left

appointed by the late emperor.

Now you are the Emperor.

I've always been annoyed

by Gu Jiusi.

I hate it when he gets in my face.

Whenever I see him,

I can't help thinking about

how the late emperor

liked him

more than me, his own son.

But I had to focus on the bigger picture

and keep him as Grand Councilor of the Left

for Father's order.

When you were Crown Prince,

you were treated unfairly the whole time, Your Majesty.

Now,

do you have to endure it longer?

Why don't you punish Gu Jiusi to build up your prestige?

You're right.

Besides, he still called you

the Crown Princess

appointed by the late emperor

in front of so many people in court today.

He has no respect for me at all.

I'll issue a decree right away

to remove Gu Jiusi from the position of Grand Councilor of the Left,

and order him to leave the capital.

You're wise, Your Majesty.

I'm still in mourning.

I'm sorry you have to bear it longer.

After the mourning is finished,

and the enthronement ceremony is held,

I'll officially marry you

and confer you the title of Noble Consort.

What's inappropriate

about dismissing

an official who hasn't fulfilled his duties?

If it's just a dismissal,

of course it's all up to you, Your Majesty.

However, you can't

let Gu Jiusi leave Eastern Capital

and get out of control.

This move

is no different from freeing a tiger.

You worry too much, Grand Tutor.

Although I hate Gu Jiusi,

after all,

he was my sworn brother when I was young.

He has no bad intentions towards me.

Do you really think so, Your Majesty?

If

Zhou Gaolang turns against Your Majesty some day,

will Gu Jiusi assist Zhou Gaolang

or you, Your Majesty?

Can you be sure about that, Your Majesty?

But

I just issued a decree of dismissal to build up my prestige.

If I withdraw my order,

it'll be a slap in the face,

showing that I can't manage

without Gu Jiusi.

Your Majesty.

You don't have to say anything, Grand Tutor.

I know what to do.

The stupid Crown Prince became the emperor.

How foolish.

If Gu Jiusi and his wife leave Eastern Capital,

they will surely raise military provisions

to support Zhou Gaolang's army.

Once they

leave Jingji,

we can no longer

stop them.

Mingyi.

Yes.

Send someone to Gu Mansion immediately.

Remember, be quick and clean.

Yes.

Madam.

Minister Jiang asked me

to see you off.

No one knows of

your route to leave the capital

except the boatman.

Baiyujing's people

will be there all the way.

They will protect you.

Got it.

Also, Minister Jiang asked me to tell you

not to come back and reunite with your family

until everything is settled,

Tell him

we will.

We believe in Jiusi

and Yuru.

Yes.

So the dismissal

was really Gu Jiusi's plan.

He'll definitely go south.

Send an assassin to chase him immediately.

We must stop him and kill him

halfway.

We can't let him escape from Jingji.

Yes.

Nanzhao is such a shabby place.

Even the leaves here are bitter than Youzhou's.

Gu Jiusi replied in his letter

that he'll come to the south to help.

Any update?

Father.

There's no update for now.

Jiusi!

Wait for me here.

Jiusi!

Jiusi!

Jiusi!

Jiusi!