Original subtitles

[Brocade Odyssey]

[Episode 39]

Why did it turn out like this?

I've been feeding these silkworms

for seven years.

Is it because of insufficient light,

or the wrong food?

Did your master

really use silkworms from Nanzhao?

Nanzhao hasn't produced brocade in a hundred years.

Can we really weave it

within a year?

There are less than four months left.

If

we want to leave this place,

we need another plan.

We're skilled artisans.

We can distinguish between Nanzhao silk

and Yizhou silk.

But do you think

the King of Nanzhao can tell the difference?

Even Sheng Fengze,

who claims to be a brocade expert,

can he really tell?

Are you suggesting we use fake brocade?

It can't be completely fake.

The blending ratio of the threads

depends on your judgment.

I remember you hate people who fake things the most.

Back then, they used fake brocade

to frame my father.

Now, I'm using fake brocade to save everyone's lives.

Can you do it?

All right.

This will stay between heaven, earth, you, and me.

If something goes wrong,

just say

I picked the wrong thread.

It has nothing to do with you.

[Chang'an]

This guilty servant, Yang Jinglan,

greets Your Highness.

If you're a guilty servant,

then who else on this court

can be called loyal?

Junior, you risked your life for our master

in Yizhou.

Please accept my bow.

And I must thank you, senior,

for trusting me

and helping me.

I should also thank all of you

for not abandoning Yizhou City

or my family.

That is the land of Tang

and its people.

How could we forsake it?

The Emperor has decided to deal with Niu Jin

and restore peace to Yizhou.

On behalf of the people of Yizhou,

I thank His Majesty!

The path of righteousness,

though millions stand against me...

I will go forward.

[Prince Bai's Residence]

This Nanzhao brocade is entirely made

from Nanzhao silk,

the true Nanzhao brocade.

I ask Your Highness to present it to the King.

I didn't expect you'd actually succeed,

but even as I watch you weave the Nanzhao brocade,

I feel no joy at all.

Maybe it's because

the moment you finished the Nanzhao brocade,

it meant

you'd leave me.

There are two months left in the year.

If we fail to deliver the brocade again,

neither of us nor Your Highness

will remain safe.

None of us will remain safe?

The Tang army has already marched against Niu Jin.

That's good news

for you and Yang Jinglan.

For me...

it's also good news.

With Chang'an's forces dealing with Niu Jin,

they won't have the capacity

to confront Nanzhao.

Once the flames of war subside,

my brother might

show me some mercy.

Then, congratulations, Your Highness.

Congratulations...

Are you congratulating me?

I think you're congratulating yourself!

Congratulations on being able to leave Nanzhao soon,

and leave me behind as well!

You're leaving.

What should I do now?

I've thought of a great idea,

an extraordinary idea!

I could burn down the weaving workshop!

The Nanzhao brocade that could've been woven

would instantly

turn into nothing,

reduced to ashes!

Rebuilding the weaving workshop

would take at least six months.

Six months!

Sheng Fengze,

have you forgotten your original goal?

Wasn't everything you did for the sake

of weaving Nanzhao brocade?

I don't care!

So what?

Qingping Officer never wanted me

to complete the Nanzhao brocade.

I can claim he set the fire!

Madman.

Didn't you tell me

that people can change?

You're right.

I've changed my mind.

Starting today,

whether it's the brocade or the person,

I

want them both!

Your Highness,

Qingping Officer has taken His Majesty

to the weaving workshop.

I've heard

the Nanzhao brocade has already been completed.

To answer Your Majesty,

a sample brocade has indeed been made,

but the quality is poor.

It cannot be considered Nanzhao brocade.

Therefore,

I didn't report it to Your Majesty.

However, these Tang people confidently claim

that they've woven the Nanzhao brocade.

Ji Yingying,

why don't you tell His Majesty yourself?

Did you succeed in weaving the brocade

or not?

To answer Your Majesty,

this humble woman

has indeed woven the Nanzhao brocade.

Your Highness,

regardless of its quality,

since His Majesty is here,

why not present the sample brocade

to him for examination?

This is the Nanzhao brocade woven by Ji Yingying.

Its toughness is lacking.

It tears too easily.

So you're saying

after all this time, there's no result?

That's because

these Tang people never put their hearts into weaving.

Instead, they focused entirely on faking it!

Your Majesty,

what you're seeing isn't Nanzhao brocade.

It's evidence of deception.

And Prince Bai destroyed the brocade

to cover this up.

Your Majesty,

I personally overheard

Ji Yingying conspiring with others

to use Yizhou silk

to pass off as Nanzhao silk,

weaving fake brocade

to deceive you.

As for

whether Prince Bai knew about it,

I'm not sure.

To inform Your Majesty,

I've brought Nanzhao artisans specifically.

Whether this is our Nanzhao silk,

a single test will reveal the truth.

No need for tests.

Your Majesty,

I am fully aware

of this matter.

Not only am I aware,

I was the one

who ordered them to do it.

I was thinking,

if we couldn't weave the Nanzhao brocade,

we could use this as a backup plan.

Please punish me.

Your Majesty,

this was entirely Ji Yingying's decision,

driven by personal motives to deceive you.

His Highness truly had no knowledge of it.

If he had known,

he wouldn't have destroyed the brocade.

He was merely

temporarily blinded by his feelings,

trying to protect Ji Yingying.

This is none of your business.

Be quiet!

What I said is completely true.

Whether for emotions

or for personal gain,

neither should

concern a subject.

As subjects,

our primary duty

is to serve Your Majesty and the people.

You don't

seem afraid at all.

That's because we did weave the Nanzhao brocade.

Our conscience is clear.

But it's not the one presented by Prince Bai.

With 9,600 warp and weft threads,

every strand was woven from Nanzhao silk.

The dyeing process

also incorporated local Nanzhao techniques.

I ask Your Majesty to have it tested.

Ms. Ji,

if you've already woven the Nanzhao brocade,

why go through such complex schemes

and involve everyone else?

Everything I've done

was to meet His Majesty in person

and present

the genuine Nanzhao brocade.

It's done. It's truly done!

The Nanzhao brocade has finally...

Shh.

Is there anything wrong with this brocade?

Sit.

The brocade is fine,

but how can we personally hand it to the King of Nanzhao?

That's the problem.

Exactly.

We're just ordinary people.

It's not like we can easily meet the King.

Do we

have to deliver it personally to the King?

Neither Sheng Fengze nor Du Yan

would ever let the real brocade

reach the King.

That's right.

As soon as they find out the brocade is finished,

there will be trouble.

What should we do?

I need you to act with me in a play.

Let's use their mutual distrust to set a trap

with the fake brocade,

luring the King here.

The real brocade

is our final trump card

to turn the tables.

The Nanzhao brocade...

Nanzhao finally has its own brocade!

As King,

I am not unworthy of my ancestors.

Congratulations, Your Majesty!

We've fulfilled our mission

and can finally go home.

Ms. Ji,

I'm willing to grant you wealth and high status.

Would you be willing

to stay and continue serving Nanzhao?

Thank you for your kind offer, Your Majesty,

but my family and friends are all in Yizhou.

My mother is still waiting for me to fulfill my filial duties.

Please forgive me for declining your gracious offer.

However, I believe

one doesn't have to stay in Nanzhao

to contribute to its prosperity.

I have some influence in Yizhou,

and once I return,

I will actively work

to promote brocade trade between Yizhou and Nanzhao,

ensuring mutual benefit.

This brocade's completion

was thanks to the help of Nanzhao artisans.

I believe

that isolation and secret theft

are not the best solutions.

Only through voluntary communication

and mutual exchange

can we achieve lasting benefits.

Right now, Yizhou

is under Niu Jin's control.

Even if I let you return,

you might have nowhere to settle.

The Tang Empire is vast.

Even if we can't return to Yizhou,

as long as we stand on our homeland,

our hearts will be at peace.

It seems you're determined to leave.

[Nanzhao brocade complete, craftsmen return]

This is the contract

that Your Majesty signed with me that day.

Why did you tear it up?

When I first arrived in Nanzhao,

I was uneasy.

So, I requested this contract from Your Majesty.

But later, I thought about it.

Perhaps I had been worrying too much.

Your Majesty is the ruler of a nation.

Your word is as good as gold.

How could you possibly break your promise to us commoners?

If word got out,

wouldn't it make the people

and other rulers laugh at you?

Since Your Majesty's word is absolute,

why would I still need

this trivial piece of paper?

Although the brocade sample is complete now,

if everyone leaves,

who will stay to continue weaving?

Yizhou is in chaos right now.

Here's a better option:

Those willing to stay

could remain

to teach Nanzhao's craftsmen their skills.

Oh...

Your Majesty,

this humble servant

is willing to serve you.

Who are you?

This humble servant is Zhao Xiuyuan, the Brocade Master of Yizhou.

I started weaving at the age of eight.

If nothing else,

weaving brocade

is what I excel at.

Besides,

Nanzhao's patterns

were also created by me.

These brocade samples

were all my collaborative work.

You're willing to stay in Nanzhao to weave brocade?

Good.

What do you want in return?

This humble servant asks for nothing else,

but only that my fellow townspeople

can return to their homeland soon.

Issue the decree:

From today onward,

except for those staying to teach,

allow all Yizhou craftsmen to return home.

No one leaving shall be obstructed.

As for those willing to stay,

they will receive double their monthly wages

and be treated well.

Understood, Your Majesty.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Thank you, Your Majesty!

The two of you,

who claim to be Nanzhao's greatest strategists,

allowed your selfish motives

to be exploited by a mere woman

and played right into her hands.

You're fined a year's salary

and prohibited from court discussions for the next three months.

Reflect on your mistakes.

Your servant is guilty.

Since the age of nineteen,

I have served the court.

There hasn't been a single day

that I didn't attend court discussions.

In nearly half a lifetime,

I have never suffered such humiliation.

Ms. Ji, you're quite capable.

I've learned my lesson.

And congratulations to Prince Bai

for winning such a deadly beauty.

Take care.

Ji Yingying, stay.

I

have something to say to you.

Everyone else,

leave now.

Get out, all of you!

Do I look like a fool today?

I was ready to take the blame for you,

but instead,

you played me like a puppet.

I predicted Du Yan would use fake brocade to frame you.

I predicted you would destroy my brocade.

But I truly didn't expect

you'd stand up to take the blame for me.

Sheng Fengze,

you've saved me many times,

like the time my house caught fire,

or when we were traveling on trade routes,

or when we were chased by Niu Jin.

Even though you always had your own motives,

you still protected me.

I'm not heartless.

I know everything

you've done for me.

But one person's kindness

can't outweigh their wrongs.

Then how can I make up for it?

Are you saying

you want me to die?

I don't know.

I can't forgive you on behalf of others.

Bai Sheng!

Zhao Xiuyuan!

You begged like a dog

just to let Ji Yingying go.

You schemed against everyone,

only to be outsmarted by someone else in the end.

How does that feel?

You leaked the information

about the border chaos to Yang Jinglan.

You're the real mole!

Initially, Bai Sheng

sent me to uncover your purpose here.

And now, look what's happened.

There's nothing left

in this world

for me to care about.

Let's not talk about the past.

Everything that happened before was my fault.

I have one request.

Will you help me

kill Niu Jin?

If you agree, I, Zhao Xiuyuan,

will ensure your return

to Yizhou!

The name of this bracelet

is called "Never Lost."

Yang Jinglan told me about it.

He said if I mentioned this,

you'd believe

that he and I have already joined forces.

So, you can trust me.

You're not like Yang Jinglan.

When he says he'll kill Niu Jin,

he actually means it.

But you... you're always weighing your options.

Just like now,

with your blade at my neck.

Do you dare kill me?

You keep saying you love Ji Yingying,

acting all crazed,

claiming you'd do anything to have her.

But that's not love.

True love

doesn't mean possession.

True love

is thinking about her every day.

Wondering if she's eaten enough,

if she's warm,

and if she's happy each day.

Let me tell you, Bai Sheng...

that's not love.

Right now,

you only love yourself.

♪The waves rise and fall as you lead♪

♪My heart, a candle's flame♪

♪Burns bright for a promised name♪

♪Love long locked in a hidden place♪

♪Bound by ties too much to erase♪

♪Rising and falling together amidst the waves♪

♪Why fear loneliness in the end?♪

♪Unforgotten♪

♪Memories entwined, stronger than love's song♪

♪A lifetime unfolds, a solitary bloom♪

♪Even if we part, I will hold on long♪

Now,

I've rallied all of Commissioner Mu's old troops.

Once we defeat the rebel army in the northwest,

I will lead the entire army

to Yizhou's gates.

General Xue, you're planning to attack Yizhou City?

Niu Jin is hiding like a coward.

The court will never negotiate or compromise

with such a traitor.

We have no choice but to attack.

But... the civilians in Yizhou City

are all in Niu Jin's hands!

My parents, my wife, and children

are also in the city.

If the day comes

when the army surrounds the city,

Niu Jin

will surely use my family as sacrifices.

What should we do?

Ten days.

Give me ten days.

Take down the leader to capture the bandits.

I'll sneak into the city and give it a try.

Are you confident?

Even without confidence,

I have to try.

How will you do it?

Yang Jinglan!

Niu Jin

has hung Zhuge's body

at the city gate!

What?

Yang Jinglan,

this must be a trap set by Niu Jin

to lure you out.

It's I

who brought Zhuge from Chang'an to Yizhou.

Even if I must brave hell and high water,

I'll bring him back!

Are you out of your mind?

Yang Jinglan!

General Xue, my son may be reckless,

but his loyalty and honor are priceless.

Please, lend your support.

Deploy troops to protect them!

Understood!

[Yizhou]

Stay alert!

Kill!

Bro,

I'm taking you home!

Let's change his clothes.

I'll do it.

There's writing here.

"Even in death, the bones of a hero remain fragrant,

unashamed before the world's finest."

Is this

what he left for you?

It's what my master left for me.

Back when Yizhou City

was surrounded on all sides,

my master left me clues

by carving them

into his own bones.

Yizhou City today

is the same.

Could it be

he also used bone carving to send a message?

Aside from the marks on his wrists,

there are no other injuries on his body.

Are you overthinking it?

No, I'm not.

This writing is old.

It wasn't written recently.

It was prepared in advance,

as if

he knew he might die at any moment

and made arrangements ahead of time.

Gao Fang,

go fetch a coroner.

Are you sure?

I'm sure.

I'll go.

Mr. Yang,

I found this

inside Mr. Zhuge's stomach.

This pattern

looks like a map.

"On the thirteenth, the brocade exchange day,

enter the dark path and chase the light."

The thirteenth...

Father, what do you think?

In our brocade family,

we pay tribute to the military commissioner

twice a year,

at the beginning and middle of the year.

If I'm not mistaken,

the fourteenth of this month is Niu Jin's birthday.

So,

the brocade must be delivered on the thirteenth.

Isn't birthday tributes usually delivered on the day itself?

Usually, yes.

But

there's an exception.

If the tribute isn't just brocade,

but brocade garments

meant to be worn on the birthday,

they have to be delivered early.

That's to ensure a proper fitting.

No matter where Niu Jin is hiding,

they'll see him then.

Exactly!

So, what he's trying to tell us is

to follow the brocade delivery cart

through the secret path.

And he's also telling me

to follow the firelight

to find Niu Jin.

This child really went to great lengths.

Let him have a moment to himself.

Zhuge,

even in death,

you still have so much to say.

Yang Jinglan,

if it were you,

how would you pass this message along?

So it can't be carved into bones.

With so much to say,

if I carved it all into bones,

I'd end up looking like a sieve.

Your favorite drink.

Hurry, take it!

What's wrong?

Didn't you tell me

that heroes should be carefree

and humorous,

so people will remember them?

Who told you to be a hero?

Did I tell you to be a hero?

Or are you trying

to steal my thunder?

Let me just say this,

all this time, it's been you and Ji Yingying

helping everyone.

But Yizhou City

belongs to all of us.

It's my turn, Zhuge Hong,

to do something for everyone.

Besides,

you don't know how much effort it took

for me to provoke Niu Jin

and pass this message along.

How were you so sure I'd return

to retrieve your body from the city walls?

If I hadn't returned,

wouldn't you have died in vain?

Because you're Yang Jinglan.

Even if it's just to come back and scold me for being stupid,

I know you'll come back.

Don't look at me like that.

I know I'm quite dashing.

The wine really is that good.

So...

when you chose to stay in Yizhou,

you've already made this decision,

didn't you?

You've given up on the imperial exams?

Let's focus on this lifetime's responsibilities first.

I've done everything I should.

The rest

is up to you.

All right.

I'm off.

As for becoming the top scholar,

let's leave that for the next life.

Sang Shisi and the others are here.

They've come

to take the craftsmen back home.

But the craftsmen refuse to leave,

saying they'll wait to leave with you.

So I told them

you're sick,

unable to leave right now.

You're recovering.

Once you're better,

I'll personally escort you back.

He will come to take me back.

This place is so remote.

He won't be able to find it.

After some time,

I'll announce

that you've fallen gravely ill from overwork

and passed away suddenly.

You know he won't believe that.

So why bother with the pretense?

In my life, I've done many business deals.

The one I've lost the most in

is you.

What I've lost

is my principles,

my control.

Deep down,

I know clearly

there's no good ending for us.

But

I still can't let go.

Go ahead and eat.

It won't taste good once it's cold.

Your Highness,

His Majesty has summoned you to the palace.

Another meal was left unfinished.

I'll come back early

to have dinner with you.

Report!

Your Highness,

His Majesty has summoned you to the palace.

Why are you panicking?

Aren't I already on my way to invite him?

Understood.

Yes.

You actually dare betray me!

♪Fallen petals, scattered on the ground♪

♪Love awakes, but it fades before it grows♪

♪Like dust in the creek, it slips away♪

♪Time just spins, tearing at the seams♪

♪I walk through the pain, but I still chase the dream♪

♪The road is ahead, but it feels so unknown♪

♪How can we, so small, fight against this tide?♪

♪Holding on tight, as the ropes pull me inside♪

♪To show that the soaring crimson is mine to own♪

♪Red like a vow, that's burning slow♪

♪Silent red, where all my memories go♪

♪Throw the thread, and let the heartache show♪

♪Drowning in this, can't let it go♪

♪Red like flames, that burn through my soul♪

♪I walk these miles alone, through sleepless nights.♪

♪Love in the wind, alive, it's everywhere we've been♪

♪Red blooms bright, but it dies all alone♪

♪Red like a vow, that's burning slow♪

♪Silent red, where all my memories go♪

♪Throw the thread, and let the heartache show♪

♪Drowning in this, can't let it go♪

♪Red like flames, that burn through my soul♪

♪I walk these miles alone, through sleepless nights.♪

♪Love in the wind, alive, it's everywhere we've been♪

♪Red blooms bright, but it dies all alone♪