Original subtitles

♪Flower petals have fallen, piling as high as mortal mercilessness♪

♪Gone with the wind, as if it has never existed♪

♪I ask for more time♪

♪To rewrite our stories♪

♪We travel together in joys and woes♪

♪Blood bathes this entangled destiny♪

♪For the next reunion in the troubled times♪

♪We tread a treacherous path♪

♪To find each other♪

♪Wars and bleakness, the bright moon shines upon the city♪

♪I will offer my bravery♪

♪Fighting relentlessly♪

♪All for no regrets♪

♪In this life-and-death battle, I will not back down♪

♪Withstand enduring time♪

♪Someone at the end of the world never leaves♪

♪I brave the grim haze to be with you once again♪

=Love of Nirvana= (Based on Xiao Lou's novel of the same name)

=Episode 9=

Just as we discover that Teng Rui is still alive

and are searching for him,

he is sent to the Lu's Residence right away.

This is a weird coincidence.

Do you suspect that this is a set-up?

General Lu is no ordinary person.

If we slightly offend him

and displease His Majesty,

we would land ourselves in big trouble.

But if we turn a blind eye to this,

there's only one day left until the deadline for Wei's envoy case.

Your Lordship,

we can't ignore anything suspicious.

I will head to the palace

to ask for His Majesty's permission.

An Cheng,

arrange someone to keep guard here.

You accompany Mr. Cui to inform Mother.

No matter what happens,

don't act recklessly.

Your Lordship,

let me go with you.

No.

You must keep the entire residence and Mother safe.

Your Majesty,

today is the final day.

Wei State

has been waiting for our answer.

How's Liangzhou?

General Lu is guarding the place.

The Wei people dare not make any movement yet.

It's a great fortune to have General Lu

to share my burden.

Your fortune is vast, Your Majesty.

This incident will surely be resolved soon.

Your fortune is vast, Your Majesty.

Chief Steward Tao, please summon me.

I have an urgent matter to report.

You came just the right time, Marquis Pei.

Today is the final day of the deadline.

His Majesty and all court officials

are waiting for you in the main hall.

Chief Steward Tao,

Teng Rui

may be hidden

in Lu's Residence.

Uh...

General Lu has had many achievements lately.

I assume you know the rumors that have been spreading around.

This has always been a concern for His Majesty.

If someone were to make a fuss

about General Lu,

it would only add to His Majesty's worries.

Please offer me some guidance, Chief Steward Tao.

Well,

please stay here.

I will report to His Majesty first.

Uh...

Move aside.

Don't get in my way, or I will kill you.

(Yingtian Gate) Stop it.

General Lei,

bringing weapons into the palace is a serious crime.

Please calm down.

You don't want to make things worse.

Wei Zhao,

you'd better move aside.

I want to

see your Emperor

and demand justice for our envoy,

Lord Teng Rui.

The Marquis of Jianding is handling

Lord Teng's case.

He will give you an answer.

Don't you dare mention Pei Yan.

He brought this harm to Lord Teng.

General Lei,

do mind your mouth.

If I ever lie,

the lightning will strike me down.

If you let me in,

I will confront Pei Yan

in front of your Emperor.

How about this?

Please remove your weapon.

I will show you in.

Your Majesty.

Marquis Pei is waiting outside.

He says Teng Rui may be hidden in Lu's Residence.

Tell him to wait at the study.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Pei Yan,

give me an explanation!

General Lei.

What's the noise outside about?

What's the matter, General Lei?

Please pardon my intrusion, Your Majesty.

I came here today

to seek justice

for the envoy of Wei State,

Lord Teng Rui.

What do you mean, General Lei?

In the presence

of Your Majesty, the Emperor of Liang State,

I accuse Pei Yan, Marquis of Jianding of Liang,

of murdering our envoy, Teng Rui.

Jiang's secret recipe pepper.

Perfect.

Hurry up.

What has happened?

What happened?

Why are there so many soldiers?

Why is everyone suddenly so on edge?

I don't know.

Return to your rooms.

Don't leave the room

without an order.

Yes.

In the presence

of Your Majesty, the Emperor of Liang State,

I accuse Pei Yan, Marquis of Jianding of Liang,

of murdering our envoy, Teng Rui.

General Lei,

you can't make an accusation without proof.

I have solid evidence

to prove that Lord Teng Rui was harmed by Pei Yan.

General Lei,

what evidence do you have?

This jade gourd

was a gift from Lord Teng Rui

to Pei Yan's maid, Jiang.

According to Wei's tradition,

today is the cleansing ritual

of the deceased

(Envoy Quarters) to see their soul off.

Proceed with the cleansing ritual later.

Yes.

Who are you?

Go after that person.

Yes.

I saw a black masked person

in the mourning hall

searching the body.

I tried to capture that person,

but they attacked us with some powder and escaped.

Then, I found this jade gourd

inside Lord Teng's mouth.

I believe

what the black masked person

failed to get from the body

is this jade gourd.

After that person escaped,

a hidden weapon was left.

This is the meteor dart of Changfeng Guards.

I believe

you recognize this.

Uh...

But this is weird.

Prince Zhuang, you think this is weird.

But it's tragic to me.

On the night of Lord Teng's death,

he was trapped in the fire with no way out.

To leave behind evidence,

he held this jade gourd in his mouth,

hoping that the truth

would be revealed one day.

But the coroner didn't find anything

inside Lord Teng's mouth.

Your Highness,

Pei Yan

is the Marquis of Jianding of Liang State.

Naturally,

you would try means and ways to defend him.

That's not true.

On the night of the fire,

the Pei's Residence was holding Madam Rongguo's birthday banquet.

We were with Pei Yan.

How could he commit murder?

But I heard

that on that night,

Pei Yan and the maid, Jiang,

left the banquet halfway,

leaving the Crown Prince behind.

I would like to

ask Marquis Pei,

where

did you go

during that hour?

Lord Pei,

where did you go?

Tell us.

Why are you hesitating?

Pei Yan,

hurry and prove your innocence.

Of course he can't say.

I don't understand.

If he says,

it would reveal that His Majesty was secretly meeting an official's wife,

which would taint

the imperial dignity.

If Pei Yan exposes the Emperor

for his own innocence,

I'm afraid he won't be able

to step foot in the court again in this lifetime.

I see.

But what if Pei Yan says

that Teng Rui is still alive?

He won't say that either.

Why not?

His Majesty and Lu Yu have been wary of each other for years.

If Pei Yan says Teng Rui's still alive,

he has to reveal

Teng Rui's whereabouts as well.

That's why you told us to pretend

to send Teng Rui to Lu Yu's residence.

Because you know Pei Yan can't

or won't dare to say it.

It's not that Pei Yan can't see through this,

but he has too many concerns.

He's caught between

two concerns:

His Majesty's trust

and the pressure from Lei Zhen and Wei State.

But this jade gourd appeared so suddenly.

Can't Lei Zhen see through this?

Do you think he cares about the truth?

He failed to protect Teng Rui

and was bound to be punished when he returned.

That's why he went to great lengths

to eliminate Pei Yan for Wei State

to make amends.

I want Pei Yan to take the blame without being able to speak.

He can't reveal the truth

even if he sees through it.

Pei Yan,

what do you have to say?

Your Majesty,

I'm innocent.

But

I have nothing to say.

Wei Zhao.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Send someone to Pei Residence

to arrest the maid, Jiang.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty...

Pei Yan.

Pei Yan and the maid, Jiang, are involved in a murder case.

They are to be imprisoned

and await punishment.

Without my order,

no one from Pei's Residence

is allowed to enter and leave.

(Marquis of Jianding's Residence) Besiege the whole building.

Make sure not even a mouse

can escape the residence.

(Yue Jinglong, Imperial Guards Commander-in-chief of Liang) Changfeng Guards,

are you trying to defy the imperial order?

Commander An,

don't be impulsive.

Commander Wei.

Commander Wei,

how's His Lordship now?

Lord Pei is already in trouble now.

Don't complicate things for him.

General Yue,

His Majesty only decreed to surround the building.

Don't offend the Marquis of Jianding's Residence.

Greetings, Madam Rongguo.

His Majesty sent me

to bring the maid, Jiang,

to the palace for investigation.

Du.

Yes, Madam.

Your duty is to investigate.

Why surround the residence?

My apologies for startling you, Madam.

But before the case is resolved,

everyone in the residence must cooperate with the investigation.

Madam,

Jiang is here.

Lowly maid,

do you admit your fault?

Take her away.

Your Majesty,

I was careless

and gave someone the opportunity to frame me.

As the Marquis of Jianding,

you investigated the case by my order.

Instead of finding the truth,

you let the Wei People defame you.

It's all my fault.

Please punish me, Your Majesty.

You are sensible

and loyal.

You also didn't get General Lu involved in this case.

If I punish you,

I will become an ungrateful and unwise ruler.

I wouldn't dare.

Well.

Get up.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Pei Yan,

you said Teng Rui isn't dead.

I trust you.

But your investigation

has implicated General Lu.

Your Majesty,

please grant me another chance...

Enough.

Enough said.

I have made my decision.

I can protect you once more.

As for the maid,

she can't be spared.

Your Majesty,

she's innocent.

Foolish!

I have excused

your past misconduct

because I think you are still young.

But this matter is of significance.

Do you want me to teach you?

Your Majesty,

she has nothing to do with this.

I'm willing to bear the blame all by myself.

Pei Yan!

Do you want to give up everything

just for a maid?

Your Majesty,

Jiang is here.

Lock her up.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Move.

Pei Yan,

you should know what to do.

Hurry!

You are dismissed.

- Yes. - Yes.

You are really something else.

For what has happened,

you had it coming.

You must've been moved

when Pei Yan pleaded for you.

To my surprise,

Pei Yan actually cares so much for you.

You will be happy

to die for him, right?

Let's see who dies first.

Sure.

Let's see.

I have excused

your past misconduct

because I think you are still young.

But this matter is of significance.

Do you want me to teach you?

Your Highness.

Lord Pei,

why have you made a careless mistake?

I'm sorry to have worried you, Your Highness.

Could you help me

to deliver a letter to my mother?

I was being reckless

and may have caused her concern.

No worries.

You are a caring son.

I will do you this favor.

Anyway, don't worry too much.

As soon as this matter has died down,

I will find a way to get you out of here.

Thank you, Your Highness.

However,

His Majesty was furious just now.

If he finds out that you help me,

I'm afraid it will enrage him again.

Therefore,

it's better to keep this between us.

All right.

Your Highness.

Yes?

Could you help me

to save Jiang Ci?

Get a grip.

Don't let such matters hold you back

or do silly things.

Jiang Ci is the only witness

in Teng Rui's case.

What?

This is serious.

I wouldn't dare hide it from you.

Why have you kept

such an important thing for so long?

The assassin is cunning

and conniving.

I didn't want to alert them.

Now that Jiang Ci is in prison,

if the assassin silences her here,

we will never find the real culprit

and save Teng Rui.

All right.

But it's late now.

I will deliver the letter first.

Tomorrow morning,

I will see what I can do.

Your Majesty.

How's the Lu's Residence?

It's quiet.

No one was disturbed.

What about Lei Zhen?

I have instructed my men

to send Lei Zhen and the rest back to the envoy quarters.

But he insists on waiting

until we get to the bottom of the case

before returning to Wei State.

Your Majesty,

what should we do with Jiang?

She has bewitched my trusted aide.

There's no need to keep her.

When I was working on the investigation,

I heard

that Teng Rui might still be alive.

If that's true,

the girl is not the murderer.

I doubt she's capable of killing anyone.

But something is amiss

that the jade gourd was found in the envoy quarters.

Go and interrogate her.

I can't tolerate

anyone who uses my subordinate for an ill-intent.

What I want is the result.

As for the rest,

it's up to you.

Yes, Your Majesty.

My Lord,

did His Majesty notice your wound?

No.

How's the Pei's Residence now?

Everything proceeds as you predicted.

The Changfeng Guards were under close surveillance.

None of them can come out.

Imperial Guards have been withdrawn from all checkpoints.

His Majesty won't keep Pei Yan imprisoned for too long.

Proceed with the plan.

Transfer Teng Rui out of Qingkang as soon as possible.

I will get on it now.

Do be careful.

Yes.

(Marquis of Jianding's Residence)

The Crown Princess sent us over

to visit Madam Rongguo.

No one is allowed in.

Commander Yue,

people might think

we have committed

a serious crime.

Surely, you jest, Madam Rongguo.

- We are just... - "We"?

Yue Jinglong,

I'm the Noble Lady of First Rank honored by His Majesty.

What rank do you hold

to associate me with you?

I misspoke.

Please forgive me,

Madam.

His Majesty forbids anyone to enter or leave the residence.

The Crown Princess sends her maids to visit me.

I didn't send anyone out.

That's not that I defy the order, right?

Let them in.

(Marquis of Jianding's Residence)

Where's Wei Zhao?

I want to see him.

How dare you

speak the name

of Commander Wei!

I have an important clue to tell him.

Can you afford the punishment if there's any delay?

Greetings, Commander Wei.

This woman...

Open the door.

Yes.

You are dismissed.

Yes.

You stole my jade gourd.

If you hadn't meddled

and told Pei Yan that Teng Rui was still alive,

I would've had to put you in prison.

It's you who brings harm to him,

not me.

You are being ridiculous.

Can't I retaliate

when you attack me first?

Yifei.

Yes.

What are you trying to do?

Let go of me.

You have no value now.

So there's no need to keep you.

What are you doing?

- Let go of me! - Open your mouth.

You like to drink, don't you?

Don't worry.

You won't suffer too much.

At Fanglin Manor that day,

you ruined my plan.

Liu lost his arm

when you tried to rescue Teng Rui.

And Li

was killed

because of you.

In your next life,

don't climb trees again.

If you encounter any problems in the future,

make the moon gesture.

I will

find a place

to meet you.

I will give you one more chance.

Tell me what you have to say.

If you dare play any tricks,

I will give you a more painful death.

I left a letter.

It says that you are the Silver Masked Person,

all the threats you used on me,

and the evidence I left on you.

Do you remember that I fell

when we met at the market that day?

Ah, my seeds!

The seeds you stepped on are Dark Night Orchid.

Once it gets on you

or your shoes,

it's hard to wash them away.

Even if you do,

it shows a faint shade

when soaked in the white vinegar.

Do you think

you can kill me

with just a letter?

You are Wei Zhao,

the commander of Guangming Bureau.

His Majesty trusts you the most.

I know

that after telling you this,

you would destroy your boots

or make excuses

about the letter

or the mud under your boots.

However, it will also plant a seed of doubt

in the mind of His Lordship and His Majesty.

It may be a tiny seed,

but it will take root in their hearts

and create a crack.

Once the crack is formed,

all of your schemes and plans

will fall through.

The Marquis's residence has been surrounded now

without letting a fly in.

How could you possibly go in

to find a letter

that you don't even know where I hid it?

You said

that His Majesty wouldn't be harsh on His Lordship.

His Lordship will return home soon,

and he will find out.

Don't think I won't kill you.

Go ahead.

You...

You said the Liang people are brutal.

But how are you any different from them

with what you have been doing?

Greetings, Your Highness.

Why are you here?

Your Highness,

Commander Wei is interrogating the criminal.

As a rule,

we can't stay there.

No!

Sanlang!

Keep her alive!

Sanlang.

Your Highness,

I came to interrogate the criminal by the order of His Majesty.

You came in hurriedly.

What's the matter?

Pei Yan asked me

to save this girl.

I didn't know

Pei Yan would care about her so much.

He still tries to protect her

when he's also in prison.

Sanlang, you may not know

how important this girl is.

Last night, Pei Yan told me

that she was the only witness in Teng Rui's case.

Pei Yan has hidden this secret so well.

If the witness dies,

I'm afraid it could cause more trouble between us and Wei State.

I will go and plead with Father.

Sanlang,

could you

put some good words for Pei Yan

in front of Father?

You are compassionate, Your Highness.

I bid you goodbye, Your Highness.

I didn't expect

Pei Yan to do so much

for this brat.

My Lord,

what should we do now?

Pei Yan even told His Highness

that Jiang Ci was the witness in Teng Rui's case

to save her life.

We can't kill

this brat.

Lucky her.

Wait.

Pei Yan won't just stand still and do nothing.

Jiang Ci can't be the only reason

why he met His Highness.

Is there more up his sleeve?

Go and investigate

what he did after His Highness left

last night.

Yes.

Be careful.

(Zheng, Jun, Shadow Sect of Yueluo) Don't worry.

Don't worry, Mrs. He.

Mr. He,

we will wait for you at Yueluo to have a drink.

Good idea.

I won't agree with that.

Mrs. He, please.

Stop joking around.

Hurry and set off.

Stay safe.

All right.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Greetings, Your Highness.

What did you get from that maid?

I used torture,

but she's clear.

I'm afraid

someone used her.

The Crown Prince

also pleaded with me

to give Pei Yan another chance.

You are compassionate, Your Highness.

Father,

I know Pei Yan very well.

I believe this is a set-up against him.

Father,

please give him a chance to redeem himself.

Well.

Go to the prison

and release Pei Yan.

Tell him

I will give him three days

to prove his innocence.

Thank you, Father.

The Crown Prince is soft-hearted

and kind.

When he ascends to the throne

after my passing,

I'm afraid he will be surrounded by grim trouble.

You will definitely live to a ripe old age, Your Majesty.

In fact, what His Highness says does make sense, too.

If Pei Yan

truly likes that girl,

you may spare her life,

and Pei Yan

will surely be grateful to you.

Release that girl as well.

For the next three days,

keep a close eye on Pei Yan.

Yes, Your Majesty.

My Lord,

last night,

the Crown Princess sent some maids to the Pei's Residence

to visit Madam Rongguo.

Inform Mr. He

to cancel the plan.

Yes.

Mr. He!

Mr. He!

What happened?

Where are Jun and Zheng?

They are off to transfer Teng Rui out of the capital.

Hurry

and catch up to them.

There's an ambush.

Quick.

Let's go.

Stop.

Regular check.

Go.

(Qingkang)

Move aside!

Move aside!

Move aside!

The swill bucket is falling!

(Qingkang) Mr. Ping is waiting at the dock.

Once we are on the boat,

Pei Yan won't be able to find us,

no matter how resourceful he is.

(Xu Jun, Changfeng Guards Commander, Marquis of Jianding's Residence, Liang)

I have been waiting for you.

(Sanitation Bureau, Qingkang)

Leave now.

Young Master will be exposed

if they see you here.

Mrs. He,

let's leave together.

I must burn all of this

and not leave any traces.

Go now!

Mrs. He!

Take her away.

Your Highness.

Lord Pei,

Father gave you three days

to prove your innocence.

Your Highness,

I will not forget

your kindness.

You should thank Sanlang

for how smoothly this went.

Sanlang?

Father sent him to interrogate Jiang Ci earlier today.

Fortunately, I arrived in time

and saved your maid's life.

Anyway,

Sanlang also pleaded with Father,

so Father didn't kill her.

Your Marquis Pei

has been pardoned by His Majesty.

If Pei Yan returns home

and finds your letter,

what will he do

after finding out what you've done?

If he also learns that we have been in close contact,

I'm afraid

you won't be able to leave Qingkang.

Impossible.

His Lordship was pleading with His Majesty for me.

He isn't that kind of person.

Jiang Ci,

you can't change anyone

or anything.

(North Prison)

Ci.

Your Lordship.

Sanlang, I won't forget

your kindness.

I'm truly impressed

by what you've done for this maid.

Ci,

how did you get hurt?

What happened?

I accidentally hurt myself.

Your Lordship,

I'm sorry

that I lost the jade gourd

and caused trouble for you.

This is a frame-up

by someone

who hides in the shadows.

It's not entirely

your fault.

Maybe

you can talk in private

after returning home.

Sanlang, I won't forget

the kindness you extended to me.

I'm just carrying out orders.

I suppose you know

that His Majesty gives you only three days.

Feel free to let me know

if you need any help.

That's very kind of you.

Changfeng Guards are now trapped in the camp.

I would like to borrow

your Dawn Guards.

You seem confident.

Do you

have any plans?

The mastermind and I have been fighting,

and up to this point,

both sides have been devastated.

As for now,

it's in fate's hands.

Faster.

Even faster!

Zheng,

are you all right?

This seems bad.

I think we can't make it to the dock.

I will stop them.

You go first.

Zheng!

Zheng!

Zheng!

Greetings, Your Lordship.

Is this

Xu Jun from Changfeng Guards?

Greetings, Commander Wei.

Aren't you stationed in Shicheng, Commander Xu?

Why are you here?

This is quite a coincidence.

It was my mother's birthday,

and Xu Jun led a team to escort gifts to the capital.

They encountered a landslide

in Mount Hongfeng.

They were all fine,

but a few of the escorted deers ran off.

Xu Jun realized that he had failed his duty

and sent me a message

saying that he was ashamed to face Mother.

He wouldn't leave Qingkang

until he found those deers.

So Commander Xu has been stationed outside Qingkang City?

What a coincidence.

Yes.

After being imprisoned,

I suddenly remembered this

and asked His Highness

to send a message to Mother.

I knew the assassins would transfer Teng Rui out of the capital

while the Changfeng Guards were under confinement.

So I instructed Xu Jun

to keep an eye on passing vehicles

at several gates.

They surely are a godsend for you.

Commander Xu,

have you found anything?

I have rescued Lord Teng

and sent him to the palace for treatment.

Besides,

I also confirmed

the identity of the criminal caught at the gate just now.

It's He, who has been working in the Sanitation Bureau for years.

Just now,

I arrested another woman

in the Sanitation Bureau

who was burning evidence.

Bring them here.

(Yuling Tavern)

Move.

(Rouge Store)

Kneel.

You are He?

Own up.

Who ordered you

to kidnap Lord Teng?

I will spare your life if you confess.

Just kill me if you want.

Stop pretending.

Xu Jun.

Yes, Your Lordship.

Whip them.

Out with it.

Scoundrel!

Kill me if you can!

Continue.

Speak up.

Your Lordship,

please stop.

They are just an old couple.

Your Lordship.

Stop.

Are you confessing or not?

Continue.

Lord Pei,

you won't get an answer from them.

You can leave this

to me.

(Fengman Restaurant)

Step back.

(Take this)

(and take me hostage.)

(Now.)

You mere court jester!

A disgraceful fawner!

Who are you to interrogate me?

I'm always kind

to women and kids.

I will give you a chance.

All right.

I will confess.

Dear.

Dear!

Kill me.

Kill me!

To bring the truth to light,

Wang Shiquan is a crucial witness.

He can't die yet.

I will avenge Lan

for sure.

Don't worry, Young Master.

We understand the truth is more important than personal grudges.

Mrs. He,

let's leave together.

No!

Young Master will be exposed

if they see you here.

I have to burn all of this

and not leave any traces.

Go!

Stay alive.

(Fengman Restaurant)

♪Pluck a red bean, cherish you♪

♪Deep within♪

♪A flower of affection blooms without fading♪

♪Forever in love♪

♪Fold a kite, let it fly with the wind♪

♪Into sweet dreams♪

♪The beautiful moments we shared last through time♪

♪We never leave each other♪

♪My love sees the sun rising and the moon setting♪

♪Your face stays vivid in my mind♪

♪Two hearts bound to each other♪

♪Like flowing water, love and hate continue♪

♪I only wish for your unwavering heart♪

♪You are still there when I turn back♪

♪As passionate as we first met, I hold your hands through eternity♪

♪Time cannot separate us♪

♪Our longings go on♪

♪My love sees the sun rising and the moon setting♪

♪Your face stays vivid in my mind♪

♪Two hearts bound to each other♪

♪Like flowing water, love and hate continue♪

♪I only wish for your unwavering heart♪

♪You are still there when I turn back♪

♪As passionate as we first met, I hold your hands through eternity♪

♪Time cannot separate us♪

♪Our longings go on♪